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| >> Campfire Creative >> Fiction >> Fantasy >> ID #1724241 |   |
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[Introduction]
  Izanagi is rising. Emiko Kobayashi is here to stop him. Sylvester Waite is in way over his head. |
 .Wolfie.  One : Jyorougumo Sylvester Waite used to have this ex-girlfriend named Magic Lee. It worked for her as a stage name but the girl was the type to use it all the time and he thought it was almost as stupid as the girl herself. While he was fucking her he told her he thought it was cute and then she would giggle and make jokes about putting a spell on him and he would smile and pretend he thought it was funny. Then he would put her mouth to better use and it was a lot easier to like Magic while she was on her knees. The girl was fucking amazing with her tongue, he would give her that. When they finally broke up he told her how fucking stupid he thought it was, and also that those god damned hamster noises she made during sex weren’t hot or sweet or endearing, they were as annoying as fuck and half the time he didn’t even want to do her because he thought he was raping a gerbil. She had thrown a shoe at his head for that and he’d left her apartment with a bruised skull. The reason Sly hated her name was that he knew better. He didn’t believe in God or the Devil or any of that shit, but he believed in magic. If a girl came to him and started talking about her past lives and spirits in her house, hey, who was he to tell her otherwise? Besides, it paid to believe in magic, in more ways than one. It paid pretty damn well when he scammed on the streets because he didn’t have to hide cards up his sleeve to make sure that the guy slapping a twenty down in front of him never found the Queen of Hearts. All he had to do was flick the back of it with the tip of his finger and tell that woman that maybe she felt like being the Queen of Spades today instead. It was an easy trick, one of the first ones he’d learned and it always worked when he was strapped for cash. It was easier to switch out some cards for hundred dollar bills, but illusions always wore off and that could get him hurt. Despite his name, Sly wasn’t exactly Sylvester Stallone. He could take care of himself in a fight, and by take care of himself he meant dodge a couple of hits and get the table in front of him and the ape coming after him with fists swinging. Head to head with a guy his own size, yeah he could probably get a few hits in and maybe take the guy down. But in his life it was rarely a fair fight with a guy his own size so he learned to be quick and he learned to be sneaky and most of all he learned to lie his ass off to try and avoid it. The thing he missed about Magic was that she knew how to hook him up. The girl had been a coke fiend of the worst kind, and snorting some of that white stuff had always taken the edge off the heroin that was his one true love. Sly knew his way around a needle, in more ways than one. He knew how to tattoo and more than that he knew how to melt himself a puddle of amber liquid and get that from a spoon into his veins in less than two minutes. The problem was always money. Heroin was expensive as shit and he didn’t like to settle when it came to getting high. He was bad, but he wasn’t that bad yet. He wasn’t on to huffing turpentine or household cleaners just to get a high, and he wasn’t planning on getting that way. It was just a little fix. Just a little high to get him through the day and once he had his morning glory he could go about his day until he came home and settled down to bed with his amber eyed girl just to wake up and do it again the next day. This month he was lucky and he actually had a bed to go home to. He had an apartment and he was only one month behind on the rent and the asshole he was renting from barely spoke English. The rest of the time he just cursed at Sly in Russian and he would take that as long as he still had a place to sleep at night. It was better than park benches or subway stations. At twenty-six he’d already done it all and seen it all. He’d bounced around a couple of cities on the east coast because he’d never quite gotten the money to move to California like he always said he would. The nifty thing about being an orphan was that he didn’t have to worry about calling to check in with mommy and daddy. He was a free man and he liked it that way, all he had to worry about was where he was sleeping and who he had to call to get him hooked up with a pick me up once and a while. He kept his black hair cut short, but he usually slacked off when it came to keep his face clean shaven. He had a hoop in his lip, another in his eyebrow, and a couple more in his ear, the left of which had a small chunk out of it from where an ex-girlfriend had decided it would be fun to give him a piercing while he was high. He had tattoos curling up his arms and over part of his chest, with a half finished one on his back. He’d gotten black angel’s wings etched in and then he couldn’t decide what to do with the rest of it so it was just sitting there for now. It was going to take a hell of a lot more cash than he had to get it finished though. Probably more than he could make just scamming dumb fucks on the street and he was just too lazy to commit to a full time job at a tattoo shop. He’d done it a couple of times, really tried that whole settling down business. There’d been a girl once named Krystal, and yeah, it’s Krystal with a K, she always told him, and they’d honestly given it a shot. He’d gotten a real job, paid his bills on time, and they’d even gotten a cat. She’d taken the cat with her when she’d left him, and he was really fucking glad about that because he couldn’t afford food for the damn thing and he didn’t want it shitting on his bed because he couldn’t buy it litter. He was too flaky, she said. He couldn’t commit, she said. She had a lot of things to say about him and not enough about how she was the bitch that fucked his boss at the shop. One year later and he was back to his old ways, a screwdriver in his hand as he snapped open the door of the magic shop. That’s what the sign over the door said anyway. He’d never seen it around here but it looked like just another new age shop filled with incense and karma beads that were supposed to bring good luck or tranquility or whatever the fuck. To each their own. The thing about these places was that sometimes they had some hash stashed behind the counters that he could sell back to his dealers and if he got really lucky he could find himself some shiny and expensive toys to hock down at the pawn shop. It was better than nothing, because the places that carried the really nice stuff also had the really nice security systems. The bell over the door jingled as he let himself in and he couldn’t resist himself. “Lucy, I’m home,” he muttered under his breath, kicking the door shut with one black boot before he made his way to the counter. A glass case lined the front of it, a pewter and ceramic wizard chess set sitting inside it. Next to it sat one with a price tag claiming it was real ivory and maybe he would grab a couple of the pieces and see if that was the truth. Something told him it wasn’t, but he would give it a shot because he was in desperate times and that called for desperate measures. There was a security camera over it and he kept his hood on until he could climb up on the counter and pull the plug. He grinned when the little red light went out and he pushed the hood back off his face, hopping behind the desk and using the screwdriver to try and pop the register open. Two hundred and fifty bucks got shoved in his back pocket and then he started pulling apart the drawers underneath the register, looking for some bags of the real magic green stuff. Sage. They had bags of fucking sage and hemlock or something and they were selling those but nothing smelled like marijuana and he sighed, tossing it on the counter and leaving it there. All of it stank, and not like anything good. It always amazed him how overpowering the smell in these places were. It stank like every flavor of incense imaginable and he really hated that smell. It was the smell of Krystal trying to cover up her weed and he didn’t know why she fucking bothered. Maybe because she’d thought her doing drugs just encouraged him doing them, like he would bother quitting for her. He used the screwdriver to open the glass case, stuffing some of the so called ivory figures in his pocket. Then his eyes lit up because this was one of those places that kept those stupid little decorative knives and swords in it and his hand went straight to the Japanese looking one towards the bottom. It was a short sword or a knife or something and he bet they’d have a special name for it but he didn’t know what the fuck it was. He yanked it out of its sheath, grinning at the way the light glinted off the metal. He wondered how much he could sell it for. That got shoved in his black backpack and he ducked his head to look for anything else. His tongue was running over the hoop in his mouth as he tossed some silver necklaces on top just in case they were real. Sly hesitated for a minute, because there were a couple of books lined up on the top shelf and he hadn’t noticed them when he came in. They looked old. They looked really fucking old, like the kind of things some loser collector with horn rims on his face and a dedicated career to bachelorhood would pay a hell of a lot of money for. Callused fingers grabbed the first one, tugging it out and tossing it on top of the counter. There was a silver snake curled on the front of it, and it was trying to devour its own tail. He snorted because it looked like the kind of crap from the movies and then he tried to open the book. “What the fuck?” he said to himself, and he almost laughed because it wasn’t like anyone was going to answer him. There was a god damned lock on the side of the book and he’d never understood what the point of that was. It was a fucking book, what were people worried about? That the words were going to come out and attack them? The trusty screwdriver got jammed into the lock and he wasn’t gentle with it as he ripped it apart, bending the metal back and snapping it open. As soon as the book fell open he got a really bad feeling about the whole thing. His instincts were pretty damn awesome when it came to that. Sly was dumb when it came to a lot of things, but when it came to his nose for trouble he was almost never wrong. Every nerve in his body was tingling now, telling him to run as far and as fast away from this place as he could get because there was something here making him really fucking uneasy. The book was just sitting open, and he tugged on the ring in his lip, feeling the cool metal against his skin. There were black words written across the page and one giant symbol sitting in the middle of the right one. It looked like that snake thing from the cover. He couldn’t help it. He took a step forward and started to pick the book up in his hands. As soon as his skin touched the pages he felt it. It was like a crack of thunder suddenly splitting the sky except he was inside and there were no clouds outside. Not even one, because he’d noticed how bright the moon was when he was breaking into this stupid shop but he swore there was a clap right over his head and it hurt his ear drums when it went off. He could feel it in his bones, making his skin crawl and he was way too fucking slow to realize that the reason his skin was itching was that something was on it. The words on the page were spiraling up his arms like fresh tattoos and he gasped and choked when he saw it. The book dropped from his fingers and landed with a thump on the floor and he kept stumbling back, scratching helplessly at the words as they made their way up his forearms and crawled across his shoulders like an army of spiders across his flesh. He was starting to panic a little when they ran down his chest where they coalesced right above his sternum. They spun and snaked and then he felt pain ratcheting through his nerves and into his heart. Sly wasn’t a fucking coward or anything, but yeah, he may have screamed. But in his defense it really hurt. Wenston The last time Emiko Kobayashi was here was in 1771. The world was different now. That was always the first thing she noticed. It was always startling and mystifying to open her eyes to a world that was more grown up than when she closed them. Maybe more so this time, because as soon as she opened her eyes, something was trying to kill her. It blared a high pitched roar as it bared down on her with glowing yellow eyes and vicious silver teeth. It took all of Emiko’s training and instincts to dodge out of the way. Leaping up, she planted her palm firmly on its cold snout, swinging her legs above her, twisting her body in the air so her feet met briefly with its sleek, square back. She took a few quick steps before flipping her feet into the air, her hands going to the katana strapped to her side as she was upside down in the air. As her feet came down, the beast screeched and twisted as it came to a stop. She landed with agile grace onto the hard ground, crouched low with her katana ready to draw on the beast. Her face snapped up, dark hair hanging in strands about her face and her ponytail slung over her shoulder. She took several deep breaths as she focused her attention solely on the beast that had tried to mow her down. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her katana as she saw the beast’s ear stand straight out. Her face twisted in surprise as not a moment later, a man stepped out of the beast. She bit her bottom lip, cautiously standing as the man looked all over the ground for something, his eyes finally coming to rest on her and he stared at her in shock for a moment. Then he jogged to the back of the beast, who was lying still and cold now. “Jesus, lady, are you alright?” he asked, his voice frantic. “I swear to God I didn’t see you standing there. It’s like you came out of thin air or something.” English. He was speaking English, but the accent was strange to her. She’d met a British soldier once who’d taught her the language, but the accent was different. She stood a little straighter, shoving her katana back into place at her side and she nodding her head towards the creature the man had emerged from. “What manner of beast is this?” she asked, her English a little sloppy and broken. The man frowned, lifting his cap off his head and scratching at his thinning hair. He turned and looked at the beast and then gave a small, uncertain laugh. “My truck?” he asked and Emiko puckered her face, rolling word silently on her tongue as she looked over the beast. She’d never heard of it before. “Look, lady are you alright? You hit your head or something? You don’t know what a fucking truck is?” Emiko sighed, looking back at the truck. She took a few steps forward, placing her fingers onto the beast and she withdrew them quickly at the cold, metallic feel of the thing. She looked up at it and her eyes took detail. She could not see it moving or breathing and she frowned as she looked over at the man again. “This is not a creature,” she said. The man watched her a second before scoffing and waving his hand at her, heading back towards where the truck had opened its ear for him. She ducked her head to the side to watch him climb back in. When he was seated, he yelled out to her, “Get off the drugs, you crazy bitch.” Then the ear closed and the truck started moving again. Emiko gasped, taking a few quick steps back, crouching slightly with her hands on her katana again. She watched the truck and the man head further down the road. From behind her, there was another loud screech and she jumped, whirling, her katana half drawn, but she stopped as she saw a smaller beast, or truck, behind her with a man leaning out its ear. “Lady, get out of the damn road! People’ve got places they need to be!” Her eyes shot to behind the man and there were more trucks, smaller ones of all different colors and shapes and they were all stopped. Stepping off the road and onto the sidewalk, she watched as the trucks zipped by her on the road, more coming in the opposite direction and they just passed each other. She narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself, “Carts with no horses.” She gave a small laugh before turning around and looking at the world around her. The buildings were square and tall, with many stories. It was nighttime and the moon was bright up in the sky. She looked for familiar stars, but found she knew none of them and that meant she was in a place she’d never been before. The West, most likely. There were a few people walking along the sidewalks and as they passed her, she noticed them looking at her oddly. Glancing down at herself, she looked between her cherry kimono and the dark, figure fitting clothes they wore and perhaps she should find clothing that would make her less conspicuous. “Whoa, hey there, baby doll,” someone said behind her and she turned to look over her shoulder a group or three men coming up the sidewalk. They were dressed oddly. The one in front’s hair was too short and looked like he’d gotten grease into it, because it stuck straight up in a line down his head. To his right was a light haired man with hair down to his shoulders and to his left was a man with no hair at all. All three of them had pieces of metal stuck into their faces. Emiko frowned at them. “I am neither a baby nor a doll,” she told them. Perhaps they were confused. She wondered what babies and dolls looked like in these times. The man in front laughed, clapping his hands in front of him. He had gloves on with the fingers cut off and she frowned at his jacket because there were different symbols and pictures sewn into it. The cultures had sure changed since 1771. “That’s rich, Momma,” the man said and she tilted her head to the side in curiosity. First this man had mistaken her for a baby and a doll, now he was mistaking her for his mother? She didn’t understand him. As he came to stand in front of her, his two friends passed her, standing to either side of her and a little behind. She eyed them both and they were young and most likely not a threat. They had no sword or katana. No sais or even the muskets she’d seen last time she was here. The spiky haired man in front of her stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now, you know it’s dangerous for a pretty thing like you to be out at night all by herself.” “Beauty has no effect on my capabilities,” she told him. He gave her a confused look before waving his hand at her. “Whatever,” he said nonchalantly. “You’re lucky, you know. Lucky that a few nice guys like us stumbled across you and not some…” his eyes trailed over her body and she looked down at herself to see what he was looking at. Maybe it was her clothes. “…bad men,” he finished. “Ones that might get it in their heads that they’d like to see what’s beneath that pretty little dress of yours.” Emiko shook her head. “I would not show them,” she said simply. “Even if they asked.” Then she sighed and looked around again because she felt like she was wasting time. If she was here, then that meant someone had opened the Grimoire. That also meant that she needed to find that someone, because there was work to be done and Jyorougumo was probably already tracking that person. “I thank you for your advice,” she told the three of them. “I will go now.” She tried to pass them, but was stopped when the spiky haired guy reached out and gripped her upper arm tightly. “Nah, I don’t think you’re going anywhere.” Eyeing the hand around her arm, she slowly brought her gaze back up to the man in front of her. If there was one thing that transcended time, it was threatening postures. She looked at the man’s face. He was young and held no power behind him. None of them did. They were arrogant and youthful. “You should remove your hand,” she told him. The man laughed, looking at his buddies. “Or what, honey?” he demanded. “You gonna hit me over the head with that toy of yours?” he jutted his chin towards her katana still at her side. “Baby, I get it. You’re into role play. Well, we can be into role play too. You be the bitch on her back, we’ll be the guys showing you a good time, huh?” Emiko’s eyes narrowed. “I will not tell you again. Remove your hand.” The man’s smile faded and turned into something vicious. “You’re not understanding me. I want to see that hot Japanese ass of yours.” And with that, he brought his other hand up, trying to backhand her across the face. She moved before they knew what hit them. Her katana was drawn with a flash of metal and she’d cut off the man’s hand that had been wrapped around her arm before he could even retract it. He was screaming as she round house kicked him in the jaw, sending him to the ground, out cold and bleeding into the sidewalk. She turned and the other two were standing there, wide eyed. She didn’t give them a chance to run or come at her. She moved, kicking one in the nose and shattering it and while her foot was still connected to his face, her arm came up to wrap around the other man’s head. She flung herself backwards, rolling in the air and bringing the man down onto his back near his friend. She let go of him, bringing her elbow down into his throat. He coughed, his hands coming to his neck. The other man, still standing, tried to turn and run, but she spun her legs around, swiping his feet out from under him and he landed hard on his side, his head cracking off the pavement. Climbing to her feet, she brushed herself off, slinging the katana back at her side. She looked down at the man’s severed hand and then pushed the man she’d cut it off of over so he was on his back. He was still unconscious and she looked down at him. “You lay your hand on me, I claim it,” she told his prone form. She sighed as she lifted her head to look around. The one she was looking for had to be around here. She noticed a couple standing up the sidewalk a bit, they were both holding onto each other, their eyes wide and scared. She smiled as she stepped over to them. They backed up until they hit the wall of a building. She looked at the man and then at the woman in his arms. “Where do I find clothes like yours?” she asked her. The woman raised a shaking hand to point down the street. Emiko followed where she was pointing and then turned back. She bowed her head and gave a polite, “Thank you,” before she turned and headed off. .Wolfie. Sly was shaking when he entered McGrath’s and mostly he just wanted to go straight to the bathroom and see if his chest looked as bad as it felt. It felt like a brand spanking new tattoo, his skin itching and sore and he just wanted to scratch at it or at least slap a band aid on it but something told him it might not be as simple as that. He still wasn’t sure what had happened, but that was because he was a little on the slow side sometimes and even a guy who believed in magic was having a hard time with the knowledge that a book really had opened up and bit him. It was a little hard to swallow, and he had a lot of bad jokes about that.Macky glanced up from the bar when Sly blew in, his hands in the process of cleaning his mugs and hanging them up behind him. The man was somewhere in his fifties or sixties, his hair and his beard completely gray. The man had a limp when he moved thanks to some war or another that he didn’t talk about. “Well look what the cat dragged in,” he said, grinning at Sly. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving a hand at the man. He knew what was coming next because everybody wanted to have this conversation with him. “Give me ten minutes before you lay into me.” Macky snorted and flung his towel over his shoulder. “I’ll hold you to that, Sly,” he said, pointing at him. “You owe me money.” Sly rolled his eyes, putting his back against the bathroom door. “I owe everybody money,” he grumbled. Macky laughed at him as he pushed his way into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind him. Once it was closed he realized just how bad his hands were shaking and he ran his hands through his hair. His feet carried him across the tile to the bathroom mirror and it was smudged and dirty with a crack across the center. He dropped his back backpack next to the sink and braced his arms on the porcelain for a moment. He tipped his head to the side and looked at his face and he was scared. He was scared because there was a book sitting in the pack by his feet and it had done something to him and he still didn’t know what. He was scared because the second he pulled his shirt up and got a look at his skin he couldn’t just pretend that it wasn’t just the heroin starting to get to him. He hesitated on that thought. He kicked at the sink and he thought about taking a hit to try and take the edge. He chewed on the metal hook in his lip and it was way too tempting to break his habits and start getting high right fucking now. Alcohol was a cheaper self-medication. That knowledge made him leave the drugs in his bag because he didn’t want to blow all his cash on replenishing his goods already. It wasn’t at all because he still had a fucking magical book sitting in his bag and he didn’t feel much like looking at the thing. Maybe it would bite him again and he tried not to feel like a retard just thinking that. A sigh left his lips and he turned the water on, leaning down to splash it across his face. It was cold and didn’t do anything but make his skin cold too. He rested his elbows on the porcelain, watching it swirl down the rusted drain. Then he reached a hand up and unzipped the black hoodie. He dumped it on top of the black backpack and then his fingers curled around the hem of his shirt. He was nervous. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he looked at his chest but it was sore and itchy and he should probably make sure he wasn’t bleeding or that his skin was rotting off or something equally as nasty. He pulled it up over his head, ducking his head underneath it. Silver and black necklaces got caught on the neck and he grumbled curses as he tugged them loose, feeling the cool metal hit his skin. Then he opened his eyes and looked at his chest in the mirror. “Holy fuck,” he hissed, his eyes going wide. There was a brand spanking new tattoo curled over his chest, sitting right on top of his sternum in black coils. It was a black snake devouring its own tail and the skin around it was raw and red. His fingers rose to poke at the dark circle and he wasn’t okay with this. He needed a drink. He needed a fucking liquor store. He needed a bender of the worst kind and maybe he would take the two hundred and fifty in his back pocket and go buy as much heroin as he could with that and just stay in his apartment for the next couple of days. Fuck, maybe he would go visit Magic and see if maybe she wouldn’t take him back for a week or two so that he could speedball like a rock star for a while. Maybe put some earmuffs on and let the girl go to town on him. He yanked the shirt down and his fingers were thick and clumsy as he pulled the hoodie back on. He zipped it all the way up like maybe if he put enough clothes on then he could pretend that he didn’t have something black sitting on his chest. The backpack got thrown over his shoulder and he hesitated for a minute because he didn’t know what to do now. Behind him the door opened and he titled his head to the side so that he could glance in the mirror. He bit down on the metal hoop in his lip when he saw the four guys making their way into the bathroom and wasn’t this just fucking great? “Well, well,” one of them said. Sly straightened up, hiking the bag higher on his back as he turned and tried to look casual as he leaned against the sink. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched the four men spread out. One of them was leaning against the door to the bathroom, keeping it shut in case anyone tried to interrupt and that was never a good sign. Not that he thought anything good was coming out of this anyway because he recognized the guys from that poker game last week. This was a really bad time for it to be catching up to him. “You were right boss. You did see a puddy tat.” Sly laughed, slapping his leg like it was the funniest damn thing he’d ever heard in his life. The guy in front frowned at the reaction, his meaty arms crossing over his chest and glaring at Sly. He thought his name was Big Bob. Or Big Bill. Or Big just about anything because the guy was fucking huge. Didn’t mean he could stop himself from being a smartass. “Oh that’s good,” he said. “Never heard that one before. You come with that all by yourself?” The big man’s friends went to either side of him, one of them lighting himself a cigarette and the other playing with a knife in his hands and he could already tell this wasn’t going to go well for him. “We need to talk.” He grinned and started heading between them, turning his back to the door and attempting to back out of the room. “And I would love to, maybe over coffee or dinner, real soon, honest. But listen fellas, I gotta run, some important stuff has come up,” he said. He had his back to the door when he felt a hand curl around his neck and shove him forward. “Or I’ll just stay here then.” He stumbled and the big guy’s hands caught his shirt, twisting in the fabric and pulling him up on his toes. He reached a hand down and dug on the inside of his jacket and Sly was just waiting for him to draw a gun and this night was just getting better and better. Maybe after Jumbo and his three friends were done beating the shit out of him all his ex-girlfriends would like to line up and take turns kicking him in the balls. That sounded like the kind of thing some of them might enjoy. Then Jumbo was pulling his hand back out, flicking playing cards into his face. They struck him on the nose before they fell to the floor and he blinked and watched them fall to the filthy tile floor. “What the fuck does this look like to you, Sly?” Jumbo asked, pushing his head down to look. He tilted his head to the side to look up at him and gave him his best excuse for a charming smile. “A full house?” The man snorted and pulled him back up, hand going around his shoulders and squeezing a little too tightly to be friendly. The back of his hand struck Sly in the chest and he grunted because there was already a stinging, burning pain there. “Oh funny. That’s really funny. He’s a regular comedian, isn’t he boys?” he said, glancing over his shoulder to the other three. “Yeah,” the man with the knife said. He thought his name was Roy or something but he was really shitty with names. He was picking his nails with it but he paused to grin up at Sly. “He’s real fucking funny.” “Yeah and you can catch my act every week at the diamond club,” Sly said. “Call my agent, he’ll hook you with tickets.” The man chuckled and Sly didn’t like that sound. He didn’t like the hand that tightened on his shoulder or the way the man dragged him towards one of the stalls. He dug his feet into the tile and he felt the hand move to the back of his neck. He kicked the door open and dragged him forward, all amusement abruptly falling from his voice.“You scammed us, Sly. Now you need to pay us back.” “Woah,” he said. He held his hands up and tried to look innocent but the cards were still lying on the bathroom floor behind him. It was bullshit to him that guys too stupid to piss without company had sniffed out his scam. Maybe stupid worked in their favor. They knew it was his fault, they just didn’t know how. “You lost me a little bit there fellas.” “You scammed us,” Jumbo snarled again. He shoved Sly down towards the ground. “I won a grand off you Sly, and yet when I pull it out of my pocket a day later I’ve got nothin’ but playing cards in there. So what does that tell you, puddy tat?” His knees struck the tile and he held his hands up. “Hey, it’s not my fault that the coach turned back into a pumpkin at midnight,” he said. Jumbo apparently didn’t like that because then he was slamming Sly’s face down on the toilet seat. His jaw cracked off the porcelain and he was going to have a bruise there in the morning. The man’s hand tightened on the back of his neck and then he slammed his head down for a second time. He gripped the edge of the seat to keep from Jumbo shoving his head into the water but he figured if the man wanted it that way there wasn’t much he could do to stop him. “Oh yeah?” he snarled by his ear. “Well I think it is, Waite.” He blinked, turning his head to the side and he grimaced at the stench of liquor wafting across his face. “For what?” The man frowned and the hand stilled on the back of his neck. A look of confusion creased his face and then it was replaced with annoyance as the man jammed his head against the porcelain again. “What?” he demanded. “You said wait,” Sly told him. He heard one of the men outside the door bite off a laugh and the guy holding him shot a glare over his shoulder. He kept his hands braced on the edge of the seat and his bag had slipped down his shoulder, dangling from his elbow. He had a knife in there but even if he got a chance he didn’t think it would help his case any if he went for it. The man snorted and then he pulled him back and smacked his head off the seat again. “That’s your name you dumb fuck,” he said. Behind him his buddy was laughing, toying with his knife and flicking bits of his nail off onto the floor. The second guy was leaning by the sink, his cigarette spilling smoke into the air and the last guy was still by the door. Sly could only see his feet so he wasn’t quite sure what was happening at first. Jumbo was growling into his ear, keeping his head pinned down. That was why he was the first one to see it. Something dark and claw like slid under the door, gripping the bottom and pushing it open. He saw the man’s feet move and heard his voice snarling loudly. “The fuck do you want?” he demanded. There was a sharp scream before it was abruptly cut off. He saw the man’s feet jerk and twitch before his body slumped to the ground. Sly’s eyes grew wide because he could see the other man staring at him and his eyes were wide and scared and empty. There was blood trickling from the corner of his lips and he wasn’t moving and he wasn’t breathing. “What the fuck is this shit?” Jumbo snarled. His hand let go of Sly and he pushed himself to his feet, going back out into the main bathroom. He didn’t waste any time. He didn’t want to know what happened next and he didn’t want to know what had just killed a man on the bathroom floor. He scrambled upright, locking the door to buy himself two seconds and then he crawled on top of the toilet. Behind him he heard Jumbo shout in surprise and then he heard the shout turn into a large scream. He was already pulling his screwdriver out and popping the lock on the window, shoving his bag out first before he followed. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest and as he scrambled out the window his head turned and he could see something dark and awful. There was a giant, monstrous spider crouched in the middle of the tile and Sly wasn’t sure if he was actually seeing this or if he was losing his mind a little bit. Maybe he’d already gone off on a bender and he was just hallucinating all this, but something told him the blood all over the floor was real and the bodies slumped there were real too. “Shīruburēka,” it hissed, and he didn’t stick around to find out what that meant. Wenston Emiko pulled herself up onto the roof through the open panel in the skylight. The place the woman had told her could give her clothes like hers had turned out to be closed and locked with nobody home. So she’d let herself in, found some clothes like the woman’s, and had hoped the shop keep wouldn’t grant her bad karma when they found some of their goods missing. Crawling to the edge of the roof, she knelt and inspected her new attire. She’d never learned to read English, so she hadn’t been able to tell what she was stealing, but she’d never seen clothes like it before. She’d thought they were men’s clothes at first, but then she’d seen a picture of a woman wearing them and when she’d pulled on the heavy, blue material pants, she found they fit, if not a little baggy near the ankles. They rode low on her hips and the shirt she’d gotten was black and sleeveless, leaving her shoulders exposed. She kept having to try and pull the shirt down so her stomach wasn’t exposed, but it kept riding back up. She didn’t understand this new clothing style. It left too much skin bare. But it was comfortable and flexible and she’d made sure she still had full mobility before she’d decided these were the clothes for her. She gave up a small prayer for the shop to let her be the only misfortune they’d have for a while and she hoped it was a prayer that would be answered. She didn’t like stealing. But she’d learned a long time ago that sometimes she couldn’t avoid it. Especially when the world changed in the blink of an eye. Emiko rubbed at her shoulder, where a floral tattoo of a koi fish was now visible to the world. She’d run into problems with people seeing the tattoo before. She didn’t wish to run into problems again, which was why she’d felt it necessary to dress to the current culture. Even if the clothing left her feeling exposed and bare. Sighing, Emiko pulled at the bracelet around her wrist, making sure the four pendants hanging from them were all still there. She touched each one of them individually, whispering their names to remind their creator she still respected the power they held. Finally, she let out a breath and looked out across the new world she’d shown up in. The moon was still bright and full above her head but the stars seemed so much dimmer now. They seemed lost in a fog. Hearing a noise from somewhere below, Emiko dipped her head, eyes scanning all around her because she had to be near the one who had opened the Grimoire. She never came to the world too far away from them. Below, she saw a man break out onto the sidewalk from an alleyway between two of the buildings. He wore dark clothing and had a pack on his back. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him run. She didn’t have to wonder what he was running from for too long. In the next moment, a spider the size of one of those trucks from earlier broke out of the alleyway behind him. Emiko felt the breath leave her lungs in a rush and she narrowed her eyes. “Jyorougumo,” she whispered into the night. The man the beast was chasing disappeared around one of the buildings and then Emiko was standing and running along the roof. If Jyorougumo was chasing someone, it was safe to assume that someone had opened the Grimoire. She needed to stop the beast from killing that man. She leapt from one roof to another, following the chase that was happening on the sidewalk below her. She was already pulling her katana from her side as she saw the dark man dart into an alleyway, Jyorougumo leaping onto the opposite wall to gain on him. She heard the man give a startled yell as the beast shot a pearly web from its spinner and caught the man’s ankles, bringing him down hard. A hissing laugh filled the air as Jyorougumo yanked backwards on the web, dragging the man along the ground. He was clawing at the cement to try and keep himself clear of the beast’s jaws. It would be in vain, Emiko knew it. But she was bound to this man now and even if he didn’t look like a fighter, just a runner, she would fight for him. Leaping from the rooftop, she pounced with accuracy onto Jyorougumo’s ugly black head, smashing it down, it’s eight legs shooting out as she took him down with force. She leapt off of him before he could recover, slashing her katana across the webbing, cutting through it with ease. It freed the man and he turned around to look and see what was happening, his eyes wide. Emiko only met his gaze for half a second, because she didn’t have time to wonder about him now. Like the men she’d met earlier, he had metal in his face. His eyes were stark and vivid, but open wide with fear at the moment. He had dark circles beneath his eyes and bruises forming on his face. He didn’t look like a warrior or a shaman and she wondered what had possessed him to open the Grimoire. Turning swiftly, to get her eyes on Jyorougumo, she hissed and dodged to the side as the beast brought down one of its sharp, spindly legs near her. She flipped backwards using one hand and crouched low. The spider turned towards her, hissing as it spat out, “Kōken'nin.” She watched the beast carefully as she tipped her jaw up in a challenge to him. “Akuma,” she spat back at him, not wanting to say his name lest it give him more power. “What the fuck?” came the man’s frantic, startled voice. Her gaze snapped to him for a moment and he was pulling the webbing from his pant legs. He looked up at both of them for a moment before he turned around and was on his feet, running. Emiko let out a small yell as Jyorougumo leapt at the opportunity, literally. The beast jumped, closing the small space between him and the man quickly, landing on his back and taking him to the ground again. It brought it’s fangs back to try and sink into the man’s back, but Emiko was already on it. She rushed forward, her katana lashing out and catching the fangs before they could land. She lashed out with a kick across the beast’s head, her other hand coming down to grip the hood attached to the man’s shirt and she dragged him back quickly. He gave another startled yelp. The spider beast regained itself quickly and tried to lash again at the man, this time his leg. Emiko brought her foot forward, hooking it around the man’s ankle and yanking his leg to the side and out of the way of the lashing fangs. The spider tried to do it against the other leg, and Emiko copied the same move she just had. Effectively, she was making this man dodge Jyorougumo’s advances like she was controlling a puppet. When the spider gave a frustrated hiss and went to sink its fangs into the man’s chest, Emiko wrapped her arms around the man and rolled them over, so he was on his stomach and she was laying on his back, pressed into him. “What the fuck is going on?!” the man screamed. Emiko didn’t have time to respond as she rolled with force again, throwing him across the alleyway and he rolled straight into the brick wall with an “oomph.” He lay on his side for a moment, pushing himself up and staring at her. She just pointed at him and snapped, “Stay!” before she turned back around, bringing her katana up to fend off another lash of the spider’s mandibles that would have struck her in the face. She rolled to the side, swiping her katana along and she felt it slice through one of Jyorougumo’s legs. The spider hissed and screamed as black blood splattered her and the ground. It back up a few paces, stumbling a little with its missing leg. Emiko took advantage of the moment to leap forward, slicing and slashing at the spider. The spider had gotten good since last time. It dodged nearly everything she threw at it after she’d sliced its leg. It caught an opening in her attacks and swung its spinner out to try and catch her. She flipped backwards, then to the side as it struck at her again. Crouching low, she snapped her gaze back to the spider and frowned when she saw it leaping onto the wall, climbing up the side of it and up onto the roof. She’d never known the demons to make retreats before. She would have to hunt it later. Right now, she had to deal with the man she’d saved. Looking back to the spot he’d been laying, her eyes widened slightly when she found it empty. Her head whipped up towards the end of the alleyway, her hair flinging over her shoulder and her face darkening as she saw the retreating form of the man’s back as he ran away. Emiko gave a frustrated scoff. “Baka!” she yelled at him, then gave chase. .Wolfie. Sly’s shoulder slammed into the metal dumpster and he stumbled a little as he tried to stay on his feet. One knee banged against the asphalt, his fingertips skidding across the ground as he pushed himself forward and kept running. He launched himself over a fallen garbage can, boots splashing through puddles as he dashed towards the street. He didn’t care if he got hit by a god damned car at this point, he wasn’t turning around and he wasn’t stopping until he was in another state. He was trying not to think about the four dead bodies left on the bathroom floor of McGrath’s and fuck, what if Macky was dead? What if this fucking giant spider had killed him and his hot daughter that waitressed on the weekends? He had to be high. This had to be a bad trip because the alternative was that there really was a giant spider chasing him, a new tattoo on his chest from some creepy ass book and a hot Asian chick with a sword slamming him into walls. While two out of three wasn’t bad, he would gladly trade those two if it got rid of the fucking giant monster that wanted him dead. There was a chain link fence at the end of the alley and he was cursing even as he launched himself at it. His fingers hooked in the links halfway up and he hauled himself towards the top of it, sucking in harsh breaths of air and he really should work out more. “Baka!” the woman yelled, and he didn’t look behind him and he didn’t slow down. The web hit him hard in the chest. His fingers clawed at the chain link, trying to keep his grip on it but half his body was twisting and falling towards the asphalt. His back struck the ground hard, forcing all the air from his chest as he landed. There was a blur of movement over his head and he looked up to see the spider crawling down the wall towards him. The black glittering eyes were focused on him, mandibles clicking dangerously as it made its way towards him. He whimpered low in his throat, back peddling quickly across the alley, his boots digging into the asphalt and hands slipping on the rough, wet ground. “This isn’t fucking happening,” he said, shaking his head like maybe that would make it go away. Yeah, alright, maybe he believed in magic but this was a little over his head even for him. This wasn’t tarot reading, card trick kind of magic, this was terrifying, sacrificing a goat to Satan kind of magic and he didn’t remember ever cutting one of those fuckers open. All he’d done was open a god damned book and he shook his head harder hoping again that this was just a bad trip. The woman moved with a silent grace. He didn’t even hear her when her foot hit the top of the dumpster and she launched herself at the giant spider. Her blade flashed in the light as she swung it and there was a scream as she took off a spindly leg. It landed in a puddle on the ground and he stared at it for a moment before he pushed himself upright and scrambled back towards the fence again. On the other side of it he could see cars zipping by and there was a little part of him that thought if he could just get to the street then he could grab himself a taxi and get the hell out of dodge. And the first thing he did would be to ditch this fucking book. Her head turned over her shoulder, dark hair flying around her face in thin strands. “Stay there,” she growled. He snorted at the order. “Fuck that,” he shot back, and then the spider was moving. It hissed and threw itself at the woman on the fence. She pushed herself off it, flipping backwards and striking it hard with a kick as she moved. She was a god damned ninja queen, landing gracefully on her toes with her fingertips pressed against the ground and holding herself upright. The blade was held behind her back along her body and then she twirled it and launched herself at the spider again. It hissed and spat webbing at her which she dodged with a back flip that would make the Dallas cheerleaders jealous. She was a god damned warrior princess and if he weren’t so terrified he would think she was hot as hell. The monster moved along the fence before it launched itself over her head, hitting the asphalt behind her and shooting webbing out from its mandibles. She dodged to the side, part of it catching her around the leg. The sword swung in an arc, blade slicing through the intrusive strands and cutting them from her pants. The spider was already moving forwards towards her, clawed legs striking out towards her in quick succession. He watched her dodge and deflect them, kicking them aside and slicing parts off the monster. There was a loud hissing scream of pain as she cut off one of its legs near the body and then he was moving. His feet dug into the ground and he hurtled forward towards the fence, gripping the chains and hauling himself up it as fast as he could. He swung his leg over the side of it and then his jeans hooked on the top, ripping as he threw himself to the ground. His feet hit the ground hard and he didn’t look behind, even as he heard screaming from the monster and the woman’s shout echo over his head. “Baka!” she yelled, and he didn’t know what the fuck that meant but the last thing he wanted was to get mixed up anymore in this psycho nightmare. He jogged down the side of the street, holding his thumb out and considering just throwing himself in front of the next taxi to drive by. Bright headlights washed over him and water got splashed up onto his chest but at this point he didn’t care. “Come on you fucking assholes,” he snarled. He turned his head over his shoulder and he didn’t see any sign of the woman or the giant spider. Not that he was worried about her, because a woman like that could take care of herself. A taxi slowed down next to him and if he believed in God he would be thanking him right now, crossing himself and getting down on his knees and everything. He yanked open the back door and threw himself inside. “5th and Colebrook, and step on it, would you?” he snapped. The guy in the driver’s seat lifted an eyebrow but he shrugged and put it in drive. “Yeah, alright buddy,” he said. “Rough night?” “Jesus, I don’t want to be your fucking friend, just get me the fuck home,” he snarled, tipping his head back and pressing a hand to his forehead. He heard the guy muttering nasty things about him under his breath but he really didn’t care. He just wanted to go home. He just wanted to crawl inside his apartment and shoot up everything he had left and stay in a happy haze of snow and static for the next week and a half. If he could get himself high enough then maybe he would forget this ever happened and he could go into a happy little world where the tattoo on his chest came from a night off too much drinking and a lousy last minute decision. Sort of like the trail of five pink hearts he had tattooed on his hip, fuck the asshole that actually put them there. The man was just pulling back out into the road when it struck the hood. He heard the man scream in surprise as the front windshield shattered and the hood crumpled beneath the weight of the giant fucking spider that just landed on top of the taxi. He was already ducking and pushing himself out of the passenger door, scrambling on all fours into the road. He glanced back once and the spider was pulling the man out through the windshield, his legs kicking and flailing as the thing sunk its teeth into his neck. It was down to five broken and uneven legs, but that was enough. “This isn’t fucking happening,” he told himself again, and maybe if he said it enough times it would be true. He bolted out of the street, hearing horns blaring behind him and he didn’t even fucking know where to run to next. There was a dark alley behind a family diner that he bolted into and he ducked behind their dumpster, smelling piss and beer and old French fries rising from the metal box. His back hit the wall hard and he slumped down next to it, hands shaking as he pressed his forehead into his palms and this couldn’t be real. He had to be high. High as a fucking kite, higher than he’d ever been in his life and what the fuck had he taken. “Don’t run and don’t speak,” a voice hissed. He jumped and then he felt a hand clamp down hard over his mouth, an arm looping around his chest to hold him still. Black hair floated down around his face and he tried to turn his head over his shoulder, eyes wide with fear and his heart thundering wildly in his chest. The woman crouched next to him, sword strapped over her back and her face cold as she swept the alley around them. Her eyes were narrowed, blood splattering her cheek and he wondered if she even noticed it was there. “Are you going to scream?” she asked. He shook his head slowly and she pulled the hand away from his mouth. “What the fuck is going on?” he demanded, and it wasn’t quite a scream, but it was getting there fast. “Keep your voice quiet and stick close to me,” she ordered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her English was a little broken, but he could understand her well enough and the accent was sort of hot. She pulled the arm slowly from around his chest, watching him like she was waiting for him to run. He wasn’t a fucking moron, alright, well some of his ex-girlfriends might argue that, but he wasn’t going to try and run from a crazy woman with a sword. “Listen babe,” he said, trying to push himself to his feet. She glared at him and pushed him hard in the chest to keep him against the wall, sliding one leg out and tilting her head to the side as she looked back down the alley. “Just because you’re a hot Asian chick with a sword doesn’t mean I’m just going to do whatever you tell me to.” She snorted and frowned, glancing back at him. “It doesn’t?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. He stared back at her because the tone of her voice didn’t sound like a joke. It sounded like she was absolutely serious. He swallowed hard. “Alright, well maybe it does,” he said. “But will you just tell me what the fuck is going on here?” She frowned like she was annoyed with him, sitting back on her heels. “You opened the Grimoire,” she told him. She looked irritated like they were even still sitting there and she glanced back around the dumpster before she reached down and gripped the back of his shirt. She pushed him in front of him, hands resting on the hilt of her sword as she kept an eye out behind them. “The demons are loose, and Jyorougumo is only the first of them. Now we must stop them.” “What the fuck?” he said, pulling away from her and stumbling back against the wall again. He shook his head, fingers clumsy as they dug for a pack of cigarettes in his bag and he tried to ignore the stupid book that was sitting there mocking him. “So fucking what? I opened a stupid book, what the fuck does that have to do with anything?” He didn’t expect the hand that suddenly slammed him against the wall or the blade that was sliding up under his shirt, the metal cool against his flesh. She sliced his shirt all the way up to the neck and then stepped back, sword pointed at his chest and the mark there. “You opened the book,” she spat at him. “You broke the seal. Now I am here to fix it and you are going to help.” He stared at her for a moment and then looked down at himself. “I liked that shirt,” he said quietly. Wenston “So let me get this straight.” Emiko sighed as they made their way down the sidewalk. Her hand was still on the hilt of her katana, the other hanging loosely at her side. She was walking behind the chatty man who’d broken the seal, eyes darting side to side, keeping an eye out for any sign of Jyorougumo. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but the man had decided it would be best if they went back to his place and she had to agree. But so far, she still didn’t know why he’d opened the Grimoire and she wasn’t going to ask him out here in public. There were too many ears out here and she didn’t know who was listening. The man turned around, walking backwards. She watched him for a moment because he seemed to be calming down a little bit. His shirt was split up the middle, thanks to her, but at least the hooded shirt he wore over it was still intact, even though it hung open and his chest was exposed. She lifted her brow at him, because he hadn’t stopped talking since they’d started walking. “I have this pretty badass, but fucking creepy tattoo on my chest because I opened a book that is actually a, what’d you call it?” “Grimoire,” she supplied him, not even looking at him as he spoke. Her eyes were solely on the shadows, looking for signs of the spider. He pointed at her. “Right, Grimoire. So I opened the Grimoire, broke some seal, and now you’re telling me that I have to help you close the seal again because I’m the only one that has the power to do so? Oh, and also there’s a giant spider that wants to kill me so I can’t close the seal. And we have to kill it too.” She nodded her head, finally bringing her gaze around to look at him. “Yes,” she said simply. He chewed on his lip, tongue flickering across the metal in his lip as he watched her a second. Then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, holding his fingers to his opposite palm. She stopped with him, lifting an eyebrow at him. “Okay, time out,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just having a really hard time with the whole, there’s a giant fucking spider that wants to kill me, part of that story.” “Jyorougumo,” she told him. He scoffed. “Yeah, I’m not going to even try to pronounce that, so we’re just going to call it the giant spider.” He sighed, scrubbing his hands through his hair and she tipped her head to the side to study him a little more intently. It made sense now why he didn’t look like a warrior or a shaman. He hadn’t even known what he was doing when he opened the Grimoire. Which meant he hadn’t known he was going to be unleashing the demons and breaking the seal. So he probably wasn’t a warrior. He was probably a thief. “So, how do we kill it?” Emiko frowned and lifted her katana a little so he could see it. “With this,” she said. He looked between the katana at her side and back to her face before he laughed, running his hands across his eyes. “Great. Well, I don’t have a fancy sword, so why don’t you go kill that thing and when it’s dead, it’ll be over right?” “No,” she said, reaching out and pushing him in the chest. He winced and she ignored it because a long time ago she’d learned how to deal with pain and she thought that others should learn how to deal with it too. “There are thirteen demons that want to stop you from closing the seal.” “Thirteen?” the man squawked. “There are thirteen fucking spiders out there trying to kill me?” She sighed. “They are not all the same. One is a dragon.” He stopped moving again and Emiko frowned at him. He was staring at her with wide eyes and then he started laughing, turning around and throwing his hands in the air. “A dragon!” he yelled to the night. “A fucking dragon wants me dead. Well, this is just peachy.” He gave a small, hysterical laugh before turning around again and stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “So we have to kill all thirteen demons, close the seal, and then everything will be kosher again, right? This tattoo will be gone?” “Yes, once you close the seal, the danger is gone until the Grimoire is opened again,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “What is ‘kosher?’” He blinked at her and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Hey, here’s a question, what did this seal do? Besides bounce a rubber ball on its nose.” He laughed, lips curling up into a half smile. “Get it?” At her blank stare, the smile fell from his face. “Right, of course you don’t. But really, what is the seal for?” “It is the seal that keeps Izanagi from walking the earth,” she said. He frowned. “Who?” “Izanagi,” she said again, looking around. “He is an ancient god that wishes to open the gates to the underworld to retrieve his wife. He tried to retrieve her before, but when he saw she was nothing more than a walking corpse, he was frightened away and abandoned her to live for eternity below.” He snorted. “Yeah, I’d be freaked if my girlfriend was a corpse too. Although some guys get a kick out of that.” Emiko frowned and watched his smile fade again. She didn’t understand his humor. “So, how do you fit into all of this then? You just here for shits and giggles?” “I do not giggle,” she shook her head and he snorted. “Yeah I can tell,” he muttered. Emiko frowned and then reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it up so it exposed her stomach. He held out his hand, the other coming up to cover his eyes, although he was peeking through his fingers. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “If you’re gonna flash me, I need forewarning.” Emiko shook her head at him and lifted her shirt up a little further, to show her sternum, where a tattoo similar to the one on his sternum was. The only difference was, the snake was unable to devour its own tail. Between its mouth and its tail was a sword, piercing through the snake’s head. “I am Guardian,” she told him. “I am duty bound to the Grimoire. I am here to protect you and ensure you close the seal.” He rubbed at his chin for a moment, seeming to think about that. “Huh,” he said and then asked, “What’s your name?” “Emiko Kobayashi,” she told him. “Yeah, I’m not going to try to pronounce that either,” he snorted. “I’m just gonna call you Emi. Or hot Asian chick. Or ninja queen.” She frowned because she didn’t like any of those, but apparently he wasn’t going to give her time to dispute it. He turned around again, heading on down the sidewalk. She followed after him and he’d finally gone quiet, scratching at his chest as he seemed to think about everything she’d just told him. It was odd, because usually the seal breakers knew already what they were getting into. They turned the corner and Emiko sucked in a breath as he stepped out into the road. She rushed forward, grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the sidewalk. He yelped, staring at her like she’d sprouted a second head. She looked up and down the road and then shook her head. “You should be careful,” she told him. “What? Why? Is that spider back?” he asked, eyes darting around. “No,” she said. “There are many dangerous trucks on this road.” .Wolfie. Sly figured he must have been going into shock, because it was at the point where he just wasn’t surprised anymore. Dumbo and the crows could have dropped down from the sky and sailed off with him to Oz and he would have just shrugged and called it a day at this point. Maybe he had finally just snapped, and there wasn’t really a hot Asian chick following him up the stairs to his apartment and he was just trotting up them and talking to himself. Maybe he’d inhaled too much incense at that stupid shop. Though he wasn’t sure even his fucked up mind could have come up with her because this girl was a trip and a half. She was intense, hot as hell, and fucking ice cold. Her hand never left her katana, her gaze narrowed as she watched the shadows. He was just getting the key to his apartment in the lock when he heard the door across the hall from him bang open. “Sylvester!” the man yelled, marching across the floor towards him. The man pointed his finger in his face, his voice sharp and biting as he yelled at him in Russian. “Vy dolzhny mne den’gi, kotorye vy chertovski mudak.” “Woah Konstantin, let’s just calm down here.” Sly said, holding his hands up innocently. The girl was watching him with narrowed eyes, the hand tightening on her katana but she hadn’t moved, just watching the exchange. Konstantin hadn’t even glanced at her, but he was probably used to Sly bringing home strange women at odd hours of the morning. His hands dug in his back pocket for the money he’d stolen, pulling one bill loose and he hoped it was just a twenty, his thumb sliding across the president’s face as he pushed it into his palm. “Look, there’s fifty bucks, I’ll have the rest for you by the end of the week.” “Peryeĭti yebet kozu,” Konstantin said, spitting at Sly’s feet before he pocketed the money. He gave a small sigh of relief, pushing the door open with his back and holding it open to let Emi in behind him. She was still watching the man as he went back into his own apartment, the door slamming loudly behind him. “What was he saying to you?” she asked, finally turning to follow him in. She glanced over her shoulder at him, no expression on her face. “Probably the same thing everyone does,” he said. “That I owe him money.” He shrugged, kicking the door shut behind him before he snapped all the locks into place. He doubted it would stop any giant spiders from coming to rip his guts out, but hell, at least he didn’t have to worry about folks like Jumbo and his three friends coming to beat the piss out of him or steal his shit while he slept. Not that he had much worth stealing, or that he hadn’t taken it from someone else first. “Your name is Sylvester?” she asked. He snorted, heading straight for the couch, kicking a cardboard box out of the way as he went. The place was trashed, a half empty pizza box on the battered wooden coffee table and dishes piled to the ceiling in his sink. The kitchen and the living area were one room, seamlessly entering into each other. Three steps would take him from the back of the battered futon to the kitchen counter, and another ten would get him to the bedroom, even if it didn’t have a door on it at the moment. The bathroom was next to that, the white wooden door practically hanging off its rusted hinges. “Yeah,” he told her. “And don’t make any cute jokes, okay? Just call me Sly.” He dropped down on the futon, dropping the backpack next to him and clearing a space on the coffee table. Emiko’s eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the place and she looked less than impressed as she picked a shirt up off the floor, holding it on the tip of one finger. It just reminded him that his own had been split in half, and he tugged the hoodie off before he tugged off the remains of the shirt. She studied it and then glanced at him and his outstretched hand before she tossed it to him. “This is where you live?” she asked, and he heard the faint tones of disgust in her voice. He sniffed at the shirt before he decided it was clean and tugged it on, glancing over his shoulder once his head was through the neck. “See, you’re lucky this has been such a fucked up night, because usually this is the part where I try to get into your pants.” Her eyes widened for a moment and she looked down at herself. “Are these not women’s pants?” she asked, tugging at her jeans and adjusting them around her hips. They were slung low and he lifted an eyebrow as he watched her, trying to keep the amused smirk off his face because she sounded suddenly worried. “The picture made it seem as if they were. Have I made an error?” “Yes,” he told her, tugging at the hoop in his lip to keep from smiling. “Yes you have. You should take them off right now.” Her head rose, dark hair falling around her face as she focused on his. For a moment she studied him and then her eyes narrowed and he thought it was funny that she looked mildly annoyed with him. “I suspect you are lying to me,” she said. A laugh left his lips and he shook his head, leaning down to pull the backpack closer to him. His hand rose to scratch at the mark across his chest for a moment as he unzipped it. “Aw, now that’s not nice, coming into my home and calling me a liar right off the bat,” he said. He heard her scoff but didn’t turn around, fingers hesitating over the book. Maybe it could stay in there for now, and he went past it to the little black CD case that didn’t hold CDs anymore. “You straightedge?” he asked, glancing back at her. Her head tilted to the side and then she looked down at herself for a moment. That pretty much told him all he needed to know. Maybe he was an asshole, but he kept his habits to himself when there were none dope fiends in the room. “Straight edged?” she asked, shaking her head. “I don’t know what that means.” Sly chuckled, kicking the bag to the side as he pulled out the little black case. “Straightedge, you know? Are you on anything? Drugs, booze, sex, rock and roll, because if you are I got you covered four for four.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. He got an icy glare in return, her voice even colder. “I indulge in sake on occasion.” “Yeah, yeah you’re straightedge,” he said, laughing to himself. One hand scrubbed through his hair and then he pushed himself to his feet, mouth dry and skin already tingling. He was long overdue for a hit. He should have just fucked himself up in the bathroom and then maybe he wouldn’t have been so surprised when a fucking spider tried to kill him. Then again, maybe he would have just died in a heroin inspired haze. “Alright babe, you can just chill here for a ten minutes then while I self-medicate. And don’t go stealing anything on me,” he added, pointing a finger at her as he moved towards the bathroom. She frowned and looked mildly offended at that, her eyes narrowing and her lips puckering slightly. Her head turned over her shoulder and for a moment it brought his attention to the goldfish jumping across her skin. “I do not wish to visit such bad karma on anyone if I can help it,” she told him, and the words brought a loud laugh from his lips. “And here I was starting to think you really didn’t have a sense of humor, ninja queen.” He grinned, especially when the look of annoyance on her face darkened further. He kicked the bathroom door shut behind him before she could say anything. As soon as it was shut he slumped down against the side of the tub, the black case in his fingers and the rest of him shaking. He chewed on the piercing in his lip, tugging the metal between his teeth as he hurriedly yanked the zipper open. His fingers were trembling as he dropped it down to the floor in front of him, digging in his back pocket for his lighter. There was a metal spoon already in his pack, sitting next to the hypodermic needle, a rubber tube, and the little baggie of pale brown drugs. It wasn’t as pure as he wished, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and he was running low on cash already. He got to work melting it down, holding the spoon in one hand and the lighter in the other while he reduced it to an amber puddle against the metal. It was a pain in the balls doing this in the bathroom but he was practiced at it and he tied off his arm with the rubber tube. He used his teeth to pull the cap off the syringe and his hands were trembling right up until he got the needle pressed against his vein. Something like relief was flooding him as he pushed the plunger down, filling his veins with that beautiful amber stuff. It made the day a thousand times better. His head tipped back against the tub and he kicked his feet out in front of him, dropping the needle down on the black pack before he used his fingers to tug the rubber tube off his arm. There was a tiny pinprick left in his skin but he wiped it away with his thumb and it was barely even noticeable anymore. Barely any sign that he was on his way to becoming a junkie because this had been his first thought to solve all his problems and now he was hiding on his bathroom floor mainlining heroin. But within two minutes he wasn’t worried about demons or monsters or old books or new tattoos. His fingers were thick and clumsy as he cleaned up after himself, wiping the needle down and putting the cap back on. It was probably unsanitary or some shit but he didn’t share needles anyway and he wasn’t worried about it. His eyelids started to droop and a lazy smile curled across his lips as he packed the remains of his drugs away. Enough for a couple of days still, if the world didn’t keep crashing down around him. If he didn’t end up speedballing like a motherfucker and he couldn’t promise that. It all got packed back away in the black case and he rested it on the edge of the sink as he turned the water on. He tipped his head to the side, looking at his own reflection and the way his eyes were dilating even as he watched. There were thick bruises on his jaw and his temple and there was only a dull pain when he poked at them. Already he could barely feel his own skin. The water was cool against his fingers and cooler when he wiped the hand over his face because his skin was feeling warm and flushed. But he felt good. He felt warm and tired and drowsy and mostly just good. He wiped his face off with a towel and gave himself a grin in the mirror because he was getting annoyed just looking at his face. Then he tossed the towel back over the shower bar and nudged the door open with his toe. His fingers scratched at the mark on his chest and then moved to the one on his arm and maybe he was still a little jittery but that wasn’t a big deal. Nothing was a big deal. And hell, when he walked out there was a hot Asian chick sitting on the arm of his couch and that didn’t make for such a bad day. She glanced up at him, eyes narrowed as she studied his face. “What did you do?” she asked. “You look strange” He chuckled, walking across the apartment to flop down on the couch next to her. His head rolled to the side and his eyes were drowsy as he focused on her face, his whole body sluggish and warm and he felt like he could just sink into the couch. “I told you hot Asian, I self medicate. Helps me cope with the whole ‘demons are coming to disembowel me in my sleep business.’” She snorted and shook her head, hand still resting on the hilt of her katana and he wondered if this was the biggest scam in history or if she really was some kind of fucked up guardian thing. “They will probably not wait until you are asleep.” He snorted, still smiling as he tipped his head back. “And now I won’t be able to do that at night either. Thanks for that.” She ignored the comment and he didn’t hear her moving but suddenly her voice was right in front of him. His eyes slid open and she was standing in front of him, arms crossed over her chest and a dark look on his face. He wondered if she was pissed off or if he’d woken her up from some kind of centuries of sleep and he was more willing to believe something fucked up like that right now. If she told him she was an angel sent by God to make out with Roma Downey then he would believe her and he chuckled at the thought. “Why did you open the Grimoire?” she asked. “How did you manage it?” He shrugged, the lazy smile still on his face as he tipped his head back up towards the ceiling. One of the bulbs was out and there was a water mark forming above the kitchen. He wondered if he should bother telling the landlord because Konstantin would probably just kick his ass out. He wondered how much cash he’d actually given the asshole because he’d told it to look like a fifty but maybe it had actually been a fifty and that would just suck. “I don’t fuckin’ know. It was locked and I wanted to see what was in it.” She kicked at his leg and he winced because she wasn’t gentle about it. He sat up, rubbing at his shin as he focused back on her face and she looked annoyed. Maybe angry. He couldn’t tell, she was good at hiding those things. “Things are usually locked for a reason.” He snorted and gave her his best charming grin, even though he doubted it would have any effect on her. He probably had about as much chance getting into her pants as he did into Fort Knox, but to be fair he wasn’t exactly on his A game tonight. “Yeah,” he said, “usually because I can make a lot selling what’s inside.” “So you just opened it?” she asked, and if he had to guess he’d say angry. Girls usually were with him. So he just kept fucking smiling, because he was in too much of a haze to be upset anymore. “Yep,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at her. “Popped the lock with a screwdriver. I’ve got a way with shit like that. Lucky for me, I guess.” She went quiet and he tipped his head back against the futon. It was softer than he remembered, and he thought he could just go to sleep right here. Maybe when he woke up this would all just be a really fucked up dream, probably brought on by doing too much something or other because he could be stupid like that sometimes. He heard her let out a breath and then he heard her cool voice. “You opened the seal. You; a thief and a liar is the seal breaker.” The futon sank as she sat down next to him and he laughed, tipping his head to the side and trying to force his eyes to open. “Woah,” he said. “There you go with the name calling again. Keep going and I’m going to get my feelings hurt or something. Pretty soon you’re going to owe me a blow job to make up for it.” Her face contorted in confusion and irritation. “What is that?” she asked. He groaned and tipped his head back against the couch, crushing his eyes shut. “Oh, fuck me sideways, this just isn’t fair. I’ve got about fifteen responses to that and I’m pretty sure every one of them would get me shanked.” Wenston A thief. The seal breaker was a thief. Emiko wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that it wasn’t a warlord trying to take over the world or a warrior trying to prove their prowess by slaying the thirteen demons. It was just a common thief who’d seen something that had a lock and decided to pick it. And on top of that, he was dirty. At least his home was. It was small and messy and he confused her because she didn’t know what he was sick with, but he had to take medicine. He was a fool. Just a fool. That was going to make this whole thing infinitely harder. Right now, he was just sitting on the large chair in his home, with his head resting against the back of it and his eyes closed while she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. She sighed and normally she’d be pursuing Jyorougumo now, but Sylvester, or Sly as he asked her to call him, didn’t look to be in any shape or state of mind to go after the demon. So she’d give him the night to rest and tomorrow they would go after it. It would give the demon time to heal, but it would also give Sly time to rest as well. Turning around, she looked into the kitchen area and walked over to it, pulling the cupboards open. Inside, there were metal cans that she pulled out and even though she couldn’t read the writing on them, she could look at the pictures and know somewhat of what was inside. She didn’t really recognize much of it. They all looked like some sort of stew or slop. She wasn’t sure. “What is this?” she called to him. Sly rolled his head along the couch, arching his back so he could tip his head to look at her. He snorted when he saw the square container in her hands. “Spam. Got it from a food pantry two years ago. Never really been desperate enough to eat it. But it’s probably still good if you’re hungry.” Emiko lifted a brow at the can, bringing it to her nose to sniff it and it just smelled like metal. She looked back over at him but he’d settled back into the couch. “Is it meat?” she asked. He laughed again. “Question of the century, babe.” Crinkling her nose at him, she slipped the cans back into the cupboards and looked through his other drawers and into the large metal box that was cold inside. She tried to find how it kept cold, but she didn’t see any ice, so she just closed the door and let that be a modern marvel she didn’t understand. Turning around, she walked back over to the couch and looked down at him, frowning because he looked dazed and lazy. “You are sick?” she asked. “Depends on which ex-girlfriend you ask,” he said. Then his eyes opened and he frowned. “Actually, no it doesn’t. All the ex-girlfriends would say the same thing.” He tipped his head to look up at her. “Look, you’re making me anxious with all your pacing and fidgeting. Why don’t you just watch tv or something.” “What is tv?” she asked. Sly sighed and stood up, walking over to a box in the corner of the room. “Tv. Television. I only get like, two channels, but it should keep you entertained at least while I try to get some sleep.” He paused near the box, turning to look at her. “You do sleep, right? I mean, you’re not like a robot or a freaking ghost or something, are you?” Emiko frowned and tipped her head to the side to study him curiously. “I sleep,” she told him. “Oh, good,” he said and then clicked something on the box in front of him. Emiko jumped a little as it roared to life, light coming from within it and then her eyes widened as she saw tiny people moving around inside the box. Sly didn’t seem that intrigued with it. He stood up and wiped his hands off, walking back to the couch. “There. Infomercials. Knock yourself out. I’m going to bed. I would offer you the bed, but honestly, the couch is more comfortable.” Emiko didn’t even pay attention to him. She pointed to the box. “There are small people inside that box,” she told him. He paused on his way to the other room to look at her, his eyes half lidded but confused. He turned around to look at the box and then snorted, turning back to look at her. “They’re not real. It’s just a television.” Emiko gave him a confused, uncomfortable look and he gave a small bark of laughter, coming to stand next to her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Look, it’s like, hm, how can I explain this. It’s like a picture, but a moving one. You know what a picture is, right?” “A photograph?” she asked. “Yeah, basically,” he said. “They’ve got a camera that takes continuous pictures. And then magically you get television,” he waved his hand at the box. “You good now? Can I go to bed?” Emiko nodded, still dumbfounded by this new technology. She climbed onto the couch, her eyes not leaving the television or the tiny people on it. She was worried maybe they would climb out of the box. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed beneath her, eyes narrowed as she watched. Behind her, she heard Sly laugh and then he went into the bedroom. After a moment, she turned to look over her shoulder at him and she could see him lying face down on his bed. He’d kicked his shoes off, but he hadn’t taken his clothes off. She made a face at him and turned back to the television, rising up off the couch and walking over to it. Hesitantly, she reached out to tap at the box and she found it was glass. She tipped her head around the sides, looking to make sure there indeed weren’t little people inside the box before she pressed the same button he had and it flickered off. She smiled to herself, but quickly wiped it away, because she shouldn’t get used or amused by the modern technologies. Walking silently across Sly’s home, she entered his bedroom and looked around, checking out the room as quietly as possible as to not wake him. She looked beneath his bed and through the drawers of a curio in the room. There was a raggedly looking wooden chair in the corner of the room, by the window and she went to that, sitting down with her legs crossed beneath her. She watched him for a moment and she wondered again how it was that he was the one to open the Grimoire. He was going to make this difficult. He could run alright, but he couldn’t fight. She usually had a warrior at her back when the Grimoire was opened. But this time, she’d have to watch his back and hers. She wondered at the medication he took and maybe it had something to do with the metal in his face. He was a strange one and she didn’t get his sense of humor or half of the things he said. She wasn’t sure if he was insulting her or what, but she’d have to be cautious around him. Tipping her head to the side and resting her katana across her legs, she looked out the window. It would be morning soon. She looked up at the stars outside and wished they would glow a little brighter. The world had changed so drastically since the last time she’d been here. She wondered what had become of the last seal breaker. And as soon as she thought about that, she knew she had to get thoughts like those out of her head because they would only cloud her mind. The other seal breakers were gone. There was only this one now and when they closed the seal again, there would be another one. And one after that, and one after that. It was a never ending cycle and she couldn’t wonder about them because she only knew each of them for a short amount of time before the next one came. Keeping one hand around the hilt of her katana, she brought the other hand up so she could rest her cheek on it. She would sleep lightly, in case Jyorougumo decided to not wait for them to come and slay him. But she would keep watch over this one. Because he was going to need it. .Wolfie. It tasted like a cat had shit in Sly’s mouth.There was light coming through the window and it was bright and painful as it struck his eyes. A groan left his lips and he rolled over, pulling the pillow over the side of his head and grumbling in annoyance as his legs twisted in the sheets. His head hurt and there was a dull throbbing in his jaw and his temple. He wondered what it was from and who he’d pissed off this time. Maybe a better question was who hadn’t he pissed off because when he rolled over his whole body ached. He kept his eyes shut and tried to go back to sleep but as soon as he realized he was awake he couldn’t help but stay that way. There were springs digging painfully into his back and he tried rolling over again but the sheets twined around his foot when he did and he snarled and tried kicking them off him again. “Are you awake?” someone asked. The voice startled him because he didn’t remember going to bed with anyone last night and he hated waking up without knowing who was sleeping next to him. He shot upright, the pillow slipping off the side of the bed and landing on the floor. His hair was a tangle around his face and his head snapped to the side, looking for the source. There was a girl sitting in the chair by the window, one leg slung over the side and the other pulled up underneath her. She had dark hair falling around her face, her head tilted to the side as she studied him and no emotion crossing her features. He licked his lips, tongue finding the silver hoop as he tried to remember her name. “Emi,” he said, and as soon as he said it the events of yesterday came crashing back down around him. He groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face, feeling stubble rasping against his palms and grit shifting beneath his eyelids. The stolen book, the spider that wanted him dead, and the girl that had followed him home all came back to him and he almost wanted to ask if she was sure that wasn’t just a bad dream. It felt like it. It felt like none of it was real and he was living in a haze. “Yeah, I’m awake,” he spat. “Good,” she said. He forced his eyes open to look at her, grimacing at the taste in his mouth. She was pushing herself off the chair, the katana a constant companion as she moved across his bedroom. He didn’t even ask what she was doing in here. “Did that shit all really happen?” he asked. His voice was still scratchy and he cleared his throat after he spoke. She paused in the doorway, glancing back at him and he wondered if she knew how to make facial expressions or if she was really just that cold. She was studying him carefully and he wondered just what she expected him to do because he was just a stupid thief. He was just what she’d pegged him as, a thief and a liar and usually he was just fine with that. “Yes,” she told him, her voice just as cool as her expression. He nodded his head, tongue playing with the piercing in his lip. “Alright honey, then come over here and explain it again.” Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and then she trotted back across the room towards him. “You broke the seal when you opened the book,” she told him, and he nodded his head in response. He’d caught that part, and he was trying to move past it. He had always said he believed in magic, the thing and not the girl. The girl was a bitch. “It set loose thirteen demons who will be trying to kill you. We need to kill them first and close the seal. Jyorougumo is already out there, as you’ve seen.” He nodded his head, keeping it in his hands as he listened to her explanation for the second time. “And you’re my own personal secret service agent, right?” he asked, smirking as he glanced up at her. “I am here to protect you and close the seal.” She frowned at him and he sighed, shaking his head as the smile slipped off his lips. His boots were abandoned by the side of the bed and he had a hard time getting them back onto his feet. The laces trailed behind him as he shuffled towards the door and out into the living room. “Alright,” he said. “And you kill these demons with a sword? Can’t you shoot them?” She frowned as she followed him out of the room, her footsteps quiet on the dirty carpet. The sword was still hanging within easy reach at her hip and he wondered if he should be nervous. “Shoot a demon? Do you mean with a musket?” she asked. The question made him laugh and he glanced over his shoulder at her for a moment. “Yeah, or with a shotgun,” he said, and he was mostly joking. Mostly. His mouth tasted dry and awful. He bet his breath was worse. He wondered what he’d had to eat yesterday and he couldn’t really remember anything. He should be hungry. He should be starving, but mostly he just hurt. The hoodie was still tossed over the back of the couch where he’d left it and he dragged it over his shoulders before he moved to the kitchen counter. His head still hurt and every time his hands ran over his face he could feel the bruises Jumbo and his friends had left. He wondered if he should start being worried about the cops knocking his door down to talk about why there were four bodies left in McGrath’s and he didn’t have a fucking clue what he would tell them. Sorry officers, a giant spider ripped them apart trying to get to me. No big, this crazy ninja woman’s going to take care of it with her samurai sword. That’d go over well, right? There was leftover Chinese in the fridge and he glanced over his shoulder at the girl standing in his apartment. She had moved to the windows, tipping her head to the side as she looked out them and she was making him antsy again. She was like a cat or something, constantly on the prowl and looking for mice under the stove, because that was how Krystal’s cat had been. “Hey,” he said, and she turned, eyes focusing on his face. “If you want bacon and eggs then you’re buying, otherwise its leftovers for breakfast.” She frowned and then trotted over to him, taking one of the white boxes and looking inside it. He’d given her the box of pork fried rice, taking the box of white rice for himself and dumping soy sauce all over the top of it. He didn’t wait to see if she’d eat it, grabbing a fork out of the drawer and then going over to slump on the couch. First came breakfast, then his morning hit and a shower and then he would ask what warrior princess thought they needed to do to get this nightmare over with. His hand scrubbed at his chest and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she crouched on the other end of the couch, a fork in her hand as she ate the rice out of its white box. “So Emi,” he said, swallowing a chunk of rice and tipping his head back to look at her. “What’s with the fish?” His gaze traveled from her shoulder across her chest and maybe lingered there a little longer than necessary. She was hot. Totally out of his league, but still hot, and he wouldn’t turn down free eye candy when he got it. Her hand rose to cover the tattoo, meeting his gaze squarely. “Is it not acceptable in your culture?” she asked. He snorted and then shifted on the couch, holding both his arms out and showing her all the ink spiraled across his skin already. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. “Everybody’s got tattoos, and every tattoo’s got a story, trust me on that one. So what’s yours?” She studied him for a moment before she went back to eating her fried rice. “It’s a reminder,” she told him. “Aren’t they all?” he said, chuckling dryly before he tossed the box on the table. Turned out he wasn’t that hungry after all, and maybe it had something to do with the giant fucking spider demon that wanted him dead. Oh, right, and the dragon out there that would also want to kill him and he was in way, way over his head this time. It was too easy to imagine Krystal’s voice as she yelled at him from the apartment window. He was always fucking with the wrong people, she said. One of these days he was going to get himself into trouble, she said. I can’t believe you cut the crotches out of all my panties, she said. The girl always had something to fucking say. “How much did you look through the Grimoire?” Emi asked, and he blinked, glancing up at her. She was still working on the fried rice but he couldn’t tell if she was actually eating it or just picking at it. It made him think about the IHOP down the road because their strawberry pancakes would be a hell of a lot better than this shit. And that reminded him of the money in his back pocket and he tugged it out, hoping that he still had two thirty instead of just two hundred because he was going to need it. “Not much,” he told her, flicking the bills in his hand as he counted them. Fuck, he’d given the Russki bastard a fifty, and he sneered at the money in his hands as he pocketed it again. “Just enough to get myself branded, apparently.” A small frown creased her face and then she nodded. “You should look at it then. It contains knowledge on the thirteen demons and on the places we must go to reach them all. We should begin hunting Jyorougumo,” she said, leaning forward to slide the box onto the table. Her shirt rode up in the back and he kept his head against the back of the couch because he had a pretty nice view back here. She shifted and went to grab his bag, pulling the Grimoire out and it made him uncomfortable having her that near his drugs. “He will be mostly healed by now, and he will be anxious to see us both dead. It is best if we try and get the element of surprise.” “Yeah,” he said, and he didn’t really know what he was agreeing to. He stretched an arm out and pulled the backpack from her fingers, pulling his little black case out before dropping it back on the floor. “Sure babe, but listen, I’m not going anywhere until I’m doped and showered, so it’s gonna have to wait a bit. Watch the tiny people on the box some more.” “Are you very sick?” she asked abruptly, a trace of concern in her voice as he pushed himself to his feet. The question made him laugh and he just shook his head. “That’s cute,” he said. She frowned and her lips pursed like she didn’t understand his reaction and maybe she didn’t. He wondered again where she was even from because his new hot Asian friend didn’t even know what a television was. Maybe she was magic or a demon or something too, but she’d said she wasn’t a ghost. Maybe he would ask later, or maybe he could forget his questions by the time he was done with his morning hit because sometimes that happened. Nothing he couldn’t handle though. He kicked the bathroom door shut behind him and got to work shooting up. Wenston “Where are we going?” Emiko was leading the way this time. She kept an eye out for signs of Jyorougumo, but she was also taking in the world around her now that it was daylight. Sly was following closely behind her and she made sure to keep pace with him so he wouldn’t fall behind. He was showered and glossy eyed and she still didn’t understand what sickness he had or why he’d laughed at her when she’d asked him how sick he was. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. She wished he would, so at least she would know what type of handicap he’d have while they were taking care of the Thirteen. They would have to make sure he brought his medicine with him when they went after the demons. Sly had his hands shoved into his pockets and a dopey looking smile on his face. The backpack strewn over his back carried the Grimoire and he still hadn’t taken her advice and looked at it yet. He wasn’t a very good listener and had very little discipline. He complained a lot too, because all morning he hadn’t stopped complaining about how much his head hurt. Emiko didn’t know how his head could still hurt if he’d taken medicine, but maybe the medicine was for something else. “We need to draw out Jyorougumo,” she said, looking around again. There were a lot of hiding spots for the demon in this world. Many buildings and dark areas. But there were also many people. The streets were bustling today and Emiko had to constantly step around someone who was in her way. She found it strange that no one really interacted with each other, either. They were all busy with themselves. No one smiled or greeted each other like they had the last time they were here. It seemed everyone had small trinkets they held to their ears and spoke into. She wondered who they were talking to. Themselves? Behind her, Sly sighed dramatically and Emiko furrowed her brow because he was like a child. A small, annoying child with a quick wit and flapping tongue. “So we’re just walking around the city in hopes that a giant spider is gonna sniff me out and try to kill me?” Emiko stopped suddenly and grunted as Sly ran straight into her. She turned and glared at him, his eyes wide as he held up his hands. “I so didn’t mean to cop a feel,” he said. “I do not understand what that means,” she told him but then looked away, towards the road and back at him. “You are right,” she said and he gave her a strange, confused look. “It would be much easier if we tracked Jyorougumo instead of waiting for him to track us.” She tipped her head to the side. “I need incense.” Sly let out a small laugh. “Why? We visiting MaryJane?” “Who is that?” Emiko asked. He waved his hand in front of his face. “Nevermind. Sure, I know where we can get some, but, it’s kind of an expensive place.” Emiko frowned. “You have currency, yes?” Sly scoffed. “Yeah, but not any I want to spend on some janky incense. I’ve got bills to pay. Stuff to buy.” Emiko shrugged. “It is for a noble cause,” she said. “They will give it to us.” Sly laughed, reaching out and pointing down the street. “Yeah, you keep believing that. Maybe if you flash that sword in front of them, they will. But if they pull a .45, I’m booking it, just to let you know.” She didn’t understand what he was talking about, but she followed him as she walked side by side with him down the sidewalk. They were quiet the rest of the way, Emiko taking in the surroundings, Sly walking with his head down, watching the laces of his boot with mild fascination. She almost wanted to compare him to a Macaque, a monkey from Japan, because of his odd curiosity and fascination with things mundane. But his eyes were still glossy and distant and she thought some of it may have been due to his medicine. She’d seen similar effects from people who’d used opium for their headaches. She hoped his medicine wasn’t as bad as that. He’d be useless to her while they went after the Thirteen. Not that she thought he’d be much help now. They came to a small shop a little further down the road and Sly hurried forward to open the door for her, giving her a lopsided grin as he tried to be gentlemanly for her. She just frowned at him and stepped inside the store. As soon as she entered, the smell of incense assaulted her senses. She looked around the shop. It had all sorts of trinkets and herbs. There was a row of books along the top of some shelves. She turned around to look at Sly and he was looking around too, his tongue playing with the metal in his lip. His eyes went to something in the corner of the store and she looked up to see an odd looking device with a blinking red light. She wondered if he’d been in this store before. “Hey,” a voice came from the counter and they both turned to look at the man standing behind there. He was a bigger man, very fat. He had bushy red hair and a beard. There was a cloth bandana tied around his head and his jacket was leather. “You looking to pawn that sword of yours?” Emiko frowned, looking down at her katana and then back up at the man. “I will take this katana to my grave,” she told him seriously. The man lifted a brow and looked over at Sly, who gave a nervous laugh. “She’s hardcore,” Sly said and she wasn’t sure what that meant, but the guy snorted and left it alone. Emiko turned to give Sly a confused look and he gave her a crooked smile. “You needed incense, right? Look at all that stuff right there, babe.” Emiko gave the man one more dangerous glare before she walked over to a wall of incense. There were all different colors and smells. She shook her head because there were a lot. She grabbed a stick of one and walked over to the man at the counter. “Are you a shaman?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. The man looked up at her from a shiny book he was reading with nude pictures of women in it. She glanced at that and then looked back up at him. “I don’t fucking play video games, girlie.” Behind her, she heard Sly mutter a quiet, “Jesus.” Licking her lips, Emiko held up the incense and dipped her head so she was giving him a firm look. “Shaman,” she said. “I have nothing to exchange with you for this incense. But I must take it to help track a demon that wishes to raise Izanagi from his resting place.” The man blinked at her and then stood up straighter, looking pass her to Sly. “Look, man, can you get your crazy bitch out of my store? You don’t have money, you’ve got no place here.” Sly gave another nervous laugh, coming forward and putting a hand gently on her arm. She snapped her head down to look at his hand because she didn’t like people touching her. Her eyes rose to his face and he seemed oblivious. “So much for noble causes,” he whispered to her. Then he nodded at the man behind the counter. “Sorry man, she just, you know, gets really into the whole mystical shit and stuff.” The man snorted and leaned back down on the counter. Sly pulled at her arm a little to try and get her to go but Emiko just frowned. “You are a very rude man,” she told the store owner. He looked up at her and she scoffed, yanking her arm away from Sly and going to the backpack he wore on his back. He gave a startled yelp as she pulled it down so she could reach it, making him stumble backwards. She unzipped it and pulled out the Grimoire, holding it up for the man to see. “This is Izanagi’s Grimoire,” she told him. “The seal has been broken, the Thirteen are loose, he is coming.” “Shit,” Sly hissed, pulling away from her and trying to grab the Grimoire back. The man behind the counter looked up, his eyes narrowing as he stood up to his full height. “Where did you get that book?” he demanded, his face suddenly furious. Emiko studied him a moment, Sly still trying to pull the book away from her, but she kept her grip tight on it. “I told you,” she said. “It is Izanagi’s Grimoire.” “Look, bitch,” the man pointed a finger at her. “That book was stolen out of my store last night. I’m gonna have to take it back.” He reached forward to grab her wrist. It was a mistake few made. As soon as his fingers were around her wrist, she moved. She grabbed his arm, wrenching it off of her and twisting it. The man gave a pained yell as she forced his face against the glass counter, it cracked beneath his cheekbone. She placed her elbow against his neck, holding him there and told him lowly, “The last man to grab me lost his hand.” Then she tipped her head to the side to look at his face. “I will not give you the Grimoire. Nor will I give you anything for the incense I require. But I will let you keep your hand.” The man whimpered against the glass, blood leaking out of his cheek. “Do we have a deal?” He nodded furiously. “Good,” she said, letting him up. He stood immediately, backing up out of her reach, hand coming to his bleeding cheek. “Crazy bitch,” he spat quietly, his eyes wide and scared. Emiko nodded her head at him. “I thank you for your help,” she told him and then turned to sly, holding up the incense. He was looking at her with wide eyes as well. “Come, we can track Jyorougumo now.” Then she moved pass him and towards the door. Behind her, she heard Sly give another nervous laugh. “Right. And they call me the trouble maker.” .Wolfie. Emiko led the way down the street and Sly trailed after her, hiking the backpack higher on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but cast a nervous glance over his shoulder at the so-called magic shop they’d just vacated because he kept waiting for the guy to come running out after them or something. Maybe he was just going to call the cops and if that was the case then they needed to get out of here fast. The last thing he needed was the police all over his ass, especially not with half a gram of heroin in his backpack. “Go this way,” he told Emiko, his hand coming to the back of her arm to try and direct her down the alley to their left. She pulled her arm roughly from his grip, casting a nasty glare over her shoulder at him and if looks could kill then he’d be dead a couple of times over already. Lucky him she still wanted him alive. “Do not touch me,” she snapped. He snorted and held his hands up to show her he wasn’t trying anything. Not that he wasn’t tempted, but he figured keeping him alive and keeping him with all his limbs attached were probably two different things to her so he didn’t press his luck. He was high but he wasn’t stupid. “Alright, honey,” he shot back. “But look, we’re going to need to lay down some ground rules.” If anything she looked more annoyed and he thought it was kind of funny and kind of scary when she got irritated. “Rules for what?” she demanded. She followed him as he cut to the right, taking the small cluttered alley towards the other side. He kicked a can out of his way, hearing a cat yowl somewhere behind him as he led her through the dirty back ways. His head still hurt and he was walking around in a haze but it was starting to wear off. He was starting to get pissy and anxious and he always hated this part. This was the part that made him miss Magic and her white fairy dust. “For this fucking… partnership or whatever this is,” he said, turning to walk backwards as his hands gestured between the two of them. “And rule number one is that you stay out of my backpack. Okay, princess?” She frowned and pointed at the pack. “You have the Grimoire in there. We may need it. And I am not a princess.” He laughed, resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair. He hated to see how she’d react to that, or what he’d lose for it. “Sure you are,” he told her. “You’re Xena, warrior princess. And if you want something out of it, just ask, but I don’t like you going through my shit like that. Also, if you wanted something stolen, all you had to do was tell me. I could have pocketed that fucker no problem. Now I’m probably going to have the cops banging down my door if they’re not already looking for me.” He shook his head, scrubbing a hand over his mouth as soon as he said it. There was already the incident at the bar he was worried about, now this little episode. It made him nervous because now his image was on their camera with the book coming right out of his bag and it was like this chick was determined to get him in as much trouble as possible. “Who are the cops?” she asked, frowning at him as she followed him back out onto the sidewalk. They turned into the flow of traffic and he felt suddenly nervous with all these people around him and he was definitely coming down already. “Jesus, are you even from this world?” he asked, casting a glance over at her. “You know, cops, pigs, police. Law enforcement officers. The guys that can toss us both in the can and let us rot for the next five to ten years.” The thought made him shiver and he scrubbed his hands over his eyes before he shoved them back in his pockets. His head turned to look over his shoulder and every white car made his heart thumb in his chest and maybe he should have been more worried about the demon trying to kill him. His teeth tugged at the piercing on his lip and then he shook his head. “Trust me, I won’t last in a place like that. I’m too pretty.” She scowled at that, casting him a look and for a second he saw her gaze flick over his face like she was evaluating how true that statement was. Then she scoffed and shook her head at him. “I understand,” she said. “But would they not understand how urgent this is? Izanagi’s seal is broken, this could have consequences for your world as well.” He laughed at that, shaking his head as they crossed the street. Maybe the cops could go in and take out the giant fucking spider with a SWAT team. “Yeah, and that’s well and good but trust me when I say that no one here is going to give a flying fuck.” “I don’t understand this world anymore,” she said, and her voice was a little sad. He stopped his hand before patting her on the back and moved it through his hair instead. “No one does,” he said. They were quiet for a while after that and he was getting more nervous the longer they walked. He didn’t know if it was because he thought the cops were after him now or because of the heroin in his system but he didn’t like that thought. He didn’t like thinking that maybe he was getting worse because he wasn’t a fucking junkie and he could handle it. He could hold out until tonight for his second hit of the day and just because there were demons trying to kill him didn’t mean he had to fuck himself up that bad. He focused on the boots and the laces trailing behind him as they made their way to the park. He didn’t ask what kind of spell or whatever she was going to do, because he figured she was the one who knew what she was doing. He was just along for the ride. He was just here as spider bait, apparently, and he glanced over his shoulder when he thought that. “Here will do,” Emi said, and he looked back at her as she settled on a park bench, her legs folded gracefully underneath her. She lifted her hand and tilted her head to the side at him. “The Grimoire, please?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow in a challenge. He snorted and sat down across from her, sitting Indian style as he unzipped the bag and yanked it out. “Here you go, princess,” he said, smirking at her just to see her reaction. Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t say anything, pulling the book into her lap and flipping it open. His gaze drifted away from her, wandering over the park because it was warm today, the sun too fucking bright as it reminded him of his headache. There were kids playing on the jungle gym down the slope from them and he watched for a second before he closed his eyes and leaned back on the bench, lacing his fingers beneath his head. “Are you going to sleep?” Emi demanded sharply. He felt her nudge his knee but he kept his eyes shut and his head back. “Just closing my eyes for a minute,” he told her. He was starting to feel better already, the drowsy feeling returning and some of the pain easing from his head. “Feel free to keep hunting for the giant spider that would like to make macaroni art out of my small intestines.” A lazy smile curled his lips and he tipped his head to the side as his eyes cracked and looked at her. She watched him for a moment, the book in her lap and the stolen incense held in one hand. Her brow was furrowed like she was thinking very hard or concentrating on something or maybe just irritated with him. “Do you have a match?” she finally asked. He snorted, reaching up to grab the back of the bench and haul himself into a sitting position. He pulled the incense from her fingers with one hand, tugging the lighter out of his back pocket with the other. He flicked it open, snapping it to life with a flick of his thumb and lighting the end of the stick of incense for her and he didn’t notice the slight widening of her eyes when she saw it.. As soon as the smell hit him he started feeling bad again, and he happily passed it back over to her. It was strong and acrid and reminded him of Krystal and there was just nothing good about it. The Grimoire was open to a page near the beginning, the giant spider etched in black ink on the page. It was pretty accurate too, right down to the scary, clicking mandibles and the glittering black eyes. It sent a shiver down his spine and he closed his eyes again, slumping back on the bench. The sun was too bright on his face and he could hear kids screaming from the playground down below, but overall this wasn’t so bad. He’d had worse days. Sly didn’t know what Emiko was doing but he could hear her speaking quietly in Japanese. There was something pretty about the sound of it rolling off her tongue and he felt himself nodding off to sleep. Her voice was comforting and the sun was warm and he could still feel that dull, dry mouthed haze. He was pretty sure he’d lived on this bench before. He didn’t realize she was done talking until he felt her nudge his knee again and he groaned, tipping his head to the side. “Did you kill the giant spider yet?” he demanded, cracking the lids open to look at her. She frowned. “No,” she said. He shut his eyes and rolled his head back. “Wake me when you do.” It didn’t surprise him that he didn’t hear her move, but the sharp smack upside his head did. He let out a startled noise, jerking upright and putting a hand to the back of his head. She stood there, the book closed and held against her chest and the stick of incense held tightly in her fingers. “You are lazy,” she snapped. “If your medicine makes you so tired maybe you shouldn’t take it.” “Hey,” he snapped, pointing a finger at her. The headache was back full force and the sun and the screaming kids didn’t seem so nice and normal anymore. The addict’s old excuse rolled off his tongue with a practiced ease. “I can stop whenever I want to.” She frowned for a moment like the response didn’t make any sense to her. Then she held the book out to him with one arm, the smoke from the incense winding down around her arm and slithering over the ground in a thin line. “Good,” she told him, but it didn’t sound good and he wondered if the woman ever smiled. “Now let’s go.” He took the book back from her, shoving it in his backpack and grabbing the pack of cigarettes before he closed it. He tugged one out and threw the box back on top of the book, lighting with his lighter before he zipped everything back up and pushed himself to his feet. “Where the fuck are we going now?” he asked, sucking in smoke from the cigarette because he needed something to take the edge off, and it wasn’t because he was an addict. She was holding the incense loosely in her fingers, the other hand resting on the hilt of her katana again and her eyes focused on the smoke the moved in a thin, snakelike line across the ground. “We are going to kill a giant spider,” she said. “Together.” He nodded, sucking in smoke from the cigarette. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a slave driver, Xena?” Wenston The trail of smoke led them through the park, snaking along the ground as Emiko held the smoldering incense out in front of them. Sly was trailing behind and he had gone quiet again. She was grateful for the peace and quiet when he wasn’t speaking, but for some reason she didn’t think that was a common practice of his. He seemed to like to talk. Mostly gibberish or jokes that she didn’t understand. As the trail led them out of the park and back onto the sidewalk, Sly finally decided to break his silence. “Okay, just so we’re clear and you don’t have any higher expectations of me than what you should, you do know that when we find this spider, I’ll probably just sit back and watch and maybe cry a little, right?” Emiko frowned, glancing at him for a moment before her eyes went back to the smoke trail. “Are you not a fighter?” she asked. She thought she already knew the answer to that question, she’d made that assumption much earlier. His apprehension to fighting the demons was proving that. He’d seemed rather upset when she’d told him one of the Thirteen was a dragon. She wondered what he’d think when he found out what the rest of them were like. There were far worse things than dragons out there trying to kill him. Or do things with his small intestines, as he’d put it. Sly gave a laugh. “Me? A fighter? I can hold my own. And by hold my own I mean I can get my ass kicked by guys my own size and still keep on ticking. But we’re talking about a giant fucking spider here. No person in their right mind would be able to take that thing on.” “I can,” she said quickly. “I have beat him before. Many times.” He scoffed. “My point exactly.” Emiko frowned, glancing at him again. “I do not understand.” He waved his hand at her. “Nevermind, honey,” he said. “I’m just trying to let you know you’re pretty much on your own for this.” He pointed at the incense in her fingers. “Although your stolen merchandise is getting kind of low. Maybe you should have asked for two.” Emiko’s hand came up suddenly, in a halting motion. He ran into it, her fingers slapping him harshly in the chest. He winced and brought a hand up to rub it. “What’s-” “Quiet,” she shushed him, her eyes scanning the building they’d come up next to. The smoke trail had swerved along the ground here and was flowing into the opening where it broke off and dissipated into the air. She looked at the building. It was multilayered, with openings on each layer. There were many small trucks parked inside. Or as Sly had pointed out to her earlier when she’d told him the roads were dangerous, they were called cars. “Jyorougumo is here,” she said. Sly gave a nervous noise and grinned at her. “Well, good luck with that,” he said, taking a couple steps backwards. She reached out, grabbing onto his wrist. “You must stay in my sight,” she said, leading him into the structure. “Jyorougumo is not a trickster, but he could learn from the others. He may take you while my eyes are not watching.” “Wow, you know just what to say to make a guy feel warm a fuzzy inside,” Sly said. Emiko looked at him worriedly. “Why do you feel warm and fuzzy inside?” she asked. “Is it because you are sick?” Sly snorted. “In more ways than one, sugar.” She puckered her lips at him because he kept calling her things she was not and she didn’t understand him at all. She kept him close to her as they walked through the structure, her eyes scanning all of the shadows because the spider demon was in here somewhere. She wasn’t going to let it get away this time. It died today. A small, audible clicking was the only warning they got. Jyorougumo dropped from above them, webbing attaching it to a hole in the ceiling it had probably made. It’s mandibles were aimed for Sly’s head and probably would have taken it clear off his neck if she hadn’t been prepared. She turned, pulling Sly down harshly. She heard his knees crack against the cement floors and he gave a startled shout as she pulled him backwards, away from Jyorougumo’s clacking mandibles. “Holy shit,” Sly cursed, scrambling to his feet and ducking behind a cement barrier, his head poking up to watch and his eyes wide and at least he wasn’t running this time. Emiko ducked beneath one of Jyorougumo’s swiping legs. She brought her katana up to try and slice through it, because if the legs were gone, he had no power. But the demon withdrew the leg and brought an opposite one to try and skewer her through the stomach. Flipping backwards, she landed low on the ground and rolled out of the way of the spider’s stinger. The sharp stinger smashed through the concrete floor, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. She knew what it felt like to be stung by that thing, it had happened before. It hadn’t been pleasant. Jyorougumo turned, clacking at her and it spat, “You are ill prepared this time, Kōken'nin. My brethren wait for you.” Not giving it the satisfaction of responding, Emiko ran forward, her katana slicing through the air with a glint of metal. The spider jumped out of the way, but the edge of her blade sliced along one of its legs, black blood splattering the ground, splashing up onto her face. She flinched against it, but didn’t’ close her eyes, following its movement as it skittered along the ceiling. She moved quickly, charging along the ground as she leapt over the cement barrier Sly was hiding behind. He gave a startled cry as she collided with him, one arm wrapping around his chest as she rolled them out of the way of Jyorougumo’s attack. “Oh, Jesus Christ,” he grunted as she kept pulling him away from the spider. When he was out of reach and she saw a bit of an opening, she lunged forward with her katana, the blade piercing the spider’s belly. It screeched, rearing up on its legs, trying to get away from the stinging blow. Emiko tried to yank her katana back out again, but it stuck and she grunted as she was pulled along with the spider. Behind her, she heard Sly scrambling away, standing up and finally running. “Baka!” she screamed at him as she saw the spider’s stinger aim. She tried to kick it off aim, but the webbing was already shooting out. It caught Sly in the back, slamming him hard into the wall, his head cracking off it. He groaned and tried to push himself off of it, but the webbing kept him pinned there. “Oh shit,” she heard him hiss as he started struggling against the webbing. Emiko yanked again on the katana and it came loose. She ducked beneath the legs aimed towards her head, slicing her katana along one of them and severing it. Jyorogumo screeched again, turning and clacking its mandibles at her. She ducked beneath it, but couldn’t duck beneath the leg that was aimed for her gut. It struck her hard, the wind knocked out of her lungs as she was flung backwards, her back hitting the wall with force. She crumpled for a moment, but landed on the ground in a kneeling position, one palm flat against the ground and her katana held out to her side. Her head whipped up to see Jyorougumo charging at Sly and she snarled because that was her charge and she couldn’t let anything happen to him. The spider pounced on Sly, its legs trapping him against the wall, mandibles clacking near his head. She saw him wince, closing his eyes and turned his face away from the spider like he was accepting his fate. Emiko gave a yell as she jumped and leapt off one of the cement barriers, her katana held above her head. She brought it down on Jyorougumo’s back. The spider screamed bucking against the sudden stab and he bucked her clean off of him. Emiko rolled in the air, her katana pressed to her back. She landed easily on the ground, whirling to counter whatever attack the spider would send her way. She didn’t have to, because the spider was retreating again. She started after it, but a yell from Sly had her stopping. “Emi!” he yelled, sounding scared. She whipped around to look at him, ready to tell him to wait there, but he wasn’t even looking at her. She followed his gaze and her eyes widened a little. There were spiders crawling down the walls, the size of cats or dogs, all looking similar to Jyorougumo. She hissed, running back to Sly, her katana slicing along the webbing still pinning him to the wall. It sliced through the webbing easily and he stumbled a little as he was suddenly set free. She grabbed his arm to steady him, turning to look at the spiders. There were so many of them. Her eyes narrowed because Jyorougumo was coming up with new tricks and he was only the first demon. “Come,” she spat at Sly, yanking on his arm and leading him out of the building, the spiders trailing behind them. .Wolfie. Emi dragged Sly out of the parking garage with her hand around his wrist, her grip tight and bruising but he barely noticed. He followed her willingly, sweat rolling down the back of his neck. He was good at running away and he hopped the concrete barrier, dropping down into the grass. “You said one spider,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. They were scrambling after them, bolting out into the sunlight where he could see their glossy black eyes glittering back at him. “Not the whole fucking Brady Bunch.”“Jyorougumo has learned new tricks,” she spat, and she sounded angry at him again. Probably because he’d run, but let’s be fair here, giant spiders trying to kill him kicked him into fight or flight mode. And since all he had was a knife shoved somewhere in the bottom of his backpack and a decent right hook, he was going to go ahead and go with the flight option. “Oh, well, that’s good,” he said, following her as she turned and dragged them down the sidewalk. “I’m so glad that trick happened to involving spawning lots of ugly babies that also want me dead. You think next time he could just pull a quarter from behind my ear?” “Be quiet,” she snapped, casting a glare over her shoulder at him before her gaze went past him. He made the mistake of turning around and he swallowed hard when he saw the spiders piling out of the parking garage. They scrambled across the floor and the walls, some of them as big as a Rottweiler while others weren’t any bigger than Krystal’s cat. Though in a fight he was pretty sure the spider would win. They were nasty and terrifying and he was probably going to have nightmares about them for the next six weeks. A glance upwards showed a few of them running across the top of the building next to them and he let out a whimper when he saw it throw itself down at them. Emiko moved as soon as the spider did, her blade flashing in the bright sunlight as she cut it down with one sweep. It screamed as she sliced it in half, its legs still twitching as it hit the ground. She spun in one fluid motion, returning the sword to her side before grabbing Sly’s wrist and continuing to pull her along next to him. He almost told her that he didn’t need her to hold his hand to keep him running, but it was doing a good job of keeping him anchored to reality because he felt like he was about to have a breakdown. It had almost gotten him. A couple of times really, but it hadn’t been more terrifying than when the webbing had him pinned to the wall and he could feel the legs pinning him there and the mandibles clacking near his head. So much for sleeping at night. But he wasn’t dead, thanks to hot Asian chick. If they got out of this then he was going to suggest again that maybe she handle the demons and he could stay home and handle the self medicating. It sounded like a good plan to him anyway. She was leading them towards the harbor and he wondered if she knew that or if she was just running until she found a good place to fight back. They turned down the street, running across the asphalt in front of a desolate warehouse. It looked abandon, most of the windows broken and no sign of any cars in the parking lot. This whole strip looked abandoned and he didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing, because here no one could hear him scream. The concrete stopped abruptly near the water, dropping off into the harbor. Across the waves he could see boats floating in the marina and he wondered if spiders could swim. The doorway was set back into the building, creating a concrete overhang and he felt the hand around his wrist suddenly grip his shirt and shove him into the inset. “Stay,” she told him, bringing her sword to bear. “Or next time I remove a foot.” “Message received loud and clear captain,” he said, giving her a mocking salute. She shot him a glare before she whirled, the blade slicing down in a shining arc and slicing through a spider the size of a Doberman. The spiders were upon them as soon as they stopped, scrambling over the ground and down the side of the wall. He heard a small whimper leave his throat and his feet dug into the concrete, pushing him back against the doorway as he watched them all. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, sweat trickling down the back of his neck and he couldn’t help but wonder if this was just the worst trip of his life. His mouth was dry and his skin was crawling as he watched them all. Emi didn’t blink an eye. She was moving quickly, the blade flashing out like an extension of her arm as she cut through them. He watched one throw itself at her from the side of the building and she spun, foot lashing out and kicking it in its large abdomen. It hurtled through the air, falling with a splash into the water and he hoped the fucking thing drowned. It didn’t look like the little ones could shoot webbing yet, because none of them had tried so far. One of them darted in under her guard and she flipped herself backwards, catching herself on one hand while the sword lashed out with the other. She was like the deadliest ballerina on the planet. She moved with lithe, graceful movements, her dark hair whipping around her face and the blade shining brightly in the sun as she cut through them. She didn’t flinch when black blood splattered across her skin and her clothes and he watched with something like awe as she mowed them down. It was kind of terrifying and kind of hot at the same time, and the knowledge that she could kick his ass just for thinking about it didn’t keep him from noticing how flexible she was. He’d dated a stripper named Ginger once that used to be a gymnast, but that girl had nothing on Emi. A dark, clicking noise brought his gaze up to the edge of the overhang. He scrambled backwards as the spider focused on him and his hand grabbed desperately at the backpack, trying to get to the stolen knife he’d tossed in it yesterday. The spider didn’t wait for him to find it, dropping down off the concrete ceiling towards him. He shouted in fear, feet kicking as he tried to get out of the way and it dropped right in front of him, mandibles clicking and legs scrabbling on the floor towards him. He lashed out with his boot, catching it in the mouth and sending it crashing back into the wall. His fingers were thick and clumsy as he yanked at the zipper, hand digging around on the inside to try and get to the knife. It had to be in there somewhere. It made a wicked, hissing noise as it twisted itself upright, clawed legs pulling itself up onto the wall and then scrambling sideways across it towards his head. He shouted, pushing himself backwards until his back hit the other side of the doorway and he swung the whole bag towards the spider. It knocked it into the wall but then it was scrambling over the top if it and leaping towards his face. He got the knife out at the last second, holding it weakly in front of his face as the spider landed on top of him. Black legs and sharp mandibles clacked near his face and he could feel the heavy weight of it sitting on his chest. He had one eye shut as he waited for the deathblow that would rip his throat out or draw graffiti on the wall with his guts but it never came. He cracked the other eye open and the spider on top of him was just lying there, dead and lifeless. He could feel warm, sticky blood on his hands and he grimaced, pushing it off him and kicking his feet so that he was pressed back into the corner. He held the knife on one hand and he clung to it desperately, the other tugging the bag back over his shoulder. It stayed on the ground and he kicked at it once with his boot to make sure it wasn’t getting back up. Sly’s gaze rose and focused on Emi, where she stood in the center of a pile of bodies. Her sword flashed out and caught one in the gut, twisting it and turning to slam a kick into one coming up behind her. His gaze went past her to a spider pulling itself over the edge of the concrete, water dripping off the black hairs covering its body. There was another noise from his right and he turned his head, watching two the size of cats scramble around the side of the doorway. He snarled curses, pushing himself to his feet as they came after him. The first one to reach him just launched itself off the wall and he ducked, hearing it hit the concrete behind him. He turned and stumbled backwards, feeling something sharp suddenly digging itself into the juncture between neck and shoulder. “Motherfucker,” he shouted, reaching back and grabbing at the spindly legs. He felt something sharp sink into his hand and he was just yelling curses now as he ripped it off his back and threw it as hard as he could. The other one was running across the ground towards him and he yelled, kicking at it as hard as he could. It caught it in the mouth and it rolled across the ground, skidding across the asphalt before rolling to a stop. The two of them twisted themselves over and he just kept cursing, looking down at his hand and the two bright red punctures in them. He hoped they weren’t fucking poisonous or anything, and he stuck the wound in his mouth, sucking blood out and spitting it to the side. The two of them were already racing across the ground back towards him and he retreated hurriedly, feeling his back press against the door. His hand groped behind him, feeling the door handle under his fingers and he ran his thumb over the lock. “Please work, please work,” he muttered to himself, because he believed in magic, but he also believed the universe liked fucking with him. They were almost on him when he forced the handle down, shoving the door open with his back and letting them both fly past him into the building. He turned and yanked the door shut hard behind him, feeling it shudder as they attacked the other side. “Baka!” Emi shouted, and his head turned over his shoulder to see what she was yelling about. The stinger snapped into the door right next to his face and he screamed in surprise and fell backwards, head cracking off the wall. The knife had fallen from his hand at some point and he grabbed desperately at it, holding it up in front of his face. Not that he thought it was going to do much, because Big Papa was the one with his stinger embedded in the door. He yanked it out, ripping a chunk out of the door and letting his two little babies back into the fray. They scrambled over the broken wooden edges, and he slammed the knife down towards the first one to reach him. It screamed as it split its hairy body, blade scraping off the concrete. The second one launched over its friend towards his head and he ducked his head under one arm, feeling its legs drawing long bloody scratches in his skin. He threw his arm to the side, tossing the body off out of the doorway. It rolled once before he saw a flash of steel as Emiko’s blade cut through it and then he saw her head rise towards him, her eyes wide as they darted from his face and then up. Sly was already shaking as his eyes rose, already knowing what he was going to see. The giant fucking spider landed right in front of the doorway, his mandibles clicking and black eyes focusing on Sly. He crawled back towards the broken door, eyes wide and scared. He swallowed hard and jerked his head at the monster. “Sup?” he said weakly. Wenston The first time Emiko had fought Jyorougumo, he’d stung her. It was the first time she’d fought as the Guardian and the first time she’d ever taken on a demon. Until that point, she’d just fought other people. Never demons. And certainly not giant spiders. The spider had caught her off guard with its stinger and it had pierced a whole right in her side. He wasn’t venomous, or she wouldn’t have survived. She was lucky as it was that she hadn’t died. The thing she was learning about the Thirteen, was that they didn’t change much. Their forms stayed the same. Jyorougumo was always a spider. The others were always what they were when she’d first face them. Except this time around was different and she didn’t know what had changed. Jyorougumo was faster, stronger, smarter. The trick with his offspring was new and it had taken Emiko by surprise. She was furious at herself for it. A true warrior was never taken by surprise. Her father had taught her that many, many years ago. So now that Jyorougumo was cornering Sly and threatening to remove his head with his mandibles, Emiko took it as a personal failure. Her gray eyes narrowed on the spider demon as she crouched behind it, one of her palms pressed flat against the ground and the other holding her katana at her side. She’d been outsmarted by this demon and now he was threatening the seal breaker, the man she was supposed to protect. This was a failure and an insult to her family name. Daisuke would be disappointed in her. She stood quickly, head dipped and her face contorted in anger. She pointed her katana at the spider and growled out, “You are a coward, Jyorougumo.” The spider demon froze its decent on Sly, who was pressed against the cement wall, his eyes closed and his face turned towards the side. She was going to have to have a talk with him about facing his fears with open eyes. But not right now. Because he was not the one who had failed. Jyorougumo hissed loudly at Sly, lifting a leg and slamming it into his stomach. Sly grunted, hands coming up to try and pry the leg off, the knife moving to slice it across its leg, but Jyorougumo smacked it away with his mandibles. Sly gave a small cry and she couldn’t imagine it was pleasant to be pinned by one of those legs. He was going to be sore. But the spider didn’t draw blood or kill him. Instead, he turned around, clacking at her and tipping his head to the side. “Kōken'nin,” he hissed. “You have been asleep too long. You have missed much of the world.” Emiko kept her katana pointed at the spider demon. “You sleep as I sleep,” she told him, like he’d forgotten. The spider hissed a laugh and shoved down onto Sly’s stomach a little harder. He cried out again and Emiko tried not to let it bother her. He would be okay. His fingers were trying to pry at the spider’s spindly leg but it was no use. “We have learned to keep our eyes open. We have learned to watch the world. You have not. You will not win this time, Thirteenth Daughter.” Sly grunted. “Emi,” he said, through grit teeth. “A little less dialoguing, please. I think he’s kabobing my kidney.” Jyorougumo snapped back at Sly, gave a scared noise, like a trapped animal. It sent ever nerve of Emiko’s on edge. “You are so eager to die,” the spider hissed at him. She didn’t give Sly the chance to reply, nor Jyorougumo the chance to speak further. She moved while the spider’s back was turned, seeing the creature’s intent before it actually moved. She rushed forward, sliding along the ground beneath the spider’s massive body just as Jyorougumo’s jaws were closing towards Sly. The man gave a terrified yell, but the jaws never reached him. Emiko stood as she reached its head. Intent on knocking the spider away from him so she could place herself between the demon and the seal breaker. She didn’t expect the sudden sharp pain in her arm as the mandibles, instead of closing on Sly, closed on her upper arm. “Aita!” she gasped in pain as blood splattered the wall and onto Sly. He flinched in surprise, a red dotted slash of her blood across his face. A startled gasp escaped his lips and she heard him cursing, but she could do nothing to assure him it was alright. Jyorougumo flung himself backwards and Emi grit her teeth, unable to keep the small noise of distress from escaping her lips, the spider’s mandibles still tight around her arm and she knew if the demon really wanted to, he could sever it right then and there. But Jyorougumo was scuttling backwards. Emiko’s feet moved along the ground to keep herself standing and as soon as the spider slowed enough, she planted her feet and flipped herself upwards, legs wrapping around Jyorougumo’s massive head. Her free arm, the one that held the katana, came up and sliced across the spider’s face. Roaring, Jyorougumo let go of her. She reached her hand down to cushion herself as she swung her feet down. The arm that had been closed in the spider’s jaws bleed heavily, a large, deep gash along her skin. She took a few steps backwards , keeping herself between the spider and Sly. She ignored the burning pain in her arm or the way the entire limb felt weak, because pain during a battle wasn’t welcome. “You fight a never ending battle!” Jyorougumo hissed at her, his voice nasty and angered. “Let me put you out of your misery. Give me Shīruburēka and be done with it.” Emiko shook her head, her dark hair flickering about her eyes and fluttering over her shoulder in her ponytail. “Never,” she told him firmly. “You will come through me and Kaidokusuru,” she said, using her katana’s given name as she aimed it at him. “As you wish!” Jyorougumo yelled, scuttling forward quickly. Emiko was ready for him. She dodged each blow from his remaining working legs that he flung at her. She ducked backwards, bent beneath, and flipped over the legs as they lashed out at her. Whenever she saw an opportunity, she brought her katana down on one of the appendages. She managed to sever two of his legs before the spider demon started scurrying away. He turned and began to fled and she’d already let him live long enough. He’d spilled blood and for that, he could not live a moment longer. Rushing forward, she slashed her katana down and a high pitched scream filled the air as she cut the stinger from his body. She caught it in the hand of her injured arm, her fingers gripping tightly around it her own blood from her arm trickling down her fingers and onto the stinger, dripping from its point. Jyorougumo tried to leap away, but Emiko took a few steps backwards before sprinting at the creature. She pushed off the ground with her feet, getting one foot on his abdomen and landing the other further up on his body. “Shi wa anata ni wa,” she told him, “death is upon you.” She felt the demon buck beneath her and she almost lost her balance, but she threw her arms down towards its head. Her katana pierced one of its many eyes. The stinger she’d taken from his own body jammed straight down into its head. Immediately, Jyorougumo’s body fell stiffly to the ground. Emiko rolled neatly off of it and stayed crouched beside it, her katana still in her hand, but the stinger left stuck in its head. She was breathing heavily, blood dripping from the gash on her arm, smeared across her face and black blood all over her skin and clothes. Her hair was loose and messy about her face. Her eyes rose to seek out Sly, who was pressed against the doorway, looking stiff and anxious still. He chewed on his lip and then looked over at her. “Is it dead?” he asked quietly. Emiko didn’t answer him. She’d have to deal with her failure once she was sure it was dead. Standing, she stalked over to the spider and raised Kaidokusuru high above her head, bringing it down swiftly in an arc to sever head from body. Black blood sprayed up into her face and spilled out onto the cement. She sneered at the body and then walked over to where Sly was still waiting. “I failed to keep them from you,” she told him and he looked up at her like she was crazy. At his bewildered look, she bent and put her fingers to the bite marks on his neck and his hand, her fingers trailing the scratches on his arm. She stood straighter again and she hated to offer this, but it was the way of her clan. It was her failure he was hurt. It was his decision. “I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.” .Wolfie. Sly was shaking by the time they got back to his apartment. He was quiet on the way and he just kept thinking about the drugs in his bag and how maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he just got back and overdosed on his bathroom floor. It was better than being eviscerated by demons. It was better than having his face ripped off or a spider leg shoved through his stomach.His whole body hurt. His neck and his hand stung but they didn’t bother him because they were just like bigger track marks. The bloody scratches on his arm hurt but they were just like getting ripped up by a cat or something and that something just happened to be a demonic spider baby that wanted to kill him. But he swore he could still feel the demon’s leg grinding into his stomach and trying to force itself out the other side and that was hurting pretty bad right about now. That and he had this stinging pain in his chest. He wondered if he’d been poisoned and he tried not to think too hard about that because he didn’t know if there was anti-venom for spawn of giant spider demon out there. He scrubbed at his chest and maybe it was the tattoo again because it was itchy and sore in the same place. He didn’t say anything. He kept his mouth shut for once because Emiko’s arm was bloody and shredded and she just cradled it to her chest and didn’t complain. The girl was hardcore, that was for damn sure, and he doubted she’d have any pity for a bruised gut. Besides, even with a bleeding arm she’d managed to massacre that demon. She’d killed it with her sword and its own stinger and there was nothing not completely hot and completely badass about that. She was the most intense woman he’d ever met. He didn’t break the silence until they got back to his apartment. He pushed the door open with his back, leaning against it to let her inside before he kicked it shut and redid his locks. “So when you say punishment, what do you mean? You mean like a spanking or something?” he asked, lifting one eyebrow at her. He couldn’t quite keep the grin off his face at that. She frowned and turned her head away, teeth gritted and one hand curling into a loose fist. “If that is what you choose.” Sly snorted and moved past her towards the bathroom. He turned the water on and started running his hand underneath it while the other popped open the medicine cabinet and started pawing through the bottles of stolen pills for any sign of a box of gauze. Or an ace bandage. Or at least some fucking band aids. “Because I have to tell you,” he called through the door, “a hot Asian chick asking me to spank her pretty much fulfills just about every wet dream I had during high school. You throw on a schoolgirl outfit first and I’ll be asking for my last rights because I could die a happy man.” She scoffed and he didn’t hear her move to the door. “Death is what I am trying to keep you from,” she said. She had one hand gripping her upper arm tightly, blood staining her fingers from where it leaked out of her skin. Just looking at the nasty wound gave him the chills because those jaws could have been closed around his head. One chomp and bam, that was the end of Sylvester Waite. Not exactly the way he wanted to go. Not enough heroin and strippers involved. “I noticed. Thanks for that, sugar,” he told her. The other side of the cabinet had Batman band aids and he snorted when he saw that, pulling the box out and tossing it on the edge of the sink. Tucked back behind it was a roll of gauze and he grabbed that too. “Do not thank me,” she said quietly. “I failed at my duty to protect you.” She leaned against the doorway and she looked like she felt genuinely guilty about that. Her gaze was focused on the floor and her pale eyes were sad as she studied the dirty bathroom tiles. He just watched her for a moment, blood running over her fingers and that didn’t make her flinch, but she felt guilty about Sly? It made him vaguely uncomfortable. He hoped she didn’t cry or anything, because he hated it when girls cried. He never knew what to do. Krystal had cried all the damn time and then she’d yelled at him when he’d tried to make it better. She just needed a good cry, she said, and he didn’t understand what the fuck that meant. Who needed to cry? He frowned, ripping a Batman band aid open with his teeth. “Its cool babe,” he said, slapping them over the marks in his hand. “I’m still kicking, aren’t I?” She snorted and tipped her head to the side to look at him. “I allowed you to be injured.” “What these?” he scoffed, waving his wounded hand at his neck before he started to wash it off in the mirror. “Don’t worry about it. I do worse to myself on a daily basis. Now, if you want to talk about the leg that tried to force its way into my kidneys, then maybe you could just kiss it all better. In fact, I think the whole area is sore, so make sure you do a thorough job.” She frowned at the wink he shot her and her fingers tightened on her arm. Her teeth were grinding together in her head and her posture was stiff and uncomfortable. “If that is my punishment I will abide by it,” she said darkly. He snorted, scrubbing the blood off his neck before using two more band aids on his neck. He didn’t look like special needs or anything, having Batman and Robin chilling on his neck. “Listen honey,” he said. “It was a joke. If you’re willing then I’m all for it but I’m not that much of a sexual freak that I’m into nonconsensual. Though seriously, you need to stop saying shit like that because you make it hard for a man like me not to try and take advantage of you. Now come here, you’re bleeding all over my floor.” Emi was still wearing a frown on her face but she did as he asked, stepping towards the sink. He leaned his hip against it, wetting down a washcloth and then reaching up to pull her fingers away from her arm. She looked annoyed but allowed him to do so, wincing slightly when he started wiping all the blood away. A lot of it was already crusted on but he tried not to push too hard. A glance at her face showed her studying him in the mirror as he tried to clean her arm off. She looked like she was trying to figure something out and he didn’t know what because he wasn’t complicated. “A man like you?” she questioned. He reached back for the gauze, giving her a grin when he started wrapping it around her arm. “Yep,” he said. “You know, a thief, a liar and a cheat? That kind of man.” Not to mention a heroin addict and just thinking about that made his mouth dry because he could really use a hit. He needed to call Ash and get hooked up with another gram because something told him his wasn’t going to last much longer. Not the way his week was going. Not if there were still twelve demons out there that wanted him dead because if they were anything like the first one then he was going to be in trouble. And he really didn’t want to die. She didn’t argue with any of his so called virtues but she was still studying him, watching him play with the hoop in his lip as he wrapped her arm up. He was just surprised she wasn’t yelling at him not to touch her. “You shouldn’t turn your head in fear,” she told him. “You should face your demons head on. That way even if you die, you still die like a man.” “Look babe, we can’t all be samurai warriors. Excuse me if I’d rather close my eyes and picture a naked Heidi Klum then go out watching a giant spider as he rips my face off.” He finished tying off her arm and stepped back, slumping down on the edge of the tub. Her fingers were playing with the edge of the gauze around her arm, her eyes watching him in the mirror. “Then you will die,” she told him. He frowned and glanced up at her because he thought the point was to keep him alive. “‘Those who cling to life die, and those who defy death live.’ These are the words of Uesugi Kenshin and you should consider them carefully. If you do not face your demons then you will die a second death, when they kill your spirit as well.” He snorted. “Sure babe,” he told her, tugging on the hoop in his lip. His fingers dropped to the edge of his shirt and he pulled it up, grimacing at the dark bruise left there. It spread across his ribs and up and he lifted his shirt a little bit higher, hissing in surprise when he saw the fresh black marks on his skin. “What the fuck is this?” he asked, gesturing at his chest and no wonder he hurt. A black and gray spider tattoo had taken up residence on his chest, its silhouette framing the snake that circled his sternum. Emiko glanced it blankly and then up at his face. “Jyorougumo is slain, and the seal is one step closer to being shut.” “So what, I just get to add demons to my chest every fucking time you kill one?” he demanded. She frowned. “Yes,” she told him, like it should have been obvious. Sly groaned, dropping the shirt and leaning forward to scrub his hands over his face. His headache was back and he thought maybe he was too sober for this shit. “Awesome,” he said, and now that he was aware of it he could feel the stinging lines in his chest. “And this is going to happen every time? I’m going to get a shiny new tattoo and it’s going to hurt like a bitch on top of getting my ass kicked?” “Yes,” she said again, and he sighed. He left his head resting in his hands and he didn’t know if he could do this. What the fuck was he supposed to do? He was a thief, a small time excuse for a magician, and an addict. The best he could offer was spider bait. Another sigh left his lips and then he pushed himself to his feet. She was still watching him, leaning against the sink and her eyes studying him carefully. He started tossing the boxes back in the cabinet but he left the gauze out on the sink in case he did a shitty job and she wanted to fix it. “You can use the shower,” he told her, shutting the mirror and trying not to look at his face in it. “Just don’t take too long because the hot water runs out after about ten minutes.” She shook her head at him. “I don’t know what that is.” “Seriously?” he asked, frowning as he glanced at her. She was giving him a blank look and one of these times he was just going to ask her where and when the fuck she was from. “Here,” he said, pulling the curtain and leaning in to start twisting the knobs. She jumped when the water kicked on, striking the bottom of the tub like hard rain. “This one’s hot, this one’s for cold. This up here is to adjust the pressure.” He reached up and tapped on the showerhead before he stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. She still looked confused, tilting her head around the shower curtain. “I could join you if you want,” he said. “Just throwing it out there.” She glanced back at him, her expression cold and unreadable, but there was a quirk to her lips that he didn’t recognize. Maybe it was a smile. “You could,” she said, and his eyes widened when she said it because he didn’t expect her to really invite him. Not that he would turn it down if she was offering but then she kept going. “But I would consider that my punishment.” He laughed and held his hands up. “Woah, woah, Emi, slow down. That almost sounded like a joke,” he said, and then pointed a finger at her. “Because I know you weren’t questioning my sexual prowess.” She shook her head at him. “I am not questioning that, because I am uninterested,” she told him. “Ouch,” he said, wincing and pressing a hand to his chest and that brought an actual wince. “You are cold,” he told her, turning around and shaking his head. “But hey, if you change your mind, I’m just a shout away.” He shut the door behind him and he moved back into his living room, slumping down on the couch and kicking his feet up. His head tipped back towards the ceiling and he felt his aching body relax into the furniture. He wasn’t cut out for this shit. Sly thought about her telling him to face his demons and that was easy for her to say. She had a badass sword and she knew how to use it. He was fucked. A chill ran through him and he lifted his hands to cover his eyes because he was completely and totally fucked. He’d almost died like eight times and he wasn’t a coward or anything, but he didn’t want this. The spider had told him he was eager to die and she’d told him that was going to happen if he didn’t man up and he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to die. Wenston Emiko tilted her head to the side to look at the water coming from the shower. She stuck one hand out to test it and pulled it back slightly because it was hot. Steam rose up from the tub and Emiko was reminded of the hot springs in Japan. Stepping back, she stripped the blood caked shirt from herself, folding it and placing it on the counter. She frowned at it once it was there because she had no other clothes. She would have to wash it or find something else to wear. Pulling the band out, she let her hair fall down about her shoulders and then slipped out of the pants she wore. She wondered again if they were really women’s pants because Sly had talked about wanting to get in them. She wondered if he wore women’s clothing. She didn’t think he’d fit into these pants. Her lip quirked at the thought of it but she quickly wiped it away because now was not a time for happiness or smiling. She had nothing to celebrate. She’d let the seal breaker get hurt, even if he claimed they were small injuries. She’d defeated Jyorougumo, but it had been a sloppy battle and if Daisuke had seen it, he’d remind her of her humility and shame in her mistakes. She was going to have to do something about Sly. He’d done well enough with his knife and she’d have to make sure he kept it with him when they faced the other demons. But she thought he should get something else as well. Maybe he could get the musket he was talking about. Or maybe she could teach him to use a katana or sais or even a bow staff. She wasn’t used to the seal breaker not being a warrior and she wasn’t sure the best way to go about this. Stepping beneath the water, Emiko closed her eyes as the it ran over her skin, washing away the blood. She scrubbed at the spots it had caked on and she glanced at the wrap he’d put around her arm. She hadn’t expected him to do that for her. She could wrap her own wounds. But she was grateful of the gesture. She shook her head beneath the stream of hot water because she still couldn’t believe the seal breaker was a thief. He’d called himself a thief, a liar and a cheat. He wasn’t a warrior, but perhaps those skills could be helpful. When she was done showering, turned the knobs, trying several times before the water finally stopped coming out. She tipped her head to the side, looking up at the showerhead and wondering where the water went if it was not flowing out here. She stepped out of the tub and looked around, water dripping to the floor beneath her. She stretched her toes as she watched her feet and then looked up. A cloth hung from a rack on the wall and she walked over to it, pulling it form the rack and using it to dry herself off. Picking up her clothes, still caked in blood, she sighed and pulled them on. She ran her fingers through her hair, bending over at the waist so it was hanging down to the ground as she brushed it with her fingers. Once it was straight and untangled, she flipped it back up and tied it at the back of her head. Finally done, she grabbed her katana and headed back out into the other room. Sly was sitting on the couch, one arm strewn across his eyes. When he heard the bathroom door open, he lowered his arm and looked at her, eyeing her stained, dirty clothes, but she walked over to the couch and stood at the end of it before he could say anything to her. “I am finished,” she announced. He snorted. “Yeah, I can see that,” he said and sat up, pointing to her shirt. “You know, the whole point of a shower is to get clean.” Then he raised an eyebrow at her and asked, “You don’t have any other clothes, do you?” Like he already knew the answer to that question and he probably did. Emiko looked down at herself and shook her head. “I do not take more than I require,” she told him. “Well, I’d say you require more than one shirt if you’re gonna be killing demons and bloodying them up,” he said, rising to his feet and heading into his bedroom. Emiko watched him a moment, frowning as she followed him. He was digging through piles of clothes on the floor, pulling them to his nose to sniff them before tossing them over his shoulder. He picked up one shirt and it seemed to pass whatever test he had given it because he turned to grin at her. “Here, this will work for now. We’ll figure something else out tomorrow. Maybe you can convince the assholes at the mall that you need clothes for a noble cause, huh?” Emiko looked at the shirt he was offering. “The mall?” she asked, reaching out and taking it. She held it to her frame and it looked like it was going to be big on her, but it would have to do. She watched Sly as he made his way across the room, looking through pants and shorts on the floor. She looked back at the shirt and then turned around, holding it between her legs as she grabbed the hem of the shirt she wore and pulled it over her head. Behind her, she heard Sly say, “You’re killing me. It’s like a marketplace. I don’t know what you have from wherever you’re from. But it’s-“ He cut off and she glanced over her shoulder at him. He’d turned around, a pair of shorts in his hands, but his eyes weren’t on her face. They were on her back. She turned her head forward again and pulled the shirt she’d given him over her head, tugging it down to hide the long, jagged lashes that had scarred her back that had caught his attention. “Uh…sorry, I didn’t-” She cut him off. “Japan,” she said, turning around and she wasn’t giving him time to ask about the scars or make comments about the shirt that was too big for her. She walked over to him, taking the shorts from his hands, starting to unbutton her own pants. He gave another nervous laugh and brought a hand up to cover his eyes as she stepped out of her pants and into the shorts. “I am from Japan.” Sly snorted, his fingers parted so he could peek through them. She didn’t say anything about it. “Yeah, well, last time I checked, Japan was like…kick ass with technology. How do you not even know what a shower is?” Emiko shoved her discarded clothes into his arms and he just looked at her, confused. “I was not here when it was invented, probably,” she told him and then headed out of his bedroom and back into the other room. The clothes he’d given her were too big, the shorts riding low on her hips and the shirt falling off her shoulders. She climbed over the back of the couch, placing her katana onto the seat next to her, within arm’s reach. She felt an awkwardness clenching at her chest. She felt out of place in these clothes and in this home and in these times. She didn’t understand the world around her and it always took some getting used to, but things seemed so much different now. Much, much different from the last time she was here. She looked around the room and everything about it was foreign to her. Turning to look over her shoulder at Sly, she watched him place her clothes down and then look towards her. He came into the room after her and she just watched him because he still hadn’t punished her for her failure and now that he’d seen her back, he must know this was not the first one she’d made. She hoped he wouldn’t conscript the same punishment, but if that’s what he saw fit to do, then she would accept it. She remembered when Daisuke had given her those scars. “So, what’s next then?” he asked, scratching at his neck above the colorful band aids he’d put there. Emiko sat cross legged on the couch, her fingers going to the bracelet around her wrist. “We must hunt the other twelve. They will have felt Jyorougumo’s death by now, so they will know we are coming for them.” Sly snorted. “Well, that just sounds fabulous,” he said and somehow she didn’t believe he meant the words. “But, we don’t have to do it tonight, right? We can wait until tomorrow?” Her lips twitched and she looked towards the window. “Yes, you should rest today. Tomorrow we will start. You will need your strength.” Sly sighed, sitting down on the couch next to her, his head tipping back and resting there. “Great. Save the dying and bleeding for tomorrow.” He closed his eyes and looked tired. His hand was shaking and she just studied him for a moment. She didn’t understand him. She didn’t understand much about this world, but him in general. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t yelling at her for letting him get hurt. “Sylvester?” she asked. One of his eyes cracked open to look at her. “Sly, honey. No one calls me Sylvester.” She nodded and then pointed to the television. “Can we watch your magic box some more?” .Wolfie. Two : Genbu Sly was in pain. His whole body ached this morning, radiating from his stomach outwards, and his head made sure that it got in on the party. There were still bruises on his face from Jumbo and his hands were scraped up and raw. The wounds on his neck and hand were itchy and the fresh tattoo on his chest was rubbing painfully against the inside of his shirt. His skin felt shredded and sore and his muscles were pissed because he’d been running for the last two days straight and that was more exercise than he’d gotten in a year. He kept chewing on the silver hoop in his lip because on top of that, he was anxious. He couldn’t hold still, his leg tapping restlessly and his head kept turning to look out the window because he was out. He’d gotten himself blasted the night before and just done everything left in his little clear baggie so he’d had nothing to shoot up with this morning and that was a big fucking problem. It was a bad, bad sign. He didn’t remember much now, only that he’d been smiling and stumbling and he’d forgotten that he was supposed to die because he’d been floating higher than the Hindenburg when he finally passed out face down on his couch. “What is this?” Emi asked, and he glanced away from the window to look across the table at her. She was still wearing his tee shirt and shorts, the fabric slipping down off one shoulder and revealing the goldfish tattoo that leapt across her skin. She’d said it was a reminder. He wondered if the same thing went for those scars across her back because they looked nasty and hard to forget. He wondered who’d done it to her, if she came from an abusive family or something because he’d seen a lot of that going in and out of the system. She didn’t act like an abuse victim though. Those girls were fucked up in the head, and Emi was ice cold and in control. “It’s called whipped cream, babe,” he told her. He smirked, watching her nudge it with her fork as she considered eating the pancakes in front of her. He’d given in and dragged her to the IHOP because he needed to meet Ash somewhere and he wanted some damn pancakes. “Just eat it. Trust me, it’s good. Better when it’s with chocolate syrup and a hot chick, but not bad on pancakes either.” She lifted an eyebrow at him and then cut into the pancakes, getting some whip cream on her fork and taking a bite. He was trying not to laugh just watching her because she was completely ridiculous. One second she was this ice queen with a sword and the next she was completely baffled by the modern world. She’d been watching Looney Tunes when he passed out and if she started making Sylvester and Tweety jokes he swore to Christ he was taking the magic box away from her. She held a hand to her mouth, staring down at her plate with a strange expression on her face. He couldn’t tell if she liked it or not. “This food is very strange,” she told him. She shook her head and put her fork down with a sigh. “So much of this world is strange.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “You think pancakes are weird, but demons are no big? That’s kinda fucked up, princess.” She frowned and then pointed her fork at him. “I think you’re very strange too,” she said. He snorted and grinned, because he wasn’t going to argue that one. His head turned without thought, looking out the window and wishing Ash would show up with presents because he didn’t want to start going through withdrawal or anything. Last time it had taken a good twelve hours before it set in but he hadn’t been doing it as much then. He’d been trying to quit for Krystal and as soon as the first symptoms hit he was shooting up again. “After breakfast I’ve got some stuff I’ve gotta pawn and then we’ll see about getting you clothes,” he said. His head tilted to the side when he saw a girl with blonde hair but it wasn’t Ash and he slumped back down against the booth, turning back to look at Emi. “Though the walk of shame look is kinda hot on you. Not every girl can pull it off.” Her eyes widened for a moment like he’d struck her and then she smoothed her expression out, looking back down at her breakfast. “I’m glad you are enjoying my shame,” she said coldly. “If you would decide on a punishment I will try to atone for my mistakes.” He snorted and kicked back in his seat, his boot resting on the booth next to her, not looking at her face because the reaction had surprised her. Somehow he didn’t think it would make it better if he explained what the walk of shame was. He scrubbed at his chest, feeling the tattoo itching and sore beneath his shirt. “You need to relax, babe,” he told her. “Seriously, just have a beer or get laid or something, preferably with me. Because I really don’t get this whole shame and failure shit you keep talking about. What the hell am I supposed to be punishing you for again?” She gave a frustrated sigh, shaking her head and looking out the window. “You are my charge and I failed to protect you.” “Hey, I’m just happy I’m still breathing,” he told her. “You keep me that way and we’re cool.” She didn’t say anything for a moment and he turned to look outside again, nails scratching at the cuts on his arm and the little track marks on his skin. He hadn’t had his morning hit and he needed Ash to get her ass over here already because he felt shaky and anxious and he felt like his blood was starting to itch. He couldn’t tell if he was actually starting to go into withdrawal or if he was just panicking but he needed the stuff that would get him through the next week because he didn’t think he could do this without it. “I was thinking,” Emi said, and he glanced back over at her. She was pushing a strawberry around her plate with her fork and he thought the girl didn’t eat enough. She turned her head to the side, ponytail falling over her shoulder and those intense gray eyes of hers focused on his face. “You should carry that knife when we go to face the others.” He snorted and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “Oh yeah,” he said. “That’ll stand a shot against a dragon.” She frowned, lips pursing as she watched him. “You should not be left completely defenseless. There are demons worse than Jyorougumo and if he has learned new tricks than perhaps so have they. I could attempt to train you but I am not quite sure where to begin. But if you cannot use a sword we must find something else for you.” Her lips quirked to the side and she tilted her head at him. “Maybe you should acquire one of those muskets you spoke of.” “Ah,” he said, tugging on the hoop in his lip. “Well, that’s a great plan and all, but guns aren’t cheap, and I’m not stupid or desperate enough to try ripping off any of the places that sell them. Last thing I need is a guy named Bubba putting buckshot in my ass.” “Well, how do you usually acquire currency?” she asked, quietly, like maybe she didn’t want to know. He snorted because it wasn’t quite a ‘don’t you have a job’ but it was pretty close. He had some shit to pawn and money still in his pocket, but he needed one-fifty of that to pass off to Ash so that he could keep flying high. He wasn’t worried about buying clothes because he could just magic up some playing cards to look like twenties. They didn’t check twenties for counterfeit bills, just the fifties and hundreds, so he should be alright. That still didn’t leave him much. That still left him in about as shitty a position as he was before he’d robbed the magic shop. “Alright look,” he said, pulling the backpack into his lap. He unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a pack of playing cards, flipping through them until he found the Queen of Hearts. He tossed her on the table and then picked two friends for her and threw them out on the table too. He used his elbow to nudge the plate of half finished pancakes and bacon out of the way and spread them out in front of Emi. “I’m a scam artist. Thieving is an act of desperation; generally I just fuck people over.” She frowned, teeth pulling at her lower lip for a moment and he kept his eyes on his cards because she’d probably be pissed if she knew what he imagined her doing with those lips. “Explain,” she told him, eyes still on his face. “Alright,” he said. “But you need to play a little game with me.” He smirked, turning all the cards over so that she could see them. He had a red Queen, a black Queen, and a two of spades. “The name of the game is called Follow the Lady. All you have to do is watch the red Queen and when I’m done you guess which one is her. You ready?” She frowned and then nodded, leaning forward on her elbows to watch. He grinned and then flipped the cards over onto their faces. “You see, usually people bet money on this,” he said. “They think they can beat the game and find the Queen, and I bet them they can’t. Simple, easy.” His fingers were light and quick as he moved them over and around each other. This was his favorite game, and the easiest one to cheat at because he never had to try and palm a card. Her eyes were locked on the Queen of Hearts and odds were pretty good that she could get it right the first time. It made him smile and then he stopped, spreading the three of them out in front of her. “Alright sugar,” he said. “Go ahead and take a shot. Tell me which one you think is the red Queen.” She didn’t hesitate, pointing at the one in the middle, and she was probably right. “There,” she said. “That one is the red Queen.” He grinned, tapping the back of the card and changing her face. “This one?” he asked. She nodded her head and he tried to keep the smile off his face as he flipped it over. The Queen of Spades looked up at her and he watched as Emiko frowned and reached forward to flip the other cards over. Her scowl deepened when she saw the second black Queen and the two of spades. Her head rose and she focused on his eyes. “You cheated,” she told him. Sly laughed and picked his cards up. “Of course I did, sugar. I used magic.” He chuckled and picked up the card she’d selected, sliding his thumb across her face. The black faded behind his thumb, revealing the red Queen underneath. Her lips quirked to the side and she had a curious look on her face. She reached out and took the card from him, her fingers trying to wipe the black off but it didn’t change for her. She turned the card over in her hand and he wondered what she was thinking because she always guarded her expressions carefully. Even if she didn’t he doubted he would have a clue what was going on in her head because the girl was a mystery. “You’re a magician,” she said, hesitantly. He snorted and pulled the card from her fingers. “I know some tricks,” he said, putting it back in the center of his deck and shuffling them all. He got on packing them away back in his bag and when he glanced up she was still looking at him curiously. He shrugged and grinned at her, tipping his head back against the booth because his head was starting to pound and his body was aching worse than he thought it should. “I told you, I’m a cheat.” “Pussy cat!” A loud voice rang over his head before Emi could say anything else and he tipped his head to the side. Relief swept through him at the girl coming through the diner, dark sunglasses on her eyes and a bright smile on her face. “Hey sugar,” he said, grinning as the girl slid into the booth next to him. She laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek before turning to look at Emi and she was still smiling, leaning forward as she studied the girl. “Well, aren’t you just as pretty as a China doll?” she said. “Tell me he’s at least buying you breakfast if he’s making you walk around town in his clothes. Honestly, the boy has no class, you’re gorgeous, and you can do better.” Emi frowned and opened her mouth but Ash didn’t let her get a word in edgewise. The girl talked a mile a minute and sometimes even Sly had trouble keeping up with her. She had to be on speed or uppers or something, and then she was turning back to Sly, a pout curling her lips. “Sly honey,” she said. “Why is it you only call me for business and never for pleasure? Sometimes I get the feeling that you don’t even like me, and that just hurts my feelings.” “Come on Ash,” he said. “That’s not true. You don’t see me calling anyone else, do you?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her, his mouth dry as he watched her hand under the table, pulling a little plastic bag from her purse. “Don’t try and sweet talk me, pussy cat,” she told him, and he was ignoring the nickname because he was desperate. She tugged the sunglasses of and pointed at him with them, her fingers moving to twine with his as she pressed the little bag into his hand and he felt a thousand times better already. “I’m onto your tricks. You call me because you know I think you’re a stud and I’ll cut you a better deal than anyone else.” She leaned in closer, her lips close to his ear to try and keep anyone else from hearing the exchange. “One-forty,” she said. “I’ll cut you a break on the ten bucks because you look like shit, babe, but don’t expect anymore favors.” “Thanks Ash,” he said. “You’re a lifesaver.” He palmed the drugs in his other hand, moving to tug the money out of his back pocket. He slipped a ten out of the pile and then pressed the rest of it into her hand beneath the table. He felt her fingers tug the bills from his grip before she tucked it securely away in her purse. “I know I am,” she purred, pressing a kiss against his cheek again. Then she was flipping her glasses open and sliding them back onto her face. “But now I have to run. Take care of yourself honey, and don’t be a stranger.” Wenston Emiko sat on the ground, her back leaning against the wall with her katana laid over her lap. They were in some large building that was some sort of market that Sly kept calling “the mall.” They were here to get her clothes, apparently, but Sly had to go and take his medicine first. He must have been feeling bad, because his hands had been shaking by the time they got here. He’d told her to sit here and wait for him while he took his medicine. He’d given her instructions to just sit here, don’t move, don’t get up and go anywhere, and don’t talk to anyone. She wasn’t sure what he expected her to do that he was so worried. Maybe he was just afraid of more demons coming to get him. If he was, she’d have to explain to him that the other demons didn’t come to this world. They had their own to terrorize. She wasn’t sure what to think of his magic tricks. She was having a hard time deciding what to think of him in general. He smiled a lot, which Daisuke would have said was a sign of a fool. She somewhat believed that was an accurate description of Sly, but there was something about the way he smiled that was genuine and that was the part that was confusing her. If he was a thief, a liar and a cheat, she could deal with it if his smile didn’t look so genuine. The magic tricks only managed to confuse her further. She’d met a magician once before. Many, many years ago. But his magic had been stronger, powerful. He’d been more than a magician, he’d been a sorcerer. She wondered if that’s what Sly was, but he just hadn’t been taken on as an apprentice yet. His tricks were small, but maybe he could learn more. It might be a powerful weapon against the Thirteen. The door next to her opened and Sly emerged. She looked up at him, studying him for a moment. His eyes was glazed, his face a little pale. His hand was running over his face and his backpack was across his shoulders again. He blinked a few times, standing above her, like he was trying to remember what he was doing here. Then his eyes came down to look at her still sitting there and he lifted an eyebrow, a lazy smile creasing his lips. “Sitting down on the job, huh?” he asked. Emiko frowned at him, climbing to her feet and taking offense to that accusation. “I do not ever let my guard down,” she explained to him and he nodded, shrugging. His hand came up to rub at his face again, his tongue playing with the metal in his lip. She studied his face for a moment and he looked even more sick than he had before he’d taken his medicine. “Perhaps you should see a different shaman?” Emiko suggested. At Sly’s confused look, she said, “You do not seem to be getting any better.” “Are you serious?” Sly scoffed and started walking off. She slung her katana at her side and trotted to catch up to him, walking beside him. “I feel like a million dollars, babe.” She bit her lip and didn’t really understand what that meant. Sighing, she said, “When we are finished here, we should seek out the next of the Thirteen.” Sly just sighed, like he wasn’t fond of that idea and she frowned again because she didn’t like him when he took his medicine. “The longer we wait, the more prepared they will be for us.” “Yeah, alright,” he said. “So what do we do then? Whose next on the hit list, Xena?” Emiko shook her head. “We do not kill them in any order. You must consult the Grimoire and it will choose for us.” Sly snorted. “Oh yeah? How do we get it to do that?” His eyes were roaming the building, like he was looking for someone or watching for something. She glanced around too, because she didn’t sense any danger in this building. There were quite a few other people, but none of them were brandishing weapons or even paying attention to the two of them. Emiko was the only one with a katana and that seemed to be gathering more attention than anything. “You ask it,” she said simply. “Of course,” Sly said, sighing as he turned a corner. He lead them through the mall and towards a clothing store at the opposite end. “I have to talk to a book.” “Grimoire,” she corrected. “Same thing,” Sly said, waving his hand dismissively. “So, I just say to this book, ‘hey, who do we kill next?’ and it’s gonna tell us where to go?” Emiko nodded. “Yes. You will ask it to show you the door. We will not always be made aware of which demon lies behind it, but the Grimoire will lead us to the doors it feels we most ready for. It will probably choose a weak demon. Or a weak world. It knows what we are most ready for.” Sly stopped in his steps and Emiko pulled to a stop next to him, watching his face. He’d turned to look at her, his brow furrowed in confused. “Wait, what do you mean by a weak world? Do you mean like a different country? Am I gonna have to get a passport or…?” “I do not know what that is,” she told him and then continued before he could explain. “Jyorougumo is the demon that inhabits this world.” She pointed at the ground. “The others have their own worlds they have shaped to their will. We must find the doors that lead us to those worlds. Most are not like this world. They are saturated with Musuhi.” Sly sighed, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Okay, you lost me, but you know what? I’m just gonna take your word for it and go with the flow. We’re going to different worlds to fight demons that all want me dead. I’m down with it. I’m cool. Not really looking forward to the whole, I might die, part of that, but whatever. But let me ask you this, what if the Grimoire doesn’t think we’re ready for any of them? What if, you know, it takes a lesson from its cousins that are from this planet and decides that a book is just a book and doesn’t talk? What then? Can we forget about the whole demon thing?” Emiko’s eyes narrowed at Sly. “You are afraid,” she observed. He snorted. “No shit. I mean, there’s demons that want to kill me. I’m having a little trouble dealing with that part.” “You must learn to face your fears,” she told him. “You are master of your own fate. If you let fear and hesitation guide your hand, your spirit will be lost in the Dark Land. Only those who prove worthy will make it to the High Plain.” Sly snorted. “Yeah, has anyone ever told you how intense you are? You’re like a fountain of fortune cookies waiting to happen. You just spew bullshit.” Emiko sighed and turned towards the clothing store. “Your medicine gives you a serpent tongue,” she spat and walked off without making sure he was following. She tried to remember that he was just a thief, a liar and a cheat and that she shouldn’t expect anything more from him. She shouldn’t expect him to know of things like courage or honor. She tried not to be disappointed in this seal breaker. But it was getting hard. .Wolfie. It wasn’t lasting.Sly wasn’t staying afloat as long as he used to and that knowledge was just something else to make him anxious and desperate when the high finally wore off. When he first took his morning hit in the mall bathroom it had been like being outside in the freezing cold and finally coming in to settle next to a warm fire with a hot chocolate and a hotter woman. Not that he knew what that felt like, but fuck, he could dream, and that’s what he imagined it felt like. It eased his sore body and his aching head and replaced it with a dull haze that made it easier to step back into the world. It was just a little pick me up, that was all. The problem that he was having and the problem that he had known was coming for a while was that it was taking more and more to get the rush that he was looking for, especially now that demons were trying to kill him. He’d forced himself to only take one hit and it got him buzzed and got him high but it wasn’t lasting and he knew it. He just didn’t know what the fuck he was going to do about it. It shouldn’t have bothered him that Emi was giving him a hard time. He barely knew the girl so it shouldn’t matter where she thought his spirit was going or if he was a fucking coward. It shouldn’t matter that she thought he was an asshole when he was high because she was hardly the first girl to say it and he hadn’t quit yet. He just wanted to get this done with so he could go back to his life, do his drugs, and hopefully get lucky once in a while because he was getting sick of this dry spell. He knew it shouldn’t matter but he still found himself moving in front of her, walking backwards and squinting as he tried to look into her eyes. “Don’t you ever smile?” he demanded when she avoided his gaze. “Yes,” she answered simply. Her eyes scanned the store, still not looking at him as she headed towards the women’s section on the right. He couldn’t help but snort out a laugh at the response because she said it completely without emotion and that just struck him as funny. She seemed annoyed with him and everyone always was, but he didn’t know what the fuck he’d done wrong exactly. He just didn’t want to die. “Well that’s good,” he said, scrubbing a hand across his mouth. He flexed his fingers as it fell away from his face because his fingertips felt numb and there was a warm tingling underneath his skin. For a moment he paused and focused on that hand because there were Batman band aids on them and he almost forgot where they came from. “Then maybe you can do me a favor and slap one of those on your face next time you’re telling me what a coward I am. It does wonders for the ego, I’m just saying.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot a glare over her shoulder at him. She studied his face and she looked completely unimpressed. “Baka,” she spat, and he wondered what that meant and why she kept calling him that. “The sooner we finish here the sooner we can consult the Grimoire.” There was a pause and then she spoke quieter. “And I did not call you a coward.” He smiled and he didn’t know if it was there because maybe she’d said something almost nice to him or because it was just habit at this point. “But you were thinking it,” he said, pointing a finger at her and watching her through lidded eyes. She sighed and ignored him, picking up a pair of jeans off the table. She frowned as she unfolded them and held them out in front of her, glancing at the graphic above them. Her mouth quirked to the side and she looked momentarily confused and uncertain and the expression was strangely innocent on her. His gaze wandered while she inspected them, head tilting to the side while he checked her out, gaze traveling over the goldfish tattoo again and then down her back. A sigh left his lips and he shook his head, coming up next to her to pull the jeans from her fingers. “These are fine, babe,” he told her. “All the girls are wearing them.” She hesitated, watching him pick up two more pairs. “Are you sure?” she asked. He laughed, going to a rack with tee shirts and tank tops on it. She didn’t seem to care what was on it, as long as it was culturally acceptable so he picked out some stuff that he thought would look good on her instead. “Absolutely,” he told her. “But if you don’t want me picking out your underwear for you then you better go do it yourself.” Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and then she went to do as he said. He watched her go for a moment before he draped the clothes over the rack and reached in his backpack for the pack of playing cards. He skimmed eight off the top, sliding them between his fingers and coming up with greens instead of reds and blacks. He probably could have just stolen the stuff but that seemed like so much work right now and in another four or six hours or however long it lasted they wouldn’t know what had happened. All her stuff ended up fitting in one bag that he insisted on carrying over his shoulder. It didn’t make her smile, but chances were nothing would and he tried not to let it bother him. It was easy, the haze lingering with him and making his eyes lidded. It wasn’t lasting. He chewed on the piercing in his lip and he hated that because when it wore off he would have to think about the fact that there were demons out there trying to kill him and not only was he supposed to seek them out, he was supposed to wander through completely other worlds to do it. He felt like he should just change his name to Alice because he was falling down the rabbit hole. He stopped at the pawn shop but he made her wait outside because the last thing he needed was Alex trying to pick her up or buy her sword. He didn’t need a repeat of the magic shop incident any time soon, especially not with a guy he regularly did business with, not that it counted for much with him. He got fifty bucks for the silver necklaces he’d stolen and another fifteen for the ivory figures and he suspected he was getting fucked but he was too high and irritated to argue with him. He pocketed the money and went back outside where Emi was waiting with her back pressed against the wall, eyes lidded as she studied the world. “So,” he said, turning around to walk backwards, his eyes having a hard time focusing on her face. “Let me ask you something.” She lifted an eyebrow, her hand back to resting on her katana and the other at her side. “You may ask,” she said. Sly tugged at the hoop in his lip, considering letting it go or changing his question but there was too much cotton in his head to think clearly right now. Maybe in another hour he would be good, but his mouth was already moving and he watched her face as he spoke. “You got anybody?” he asked. “I mean like, family or a boyfriend or something?” A flicker of emotion danced across her features and it looked like pain before it was gone, lost behind the cool mask where she hid everything. “No,” she told him, and her voice was as icy as the look on her face. “They are all gone now.” “Oh,” he said, still chewing on his piercing. “That sucks.” He turned back around, focusing on his boots and the trailing laces instead of on her because he wasn’t surprised. Somehow that was worse, because even if she was single she wasn’t necessarily available. Not that he’d ever really had a prayer in the world to begin with. He sighed and pulled his backpack around so that he could get his cigarettes out of them and he really needed to get his job back at the shop or something because he was tired of being poor. They were quiet the rest of the way back to his apartment, him watching his boots and her watching the rest of the world. That said something about them really, but he wasn’t feeling fucked up enough to be philosophical anymore. He was irritated because his headache was back but his bones weren’t aching and he didn’t feel that itch underneath his skin. He’d bought himself a couple of hours, at least for another day. Sly tossed the backpack down beside the couch before flopping onto the furniture next to it. He held the bag of clothes up to Emi and she took it from his fingers, heading past him into the bathroom so that she could change and get out of his clothes. He had to say she was sorry to see her change. It had been a while since he’d had a woman wandering around in his shirts and an even longer time since one had genuinely had to do the walk of shame. He could probably hook up with Ash if he wanted to, but he’d promised himself a long fucking time ago that he would never fuck his dealer. It was just asking for trouble. He glanced down at the bag next to him and the book was just sitting inside it. He wondered if it was really going to talk back to him and the thought almost made him laugh. Hadn’t there been some kind of fucking kid’s movie about that or something? Then a chill went down his spine because maybe it would and if a god damned book actually started talking to him he was going to check himself into rehab and never look back, fuck all this demon shit. He looked up as Emi came out of the bathroom and she still had that shuttered, cold look on her face. She moved past him and ignored his earlier request to stay out of his stuff, reaching down and getting the Grimoire out of his backpack. He glared at her but she didn’t look like she cared, setting it down on top of the table in front of him and then turning her icy stare at him. “Ask,” she told him. He made a face at her, sitting up on the couch. “Why don’t you do it?” he asked. Her eyes narrowed and she looked even more annoyed with him. “Because you are the seal breaker,” she said, pointing a finger right at his chest. “The book is bound to you. So you must ask where the doors are and when we find one you must open it.” Sly tugged on the piercing in his lip and looked down at the book. He couldn’t help feeling slightly nervous every time the fucking thing came out because this was where all his problems started. If he’d just left the damn thing in its case, or just left the thing shut, he wouldn’t be in this position. That was almost enough to make him laugh because he’d been the one thinking that there was no point to locking a book. Joke was on him, right universe? If there was a God he was a fucking asshole. “So what do I do?” he asked, shifting forward so that he was sitting on the edge of the couch. Emi sat in front of him, legs folded under her and the katana resting across her knees. Her hands were light on its surface, her pale eyes focused on his face and he wished he weren’t such an asshole because even when she was mad she was pretty. “Just ask where we should go?” She nodded her head. “Just ask.” He licked his lips and he felt like a fucking moron but he turned his attention to the book in front of him. “Uh…sup book?” he said, tugging on the hoop in his lip. “So, where’s this door to the next demon that’s going to try and paint the wall with my intestines?” A startled yell escaped Sly’s lips when the book snapped open, front cover striking his coffee table as the pages flipped open in front of him. He could feel wind in the air but he didn’t know where it was coming from and he didn’t like this one fucking bit. He believed in magic, but he thought not for the first time that he was in way, way over his head. The pages fluttered and stilled and Emi leaned forward, the expression on her face never changing. Her eyes swept the page and he didn’t know what he was looking at because it was all in Japanese and he was lucky if he understood English half the time. His heart was thundering loudly in his chest and he had to put a hand over his chest because for some reason he was having a hard time breathing. Not that he was a fucking coward or anything. Then she looked up at him. “Genbu,” she said. At his blank look she continued. “The tortoise.” He blinked, and he had to be high. “Are you fucking serious?” Wenston Emiko didn’t understand why Sly kept questioning her honesty. She wasn’t a liar and he should know that by now because she hadn’t ever lied to him. It was a virtue she’d been taught since a very early age. But Sly just kept questioning what she told him and she thought maybe it was because he was a liar and he thought others would follow the same path as he’d chosen for himself. Currently, he was pacing back and forth along the couch. Emiko still sat atop the table, with the Grimoire opened next to her. She watched him as he paced and she was picturing a caged tiger in her mind. He looked irritated and confused and his eyes kept darting to the book and back out to his apartment again like he was afraid of the Grimoire. She glanced over at it, frowning down at it because she didn’t understand why he was afraid of it. The Grimoire was their greatest weapon. “So we’re going to go fight a turtle?” Sly asked finally, stopping his pacing and turning to look at her, one arm crossed over his chest and the other hand running across his chin. She nodded at him. “A tortoise, yes. Genbu,” she said, annoyed she had to repeat herself again. Sly snorted. “Okay, well, what’s this Genbu like? Is he easy? Hard? Oh man, is he like a ninja turtle? Is he more like Leonardo or Donatello? Because if he’s like Donnie, I think we can beat him.” Emiko made a face at him, not understanding anything he was saying. She hadn’t known any turtles could become ninjas. This world was incredible strange and foreign to her. There were surprises around every corner. “Genbu is wise,” she said instead. “He is strongly influenced by Musuhi. His power is great. He is a worthy opponent but must be beating with intelligence.” “Well, we’re screwed,” Sly laughed and she didn’t understand why he was laughing. Apparently he didn’t either, because he just scrubbed a hand over his face again and shook his head. “What’s this Moo-whatever you keep talking about.” “Musuhi,” she said. He pointed at her. “Yeah. That. What is it? It sounds like a dish at the Sushi Blu down the street.” Shaking her head, she pulled her katana closer to her. “It is not a fish,” she told him and he looked somewhat amused, but his face grew serious afterwards. “Musuhi is the power blessed upon the world by the Kamis.” At the confused look she continued, “A Kami is a god. Izanagi is a Kami. A very long time ago, the Kamis possessed power beyond anything you could imagine. But they sacrificed their honor, integrity – their virtue was corrupted by all the power being held in their single hands. So they released it upon the world, to share with the earth and nature. There is Musuhi all around us. It flows through everything and it is what joins our world to the others.” She pointed at him. “It is what makes you a Magician.” Sly’s brow rose at that. “So it’s magic? It’s like the Force? So if I got a lightsaber, I could become a Jedi.” Emiko puckered her lips, shaking her head because she didn’t understand that either. “It is what you call upon to do your magic, yes,” she said. She nodded her head towards the Grimoire. “Musuhi flows freely within you. Not everyone is blessed with its touch. But you are. It will give us an advantage. You should use the Grimoire to show us the door.” He snorted. “And how exactly do I do that?” She opened her mouth to answer him and he held up a hand. “Wait, let me guess. I ask it.” “Yes,” she said simply. Sly nodded and then sighed like he was getting frustrated with this news. He stood closer to the table, looking down at the Grimoire lying open. He shrugged. “Uh, show me the door?” he tried. He jumped back, giving a startled yelp as the book started to mist. The mist turned into a white string, blowing freely in the breezeless air around them. “That’s unique,” Sly muttered. Emiko pointed at the phantom string. “You must grab it and the Grimoire will show us the way.” She stood up attaching Kaidokusuru to her hip again. She grabbed Sly’s backpack off the couch and put it on his shoulders. He was watching the string a little timidly, but still hadn’t made any move to reach out and take it. “Why don’t you grab it?” he asked, waving his hand to try and blow it further away from him when it started to tip in his direction. “I cannot,” she said, reaching forward to show him. When her fingers tried to snatch the string out of the air, it just slipped through her palm like smoke. “You are the Seal Breaker. You are the Magician. The Grimoire Is under your command and yours alone.” Sly sighed again. “Okay, but if this string so much as looks at me funny, I am having a bonfire with this damn book.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn’t say anything as his hand started moving slowly out towards the floating string. He bit his lip as his fingers reached it and as soon as they did, the string grew taught. He yelped, but his hand stayed wrapped around the string. The Grimoire snapped shut and the string was taught in his hand, disappearing into the Universe about six inches from either side of his fist. He glanced at her and then looked back to the string. “What now?” Emiko nodded, grabbing the Grimoire from the table and shoving it into his pack, zipping it back up afterwards. She knew how he felt about her going into his pack, but she also knew that sometimes he needed a little motivation to get things done. “Now, we follow it. It will lead us to the door.” “So, what happens when we get to the door? We just open it and step through?” “You must open the door,” she told him and stepped aside, motioning for him to start walking. He glanced at her and looked uncomfortable with this whole situation. She studied him for a moment and she thought about him getting upset when he’d thought she called him a coward. She hadn’t meant to. She was just telling him that he needed to face these fears, before they took him over. Fear was crippling. It made a person weak and honorless. She didn’t think he was a coward. Sure, he was afraid of everything she told him he must do, but that didn’t stop him from doing it. He wasn’t a warrior. He wasn’t like the other Seal Breakers and yet here he was, still doing everything she said. Still using the Grimoire and preparing himself to face demons and if she wasn’t trained and wasn’t prepared, she would probably be scared too. She hoped he knew that she wouldn’t let him die. She couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t get hurt, because she had already failed in that. She would do her best to keep it from happening again, but she couldn’t promise. Sly gave a nervous laugh, but started walking, following the string and heading towards the front door, where it was leading him. “Alright, well, here we go,” he said and she didn’t know if he was saying it to her or to himself. “Going to fight a ninja turtle.” Emiko frowned behind him, following him closely. “Genbu is not trained in ninjitsu.” .Wolfie. They were going to fight a turtle.Sly kept thinking more and more that this was just the longest, most fucked up trip of his life. He kept waiting to wake up on a bench in the middle of the park with a cop shining a flashlight in his eyes telling him that he’d been passed out for three days straight and wasn’t it about time that he took himself home? At this point that wouldn’t have surprised him at all and he wondered if that’s what he should be hoping for because at least then there wouldn’t be demons trying to kill him. They wouldn’t be charging off to fight a turtle. He didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at that, because it was a god damned turtle, sorry, tortoise. There was a sick sort of logic to the spider. It was this giant, terrifying monster and if he got killed by one at least it made a kind of sense. He’d be the poor bastard that got eviscerated by a giant spider, not the dumb asshole that was killed by a tortoise in another dimension, especially if it wasn’t even a ninja turtle. He’d never live it down. Not that he would actually be living, but still, he didn’t want a gravestone that read ‘Killed by Demon Turtle.’ He kept a tight hand on the invisible string in his hand, following it out of his apartment and down the stairs. He kept waiting for Konstantin to come out and start yelling again but maybe the old bastard would actually give him until the end of the week. He probably wasn’t going to have the money then either, but on the bright side he’d probably be dead by then anyway. “Alright,” Sly said, glancing over his shoulder at Emiko. She followed closely at his shoulder, eyes watching the string that guided them forward. He just wasn’t going to think too much about that, because this was seriously pushing his belief in magic to the breaking point. He had asked the book and it had answered him. How fucking insane did that make him? “So what, he’s more like Bowser? He’s not going to start breathing fire or stomping on me is he?” She just shook her head at that, her eyes still on the string. “Genbu is a tortoise, a child of the water elements. He will not breathe fire on you,” she said. “But I cannot promise he won’t attempt to stomp you. He is quite large.” He laughed at that, shaking his head and running a hand across his mouth. Of course he was. He almost asked if he had spikes on his back or an army of baby turtles that would try and kill him. “Awesome,” he said, the smile still on his face. “Well, since I don’t have a fire flower or even a mushroom I guess I can look forward to a bright future as a human pancake.” A slight frown creased her eyes and she looked up at him. “I will do everything in my power to protect you,” she said, firmly. He was surprised at the intensity in her eyes and in her voice. It mad him vaguely uncomfortable, because he was just an asshole with a drug habit. Somehow it didn’t seem fair that she should be getting hurt trying to protect his worthless ass. Not that he was complaining that a hot Asian chick with a sword was now living with him and keeping demons from killing him. He wasn’t going to argue with any of that because he sure as fuck didn’t want to die. But he didn’t exactly want her getting killed for him either. He toyed with the piercing in his lip and jerked his head at her arm. “How’s that doing, anyway?” he asked. Her fingers rose to play at the edge of the bandage, glancing at her arm as her hand slid over her skin. She looked up and gave him a curious look and he couldn’t tell what it meant. He could never tell what it meant, and the girl was a bigger mystery than Jimmy Hoffa’s gravesite. “It is healing quickly,” she told him, letting her hand drop and return to the hilt of her sword. She lifted her neck, her hair falling over one shoulder. “It will not slow me down when we face Genbu. As I said, I will protect you, Baka.” They stepped out onto the street, the sky above them starting to look gray and cloudy with impending rain. He kept the string twined in the fingers of one hand, swinging the pack around and trying to dig his cigarettes out with the other. “Okay, that,” he said, pulling a cigarette out and pointing at her with it. “Baka. What is that? What does that even mean?” She glanced at him, lifting one eyebrow while he struggled to get his cigarette lit. He swung the pack back over his shoulder, switching the string back to his other hand and trying to pretend it wasn’t weird as fuck. “What does ‘babe’ mean?” she asked. He snorted, shifting the backpack higher on his shoulder. The smoky line trailed out in front of them, leading them down the sidewalk in front of stores so new that their lights still had all the letters in them. It wouldn’t last. Nothing around here did except for the drug dealers and the liquor stores, the pawn shops and that tattoo parlors. His city was dying one day at a time but it was fine because so was he. “It’s just a nickname,” he told her. “It means I like you, sugar.” He grinned and winked at her before sticking the cigarette back between his lips. She studied him carefully like she was trying to figure out if he was making fun of her or not. Then she nodded and looked back out to the street in front of them. “Baka is also just a nickname,” she said. Sly laughed and pointed the lit cigarette at her again. “Alright, I see how it is,” he said. “It’s cool, I’ve been called pretty much everything under the sun in Russian, just you know, if you’re going to call me names in Japanese at least make them interesting ones. Like ‘man who fucks goats’ or something a little twisted like that.” She seemed startled by that, her head lifting and eyes sweeping his face. A look of disgust pulled at her lips as she stared up at him, her head tilting to the side. “You do?” she asked, and the question was so honest that it made him laugh. “It depends,” he told her, still smiling as he took a drag off his cigarette. “Which of my ex-girlfriends are we talking about?” She shook her head again and went back to focusing on the smoky trail in front of them. Sly sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and watching it pull them down the street. They had to cross to the other side at some point and Emi still seemed nervous about passing in front of all those cars. But she didn’t hesitate, following him across the white lines to the opposite sidewalk, her eyes locked on the headlights as they passed in front of them. They were quiet for a couple of blocks, watching the smoke pull its way through his hand. It felt real. It felt like something was actually wrapped up in his fingers and that was strange and unnerving to him because it disappeared not six inches from his hand. He knew there was nothing there but he could feel it and touch it and he told himself it was just another kind of magic. He wondered about what she’d said because maybe he could do more than dumb card tricks. His hand rose to scratch at the marks on his neck before it dropped to scrub across his chest where the tattoos sat dark and heavy. The skin was sore and ragged, but he was more worried at the pressure in his chest. “Can I ask you something?” Emi said abruptly. He blinked and looked down at her, hand still rubbing at his chest before he let it drop. It was probably nothing. Probably all that exercise he’d been getting lately or smoking too much or some combination of the two. He wondered if it should worry him that his fucking dealer thought he looked like shit. Emi was staring at him intently and he shot her a wide grin. “Sure,” he said. “Fire away.” “What are you sick with?” she asked, and the question wasn’t the one he expected. He snorted and smiled at her before he looked back up at the street. “A lot of things honey,” he told her. He was sick in the head and sick in the soul and there were a lot of kinds of sickness that he had, just probably not the ones she was thinking of. Her teeth pulled at her lower lip while she thought about that and he wondered if she would even understand if he explained that he wasn’t sick, he was just a fucking addict and she shouldn’t worry about him. Then she looked back up at him. “I do not mean to pry,” she said. “I am just concerned that your sickness may endanger you when we are in other worlds.” That made an honest laugh escape his lips because she was just too cute sometimes. “Look, I don’t have anything that’s going to make me more of a handicap than I already am,” he told her. He shook his head and put a hand to his chest. “I’ve got this under control, babe. I medicate once in the morning and once at night. If I start doing it more than that, then you can start to worry, otherwise don’t trouble your pretty little head about it.” He grinned at her and then followed the string around the corner into a parking lot. They were headed into a strip mall and he hopped off the curb onto the asphalt. She followed him closely and he could still feel her staring at the back of his head. She moved up to his side, head ducking to look into his face. “Do you have your medicine with you should we end up in this world for some time?” A weird sensation settled into his chest at that question and he glanced over at her. He thought it was guilt, and he frowned because he didn’t like it. He wasn’t used to it and it felt weird and uncomfortable because the girl actually thought he was sick and maybe she was actually worried about him. His hand rose to scrub at his chest again and then he forced a smile across his face. “Yeah, I’ve got it,” he said, tugging at the strap of his backpack. “I told you babe, I’ve got this under control.” She frowned but nodded her head and he shot her another grin before he lifted his head, following the gray trail towards the strip mall. There was a giant clothing store in the middle and then some other little shit stores aligned along side of it. He hoped it led them into the Subway because he could go for a hoagie before he trotted off to some other universe. It didn’t. It led them past the Subway and past the shoe store and all the way to the end where a big, obnoxious rat glared down at him and he groaned when he saw the smoke lead him right to the door. “No fucking way,” he said. “Your gods are fucked in the head.” She paused when he did, looking up at the building in front of him. She frowned in confusion, studying the evil rat head and the words that spelled out Chuck E. Cheese in big letters. She looked over at him with a questioning look on her face. His jaw was clenched and he just shook his head again, the other hand running through his hair while his teeth tugged at the hoop in his lip. “I don’t understand,” she said. “What is wrong with this place?” He snorted and shook his head. “What isn’t? Do you seriously not know what this is? This place represents all that is wrong and evil and unholy in the world.” He held a hand up and backed away from the door, ignoring the gray string that led straight to the handle. “I’m not going in there, I’m sorry, it’s just not happening.” She frowned and then she grabbed him by the back of the arm with one hand and the other grabbed the door. “Face your fears, Baka,” she told him. “If this is where the door is then this is where we must go.” A sigh left his lips and he shook his head, letting her force him through the door. “I’m telling you,” he said. “This place is evil.” She ignored him, opening the second set of glass doors and urging him inside with her fingers tight around his arm. Bright lights and loud noise assailed them immediately, games going off in every corner of the room and three screaming kids running by with balloons clenched in their fingers. Sly grit his teeth and glanced down at her because her eyes were wide, sweeping every edge of the room. Ahead of them the gray string still coiled out, seeking the door they were looking for and he hoped it was the back one because already his head was throbbing painfully and he hadn’t even seen one of those furry freaks in a suit yet. As soon as he thought it, a man in a rat costume came around the corner. He groaned when he saw it but it was nothing compared to Emi’s reaction and later he would think it was the greatest fucking thing in the world. Her eyes went wide and the sword pulled from its sheath, pointing at the rat with her blade. “Ratto no akuma!” she cried. Wenston Emiko didn’t know how the rat demon had gotten here. She hadn’t even known there was a rat demon. She’d never faced it before, and it upset her to think that the Thirteen were changing the methods and possibly recruiting. They could have chosen a better demon to recruit. This rat demon looked ridiculous. Although, she’d learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover. Sly laughed, and she didn’t understand why he laughed sometimes, but he stepped to her side, his hand coming up to try and placate her katana, the other hand still gripping the phantom string tightly. “Whoa, hey, okay Emi. As much as it would fulfill a childhood dream of mine to see Chuckie here get his head cut off by a hot ninja chick, I really don’t want that to be the reason I go to prison. So let’s just put the shiny sword away for now, yeah?” Ignoring him for the time being, Emi reached out to grab his arm and pull him behind her. She stood straight, guarding him from the rat demon, her katana still held out in front of her. She pointed it at the rat’s head. “You are not one of the Thirteen Akuma. What is your name and who sent you?” she demanded. When the rat held a hand out to the side, she shoved her sword closer to his face and she heard him gasp. Behind her, Sly was sighing heavily, muttering to himself something about prison and being too pretty again and she didn’t understand what beauty had anything to do with prison. “Answer me!” she yelled. “Uh,” the rat said, tipping his head to the side to look at Sly before he said, “Uh, I’m Phil. And I work here. Not exactly where I thought I’d be five years ago, but hey, some chicks go wild for this suit. They say it’s like getting plowed by Mickey Mouse.” Sly snorted and she tensed slightly when she felt his hand come to her shoulder. She resisted the urge to shrug him off and yell at him not to touch her, because she hated people touching her, but she kept quiet in front of the rat demon Phil. “Emi, look, it’s just a guy in a costume. He’s not a demon. I mean, he’s a different kind of horror altogether, but not the kind of demon you’re thinking about.” She narrowed her eyes at the rat, taking in his supposed costume. The rat demon Phil shifted from one foot to the other as she studied him and finally he sighed and said, “Hey lady, if you’re not going to stab me, which would be so fucking hot by the way, do you think I could get back to work? There’s a smokin’ hot milf over at table five I’m pretty sure I can get into the supply closet.” Emi crinkled her nose and gave him a stern look. “I am watching you, Akuma,” she spat at him. The rat just turned, waving a hand at her and she lowered her katana, waiting until he was around the corner to sheath it. She turned to Sly and he was grinning, pinching the bridge of his nose in amusement. When he looked up at her, she told him, “I do not like this place.” “I tried to warn you, babe,” he said. He pointed at the string still held in his hands. “So, why don’t we just find this door and get out of here, huh? Preferably before you draw your sword on a nine year old.” Emi frowned, because she would never harm a child. But she didn’t say anything as he started walking, following the string again. She stayed close to his shoulder, studying the strange world around her. There were many lights and noises and it was all so distracting and loud. She really, really didn’t like this place. They walked through the strange environment and Emi was watching a large machine in the corner light up and glow whenever someone pressed a button. She almost ran into Sly when he stopped and she growled at herself because she needed to stay focused and not pay so much attention to the things she didn’t understand. She stepped to the side to see what had made Sly stop and there was a pit in front of him where the string was now aimed at. Inside the pit were colorful, shiny balls. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sly said. He looked disgusted and hefted the backpack further up on his shoulder, shaking his head. “Yeah, your gods are pretty much warped in the head.” Emiko frowned, coming forward and crouching near the pit. She reached out to take one of the colorful balls into her hand, rolling it around and she looked up at Sly with a questioning look. “What is the purpose of this pit?” she asked. Sly smirked. “It’s for little kids,” he told her. “They play in it. Push each other in and then when someone accidentally gets kicked in the teeth, one kids mom starts bitching out another kids mom. It’s actually pretty entertaining. Not to mention all the great jokes I could make about you playing with balls.” Giving him a strange look, she turned back around and set the ball back down in the pit. She still didn’t understand its purpose, but he didn’t need to know that. She stood and pointed to the center of the pit. “The door is down there, if that is where the Grimoire has guided us.” “Well, hop in,” he said, snickering a little. “I’ll be right behind you.” Emiko shook her head at him, taking a step forward and moving one of the balls away with her toes. She didn’t like this pit. There was something evil about it, she was sure. Suddenly, something popped up out of the pit, making colored balls fly in different directions. It gave a high pitched roar. Emiko dropped to a crouched position immediately, her hand going to her katana, but she stopped herself from drawing it when she was what the creature was. Behind her, Sly spat, “Jesus, kid, you know you were like two seconds away from being a kabob?” “Kabobs!” the small boy who’d popped up out of the pit yelled excitedly. He laughed like it was the greatest thing in the world. Emiko’s lips twitched slightly at the child, but the smile didn’t quite make it out onto her face. She stood, reaching forward and grabbing the child beneath his arms. She picked him up, her arms fully stretched out to examine him. “Little Akuma,” she chastised him, then turned around and held the child out to Sly, who lifted an eyebrow at her. “Take this,” she told him. Sly chuckled, shaking his head again as he let go of the phantom string, watching it dissipate into smoke and mist before disappearing. He reached forward to take hold of the kid and she didn’t watch what he did with the child before she turned back around and stepped into the pit. She started to dig the colored balls out with her hands, shoving them out of the pit and onto the floor, where they rolled all over the place. “Whoa, Emi, those have to stay in there,” Sly said, picking up a few and almost setting them back in but Emiko gave him a nasty look. He shrugged and set them down neatly on the stairs leading to the pit. “Fine, but you’re gonna get us kicked out of here. Wouldn’t be a first for me, but hey.” Emiko didn’t say anything. She just kept digging. As she got to the bottom of the pit, she saw a design etched into the floor. She turned back to Sly and reached forward, grabbing his pant leg and pulling him down into the ball pit with her. “I think I had a dream about this one time,” he said as he stepped in next to her. “Except it involved topless cheerleaders and a midget clown. But you didn’t hear me say anything about the midget clown, alright?” She didn’t even acknowledge she’d heard what he said. She just pointed at the floor and looked at him. “You must ask it to open,” she said. Sly opened his mouth to say something, but someone interrupted whatever he was about to say. It was a fat, bald man who’d come up to the edge of the pit. He had his hands on his hips and he was glaring at the two of them. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. Turning around to look at him, Sly gave an infectious grin. “Hey, my friend here has never been in one of these. She just wanted to see what it was like, you know? She loves this place.” The man didn’t seem to buy it. He pointed a beefy finger at Sly’s face. “Get out of my ball pit.” “I’m incredibly turned off by that statement,” Sly told the man, which made the man’s face pucker and turn red in anger. Sly turned back around and looked at Emiko. “Is this the same as the Grimoire? I just ask?” “Yes, just ask,” Emiko nodded. Sly swallowed and looked down at the doorway. “Uh, sup door? Could you, maybe open for us? Pretty please?” He gave a startled shout as a bright blue light suddenly emitted up from the floor. He covered his eyes with his arm and Emiko reached forward to grab hold of his other arm, knowing what came next. The floor beneath their feet suddenly disappeared and they were falling. She heard Sly yelling and cursing, but it was a short fall. When they came out the other side, instead of falling downwards, they were suddenly falling forwards. Emiko caught herself in a crouching position, while Sly fell flat on his face into the grass beneath them. About thirty stray colored balls followed them through the door, falling all around them before the door finally shut and disappeared. Emiko’s hand was planted firmly in the grass, her head lifted and taking in the surroundings. It was a damp meadow of some sort. The sky was gray with clouds and the trees were thick and huge. It was Genbu’s world, the way he had willed it. Beside her, Sly groaned and pushed himself up, spitting mud and grass from his mouth. He climbed to his knees, looking around, his eyes widening somewhat before he looked back at Emiko. “Oh man, did we just Quantum Leap?” .Wolfie. “Alright, I have to say it,” Sly said. He was following along behind Emiko, juggling three of the plastic balls in his hands and he seriously wished she would just make a bad joke about it because he thought of another three every time he took a step. Her gods had a fucked up sense of humor, but it had almost been worth it just to watch Emi go. Above them the trees provided thick cover and he didn’t know where they were going, but he was content to just follow along behind her. He caught and held the balls in his hands so that he could focus on her and she hadn’t even looked back at him. “I think I’m in love with you.”That made her pause, and she glanced over her shoulder at him with one eyebrow raised. “I suspect you are lying to me again,” she said. Then she turned around and started heading through the woods again, one hand resting on the katana and the other held loosely at her side. Her footsteps were light and soundless and she really was a god damn ninja queen. “I’m serious!” he said, grinning and tossing the balls over his shoulder one at a time. They landed in the grass with a thump, rolling to a stop against a thick tree. He hurried so that he was walking next to her, ducking his head to look into her face. “You drew a sword on Chuckie Cheese. I don’t have words to describe how incredibly amazing that was. That combined with the fact that you’re a hot Asian chick who actually talks to me makes you pretty much my dream girl. If I could marry you right now I would.” She shook her head and didn’t look at him, her fingers tightening around the sword as she brushed past. Her eyes were still scanning the trees and she hadn’t been lying when she said she never let her guard down. “You are a very foolish man sometimes,” she said. “It’s okay, I get it,” he said, holding his hands up. “It’s too soon. But just so you know, being a thief and a cheat and all I’m pretty good with my hands. Just saying. Also,” he added, pointing a finger at her. “I just want to point out that you’ve already been in my pants, I think it’s only fair that I get into yours at some point.” “I do not think you would fit into my pants,” she said, and he swore he saw her lips quirk up, just for a second. “Holy shit!” he said, moving in front of her so that he could walk backwards and study her face. It was gone, wiped away by that steely control of hers and she was just watching him like she couldn’t be less impressed but he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. “Was that a smile?” he asked, ducking his head to try and look into her eyes and she turned her head to the side away from him. “I think that was a smile. Damn, I wish I had a camera to commemorate this moment. It looked good on you, by the way.” She sighed and tossed her ponytail over one shoulder, all traces of the smile gone. It was too late. He’d seen it, he knew it was there, and it made him grin that he’d managed to put it there. “We should find our way to Genbu,” she told him. “This is his world and it is unlikely that our arrival has gone unnoticed.” He was still grinning as he turned back around and resumed his place at her shoulder, resisting the urge to sling an arm around her because she still had that sharp scary sword. “Got it, back to business. So, how are we supposed to do that? Do I ask the book again?” “No,” she told him. “We look.” “Huh,” he said, scrubbing at his chin. “That sounds harder. I don’t suppose he could make it easy and set up shop in the biggest castle in mushroom kingdom? Preferably without all the ghosts and spike pits, but you know, something obvious like that? Though for the record if he says my princess is in another castle then I’m out. Hey, can’t we do that incense trick again?” “Did you bring incense?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. “Ah,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “Well, maybe next time then.” She nodded her head and resumed walking through the woods and he went quiet after that, trudging along behind her with his boot laces trailing behind him. The forest seemed quiet to him and it was strange and unnerving after living in cities all his life. There were weird rustlings and weird noises going on over his head that he thought were birds, but he couldn’t tell. Somewhere he could hear this weird rushing noise and he didn’t know if it was the wind or a river or just trees fucking with him because that wouldn’t have surprised him. He wondered if it should worry him that he didn’t find things like that shocking anymore. It said interesting things about what his life had become. He shoved his hands in his pockets and just followed Emiko because the fact was that she was the only thing keeping him sane at this point, and probably the only thing that was going to keep him alive. She was chill so he was trying to be because he didn’t like how much disdain was in her voice at the mall. It shouldn’t bother him but it did so he was trying to do the crazy shit she asked him to do and not be a little bitch about it. That and he really wanted to stay alive. Besides, the odds were pretty good he was just insane or tripping hard anyway. If that was the case than at least he was having a fun time doing it because the girl had almost cut the head off Chuckie Cheese and that thought alone would keep him smiling for a week. She stopped abruptly, hand moving out behind her to brace against his chest and keep him from running into her. He looked down at the fingers splayed across his chest, her touch pressing against the tattoos on his skin. “What’s going on, babe?” he asked. Her whole body was tense and her head was turned to the side to listen to whatever had made her stop. “Quiet,” she snapped, her eyes closing as she listened to the wind through the trees and the sounds it carried. Sly did as she said, waiting with her hand still pressed against his chest to make sure that he stayed where she told him. Her other hand gripped the hilt of her sword tightly and whatever it was, she was going to be ready for it. He tapped his fingers on his legs and his teeth tugged at the hoop in his lip and he tried not to think too much about the fact that they were in a big forest in a completely different world run by a giant turtle demon because if he did he might lose it. Whether he’d be laughing or screaming, he wasn’t sure. “Come,” she told him after a moment. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “I’d like to.” She glanced back at him with a frown. “And stay quiet,” she said. He smirked and made a zipping motion across his lips as he followed her. She was moving slower, her footsteps cautious and careful and her eyes focused. He didn’t know what she was focusing on, but she was guiding him with purpose and direction and he wondered what she’d been listening for. He found out soon enough, because as they got closer he could start to hear what she’d caught onto earlier. He could hear music playing, the sound of people laughing and shouting at each other growing closer. After a while he could see the flickering fire through the trees, the flames dancing high and the vague outline of people moving in front of it visible through the trees. There were smells drifting on the breeze towards them and he felt his stomach grumble in response. He could smell sausage and cooked ham and something else that reminded him of that pastry shop down the street. The voices were growing louder as someone sang along with a strumming guitar. He could see Emiko tensing as they got closer but she looked like she was headed right for them. He ducked his head down next to hers. “What the fuck is this?” he asked. She glanced back at him, leading him through the trees towards the rave that sounded like it was happening in the middle of the woods. If there was a demon here than these people didn’t sound like they’d gotten the memo. “Nomads,” she told him quietly, and he tugged on the piercing in his lip as he waited for her to elaborate. “They travel in caravans. They are a tight knit group, and can be secretive at times, but it is best to approach them with directness.” “No offense babe, but I don’t think you know how to approach with subtlety anyway.” He chuckled and rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment. She shrugged the motion off, fingers tight around her katana as she shot a look back at him. “Do not touch me,” she said. He held his hands up in surrender but he didn’t understand why she was so skittish about human contact. “You weren’t hugged enough as a child, were you?” he said. He moved back to her shoulder but didn’t attempt to touch her again, which was probably smart if the dark look on her face was any indication. She held her head higher and didn’t answer him and he sighed, scrubbing a hand across his mouth. “Alright,” he said, “I’m sorry, I get it. No touching.” She still didn’t respond, turning her head forward and leading them towards the gathering of nomads. As soon as they broke through the tree line and into the clearing he got a better idea of what they were dealing with and he bit back a laugh. Gypsies. They were god damned gypsies and they looked like they were in the middle of throwing the biggest fucking party of the year. Their wooden caravans were set up in a meandering path across the clearing, several fires set up and people gathered around all of them. There was an old woman sitting beneath a painted awning, a table in front of her and her fingers dealing tarot cards before a young man with a gold hoop in his ear. Sly snorted as he watched her, that and her damned crystal ball set up next to her. “She’s scamming that kid,” he said lowly, watching her deal the next card. The kid’s face fell and the woman sighed dramatically, shaking her head. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he could imagine, because then she was reaching forward to gather her cards up. Even as he watched the guy dug in a pouch at his side, pulling out a gold coin and presenting it to the woman. She hesitated for a moment and then nodded and palmed the coin, going to deal another card from the pile. “Hello there,” a loud voice called, and he turned his head away from the woman and her cards to the man approaching them. He didn’t miss how Emiko moved in front of him, hand resting on her sword and her hand edging him behind her. He smirked and he didn’t know if it was adorable that she wanted to protect him, or hot that she could. Probably both. The man approaching them didn’t seem to notice, a bright, slightly drunken smile on his face and a mug in his hands. He had a bit of a gut and a brown goatee with flecks of gray starting to show at the edges of that and in his hair. “You are gadje. What are you doing here?” Emi held her head up and took a step towards the man, her hand still resting on her sword. “I give you greetings, Yūbokumin.” She nodded her head at him and a wide, sloppy smirk spread across the man’s face. Sly turned his head while she spoke to him, and the woman at her table had paused, her fingers hesitating over her cards. He frowned for a moment because there was something weird about her hands. It looked like there was a blue aura on her fingertips and he wondered if he was high. “We were hoping for your aid.” The woman blinked and then she lifted her head to look at him. He saw a frown crease her eyes as she studied him and then he grinned and turned his head back to the man in front of them. “Hey bud, listen, my name’s Sly and this is Emi. We were hoping you could point us the way to a giant turtle demon that’s supposed to be somewhere around here. Any ideas?” Emi shot a glare over her shoulder at him and the man just stared dumbly at him for a second. Then his grin got even wider and he reached forward to sling his arm around Sly’s shoulder. Emi hissed and so did her sword as she brought it half out of its sheath but the man didn’t do anything except lean a little too heavily on him. He grunted under the weight because he wasn’t a small guy and Sly wasn’t exactly Stallone. “We would be glad to help,” he said, pushing his mug into Sly’s hand. “But first you must join us. Now, come have a drink with me. You must meet my family, we are not used to outsiders.” Wenston Emiko was annoyed. She sat cross legged next to a fire, Kaidokusuru across her lap, still in its sheath. Her muscles remained tense, as across the fire, Sly sat in the middle of a slew of Nomads, all of which seemed fascinated by him and she wasn’t sure if they were being honest or if they wanted something from him. She kept her eyes on all of them, watching their hands, watching their eyes, and watching the way they looked at each other when Sly wasn’t looking. She watched for any sign of trouble. Sly seemed undisturbed by this group and she thought maybe he felt a little at home here. They were all laughing and obnoxious with waterskins in their hands. A few paces away from her, a man was blowing fire from his mouth, spitting his drink onto a torch. Whenever he did it, the camp would cheer and start laughing and they were all a very merry bunch. She hadn’t made up her mind on whether to trust them or not, so she remained vigilant. As Sly started laughing at something one of the Nomad women to his right said, Emiko’s eyes went back to him. He’d openly accepted the waterskin they’d offered him and against Emiko’s advice, he’d drank some. She tried not to be frustrated with him, because she could tell it was going to be very hard keeping him alive if he was willing to drink with strangers. He was a fool and heathen and she should have disliked him. She should have found him weak and incapable. But she didn’t. There was something about him. Something about him fascinated her. He thought she was pretty. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. She wasn’t sure what to think about half of the things he said, but especially when he kept saying things about the way she looked or fought. She was finding she liked it when he said things like that. But she kept pushing that emotion away and burying it because there was no room for beauty, vanity or admiration. There was only duty and honor. She was here to keep him alive and that was it. “You know, I wasn’t expecting this much hospitality coming to a foreign world,” Sly was saying. There was a woman sitting on either side of him. The bigger man who’d greeted them earlier was sitting beside one of the women, his hands on his knees and a grin across his face. “But you ladies, you make me want to come back and visit sometime.” The women giggled and the bigger man started laugh, slapping his knee. One of the women leaned closer to him, her fingers coming up to flick the hoop in his lip and his face spread into a wide grin. “This is an odd place for jewelry,” the woman said, leaning over so her bosom was pressed against Sly. He didn’t even hide leaning back into it and Emiko shook her head. “It may be an odd place, but you should see what I can do with it.” He waggled his eyebrows and that was enough for Emiko. He was fitting in a little too well with these Nomads and they were here to kill a demon, not pick up women or drink spirits. Leaning over, Emiko spoke to the bigger man. “You said you would be willing to help us?” she asked. The man turned to look at her, the smile still on his face, but she caught the calculating gaze he was giving her. She returned it fully, because she wasn’t one to back down or show submission. Keeping the smile on his face, he leaned over and told her, “Are you in a hurry, gadje? If my clan of misfits and entertainers are to help you find what you’re looking for, we need to get to know you first.” He held his hand out to Sly, who was watching their exchange with a lazy smile on his face. “Your friend has been very open and accepting of our invitations. But you, on the other hand, refuse everything we offer to you. Do you look at us with disdain?” Emiko watched the man a moment before she sat up straight. “I do not trust you,” she told him and if anything, he smiled more. “Nor do I believe you trust us. I am here to face Genbu, and for no other reason.” The man laughed, turning to look over his shoulder as a woman with long skirts and beads hanging from her hair came over. She knelt beside the man, her hand slowly running across her back and Emiko ducked her head, averting her eyes as they began to kiss. From across the fire, Sly let out a low whistle and he glared over at him. He was watching the two of them and didn’t seem to even notice the heated glare she was sending his way. Then her eyes moved pass Sly and to the woman who Sly had said was scamming someone when they first arrived. The woman and her crystal ball sat alone by a dying fire, her eyes were locked on Sly and Emiko didn’t like the look she was giving him. It was challenging. Like an animal who had seen another encroach on their territory. Her hand tightened around the hilt of Kaidokusuru on her lap and she looked back to the couple that were kissing as the woman pulled back. “Genbu you say?” the man asked, his eyes lingering on the woman a moment before he finally averted his gaze to Emiko. He still looked merry and intoxicated, but there was an air of power about him and she had no doubt he was the leader of this clan. He turned his head to look at Sly. “You’re here to fight Genbu?” Sly snorted, playing with a coin in his fingers, twirling it between his knuckles. “She does most of the fighting,” he said, grinning over at her and giving a wink. “I do the running and the crying.” That made the man laugh and he jerked his head at Sly, but his eyes were on Emiko. “I’m growing rather fond of your friend.” Emiko frowned slightly, the tone of his voice as he said the words throwing her off a little. There was something not right with them. The man held his hand out to Sly. “Let me see your palm,” he said. Emiko glared at Sly, giving a slight shake of her head, but the man apparently wasn’t listening to anything she advised him of, because he held out his hand, palm upwards. The bigger man reached out, his fingers wrapping around Sly’s wrist as he looked at the lines on his palm. “Ah, yes. A strong life line. You have marks of a lover.” Sly scoffed at that. “Of course I do,” he said arrogantly, winking again at Emiko, but she was hardly paying any attention to him, her eyes on the man’s hands. She didn’t like that he had a grip on Sly. The man lifted his head to look at Sly, the smile slowly slipping off his face and Sly’s smile faded a little when he saw that. “You’d fit in well here,” the man said lowly. In the next moment, Sly was giving a pained yell. Emiko was off the ground in a heartbeat, Kaidokusuru drawn and aimed at the man’s throat. Sly yanked his arm out of the man’s grasp, black marks forming around his wrist, like a band where the man’s fingers had been. Sly scurried backwards, glaring daggers at the man, who just had his head tilted to look up at Emi and the katana pressed to his throat. “Holy shit,” Sly hissed. “Uh, Emi?” Her gaze shot to him for a moment and he was looking pass her. She glanced over her shoulder and the music and laughter and dancing had all stopped. All of the Nomads were up and watching them. What Emiko was most concerned with, were the daggers, muskets and swords in their hands. She could take them all out, the muskets first, then the swords, then the daggers. It was no problem. But she hadn’t come here to slaughter an entire clan. She’d come here for Genbu. Turning back to look at the man, she glared at him. “What have you done?” she demanded. The man’s smile was back on his face and she wondered what it said about him that he could still do it with a sword pressed against his neck. “I am willing to help you find Genbu,” he said. “But we need a favor from you, and he is now my leverage.” Emiko frowned at that, glancing over to Sly, who was rubbing at his wrist, a disgusted look on his face at the new mark on his skin. “I’ve branded him. He is bound to my clan now, and will go nowhere outside this world with that mark on his skin. Unless you wish to forfeit him forever to my company, you will do as we ask.” “What?” Sly demanded. He climbed to his feet, a look of anger and disgust on his face. “What the hell is up with everyone wanting to ink me? My body is a temple. Only I get to say what goes in it and comes out.” The man didn’t even turned to look at Sly. Emiko narrowed her eyes at him and she didn’t like this. She sneered at him before she withdrew her katana and took a step back. “You are without honor,” she told him and the man’s smile faltered for real this time. But Emiko sheathed her katana and let out a sigh. “We will do what you want. But when we have accomplished our task, you will release him and you will tell us where to find Genbu.” “Deal,” the man said, standing up. He held out his hand and Emiko stared at it for a moment. She highly disliked this situation, but she reached forward and shook his hand. Glancing over at Sly, he just looked like he’d been violated and Emiko didn’t like that he looked like that. Every protective nerve in her body was on fire and she shot her gaze back to the man. “What must we do?” .Wolfie. “There is a kappa that lives in the waters east of here. It is not far,” the man said. He was sitting on a log near the fire, his hand reaching inside his vest for a pipe. He had a smug, satisfied grin on his face that almost made Sly wish that Emi had used the sword on him because he had a fresh tattoo curled around his wrist and it was from the fat bastard sitting in front of him. The two women were still perched next to him, watching Sly with smiles on their lips but he didn’t so much buy it anymore.“The fuck is that?” Sly spat, rubbing at his wrist. It didn’t hurt as much as the ones on his chest but it pissed him off more because he’d been starting to like these gypsies. Probably because they were hedonistic assholes like him, so hey, it shouldn’t have been too shocking that they’d turned on him. At this point he should really just expect it. The man smirked, lighting his pipe with a stick from the fire. He puffed on the end, blowing circles of smoke out into the air. “It’s a water monster of sorts,” the man said. “It stole something from our clan. I would like you to retrieve it.” “What did it steal from you?” Emi asked. The man tipped his head back, the smirk still on his face. “A lute,” he said. Sly snorted and shook his head, ducking it to rub a hand through his hair because this just kept getting better and better. The man glanced at him for a moment before his gaze returned to Emiko. “It has been in our clan for generations. It belonged to our first ram baro and it is an insult to have it taken from us.” Sly couldn’t help but laugh. His hand dropped to rub over his face, shaking his head at the man. “So we’re thieving from a thief who just happened to be a monster just so that we can have the pleasure of fighting a giant turtle demon. Fantastic.” The man tipped his head back and laughed, the girls next to him giggling quietly. The one who’d commented on his lip ring was watching him through lidded eyes and hell, at least if he ended up stuck here than at least he might get some out of it. Then a shiver ran down his spine because that meant he would be stuck here with one gram of heroin and when that was gone he’d have nothing left. So fuck this place. “I wasn’t lying you know,” the man said, puffing on his pipe again. “You would fit in well here. If you do end up staying with us then I hope there won’t be any hard feelings.” “No hard feelings, but fuck you bud,” Sly told him with a smirk. The man just laughed again and his teeth ground together in his head, fingers going back to the marks around his wrist. This was bullshit. He was already getting sick of being used and manipulated because that wasn’t supposed to be his role in things. He was supposed to be the guy scamming people, not the other way around. He felt Emi’s fingers close around his upper arm, her eyes still focused on the man in front of them. “We will retrieve this lute for you and then you will tell us how to find Genbu,” she said, and it wasn’t a question. The man smiled and nodded his head in response. “Of course,” he said. For a moment Sly’s gaze rose and went over the man’s shoulder and he frowned because that crazy lady with her crystal ball was still watching him. Her eyes were narrowed and there was something weird about her. That odd blue glow was floating around her fingertips and it lingered on her tarot cards. He almost asked if Emi saw it and then she was turning away. Her grip tightened and then she was pulling him away from the ring of fire. Behind them the laughter and the singing started up again and he shot a glare over his shoulder as they went. “Why does everything suddenly involve putting ink under my skin?” he said, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. “I mean the badass snake was one thing and I can deal with the creepy ass spider but seriously? Some fat guy’s fingerprints? I’ve got enough embarrassing tattoos without his help, thanks.” Emi didn’t blink, not releasing his arm until they were back into the trees. “You should not have given him your hand,” she said. Sly glanced at her face and her eyes were narrowed and her mouth a thin white line. She wasn’t looking at him, her grip still tight on her sword. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face again before he held his hands up. “Alright,” he said. “Go ahead and say it.” At her confused look he motioned at his chest. “‘I told you so.’ Come on, lay it on me. I can take it.” Her eyes narrowed and for a moment he didn’t think she was going to say anything. Her arm rose and pushed a hanging branch out of her way and then her voice was coming out clipped and annoyed and it made him smirk because there wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t like to say they told him so. “I warned you about them,” she said. “I told you they could be dangerous and secretive. I told you not to accept drinks from them and I told you not to give your hand and you ignored all of my warnings and did what you wanted.” “Hey,” he said, pointing a finger at her, a small smile curling his lips. “In my defense that little head shake could have just meant ‘Sly, you’re a fucking moron.’ I don’t think that one should count.” Her reaction wasn’t what he expected. She stopped in her tracks, whirling on him with her face lit up with emotion. She was annoyed and maybe a little worried as she gestured at his chest, the other hand never going far from her katana. “You are an undisciplined fool,” she snapped. “You are reckless and irritating and you are making it very difficult for me to protect you.” She took a breath and smoothed her expression back into a cool mask. “You’re right,” he told her, before she could turn away. Emi blinked, and then she frowned like she hadn’t heard him right. “What?” He grinned, moving past her into the trees and she started to walk again, keeping pace with him easily. “I said you’re right,” he told her. “I was stupid, though to be fair I have a hard time saying no to free booze and loose women. I mean do you even know how long it’s been since I got laid?” Her face contorted and he leaned forward a little, lifting an eyebrow as he watched her eyes. “But you’re right and anyway I’m sorry.” She turned her head away and he tipped his to the side. “Okay? I’m sorry.” She quirked her mouth to the side, still not looking at him as she considered the words. Then she nodded her head, moving around him to start heading through the forest. “I accept your apology,” she said. “On the condition that you will listen to me next time. I am here to protect you, Baka. I cannot do that if you are not willing to protect yourself.” He snorted and followed, moving so that he was at her shoulder, his fingers rubbing at the mark on his wrist. “Sure, babe,” he told her. At the sharp glare he laughed and held his hand up. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll do my best. Scout’s honor.” “I do not think you know what that word means,” she said, stepping over a fallen long. He tried not to let the words sting, snorting out a laugh and trailing along next to her. He got quiet and he told himself it wasn’t because that had bothered him, because there was no reason for it to. She was right. If she thought he was a coward without honor he wasn’t going to try and defend himself because that was probably exactly what he was. He was fine with it. He was fine with who and what he was and he didn’t understand why it bothered him that she might look at him with the same sort of disdain she’d looked at that gypsy man with. After a while the ground beneath their feet grew marshy and wet, his boots sinking into the soft ground. His laces were getting caked in mud and he didn’t like how it sucked at his feet when he lifted them up. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the mud, trying to step on broken branches so that maybe he didn’t sink quite so deep into the ground. He didn’t think he liked the swamp. A mosquito buzzed next to his ear and he growled at it, ducking his head and trying to brush it away from his head. Emiko didn’t look at all concerned. She was light on the ground, her footsteps barely leaving any tracks behind her. She flipped her hair over her shoulder but it didn’t look like any bugs were bothering her and that just seemed to figure. “So what’s this swamp monster thing like anyway?” he asked, ducking under a hanging branch. The thick trees of the forest were giving way to smaller, spindlier ones, puddles of water forming in their roots and pale blue flower bushes beginning to spring up around them. She moved with a lithe grace, over the puddles, feet easily finding roots and rocks to ease her passing. Sly trudged along behind her, cursing as his foot sunk into a patch of mud and water. “It is a water monster,” she said. “They are known troublemakers, who enjoy the taste of human children. I am surprised if a lute is all that it stole.” She glanced over her shoulder and it looked like she was fighting the urge to smile at him again. As always, she won. He snorted, catching himself on a low hanging branch so that he could try and rip his boot back out of the mud hole. “Alright,” he said, finally yanking it free and dragging it back onto his foot. “So this is the kind of thing that you could handle with one hand tied behind your back, right? Because yeah, alright, I was having fun at their little campfire thing up until the point where he decided to mark me like a piece of meat, but I don’t exactly want to get stuck here.” “I do not know,” she said honestly. The ground was giving way to water and she moved easily around the trees, eyes scanning for signs of a path through the swamp. Apparently she found one because then her feet were carrying her to a trail of rocks leading deeper into the water. “Some simply want to cause mischief, while others are violent and mean. I suspect this is the latter.” “Of course it is,” Sly said. He smirked and tried to follow her, gripping onto the tree branches. Mostly he just got covered in mud and sweat, barely managing to keep from slipping on the wet earth. “Apparently with an ear for music.” “I imagine that it is not just a lute.” She scoffed and moved easily to a spot of dry ground on the other side. “It is likely that the lute is enchanted somehow.” He slipped on a rock and ended up knee deep in water, a sigh leaving his lips. He shoved his way through the mud, feeling it sink into his boots and make his legs cold and wet. She glanced back at him again, one eyebrow lifting as she studied him and his bedraggled state. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t really have to. He used the spindly tree next to her to pull his feet up onto the solid chunk of land she was already standing on. He sat down for a moment, staring dismally at his mud soaked boots. Then he turned his head to look up at her and she looked clean and flawless. He couldn’t help but smirk at her, shaking his head. “Have I mentioned just how boring my life was before I met you? Seriously, then the worst thing I had to worry about was ODing on my bathroom floor. Now I have demons, gypsies and swamp demons to worry about. The only bright side is that now I have a hot Asian chick with a sword watching my back.” Wenston They continued through the swampy forest at a slow pace. Sly was having difficulty traversing the coarse ground. She wanted to tell him that he was too loud and stepped too heavily on the earth. He breathed loudly and sighed often and even though she’d told him to keep quiet, she didn’t think he was capable of such a feat. He was annoying and irritating and he made it really difficult to keep him safe and alive. But he was kind and light spirited and she was finding herself becoming increasingly overprotective of him. And not just because it was her duty. “So,” Sly said from behind her and Emi narrowed her eyes but didn’t look back at him. She kept her gaze on the forest around her, looking for the kappa. The water spirit could be anywhere and they had to be prepared. “When you say this is an enchanted lute, what sort of enchantments do you think it is? Is it liked, a pied piper deal where it has mind control capabilities? Or is it like some hippy enchantment where you play a few notes and a bed of roses pops up from the ground?” “I imagine it could be any of those,” she told him seriously. He clucked his tongue behind her and didn’t respond, but was tapping out a song on his leg as he walked and she wondered if he even knew the meaning of the word silence. If the kappa was out here, it would surely hear them coming anyway, so she kept talking. “Or it could be a Tale Weaver. Able to conjure illusions of its musician’s desires.” Sly snorted. “So if I played this lute, I could conjure up a bus full of naked gymnasts?” Emi frowned, glancing over her shoulder at him. He grinned at her, then slipped in the mud, his foot dipping into a small boggy area before he withdrew it, giving his boot a disgusted look. He was a mess. “You are a Magician,” she told him, in case he’d forgotten. “Can you not do that already?” He looked surprised by that question and then he gave a small laugh. “Babe, if I could do that already, I would never leave the apartment. The only thing I know how to do is card tricks.” “You should take on an apprenticeship,” Emi suggested. “Magicians have always been trusted and powerful advisors to the great warlords of our world.” She stepped to the side of a tree, holding the branch back while he stepped beneath it and then letting it snap back into place. Sly laughed again. “Me? An advisor? I can’t even advise myself, sugar.” He shook his head, looking highly amused at the thought. Then he frowned and glanced over at her. “And besides, I don’t think we really have warlords anymore. We just have the military and terrorists and that’s about it. No one fights anymore. They just bomb the shit out of each other.” Emi frowned. “What is bomb?” she asked. Snorting, Sly stepped over a log and nearly fell on his face when his foot slipped on the other side. Emi reached out, grabbing his arm and keeping him standing. His hand came out to grip her forearm until he caught his balance and as soon as he did, she yanked her arm back because she didn’t like to be touched. “Man, you are really behind on the times,” he said, studying her a moment. “A bomb is like, a thing that explodes and destroys other things with fire.” He frowned, reaching a hand up to scratch at his cheek, where a bug had been biting him. Emi resisted the urge once again to smile at his aloofness. “Kind of like a firework, but with more bodies.” “Firework,” Emi rolled the word over on her tongue, because it had been a while since she’d heard that word, but she knew its meaning. “It is coarse powder that burns.” “Uh, yeah, I don’t really know the mechanics behind fireworks. I just know they’re a good way to get a girl to make out with you,” he laughed to himself. Emi shook her head. “I am familiar with this powder. Daisuke used it,” she said and as soon as the words were out of her lips, she snapped her mouth shut. She wasn’t here to talk about Daisuke or the past. She wasn’t here to share anything about herself with Sly because it wasn’t important. The only thing important was keeping him alive and keeping Izanagi from rising. “Daisuke?” Sly asked, coming to walk beside her along the narrow strip of high ground they were traversing across. “Who’s that? Is he like the Splinter to your Leonardo?” She didn’t even bother telling him she didn’t know what he was talking about. She just kept her mouth shut, but when he kept looking her way, she finally told him, “I do not wish to speak of him.” Sly frowned a little at her, opening his mouth to say something further, but then Emiko’s eyes caught something in the trees and she was reaching out, grabbing his shirt and shoving him behind her. He gave a small, startled yelp, her katana already drawn as she looked to a branch in front of them. Sitting on the branch was the kappa. It was a strange looking creature. Some mix between a turtle and a frog, but it sat like a small man, legs hanging down from the branch and crossed at the knees. A shell sat upon his back, with his greenish brown skin covered in warts and the beak of a turtle snapping quietly. His odd, padded hands were resting on the branch on either side of him, his head quirked to the side as he watched them approach. “And what have we here?” the kappa asked, its voice high pitched and a wheezing laugh following its words. It blinked, eyelids coming from the sides of his eyes, like a toad’s. “Warriors come to slay a beast? Spies come to learn my secrets? Huh? Huh? What are you?” It spoke rapidly, head quirking from side to side. Behind her, Sly let out a nervous laugh. “Okay, this is by far the craziest shit I’ve seen so far.” Emiko ignored him, lowering her katana so the point was aimed to the ground. If she didn’t have to fight this creature, then she wasn’t going to. She was here for Genbu. She would not spill the blood of anyone who hadn’t wronged her or Sly. “We are here for the lute you took from the Nomads,” she told it. The kappa snapped its beak several times, laughing rapidly, its hands clapping together in front of it and its legs swinging like a child’s. “Oh what a pretty lute it is. What a special lute. I wanted it, yes. I wanted the pretty special lute. So I took it! I did, I took it!” the kappa laughed again, standing up on the branch, holding the branch above him and leaning forward to look down at them. “And now you are here. You are here to take it back? You are here to take my pretty special lute?” Emiko sighed, growing frustrated because it was such an odd little creature and they didn’t have time for its games. “Yes,” she told it. “You are thieves!” the kappa cried, laughing and bouncing its head. “Thieves in my swamp. Thieves in my home. Thieves to come take my lute, you have. Well you cannot have it. It is not for thieving. I have hidden it, I have. You cannot thieve if, thieving thieves. You will go now.” Emiko gave a frustrated noise, raising her katana again to point it at the kappa. “We will not go. You will give us the lute or you will meet my blade.” “Oooh!” the kappa gave an excited yell. “What a shiny blade. What a pretty blade. I want the shiny pretty blade. Will the thieving thieves give it?” Emiko narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth. “You try my patience, little creature.” Behind her, Sly snorted, leaning his head out to the side. “Kermit’s toying with you. How about you just go up there, slice it, and then we can get out of here?” The kappa shook its head vigorously from side to side. “No, thieving thieves will not slice. They will not slice me, no. They will not slice me or I will gobble them up! Gobble them up, those thieving thieves.” Sly sighed. “Okay, Emi, just so you know. If I get eaten by a Muppet today, I’m changing my mind about the whole spanking as punishment thing.” .Wolfie. Emiko snorted but she ignored Sly, blade still pointed at the kappa. Her sword glinted in the dim light and her eyes were cool and steely as she watched the beast. “I will ask you one more time, creature,” she said. “Where is the Nomad’s lute?”The kappa laughed and clapped its hands and Sly couldn’t help but think that it was the strangest fucking thing he’d ever seen. It was like a god damned koopa troopa or a muppet or some weird mix of the two and he blinked and wondered for the thousandth time if this was just the longest, most fucked up trip of his life. If it was then it was a ridiculously vivid one because he could feel the mud squishing between his toes and soaking through his jeans. “No, no, no thieves,” the kappa said. It swung upside down so that it was hanging from the branch by its feet and it was giving Emi a weird, lopsided grin with its turtle’s beak. “It’s mine, I take it, I keeps it, I have. And now I wants the pretty sword, yes I do. I want the pretty shiny blade.” It was still chuckling as it dropped onto the branch below it, pushing off with its back legs to the tree trunk. Its feet stuck against the bark, its head still facing down towards the swamp and then its throat swelled. A loud croak left its beak, echoing over the water and beneath it the mud bubbled and popped. Sly glanced at Emi, raising one eyebrow at her. She stood in front of him, shifting protectively to keep herself between him and the kappa, though he still couldn’t tell just how much danger he was in. “So, are you going to shank that thing now?” “If it leaves me no choice,” she said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she was moving, darting across the solid ground to the base of the tree. She pushed herself up off the grass, her hand coming out to catch a low hanging branch while her toes pressed against the trunk of the tree. She wall walked up it, pushing off to balance on a branch like a ballerina. She was like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon badass and she was just too fucking hot sometimes. The kappa screeched when it saw her and then it clambered up the side of the trunk, the sound turning into chuckling and giggling. “No, bad thieves, not playing fair,” he cried. Sly could see him moving across a branch before he launched himself to the next tree over. The thing was like an evil tree frog or something, and he watched as it braced itself against the bark, its throat swelling again as it let out a loud croak. It rumbled out of its mouth and once again the mud around him bubbled and popped. It repeated the sound and Sly frowned and took a step back because the mud was rising up out of the earth in thick lumps and he didn’t think it was supposed to be doing that. “Uh… Emi?” he said, gaze flicking upwards towards her. She was balancing on a branch, her eyes narrowed at the kappa and her blade held loosely in her hand. The kappa croaked again and a muddy hand rose out of the earth and plopped down right next to Sly’s foot. He yelped and stumbled back, eyes darting across the swamp as two more figures began to rise out of the muck and earth. “Babe?” he called again. The kappa let out one more echoing croak before it let the sound die, turning it into a high pitched giggle. It clapped its hands, swinging down off a branch and watching the two of them with a grin on its face. Its head tilted to the side, watching as a second muddy hand came out of the muck and then a vaguely human figure was hauling itself out of the swamp onto the ground in front of Sly. He made a noise in his throat, taking another step backwards because the thing was glowing blue. “Thieving thieves come into my swamp, come into my home. Now my home will swallow you up! Gobble, gobble,” he said, clapping his hands together again. Emi’s feet carried her quickly across a branch, it barely bending beneath her weight as she darted across it and dropped down in front of Sly. Her blade slashed out in a quick arc, slicing through the center of the muddy figure. It groaned as its head slipped off onto the grass and then it rolled its shoulders, popping another one up out of its body. Sly let out a choking cough, his back pressed against the tree. “Oh that’s good,” he said. “This is just fantastic. Just so you know, if you want to join me in the shower later to help wash all this crap off then I would be happy to have you.” She shot a glare over her shoulder at him before jerking her head at the tree. “Climb,” she told him. Then she turned and the blade cut through the air again, slicing the muddy monster into chunks. The pieces slipped into the ground and then just rose again, merging and forming into one large monster again. It lunged forward at her, mouth open and attempting to swallow her. She threw herself out of the way, rolling across the ground with her eyes narrowed in concentration as she watched the monster. The other two pulled themselves out of the earth, stumbling towards her with large gaping mouths. Sly cursed and did as she said, swinging himself around and gripping the branches tightly in his hands. He pulled himself upright, feet pushing against the bark as he did his best to drag himself off the ground and into the tree. Above him the kappa giggled and scrambled across the tree so that he was over Sly’s head. “Do you have anything shiny?” it asked. Sly snorted and tipped his head back to look up at it. It had its head tipped the side as it watched him and he sneered at it, hands pulling the knife out of his pack and yanking it out of its sheath. “I got this,” he said. “Come down here and I’ll give it to you.” The kappa laughed and clapped its hands and then it bounded away from him, moving through the trees. He pulled himself higher, hands scraping against the bark and he wasn’t used to swamps or forests or any of this shit. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be. He tried to keep his eye on the kappa but below him Emi was moving across the ground, flipping and dodging the mud monsters. The longer they were upright the more solid they became, swinging fists at her and throwing themselves at her with wild, uncoordinated motions. He stiffened as one flung both arms towards her, trying to envelope her in its thick mass. She flipped backwards, feet splashing through the water and her blade slicing out as soon as she landed, cutting the one in half and sending the top and the bottom half sliding in opposite directions. She leapt towards a tree branch and swung herself up, head turning and hair coming loose around her face as her eyes sought out Sly. “Are you safe?” she asked, sweeping him in a quick motion. He smirked and shrugged, arms braced on the branches as below them the three mud monsters started gathering around the trunk. “Define ‘safe.’ Koopa troopers and mud monsters aren’t exactly my idea of a good time, but hey, better than the spiders so far.” Sly was almost surprised that he was so calm. They were fighting a monster in the swamp because gypsies that had branded his wrist told them to and when they were done with that they were going to face off with a demon turtle and right now he was finding all of this just fucking hilarious. He wondered if this was something like shock or if he was just a little bit fucked in the head because three days ago he would have been screaming and running for the hills. Maybe when they got to the turtle demon he would. Emi frowned at him and then nodded. “Good,” she said. She pushed herself up on her toes, turning in a circle to look for the kappa. They could hear it giggling somewhere in the trees around them and her eyes narrowed as she watched for movement. Below them the mud monsters were pressing themselves together and Sly swallowed hard as he saw them merge into one bigger monster. “Well that just seems like a bullshit trick,” he spat, and then its fists slammed into the earth. The tree shook and he grabbed hard onto the branches to keep from falling. Emi crouched across from him, her fingers pressed against the bark and her katana held down along her body as she shot a glare down at the giant mud monster. It struck the ground again and Sly yelped, his foot slipping off the bark. His hands scrambled at the branches and somewhere over his head he could hear the kappa laughing and chattering as it moved back towards them. He caught himself with one hand, his legs falling loose as the monster’s hand struck the trunk of the tree. He heard it split all the way up and then he was falling, shoulder striking the muddy ground and his hands sinking into the muck immediately. He heard Emi shout his name a second before the thing landed on him. It crushed him flat into the muck, his face slamming hard into the ground. He tried to suck in a breath and he just got a mouthful of mud and water up his nose and in his throat and it wasn’t quite so funny anymore. His hands pressed against the ground but they just sank deeper and he couldn’t see because his whole damn face was pressed into the ground and it was covering his eyes and drowning his senses. He could only hear dull and distant noise over his head and he scrambled and clawed at the slick earth to try and get himself free. The next moment he felt fingers curling around his arm and dragging him upright. He coughed and gagged, legs kicking at the earth and spitting up all the muck in his mouth. He dragged an arm across his face to try and clear it off and it only made it worse, smearing it across his skin as his eyes tried to blink and focus through the grit and the slime. He caught a flash of steel as Emi cut through the monster, splitting it into pieces and kicking them away to buy them Sly a second to breathe. He scrambled away from the mud monster, his back hitting the tree and his fingers still pawing at his face to try and get himself clean. Over his head he caught a flash of movement as the kappa settled on the branch over his head, laughing itself stupid. Emi twisted the sword, slicing through the mud as it tried to piece itself together and then suddenly she was moving the opposite direction. Her hand caught the branch above her head, pulling herself back into the tree. In front of him he could see the mud monster reshaping itself and over his head he could hear the kappa laughing and then it was screaming. The mud monster focused on him and then it was taking two stomping steps forward when he heard Emi’s voice. “Call it off,” she snapped. “Or I remove your head.” A loud croak echoed from the kappa’s throat and the mud monster stopped right in front of Sly. His heart was pounding in his chest and this really wasn’t fun anymore. He tipped his head back and he saw Emi standing behind the kappa on the branch, her arm wrapped around its chest and her blade pressed hard against its throat. She glanced down at Sly and then her grip tightened on the kappa again, jerking it back against her. “Now you will give us the lute,” she demanded. The kappa made a garbled, choking noise and then it tried to nod its head. “Thieving thieves,” it snapped, and then it cried out as her blade pressed tighter against its skin. “I give you lute, I give you shiny lute and you keep shiny sword,” it cried. Wenston Sly was turning the lute over and over in his hands. He was scowling at the thing as they walked back towards the Nomad’s camp and he was being unusually quiet and not laughing nearly as much as he had been on the way out here. Emi figured he was upset about the mud monster, as he was currently covered head to toe with mud. He kept trying to wipe it off, but it only managed to smear it around and it was starting to cake onto his clothes and his skin. “You know, this doesn’t really look like an enchanted lute,” he said, holding it out for her to see. She glanced at it and then let her eyes roam back to the tree. She’d seen it close enough when the kappa had given it to her. She’d let the creature live, because mercy was a virtue. And besides, he’d given them the lute and called off his monsters, like she asked him to. “It just looks like a lute. It’s not even fancy or anything.” “Power can come in ordinary packaging,” she told him and he snorted, lowering the lute to his side to look over at her. She glanced at his face but had to look away immediately because the mud all over him was trying to tug a smile onto her lips. “Just because something does not look of great worth, does not mean that it is not.” Sly raised an eyebrow at her, the teeth of his grin a stark contrast to the mud all over his skin. “Oh yeah? What about me? I look like nothing, but am I worth nothing?” He clicked his teeth and pointed at her. She was still getting used to his mannerisms. He smiled at the strangest things. “You are the seal breaker,” she told him, not looking over his way. “You are the thing of greatest worth in all worlds.” She ducked her head beneath a branch, looking further into the forest for a moment to make sure they were still headed back towards the Nomads. It took her a moment to realize Sly had gone quiet. She turned her head to look at him and had to look over her shoulder, because he’d slowed down and when her eyes met his, he stopped completely, a strange look on his face. “Baka, why have you stopped?” she demanded. “Emi,” Sly said, raising a hand to his chest and she wondered for a moment if he was hurt or maybe his sickness was acting up. But then he shook his head and a smile broke his face. “I do believe you just complimented me. I need a minute to remember this moment.” He closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating very hard. Emi narrowed her eyes at him. “It was not a compliment,” she protested and he opened his eyes again to look at her, chuckling a little at the look on her face. “I was stating a truth. Until the seal has closed, you have great worth and value.” “Oh so there’s a time limit on my value, huh?” Sly snorted and shook his head, walking to catch up with her and she glared at him before walking beside him through the forest again. “I think you’re just trying to cover up for telling me how awesome you think I am. I think you’re falling for me. You like me, admit it.” Sighing, Emi shook her head and didn’t respond. There was no room in this duty to like him or entertain such childish thoughts. Emotions and sentimental attachments would weaken her resolve and give the Thirteen the advantage. She had learned a long time ago to keep her emotions out of her business. She was duty bound to the seal breaker and there could be nothing more to it. Besides, even if she did admit she liked him or cared for him, once the seal was restored, it wouldn’t matter because she’d be gone again and it would be years before she came back. He would be long dead. Sly seemed content with her lack of a response and she wondered if he’d somehow misread it. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and sniffed a little. “You smell very badly,” she told him, just so he knew where they stood. He laughed at that, spluttering a little. “Babe, you wouldn’t exactly smell like a peach if you got stomped on by a mud monster.” “I do not smell like a peach,” she informed him. Sly laughed again and said, “No, but you do smell very nice.” She sighed, narrowing his eyes because some of the things he said were very odd. She opened her mouth to argue with him some more, but whatever insult she was going to sling his way was cut off as a large croak sounded from behind them. They both turned around, Emi’s hair whipping about her shoulders as she scanned the trees because it was the kappa’s croak, only louder, more powerful. It was followed by a low rumbling that seemed to be getting louder by the second. “Uh, what is that?” Sly asked. Emi focused her eyes on the trees. She watched the way the leaves rustled and the direction of the wind. Birds flocked through the sky, all heading in the same direction. Emi sucked in a breath and then she was reaching out and shoving Sly in the direction of the Nomad’s camp. “Go,” she told him. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her katana and she glanced down at her wrist for a moment, the bracelet still there with its four sigils. Sly lingered for a moment, so she turned to yell at him, “Run, Baka, now! We must go,” she yelled. Sly didn’t waste another minute. He turned, spitting out, “I really fucking hate this world,” before he took off. Emi followed closely behind, looking behind them at the approaching noise that was rustling the trees and disturbing the waters around them. It was gaining on them fast. Emi gave a frustrated growl and then stopped running crouching down in the mud and pulling at a sigil on her bracelet, unhooking it from its place and holding it in her palm. Sly must have noticed she wasn’t behind him, because he pulled to a stop and turned around. “Emi, now’s not a good time for a nap, babe,” he called back. She didn’t even glance up at him. She closed her fist around the sigil, bringing it to her lips and whispering the words, “Hi watashi ga anata ni denwa.” As soon as the words fell out of her mouth, her hand began to glow red and she reached for the hilt of her katana. As she closed her fist around the hilt and withdrew it, the power that had been building within her hand suddenly flooded around her katana and orange flames sprung to life along her blade. Standing, she turned and faced the approaching rumbling, her flaming katana held out to her side. She heard Sly behind her but he wasn’t running and it made her dip her head and narrow her eyes because nothing was getting pass her. Nothing was getting to her seal breaker. A mass started to appear on the opposite side of the trees. The tree tops were bending and moving out of the way and then the water rose up and parted the trees with ease. She heard Sly cry out behind her, but it wasn’t in pain, just surprise and she kept her eyes forward, bringing her katana up to hold above her head, her other hand held out in front of her in a defensive stance. The rumbling noise was a large mud monster. It was as tall as the treetops and wider than the Nomads’ caravans. The only form it took was of a mass with a head and a gaping mouth. Atop its head sat the kappa and as soon as the creature caught sight of Emi and Sly, it let out an excited cry. “Aiiieeee!” it yelled. “Death for the thieving thieves! Death to the lute stealer and the blade weilder. We will gobble you! Aiieeee! Aiiieee!” The kappa waved his arms above his head in an excited motion and then slapped his hands down onto the mud creatures head. The creature gave a massive roar, emitting a foul gust of wind in their direction. Emi stood her ground, bracing her feet apart, but behind her she heard Sly slosh to the ground. “Baka,” Emi said calmly. He gave a scared, “Huh?” behind her. “Stay here,” she said and didn’t wait for his answer as she rushed forward, across the mossy swamp ground, her feet light on the ground. She charged at the massive creature, her katana trailing behind her, the fire burning brightly upon her blade, smoke rising from her fingers where she gripped the hilt. It didn’t hurt. It wouldn’t. The gift of the sigils had been granted to her long ago. She ducked beneath one of the mud monster’s giant arms as he swung at her and she back flipped over the other, never stopping and never slowing. When she reached its massive body, she leapt at it. Its arm was laid on the ground where it had tried to smash her. Her feet planted into the mud, but she stepped lightly and quickly and didn’t get stuck. Running up its arm, she trailed the katana behind her, slicing into the mud. The monster screamed in pain, a deep, resonating scream. In her katana’s wake, the mud hardened and cracked, beginning to flake away. Using the arm as a ramp to the creature’s head, she leapt when she reached its shoulder and she swung her katana over her head, bringing it down towards the kappa. The creature gave a sharp scream and scuttled out of the way. Emi’s katana sliced through the neck of the mud monster, severing its head and the mud softened beneath her feet, falling to the earth, coming unraveled. Emi flipped in the air, tumbling with the mud. She landed crouched in the swamp. Flipping her hair back over her shoulder, she sought out the kappa and she could see it running rapidly away. Snarling at the creature, she sprinted along the ground and when she was directly behind the creature, she flipped towards a tree near its right side, grabbing onto the branch and swinging herself around so her feet caught the kappa straight in its beak. Crying out, the kappa fell to the ground on its back, its arms and legs flailing. “No! No not fair!” it cried. Emi, who was crouched beside it, did a rolling flip over the downed kappa, her blade slashing out and she felt it pierce and slice through flesh before she landed in a crouch on the opposite side of the creature. Her palm was pressed firmly into the mud and her katana was held out to the side. She shot her eyes to the kappa and its eyes were wide, its beak open. As she watched, the kappa’s body seemed to crack and harden and then it fell into dust, leaving only an empty turtle shell behind. Emi stood, giving a sigh and a moment of honor for the fallen creature. Then she lifted her katana and whispered, “Arigatō.” The flames flickered and then went out. She sheathed her katana back at her side and then her eyes were seeking out Sly. He was still sitting in the mud on the opposite side of the small clearing. She jogged over to him, his eyes were wide. “Are you hurt?” she asked, crouching down in front of him. For a moment, he didn’t answer and she bit her lip, looking over him for signs of injury. But then he shook his head and when he spoke, his voice was bewildered. “Seriously. Marry me.” .Wolfie. Sly was quiet for a long time after Emi killed the kappa. He thought maybe he was going into shock because the girl had just killed a giant mud monster with a fire sword and she was completely amazing. He didn’t think he’d ever met a girl like her before because she kept going from one extreme to the other. One moment she seemed so innocent and confused and the next she was cutting koopa troopas in half with a fire sword and he didn’t really know how to cope with any of that. He glanced over at her and she was walking easily beside him, her eyes focused on the trees ahead of them. They’d finally made it out of the swamp so they couldn’t be far from the Nomad’s camp. He still held their lute in his hands, fingers starting to wander over the strings as they walked. He snorted and shook his head at her, a grin stretching across his lips. “You have a fucking fire sword. Why didn’t you tell me you had a fire sword? Do you have any idea how fucking cool that was? What else can you do with that thing? Can it slice and dice and make julienne fries?” A slight sigh left her lips that told him she’d been enjoying the silence but she nodded her head anyway, strands of dark hair floating about her face. “I have other sigils,” she told him. “But they are only to be used in times of great peril.” “I don’t even want to know what else has to rank high enough to qualify as great peril for you. I mean if the giant fucking spider trying to skewer me didn’t count I’m scared to know what else is left.” He snorted a laugh and shook his head, but after the words left his lips he realized they were pretty accurate. He didn’t want to know what else was ahead of them. “They are useful, but I do not wish to grow dependent on them,” she said. “It is important that my own skills remain honed.” He glanced at her and studied her face for a moment because there was a slight change in her tone. He wondered about that guy she’d mentioned before, Daisuke, because everything about her had tensed and stiffened at his name. His tongue played with the ring in his lip and grimaced as soon as he did because it tasted like swamp water and dirt. He wiped a sleeve across his mouth again and it didn’t help much but it made him feel better. “So are they something Daisuke gave you?” he asked, trying to stay nonchalant. She stiffened again, her teeth gritting and her hand tightening around her sword. “I told you I do not wish to speak of him, Baka,” she told him, her voice clipped and cold. “If you listen to nothing else I say, listen to that.” “Sure, babe,” he said after a moment. He was curious and he wanted to ask but her face was cold and shuttered so he let it go for now. He shrugged like it was no big deal, his gaze turning away from her and out into the trees. Over their heads the sky was starting to get dark with night and he wondered if she would insist on going after Genbu tonight. Might be better than sleeping in the gypsy camp. He chewed on his lip and wondered if they could go back home or if they were stuck here until it was done. His skin was starting to itch and the later it got the more he wanted his nightly hit. He told himself he could get through without it but he didn’t know how true that was anymore. Besides, he wanted it. He wanted his nightly hit. His fingers wandered over the instrument to distract himself, turning it over in his hands. He took a hesitant strum at it and nothing strange seemed to happen. He quirked his mouth to the side and ran his fingers over the strings again, ignoring the sharp look that Emi shot him. She looked concerned, glancing at the lute and up at his face. He shifted it in his arms and then started to strum in earnest, fingers plucking out notes as they walked. “Perhaps you should not play that,” Emi said, frowning at him cautiously. Sly ignored her, fingers plucking notes as he looked around for any signs that it was doing something. He didn’t see any illusions popping up around him or any of that odd blue glow that he’d been seeing lately. “So when's the magic part supposed to kick in?” he asked, glancing at her face. Her eyes were narrowed and slightly nervous as she watched him play and he kept strumming away on it anyway. “‘Cause I’m playing it, but I don’t see any naked gymnasts and you’re still fully dressed so neither of my wishes are coming true here. You think I need to sing or something?” “Perhaps you should try silence,” Emi told him. Her hand reached out to try and stop the strings and he took a step behind her, fingers still playing across the lute. Her lips puckered in annoyance and it just made his grin grow wider. “Nah, I don’t think that would work,” he said. “Sort of defeats the purpose of an instrument, don’t you think?” Then he cleared his throat and started to sing to her. “When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather, in a beautiful world. You're so fucking special, I wish I was special... but I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here.” Ahead of them they could hear the growing sounds of the gypsy camp. If anything they’d gotten louder since they left, the fire roaring brightly through the trees and the sounds of laughter and music echoing off the trees around them. He could barely see the black mark under all the mud on his skin, but he could still feel it there and he was anxious to get that fucking thing off him. “You don't know what silence means, do you?” she asked. “Of course I do,” he said. “I'm just no good at it. Besides, I'm trying to serenade you here with the sounds of Radiohead. Is it working? Do you feel the urge to jump my bones or give me a sponge bath?” He waggled his eyebrows at her, turning so that he could walk in front of her, fingers plucking notes out as he watched her face. She looked away, refusing to meet his gaze and he took that as a good sign. He’d gotten a smile and a compliment out of her, so maybe there was hope for him yet. She sighed and shook her head at him. “I feel the urge to see you shoved in a pond,” she said. She was trying to sound annoyed but he wasn’t buying it because the girl was a terrible liar. “It would end your chatter and the smell at once.” “Ah,” he said, stilling his hands on the instrument so that he could point a finger at her. “But then I might drown, and then you’d have to jump in and rescue me. Because I’m still valuable, remember?” He heard her frustrated sigh but she had nothing to say to that and he chuckled, turning back around as they approached the gypsy camp. Emi took the lead as they broke through the trees and he let her this time because the last time they’d put shiny black fingerprints on his wrist and he wasn’t anxious to repeat the experience. A roar of laughter assailed his ears and he focused on the giant bonfire that the big man of the group had led them to last time. There were women spinning and dancing around it, skirts flying and jewelry glittering in the orange light. The two that he’d been talking to earlier were still there, dancing arm in arm with each other and yeah, alright he’d still probably go for that. Even if he couldn’t trust a single one of them. The old woman was still sitting alone in front of her fire to the right, her cards spread out in front of her and her fingers glowing as she dealt the cards. There was a young girl sitting in front of her this time but she paused for a moment to look up at Sly. He wondered what the fuck he’d ever done to her because every time she looked at him it was with super bitch death glare. The big man was sitting on a giant log next to it, a grin on his face as he drank from his water skin and watched the women. The one who’d kissed him before came up to him and tried to drag him off it and he was laughing as he stood, hands clasped in hers. She had a bright smile on her face and then her gaze went over his shoulder for a moment, fixating on the two of them. She glanced at her man and then jerked her head at Sly and Emi, leaning her head in to kiss him before she turned in a whirl of colorful skirts. The man turned his head over his shoulder and he grinned when he saw them. It broke into full blown laughter when he saw Sly and his eyes narrowed into a glare, giving another attempt at wiping his face off. “Ah, welcome back my friends,” the man said, stepping over the log to get to them. “All went well?” Emi’s eyes were narrowed and untrusting. “We recovered your stolen lute,” she said. “Now remove your mark.” The man smirked and then he turned to Sly, holding his hand out and waiting patiently. Sly grumbled, slinging the lute under one arm and then holding out the marked hand for him. The man laughed when he saw the mud covering that as well but he grasped his wrist anyway. He gasped and gritted his teeth against the jolt of pain, but instead of something piercing his skin it felt like he was ripping something out of it. Didn’t hurt quite as bad the second time, but still not pleasant either way. “There you are,” the man said, grinning and releasing Sly’s skin. He didn’t miss how he wiped his hand off on his pants and then dusted them off before he held his hands out again. “Now if you will hand me the lute I would be happy to bring you to my fire once again where we can discuss where you can find Genbu of the north.” Sly snorted and spun the lute in his hands. “Yeah, sorry bud but sitting around your fire didn’t work out so well for me last time. What with the whole mark being slapped on my skin and all.” He laughed and ducked his head. “I apologize,” he said. “Consider it a favor, a show of good will for my people.” Emi was still glaring at him but he felt her tug the lute from his hands anyway, passing it to the man. He took it gingerly, bringing up the edge of his shirt to try and wipe the mud off the wooden frame. “There is your show of good will,” Emi said. “Now if you will point us in the direction of Genbu then we will be on our way.” Wenston The Nomad led them to the edge of the field where their caravans rested. Behind them, Emiko could hear music and laughter as their party raged on. The Nomad himself had his recovered lute tucked beneath an arm, cradling it like it was his most prized possession and Emi thought maybe it was. When they reached the edge of the field, he turned around, still grinning at them widely. “This is the northern path,” he said, pointing to a dirt path that disappeared into the forest. “This path leads to Genbu’s domain.” Sly, who’d been following quietly behind, trying to pick the mud off his clothes and skin, snorted. “Follow the yellow brick road, got it.” He winked at the Nomad and Emi watched the exchange between the two of them because she still didn’t trust the Nomad. Especially after he’d marked Sly. She didn’t care if he was atoning for his betrayal now by helping them. Once betrayed, always betrayed. That was what Daisuke had told her. He’d warned her about getting into positions where it was possible to be betrayed in the first place. He would have been disappointed in her for allowing such a thing to happen. She was disappointing him a great deal on this trip so far. The Nomad laughed, and she didn’t think it was because he knew what Sly was talking about because she sure didn’t. But he clapped a hand on Sly’s shoulder, then wiped it off on his pants and said, “To reach Genbu, you will encounter three gates along this path. At each gate, you must face a trial.” “Trial?” Sly asked. “What sort of trial? Like American Gladiator trial or Holy Grail trial?” The Nomad gave him a curious look, the smile on his face not faltering, but his brow furrowing. “Trials to test your cunning and wisdom,” he said, then his gaze averted to Emi and she narrowed her eyes at him because his face was sobering quickly. “Pass the trial and the gates will let you pass safely. Fail the trial, and you will face that gate’s gatekeeper.” “Is that like the Cryptkeeper?” Sly asked and the Nomad just laughed. “You know? Tales from the Crypt? Creepy undead guy that used to give me nightmares?” They both gave him blank stares before Emi turned back to the Nomad, licking her lips. “I thank you for your help,” she said, mistrust not forfeiting politeness. “We will be going now.” She moved to go pass him, but paused when he turned back to Sly, the grin back and steady on his face. “If you change your mind, friend. You will always be welcome with us,” The Nomad told him. Sly snorted, giving the Nomad a sloppy salute. “Sure, thanks but no thanks, bud,” he said, hurrying to catch up with Emi and she studied him for a moment because he was at least not a fool over the same thing twice. He’d learned his lesson when he’d received his brand. Maybe he could learn things quickly. The Nomad watched them go and then seemed to remember something. “Oh!” he called, making Emi turn to look at him over her shoulder. “There is a fresh, clear river just before the first gate. You could use it to clean up, bud!” he called, laughing as he turned around and headed back towards his caravan and the party still raging loudly. Emi glanced at Sly and his face was twisted in annoyance at the use of his own nickname aimed back at him. “So,” Sly said as he jogged a little to catch up to Emi. She was trekking forward along the dirt path, her eyes still scanning the forest around them because even if she knew Genbu was at the end of this path and not out hunting them, she was still wary of the creatures of this world. The death of a kappa could stir the spirits in an unfriendly way. “A test of cunning and wisdom, huh?” He laughed like he’d said something funny. “A guess you should prepare to fight a few gatekeepers, then.” Emi frowned, shaking her head, her black hair rustling across her shoulders. “No,” she told him. “If we can avoid battle with the gatekeepers, we should. Their spirits are very strong. They have great Musuhi within them.” “Great,” Sly said in a way that told her he didn’t mean it. “So we might die before we even get to the turtle.” Sighing, she glared at him. “You have very little faith in yourself,” she told him and he snorted, but didn’t say anything, looking off into the forest and she narrowed her eyes a little to study him because the words seemed to bother him. She twisted her mouth side to side, looking back in front of them. She could hear the river ahead of them and she was going to get Sly to clean himself off so she wouldn’t have to put up with the smell anymore. “When you doubt yourself, your doubts will often become truths. Your spirit becomes stronger when you have confidence.” Sly scoffed. “I have confidence that I’m gonna get my ass kicked at least three more times before the day is over with.” Emi tried not to let the words bother her. She tried to remember that he wasn’t a warlord, he wasn’t a fighter and this was all very unusual and strange to him. But they bothered her anyway. She tightened her grip on her katana and let out a small breath. “Then you do not have faith in me,” she said quietly and she didn’t know why she was so let down by that revelation. She’d let him get hurt while they were fighting Jyorougumo. She let him nearly get crushed when facing the kappa. She doubted she’d have faith in her either if she was in his shoes. He turned to look at her, his face narrowed into a frown. “What?” he squawked, like that was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “That’s not true at all. I have complete and total faith in you. You’re a hot, badass, super amazing Asian chick. I just also have faith that I have the worse luck in the world and I think it’s gonna start rubbing off on you sooner or later.” Emi paused, turning to look at him. He pulled up short next to her, waiting expectantly like maybe she was going to yell at him or something. She just studied his face for a moment and then shook her head. “If you have bad karma, then you must have provoked it somehow,” she said, eyeing him up and down. You must treat yourself and others with respect and dignity and then your karma will balance itself again.” He looked like he wanted to say something to that, but she didn’t give him a chance. She reached out to grab his arm. “But come now, Genbu will smell us coming for miles.” Laughing, Sly let himself be dragged along. She kept a firm grip on his arm as she lead him down to the bank of the river. She looked up and down it and across to the other side, looking for any signs of danger. When she saw none, she turned around and started to pull the backpack off of his shoulders. “Go wash,” she told him. “Whoa,” Sly said, snorting. “If I knew you were going to undress me, I would have freshened up a little more this morning.” He grinned and she just glared at him. “Are you coming in with me?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. “I am not dirty,” she told him and then gasped as he rubbed his hand on his shirt and then reached forward and smeared some mud on her nose. She looked at him wide eyed as he laughed, taking a few steps backwards to be out of her reach. “Now you are, babe,” he said. “I think you should come swimming.” Emi let out a frustrated sigh, narrowing her eyes at him. She reached up to try and rub the mud off of her face. Daisuke would not approve of this. It was not something she would normally do, but it had been a while since she’d swam in as clear of a river as this. It reminded her of the river that used to run pass her village. Reaching for the hem of her shirt, she pulled it up and off over her head, folding it and setting it down on the ground. When she looked back to Sly, he was watching her with wide eyes. She glared at him and suddenly he erupted in a flurry of movement, pulling his shirt off too. He seemed to be in a hurry and she didn’t understand why as she pulled at the buttons of her pants. “Oh dear god, yes,” he said and she wondered what he was thanking his God for. .Wolfie. Sly stumbled and fell on his ass as he yanked hurriedly at his boots. One of them fell from his hands and then he got to work on the other one, his eyes trying to stay on Emi as she folded her pants and stepped into the water. She was really doing it. She was half naked and her feet were carrying her into the river, her hands resting on the surface around her. Her head turned to look at him and she lifted one eyebrow at him as he finally got the second boot free and tossed it over his shoulder. “You are the one who needs a bath, Baka,” she said. “Are you coming?”“Fuck yes,” he said. His fingers slipped as he tried to undo the button of his fly and he whined because she was already diving into the water and out of his sight. He wriggled out of his jeans and pushed himself to his feet to hurry in after her. The water was cool and goosebumps broke out over his skin as soon as he hurried into it. The river moved at a slow and lazy pace, the water already washing the mud from his skin. He’d gone bridge jumping once when he was younger but the river hadn’t been half as clear as this. He could see Emi’s outline as she swam beneath the waters and he still couldn’t believe this was happening. Emi’s head broke the surface across from him, hands coming up to wipe the water from her face and smooth her dark hair back out of her eyes. She was topless and gorgeous and he was glad half of him was underwater because otherwise it might just get embarrassing. Or kinky. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to risk losing anything, though right now it might be worth it. He wished again that he had a camera because it wasn’t every day that moments like this dropped into his lap. “You are staring,” she said, shooting him a look. He lifted an eyebrow, grinning at the expression on her face. “Yep,” he told her. “But it’s not my fault. Don’t get mad at me if half-naked, ridiculously hot Asian chicks tend to get my attention. You know if you just want to walk around the house like this then it’s totally fine.” She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head, moving her hands over her face again. There was a little part of him that thought he was dreaming and if he was then he was happy to stay asleep. He watched her blink her eyes clear, the water dripping from her porcelain skin and he couldn’t help but stare. She was beautiful. She had a pouty mouth that he probably focused on too much but he liked her lips and he liked it better when they quirked upwards in a smile. Her pale eyes were piercing and dangerous, her hands gentle as she pulled her hair over her shoulder. He watched her fingers move through the dark locks, smoothing out the kinks and he swallowed hard as he focused on those hands because this wasn’t fair. The girl was half naked and soaking wet and he’d probably lose something if he tried to take advantage of that. She turned her back on him for a moment, ducking her head underwater and he could see a glimpse of those long white scars running down her skin. He frowned when he saw them because she was badass and dangerous and he couldn’t imagine what put them there. He held his breath and let himself drop under the water, hands scrubbing across his face and through his hair. Dark mud clouded the river around him as he washed it off, though he thought he might be cleaning it from his skin for the next twenty years. His clothes were still caked with it and he was probably just going to have to burn those, but at least he could see again and he felt better washing the muck and the dirt off of him. His hands ran down his arms, wiping it off and feeling tiny track marks beneath his fingertips. His hand moved to his chest and he tried not to wince as he felt his skin sting painfully back at him. The spider and the snake were still raw and sore and he wondered if he was going to be adding a turtle to it or if he should start writing up a last will and testament. She kept telling him that she would keep him safe, but he didn’t depend on anyone. Not even hot, badass Asian chicks. His head broke the surface, hands coming up to wipe the water from his face. His tongue toyed with the hoop in his lip and it just tasted like metal and water again. He grinned and then his eyes rose to Emi, eyes following her form as she swam through the river. He wondered where she’d even come from. She’d just dropped out of the sky to save his life and he didn’t believe in God or the Devil but if he did he’d say she was his guardian angel because she’d saved his life. She dived deeper beneath the water and a sigh left his lips, his eyes closing as he tipped his head back. He let himself begin to drift lazily through the water, feet kicking occasionally and purposefully ignoring the growing itch beneath his skin. There was a splash next to him and then he felt water hitting his face. He blinked and shook his head, turning to see Emi treading the waves not far from him. She tilted her head to the side and he smiled back at her, eyes traveling across her skin and the tattoo sitting on her shoulder. He could get used to this view. “Are you clean?” she asked. He snorted and straightened up in the waves, pushing himself closer to her. “Haven’t been in years, babe,” he told her, grinning and waggling his eyebrows. She frowned at that and then she gasped as his palm hit the surface and splashed water at her. She wiped it from her face, eyes narrowing as she focused on him. “You are a troublemaker,” she said. He grinned and winked at her. “What are you going to do about it?” She glared at him and then she was moving, one hand curling around his wrist and the other coming to the back of his head as she shoved him underwater. He yelped in surprise and then snapped his mouth shut as the waves rose up over his face. She pushed him down beneath the waves and then her fingers were releasing his wrist and leaving his hair. When his head popped back above the surface she was moving back up onto the bank, her fingers pulling her pants from their neat pile on the ground. He groaned and shook his head, eyes lingering on her back. “Aw, why do you have to go and do that, babe?” She ignored him, pulling her jeans up over her hips. A sigh left his lips and he couldn’t say he was happy to see her put clothes on. This wasn’t usually how his fantasies ended but he’d at least gotten a look at what he couldn’t have. Her hair hung over one shoulder, the dark locks a stark contrast to her skin. “If you are not clean by now, you never will be,” she told him. She picked the shirt off the ground and shot a look at him over her shoulder. “And I do not trust that Genbu will not grow anxious and come after you.” He chuckled, finally pushing himself through the water and moving back to the bank. “You sure know how to sweet talk a guy, don’t you sugar?” He pushed himself onto the shore, pulling his jeans out of the pile he’d left them in. He grimaced at the mud caking them but he hadn’t exactly brought a change of clothes and he’d rather walk in dirty jeans than soaking wet ones. He tugged them on and then slumped down in the grass, pulling the backpack over to him. His gaze went back to Emi for a second and she was just pulling the shirt on over her head, drawing it down over her stomach and fuck she was hot. His fingers hesitated over the black case, his hands flexing over it. He wanted his hit. His blood was starting to itch and his hands feeling shaky and it was so fucking tempting to pull it out now and shoot up before they went after the gate guardians. He didn’t know what they would be after or if he was going to get his ass kicked. He probably would. He wasn’t so good with the staying out of the line of fire, and he had marks on his neck and his arm to remind him of that. But he told himself he could wait because he wasn’t a full blown junkie yet and if this was something they had to outsmart he sure as fuck couldn’t do it when he was high. Sly pulled out the pack of cigarettes instead, shoving one between his lips and lighting the end of it. He sucked in the smoke before tossing the box back into his bag and zipping it shut. Emi was combing her hair out with her fingers, tying it back with quick motions and then she was fastening the katana to her side. His gaze lingered on her and he was thinking about two different things. He was thinking how hot she was and that he could die a happy man if he actually got her into bed. He was thinking about her telling him that he didn’t know what honor was and that he didn’t have faith in himself and those things bothered him. He didn’t want them to because he’d gotten over the urge to impress people a long time ago, but they did. Besides, the odds were good she wasn’t interested in a man that didn’t have those things. Sly had been honest with her about what he was. He was a liar, a thief, and a cheat and he wasn’t planning on changing his ways. “You are lazy,” she said, turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. He blinked and then a grin spread across his face as he realized he was still just sitting on the bank with his shirt sitting in a filthy pile next to him and the cigarette dangling from his lips. For a moment he kept studying her because she was unbelievable. She was dangerous and pretty and way out of his league so he would settle for the scraps he could get. He shrugged and pushed himself upright, grabbing the shirt off the ground. “And you’re hot. Now it’s your turn to state the obvious again.” Her lips pursed and he smiled back at her. “You are irritating,” she told him. It made him laugh and he pulled the shirt over his head. Dirt cracked and flaked off as it fell to the ground and he ignored it, swinging the pack over his shoulder. “You know,” he said, falling into step at her side. “You’re like this girl on the playground that used to knock me over and put gum in my hair. Just so you know I’m not really into that kind of thing, but I think it’s cute how you show you like me.” He grinned at the irritated look she showed him and then she held her head up and turned her gaze out into the forest. Sly smirked and followed her onto the dirt path. The moment of relaxation was gone and she was back to watching the trees and the sky and the earth for signs of danger and he wondered if there was anything that made her blink. His teeth tugged at the metal hoop in his lip and then his gaze turned out into the trees as he tried not to think about the heroin in his bag. One hand began to scratch at the track marks on his arm and he told himself that he could hold out. He could wait until this was over or at least until they got past the gate guardians or something because he wasn’t a junkie yet and just because he was thinking about it didn’t mean he had to do it. They rounded a bend and Emi stilled, her hand tightening on her sword and her other foot shifting into a battle ready pose. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the stone wall built across the path. It disappeared into the forest on either side, two doors set into its surface to allow them passage. “This must be the first gate guardian,” Emi said. “Please try to be silent.” He smirked as she began to move cautiously forward. Her eyes snapped to either side of the path for any signs of whatever was guarding the way. He followed behind her, boot laces still muddy as they trailed behind him. “So what now?” he asked, and she flinched slightly at the sound of his voice. “Is this the part where Donkey Kong comes out and kidnaps me and throws barrels at you?” “Quiet, Baka,” she told him, eyes not wavering from the two wooden doors set into the wall before them. There was a silver snake curled across the surface of one of the doors, its head resting on the handle and its body coiled around the base of it before it stretched down towards the ground. The other door had a golden one resting in a similar position. He lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Emi. “So which door is it?” he asked. She frowned and before she could answer he heard a hiss above them. Immediately Emi’s blade was half out of its sheath, her legs bent and her gaze snapping up to the creature above them. He coughed and almost choked when he saw a large, iridescent snake rising over the wall. The thing was huge. It probably could have swallowed him in one gulp and it had feathery wings on its back that made a small, nervous squeak leave his lips. “One door will take you closer to Genbu,” the snake said. Its voice was a low hiss that rumbled across the stones and the dirt and made him take a step back. “The other leads to certain death.” “Sounds like the same thing to me,” Sly grumbled. “Guardian,” Emi said, and he didn’t know how she could be so calm with a giant winged snake slithering over the wall. She gave it a small, respectful nod of her head. “How do we know which door is which?” she asked it. A laugh rumbled up through the snake’s body and he didn’t think he liked that sound. It moved down the side of the wall in a slow, lazy manner that reminded him of the river they’d already passed. Its body coiled and pushed it along the ground, its head rising and swirling eyes inspecting Emi first and then Sly. “You may ask one question of one door,” the monster said, and then it paused in front of him, tongue slithering between its teeth. “One will always tell the truth and one will always lie.” “So what happens if we pick the wrong one?” Sly asked. As soon as he did he wished he hadn’t because he hadn’t known that snakes could smile. Apparently they could. Apparently they had very terrifying smiles and he took a step back because those swirling eyes were locked on his, the guardian tipping its head to the side as it watched Sly with an unblinking gaze. “A pleasure to meet you,” the snake said. “I am certain death.” Wenston Sly was pacing. He moved back and forth across the path, wearing a line into the grass where his boots treaded heavily on the earth. He had one arm crossed over his chest, the other resting on that arm with his hand to his chin. A look of deep concentration was etched on his face, but Emiko couldn’t tell if it was doing much good, because he’d been getting more antsy and fidgeting by the minute. Emiko sat Indian style on a rock with her katana across her lap and her hands resting gently on the sheath. Ahead of them lay the two doors, one that lead to death, the other to life. One that always told the truth and the other that always told a lie. It bothered her that Genbu had gotten as smart as he had. It bothered her that the demons had new tricks and new ways of protecting themselves and attacking them. The gatekeeper hovered above the doors, its snake body curled up, waiting patiently for them to choose a door. She wondered what Genbu had to sacrifice to enlist the help of a gatekeeper. She wondered if she would end up having to sacrifice something to beat the demons and close the seal. She studied the doors and tried not to think about what little she had to sacrifice. She tried to focus on the task at hand and it was complicated because she wasn’t sure how to go about this. The gatekeeper looked powerful, extremely powerful, and she wasn’t sure how a battle against it would go. She didn’t want to choose the wrong door and be forced to face the creature. Genbu was supposed to be an easy demon. Or at least, that’s usually why the Grimoire picked the demons in the order it did. It picked the demons in the order it thought they could handle them. So there had to be a reason the Grimoire had sent them here. There had to be a reason for facing Genbu now. Her eyes went to Sly and she watched him move back and forth. Her mind wandered slightly to the river and how playful and jovial he’d been in the water. He was childish. He was obnoxious. But she found herself not holding those traits in the same regards as she used to. “Okay,” Sly said suddenly, stopping in his tracks and turning to look at her. He opened his mouth to say something and then shook his head. “No, that won’t work,” he muttered, resuming his pacing and Emi sighed because he was driving her nuts with his constant movement and noise making. “Baka, sit down,” she snapped at him. He paused, glancing over at her and then came over and plopped into the grass next to her, putting his chin in his hands and looking dejected. “I knew I should have eaten my Wheaties this morning,” he said and she shushed him. He made a face at her and then pointed in her direction. “You’re supposed to be the walking fortune cookie. I thought this stuff was right up your alley.” Emi scoffed, turning to look at him. “You are the thief, the cheat and the liar,” she said to him and he gave her a playful glare. “Should this puzzle not be something you are familiar with?” she looked at him challengingly. “Touché,” he said and ducked his head, giving a frustrated sigh and she knew exactly how he felt. She looked back to the doors, one with its golden snake and one with its silver. Maybe there was a way around the gates. Maybe she could go first, let Sly stand back and see the outcome of her choice so he could make the right one without a doubt. She doubted the gatekeeper would go for that. Sly let out a frustrated groan. “I mean, I wish we could just ask one if it leads to death or not, and which one is telling the truth. We need two questions, really.” He grumbled and picked at the grass because he was getting antsy and twitchy and she wondered if it was time for his medicine because he always seemed to move more when it was time for it. She rolled his words over in her head and she had to agree that it would be nice if they could find out which one was telling the truth. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened. “Baka!” she yelled, reaching over and slapping him in the arm with the back of her hand. “Ow!” he yelped, reaching up to rub at the spot she’d hit, giving her a frown. “What? I’m thinking, alright? Don’t be such a slave driver. Or at least if you are, start carrying a whip. And pink handcuffs.” “No,” she said and he frowned, opening his mouth to say something smarmy probably, but she didn’t give him a chance. She reached over and grabbed the sides of his head, pulling it closer so she could press her lips quickly to his forehead. Then she shoved his head back and he was looking at her with wide eyes. “You have solved the riddle,” she told him and then stood up, ignoring the still shocked look on his face as she marched over to the doors, returning her katana back to her side. “I have?” she heard Sly call from behind her. He climbed to his feet, jogging to catch up to her as she stood in front of both doors, looking between them. “I mean, of course I have, but how did I? Any question we ask either door, we’re not going to know if it’s telling the truth or not.” “We do not have to know,” she told him. “They are going to tell us which door leads to certain death.” Sly snorted. “Uh, okay, I’m not following.” Emi shook her head at him and then stepped up to the door with the golden snake. As soon as she was close enough, the golden snake’s eyes opened, its mouth stretching wide and it’s tongue flickering out. It rose its head up and Emi held her place as the snake moved its massive head to inches from her face. Behind her, she heard Sly make a small squeak, but she didn’t back down and didn’t flinch, not even when she could feel the breeze from its flickering tongue on her face. “Ask me a question,” the golden snake hissed. Lifting her chin, she pushed all doubt aside, because she knew what needed to be asked to give her the right answer. She tried not to find it funny that Sly was the one who’d come up with it. “Door,” she said. “If I asked the other door if it lead to certain death, would it say yes?” The golden snake flickered its tongue and she felt it touch her cheek. She heard Sly let out a hiss behind her as the snake moved like water through the air, circling her so it’s body was surrounding her and its head was back in front of her face. She remained still and stoic and waited her for her answer. “No,” it hissed, tilting its head slightly before it slithered back the way it came, uncoiling from her and taking its place back on the door. She didn’t flinch, but she was surprised when she felt Sly’s fingers touch her arm. She looked down at the touch and then up at his face because it surprised her that maybe he’d been worried for her. She pulled her arm away from the touch and nodded at him. “We have our answer. We know what door we must take.” Sly frowned at her. “What? How do we know what door to take? We can’t tell if its lying or not.” Emi pointed to the golden snake. “It said the other door would say no, it does not lead to certain death. If the golden snake is telling the truth, and the silver snake is lying when it says no, then the silver snake is the door that leads to certain death.” Sly seemed to think about that a moment before frowning. “So, what if the golden snake is lying?” he asked, looking perplexed. “If the golden snake is lying, that means the silver snake would say yes if asked if it leads to certain death. And it would be the truth. So we must go through the golden door, because either way, the silver door leads to death.” Again, Sly paused to think about it. He snorted after a while and grinned at her. “Huh,” he said, sounding surprised. “Wow, that’s a really smart answer. You just get hotter by the minute, Emi, honestly.” She shook her head at him, walking back up to the golden door, her hand reaching for the handle. “It is you who thought to receive both answers,” she told him. Sly snorted again. “Yeah but…okay I’ll take the credit for this one, but only if we make it through this gate alive.” Emi’s hand closed around the door handle and without hesitation, confident in her answer, she pushed the door open. Above them, the gatekeeper hissed and she looked up at him challengingly. It grinned at them and then disappeared behind the wall again. She lowered her gaze back to the door and she saw the path continue freely on the other side. She turned around to look at Sly and a smile tugged her lips up as she said, “You see? We have made it through.” He didn’t answer her at first. There was a genuine, kind smile on his face and she didn’t understand why it was there at first. “What?” she asked. Sly shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re smiling,” he said quietly. As soon as he said it, the smile faded from her face and she whipped her head back around. She felt her chest tighten and she took a moment to wipe away the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. “Forgive me,” she said, her voice small and quiet. “We can afford no room for my pride or elation.” She stepped over the border of the door and started off down the path again. “We must remain focused.” .Wolfie. Sly followed close behind Emi, his hands shoved in his pockets and his gaze focused on her as they made their way up the dirt path. He didn’t know if he should be smiling or not but he was because she had been and it looked good on her. He didn’t understand why she’d looked like he’d hit her when he’d pointed it out and a lot of things about her didn’t make sense to him.“Alright, I need you to explain this to me because I’m confused,” he said. He trotted forward, ducking his head so that he could look into her face and her expression was back to that cool mask that didn’t give away anything. “So if you make a mistake and I get so much as a bruise then I’m allowed to spank you or something, but if you don’t make any mistakes you’re still not allowed to be proud of yourself for it and you’re sure as fuck not allowed to smile. That sound about right?” “I may take satisfaction in accomplishing my duties,” she said, her head held up and her eyes lidded. “That is all.” He snorted and shook his head. “Well that’s fucking lame. Do I need to tell you again how fucking hot and badass you are? I don’t know, maybe you missed the part where you stabbed a spider to death with its own stinger. I’d be pretty fucking stoked if I’d done that.” He grinned at her and she didn’t return it, her head ducking to avoid his gaze. His grin just grew wider and he leaned his head in closer so that he could look in her eyes. “And as much as I hate to say this, the fact is that you’re prettier than me.” She snorted and he held a hand up before she could say anything. “No, don’t bother arguing with me, it’s true. I’ve come to terms with it.” “My duty is to protect you and close the seal,” she told him, not even a flicker of a smile on her face. Her voice was cool and calm and if he didn’t know better he’d say she didn’t even know how. “I cannot afford distraction.” He smirked and shook his head again, watching her face as the dying light played across her skin. “Man, you’re like a Terminator or something. Did John Conner send you? Should I be looking over my shoulder for Ahnold to show up because that would be a fucking badass fight. Don’t worry though, my money’s on you.” She glanced at him with that look that said she was unimpressed and so he grinned back at her. “But just so you know you have a really pretty smile.” One hand rose and his fingers brushed her chin for a split second. Her skin was soft under his fingers and if she’d been any other girl he would have tried to get some lip action going. But she wasn’t any other girl and she shoved his hand away with a glare. It didn’t kill the smile on his face but he shut his mouth, tongue playing with the piercing in his lip as he turned and followed her up the path. His hand moved over his forehead for a moment where she’d left a kiss and he wasn’t used to girls like her. Most of the girls he dated were easy. He thought they were hot, he would lay some lines on them and then they would either tell him to fuck off or fuck them. Emi was one of the girls that would normally tell him to fuck off. If she didn’t have to be here to protect the seal then she wouldn’t give him the time of day and he knew it. It didn’t mean she wasn’t hot and it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy her company while she was here, but he wasn’t counting on her climbing into bed with him. Besides, he got the impression that she was the kind of girl who wouldn’t go into that kind of thing without a relationship and even if he was cool with that, he would just fuck it up. Sly was really, really good at fucking up his relationships. Krystal would have said he’d practically made an art form out of it, but she was a bitch so fuck her. She wasn’t the first girl to cheat on him but it had hurt the most because he’d honestly tried to change his ways for her. That stung more than anything because for the life of him he couldn’t remember why he’d cared. His boot laces trailed behind him, fingers scratching unconsciously at his arm. He kept chewing on his lip, the other hand rising to shift the pack higher on his shoulder and he was glad they were walking because the feeling of anxiousness kept settling deeper into his chest. His heart was beating loudly against his ribcage, his mouth dry and he was feeling that tightness in his chest again as his lungs sucked in thick breaths of air. In his pack was the little baggie that would make this go away and he knew even if he thought it that he couldn’t afford it right now but he wanted it so fucking badly. He told himself it was because he was in pain. He told himself that he needed it because his head was starting to hurt and his chest and his stomach were still bruised, his arm still scratched up, and giant spider bites lingering on his arm and his neck. The tattoo on his chest was still raw and sore and there were reasons to dope up. There were reasons to self-medicate and maybe if he told himself that enough times then he would believe it. He was a really good liar, especially when it came to himself. The path started to wind upwards and they saw the second gate towards the top of the hill. Sly lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Emi for a moment because she’d stiffened, her hand flexing around her sword and her eyes flicking to the trees around them and back to the gate. “Fantastic,” Sly said, shooting her a wink. “Let’s see who the bachelor behind door number two is.” The gate was made of wrought iron, but it looked out of place because it was just a gate with stone pillars on either end sitting in the middle of the path. If they cut through the trees they could probably just walk around. Only something told him the giant sphinx lying in front of the gate would have a problem with that. It stretched like a cat when it saw them before its head tilted to focus on Emi. Sly thought it was fucking creepy because it had a woman’s head and a lion’s body and he really wasn’t into that kind of thing. It hand slanted cat’s eyes and a smile curled her lips as she pushed herself upright, paws hitting the ground with quiet thumps. He tensed and next to him Emi stopped, her hand resting on her katana but not drawing it. “You seek Genbu of the north,” the sphinx said, beginning to circle the two of them. Emi nodded her head, eyes watching the sphinx carefully. Sly didn’t miss how her feet shifted slightly, ready to draw her sword at a moment’s notice and she was just too fucking badass. He wondered what other tricks she could do with that thing. Maybe she had a lightning sword because that would be cool as fuck. “Yes,” Emi said. “Will you let us pass?” The sphinx grinned as she circled back in front of them, settling down into a sitting position. “You must first pass my trial,” she said. Emi lifted her chin, eyes focused on the sphinx. “What is your trial?” she asked. Sly snorted and kicked at the ground with his boots, watching dust rise up around his legs. He was still covered in mud and even after they got past this and the next one they’d still have to fight giant turtle demon. He was starting to get anxious and cranky. “I don’t suppose this could just be something easy?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Something that doesn’t involve sudden death at the end maybe? Here, how about I say trick or treat and you just give us candy and let us go on our way. That sounds fair to me.” That creepy smile spread wider across the woman’s face, her hair falling down across a lion’s shoulders and it was just too weird. It gave him the creeps and for a moment he couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck he was doing here. This shouldn’t have been okay. He should have been freaking the fuck out and he scratched at his arm, bouncing a little on his toes because he just wanted his hit. “I have long been a gatekeeper,” the sphinx said. Her mouth opened in a yawn and he saw sharp teeth glinting inside her mouth. “I have guarded many secrets and stopped many trespassers. I have asked them hundreds of riddles and seen many mortals die because they could not answer my questions.” She grinned again and he didn’t like it when her head turned to focus on him. “My trial for you is this. Ask me three riddles. If I cannot answer correctly I will allow you safe passage. If I can answer all three, then you will die here and your blood will join the others in the dust and the dirt.” “That’s not trick or treat,” Sly grumbled. He scrubbed a hand over his face and then turned so that his back was to the sphinx and he leaned in towards Emi. “You know any riddles?” he asked. “Because I only know one and it’s dumb.” She glanced up at his face for a moment before her gaze returned to the sphinx. “I know a few,” she said. Her teeth tugged at her lower lip and it was the only sign that she might be nervous about this trial. He couldn’t stop moving, his hand moving over his mouth and his foot starting to tap on the ground and he told himself he could wait and that he didn’t need this. He could. He wasn’t a junkie yet. “I don’t suppose you could just go over there and cut her up so we don’t have to play this stupid game?” he asked. She frowned and glanced at him, studying his face for a moment before she shook her head. “We will attempt to play her game first,” she said. “It is only three questions, if we cannot beat her that way then I will be forced to fight her anyway.” “Yeah, alright, babe,” he said. He shook his head and started to pace, fingers toying with the piercing in his eyebrow before his hand dropped over his mouth again. He watched the laces on his boots trail out behind him and he was trying to think of any riddles he knew. He had one, and it was from Alice in Wonderland because he had a girlfriend named Nancy that used to love that movie, before she overdosed on crystal meth anyway. “I think I have one,” Emi said, glancing back at him. He just nodded his head, still pacing behind her and he was so useless at this. He sighed and sat down hard in the dirt, arms bracing on his knees as he watched her. She took a step forward, her voice calm and confident and he wondered if she really was. He couldn’t ever get a good read on her. “What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?” she asked. Her hand was still resting lightly on her katana and for a moment her fingers danced along the hilt. The sphinx smiled and then stretched out on her front paws, back arching before she straightened up. “A river,” she said calmly and without hesitation. Emi stiffened and nodded her head, confirming the answer as correct. Sly watched her back and then flicked his eyes to the sphinx because her mouth was splitting open in a grin, white teeth glittering in the dull light and then she tipped her head to the side. She was really creeping him out. “You have two more questions,” she said. Emi sighed and took a step back, crouching down next to Sly, her eyes going to his face for a moment. “What is your one riddle?” she asked. His fingers were drawing circles in the dirt because he could barely hold still at this point. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and shook his head before he smirked and tipped his head to look at her. “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” he said. “Except I’m pretty sure there’s no real answer. You sure you can’t just slice and dice?” Wenston “I do not wish to fight this gatekeeper,” Emi told him, keeping her voice low. She sighed, her eyes narrowing as she looked back towards the sphinx. “But I fear we may have to. I will ask it another riddle and then you shall ask yours. If we still have not succeeded, then I will protect you with my life, that I swear.” She stood up and didn’t wait for him to respond as she walked up to the sphinx. Behind her, Sly called out, “My riddle is dumb! Maybe you should just ask it two more. I’m not really comfortable banking your whole, protect me with your life, deal on my one stupid riddle.” She ignored him, squaring her shoulders to the beast and watching as it tilted its head to the side to look at her. “I have another riddle,” Emi said and the sphinx just nodded, giving her permission to ask it. Emi took a deep breath and then said, “I am so delicate, that once you say my name, I am broken. What am I?” The sphinx laughed, taking a few pounding steps forward, so her face was close to Emi’s. Emi just lifted her chin, her hand tightening around the hilt of her katana. This was a very powerful creature, and she hoped that they wouldn’t have to fight her, but Emi didn’t know how exactly they were going to beat her. She was sure the sphinx knew the answer to her riddle and the only thing they had left as a riddle Sly didn’t even know the answer to. She would have to be prepared. The sphinx would strike fast and hard. “Silence,” the sphinx whispered and the earth seemed to rumble all around them. Emi nodded and took a few steps back, crouching beside Sly again. The sphinx purred and licked her lips like she was preparing for a meal. Emi looked to Sly. “When you ask your riddle, do not wait for her answer,” she told him quietly. “Ask it and come to stand behind me immediately.” She stood, bracing her feet and preparing to draw her katana. Sly stood up and shook his head at her. “I really think we should ask a different one,” he protested and she sighed, turning to glare at him. He bit his lower lip and then looked defeated. “Fine, alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said, walking forward. She watched his back as he did so and her own hand came up to touch her chin because she could still feel his fingers lingering there and she wasn’t used to people touching her and especially not in as sincere as a gesture like that. She didn’t know what to make of the compliments he kept sending her way. She wondered if he really meant them. As Sly approached the Sphinx, he scratched the back of his head, giving a nervous chuckle. “Sup, Sphinx?” he asked, nodding his head. She grinned wickedly and he took a step back. At least he wasn’t turning his head away. “Uh,” he continued, fidgeting in his own skin. “Okay, so, here’s my riddle. Ahem. Why is a raven like a writing desk?” The sphinx opened her mouth and Sly immediately turned around, running back to Emi, who took a step in front of him, her hand held out to block him from the creature and the other tight around her katana, ready to draw. But the sphinx closed her mouth suddenly, a frown marring her beautiful features. She looked down at the ground, her tail flicking agitatedly behind her. When her gaze came back up to them, she narrowed her cat eyes. “I do not know the answer to your riddle,” she said. Emi and Sly stood quietly for a moment, watching the creature. Emi tipped her head to the side at last when no one said anything further. “You were not able to answer our riddle,” she said cautiously. “So will you let us pass?” The sphinx looked downright upset, but stepped aside, her feet pawing at the ground as the gate swung open with a slow creak. Emi reached back and fisted her hand in Sly’s shirt, shoving him in front of her so she could keep an eye on both of them as they walked through. Her eyes never left the sphinx as they passed and Sly looked incredibly nervous being so near to the creature. But the sphinx was hardly paying any attention to them. Once they stepped through the gate, the sphinx called out, “Will you tell me the answer?” Sly looked over his shoulder, looking nervous for a moment. He licked his lips. “I was hoping you’d tell me, sweetheart,” he called back to the creature. If anything, the sphinx looked more confused. It collapsed to the ground, frowning and its gaze narrowed in concentration as it tried to think of an answer. They walked a little further, Emi keeping her eyes peeled for the sphinx, but the creature had let them through the gate so she doubted it would come after them, even if it did think of the answer. When they were out of sight of the gate, Sly let out an incredulous laugh. “Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked,” he cried, grinning ear to ear. She looked forward again and said, “I told you not to doubt yourself, Baka.” He laughed and patted her on the back. She shrugged his hand off, shoving him away, but had to turn her head to the side so he couldn’t see the slight smile tugging at her lips. She’d been over this already. She couldn’t rejoice their smallest accomplishments. She’d let him take pride in himself, which he was. Sly was rubbing his hands together in front of him, grinning and there was a slight bounce in his step. “I mean, this is nuts that we’re actually passing these tests,” he said. “I thought we were doomed from the start. Cunning and wisdom are not exactly my strong suits.” “You are the seal breaker and a Magician,” she told him and he turned to glance at her face. She met his eyes because she wanted him to see that she was telling him the truth. “Such things will come naturally to you.” He gave another nervous laugh, scratching at the back of his neck and then they both fell quiet as they rounded a bend and came upon the last gate. The smile faded from Sly’s face and Emi’s eyes narrowed as they saw the last gatekeeper. Sitting atop a rotted wooden gate was the old woman from the Nomads’ caravan who’d been glaring at Sly the entire time they were there. The woman Sly had said was scamming the boy. Sly snorted. “Man, what is with this lady?” Emi frowned, not answering as they approached the gate. The woman sat atop it, swinging her legs in front of her as she looked down at them. She gave a wicked look to Sly before turning her attention to Emi. “You wish to pass my gate, do you?” she asked, her voice creaking and old. “Yes,” Emi told the old woman. “We will submit to whatever trial you will have us do.” A half smile curled the woman’s wrinkled lips up on her face. Her head tilted to the side and she whispered into the wind, “The trial here, is survival.” Emi didn’t have time to ask what she meant. She didn’t have time to react other than to gasp and try to shove Sly to safety, but even that didn’t work. The ground gave one soft rumble beneath their feet before it disappeared completely. She heard Sly give a frightened yell and then they were both freefalling into the pit that had opened up beneath them. Emi tried to tumble into a crouching position, but she didn’t know how far down they were falling and she had little time to prepare as the ground rushed up to meet them. They both hit the muddy ground with a thumping splash. Emi felt pain explode in her ribs and for a moment, it stole her breath away. But she pushed it back and out of her mind, ignoring the fire raging in her ribs. She pushed herself up, eyes scanning the darkened pit for Sly. She heard him groan and when she turned, he was sitting up on his own, hand coming to his head, where a small bloody mark had formed on his temple. She crawled over to him, the pain in her ribs slowing her only slightly. “Baka?” she asked. Sly just scoffed when he pulled his hand away from his head, eyeing the blood on his fingertips. “What a bitch.” .Wolfie. Sly’s head hurt.It already hurt, but now there was a gash on his temple that was trickling blood down the side of his face. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead to try and clean it off but he was pretty sure he was just getting smearing it around. Emi leaned closer to him, using the hem of her shirt to wipe the blood away. Her eyes were wide and concerned and it shouldn’t have made him feel good but it did, right up until the cotton pressed against the wound in his skull. He winced at the pain, eyes watching her as her fingers tightened in his chin and turned his head the other way to make sure he didn’t have any other wounds. As soon as she was sure he wasn’t hurt she pushed herself to her feet, blade sliding out of its sheath. One of her hands was holding her ribs like she was in pain and he frowned when he saw that because she was a badass ninja queen and he didn’t like that she might be hurt. None of it showed on her face though, her head lifting to study the edge of the pit they’d fallen into. It stretched high up over their heads, at least twice as tall as Sly was and he could see roots and rocks sticking out of the dirt walls. The ground beneath their feet was wet and muddy and he felt a sudden shiver of fear run up his spine as he thought about being crushed into that shit. He grimaced and pushed himself upright, wavering a little on his feet. He felt Emi catch his upper arm to steady him before she let go again because the girl didn’t like human contact. He put one hand against the dirt wall and the other to his bleeding skull and he almost laughed because it just figured. He’d been about due for an ass kicking. He tipped his head back to look up and all he saw was the sky way too high above their heads. He didn’t know how they were even going to get out of here. Movement flickered at the edge of his vision and he saw the old woman approach the edge of the pit. Emi stiffened, her hand tight around her katana and her feet shifting into what he thought of as her battle stance when she saw the woman. “Intruders,” the old woman said. Her voice sounded less human than it had been a moment ago, the dry rattle of bones echoing in her throat as she began to walk along the edge of the pit. “Outsiders. You are unwelcome here in Genbu’s domain, gadje.” She smiled, her mouth stretching too wide and revealing sharp teeth in her skull. Her head tilted to the side as she studied them. “Then come down here and make us leave,” Emi said, and the girl was too fucking cool. Sly snorted, picking his pack off the ground and swinging it over his shoulder. “Listen lady, we don’t want to be here any more than you want us here, so why don’t you go let us kill Bowser and then go after our princess in another castle. Sound good?” The old woman gave a dry cackle and then she was moving, skittering down the wall like a spider and that was bullshit because he’d had enough of spiders to last a lifetime. She moved fucking fast, her fingers curling into claws and her feet digging into the dirt wall as she scrambled downwards. Sly yelped and pushed himself back against the wall as she darted towards them. Emi’s blade lashed out as soon as the woman was close enough and he heard her cackle in response. She pushed herself onto the ground and leapt at Emiko, her claws slashing out towards her in quick motions. Emi threw herself to the side, rolling across the dirt and the mud as she brought her sword up to fend off the blows. She twisted the blade in her hands, knocking the claws to the side and then sliced forward, drawing a long bloody gash along the old woman’s arm. She let out a pained screech and jumped back, turning and scrambling up the wall. Emi hurried after her, the ball of her foot striking the wall as she pushed herself up, lashing out with her sword and leaving another bloody line across the woman’s back. The woman screeched again and raced to the top of the pit, turning and glaring back at Emiko. Her mouth opened and she started to speak in a language that Sly didn’t recognize. “Well that ain’t good,” he said, and Emi shot a single glance back at him before her gaze returned to the old woman. She walked slowly backwards so that she could stand between him and the hag but she didn’t look interested on returning to the pit with them. Her voice was echoing down the walls and he stiffened as they started to rumble around him. He glanced down and the mud was bubbling and spitting up at him before a skeletal hand suddenly broke the surface. “Holy shit it really is the cryptkeeper,” he said, pressing himself against the dirt wall. Above him the old woman was laughing but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the ground. Hands were clawing their way out of the dirt and the mud, dragging themselves up onto the surface and their eyes gaping holes in their head. Emi was moving before they got all the way out, swinging her sword in shining arcs of steel as she removed a corpse’s head from its body. The head rolled across the ground and stopped to Sly’s right, its jaws hanging open in a gruesome smile. “Have I mentioned I had nightmares about this when I was a kid?” Sly said, his fingers digging into the dirt. A startled cry left his throat when a hand burst through the wall next to him and closed around his shoulder. He jerked away from it, pushing his feet against the ground and scrambling backwards. He heard his shirt tearing as the skeletal fingers tried to hold onto him. Emi’s sword flashed down next to his head, cutting off the arm in a single slash before she was whirling away again. He turned his head to watch her and she was spinning on one toe as she lashed a kick out towards one of the corpses. He imagined they must have been the bodies of other trespassers or adventurers, their clothes varying from corpse to corpse. Some of them were deader than others, the flesh still hanging off some of their bones. He saw one dragging a large curved blade out of the dirt as it clawed its way out of the ground, bringing it up to point at Emi. Its hands closed around the hilt and then it was bringing it down hard towards the girl and Sly felt his heart clench because he didn’t want her to get hurt. She danced to the side in a quick motion, her sword flashing down and slicing through the bone and muscle of her attacker. The sword fell into the dirt and she kicked it away with one foot before she twisted her sword and swung it back around, slicing the man’s head off and then kicking him hard in the chest to knock him back so she could take on the next one. The old woman was still laughing over his head and then suddenly she was scuttling down the wall, her claws digging into the dirt as she moved towards them. Sly saw her focus on him and he scrambled backwards until his back hit dirt. She dropped down on top of him and he felt her long nails digging into his neck, teeth snapping near his ear. “Gadje,” she hissed. “The power in you is wasted but I will devour it when I drink your blood and suck the marrow from your bones.” He kicked out at her, hands clawing to try and get her off him. She laughed and then he felt her teeth sinking into the flesh between his neck and shoulder. He cried out and kicked her in the chest, feeling blood trickling down his chest and her nails drawing bloody lines as he pushed her away from him. She caught herself and then launched back at him, claws raking bloody lines down his chest and stomach. His head fell back and he cried out at the sudden pain as she tore at him. Then he heard her screeching in pain. His eyes opened to see her tumbling to the side, a freshly drawn cut drawn across her back. Her head whipped around but Emi’s sword was already flashing down again, aiming for the hag’s neck. The woman screeched again and back peddled quickly, feet shoving her across the mud and the dirt. The sword drew a bloody line across her chest and then she was screaming. Behind them both he could see bits and pieces of men who were already dead and just hadn’t remembered it yet. No one was standing but Emi, blood and dirt splattered across her skin in equal amounts. The old woman opened her mouth and screamed at her again. “You will be the first to die,” she howled, and then she pushed herself off the ground in a flurry of rags and wild hair as she threw herself at Emi. The girl didn’t even blink. Her arm pulled back and then she was catching the woman’s hair in her other hand, fingers tangling tightly in the strands before she lashed her sword out. She didn’t notice the claws that dug into the skin of her arms and left bloody scratches because it was nothing compared to the sudden swath of red that was drawn across her chest when she took the woman’s head. Her body collapsed into the mud underneath her feet and Emi stood still holding her head in her hands. Her mouth was open and gaping, her eyes wide and sightless in her head. Even as he watched they grew cloudy and then she was tossing the skull into the dirt with disgust. She used the edge of her shirt to clean her blade off with reverence and then sheathed it and bowed her head to the old woman’s corpse. Then she turned and her gaze focused on Sly. Her gaze fell when she saw him, her feet carrying her across the muddy ground to his side. He reached a hand up and there was a throbbing wound in his neck, more littering his chest and he grimaced as he pushed himself upright. “You are hurt,” Emi said. He glanced up at her face as her fingers reached out, brushing the cuts on his chest. He caught her fingers and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Yep,” he said. “So let’s get this thing with Bowser over with, yeah?” “I apologize sealbreaker,” she said. “I told you I would protect you.” She bowed her head and stared at her fingers and he didn’t understand why she took it so personally that he was always getting his ass kicked. It had been going on for a long time before he met her, it wasn’t that surprising that demons wanted to get in on the action. Fuck, that giant spider demon had interrupted one just so that it could get its own licks in and he should really just be used to it by now. “And you did, sugar,” he said, ducking his head to smile at her. She didn’t return it but he didn’t really expect her to. He sighed and reached out a hand to squeeze her shoulder, letting go before she could push him away again. “Don’t sweat it babe. Everybody wants to kick my ass, and I can deal with some cuts and scrapes as long as I can still walk around, which I can thanks to you. Though you know, if you really want to insist on a spanking I’ve already stated that I’m okay with that, as long as there’s a short skirt involved. Now what I’m really worried about is how the fuck are we going to get out of this pit. I mean, we beat the damn trial, right?” As if in response to his words the ground began to rumble and he reached out to cling to the wall, fingers sinking into the dirt as it shook around him. His head rose and he saw far side begin to crumple inwards, forming a staircase up to the top. He snorted and shook his head. “Well that’s a neat trick. Ask and you shall receive or some bullshit, right?” Wenston They climbed the dirt stairs out of the pit. As soon as Emi reached the top, she turned and grabbed Sly’s sleeve, making sure he made it out alright before she quickly let go of him and took a couple steps away. He’d been hurt. Again. He had too many bloody marks on him and too many bruises. She was failing. She’d never failed at her duties before and she wondered if she kept making the mistakes she made, if the fates would come and strip her of her duties. She shuddered at the thought. “That was like, Evil Dead creepy,” Sly said, his fingers gingerly touching the new wound on his neck. It was still bleeding and Emi frowned at that. She stalked forward, grabbing his arm and ripping his sleeve off before he could stop her. “Hey!” he protested. “What is it with you and destroying my shirts. I’m not gonna have any clothes left by the time we’re done with this. Which if that happens, the only proper thing would do for you to give up your clothes too. So maybe you should just keep ripping my shirts off. It could lead to something fun.” Emi ignored him, gently using his own sleeve to create a makeshift bandage for the wounded area. She tore it into strips to hold it in place and as she was doing so, she told him, “You talk too much.” Sly snorted, then winced as she pressed a little too hard on his wound. She immediately lightened her touch, flicking a worried gaze at his face, but he was smiling. “Well, one of us has to talk,” he said. “Otherwise we’d be walking around in silence because you aren’t exactly a conversationalist.” When Emi got the bandage tied around his neck, she looked at the new scratches on his arms and his chest and she just frowned at them, because there were so many. “We must clean these when we return to your home,” she said, looking at his face. “We must face Genbu now. Are you well enough to continue?” “What if I said no?” Sly asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Emi narrowed her eyes. “I would suspect you were lying,” she said flatly, taking that as answer enough to the testament of his well being. She turned around, resting one hand lightly on the hilt of her katana, while the other came up to touch gently as her ribs as she started walking. There was a dull throb there, but only because she’d pushed the pain to the back of her mind. When they got back to Sly’s place, she would let herself feel it. But only once they were safe. Otherwise it could slow her or hinder her and she’d already let him get hurt enough. Sly jogged to catch up to her, walking along beside her. “So we’re after Bowser now,” he said and she wondered who this Bowser he kept talking about was. “What’s he like? Does he have an army of baby turtles running around? Does he shoot fire? Control ghosts?” “He is impenetrable,” she said, keeping her gaze forward. The path ahead of them lead towards an opening and when she squinted to look through the trees, she could see water in the distance. That’s where Genbu would be. He was a demon of the water. “Impenetrable?” Sly asked, ducking his head to try and look at her face. “You mean like, unstab-able by kick ass swords?” Emi frowned at the words, but nodded. “Yes,” she answered. “Kaidokusuru alone is no match for Genbu.” She lifted her hand, jangling the sigils around her wrist. “It will need help.” “Awesome. I love the flaming sword, by the way,” he grinned. “What else you got there? Do you have a lightning bolt one? Or like, can you turn it into a lightsaber?” Emi shook her head. “I only have the power of the elements. Fire, earth, wind and water. I have beaten Genbu many times with the use of the fire sigil. He is of water. It is his weakness.” “That’s hot,” Sly said, laughing to himself afterwards and she just nodded in agreement, because yes, the fire sigil did make Kaidokusuru very hot. Sly glanced over at her, his eyes going to her katana. “So, why’d you name your sword that? Kay-doe-whatever.” “Kaidokusuru,” she corrected. “And I did not name it. It chose its name.” Sly looked slightly apprehensive at that, his hand coming up to scratch at his cheek. “It doesn’t…talk like the Grimoire does, does it?” Emi gave him a sideways look and then said, “No. Every great warrior has a spiritual connection with their weapon. Kaidokusuru and my spirits are as one. Together, we can accomplish any task set before us. And if we should fall, we always rise again and overcome that which bested us. I am nothing without it and it is nothing without me. Kaidokusuru chose its name through accomplishing with me great worth.” Sly nodded like he understood, but Emi wasn’t sure if he did. It was a hard thing to explain to those not disciplined in the areas she was. “So, what does it mean?” He asked. “The name.” “Unbreakable will,” she answered swiftly, glancing over at him. “Together, we will never be broken.” They fell silent after that. Sly looked like he was thinking about what she’d told him. She kept her eyes vigilant on their surroundings, but she also noticed the way his hands shook down at his sides and the sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could return to his home and he could take his medicine. She almost asked him if he needed to stop and take some here, but his medicine seemed to make his head fuzzy and she needed him to be alert. Reaching the edge of the forest, they came out of the path onto the shore of a lake. It was clear and vast. On the opposite shore, the forest continued. There was one, single island in the middle of the lake, with gnarled, leafless trees growing like thorns out of the ground. If she squinted, she could make out a figure or a statue in the center of the island, but she couldn’t see what it was from here. Sly leaned forward, peering down into the water. “So, where’s the turtle?” he asked, looking back to her for the answer. Emi studied him for a moment and he was surprising her with his eagerness and capabilities today and she really did think he underestimated himself. If he learned how to harness is powers as a Magician, he could be a great warrior. She almost told him that, but then she pointed out at the island. “There,” she said. “He is there and he is waiting for us.” Sly turned to look at where she was pointing. Emi looked up and down the shore and to her right, a little ways down, she could see a small rowboat. “Come,” she told him, starting to walk along the shore. “Uh, don’t you think he’ll see us coming in that piece of crap boat?” Sly asked, hurrying to keep up with her. Emi reached the boat, picking up the oars and one of them was broken, but the other was intact. She inspected the boat and when she pushed it slightly into the water, she didn’t see any leaks or holes. She turned to look at Sly, her face serious. “He already knows we are here.” .Wolfie. Emi edged the boat into the water, holding it steady for Sly to climb in it but he paused on the shore.He chewed on the hoop in his lip, one hand pressed against his chest where he could feel fresh marks and blood slick under his fingers and for a minute he just couldn’t get his feet to go anywhere. His gaze rose to the island floating in the middle of the lake where they were supposed to face a giant turtle demon and he was already beat to hell and he didn’t want to die. “Maybe I should just wait here,” he said, forcing a smile across his face. “I mean, you’re the one with the flaming sword, odds are pretty good I’m just going to stand there and get stomped. Aw come on, don’t give me that look, babe.” She’d turned to look at him, her expression contorting for a split second into something like disappointment and he sighed because he didn’t like that look. He didn’t like it when she looked at him like he was a coward or worse. He scrubbed a hand across his mouth and even as he did he could feel his hands trembling even as he did. “Baka,” she said, forcing her expression into a calm mask. “You must face your fears. You are stronger than you realize, but you must have faith in yourself.” He snorted and looked away. “Sure, babe,” he said, scratching at the marks on his chest. He heard her quiet sigh and neither of them moved for a moment. His eyes were focused on the island, the anxiousness and fear settling in his gut and his fingers still moving across his skin. He nodded his head, looking down at his muddy boots and he knew he had to get in the fucking boat he just really didn’t want to. He didn’t want to get crushed to death by a demon turtle or drowned in its lake or any number of other terrible things that he could imagine happening. His body hurt and all he wanted to do was shoot up and take the sting off it and he knew if he did then he would probably just end up standing there stupidly if Bowser did try and crush him. “Is it your sickness?” Emi asked quietly. His head rose to look at her and she was still standing half in the water with her fingers wrapped around the edge of the boat. She glanced over her shoulder once at the island and then back at his face and he saw her suck in a breath like she didn’t want to ask the next question. “Do you need your medicine?” He stiffened at that, fingers tightening around the strap of his backpack and he wanted to tell her fuck yes he needed it. He wanted to sit his ass down on the bank right then and there and take a hit and if he stood there much longer he probably would. “I can wait,” he said. He snapped the words out and he could hear the irritation in his voice but it wasn’t for her. It was because he wanted it badly and he knew if he took his hit now it could get him killed and even if it didn’t then he would want another when he got home and he was falling down that slope fast enough already. He wasn’t a junkie. Maybe if he kept saying that it would be true. “You handle the slicing and the dicing with that flaming sword of yours and I’ll take care of the hiding and crying. Sound good?” Sly made his feet move, wading into the water behind her and swinging his backpack into the boat. He held it steady and jerked his head at her, forcing a grin across his face. She was giving him a curious look and he didn’t know what it was but he didn’t have the attention span to try and analyze it now. He was just trying to keep his hands steady because they were trembling just holding onto the edge of the boat. She watched him for a moment and then swung her sword into the bottom of it, hauling herself over the side and into the rickety wooden thing. Her hands gripped his forearms as she helped him climb in after her and then she let him go. He slumped against the bottom of it, arms resting across his knees and his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to ignore the tremors that raced through him. He chewed on his lip ring and tried to ignore just how badly he was still tempted to pull out that black case. He cleared his throat and focused on Emi, making himself smile at her. “So I was thinking, and yeah, I know, hold the parade.” She snorted but didn’t smile so he grinned for both of them. “What were you thinking?” she asked. She was using the one broken oar to push their way through the water, alternating sides so they didn’t just spin in circles. “Maybe when we get back I’ll try to get my hands on a gun.” He chuckled after he said it, scrubbing his hands over his face. His fingers lingered on the hoop in his lip and he tugged on it before letting his hands drop back down to his side. She was still just watching him and he didn’t understand why he cared what she thought about him or if she was disappointed. “I mean I’m secure in my manhood and I got no problem letting you slice and dice the army of darkness, but a boomstick backing me up could be nice.” She nodded her head, hands arms still moving and pushing them through the water. “Then you should do that,” she said calmly. He nodded to himself, resting his chin on his arms and ignoring how badly he was trembling. Sly turned his head to the side and he watched the dark water as they moved through it. The island grew closer and he focused on that and the twisted and dead trees that covered it. There was a layer of green grass and moss that trailed off into the water but he didn’t see any sign of the giant turtle they were supposed to fight, just a large statue in the midst of the dying forest. Emi was quiet as she rowed them closer to the bank, pushing them through the water with her single paddle. She had cuts on her arms and she was sitting a little awkwardly like she was in pain but she didn’t say anything because she was that fucking badass. As soon as they got close enough Emi stood and hopped out of the boat, grabbing the edges and dragging it close to shore. Sly made himself climb out and help her, his hand curling around the other side and helping pull it out of the water. She used the rope at the front to tie it to one of the dying trees. The water was soaking through his boots and he slipped on the wet grass and moss, knee hitting the ground hard. Emi glanced over at him and he just smirked and waved his hand at her. “I’m good,” he said, pushing himself up. She slung the katana at her side and he threw the backpack over his shoulder, following her through the spindly trees towards the center of the island. She was focused on the large statue in the middle and he glanced around behind them, wondering where the giant turtle they were supposed to fight was. “So once we kill this thing, how do we get home?” he asked. Emi glanced back at him, hand resting on her katana. “When Genbu is defeated the way back to your world will open for us.” He snorted and grinned, tugging the backpack higher on his shoulder. “Awesome,” he said. “Well as long as we don’t get dropped back into the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese I’m cool with the magic fix.” They hiked up the small incline to the statue and he got a better look at it. It was a stone statue of a samurai warrior and he was probably about eight feet high. In one hand he held a bronze gong dangling from a string and in the other he held a mallet. Emi didn’t hesitate, stepping forward in front of the statue and clasping her hands in front of her. She gave it a slight bow of respect before she moved forward to slide the mallet out of his hand. She held it in both of hers and then swung hard at the bronze gong. Sly winced at the sound that burst out of it because he hadn’t expected it to be that loud. It echoed over the earth and across the water before it was reflected back at them. Emi didn’t flinch, hands tightening around the mallet. She turned and scanned the area around them and he didn’t know what she was waiting for until the ground began to rumble beneath their feet. There was a rush of water behind him and he turned his head over his shoulder to look because there were three large lumps rising up out of the lake, the water sliding down around them. “What the fuck?” he breathed, taking a step back as they rose and started to turn. They were heads. There were three giant turtle heads because they were standing on its back. One of the heads turned and he could see one large eye slid open and focus on them. Its iris was gray, the rest of it dark and black and he never thought he would find a turtle terrifying. Emi shifted and then she was hauling back and striking the gong again. A crack ran up its bronze surface and the sound echoed out across the water. A rumble pulled up from its throat and then the turtle was opening its mouth, its voice booming across the waves as it spoke. “Kōken'nin,” it said. “Come back later. It has been years since I was last free and I am enjoying this time in the world. Go find another akuma to bother.” Sly couldn’t help but laugh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Well at least he asked nicely,” he said, grinning at Emi. She glanced over at him with a frown and then she held her head up, looking back at the three giant turtle heads that were rising out of the waters. One of them grumbled and then settled back beneath the waves and Emi glared at it before looking at the one still watching them. “Genbu,” she said. “I will not retreat. You must return to your slumber and I am here to send you there.” She turned before the turtle could answer her, hand pulling back and striking the gong a third time. It broke and shattered beneath the blow, the pieces clattering to the grass beneath the statue. Sly shouted in surprise as the earth around them began to rumble and quake, barely catching himself on the spindly tree next to him. The ground beneath him was shaking and he heard a loud groan pull itself from the turtle’s mouth. It was shifting and moving and Emi dropped the mallet on the ground, pulling her sword out as the turtle began to shrink underneath them. Trees broke off and fell into the lake as the shore retreated. He stepped back as the ground pulled itself closer and closer towards them, feeling his back hit the stone statue behind him. “Uh, Emi?” he said, glancing over his shoulder at her because he really didn’t want to be dropped into the water with a giant turtle that wanted to kill him. Its heads were twisting as it shrunk and it finally stopped when it was about the size of an elephant. Then it turned to glare at them again, its other two heads twisting to try and look at them. “That was rude, Thirteenth Daughter.” Sly snorted and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “Yeah Emi, where are your manners?” Wenston Emiko shot Sly a glare before she stepped forward to grab his wrist and yank him down into a crouching position on the ground. He frowned at her, but she pointed a finger at his face and said, “Stay here and do not move.” Sly scoffed and looked back at Genbu’s massive heads apprehensively. Emi reached forward and snapped her fingers in front of his face. He turned to look at her with a look of bewilderment on his face. “Baka,” she demanded. “Say you will stay in this spot.” “Yeah, okay,” he said. “You slice and dice, I hide and cry. I get it.” She nodded, knowing that answer would have to be good enough for now. Whipping her head back to look at Genbu, she narrowed her eyes at the demon because the three tortoise heads were tilting and watching them curiously. Emi felt along her wrist for the bracelet with the sigils and she felt the designs so she wouldn’t have to look away from the demon. She felt the design for fire and was about to unhook it when Genbu’s middle head yawned lazily. “Kōken'nin,” he said, his voice slow and tired. “You bore me with threats of battle.” Emi narrowed her eyes and the middle head leaned forward a bit. She tensed, but the demon still made no move to strike at them. “I have been awake for a great many years, little Kōken'nin. I’ve found I rather enjoy life. I rather enjoy feeling the sun and hearing the wind. And it has given me time to learn new things about the worlds that I had never known possible before.” Emi frowned, because she didn’t like where this was going. Her fingers stilled around the sigil as Genbu’s heads rose up high, the ground, or shell, beneath their feet rumbling, rising. Genbu was sucking in a breath of air, making the wind whip pass them. Emi reached out to grab onto Sly’s jacket in case he should be sucked in as well, but the gusts weren’t that powerful. Then the wind stopped and Emi watched Genbu because it was like the demon had just frozen. Its neck was popped out, its beak wide and there was a glow starting to form within its throat. A strange smell started to permeate through the air and beside her, she could hear Sly sniffing at the wind. “Uh, Emi?” he asked and her eyes remained focused on Genbu’s glowing throat. She saw the moment it shifted and she let out a cry, shoving Sly to the side and so much for staying in one spot. Sly cried out as Emi shoved him to the ground, rolling on top of him as the middle head opened its mouth, a wave of heat and fire blasting out from behind its beak. The fire struck the ground behind them and Emi kicked off with her feet, making them roll further away from the scorching heat. “What the fuck!” Sly yelled as they sat up. Emi went back to the sigils around her wrist. She could not use the strength of fire this time to defeat the tortoise. He had learned new tricks of his own. She would have to go about this through a different route. “He shoots fire? You said he doesn’t shoot fire. When the hell did he learn how to shoot fire?” Sly was raving, his voice panicked and a frightened. “I do not know,” she said calmly, her fingers finding another of the sigils on her bracelet. She unhooked it and held it in her palm, bringing it to her lips and whispering into her fist, “Chikyū watashi ga anata ni denwa.” She was asking the earth to lend her its strength. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her fist burst into a pale yellow glow. Brown cracks formed over her skin and she let out a quick breath as the cracks spread out across her body, marring her skin like she were made of stone or brick. When it was finished, her eyes rose to look at the three heads again. The middle head looked like it was rearing again to send a blazing blast their way. The other two opened their mouths and fire formed between their beaks, ready to come their way. She heard Sly let out a strangled cry and she growled as she swung herself around, shoving Sly down the remainder of Genbu’s shell where he tumbled and hit the water with a splash. It left her in the wake of the fire. She braced her arm above her to shield her face and she could feel the warm flicker of flames hitting her with force, but all she felt was warmth. Not burning. Not charring or scalding or flaking of her skin. Just warmth. When the flames died, she lowered her arm and her skin was glowing red, but not burning. Genbu’s heads tipped to the side, confused for a moment and Emi took that moment to her advantage. She charged forward. Kaidokusuru held out to her side, she reached the base of the leftmost tortoise head and leapt onto its neck, using the angle and its wrinkled skin to propel herself upwards and towards the gaping jaws. The middle and rightmost head both let out squawking roars as Emi flashed her blade across the tortoise beak. Impenetrable as Genbu may have been, she’d made herself the same why by using the strength of earth sigil. Kaidokusuru left only a knick in the demon’s beak, but it distracted it enough for her to bring her fist around and slam it into the demon’s eye. As the head reared up with a roar, she grabbed onto the skin above the now mutilated eye and held on tightly as it raised itself high into the air with a screech. She swung herself around so she was straddling the back of Genbu’s left head and she brought a fist down onto the soft spot on the back of its skull. The skin cracked and the top most layer chipped away, flaking down into the water beneath with a splash. She brought Kaidokusuru high above her head and then shoved it down into the hole she made. Immediately, the head stilled. She drove her katana deep down until it would go no further, hitting the hardened impenetrable skin on the other side. She paused there for a moment, eyes moving pass her fresh kill to the water, where she could see Sly grabbing onto the side of the boat and hauling himself up and over the edge. He lay in the boat, breathing heavily for a moment before he looked up at her. Seeing he was okay, she refocused on the fight, yanking her sword from the demon’s head and looking at the other two. The head she was currently on started to fall and she stood atop its skull, launching herself off the bloodied, dead head and towards the middle one again. The middle head backed away from her rapidly. She would have reached it still, but the rightmost head suddenly snapped forward, knocking sideways into her. The air left her lungs in a whoosh as she was tossed to the side with incredible force. If not for the strength of earth sigil, every bone in her body would have been broken and she thought of this because it was an injury she could not sustain. It was a mistake she should not have made. Emi hit the statue she’d broken the gong on and the statue crumbled beneath her. She tumbled in the rock and the dust, coming to a stop as she hit a tree, cracking and breaking the thick trunk. “Holy shit. Emi!” she heard Sly yell, frightened. She lay still for a moment, assessing if there was any damaged but she felt none. Then she pushed herself up and looked back to Genbu’s two remaining heads. The middle one was focused on Sly, while the right one was watching her progress. She climbed to her feet, aiming her sword at the head that was focused on her. “You will return to your slumber, akuma,” she spat. .Wolfie. Sly was starting to hate being the one who did the hiding and the crying.He was crouched in the bottom of the boat, fingers digging in tightly onto the wooden edge and his heart was thundering loudly in his ears because he would have sworn that he was about to sit there and watch Emi die. And yeah, he’d just met the girl a few days ago and maybe she never smiled for him and didn’t have much nice to say about him, but she was this cute, badass Asian samurai chick who’d already said that she was willing to die for him and he didn’t really want to see that happen. Emi ran along its back, her blade held out to her side and her other hand curled into a fist. He let out a worried hiss of breath as she launched herself off the earth, landing on the back of the turtle’s neck. She fell into a crouch, her hand pulling back and landing a blow to the base of its skull. The turtle howled and tossed its head as the bone cracked and broke and Emi braced herself with her fingertips. The turtle’s rightmost head turned and snapped at her but she flipped backwards, dodging the blow and snapping out with the blade. It drew a long gouge in its beak but it didn’t cut through it and it didn’t make it stop. It tossed its head again and butted her hard in the chest. A shout left his lips as she flew backwards but she caught herself midair, twisting so that she landed in a crouch. Her eyes were narrowed and intense as she focused on the two remaining heads and the hole that she’d already made in one. Her feet braced against the earth and then she was moving forward again, launching off the edge of the shell and back onto its head. “Kōken'nin,” the turtle said, its voice loud and annoyed. “You are growing tiring.” The turtle ducked its head and there was a rush of water as its back legs kicked and he tensed as he realized what it was doing. “Emi!” he shouted. She was crouched back near its shell, one hand holding on tightly as the turtle ducked its head and the other grasping her sword. Her skin looked like cracked earth and he didn’t know what she’d done but she’d broken a statue and was still going. She didn’t look back at him, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she jammed her sword down towards the turtle. The blade sunk into the hole she’d made and it tipped its head back and screamed before its final head, the one all the way on the right, took control and ducked its neck beneath the waves. He sucked in a breath and she just held on to the demon’s shell. Then the turtle dived under water and Sly shouted again as it disappeared beneath the waves with Emi still holding onto it. The rope attached to the boat jerked and he shouted again as it started to drag it all underwater behind it. He gripped the sides instinctively as the front bowed towards the water and sank below it and then the whole thing was snapping in half, the front of the boat being sucked down with the turtle and leaving Sly in the broken wooden pieces. A wave struck him, water splashing into his mouth as the remaining parts of the boat rolled over and forced him beneath the waves. He kicked his feet, one hand still holding onto the strap of his bag and the other groping desperately towards the surface for something to hold onto. The water around him was dark and impenetrable and he couldn’t see Emi or the demon and he didn’t know if she was okay. She had to be, the girl was a god damned warrior princess. He should probably just worry about himself. It was what he was best at after all. His arm broke the surface and he wrapped it around a chunk of floating wood. He gasped for air as his head popped above the waves and then he felt one striking him in the back and driving him towards the shore. The water struck him in the back again and he hit the shore hard, his hands and knees scraping against the dirt as he landed. He coughed hard, wiping a hand across his mouth. His boots pushed feebly at the ground, shoving himself up away from the water and his fingers pulling at the grass to try and get himself away from the waves. He hoped the book was fucking waterproof because otherwise he didn’t think it was going to be much good after this. He was having a hard time breathing as he dragged himself away from the water but he felt another wave strike him in the back and he slipped trying to get off his knees and onto higher ground. As soon as he was he twisted, slipping and falling onto his hip as he tried to look behind him. The water was wild and choppy but he didn’t see any sign of the turtle or Emiko and he hoped she was alright. He held a hand to his mouth as he coughed again and his eyes were wide and scared as he swept the water’s surface. She was going to be okay. She was way tougher than him, she could handle one stupid turtle that only had one head left, right? He saw the water rising and rushing onto the shore before the turtle followed it, charging out of the waves on four legs. Two of its heads were being dragged bloody and broken underneath it, leaving a trail of red behind it. Emi was still clinging to the back of its shell, her hand holding desperately to her blade and the other holding onto the turtle’s back. Its head was snapping and clacking behind it trying to get at her but the two broken heads were getting in its way. As soon as she saw the shore Emi pushed herself upright, pushing herself off the front of the shell and landing on the ground in between her and Bowser. She tucked and rolled, bringing her sword up and slashing it towards the turtle’s face as it charged Sly. Sly scrambled backwards to try and stay out if its way and he shouted as the blade drew sparks along the turtle’s beak. It tossed its head and then snapped its head down towards Emi. She ducked out of the way, her hand coming out and wrapping around its beak as she thrust her sword towards its head. The blade sunk into its eye and a sharp cry left its mouth as blood burst across Emi’s cheek in a dark slash. Its head thrashed to the side and she lost her grip around its head. She used the momentum to flip herself backwards on one hand; her feet touching gracefully back down on the ground. Her skin was still cracked and earthy, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Genbu sucked in a breath of air and his fingers clutched at the ground, feeling his feet slip on the wet grass. Its throat expanded and its mouth puffed out and Sly snarled a curse, whirling onto his hands and knees and trying to scramble away from what came next. He didn’t hear Emi come up behind him but he felt her strike his back hard, her body shielding his with hers as the fire suddenly rushed around them in a burst of orange and red. It smelled of sulfur and burning grass as it struck the ground. The hair on his arms crackled and burned and he shouted and ducked his head as it rushed around them. He felt the blast of heat and he could taste smoke in his lungs as it set fire to the earth around him. It was gone in a moment and then Emi was pushing herself back to her feet, hand curling in the back of his shirt and shoving him forward. “Go, Baka,” she ordered. He took a couple of stumbling steps before he turned and fell into a sitting position on the cracked and burned earth. Emi was standing in between him and the turtle, her blade held in one hand and her clothes scorched and singed as she stood guard. He focused on her face and for a moment her eyes darted towards him, scanning him to make sure that he was okay. As soon as she was assured he was alright she rushed forward back towards Genbu, her feet pushing herself up off the earth. One foot braced against the back of its shell and then she was snapping out a kick towards the back of its head. There was a loud crack and Genbu’s head snapped forward, slamming into the earth with a dull thump. Its feet kicked for a moment as it tried to drag itself farther out of the water, but then they went limp and it slumped down into the dirt, blood trickling from the corner of is beak. Its single good eye rolled back in its head, focusing on Emi as she jumped down beside it. The sword was held securely in her hand, water trickling off her and smoke rising off her clothes from the fire that had washed over her. “Kōken'nin,” the demon said, its voice a heavy sigh. Its head rolled to the side and then its eye focused on Sly for a moment. “I am so tired of being asleep.” Then it laughed, its voice a low rumble before its eye rolled up towards the sky. “I will see you again.” Emi smiled sadly and nodded her head. “Until next we meet, Genbu,” she said. Sly frowned at that because he didn’t understand why the demon would say that. Wasn’t killing them supposed to make all this bullshit stop? Then her fist was pulling back and she slammed it hard into the back of Genbu’s skull, splitting the skin and punching a hole to its spine. She twirled the blade in her other hand and then thrust it in through the hole, cutting through the bone and effectively severing its head from its body. It slumped onto the ground, blood trickling out behind it in a slow river. She withdrew her sword and cleaned it with the edge of her sword before sheathing it and then bowed her head in respect. Sly watched her for a moment before his eyes dropped to the dead turtle and for a moment he couldn’t think of anything to say. His teeth tugged at the hoop in his lip and one hand came up to cover his mouth because he knew this was the part where he was supposed to make a bad joke but for a moment he couldn’t think of one. His lip ran over the metal in his mouth and he looked back up at Emiko because she was turning to look at him. Her feet carried her lightly across the ground and he watched her lift the sigil to her lips and press a kiss to it before the broken, earthy look left her skin and she was just Emi again. She crouched down in front of him, hands coming up to tilt his chin from one side to the other as she scanned him for new injuries and he didn’t think that was fair because she was the one that had almost drowned. He blinked and watched her and then she ducked her head so that she was looking into his eyes. “Sly?” she asked. “Are you alright?” He swallowed hard and forced a smirk across his face, hand dropping to his knees and he didn’t know if it was shaking because he was terrified that he’d almost died or because he was craving his hit in a bad way but either way he didn’t like it. “So,” he said. “I guess your princess is in another castle.” Wenston The door appeared shortly after Genbu had gone cold. Just a simple door in the rockface of the shoreline where Genbu’s body lay bleeding into the water, turning the lake red. They’d walked through it with only a moment’s hesitation as Emi turned to bow her head one last time to the fallen demon. She knew it wasn’t right, Daisuke would never condone such thoughts, but she almost felt sorry sometimes when she dispatched the demons. There was little difference between her and theme, aside from their purpose in this never ending cycle. They both only rose and lived when the seal was broken. Except it had seemed the Thirteen this time around had been risen for some time. As they passed through the door, it turned out they hadn’t wound up in the evil ball pit they’d had to climb through to get to Genbu. Instead, it came out in an alleyway only a few blocks from Sly’s home. They walked quietly for a little bit of the ways, each lost in thought. Sly was getting more and more twitchy the closer they got to his home and she suspected he needed his medicine badly. When his hand came up to scratch at his chest, he seemed to realize something and then he was pulling his shirt up to look at the tattoo on his chest. There was a new part to it, next to the spindly spider was a tortoise shell, devoid of the creature that lived within. “Well, that’s manly,” he complained, letting his shirt fall back into place, but his hand still moved across his chest like it itched or something beneath it itched. He was looking a little pale and Emi frowned with worry. “Where will you find your boomstick?” she tried to ask nonchalantly, to draw his mind away from whatever sickness he must be feeling. He turned to look at her, a highly amused expression on his face and she wondered if she’d said something wrong, but he just grinned at her. “Well, I could always try the pawn shop, but it takes a long time to get a permit,” he said, lifting his hand to scratch at his cheek instead. He was moving constantly, fidgeting and antsy. Emi nodded her head, looking forward again because he was making her antsy with just how antsy he was. She lifted a hand to touch at her side gently. Now that they weren’t in the heart of battle, she was letting herself feel the pain she was in and her side was in agony. When she pressed her fingers against a certain rib, it sent hot spikes of pain through her body. She wondered if a bone was broken. She would have to wrap her side when she got to Sly’s and hope if something was broken, it wouldn’t go into her lungs. She’d seen a man die of that once. “You could use your magic,” she suggested quietly. Sly snorted. “Yeah, look, I’m small time. I don’t even know what one of those permits look like.” “You should try,” Emi told him. “You may surprise yourself with what you are capable of.” He went quiet for a little bit after that and Emi didn’t say anything further until he looked over at her and said, “Speaking of capabilities, I didn’t know you could turn into the Thing.” At the frown she shot at him, he added, “Make yourself into a rock? Like the Thing? Fantastic Four?” She nodded. “The sigils are for both myself and Kaidokusuru. Two for me, two for it. Fire and Ice belong to my blade. Earth and Water belong to me. We share our power equally.” “Sharing and caring, huh?” he snorted and she didn’t understand the joke, but he moved on before she could ask what he meant. “Hey, so what did you mean when you told that turtle ‘until next we meet?’ I thought once we killed these demons, they’d stay dead. We’re not going to have to fight like, an undead turtle, are we?” Emi sighed and shook her head. “You will not face Genbu again, no. I will. I have faced him many times.” She ducked her head as they walked. “The Thirteen are bound to the Grimoire, just as I am. If the seal is intact, we remain slumbering. If it is broken, we are awoken. When one of the Thirteen dies, it is not for good. It is only until the seal is broken once more.” “Oh,” Sly said, running his hand through his hair and biting at the metal in his lip. “So, when the seal is fixed, you what? Just disappear and go to sleep?” He glanced over at her, giving an awkward chuckle, but it died off when he must have thought about what he was asking. “Slumber is just what we call it,” she explained patiently. “It is more like, we simply cease to be. For me, I kill the thirteenth demon, help the sealbreaker close the seal, and then…” she frowned, trying to think of how she could explain this to him. She knew little of how it worked herself. She shrugged. “I simply cease,” she repeated. “It is like I am standing in the world as I’ve come to known it, I close my eyes for only a moment, and when I awaken, the world has changed around me and the seal is broken again.” She swallowed and she wasn’t sure why her explaining it was making her throat close up, but it was. Sly let out an odd noise and when she looked at his face, he was frowning, looking down at his boots. “Well, that must suck,” he said, looking up at her. “It is not so bad,” she said quietly. Then she steeled her face and squared he shoulders. “It is duty and there is no room for complaints.” “Hey, there’s always room for complaining,” Sly said and laughed at himself afterwards. Emi gave him a look, but didn’t say anything after that. They reached his home a few minutes later and they climbed the stairs tiredly. Emi’s body was aching. Sly was shaking when he reached his front door. He opened it for her and they stepped inside. He went to the couch immediately and then turned around to look at her as he set his backpack down, already pulling it open. “You take the shower first,” he said. “I’m just gonna be out here. Don’t worry about using the all the hot water. I’m not gonna care in a minute,” he grinned and she didn’t understand, but she moved to do as he said, grabbing a fresh pair of clothes off his table where she’d left it that morning. She stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and once it was closed, she let out a long sigh, wincing and putting her hand to her ribs. She’d been trying to hide it in front of him and now that she was alone, she let the pain show through on her face. She walked gingerly to the sink, pulling off her tattered, ruined clothes, or what was left of them anyway. They’d been almost burned up by Genbu. When she got her shirt off, she took a look at her side and grit her teeth at the vivid, dark bruising along her ribs. There were scratches all along her skin and more bruises spotted here and there about her body. She met her own eyes in the mirror and just gazed upon herself for a moment, thoughts of failures racing through her head. Then she closed her eyes and she thought of Sly. He’d done well today. He’d tricked the gatekeepers and he’d faced his fears with minimal goading. She sighed and ducked her head before turning and starting the water, hand pressed firmly against her ribs. She thought about swimming in the river and how excited he’d been. She thought about how he’d rubbed mud on her nose and had splashed her in the water and how he was constantly teasing her, but also explaining things to her. He was an odd sealbreaker. But she knew it wasn’t him who had to try harder. It was her. .Wolfie. Three : Senshutokage Sylvester Waite wasn’t a junkie. He told himself that the third time he shot up on a Tuesday afternoon, one boot braced against his coffee table and his teeth clamped down hard around the rubber tubing. His hand was only shaking a little as he pushed the needle into his vein and he didn’t care that there was already a little red mark there from where he’d done this two hours ago. All he cared about was that the last hit hadn’t lasted and he wanted to get high. He wanted that blast of euphoria to white out his mind and make it all just go away. He wanted the pain to go away and he wanted his miserable life to go away and this was his way out. After the second hit he’d stopped caring enough to go to the bathroom to get high because fuck it, it was his apartment and if he wanted to stick a needle in his veins then he would. It had started because there were still scratches on his chest and marks on his neck that were hurt and they stung painfully even after he’d showered and taken his morning hit. Then he’d asked himself why he bothered at all. He was going to die. There were demons trying to kill him so who the fuck cared if he was floating a million miles off the ground when it happened. At least he wouldn’t feel it. A sigh left his lips and his head tipped back against the couch, the rubber tube slipping from between his teeth. His head was swimming and a lazy smile creased his face because that was a million times better. He couldn’t for the life of him remember why he’d bothered trying to stay sober at all. He wasn’t scared and he wasn’t worried or anxious. He was just warm, his body sinking into the couch and the world looking fuzzy and distant around him. If he did enough of it then it almost felt like it had in the beginning. There’d been a girl. There was always a girl where Sly was involved because he was a sucker for a pretty face and a pretty mouth. Her name had been Paige and she dyed her hair blonde and pretended she was some British punk. She wanted them to be like Sid and Nancy and Sly had gone along with it because he was sixteen and he would do anything for her just so she’d go down on him. She gave him a needle and showed him the way and he’d never looked back, even when she was long gone. He didn’t hear her footsteps. He never did, because she was a god damned ninja. “What are you doing?” Emi asked. For a moment he didn’t open his eyes, but the lazy smile grew wider. He could feel the needle still in his fingers and he knew there was still a spoon and his candle sitting on the coffee table. There was a little bit left in his bag and maybe it would get him into tomorrow. Or maybe it would just get him through tonight and he didn’t much care right now if that’s what happened. If it did he’d just call Ash and she’d fix him up like she always did and make sure he was flying high. Sly forced the lids open and it felt like so much effort just to do that. His smile grew even though Emi looked annoyed and concerned because she was a hot chick paying attention to him and he was never going to argue with that. Her arms were braced on the back of the couch and he thought maybe she’d been making ramen or watching the TV or working out and he didn’t really know. He couldn’t really remember what day it was anymore. He wasn’t sure it mattered but wasn’t that the kind of thing that people were supposed to know? And then he remembered that was regular people, not people like him. “I’m getting high, babe,” he told her bluntly. She frowned at that, her brow wrinkling and making a line appear between her eyes. He didn’t like it. She was always fucking frowning or glaring and it wasn’t fair because the few smiles he’d gotten out of her were perfect. She had a perfect mouth and his gaze dropped to that for a moment, his tongue playing with the hoop in his lip. There were a thousand things he could imagine her doing with that mouth and he had to shake his head to forget about them. “Why, you want to join me?” He grinned up at her, nodding his head at the table. “I’ve probably got just enough.” Her frown deepened as she focused on the mess he’d left on the table. “Is that your medicine?” she asked. He snorted out a laugh, letting his eyes drift shut for a moment. “Yeah,” he said, “my medicine.” He rolled his tongue in his mouth after he said it and it was weird how he could almost taste the lie for what it was. It wasn’t the cure, it was the sickness, and he frowned because he didn’t want to be thinking like that right now and she was ruining his buzz. A sigh left his lips and he pushed himself into a sitting position, fingers thick and clumsy as he started to pack his tools back away. She was still watching him from over the couch because that’s what she did. She watched him and she judged him and he didn’t know why he cared if she was looking down on him right now or if she was disappointed when he wanted to turn tail and run. Sly hadn’t lived this long by getting in the middle of fights. If anything he’d almost died a couple of times because he wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way. He’d taken his share of beatings and about the only thing he knew how to do well was get back on his feet when it was over. That’s what he did. He ran and he lied and he cheated his way out of trouble. “You said I should start worrying if you take it more than twice a day,” she said quietly behind him. He sighed at the words, gritting his teeth together and dropping his head into his hand. He had his elbow braced on his knee and he scrubbed roughly at his hair before dragging his hand back down across his mouth. He could barely feel it. He could barely feel his fingers moving across his lips or scraping at the thick layer of stubble on his chin. He could barely feel his own skin but he could feel the heat of her disapproval and he wondered how the fuck that was fair. “This is the third time just today.” He snorted out a laugh, shoving the rest of his things into his case and he couldn’t guarantee they’d stay there but he could pretend. He wasn’t a junkie, after all. He just had a habit. He dropped it into his backpack and pulled out his cigarettes. Sly didn’t answer her until he had one lit and took the first drag off it. Then he tipped his head back against the couch again so that he could look up at her. His eyes were lidded and he let the lazy smile crease his face again when he saw her. Maybe if he kept smiling it would rub off on her. “Listen babe, I know what I said. But I’m a fucking liar, remember? It’s sort of one of my defining personality traits. Along with cheat and thief, but liar sort of includes both of those things already.” She shifted uncomfortably, arms crossing under her chest. “Are you alright?” she asked. “Is your sickness getting worse?” A frustrated groan left his lips and then it turned into a laugh. He stuck the cigarette between his lips and took a thick drag of smoke before he blew it out into the air above his head. “Babe,” he said, shaking his head at her. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m a liar before you get the picture?” She watched him for a moment, her eyes narrowing and he could never tell what she was thinking. Especially not right now. He didn’t even know what he was thinking and he chuckled at that, closing his eyes and putting the cigarette back in his mouth. Already he felt himself sinking back into the couch, his whole body warm and he just felt good. He felt warm and he was at home with a hot chick standing over him, whether she was happy to be there or not. Nothing was trying to kill him and no one was screaming at him that he owed them money. His tongue played with the hoop in his lip and it knocked the cigarette loose, dropping it onto his pants. He cursed and brushed it off onto the carpet, putting it out with his boot. It left a trail of ash behind and he swept that off his pants onto the floor before he settled back against his couch. “You’re not sick, are you?” Emi asked quietly. He opened one eye to look at her and he smirked before he shut it again. “Not in the way you’re thinking,” he told her. He sucked in a breath and his lungs barely wanted to cooperate with him. He didn’t understand that. He didn’t understand why he’d been having such a hard time breathing lately. Maybe it was because he’d been flattened into a god damned mud hole or dragged underwater by a giant turtle demon and that was only two of thirteen. He snorted and brushed it off because whatever they came up against next, Emi could handle. Maybe she could just get the next one alone. There was a loud banging noise and he jumped at the sound of it, jerking up on the couch. One hand went to hold his head and his eyes were wide and startled as they focused on Emi. She was glaring at him, her arms crossed over her chest and the book sitting in front of him on the coffee table. She nudged it closer with her knee, voice harsh and irritated. “If you’re not ill then you should be working,” she told him. “You still have not acquired your boomstick and there are still eleven demons out there who wish you ill. I suggest you begin researching them before you find yourself face to face with the next one.” He scrubbed both hands over his face before he forced himself to blink both eyes open and focus on the book. The silver snake coiled on the front of it and he felt a small chill when he saw that because he still didn’t like touching the fucking thing. His tongue came out to play with the hoop in his lip and then he shook his head at her, pushing himself back on the couch. “Jesus, you’re like my mom. Or at least what I imagine one of those is like,” he said, and her eyes narrowed at that. “Just let me take a fucking nap or something. Go make yourself ramen or watch the magic box, just leave me the fuck alone for an hour, okay princess?” Sly kicked his boots off his feet and stretched out on the couch and he didn’t look to see if she did what he told her. He closed his eyes and lied and told himself he wasn’t a junkie. Wenston For a long moment, Emi just watched Sly. He just sat there with his eyes closed and his boots off and he was oblivious to the world around him. He wasn’t sick and Emi was processing that over and over in her mind as she just studied him. The Grimoire sat on the table in front of him and he’d only glanced at the book and then cast it aside and she didn’t understand the intensity of the disappointment she felt in her chest. She’d knew when they’d first met that he was a liar and a thief and a cheat, and maybe she’d forgotten that she wasn’t suppose to believe in him or expect anything good out of him. But she had. And that was her mistake. When it didn’t look like he was going to respond any more to her, she narrowed her eyes and stood silently, not making even the slightest of noises as she walked over to the table and grabbed the Grimoire, picking it up like it were fragile. She held it in her hands and looked down at his scruffy face again and she was confused by the anger and the hurt that was brewing inside of her because he was only the sealbreaker. That title was never meant to be something of power. It just happened to become one when only the powerful had wanted to raise Izanagi. “Sly,” she said his name quietly. He groaned loudly, not opening his eyes. His hands came up to cover his face and he let out a frustrated yell. “Look, just leave me the fuck alone for an hour, that’s all I want. Jesus. I can’t believe I’m not even dating you and you’re still such a damn control freak.” Emi’s face remained passive and slack and she pulled the Grimoire tight against her chest, her katana at her side and her hair pulled back and it had been her mistake. It had been her mistake to think that she wasn’t alone in this war this time around. But now she knew she was, because he couldn’t be trusted and he couldn’t be depended on or thought to make the right decisions. He was a nothing and a nobody and it was her mistake to think otherwise in the first place. “I wish you had not opened the Grimoire,” she said, her voice still quiet and emotionless. Sly snorted. “You and me both, babe,” he grumbled, his eyes still closed and his arms crossed over his chest. “That thing’s only brought me trouble.” Emi’s eyes narrowed at him. “You are right,” she said and then stepped pass the couch, heading towards his bedroom. When she reached the door, she said back to him, “Nothing good has come of it.” She didn’t wait for his reaction. She slammed the door shut behind her and flipped the lock and turned around, looking at his messy bedroom. The bed was unmade and there were clothes strewn about the floor. Drawers of his dresser were open and there was a tiny closet that looked as though it had been filled to the brink and everything had just come tumbling out onto the floor. She walked carefully over the items littering the floor and pulled the blankets on the bed up, smoothing them out before she set the Grimoire down on top of it. She glanced around the room and for a moment, she felt lost. She felt out of place in her own world and maybe this wasn’t her world anymore. Maybe she didn’t have one. It was just a constant, never-ending cycle she was stuck in. It would never end and because of that, she only had herself. Kicking some clothes out of the way, she cleared a spot on the floor next to the wall beside the bed. She walked around the room, rummaging through his things and she didn’t care if he didn’t like her looking at his stuff. She found a black marker on top of his dresser and she uncapped it. The smell was almost overwhelming, but she turned around and walked back over to the spot she had cleared, sitting down cross legged on the ground. She began to draw on the wall. The lines were smooth and neat. The detail as clear as she could make it with the marker she had. The image was of a man in armor, standing in the doorway to an old home. Beneath it, she wrote his name in Japanese, “Daisuke,” she whispered, hoping to give the image life and then she put the cap back on her marker and sat back a ways, examining her work. It was nothing fancy and she hadn’t been able to capture the man’s true stature, but she closed her eyes for a moment and she could picture him as if it were yesterday in her head. When she opened her eyes again, the image was still there and she bowed her head out of respect. The image didn’t move, but in her mind, she made it. Speaking in Japanese, she addressed the image of the man. “Daisuke, I have let myself stray from your teachings,” she told him and she could almost see the man’s head lift and tilt as he looked on her, waiting for her to explain. He had always had such a stern look. “I need your guidance to remind me…” “You should have never forgotten,” he said, his voice low and mean. She bowed her head, nodding. “Forgive me,” she whispered. The man was quiet for a moment and Emi closed her eyes, thinking her memory had stalled. But, his voice came back strong. “We follow the way of loyalty,” he said. The words were familiar and soft on her lips. “To never turn my back on clan or country.” “We follow the way of honor,” he continued. Emi let out a slow breath. “To never forget our honesty, fairness or integrity.” Her mind when to Sly for a moment and she could hear his voice telling her he was a liar. He could hear him telling her that he wasn’t sick, not in the way she thought he was and she felt the disappointment in her chest again, so she pushed it down and numbed it. “We follow the way of obedience.” Emi’s brow marred and she whispered, “To never go against what we are ordered to do.” “We follow the way of filial piety,” he said and Emi lifted her head a little at that to look at the image she drew. The man’s head was tipped upward, looking down at her to show his superiority and she’d never had a problem with this virtue. “To respect our elders and ancestors,” she answered. “We follow the way of self-sacrifice,” he continued. “To give what we have so that others do not,” she said, her eyes focused and intent. She was surprised when the image of Daisuke leaned forward, his face going stern and mean and she knew that look so well. “We follow the way of duty,” he growled to her. She felt her chest tighten a bit and she puckered her lips. “To do what deeds we are morally bound to do,” she answered him. Daisuke tipped his head to the side and his eyes narrowed viciously. “You have a duty to the Sealbreaker, Emiko. Not only to ensure he closes the seal and keeps Izanagi from ascending, but to keep him alive. To keep him whole. What he does is dark and impure. You are duty bound to him. Do not let your disappointment or judgment cloud what must be done.” Emi looked down at her hands, her fingers playing with the bracelet there. She frowned and shook her head. “When is my duty fulfilled?” she asked quietly, lifting her head again. But she felt her heart drop when she saw the image had gone back to what she had drawn. Her own mind unable to answer her question. Her meditation had told her what she needed to hear, but not what she wanted. She shifted on the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She settled her chin on top of her knees and stared at the opposite wall. She knew what she had to do. She had to save the Sealbreaker and she couldn’t do that if he was destroying himself with whatever he was doing out there. She thought of the opium addicts she’d known. It would be hard. But she had to. It just didn’t have to be right now. She was going to keep the door locked and she was going to stay here until Sly was himself again. .Wolfie. When Sly woke he was disoriented and confused and he had an awful taste lingering in his mouth. His eyes felt gritty and sore when he tried to open them so he let the lids slide closed again and just stayed where he was for a while. His head hurt and he wondered why he was even awake because he couldn’t think of any good reason why he should be, at least not off the top of his head.He rolled over so that he was lying on his side and when he did he could see just how dark it was in his living room. All the lights were off and the TV was off and there wasn’t even any light coming in through the window. He wondered what time it was. He wondered what day it was or what he’d been doing because all of those things seemed fuzzy and far away right now. His hand rose to scratch at his chest and he winced when he felt the sore skin beneath his nails. He kicked his feet and rolled onto his back, tugging his shirt up so that he could look at his chest and as soon as he did it all came back to him. A low groan left his lips and his head fell back against the cushion because every time he went to sleep there was a little part of him that hoped he would wake up and find out that it had all just been a bad dream or a worse trip. Only there were three animals coiled on his chest and they were supposed to add more and he sure as fuck hadn’t put them there for shits and giggles. His hand came up and scratched at his neck, peeling off the Batman band aids and throwing them to the table next to him. His fingers moved across his skin, inspecting the other marks left there and he felt jagged scabs on the other side from where that creepy old woman had tried to rip his throat out. He grimaced and let his arm drop to his side as he groped for his bag. He dragged the backpack over to him and it was a struggle just to get it unzipped because he didn’t feel like sitting up to do it. He kept the other arm tossed over his eyes and he tried to think of one good reason why he shouldn’t just shoot up and go back to sleep. Emiko. That was one good reason and as soon as he thought about her a groan pulled its way from his chest because he was a moron. Sly wasn’t sure why he cared. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him that she would look down on him or possibly hate him because people had hated him before. Most of his ex-girlfriends did, because he was an addict, he was unreliable, he was a cheating bastard, they all had good reasons. But Emi hadn’t looked at him like that. She hadn’t hated him. So much for that. His hands came to his side, bracing against the cushions as he pushed himself upright. The world rocked around him and he pulled both hands up to cover his head until it settled into something secure and solid again. His fingers rasped over the stubble on his chin and he wondered if his eyes were as dark and sunken as he thought they were. He was a wreck. He was a rapidly derailing train and he crushed his eyes shut tighter because he was so fucking stupid. Once the world stopped being a fuzzy blur around him he dragged himself into a sitting position and pulled his bag closer. He let his hands go past the black case with however much heroin he had left in it and grab the pack of cigarettes instead. He nudged the backpack open farther after he pulled one out, dropping the pack back into his bag. The grimoire was gone and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His head rose and the door to his bedroom was still shut tightly. Odds were good that both Emiko and the book were behind that door and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth, wondering if he really wanted to go in there. She’d told him that nothing good had come of it. She wished that he had never opened it and that actually meant something now that he was starting to sober up. It meant something because if he hadn’t opened the book, then she wouldn’t be here. She wouldn’t exist. He hadn’t really thought much on that since she told him. He’d been too busy shooting himself full of that amber gold liquid that took him a thousand miles away from his problems and the things that wanted him dead. It was way too tempting to keep doing that now that he’d started so he kicked the bag away from him and pushed himself to his feet. They carried him across the apartment to his bedroom door and he leaned heavily against the frame, hesitating with one arm braced against the wood. Sly took a drag from his cigarette before he rested his hand against the wall and pounded on the door with one fist. “Emi?” he called. His voice sounded harsh and unrecognizable even to himself and he cleared his throat before he knocked again. He heard her undo the lock on the other side before it pulled open. Her eyes were narrowed as she focused on him and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth because he probably looked like shit. He felt like shit, it only seemed fair that he looked like it. “Hey,” he said, letting a smile crease his lips. “You want to keep hiding out in there or you want to grab some food?” She snorted and her jaw jutted as she lifted her head. “I do not hide.” He grinned and leaned harder against the door, nodding his head slowly. “Yeah, I know. That’s my job.” Emi watched him for a moment with narrowed and angry eyes and then she turned her back, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder as she went back into his room. He wondered how he should feel about that. He doubted she’d take anything but he didn’t like anyone going through his things. He nudged the door open with his foot, watching her as she walked to the bed and picked the grimoire off the covers. Then she was moving back across the room towards him, pushing past him into the living room. She didn’t look to see if he followed her, dropping the book down on the table before she turned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Ask it which demon is next,” she told him. “Ask the grimoire where the next door is.” He frowned, scratching the back of his neck as he moved slowly back towards the couch. Everything hurt and he was hungry but she looked like she didn’t want to hear it right now. He sucked on his cigarette, settling down on the edge of the couch as his hand moved up through his hair and he still felt a little numb and fuzzy. “Are you mad at me?” he asked her. She stilled at the question and he couldn’t read the emotion that flickered across her face. Then it was gone, replaced with the hard, cold mask and he hated the look of disappointment she gave him. “Yes,” she told him, and he nodded his head because that didn’t really surprise him. He picked at his jeans, digging holes in them with his fingers before he lifted his head back to her face. “But I should not be, because you are a thief and a cheat and a liar and you have told me these things many times. I am the one who forgot.” She sucked in a breath and then pointed at the book. “Ask it.” “Right now?” he asked, glancing nervously at the grimoire. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and he still had healing cuts on his chest and his neck. She was probably still banged up from going after Bowser, though maybe not. She was tougher than him. She was a god damn ninja queen and he didn’t think there was anything that could hurt her. Her and that sword of hers had been named pretty accurately, and he still couldn’t imagine what could have put scars on her back. “Yes,” she told him, giving him a scathing look. “Your job may be running and hiding, but mine is to close the seal and protect the sealbreaker. So ask where the next demon is so that I can fulfill my duty.” “So you can be done with me?” he asked, grinning up at her as his hand ran through his hair. The look she gave him was cold and unyielding. “Yes,” she said simply. That shouldn’t have hurt, but he winced when she said it anyway. “That stings,” he said, rubbing at his chest and smiling up at her. She didn’t return it. He chewed on his lip and then sighed and nodded. “Alright, babe,” he said quietly. He moved so that he was standing in front of the book, looking down at the snake curled on its surface that echoed the one on his chest. He took another drag from his cigarette and then licked his fingers and put out the end of it, tucking it behind his ear. “Hey book,” he said, jerking his head at it, like the fucking thing could see him anyway. Maybe it could, and the thought just creeped him out, making his head turn and glance around him for a moment. “Uh, so how about you tell us what the next demon is?” The wind blew through his apartment, making the book snap open and the pages flutter hurriedly in the breeze that he couldn’t feel. They moved and flipped until finally the book settled on one page and the others sank down against the bindings. Emi leaned forward and studied the drawing on the page and he glanced down at the ink sketch in front of him before he frowned. “Is that a T-Rex?” he asked, chewing on the hoop in his lip as he glanced at Emi. She took a step back, one arm crossed over her chest and the other resting on her blade. “That is Senshutokage, the lizard” she told him. Her voice was short and clipped and she looked like she would rather not be talking to him. It wasn’t that different from how she’d been when they first met but it was cold enough that it hurt. There was no trace of the girl that had gone swimming with him in the river or the one that kept asking him if he was alright. It shouldn’t have bothered him, he was and always had been a fuck up and she was just one more girl that hated him. Then she pointed at the book. “Ask where the door to his world can be found.” He sighed and slumped down on the couch, pulling his boots back on and not bothering to lace them. “Hey book,” he said. “Why don’t you do that neat little string trick again and show us where the door to this lizard demon is. And I swear to Christ if its in a Chuck E. Cheese I will leave you there for the kids to rip apart.” The wind blew threw again and smoke rose from the book in a gray cloud. He waited until he pulled the black hoodie on and the backpack slung over one shoulder before his hand came out to grab it. As soon as he did the book snapped shut. Emi stepped forward and gathered it up with one arm before turning her back on him and walking to the door. “Let’s go,” she snapped over her shoulder, and he bit his lip and didn’t tell her that he was still hungry. Wenston Emiko walked quickly down the sidewalk and she didn’t care that Sly was having trouble keeping up or looked like he was going to be sick. He’d done it to himself, so she had no pity for him. She was being cold and cut off and distant from him and she didn’t understand why when he looked sad she was the one that felt a little guilty. It was his fault. He was the one who’d submitted to weakness. She was going to get him through it. She just wasn’t sure how yet. She was in a rush to get to the door and to Senshutokage because she needed to remain focused and think and sitting around and eating food with him was not going to help her do either of those. He wasn’t going to be happy. She’d seen it before, with those who abused opium. They got mean. Sometimes violent. She wasn’t worried about that. She wasn’t afraid of him, there was no reason to be. “So, is this how its gonna be from now on?” Sly asked from behind her. She didn’t even look back at him. She didn’t want to see his face right now and if he wasn’t the sealbreaker, she wouldn’t have given him the time of day or a seconds thought on how she was going to help him. She’d leave him to his own turmoil. But he was the sealbreaker, and she had a duty to him. Daisuke was right about that and perhaps this was just another evil she had to protect him from. “What?” she snapped coldly. Sly snorted. “You,” he said. “Walking up there, ignoring me for the most part. I was straight with you up front. I told you what I was. I mean, I didn’t mean for you to see it so bluntly, but what can I say? I tried to warn you.” Emi snarled her lip a little because she’d said something similar to him when they were dealing with the Nomads and he hadn’t listened to her. She didn’t like him throwing her own words back at her. She just didn’t like him right now, period. He was mean and his head was in the clouds and he had no respect for himself or those around him. He would have never survived in her time. He would have been outcast and exiled very early on. “Yes,” she answered his previous question. “This is how it is going to be,” she said curtly, her ponytail swinging back and forth with her quick stride. She kept her eye on the string out of the corner of her eye, but mostly she just didn’t even want to look at him. Not until she knew for sure what she was going to do with him. She had to take his medicine away, that was some place to start. But she couldn’t just do it here, where he could get more. She had to wait until they were some place that didn’t have it. She had to wait until they went through the door after Senshutokage. A sigh escaped Sly’s lips and he jogged a little to come walk beside her. She just frowned and didn’t look over at him. “Would it help if I said I were sorry?” he asked and she could feel without seeing that he had that stupid grin on his face. “No,” she told him quickly. “I would not believe it.” Sly scoffed, shaking his head and she could tell he was starting to get frustrated. Good. He should be. “You know, all you women are exactly the same. You all think you’re higher and mightier than the rest of us measly mortals. Well, let me tell you something, sweetheart. Your shit don’t smell any sweeter than the rest of ours.” Emi jutted her chin. “A person’s worth is judged solely on their characteristics. You have no honor or integrity or the will of self-sacrifice. You think only of yourself and if I were to judge you, I would judge you lowly.” “Oh come on,” Sly said, nudging her a little bit with his arm and she flinched away from his touch because she didn’t like to be touched. “I don’t just think about myself. I think about you. Mainly what you could possibly do for me, or to me, but it’s a start, isn’t it?” He ducked his head forward, waggling his eyebrows at her, but she was not amused. She showed him so by turning to look out at the road, not allowing him to see her face. He sighed and gave an disheartened laugh. “Like you don’t have any flaws or have never made any mistakes before, princess,” he said under his breath. Emi’s face darkened and for a moment, she let her anger and disappointment take over. She whirled, one hand coming out to make sure his fist remained around the string leading them to the door. The other hand shoving him hard in the chest until he slammed into the brick wall. He let out a gasp, because he was still hurting but he needed to learn to accept pain, so she didn’t go gentle on him. He was looking at her with wide eyes. “Do not speak to me of flaws or mistakes,” she snarled, her eyes narrowed at him. “I atone for my mistakes. I have offered to accept any punishment you wish to atone for my mistakes towards you, but you have not allowed me to do so. You have offered to atone for nothing. You have been reluctant in accepting your mistake for opening the Grimoire, for misleading me about your health and for your mockery of me and everything I stand for.” She took a deep breath, stepping backwards and pulling her hands from him. He stayed there a moment, wide eyed as he stared at her. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back towards their path. She let go once his feet started working again. Sly stayed quiet for a little bit and Emi was just fuming. He broke the silence when he cleared his throat. “So, uh, what do you mean by mockery of you and everything you stand for?” he asked and she tried not to feel slightly comforted by the genuine worry in his voice. She didn’t answer him, because she didn’t feel like going into the details right now. The words had been said in anger and she should have just kept them to herself. Sly apparently wasn’t ready to let it go. “Because, I thought I made it pretty clear that I think you’re badass and amazing and completely hot. So if that’s mockery, I’m pretty sure we’re not on the same page.” “I do not wish to speak of it,” she told him curtly. “Babe, you can’t say stuff like that without explaining it,” Sly said, ducking his head forward again. “I didn’t mean to piss you off. Can you just…tell me what to do to fix it? We got another eleven demons to kill and it’s going to be hell if you’re mad at me. Come on, tell me what I can do to make it up to you.” Emi’s eyes narrowed as the string lead them around a corner. Across the street, there was a locked door on the side of a brick building that the string was pointing directly at. She could see markings on the door and she knew it would lead them to Senshutokage. She turned to glare at Sly. “Open the door,” she told him and then started to cross the street. “Then we will talk.” .Wolfie. “Well, at least it’s not a Chuck E. Cheese,” Sly said. He smirked and glanced over at Emi but her expression didn’t change and he didn’t know why he kept looking at her like he thought it would. A sigh left his lips and he scratched at his chest as they walked across the street. He still hurt from the old woman’s nails and the tattoos that kept burying themselves beneath his skin. He wondered how it was supposed to heal if he added a new demon every day or kept getting slammed into walls by Emi.As soon as he thought that he glanced over at her and she still wasn’t looking at him. She looked like maybe if she pretended hard enough than the obnoxious asshole behind her would be gone when she turned around and he snorted because it wasn’t like she was the first girl to look like that. She wasn’t the first one to get pissed off at him or hate him or his habits and he didn’t fucking care. At least that was what he told himself. He was getting irritated and frustrated because his high was starting to wear off and he wasn’t entirely sure just why she was so pissed off at him. He’d told her he self-medicated. He’d told her he was a thief, a cheat, and a liar. He’d probably been more upfront with Emi than some of the girls he’d dated. It bothered him that she was mad and he couldn’t tell if it was because he didn’t think he’d earned it this time or because he just didn’t like her being mad at him. He wasn’t some fucking samurai warrior and he’d told her that. He was just a scam artist, a thief, and an addict, even if he hadn’t said those words upfront. He hadn’t lied when he told her he was sick. He just hadn’t said what he was sick with. And alright, he was a fucking addict, but he wasn’t a junkie yet and just because he’d gone overboard one day didn’t mean he’d become one. He could handle it. His teeth tugged on the hoop in his lip as they stopped in front of the door, markings drawn on its wooden surface. The string coiled out from his hand and wrapped around the handle and it couldn’t get much clearer than that. He sighed because he didn’t really want to do this now. He was hungry and he was tired and he hurt all over but Xena over here wasn’t giving him much of a choice this time. He wasn’t mocking her. He could be an asshole sometimes and he’d teased her a lot, but he didn’t remember mocking her. She was the closest thing to a perfect woman that he’d ever met and if he’d given her any other impression than they were getting their wires crossed somewhere. She was this hot, badass Asian chick and he didn’t have any delusions because if she wasn’t forced to hang around with him then she wouldn’t. She would be long gone because she was amazing and he was nothing and he could live with that. “Hey door,” he said, “could you maybe open now?” He braced his boots on the ground because the last time this had happened he’d ended up face down in the dirt and he didn’t exactly want to repeat the experience. His head was fuzzy enough. It wasn’t the same. The door clicked and then it creaked open slowly, blue light on the other side of it. His hand came out and pushed the door open further and he couldn’t see anything beyond it. All he could see was the bright light and he blinked against it because it was making his eyes water and his head start to pound harder in his skull. He felt Emi’s hand grip his shirt and then she was stepping forward into the light, dragging him behind her. Sly closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his arm up in front of his face to shield his face from the brightness. He let Emi drag him over the threshold and he didn’t drop his arm until the light filtering through his lids faded and dimmed and Emi released him. He crushed his eyes shut and then opened them, trying to blink the lingering spots out of his vision. A sharp hiss of air left his throat when his eyes finally focused because this was nothing like what he expected. He didn’t know what he expected really, but this looked like his city. Only covered in vines and grass with trees growing up through the cement, but it still looked like his city. There were broken concrete steps leading down away from them and bright green plant life was slowly taking over the remaining pieces. “Did we just walk into an episode of Life After People?” he asked. His gaze swept the street in front of them because it had sunken into the ground, water running slowly and lazily overtop the broken asphalt. A river had sprung up where a road used to be and there was a blue flowered bush that was swallowing up the Mini Cooper across the street in its leafy embrace. “I don’t know what that is,” Emi told him, her voice cold and harsh. She moved gracefully down the remains of the steps, balancing on her toes before she landed on what was left of the sidewalk. Now it was just a dirt path and his head turned to follow it through the wreckage that had once been a human city. Over head he heard birds cawing and he tipped his head back to watch them flock across the dimming purple sky. She glanced back at him and sighed when she saw he wasn’t following. “It is possible this world was once like yours. Now it belongs to Senshutokage. It has been bent to his will and it is his domain, so I suggest we move quickly.” He nodded his head slowly, finally following her down the staircase. He looked behind him and it looked like they’d just walked off the steps of what used to be a library. He snorted and shook his head because this just got weirder and weirder. Emi led the way down the dirt path and he followed behind her with his head down and his boot laces trailing out behind him. She didn’t look like she cared if he kept pace with her or not and he wondered what happened to her if he died. Maybe she wouldn’t have to do this anymore and maybe that was something she should be hoping for. “Alright,” he said, quickening his steps so that he could walk next to her. “So are you going to tell me what’s wrong now?” She didn’t even look at him. “We are out in the open in the demon’s domain. This is hardly the place to talk.” Sly snorted and then plastered a grin on his face as he ducked his head to look at her. Their eyes met for a moment and hers narrowed into a glare before she looked away. He kept the smile on his face but he hated that she wouldn’t even look at him. It didn’t surprise him but he didn’t like it. He’d thought they were becoming friends or something and fuck, he didn’t know what he thought anymore. “You know,” he said. “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. Come on, how did I make a mockery of you?” At first he didn’t think she was going to answer him. Her eyes followed the shallow river and then scanned the broken buildings they walked next to, her hand never straying far from her katana. She was tense and he wondered if it was because of where they were and she was waiting for an attack or if it was because she didn’t want to talk to him that badly. “Tell me about the medicine you take,” she said abruptly, her voice hard and cold. He’d been starting to turn away, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to ignore just how shitty he was starting to feel now that his high was finally dying. He shrugged the question off, looking back down at the ground. “I don’t know what you want from me, babe,” he said, and it was the truth. He didn’t know what to tell her or how to explain it because he didn’t think she wanted the truth anyway. He didn’t think she wanted to hear that it made all the pain go away. He didn’t get her at all and he sighed, still watching his feet. The dirt path followed the wreckage of the sidewalk and he wondered if there were any people still left here or if they were all gone. He wondered what had taken its place. Maybe jungle cats or gorillas or wolves or something. “It is dangerous,” Emi said, and it wasn’t a question. Sly frowned and chewed on the hoop in his lip. “I can control it,” he said, and it sounded like a lame excuse even as he said it. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to smile, following her as she stepped over a fallen lamppost. “Look, I’m not a junkie. I can handle it, and even if I can’t it’s my life, so don’t fucking worry about it.” The words made her stop and she whirled on him, knuckles tight around the hilt of her blade. “That,” she said, a snarl curling her lips. “That is how you make a mockery of me. My duty is to protect the sealbreaker. I offer myself up to you for penance by failing to protect you only to find that you are threatening your own life with this… impurity. You will bring death upon yourself and disgrace upon me.” She looked like maybe she wanted to hit him again and then she shook her head, turning her back on him. Sly watched her back as she started to walk away and for a moment he felt a mixture of guilt and shame pressing down on him. He chewed on his lip and he wasn’t smiling because he hadn’t meant to piss her off or hurt her. “Emi…” he started. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head at him, not even looking back. “Please, enough lies for today.” He snorted and shook his head. “That’s bullshit,” he said. “If you won’t let me apologize then what do you want from me?” He heard himself snapping at her without thinking about it because fucking up was what he was best at. “Who the fuck asked you to protect me anyway?” he asked. “I sure as hell didn’t. I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask for demons to be out for my blood or for hot Asian chicks to get dropped on my doorstep and I sure as fuck didn’t ask for an intervention. Jesus, if I wanted that then I would have stayed with Krystal. At least she gave good head in between making me feel like shit.” Emi had turned and she was heading up the sloped and broken staircase of what looked like it used to be a hotel. He followed her, hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes on her back but she still wasn’t looking at him. “You opened the book, Baka,” she snapped at him, pushing the door open with one hand and resting the other on her katana. Then she glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowed and her gaze heated. “Whether you like the consequences or not does not matter. You are the sealbreaker, and I must protect you.” Her gaze was sweeping the lobby, the carpet a faded red and the front desk broken in half. The chandelier was covered in green with blue and white flowers and his attempt to turn the lights on didn’t even cause any sparks. He snorted and shook his head. “And that’s great and all,” he said. “But don’t expect me to change.” Wenston Emi led the way through the dilapidated building. It was mostly overgrown with vines and moss, and in one corner of the main room, there was a flower that was big enough that it looked like it could swallow them whole. She watched it with narrowed eyes for a moment, because she’d been in a fight once in a different world against a different demon where that had almost happened. When she was sure the plant wasn’t going to reach out and grab them, she ushered them out of the main lobby and down a hallway, towards a larger room with tables and chairs. It looked like there had been tablecloths on the tables at one time, but they were rotted away and tattered now. At the far end were tables set up into an L shape with platters and bowls on it. Beyond that was a door and Emi led them across the room to that door. She was determined now. Sly was being stubborn and reluctant and he was getting mad at her. She could hear the tone of his voice and when he talked about his “medicine” his voice changed. His personality changed and it was like he was a completely different person. She had no doubt his medicine was poisoning him against himself. It just made her more determined and she was glad they were here in this world instead of in Sly’s world because he couldn’t get more medicine here. And he couldn’t escape to a place that had it until the demon was dead and for what Emi had planned, that would be very important. Sly was being quiet as he followed behind her. Maybe because he was mad at her or maybe because his hands had started shaking again. But either way, she was glad for it. He was making a fool of himself whether he realized it or not. She wondered if he was really okay with himself like he said he was, or if it was just him trying to convince himself of it. She wouldn’t be okay. She would feel such disgrace and guilt and she was sure he felt those things. If he didn’t, then he wasn’t worth fighting for and for some reason, she’d convinced herself that he was. She just needed him to believe it too and he never would while he took his medicine. Pushing open the door on the opposite side of the room, they came into a dully rusted room. There were the remains of food boxes all over, vines drifting in and out of cupboards and a massive plant growing in what looked like a bigger version of the sink in Sly’s apartment. It made her curious that Senshutokage had chosen a world much like Sly’s but yet there was no sign of anyone around. It was completely empty and desolate. Except for the plant life, she hadn’t even seen any critters or animals. Not even a bird. She wondered what the lizard demon was up to with his world. Walking over to one of the shelving units, Emi started pushing around the tins and cans still there. It was much like the cans of food in Sly’s apartment and she wondered if any of it was still good. She hoped so. She hadn’t the foresight to bring supplies and they were going to need them. She began picking some of the cans off the shelves, throwing them into the rusted bowl she could carry on her hip. Behind her, Sly snorted. “You know, I offered to take us out to get something to eat before we came here,” he said and she didn’t even turn her head to look at him. “I mean, I would have much rather had a burger than whatever is in those cans.” “We will need them,” Emi said simply, glancing around the room when she’d gathered enough cans. On the far wall, there was a rack with knives and next to it were some spoons. She walked over and grabbed one of the knives and two spoons and threw them in the bowl as well. She looked around for anything else they’d need and she didn’t see any water, but the contents of the cans would have to do for now. “What for?” Sly asked. “Does this lizard have a huge appetite? Trying to fill him up so he won’t be hungry for some Sly?” Emi didn’t answer him. She simply started walking out of the room and through the dining room to the hallway again. She heard Sly sighing behind her in frustration, but he followed obediently. She wondered if it was just because he was scared to go off by himself. If it was, that was probably a wise decision. They climbed the stairs at the end of the hall and once they made it to the second floor, Emi paused to look at a part of the building that had collapsed, exposing the hallway to the outside world. She could see along the forgotten city for a ways and she scanned the treetops and building tops for any signs of danger, but still, there was no movement except for the wind. She continued without hesitation and found a room closed off at the end of the hall. She opened it and then turned around to glare at Sly. He frowned at her and stepped into the room. It was a bedroom, with a dusty bed in the middle. A bathroom was off to the side and there was a desk and little else inside the room. Sly stood in the middle of the room, looking around and he looked at the bed before grinning and looking back at her. “So is this like the honeymoon?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. She didn’t bother to tell him that she didn’t know what that was because he was probably aware of that by now. She walked to the desk, setting the bowl down before she went back to the door and closed it, turning the lock with some force, as it was rusted and full of grit and moss. But it locked and held and when she turned back around, Sly was watching her with a raised eyebrow. She watched him back for a moment because he wasn’t going to like this. It would probably be one of the most difficult things he’d ever done in his life, but it needed to be done. “What are we doing?” Sly asked, and there was a hint of suspicion in his voice. “You look like you’re getting ready to stay for a while,” he said, his eyes narrowing even as he said the words. Emi stalked over to him and he tried to turn away from her when she reached for his bag, but she was quick and she gave him a sharp jab in the gut. The wind rushed out of his lungs and he bent forward, allowing her to pull the pack from his back. She turned around and set it on the bed, opening it and rummaging through the contents. “What the fuck?” Sly demanded, coming forward and trying to grab her hands to stop her as she picked up the black case he carried in there. She turned and shoved him hard in the chest, pushing him away. He looked surprised for a moment and his eyes went to the case in her hands. “I told you I hated it when you fucking went through my stuff,” he growled. “So you can just put that back, because that’s mine,” he said and came forward again. She shoved at his chest again, then moved pass him to the window. “Emiko,” he growled, following her. “This isn’t funny.” “No,” she agreed and as she pulled the window open, she craned her arm back and gave the black case a mighty toss. It disappeared into the foliage and behind her, Sly let out a desperate yell. “It is not.” She said turning back around. Sly looked at the open window for a moment and she watched him carefully in case he tried to jump out it to go after his case. It was a long way to the ground, but desperate people did desperate things. Then his eyes came to her and they were burning mad. “Are you fucking serious? Why the hell did you do that? I don’t care if you are a badass Asian chick, that was mine and you have no right just throwing away shit that belongs to me.” Emi narrowed her eyes at him and stalked over to the bowl on the desk. She plucked a spoon from it and came back over, holding it out to him. He looked down at it, confused, and then back up at her face. She simply steeled her gaze and squared her shoulders. “Hold it,” she told him. When he didn’t move to do what she asked, she reached forward and grabbed his hands, forcing his hand to wrap around the spoon. Even with her fingers against his, she could feel his hands shaking. She could see and feel his body trembling. When she let go, she pointed at the spoon in his fingers as it shook with his hand. “You cannot even hold it still,” she told him. “So fucking what?” Sly spat, throwing the spoon on the bed. Emi walked pass him to pick it up again and bring it back to the bowl. “Do you really think now is the best time for an intervention? There are demons out there trying to kill me. And besides, it’s my life, I decide how I want to live it.” Emi pulled the chair near the desk over to the door and she sat down on it, crossing her legs and holding her katana in her lap. Her face remained passive as she looked up at Sly, who was standing in the middle of the room looking lost. “Until you can hold that spoon in your hand without it shaking, we are not leaving this room,” she told him. .Wolfie. At first Sly didn’t know what to do.He stood in the middle of the room, staring out the window where Emi had just thrown the case that held his heroin and his needles and he didn’t know what to do. His heart was beating loudly in his chest and his hands were trembling so he ran them over his face, feeling stubble rasp against his fingertips before he managed to bark out a harsh laugh. “Alright,” he said, holding his hands up. “I get it. You’ve made your point. I’ll admit it, I acting like a stupid fucking asshole. I got out of control and that was my fault. I’m sorry, okay?” Emi was watching him carefully, her hands resting lightly on her katana and her legs crossed underneath her. She looked like she was watching a fucking rat in a cage and he sucked in a breath to try and calm himself down. “But I can handle it,” he said when she didn’t respond. “I’ll cut back or something, just don’t… don’t do this.” He heard the pleading tone in his own voice but he couldn’t stop it. He scratched at his chest before his nails moved to his arms and Emi just watched him with an impassive gaze. “It is my duty to protect you. Even if I must protect you from yourself.” An angry yell left his lips and he turned his head away from her, hands pulling at his hair in frustration. His chest was constricting and he was having a difficult time breathing, the panic starting to settle deep into his lungs. It was starting to sink in just what she’d done and he didn’t know what to do but he couldn’t go through detox. He couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this to him. “So you think you’re protecting me?” he snarled, one arm gesturing at her. “By making me detox cold turkey, no methadone, no painkillers, not even a fucking fifth of vodka? That’s your idea of protecting me?” She looked at him with no emotion on her face and he hated her a little bit for that. “Yes,” she told him coldly. His first reaction was to yell and scream and throw things into the wall but he forced it deep into his gut, making himself take a breath. One hand scrubbed over his mouth and then he crossed the room so that he could crouch in front of her. He licked his lip, tongue running over the steel in his skin before he reached out to try and take her hand. She pulled it away from him, eyes narrowing and he let her, holding both of his up to show he didn’t mean anything by it. “Look,” he said. “Can’t we talk about this? We’ll work something out when we get back home. I can cut back to once a day or something, I swear, just don’t do this to me, babe. Please.” She met his gaze but she didn’t flinch and he felt his heart sinking because she couldn’t do this to him. She just couldn’t. “Emi,” he said, his voice pleading. “You don’t know what this’ll do to me. You do this now and the withdrawal alone could kill me.” “You are a liar, Sly,” she said, and it was only some small comfort that she actually sounded sad when she said it. Not that it counted for much right now. “And I suspect you are lying now.” A frustrated yell left his lips and he pushed himself back to his feet, starting to pace back and forth in front of the door. His eyes flicked to the window and one hand was pressed tightly over his mouth because he wanted to go after it. He tried to tell himself that he wasn’t shaking in his own skin. He couldn’t tell what he was more afraid of, going through withdrawal, or just the pain of being sober. “You can’t fucking do this to me,” he snarled, glancing back at Emi. “You did this to yourself,” she told him. Her expression never changed as she watched him pace in front of the door. His lip curled into a sneer and his hand slammed against the desk behind her. She didn’t flinch, her head tipping back in a challenge as he leaned his face towards hers. “That’s because it’s my fucking life, princess, and I’ll do what I like with it. You don’t think the first thing I do when we get back is restock on all the shit you just threw away? What the fuck do you think this is going to accomplish?” Emi lifted an eyebrow at him, her head tilting to the side as she studied her face. “I don’t know,” she said. Her voice was quiet and low and he smirked for a moment before she wiped it off his face. “What do you think yelling at me is going to accomplish?” Sly stared at her for a moment and he didn’t have an answer to that. His lip curled into a sneer and he pushed himself away from the desk, feet carrying him back and forth across the door. The panic was settling deeper into his chest and wrapping its hands around his heart because she really wasn’t going to let him go. She was just going to sit there and watch him go through detox cold turkey and if anything that just made him shake worse. He couldn’t go through this. He just wanted his fucking heroin and another yell left his throat before he turned and tried to open the door. His fingers were clumsy and they couldn’t work the fucking lock. He stepped back and then slammed his boot into it, the door rattling against the blow but not breaking. He screamed in frustration and kicked it again and then Emi was grabbing his arm roughly and twisting it behind his back. A startled cry left his lips but she just shoved him backwards towards the bed. He barely caught himself on the edge of it, one knee hitting the floor as he gripped the dusty covers. His head rose to look at her and her face was cold and impassive. “You are making a fool of yourself,” she told him, her arms crossing over her chest. She stood in between him and the door and he let himself slump to the floor by the bed because he knew better than to try and get past her. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. He tipped his head back against the bed, his eyes crushing close and his whole body was shaking. There was sweat running down the back of his neck and he was scared. The last time he’d been completely sober he’d been twelve years old and since then he’d always been on a narcotic of some kind. “You are poisoning yourself,” she told him. “And I will not let you destroy yourself while you are my charge.” One eye cracked open and she was crouching to the ground, still positioned in front of the door in case he tried to make a break for it again. He snorted and closed his eyes again because he couldn’t look at her right now. He was fucking stupid. He was stupid for feeling guilty and stupid for letting her see where he kept his drugs. She was a fucking bitch and it wasn’t any of her business what he wanted to put in his veins. “Of course,” he snarled, his hand shaking as he ran it over his mouth. “Don’t want your precious sealbreaker dying of something as embarrassing as a heroin overdose? ‘Cause fuck, that just looks bad on a résumé, doesn’t it, sweetie?” “Do feel no guilt for your actions?” she asked. The question startled him a little because she hadn’t answered his and there was anger lacing her words. He opened one eye and tipped his head to the side to look at her. She was watching him with narrowed eyes, judging him lowly as she put it. “Do you feel no shame, no remorse?” He snorted. “Of course I do,” he said. “And then I get high and it goes away.” “You run and hide even from yourself, Baka,” she said quietly. Sly laughed at that and the sound was bitter and mean. It was his business if he wanted to shoot himself up twice a day every day just to escape from the pain of being alive. He wasn’t a junkie, he just had a habit, and maybe if he said that enough times it would make it true. And fuck, if he couldn’t look at himself in the bathroom mirror half the time then that was his problem and not hers. He didn’t need her fucking pity and he didn’t need this stupid intervention. “You know,” he said, rolling his head to the side to look at her. “We really haven’t been dating long enough for you to start psychoanalyzing me.” She was moving and she was too fucking quiet because he hadn’t even heard her stand. She was pulling the chair across the room in front of the door before she settled back onto it cross-legged, her sword on her knees. “Then tell me where I am wrong,” she said, getting comfortable on the chair. Her voice was a cool challenge and he didn’t think she really wanted the answer. “Tell me why you else you would poison yourself.” He didn’t respond to that, snorting and just closing his eyes again because he didn’t want to look at her right now. He was pissed and he was scared and she was the one who’d done this to him. She thought he was nothing and no one, just a liability and a drug addict that she was forced to be around and he hated that and hated himself. The funniest part was that he didn’t even have his heroin to make himself stop caring. She’d gone through his things and thrown his fucking case out the window and now he was left with nothing but a pack of cigarettes and that wasn’t going to do shit when it started getting bad. There was nothing to even take the edge off and he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands because this was going to hurt and he already hurt. He was already sore and in pain and it was going to get worse. He was trembling as he held his head and he just wanted his hit. He just wanted that one moment of euphoria to make all the pain go away. It was just a painkiller. It made him happy and warm and took all the pain away and he didn’t care about everything else. He didn’t care what his life had become or who he saw when he looked in the mirror and he just wanted his fucking hit. Then he wouldn’t have to think about how fucked up his life had gotten. He wouldn’t have to think that there were demons out there trying to kill him or that the one person that actually gave a shit about him only cared if he lived or died because he’d opened a stupid book and she was required by law or duty or something to care. He wouldn’t care that if he died here the odds were good that no one but Konstantin would notice and that was just because he owed him money. And wasn’t that the fucking story of his life? Wenston Sly lasted until just after nightfall before it got bad. He’d gone from sitting near the bed, to pacing the room, to yelling and punching at the walls and calling her every name he could possibly think of, before he’d finally slid to the floor on the opposite side of the bed, propped up in the corner of the room, with one arm on the bed and the other hand over his eyes. Sweat glistened on his skin and beaded on his forehead, dripping down his skin. He’d taken off his jacket and put it back on half a dozen times. He was shaking near uncontrollably and small noises of distress were escaping his throat. Emi hadn’t moved from her spot near the door. She’d had to stand up once to pull him away from the wall when he’d started bashing his head against it and she’d manhandled him onto the bed. He hadn’t tried that again and she was going to have to watch him. She could go without sleep for a few days, she’d done it before and it was a mental battle, but she could do it. It would be nothing compared to what Sly was going through. She didn’t feel guilty. She felt sorry that he had to go through this, but she wouldn’t feel guilty for putting him through it because when he came out the other side, he would be stronger. This was a test for himself and if he passed this, he could pass anything. She wondered if he’d ever had a great task before in his life. This was probably his first. She just had to make sure he realized what a feat he’d accomplished once it was over. And she had to make sure he stuck with it. He couldn’t slip back into his habits. Sly let out an angry yell and slammed a fist into the wall next to him, banging his head back and his face was pale and sweaty and sunken. “You can’t fucking do this to me!” he yelled but he wasn’t looking over at her. He was staring at the ceiling and he chewed on his lip afterwards, like he was holding back tears and panic and he probably was. Emi didn’t respond, because there would be no point to it now. Once it was over, she could talk to him. But not before. He stayed in that corner for most of the night. He’d started shivering violently and brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his eyes on his knees. At one point, he’d broken down and started crying but he hadn’t let her see. The only way she knew he was doing it was by the noises he let out. The whines and the cries and the groans because he was in pain and he had nothing to ease it. When Sly finally started sobbing, Emi rose from her chair, walking calmly and silently over to the corner where he was huddled. She crouched down in front of him and her hand hovered over his arm for a moment because she didn’t like to be touched and she didn’t like touching people, but she closed her eyes and took a breath and then rested her fingers on his arm. He didn’t even lift his head and she wondered if he even knew she was there. “Sly,” she said his name quietly. She wasn’t surprised when his fist came out at her, like an animal lashing out at an attacker. She easily jerked back, out of his reach and caught his wrist, shoving it back down onto his knees. His other hand came out and she grabbed that one too, holding his wrists together with both of her hands. His head lifted and his face was pale and tearstained. “I fucking hate you,” he growled, his voice trembling and broken. “I fucking hate you, just leave me the fuck alone!” he said nastily. Emi didn’t take it personally. She nodded her head. “You are allowed,” she said and then stood, hands still on his wrists. “But get into bed,” she commanded. He didn’t move to do as she said and he probably wasn’t even listening. Emi bent, her hand going beneath his arm and she pulled him up to his feet. He gave a cry, lashing out again and she wrapped an arm around him, forcing him down onto the bed. He was covered in sweat and shaking badly. His teeth chattered together and when he was laid out on the bed, he curled in on himself, coughing and burying his face into the dirty blankets. She rounded the bed but didn’t return to her chair. Instead, she sat down on the edge of it, one hand on the hilt of her katana, the other coming out to grasp his shoulder. He tried to flinch away from her touch, but she just moved with his flinch and he stopped struggling after a while. He just lay there, shaking and sweating and moaning and whining. His hands went between fisting in the blankets to pressing into his own stomach, to running over his head and he couldn’t sit still, even through this. Sly tossed and turned and he buried his head into the blankets and the pillows and he was getting dirty from the dust and the dirt on the old bed and it was mixing with the sheen layer of sweat on his skin, but he didn’t notice. He didn’t seem aware of anything. His arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and Emi took a deep breath because she hated being touched but this wasn’t violent or even conscious. Sly pulled himself over to her, his breathing coming heavily and with a whine on ever exhale. His face buried into the side of her leg and he sobbed there for a moment before he said through clenched teeth, “Emi, please.” His words were slurred and delirious and Emi just lifted her hand and rested it on his head, her fingers in his hair as she looked down at him. “I just need a little, please,” he begged. “You are being very strong, Baka,” she whispered to him, her hand brushing over his head soothingly. “The pain will end. It will not be for always.” Sly gave a frustrated, pained scream, muffled by her jeans as his face was still pressed into the side of her leg. His hand around her waist was fisted in her shirt and she brought her hand to cover his. He began giving pained yells every so often and Emi took a deep breath because they were so anguished it was hard to hear. She wouldn’t feel guilty, but she would sympathize because he was in great pain. Not knowing what else she could do for him, she began to sing lowly, not even sure if he could hear her, as she muttered an ancient Japanese song she’d learned long ago from the elders of her village. Sly made no motion to show that he even heard her, but the words were meant for comfort and blessing and even if he didn’t hear them, the world around them would and maybe if the fates were listening, they’d take pity on him and lessen his pain, even if only a little. Sly’s hand reached up and grasped her arm with bruising, awful strength and her face grimaced but she made no motion to remove his hand. He dragged himself closer to her and his head rose so he could press his face to her stomach. She wrapped her arm around him again to keep him there because he couldn’t get any closer and he couldn’t keep trying or he’d hurt himself. “Please, just a little,” Sly begged, delirious and out of it. “I just need a taste, Emi. Just a taste, please. I’ll be good after that, I promise.” Emi shook her head down at him. “No, Baka,” she whispered. “You are doing well.” “You’re a bitch,” Sly grit out and Emi didn’t know why, but it hurt when he said that. “You’re a fucking bitch, I hate you. Please, Emi, please!” he screamed at her and she just ducked her head, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. He could cry all he wanted. It would be over and he would be better and it would still be a battle but he could handle it better. “I am proud of you, Baka,” she whispered to him and didn’t think he was even listening or could hear her. “You are nearly finished. You are being very strong.” Sly only answered with a whimpered, “Please.” .Wolfie. Sly felt like he was dying.He lay curled on his side, one hand fisted in Emi’s shirt and the other clutched into a fist that he held tightly to his chest. He was shaking and trembling, his skin feeling like it was scrubbed raw with sandpaper. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck and then cooled on his flesh, leaving him shivering and he pressed his head tightly against Emi’s stomach. His muscles were screaming at him, the nerves twisted into agonizing knots and he sobbed as he clung to her because even his bones felt fragile and breakable. They felt like they could crack just beneath the weight of holding himself together. An itch started in his veins and he only released her so that he could scratch at his skin. Both hands dragged fingernails across his flesh and he couldn’t stop, even when the blood vessels started to burst and bruise. Dark purple spread underneath his skin as his nails kept clawing at his arms and he didn’t stop until Emi finally caught his hands and held them still, her fingers wrapped around his wrists as she pressed them against his chest. He cried out and buried his face against her skin and he felt like he was dying. His whole body was shaking, his leg twitching uncontrollably and his teeth chattering together. Sweat poured down his forehead and down the back of his neck and he kept alternating from hot to cold and back again. His stomach cramped painfully and he gritted his teeth against it. He was in hell. He wanted to die and he felt like he was, he just wished it would happen a little faster. Everything hurt. He hurt too much to sleep, too much to even take a breath. His hands fisted back in Emi’s shirt as he clung to her. He hadn’t left her lap and he barely felt the hand that kept running soothingly through his hair. Curses alternated with desperate pleas and all he wanted was his one hit. He just wanted one, just one more to get him through this because he was dying and why didn’t she understand that? She was just watching him die and maybe she wanted that. He cried and sobbed and begged her for something, anything to take the pain away. He made promises he had no way of keeping and when she didn’t say anything he cursed at her and he fucking hated her for doing this to him. “Don’t do this to me,” he begged. “Please, I can stop, I swear. I won’t do it anymore. I promise, I’ll do whatever you want I’ll never complain, just please, please, make it stop.” The words poured off his lips and then he whimpered, fingers moving to her waist and digging in tightly. She didn’t flinch, her hand resting on his head and a quiet sigh leaving her lips. “It will stop,” she promised him. “Just remain strong.” “I hate you,” he whimpered. He pressed his face hard against her stomach because he had nothing else to cling to but he hated her. She didn’t respond to that and he just sobbed. Her fingers kept up their slow motion through his hair, her other hand holding onto his arm to keep him from trying to hurt himself anymore. He trembled and he couldn’t stop crying, his whole body shaking. His muscles burned and twisted and it didn’t matter how he moved or if he didn’t, they knotted and contorted beneath his skin and he couldn’t stop the horrid screams that left his throat as he clung to Emi. It was after dawn before he managed to catch some sleep but it didn’t count for much. He drifted in and out of restless dreams and every one of them was about killing himself. He swore that at one point he pulled himself out of Emi’s lap to slit his wrists open in the middle of the room. He could feel the blade against his skin and he could see the dark blood pooling out and sinking through the carpet and then he opened his eyes and his hands were still fisted in her shirt, his face pressed against her stomach and his skin still whole and unbroken. He didn’t know if that made it better. He dreamed about hanging himself from a rope out the window. He dreamed about bashing his head off the wall until his brains were mush and he couldn’t hurt himself anymore. He dreamed about taking her sword and thrusting it through his stomach but he knew that one was a dream because she would never let her blade out of her hands. When he woke again his stomach was twisted into knots and he screamed with the pain of it. He hadn’t been aware of moving but Emi had shifted him so that he was on his side on the bed and his hands were gripping the covers instead of her clothes. He dragged himself off the bed with fingers that felt broken and splinted, spilling off onto the ground with a heavy thump. He cried out again, whimpering and sobbing as one hand pressed tightly against his stomach and the other a tight fist as his teeth bit down on it. He curled into the fetal position, his face pressed hard into the dirty carpet as tears and sweat poured off his skin. His muscles were twisting and tight, one leg kicking no matter how hard he tried to stop it. Sly jerked when he felt Emi’s hand touch his arm and he tried to shove her away from him because he fucking hated her. She’d done this to him and she didn’t have any right. She barely knew him, who the fuck was she to come in here and take away his drugs and turn him into this and he sobbed because he just wanted his hit. He just wanted it to make all this pain go away. He couldn’t do it. He was a coward and he didn’t want to be sober and he didn’t want all this pain. His eyes crushed closed and he dug his fingers tightly into his gut, trying to hold himself together. He felt like his bones were on the verge of cracking beneath his skin, his fingers tiff and unresponsive. He bit down hard on the hoop in his lip and he didn’t want to cry and he didn’t want to scream anymore but he didn’t think it mattered. His vision was blurred with tears and a harsh whine left his throat instead of the screams. Emi’s fingers move to his head and run soothingly through his hair and then her other hand was tightening beneath his arm as she tried to pull him upright. “Come, Baka,” she said. “Back to bed.” He let her drag him upright but as soon as he was on his feet his stomach cramped painfully and he bent over, hand gripping his gut as sweat poured down the back of his neck. “Please,” he whimpered, and he didn’t know what he was begging for anymore. His body convulsed and he pressed a hand over his mouth, tearing away from Emi’s hands as he stumbled towards the bathroom. His shoulder hit the doorframe and then he was falling to his knees in front of the toilet. The base of it was covered in moss and the water sitting in it was stagnant and dirty but he aimed for it anyway as he threw up the meager contents of his stomach. His hands gripped the edge of the bowl, stomach clenching and tears pouring down his cheeks as he threw up violently. He didn’t hear her come in behind him but he felt the hand that rested on his back. He flinched away from it but she didn’t let him go, her touch lingering against him. He shook beneath her hand and he didn’t have the strength or the will to shove her away because then his head was tipping forward and he was throwing up again. He didn’t know how long he stayed in there. It wasn’t long until there wasn’t anything left in his stomach to throw up because he hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before but even after he kept convulsing and heaving into the bowl. He was a mess, a fucking train wreck, and he couldn’t even get himself to lift his head off the seat when the convulsions finally passed and left him a disgusting excuse for a human being. His eyes crushed shut and another sob left his lips. “I want to die,” he whimpered, and he didn’t know if it was the truth but he hurt so fucking badly and maybe being dead was better than being this. “Please,” he whimpered, his head trying to turn and look at her. “I just want to die.” What was the point? What was the point of ever leaving this room? He didn’t have anything to go back to. He was nothing, a no one, and that’s all he’d ever been. That was all he was ever going to be. He was barely scraping by and when he finally gave up and died then there would be no one who’d ever noticed he was there at all. He had a string of ex-girlfriends that were better off with him gone and they were all he would be leaving behind. He’d been through loads of foster homes and group homes and none of them had wanted him so he’d never wanted them and now he had nothing. No family, no friends, nothing except his reflection in a dirty mirror. No one had wanted him. No one ever would and he could live with that, but he couldn’t do it sober. “You are only in pain for now,” Emi told him quietly. Her hand ran up and down his spine and he closed his eyes because it was bullshit that she was the one that had done this to him and she was still the only comfort he had. “It will pass.” “I hate you,” he told her. He coughed hard and his body shook, his face still pressed against the old and broken porcelain. He forced his eyes open, the blue orbs focusing on her face and her expression was calm and impassive. “I fucking hate you, you fucking bitch,” he snarled at her and then he coughed and sobbed again. His hands clung to the toilet and he hated himself and what he’d become. He hated Emi and he hated everything in the whole fucking world but especially himself. He just wanted his heroin. He just wanted to shoot it into his blood because it was itching painfully as it ran through his veins and his hands rose to start scratching at his skin. He wanted that amber liquid to make all of this go away and make him forget and take away his pain. He needed it, just a little bit, just that one hit to make this better and he screamed once and banged his head against the seat. Her hands caught him and pulled him back so that he slumped against her shoulder and he screamed in frustration and pain. “Just let me die,” he said, and it was followed by a harsh howl that dissolved into tears. “No,” she told him quietly, her fingers still resting in his hair and he didn’t want to take comfort in the touch but he did. He hated her and he hated that she had done this to him but she was all he had and that seemed sick and wrong. His fingers dug into her waist and he couldn’t tell how hard he was gripping her because his fingers felt like they were going to snap off and he just wanted his drugs. He just wanted to make this all go away but she’d thrown it out the window. “You are strong,” she said. “You can do this.” His cries were broken and pained when they came and he pushed himself away from her, falling to the ground and pulling himself away from her. He didn’t get very far, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and digging his nails tightly into his skin. “Please,” he said, and he didn’t know what he was begging for. He didn’t know if he was begging for a hit anymore or if he was begging for her to let him die or if he just wanted her to make the pain go away. Maybe it was all of those things and he just cried and rested his cheek against the hard tile floor, his nails digging into the ground and he wanted his heroin so fucking badly. He was trembling and he was in pain and somewhere in the back of his mind he thought that maybe he was a junkie after all. Wenston Emi stabbed the knife into a can she’d found out in the other room. She bent the knife backwards, peeling open the can and then bent her head down to sniff at the food. She didn’t recognize what it was, it was nothing Sly had in his home, but it didn’t smell bad. She set the knife back down on the desk she was sitting on and grabbed a spoon, testing out a small bite of the food. It didn’t taste bad. It wasn’t good, or anything she was used to, but it wasn’t bad either. She glanced over at the bed. Sly was on his side, the pillow hugged tightly in his arms, his body curled around it. The sheets about his body were stained with sweat. But he’d finally stopped fidgeting. He’d finally stopped cursing and swearing and calling her names and saying he hated her and she still didn’t feel guilty about it, but it didn’t mean it was any easier to hear him say those things to her. That seemed to surprise her. She wondered why it bothered her that he could hate her. It shouldn’t, because they weren’t supposed to be friends. They weren’t supposed to care about each other except that she had to keep him alive and he had to close the seal and that was the only relationship they were supposed to have. Nothing further. Nothing more. So she shouldn’t feel bad that he said he hated her. She shouldn’t feel so worried about what he’d think once he wasn’t sweating and shaking and sobbing in the bed. If he hated her for the rest of the time they were killing the Thirteen, then that was his choice and she’d be okay with it because that was what had been asked of her. That was a part of her duty. Protect the seal breaker at all costs and she would take hate if it meant he’d have life. The sun was setting again and Sly had fallen into a semi-restful sleep. He was still pale and shook in his sleep, but at least he was asleep. Emi ate quietly by herself, sitting on the desk with her legs crossed under her and Kaidokusuru lying next to her. She kept her eyes on Sly and just watched him because he was something else. He was like no one she’d met before. No one she’d ever probably socialize with and if he’d lived back in her time, he wouldn’t have survived long and especially not if he’d ever known Daisuke. But there was something about it. Some quality that she didn’t see when he was on his medicine but that came out clearly when he wasn’t. He was light. He was good. He may claim not to be any of those, but she could see them in the way he interacted with the environment around him and the way he interacted with her. He could have cared less that she didn’t know about things. He could have been rude and brushed her off when she asked what things were or how things worked. But he didn’t. He took the time to explain and he took the time to show her the way things were and she liked that about him. It was hard to admit, but she liked him. That was why she was doing this. Not to torture him or punish him. She wanted him to stay alive. She didn’t want to fail him and she didn’t want him to fail himself. After she was gone, she wanted him to be able to live a good life, not the life he’d been living. Emi pushed herself off the desk and she was silent as she crossed the room. She didn’t wake Sly, because he needed his rest. But she set down the can of food on the nightstand next to the bed, the spoon sitting gently within it. She left it there in case he woke up and was hungry because he hadn’t eaten in a while. Then she stood and took a few steps back, leaning against the wall and just looking down at his face. This had been hard on him. It was cooling down. He was getting better and the worse of it was probably over. It would probably take a while for him to completely recover, but she knew hardly anything of that. She didn’t know what the effects of his medicine were, but he was getting better and that was a good sign. A noise from the hallway had Emi’s eyes flashing towards the door. She kept her head ducked and she shot her gaze towards Kaidokusuru still lying on the desk. She never put her weapon down and there were reasons she didn’t. She quickly leapt across the room, scooping up her katana and drawing it, holding it out in front of her and attaching the sheath to her hip again. She glanced back at Sly and he still lay oblivious to the world. She thought briefly about waking him up, but pushed that thought to the side because he needed rest and what was he going to do anyway? She’d handle this. She was the guardian, she’d take care of him even when he was at his most vulnerable. Stepping up to the door, she gently leaned her ear against the cold, dusty wood. There were odd footfalls out in the hallway. They were careful and quiet, but she could still make them out. They were hesitant as they made their way up the hallway and she closed her eyes, picturing what could be on the other side of this door, gauging when it was in range. She reached for the lock and tried to turn it as quietly as she could. It clicked only slightly as she got it unlocked, but she didn’t hear the footfalls stop or even change pace. They just kept coming closer and closer. As soon as she gauged the intruder was right outside of the door, Emi shoved it open and her katana flashed out. She launched herself into the hallway at where she thought there would be someone, but she paused and got disoriented for a moment when all she saw was air. The only thing on the other side of the doorway was an empty hall. She snapped her gaze around, looking for the intruder she knew had been there, but there were no signs of him. Not even footprints on the ground. Emi chewed her lip for a moment, trying to think of all the ways to explain something like this. She was distracted, and she didn’t even hear the thing as it dropped down behind her. But she felt something wrap around her neck and she was moving quickly, trying to get out of whatever was trying to grasp at her. She ducked, slipping out of the hold and she rolled backwards, back into the room. There was a mighty hiss and she kicked out with her legs, her feet connected with the attacker as she rolled over backwards, flinging herself to her feet. Behind her, Sly jerked away with a start. She didn’t have time to turn around and tell him things were okay. There was a creature standing in front of her. A half man, half lizard creature with a forked, hissing tongue. He was crouched down, his yellow eyes beneath scaly skin looking straight at her. He wore ragged clothes that looked hand stitched and his massive claws were out, glistening sharply in the low light of the setting sun coming in through the windows. “You are tresssspasssing,” he said, hissing his “s”’s. “Fuck,” she heard Sly groan behind her. She didn’t dare glance behind her at him, because this lizard man was fast and she didn’t know if he was sent by the demon or just an inhabitant of this world. Emi inclined her head at him slightly. “Forgive us,” she said. “We will leave in the morning. My friend is ill.” The lizard man tilted his head side to side before shaking it. “No, you leave now.” Then he lunged. .Wolfie. Sly had been dreaming.When he was a kid he used to have these awful nightmares. They were always different but they always ended the same. He would be in a group home or a foster home or wherever the fuck else he was sleeping and in his dream he would wake up and people would be dead or dying. If he was lucky then they would be already dead. He would just dream about finding corpses and blood on the walls. If he wasn’t lucky then he dreamed about people getting slaughtered in front of him. He would dream about his foster parents slitting each other open with butcher knives or one of the kids in the group home beating another to death with a baseball bat. They were vivid and awful and when he woke up it sometimes took a while to convince himself it was just a dream. It was before he started self-medicating because after he started doing drugs he stopped dreaming. They went away and he forgot about them because the drugs kept him fuzzy and clouded and it was better that way. Everything was better that way. At first when he woke up in the dusty hotel bed he thought that’s what was happening. He jerked upright and immediately wished he hadn’t because his head was pounding and his stomach was cramped and sore from throwing up half the morning. He was weak and trembling, his eyes gritty as they pulled open. He was cold and he shook as he pushed himself upright, his gaze focusing on the lizard man in front of them. He had bright yellow eyes, his claws terrifying and sharp as he flexed them. He was crouched and his eyes were focused on Emi and Sly was barely aware of the words that passed between them before he was moving. Emi kept herself between him and the lizard and he didn’t know what he thought about that yet. She dodged back, using her sword blade to force them away from her while she lashed out with a kick. The blow caught him in the back and he stumbled to the side, bumping into the desk before he whirled and threw himself at her again. She used her blade to try and deflect the flashing claws that slashed out at her, moving as fast as she could in the small room. The lizard man was fast, a quick blur as he flung himself at Emi. She turned her head to the side and he hissed in a breath as a bloody cut slashed across her cheek. “You are not welcome here,” the lizard man said, his voice a rattling hiss as he crouched down and watched her, claws flexing. Sly closed his eyes and ground the heels of his hands into them as he tried to figure out if he was actually awake or not. “We will leave tomorrow,” Emi told him, her blade held easily in her hand. She kept it pointed at the lizard man, shifting so that she could keep her back to Sly and stay between him and the lizard. He groaned and he was still disoriented and cold, his whole body shaking and goosebumps breaking out on his skin. “But not tonight,” she said. “Leave now,” the creature said. “Thissss place is ourssss.” Sly was startled when he felt her hand fist in the front of his shirt, pulling him off the bed. He stumbled and tripped his whole body aching and unresponsive. She ignored it, pushing him back behind her towards the bathroom, her eyes never leaving the lizard man. His lips curled up in a snarl and Sly could see sharp teeth glinting back at him. His tongue flickered out between his lips and then he was launching himself at her again, legs coiling and bunching like an animal as he leapt across the small space. She shoved Sly hard and he fell backwards, shoulder striking the doorframe as she pushed him into the bathroom. He hit the ground hard, hands holding himself up and he was still having a hard time processing if this was real or not. Emi was moving, dodging the attack and forcing the lizard man into the wall. He twisted and pushed his feet against them, turning so that he could throw himself back at her. He struck her in her midsection, knocking her to the floor for a brief moment and Sly didn’t know what the feeling in his gut was. It was easy to forget that he hated her as those claws lashed out at her. She kicked up hard and rolled, throwing the lizard man off her and sending him tumbling across the floor. She whipped around with the blade held at the ready, her eyes narrowed. She looked unconcerned with the trickle of blood running down her cheek. “Leave now or die now,” the man hissed. Emi reached up and wiped the cut clean with the back of her hand. She didn’t respond to him, holding her blade at the ready for the next attack and Sly pushed himself backwards with his feet to try and stay out of the way. He kept going until he felt his back hit the toilet and he stopped there, his limbs shaking just from holding himself up. His mouth was dry and a foul taste lingered there. He was still having a hard time accepting that he was awake. His eyes were wide and scared as he watched the creature suddenly rush Emi again, and it was really fucking fast. She dodged to the side and lashed out with her sword but she didn’t want to leave the bathroom doorway in case the lizard man got in between her and Sly. Her blade left a long bloody cut along the man’s arm and there was a glint against the dying sun as it slashed out towards her with its claws. They tore through her shirt as she bent backwards away from the blow. She twisted to the side and lashed out a hard kick into his midsection. Her blade flashed and then she was pressing it tightly against his throat as she drove him backwards. The lizard man held up his hands as soon as his back struck the wall, a bead of blood appearing at the hollow of his throat. His tongue flickered out between his teeth, tasting the air around him. His eyes were wide and gold and unreadable but Sly crawled back to the doorway anyway. “I do not know you,” Emi said. “But I will kill you if you will not leave us in peace.” “There is no peace here,” the lizard man told her, his hands still up and his claws glittering sharply. He looked like he was considering attacking he again and she took another step forward, pressing her blade harder into the hollow of his throat. He tipped his head back, a choking noise escaping his lips. “The tyrant lizard will devour you,” he said, and Sly couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a warning. His back pressed against the doorframe and he wrapped his arms around his stomach, trying to hold himself together. He was still shivering but his bones didn’t feel like they were going to snap in half anymore and he’d stopped sweating. “The tyrant lizard,” Emi said, lifting an eyebrow. “Do you mean Senshutokage?” A hiss left the lizard man’s mouth and his eyes flicked down to focus on Emi. “We do not sssspeak hisss name.” Emi nodded her head, her grip still tight on her blade. Sly watched her back, his arms still wrapped around his midsection as he sat on the ground. He felt sick inside and he was sober for the first time in well over a decade and he had her to blame for that. She had taken his drugs and forced him to detox in another world without anything to ease his pain. She had stolen what was his and she didn’t have any fucking right but she thought she did because she was supposed to protect the sealbreaker and that made him valuable. If he hadn’t opened that book she wouldn’t have bothered. She would have left him alone and never looked twice at him and he knew it. Mostly because she wouldn’t have existed in this time or place, but even if she had she would have wanted nothing to do with him. She was bound to him by duty alone and that was why she’d forced this on him and hurt him and he thought he hated her. There was only one thing wrong with that, and it was that he didn’t think duty or honor had forced her to try and comfort him. She hadn’t been forced to rest her hand on his back while he threw up or keep her fingers in his hair while he cried. She hadn’t been required to sing to him and he told himself he hated her but he thought it was going to be hard to remember. His head tipped back against the wood and he dug his fingers tighter into his skin as he held onto himself. He coughed and trembled afterwards, his body weak and exhausted and drained. His mind was still foggy from being sick but it was slowly sinking in that he was really awake, and he was really sober. He didn’t like it. There was a little part of him that kept thinking that it was almost dark and that meant it was time for his nightly hit except it was all gone and Emi had forced this on him. “Are you his servants?” Emi demanded. One of her hands was curled in the lizard man’s shirt, the other still holding her blade to his throat. Her eyes were narrowed and cold as she watched him, waiting for his response. The tongue flickered out between sharp teeth as he tipped his head back down to look at her and then a morbid grin spread across his face. “He is our God,” the lizard man said simply, and then he was lunging at her, claws spread and sharp as he pushed himself towards her chest. The blade pierced his throat as soon as he moved and the claws barely scratched her skin, leaving thin red lines on her ribs. She pushed the blade in deeper to make sure it was done and then she used her foot to push him from her blade. It was slick with blood and she leaned down to use the edge of his shirt to wipe it clean before she sheathed her blade. She tipped her head to the side, studying his corpse and the wide eyed gaze staring up the ceiling and when she was satisfied she turned and walked back to Sly. She crouched at his side, eyes flicking across his face as she looked for signs of injury. “Are you hurt?” she asked, her eyes almost something like concerned as she looked down at him. He snorted and then his head fell back with a dark laugh. “Everywhere,” he told her. He tipped his head to the side and stared anywhere but at her because she was a bitch and he hated her and he didn’t want anything else from her. He just wanted her gone. He wanted her to leave him alone so he could go back to his miserable life and he let his eyes drift shut. Her fingers pulled at his arms, trying to get him upright and back to the bed. For a moment he let her. He let her pull him into a standing position and then he leaned against the wall and pulled his arm from her grasp. “I got it,” he snapped. He didn’t look at her face as he stumbled back to the bed. He didn’t look at her and he didn’t look at the dead lizard man on the floor because he just didn’t care anymore. He didn’t care about the demons or if they killed him. He didn’t care if Emi thought he was something to be judged lowly or if he was just this burden she had. He crawled back into the bed, his muscles aching and sore and his arms bruised from where he’d tried to claw out his own blood. There was a can of something sitting next to the bed with a spoon in it but he didn’t think he could eat food yet. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and sunk into the bed, letting his eyes close again. The bed sunk under Emi’s weight in the next moment and he wanted to tell her to fuck off or to leave him alone but he didn’t. He told himself over and over that he hated her and he told himself that he didn’t want anything from her but he was a liar. The next moment her fingers were brushing through his hair and he was glad she was there, even if he didn’t want to be. “Rest now, Baka,” she told him. “In the morning we must leave.” Wenston The night went by slowly and Emi didn’t dare go to sleep. She was tired, granted, and she had new cuts and bruises from the lizard man who’d come to evict them from the abandoned hotel room, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. It was nothing that would make her forfeit her vigilance over Sly. He was mad at her, she could tell, but he was allowed to be. If he wanted to hate her, she wouldn’t try to convince him not to. She just hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid like try to get more medicine when they returned home and she thought about laying down some ground rules for him, but she didn’t know how strict she should be with him. The tighter she held, the further he’d slip away. Emi spent most of the night in meditation. Deep thought, relaxing her body and ignoring the aches she still felt. She kept an ear and an eye on Sly the entire time. At one point during the night, she got up and went to the bathroom to look at her side in the cracked mirror. She had a new slash across her cheek that wasn’t deep, but it was wide. It would heal. When she lifted her shirt, her side was still bruised from when they’d faced off with the Gatekeeper going after Genbu. But now she’d added three thing red slashes across her skin and her midsection was bruised as well. It looked painful, but the less she concentrated on it, the less it hurt. She didn’t tend to either of the wounds, except to wipe them clean of the excess blood and then she went back to meditating at the end of Sly’s bed. She stayed there until the sun rose and when it did, she watched it. She watched the sun come up over the top of the deep green treetops and it was orange and red and pink. The warmth on her face made her think of home. Not Sly’s home, but an ancient home in Japan where she’d lived before she knew anything about the Thirteen or the seal. Some days she missed that home. But she couldn’t dwell on it because that home and those people were dead and gone. For a long time. Emi didn’t end up having to wake Sly up. He woke on his own with a groan. She was sitting Indian style on the end of the bed and when he woke, she turned her head over her shoulder to watch him as he rolled onto his back and put an arm over his eyes. He laid there for a moment before he lifted his arm and looked at her, frowning before he forced his eyes away like he was disgusted to even see her and she didn’t take offense to it. Sliding off the end of the bed, she rounded it and came to the can of food she’d set next to it the previous night, holding it out for him. He didn’t even look at it, just stared at the ceiling. “You should eat something,” she told him. “That’s not happening,” he told her and there was no trace of the humor or lightheartedness she’d come to expect from him. Emi made a face at him and held the can closer. “I was not asking,” she told him and his eyes went to her face, an angry look on his own before he looked back down at the can. She just held it still so he could watch it and when he reached out to push it away, she let him, but only so far. “Yeah, fuck you,” he told her and she remained passive and calm because she understood why he was mad. “I’m not eating.” Emi nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You have every right to be mad,” she started. He didn’t let her finish. If anything, that riled him up. He sat up, grunting and looking like it took a lot of effort and was painful and she didn’t reach out to help him because she didn’t think he’d want it right now. “You’re damn right I have every right to be mad,” he spat angrily. “You didn’t have the fucking right to put me through that. You didn’t have the right to go through my things and take what was mine. You had no fucking right,” he yelled at her. “But I did,” she said calmly and his eyes narrowed at her. He lifted his hands and ran them over his face and he was still pale and a little sweaty, but it wasn’t nearly as bad. She watched him for a moment, taking in his posture and the way he looked and then she sighed. She withdrew the spoon from the can, tapping it on the edge to dislodge the food that was on it and she held it out to him. “Hold it,” she said. “Look, I’m not playing you’re fucking games anymore,” he spat. “We’re not friends and I don’t want anything else to do with you except for you to kill demons so you can get the hell out of my life.” He looked to the side and she watched his face and pretended the words didn’t feel like a punch to the gut. His head came back around and his eyes rose to her face before falling quickly and he looked like maybe he wasn’t comfortable with the words that had just come out of his mouth but she didn’t want to try and wonder what was going through his head. She’d let him decide what he wanted to do. Emi held the spoon out for him again. “If that is what you wish, then we will go after the demons quickly so you will not have to have me around,” she said. “But I need to know how well you are and you must hold this spoon to show me.” Sly growled and snatched the spoon from here. “I can tell you how fucking well I am. I’m not well at all. I feel like shit and I look like shit and I smell like shit so maybe I am shit. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck right?” He was ranting and raving, but Emi’s eyes were on the spoon in his hand because even through his mad raving, he was holding the spoon and it was not shaking in his grasp. She looked up at his face and a small smile broke her lips and that seemed to catch Sly off guard. He frowned and looked down at the spoon and he paused for a moment. Emi didn’t give him time to say anything more. She leaned forward and touched the side of his head and he seemed surprised by the motion but she just said, “You are well enough. I am proud of you, Baka. We will leave now.” Then she turned around and stood, walking over to where she’d put the bowl of food and utensils. She grabbed a few and came back over to where Sly was on the bed. She stuffed a few cans and the knife into his pack, in case they would need it for later. Then she went to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open and checking the hallway before she turned back to look at Sly. He was still sitting on the bed with the spoon in his hand, but he was watching her and there was a curious look on his face. She just nodded to him. “If you need my help standing, I will help you,” she said and she was being very passive and business because he didn’t want to be friends and her duty didn’t require them to be so if that’s what he wanted, that’s what they’d be. They’d just be duty bound and nothing else. She would respect his decision. And she wasn’t going to tell him that she was disappointed or hurt that he didn’t like her and wanted her gone. She wasn’t going to tell him that she thought he was light hearted and sweet and she liked those qualities about him. She wasn’t going to tell him those things because she didn’t want to make it harder for him. She’d just do as he asked, keep him alive, kill the Thirteen and when it was over, she’d be out of his life and he’d be out of hers and that’s the way it was supposed to be. Even if that did hurt. .Wolfie. It wasn’t fucking fair.Sly was a sucker for hot chicks with hot mouths. It had defined half his life and somehow it only seemed fair that he’d started doing heroin for one and now he was cut off from it because of one. It seemed like the sick sort of humor that just fit his sick sort of life. He told himself he hated Emi. It was easy to think when he got his shit together because all his muscles were sore, his head hurt, his eyes were gritty, and his mouth was bone dry. He still didn’t think he could eat anything because his stomach ached and at this point he didn’t know if it was from throwing up yesterday or if it was because he hadn’t eaten in almost two days but he wasn’t willing to risk it yet. He stank of sweat and dirt and he felt awful and probably looked awful and he didn’t fucking understand why she had smiled at him. The girl never smiled. He’d tried practically every second since he met her and he’d gotten two, maybe. He didn’t understand why she’d said she was proud of him. He didn’t understand what the fuck there was to be proud of because all he’d done was manage to not die. He hadn’t handled it like a man, he’d cried and screamed and begged and called her every fucking curse he knew and he could still feel her fingers lingering against his cheek while she told him she was proud of him. No one had ever said those words to him before. Nothing had even come close, and that was making it really hard to hate her. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he followed her out of the hotel room and he didn’t understand why that meant anything to him. She was the bitch that had done this to him and he didn’t care if she was proud of him or if she hated him because he hated her. At least he wanted to. She’d taken away his drugs and she hadn’t had the fucking right but she clearly didn’t care. She wasn’t sorry for it and he didn’t have a doubt in his mind that she would do it again in a heartbeat if she thought she had to. Sly hated it. He didn’t like being told what to do and there was a little part of him that thought when they got back he should call Ash, get loaded back up, and kick Emi’s ass out on the street. Fuck the demons, fuck the book, fuck all of it. He wasn’t going to do it. He felt guilty as soon as he thought it and it wasn’t because of duty and it wasn’t because she’d saved his life and he owed her. He felt guilty because she didn’t have anywhere else to go and he didn’t like the mental image of her sleeping on a park bench. He’d done it before but he didn’t have any fucking dignity and she did. Besides, it wasn’t her world out there. She didn’t know anyone and she didn’t have any ID or anything to get by. No one would hire her and no one would help her. She would be all alone and he just couldn’t do that to her. No matter what she’d done to him. It was exhausting just walking back down to the hallway but he kept his mouth shut and didn’t complain. Emi kept the pace slow for him and as much as he wanted to just curl up in the hotel bad and go back to sleep for a year, they needed to move. There were fucking lizard men or something out there and now that he was awake and sober for the first time in over a decade he was starting to process that. Maybe it was setting in a little bit more just how weird his life had gotten and he didn’t know how to feel about that. Emi led the way out of the building, the sun bright in the sky and he winced and shielded his eyes against it because it just reminded him how badly his head hurt. He held his arm in front of his face and when his eyes adjusted they narrowed, his gaze focusing on his hand. She was right. He wasn’t shaking. He watched his hand as he flexed it in front of him and he wasn’t trembling and his body wasn’t craving that one hit. His mind was. He wanted it so fucking badly he could hardly breathe and every time he thought about that amber liquid his mouth went dry. But physically maybe he wasn’t an addict anymore. He didn’t realize he’d stopped until he glanced up and saw Emi watching him. The smile was gone from her lips, her eyes lidded but not mocking. He sneered at her anyway. “Shut up,” he said, shoving his hand in his pocket and following her down the steps. He shivered as they walked outside, pulling his jacket tighter around his frame because it was colder than he thought it should be. Emi didn’t seem bothered by it, but then she wasn’t getting over detox hell. The light was bright and it cast a filtered green glow on the ground before them and he didn’t know how he felt about this being sober business yet. He felt awake. He didn’t feel good because he’d spent the last two days in agony, but he was aware of the world around him and there were hard, solid edges on everything now. The weakness lingered with him as they walked down the dirt path but he didn’t want to be that in front of her. He didn’t know what he was trying to prove, because he’d already been stripped down to something ugly and sick thanks to her, but he fought it back anyway. It wasn’t until his pace slowed to a crawl that she pushed him down into a sitting position against a tree. As they’d walked, the city had become less and less something human. It was wild and untamed, the vines swallowing whole buildings and the trees an ever present canopy above their heads. Some of the bushes had leaves the size of Sly’s torso. The silence had been thick and heavy between them since they left the hotel room and Emi didn’t seem to care but after a while Sly had started to feel awkward about that. He slumped down against the tree and watched her move away from him, releasing his shoulder as soon as he was sitting. Sly chewed on the hoop on his lip and then he sighed because it was too fucking quiet. It was probably the longest he’d kept his mouth shut in his whole damn life and he couldn’t do it anymore. “So what’s this demon like?” he asked, and his voice sounded harsh even to himself. He cleared his throat and glanced at her. Emi stood in the middle of the path, her hand on her katana as she watched the trees and listened to the wind and whatever else she was on guard for. She glanced over her shoulder at him when she heard his voice and he didn’t know how to read her. He didn’t understand a fucking thing about her and he wanted to hate her but he was having a hard time of it. His head was tipped back against the tree and he just watched her, not making any jokes or crude comments and she probably liked it better this way anyway. “He is Senshutokage,” she told him, her voice calm and low. He’d called her every name in the book and she hadn’t flinched and he wondered what that said about both of them. He wondered why she was still here, and then he remembered that she had to be. “The tyrant lizard. He is large and ferocious but he lacks in cunning. I have defeated him in battle many times before.” “Of course you have.” He snorted and shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment and he was still exhausted. His body was tired and wasted but he couldn’t go home and sleep it off until they killed the damned lizard so he used the tree to pull himself to his feet. She didn’t help him, but she watched him carefully in case he fell. He didn’t. He kept himself upright and he moved to stand next to her shoulder so that they could keep moving and it was a far cry from Genbu’s world. He shoved his hands in his pockets and he ducked his head as he walked, watching his boot laces trail through the dirt and he felt like he was being dragged behind with them. He felt like shit and he was shit and the first one was Emi’s fault but the second one was his own and he didn’t know how to cope. He hadn’t been completely sober in almost fifteen years and it was way more fucking painful than he thought it should be. And that was where his thoughts got all jumbled and confused. He wanted his heroin. He wanted it so fucking badly that it hurt and thinking about it made him start to scratch at the scars on his arms and wish they were more. He thought about what was going to happen when they got back and he was free to get more and every scenario involved him trying to hide it from Emi and it wasn’t because she would take his shit and throw it away because he had places to hide it and ways around it and if he wanted to get high she couldn’t stop him. He was sure of that in a way that only a junkie could be. The problem was that he hated the look that had crossed her face when he’d made it clear to her that he wasn’t really sick. Even through his drug addled haze he could remember the look of utter disappointment and hurt that she’d worn and he didn’t like it there. Not when the alternative was that smile and fuck, he was such a sucker for a hot woman with hot mouth. “Wait,” Emi said abruptly. She froze in the middle of the path, her hand coming out before he could stop and pressing against his chest. He frowned when her fingers dropped away; rubbing at the marks that lingered on his skin and he didn’t think they were ever going to heal. Her head was turned to the side, her grip tight around her katana. There was a glint of metal as she unsheathed the top of it and her eyes were focused on the edge of the path. “I hear something there,” she said, glancing back at him. “After you, princess.” Sly snorted and jerked his head at the side of the road and even if he didn’t think he hated her, just what she’d done to him, he wasn’t ready to move past it yet. Probably not until he stopped feeling so fucking weak and achy. She kept her hand on her sword, stepping lightly into the brush and crouching low so that she was hardly visible. She ducked under something that looked like a giant fern, using her arm to push it out of the way. He followed a few feet behind her but he wasn’t half as sneaky and mostly he just tried not to crash too loudly through the brush. It was easier this time because he was moving slowly. There was a chain link fence being slowly devoured by vines with wild white and red flowers on them and he focused on them for a moment because the edges looked bright and clean. He reached a hand forward for a moment and brushed his fingers over it and he could actually feel the flower beneath his fingertips. They weren’t numb and stunted and he snorted for a moment because he wasn’t ready to process being completely sober yet. His gaze went past the fence and it looked like it led into an old schoolyard, a merry go round overgrown and being devoured by a green moss. The jungle gym had become just that and he almost laughed. Then he focused on what had drawn Emi in the first place. There were three of them, their skin greens and browns as they chewed away on the green moss that covered the remains of the playground and Sly had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. A grin spread across his lips and he didn’t even think to let Emi go first. “No shit,” he said, ducking beneath the remains of the fence as he moved slowly into the schoolyard. The biggest of them raised his eyes and focused on Sly but he was just wary, not on the attack or territorial. He thought maybe he should be scared but maybe he was just too exhausted to be scared anymore, and besides, this was just too fucking awesome. “They’re triceratops,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at Emi and he forgot he was supposed to hate her. She shook her head, still waiting by the fence with her hand on her blade and her eyes going back to the three horned creatures with trepidation. He couldn’t help the quiet laugh and he shook his head at her. “Dinosaurs?” he pressed. “Giant lizards who ruled the earth millions of years ago? See, I told you that fucking demon was a T-Rex and you didn’t believe me.” He turned his head away from her and he held a hand out towards the biggest one because it was a god damned triceratops and if he decided to trample him or spear him with his horns that was still a badass way to go. “Hey bud,” he said, moving slowly closer. The dinosaur watched him for a moment, snorting warm air out through his nostrils as he studied Sly warily. There were two others behind the big one, both of them smaller and with smaller horns. One of them paused and looked up at the two of them before it dropped its head and went back to ripping brush off the monkey bars and devouring it with slow chomps. He returned his gaze to the one in front of him and then it seemed to decide something, pushing its head forward and letting his hand rest against its horn. He couldn’t stop the stupid grin on his face and he forgot that his life was hell because this was cool as fuck. Wenston Emi wasn’t sure she was comfortable with Sly being so close to the lizards. He’d called them dinosaurs, but she was unfamiliar with that term and it felt odd to be in one of these worlds and have him know more about what was in it than she did. It made her wonder again how long the Thirteen had been awake while the seal was still broken. They weren’t supposed to be. They were supposed to be in a slumber, just like she was, but apparently they’d found a way to break that and she wasn’t sure what to think of that. She didn’t know what it meant for the seal or for Izanagi or any of it. If they could break it, maybe she could too? As soon as she thought that, she knew it wasn’t a thought she could afford. Her duty was to the seal and the seal breakers, not to herself. Never to herself. The great horned dinosaur lifted its head and Sly laughed, his hand still around one of its horns. Emi made a small noise because she wasn’t comfortable with this but Sly seemed unconcerned with any of it. He just laughed again and shook his head. “A fucking dinosaur,” he said and she didn’t think he was talking to her. But then he turned to look at her over his shoulder and lifted his other hand to wave her over. “Come here. You’ll regret it if you don’t pet this thing.” She studied him a moment as he turned back, his hand petting over the dinosaur’s horn. She couldn’t get a read on him. She couldn’t figure out what he thought of her or whether he was angry or getting over it. When he looked back over at her, he gave her a look she didn’t like. Like maybe she was hesitating because she was scared or because she didn’t like him. He turned back to the dinosaur and Emi sucked in a breath because she didn’t like either of those. So she took a few steps forward, coming closer to the giant lizard and tipping her head to the side to watch its eyes. As she got closer, the dinosaur lifted its head and snorted. Emi tightened her grip on her katana a moment, but Sly was laughing and she stepped hesitantly up next to him. “See? This things not evil,” he said and he was grinning ear to ear. “You’re not a demon, are you boy?” He patted the horn and then looked over at her. “Go on, pet it,” he said. Emi puckered her face and then her hand came out slowly. When her fingers touched the dinosaur’s skin, she sucked in a breath because it was rough beneath her fingertips. She ran her fingers along a crack in its wrinkled skin and beside her, Sly was still grinning. Emi swallowed and then withdrew her hand, because that was enough of that. She took a step back and tipped her head back, her chin jutting. “We should keep moving,” she said lowly. Sly sighed. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, but it wasn’t his normal complaining. He was irritated with her. He was probably angry and he had probably been telling the truth when he’d said he hated her and she didn’t know why that bothered her so much, but it did. It did more than it should. They stepped away from the dinosaurs and Emi waited until Sly moved beyond her before she took her eyes off of the creatures. They walked side by side for a while and Sly was being beyond quiet. His hands were stuck in his pockets and he was looking around at the world they were passing through. Emi kept her eyes peeled for any sign of danger but there was so much movement everywhere, she was on high alert, her body tense and her grip on her katana tight. “So where would we find this T-Rex demon?” Sly asked, reaching to run a hand over his face, across his eyes and his head must have been hurting. Emi didn’t look at him as she said, “He will most likely find us.” Then she sighed and shook her head. “Although the Thirteen have been devising new tricks, so we will have to remain vigilant.” “Great,” Sly snarked and then went quiet again. They walked a little further, in silence and it was a far cry from the way Sly had been in Genbu’s world. She wasn’t going to complain, though, because Sly was healthier now. He was more aware of his surroundings and he wasn’t in danger of killing himself. She wouldn’t complain if he wanted to take on the Thirteen in silence. That was his choice, she would respect whatever choice he made. The only thing she wouldn’t let him do was fall back onto his medicine. She would have to watch him closely. As they approached a smaller clearing, Emi reached out and grabbed Sly’s arm, pulling them both to a stop. Her eyes were focused on a small rustling in the bushes to their side. She pulled Sly back behind her and pulled Kaidokusuru out of its sheath. Sly leaned forward a little and said, “Okay, if these are those spitting dinosaurs that kill Newman, we’re screwed.” She didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but she knew she would protect him from whatever he was afraid of. She took a few hesitant steps forward, scanning the foliage, but she didn’t see anything but plants. Nothing but the leaves and small, purple flowers, and vines. She couldn’t tell what was rustling them. When Sly cried out, she whirled, eyes wide and she cursed herself for falling for the trap when she saw the vine wrapped around Sly’s ankle, pulling him down hard against the ground as it pulled his legs out from beneath him. Emi leapt forward as the vine started to pull Sly along the ground. He rolled over onto his stomach, trying to claw desperately at the foliage on the ground. She sliced her katana low, cutting the vine and she whirled, yanking Sly back to his feet. “What the fuck is with the Evil Dead trees?” Sly spat, scrambling backwards. Emi didn’t know how to answer, but she didn’t get a chance to say anything as the leaves spread in front of them, revealing a yellow and green bud of a flower, puckered up top. The flower opened and inside were spindly teeth. It was a carnivorous flower of some sort and Emi growled as she saw two smaller flowers at its side aim their way. She recognized immediately what they were about to do. “Baka,” she barked out at him, yanking him back. He gave a cry, her tug on him rougher than she’d meant to, but she got him behind her just as the smaller flowers shot out small, hard spines towards them. Emi managed to get them out of the way of one of the spines, but the she gasped as the other one, which had been aimed for Sly’s chest, struck her in the side of the neck. Sly tripped from the momentum and landed on his hands and knees. Emi didn’t stop, didn’t slow, as she reached up and pulled the spine from her neck. Then she was moving across the ground, with her katana out and she leapt at the man eating flower, cutting off one of the smaller ones, slicing the bigger one. She kicked out at the second smaller flower before she cut that one off too and then she whirled, her blade slicing through the stem. It didn’t cut clean through and the flower struck her hard in her already bruised side. She staggered a little, her head spinning for a moment suddenly but she shook her head clear and leapt again, cutting the stem the rest of the way. The giant flower gave a rumbling roar, unnatural and ghastly, before it fell to the leaf covered ground. Emi watched it for a moment, crouched low on the ground. She looked back at Sly, who was staring at it with wide eyes. He swallowed thickly and then looked over at her. She pushed herself up slightly, but the world tilted again around her and her knee gave out, sending her back to the ground. “Emi?” came Sly’s suddenly nervous voice. She heard him climb to his feet and come over to her and she tried to push herself up again, but her head was spinning and she started to fall again, but Sly’s hands came out and caught her arms, lowering her to a sitting position on the ground. “Whoa, hey,” he said and all bitterness he’d had earlier was gone from his voice. “Are you okay? What’ wrong?” he asked, coming to crouch in front of her. She swallowed thickly and didn’t want to tell him that the world was spinning and tilting and darkening around her. She just dipped her head down and tried to stay upright. “I am alright,” she said, the words slurring from her mouth. “I just need a moment.” Even as the words slipped from her mouth, she listed to the side, her head hitting Sly’s shoulder heavily. “Emi, hey,” Sly said and she wanted to tell him it was okay and to just give her a minute, but the world was spinning around her and she just leaned against Sly and she had a fear settling into her gut that he was going to leave while she was incapacitated. That he would leave or get hurt and it would be her fault. She tried to tell him to stay. But she didn’t think she got the words out. .Wolfie. “I just want you to know that this is bullshit,” Sly said over his shoulder. “I’m supposed to be the one that needs rescuing, not you.”He was rambling and he knew it because he was nervous and scared and completely lost. It was probably stupid to be making so much noise and running his mouth, but if anything found him he was already screwed because Emi was unconscious and he wasn’t exactly in the shape to be winning any fights. Not that he was Stallone on a normal day, but today was worse than others. It wasn’t right that he was the one conscious and alert and sober and Emi was the one slung over his shoulder as he tried to get them some place safe. He didn’t know if there was such a thing in this world but he was going to get them off the path anyway because that seemed like a bad place to hang out, especially if there were more of those lizard men were out there. They’d been fast enough to keep up with Emi, so if any of them wanted a piece of Sly then there wasn’t much he could do to stop them. The place looked like it used to be a gas station. Trees had taken over where the pumps used to be, thick trunks cropping up around them and branches mingling with the metal to form a green canopy overhead that made it impossible for him to tell what time it was. He moved past that and ended up trying to kick the door down with embarrassingly weak blows. He got frustrated when it wouldn’t break and finally started thinking with his head instead, jamming the lock open with the screwdriver in his backpack. He set Emi down against the wall and he didn’t like that she hadn’t opened her eyes to yell at him or tell him what a fucking moron he was. It bothered him how shallow her breathing sounded and the sweat that was breaking out across her forehead. He’d already pulled the barbs out of her neck and her chest and he stashed them in the front pocket of his backpack in case they needed them. The inside was dirty and trashed, like someone had knocked it off before the jungle and the dinosaurs had taken over. Cans of food were knocked on the dirt covered floor, open and shredded cardboard boxes littering the ground. His muscles were shaking by then and he barely managed to drag Emi inside the building. He stripped off his coat, lying her down on her side on top of it and then he crouched next to her, tipping her head back to look at the mark on her neck. It was red and inflamed but the veins around it weren’t red so maybe it wasn’t going to kill her. He didn’t like thinking like that and he left his hand on the back of her neck as his gaze moved to her face. Her eyes were closed, her hair loose around her face. The air moving in and out of her lungs seemed strained and labored and he didn’t like that one fucking bit. He glanced over his shoulder at the door, his hands leaving her skin as he sat back. It was open, the breeze coming in from outside and it would be easy to leave her here and just go. He had the book. He could probably find a way out. He pushed himself to his feet, moving across the abandoned gas station to push the door closed. Then he started raiding their remaining stock for anything they could use. He found a first aid kit under the counter and he kept that, along with a few bottles of water. There was food but he didn’t recognize it and he was nervous about eating anything unfamiliar right now. He went back to Emi’s side and got to work cleaning her wounds and if she didn’t like it that was tough shit. He washed where the barbs had pierced her skin and then he cleaned the shallow cuts the lizard man had left, patching her up with gauze and medical tape. At some point she started to shiver, the sweat breaking out on her forehead and trickling down the back of her neck. He thought it was her body sweating the poison out and he snorted when he saw that because it was too fucking familiar. That’s what she’d called his heroin. She’d called it his poison and he chewed on the metal hoop in his lip as he wondered what he had done to his life. When he was done he sat back on his ass and pulled the backpack over to him. He used the knife on the top of a can of food and he gave eating a shot for the first time in two days. It tasted like shit and he only ate half of it but it was something and he felt a little bit better after words. He set the can down next to him, drank half the bottle of water, and then he lit himself a cigarette, pushing his back up against one of the racks and focusing his gaze back on Emi because she still hadn’t woken up and that scared him. “You’re a bitch,” he said abruptly. He tipped his head back against the metal rack, letting the smoke trickle up in front of his face as he watched her with lidded eyes. “I mean, you can’t just bail on me like this. Especially not because of a damn flower.” She didn’t say anything. Of course she didn’t, because she was unconscious and hurt and he sighed because it hurt him to see her like this. She was this badass, hot Asian chick, and she wasn’t supposed to get hurt. She was this invincible, unbreakable force and it didn’t seem right that she was the one lying here hurt and shaking and he was the one kicking back and smoking a cigarette. But then, maybe she had to be like that, because who else did she have to depend on? He sighed and flicked the cigarette stub into the dirt, shifting to the opposite wall so he was sitting by her head. Everything still hurt, his head pounding loudly and his arms trembling, but it was because they were tired and overworked and not because his body was craving a hit. His blood wasn’t itching and he wasn’t trying to scrape out his own insides just to try and ease the agony he’d put himself through. His hand rested on her shoulder and he moved her head so that she was resting on his leg. Her sword was laid out next to her like a security blanket because he didn’t think she would care if she was alive if he’d left that behind. She shivered and the sweat was thick along her forehead. He wiped it off with his sleeve and tightened his grip on her shoulder because he needed her to be okay. He needed her to make it through this for a lot of reasons, because he was lost without her, dead without her, and more than both of those because he liked her. He didn’t like seeing her hurt or in pain, especially not for him. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and he wasn’t going to thank Emi for what she’d done but he didn’t think he could hate her. He didn’t know who he was. He didn’t know what it meant to be sober and he didn’t know when he’d become a junkie. Sly didn’t mean to, but he drifted in and out of sleep while he waited for Emi to wake up. He had bits and pieces of nightmares leak through where he thought another lizard man broke into the gas station and sliced them both apart with their claws, but when his eyes opened they were both still alive. He glanced down at her and her breathing had evened out and now she just looked like she was asleep. She wasn’t shaking or sweating anymore and she looked pale but not sick. He lifted his hand and started to move it over her hair when she woke abruptly. He cried out when the fingers caught his wrist, bending it backwards with one quick motion and in another second she could probably break it. There was a hiss of steel being drawn and panic sunk into his gut when he realized it was her katana leaving its sheath and he tipped his head back against the wall, holding his other hand up. “Emi, it’s me!” he shouted, crushing his eyes shut. The fingers were still tight around his wrist but he didn’t feel a sword piercing his cuts or slitting him open so he cracked one eye open. Emi was looking up at him with those pale eyes and at first there was no recognition looking back at him. Then suddenly she was releasing him, a breath leaving her throat and her gaze softening. “Baka,” she said quietly. The sword slid back into its sheath and she sat back away from him, putting a hand to her face. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, trying to rub feeling back into his already sore wrist. She licked her lips and she was trembling slightly but she was awake and she was coherent and he didn’t tell her how fucking relieved he was for that. “I apologize,” she said. “I did not recognize you.” “That stings,” he said. “How could you forget this pretty face?” He smirked at her as he gestured at his visage before running his hand back through his hair and scrubbing hard, trying to ignore just how shaky he felt now. She was watching him curiously, eyes sweeping his face before she let them drop, her hand rising to the mark on her neck, fingers prodding at the puncture wound. He watched her for a moment and he felt awkward around her now because he’d called her names and told her he hated her and it wasn’t true, but maybe she didn’t care either way. “How are you feeling?” he asked, scrubbing a hand over his mouth. “I am fine,” she said, and he didn’t think he believed her because she’d been fucking poisoned. She wasn’t looking at him, fingers pulling away from her neck. She frowned and for a moment her fingers prodded at the wounds on her ribs but then she dropped her hands into her lap like she didn’t want him to see. She glanced up at him and studied his face before she spoke quietly. “And you?” Sly didn’t know what made him tell her the truth. There was something nasty on the tip of his tongue but he didn’t say it. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and then he focused on his fingers because he could hold them steady. "I haven't been completely sober in almost fifteen years,” he said, and then he snorted, shaking his head and running his hands over his eyes. A sharp laugh pulled its way from his lips and he didn’t look at her when he whispered the quiet words. “I'm scared." Emi was quiet for a moment and he tilted his head to the side so that he could look at her. She was stretching her legs out on the floor and she seemed pale and shaky too. They were both such a mess. “You are strong, Baka,” she told him quietly. “You can do this.” He thought about telling her that it was bullshit and he wasn’t strong. He was a weak, stupid asshole and he was probably going to relapse as soon as they got back and he was still deciding if that was something he wanted yet. Instead he just grinned slyly at her. "You know, that would be more convincing if you let me snuggle your boobs again while you said it. Just putting it out there." Emi’s lips curled for a second in a smile and then she wiped it away, looking down at the ground. "You are a fool,” she told him. "You know what?” he said, pointing a finger at her. “I’ve decided. I think that should be your punishment. I think you should have to laugh at all my bad jokes from now on. Every one of them, even the dirty ones." "I think I would prefer the spanking," she said quietly. Sly barked out a laugh, slapping his leg as he leaned forward. She was still looking at the ground but he’d seen her smile before and she couldn’t take it back. "Holy shit, did you just make a joke?” he asked. He tipped his head to try and look into her face and she sighed, tilting back to look at him. Her eyes were lidded and he couldn’t read what she was thinking but she’d saved his life and he couldn’t hate her. “That sounded like a joke. And by the way, I hope you realize that's a win-win situation for me, babe." She lifted an eyebrow, shifting back so that she was resting her back against the shelf. She pulled her blade over to her, focusing on that instead of on him. Her eyes scanned the building and the shut door, like she was trying to figure out where they were or maybe just not on the question that came out of her mouth next. "I thought you did not want to be friends?" Sly shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, well, you're too hot for me to stay mad at you forever. Especially when you smile." Wenston They didn‘t leave right away. Sly still looked exhausted, rightfully so, and Emi was trying to get herself together. She was trying to ignore the aches and pains in her body, but it was hard. She felt weak. Her limbs felt heavy and her movements sluggish and she didn’t like it at all. She didn’t like that she’d let herself get hurt and had put herself in a position to depend on someone else and it felt odd that that someone was Sly. They sat near each other in the building she’d woken up in and just rested for a moment, trying to collect themselves enough to get up and go after Senshutokage. She felt something like fear gripping at her gut, because it wasn’t going to be an easy fight. Not even if she was at her full potential. Being at the disadvantage wasn’t going to make this easy and she didn’t know what to do about it. Sly sat against a counter, his head tipped back so it rested against the wood. His eyes were closed and he had his arms crossed over his chest, like he was trying to take a cat nap, but it didn’t look like he was sleeping at all. Or at least, she wasn’t sure how he’d be able to sleep like that. She wasn’t sure what to think of him. He hadn’t left. He could have easily taken off and left her here and found some way to get back to his world and she’d be here forever. He could have been rid of her, gone back to his medicine. But he didn’t and that meant a lot to her. It said a lot about what kind of a person he was and she was doubting that a liar, a thief and a cheat was all he was anymore. Letting out a slow breath, Emi swallowed thickly and looked down at her hands in her lap. She was sitting cross legged and she knew she couldn’t take on Senshutokage yet because her hands were shaky and her limbs were heavy. She felt cold and slow. But she could have been dead. She could have been left alone in the world and she wasn’t. She owed him. He’d saved her when he wasn’t required or obligated to. He’d saved her because he was the type of person who wouldn’t leave her behind. “Daisuke was my father,” she said out of nowhere. She glanced up to look at him. Sly leaned his head forward, his eyes opening to stare out in front of him before he moved his gaze tentatively towards her. A frown marred his still too pale brow and he seemed to think about his words for once before he simply said, “Okay.” Emi looked down and she felt awkward talking about him, but she owed Sly. She owed him something for saving her. “That’s, uh, completely random, but good to know?” he sounded unsure and it came out a question instead of an observation. Emi didn’t look up as she spoke. “My family has guarded the Grimoire for as long as Izanagi has been sealed behind it. The first born son of all my ancestors were chosen to be the guardians. Daisuke had no sons, he only had daughters. I was the thirteenth and after me, he had no more children.” Sly nodded, scratching at his cheek for a moment and Emi bit her lip, like she was ashamed to be admitting any of this. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because she’d never told anyone how any of this had happened. “So, he teach you how to do all those fancy sword moves?” Sly asked and when she looked up at his face, his gaze wasn’t judgmental or mocking. It was soft, like he could understand the gravity of her words. “Yes,” she nodded her head. “He knew not which of his daughters he would make into the guardian. It was always a rule not to approach the Grimoire. They were simply scrolls back then. They were not bound. I broke Daisuke’s rules and he caught me. He made his choice then. That I would become the guardian, because I lacked discipline and obedience.” Sly snorted. “You? Lack discipline?” “Yes,” Emi said again, not knowing why he was smiling like he found that funny. “He taught me all of the virtues and skills I would need. Obedience, duty, self-sacrifice.” She lifted her hand to her shoulder, her fingers glancing over the top lines of the scars along her back. “Strength against pain,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “There were many lessons.” At that, Sly went quiet. He had a strange look on his face that Emi couldn’t read. She watched him a moment while he watched her and it was awkward between them and she wasn’t quite sure why. Then Sly snorted and said, “So how’d you get stuck with the gig? How come you can’t pass it off on anyone?” Emi sighed. “A warlord came to our village while I was out training alone. His army slaughtered everyone and burned every home to the ground. When I returned, I only found corpses and ash.” Sly’s face fell at that and Emi continued swiftly because the point of telling him this wasn’t to upset him. “I sought vengeance on the warlord and I fought his army before defeating him within his temple. I killed him, but was gravely wounded as well. But the fates do not allow the guardian to die. We are duty bound, even in death. I closed my eyes inside the warlords temple and when I opened them again, the world had changed and I was called to defend the first seal breaker. It has been that way ever since.” Sly seemed to think about that for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. “So, when I asked if you were a ghost, you should have said yes.” “I am flesh and blood,” she said, not catching onto his joke. He snorted. “Okay, zombie then.” At the frown she put on her face, he laughed. “Nevermind. So, when you say that the fates don’t allow you to die. Does that mean you can’t die now?” Emi tipped her head to the side, looking down at her hands and frowning. “I do not know,” she said softly, moving her gaze back to Sly’s face. “That’s…really messed up, babe,” Sly said, shaking his head. He chuckled to himself, giving a snort as something about it struck him as funny and she wasn’t quite sure what part he thought was funny. She looked down at her legs, feeling a little embarrassed. “You could have left,” she whispered quietly and she was too ashamed to look up at him, but she could feel him staring at her after she said the words. “While I was injured,” she explained. “You could have returned to your world and left me trapped here. I was afraid you would after what I’d done to you. But you didn’t and…that was very honorable of you.” She finally let her gaze rise to his face and he was watching her with a hesitant look. She swallowed thickly. “You had asked about Daisuke, I owed you the truth.” Sly snorted again and scratched at his head awkwardly. He gave her a grin and she felt her own lips curling up as he did and this time she didn’t try to fight it back or wipe it off. It seemed to brighten his smile even more. “Babe, you could have just said thank you.” .Wolfie. “Man, I can’t believe you’re a zombie,” Sly said. “Is it necrophilia if I still think you’re hot?”They were back on the dirt path, his backpack slung over his shoulder and Emi walking at his side. Their pace was slow because Sly was still weak and shaky on his feet. He thought Emi was too, but he doubted she would ever admit that to him. Besides, she was made of tougher stuff than him. The girl had died and she was still kicking around. He didn’t know what to think about that. Her whole life was so far removed from what he was familiar with. He thought her father sounded like an asshole who beat his kid, but he didn’t think Emi would appreciate hearing that. It seemed like bullshit to him that the man had just slapped her with this job and she couldn’t ever get out of it. Even if she died in the process, she was still trapped and he wondered if that bothered her. It would have bothered him. He would have been looking for a way out. “I am not a zombie,” Emi said with a frown. He chuckled at her reaction and looked over at her. She had her head up, hand resting on the ever present katana as she watched the road around them. She was walking next to him and he still couldn’t hear her footsteps. “Well that’s good to know,” he said. “I’d rather not have my brains eaten. I might actually use them someday.” “Maybe,” she said. Sly started laughing but he couldn’t honestly tell if she was kidding or not. He shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the trees as they passed. They were quiet and still and made him nervous because they both knew there were lizard men and dinosaurs and apparently killer plants out there. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and just focused on keeping his feet moving because he was tired. He was completely fucking drained because he’d spent two days sweating and in painful agony while he detoxed. As soon as he thought that his chest constricted because he wanted one more hit. He wanted his drugs back and he wanted to just shoot up and collapse on his couch back home and he didn’t know how to feel about that. Krystal had wanted him to quit. She’d hated his habits and she’d made him feel like shit for them every damn day. She was a pothead but she rolled her eyes at him whenever he pointed it out and told him it was okay because it was natural and organic. She told him there was no such thing as a marijuana overdose and he’d asked her where the fun was in that. Sly was messed up half the time but he understood there were dangers involved in the things he did. He just didn’t give a fuck. It would be easy to go back to his habits as soon as they got back. He hadn’t chosen to quit and up until a few days ago he hadn’t thought he was a junkie, because he could stop whenever he wanted only at some point that had stopped being true. He glanced over at Emi, teeth still pulling at the hoop in his lip and he thought she would be disappointed if he got home and went right back to the drugs and the needle. It was so tempting and he thought that bothered him more than anything. He was in control of it. He’d told himself that enough times and it should have been true. He controlled his addiction, his addiction didn’t control him. They walked in silence for a while and normally he would be rambling and hitting on her but he felt awkward around Emi now, for a lot of reasons. The first was that she’d forced him into an awful and painful detox and none of his begging and pleading and cursing had stopped her or changed her mind. She had put him through that and she was unapologetic about it and the part of him that was still an addict was pissed about that. He was pissed that she’d made that decision for him. The second was that he had called her horrible things and he felt like an asshole now. He didn’t hate her. He thought she was the single most amazing woman he’d met in his life and he thought she was cold and reserved but she wasn’t a bitch. “Alright, so look,” he said. “There’s all this awkward tension going on here and I can only think of two ways we’re going to solve this. And since you’re probably not going to have sex with me any time soon that only leaves the other option.” He pointed a finger at her, lifting an eyebrow. “Unless you want to have sex, because I’m totally fine with that if you do.” Maybe that was a smile pulling at her lips. He wasn’t sure, but then she shook her head. “No.” Sly snorted but he nodded his head. “Right, I guess I should just go ahead and run with the talking route then.” He sucked in a breath and hesitated, his hand running over his mouth because he was shit at apologies or feelings beyond horny that normal people had. “So, here goes; I don’t hate you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, that was a fucking dick move and you didn’t have any fucking right to do that to me. That was probably one of the most awful experiences of my life and I’m not going to stand here and pretend that odds aren’t good that I’ll relapse as soon as we get back home.” Emi frowned and looked up at him. “You cannot take your medicine again,” she told him. His gaze darkened and he looked away from her, teeth pulling on his lower lip because that wasn’t what he’d been trying to say but he didn’t need her to tell him what to do. He could make his own fucking decisions and then he heard her suck in a breath. “You should not,” she said again, her voice softer. “Heroin, babe,” he snapped at her, and he wondered what it meant that just saying it made his mouth go dry and his muscles. “It’s called heroin. And just because I shouldn’t do something doesn’t mean I won’t. I’m kind of an asshole like that.” “I do not understand you,” she said, and she sounded almost sad. She shook her head and kept watching the trees instead of Sly. He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face because this wasn’t at all where he was trying to go with this. He would deal with his addiction when he got back home because there wasn’t much he could do about it right now anyway and he had been trying to make things less awkward. “You stayed and saved my life but you would throw your own away so easily.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, you’re missing the point here, babe. I’m just trying to tell you that well, I’m sorry. I don’t really hate you and I don’t really think you’re a fucking bitch or any of those other things I called you. Doesn’t mean I’m okay with what you did, but I don’t hate you for it.” Emi’s head turned and she studied him for a moment. He wondered what she was thinking because she was such a mystery to him. The more he found out about her the less he understood her. She thought he was honorable and he almost laughed at that. He looked back at her and he didn’t understand why she kept saying things like that to him. He didn’t understand why she would call him of all people honorable or why she would say she was proud of him. He wasn’t anything good or worth being proud of and he’d known that for a long time. He was okay with it, because it was who he was. He was a thief, a cheat, and a liar, and he didn’t try to be anything else or anything better. Only sometimes when Emi said things like that he wanted to be. Then she nodded her head. “I forgive you,” she said. “On the condition you do not take your heroin again.” Sly went still at that, his fingers pausing on their path across his mouth. His fingers were still, his hand not trembling and his blood wasn’t itching beneath his skin. But he still wanted it. He still wanted it to make all this pain go away and he didn’t know if he was able to go back to his life and stay sober because he’d never done that before. He swallowed hard and he forced a grin spread across his face. “I’ll give it a shot,” he said, and he wondered if that would change when he got back home. “If you let me take you out for a drink.” He moved back to her side as he said it, slinging an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened immediately under the touch, one hand coming up to brush his arm off as she slid to the side. She glanced over at her with narrowed eyes and he wondered why she hated being touched so much. “You are cheating,” she said, glancing at him with a frown creasing her face. He snorted and grinned in response as she shook her head and looked back down the dirt path. “You cannot put conditions on my condition.” “Hey,” he said with a shrug. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” The smile was still on his face and he tipped his head back towards the green glow coming through the wooded canopy. His headache had faded to a dull throb in the back of his skull, his muscles still achy and tired. But if she was still going then he would make himself keep going too. He wasn’t watching where he was going, and that was his fault. He heard Emi shout a warning and grab his sleeve but he was already moving forward. He felt the resistance meet his foot and he had time to snarl a curse before the trap was tripped. There was a rush of air and dust in the air as the rope net snapped up around them, his feet catching in the holes. He cursed as he was yanked upside down, falling to his ass and his face meeting something rough as it pulled him up into the air over the dirt path. He blinked and for a moment all he could see was dirt floating around him, the light shining through the motes. Sly coughed and blinked and tried to focus but at first he didn’t see Emi. He tried to turn in the net and then he spotted her, crouched on the dirt path with her hand resting on her sword and her eyes focused on him before they flicked to her sides. “Well this can’t be good,” he said dryly. Wenston Emi kept crouched low on the ground, her eyes flickering back and forth to either side of the path because there was movement and rustling everywhere. She could hear footsteps and they were the same as the footsteps she’d heard in the hall that had turned out to belong to the lizard man. There were a lot of them and they were being surrounded and she didn’t like that her limbs still felt so weak. She also didn’t like that Sly was up in a tree trapped in a rope net. But at least he was out of the way up there and relatively safe for the moment. She’d cut him down when she’d dealt with the lizard men. They came at her two at a time and she moved as quickly as she could, but they were fast. She flipped backwards, not as light on her feet as she normally was, but still graceful and lithe. The lizard men leapt from the trees, their claws swiping at the air where she’d been standing not a moment ago. When she landed nimbly on her feet, she spun, slicing her blade out in an arc around her. One of the lizard men dodged out of the way, mimicking her back flip while the other caught her katana across an arm, spraying dark blood on the leaves of the tree behind him. A third and fourth lizard man came at her from behind and she heard Sly give a cry. She didn’t have time to think what it meant that he’d apologized and had told her he didn’t hate her. She didn’t have time to think about the fact that he respected her and liked her well enough for those things to be true and for him to cry out when he thought she was going to get hurt. She didn’t have time to think about how any of that made her feel. She’d think about it when there weren’t things trying to immediately kill them. Rolling to the side along the ground, she swiped her leg out, catching one lizard man’s ankles and bringing him to the ground. She didn’t have time for a finishing blow on him as the other lizard leapt at her, his claws aimed for her face. She kept rolling to the side, swinging her legs up and using the momentum to push herself off her back and onto her feet. Once she was standing, she didn’t stay in the same spot long. She spun herself, her legs kicking out and her katana lashing at the lizards that were surrounding her. They didn’t have swords, but they had claws and they knew how to block Kaidokusuru well enough so as she could only draw little to no blood at a time. She wasn’t incapacitating or killing them and it wasn’t for lack of trying, which was more terrifying than she liked to admit to herself. They were skilled fighters and their techniques were eerily familiar to moves she knew and utilized frequently. She wondered if Senshutokage had created this world and prepared an army who could counter her by using her own fighting style. They were getting smarter. She was realizing that fact with every demon they fought. She was supposed to know these demons. She was supposed to know their tricks and be able to overcome them and know their weaknesses. But she didn’t anymore. They’d been awake in the world without her and they were all more powerful than she’d ever imagined they could be. Emi ran to the side, leaping at a tree and when her foot connected with the hard bark, she pushed herself backwards, spinning in a circle in the air, her katana lashing out at any lizard unfortunate enough to be within her reach. She finally managed to catch one of them across the neck. Kaidokusuru cut through its scaly, tough skin with ease and its pointed, colorful head fell to the earth with a wet thwack. The others paused for a moment and Emi gave a quiet word of peace to the life she’d claimed. It was out of respect because she’d taken a life in battle and she never had ill thoughts for the lives she’d claimed. She honored those she fought, as she hoped whoever would one day claim her life would do the same. A loud, resonating horn sounded through the air and Emi’s eyes shot to the other lizards, who were slowly backing away from her. She kept her eyes on one of them, who reached out to grab the body of its fallen comrade, watching her with narrowed yellow eyes as it pulled back into the tree line. When they were out of her sight, she glanced up at Sly, who was watching her with wide eyes. “Did you win?” he asked, his voice small and meek, like he was scared. She was about to answer him, when a new noise met her ears. It was a whistling sound. Like something was being hurled through the air quickly. She sucked in a breath and whirled as fast as she could, but it wasn’t fast enough. She heard Sly yell again as she was halfway turned around and something hard and leathery slammed straight into her midsection. A burning hot pain seared its way across her stomach as she was knocked onto her back and the mass moved pass her, disappearing into the trees. “Shit, Emi!” Sly yelled and she rolled onto her hands and knees, the wind knocked out of her lungs. “Get up, get up!” he was squawking at her, terrified. Emi tried pushing herself to her feet, but the whistling noise came again and a moment later, the same something slammed into her side. She gave a cry as she was flung back to the dirt, rolling from the force of the blow. She kept a strong, firm grip on Kaidokusuru, but came to a halt lying on her stomach in the dirt. She didn’t stay down and she didn’t process the pain in her stomach, or the blood she saw splattering the ground. She didn’t process the throbbing, dull ache in her shoulder and the weakened grip of the hand on that arm. She stood quickly and she closed her eyes and she just concentrated on the noise around her because that was the only way to beat something she couldn’t see. Listen for it. She tuned out Sly’s desperate cries for her to tell him he was okay and she just listened. The whistling came again and this time she was ready. It came from behind and she could picture the world around her and picture it moving and she flipped a moment before it slammed into her again. She flipped quickly, her sword coming out beneath her and it met resistance as it met with the thick body of the winged creature attacking her. She landed on its back as her katana sliced deep into its head, down to its neck. She drove the creature into the ground, where it bled heavily and then she yanked her katana out, taking a few staggering steps backwards. “Holy shit that was amazing,” Sly was praising from his place still high above the ground. Emi looked down at the creature and studied it a moment. Its wing span was longer than her own height. Its head was an odd shape and it had a beak with razor teeth lining the edges. “You just took out a fucking pterodactyl.” Emi made a face and turned her head to look up at him. “A what?” she asked. “A creepy ass dinosaur,” Sly said with a grin. Then he patted at the ropes that were still holding him trapped in the net. “How about cutting me loose so we can go kill the T-Rex and go home? We’re gonna have a Jurassic Park marathon so that you can know just how ridiculously awesome this whole thing has been.” She rolled her eyes, but turned around. “Baka,” she spat under her breath as she started walking towards the counterweight that was holding Sly up in the air. From above her, she heard Sly suck in a breath. She wasn’t sure why until a moment later there was another whistling sound from behind her. She tried to dodge to the side, but she’d been distracted and it was too late. Another one of the creatures slammed into her bodily, shoving her up against the tree Sly hung above. Her head snapped against the bark and she couldn’t help the cry that escaped her lips at the feeling of talons sinking into her shoulders. She knew even before it happened what was about to transpire. The wings closed around her for a moment, pinning her to the tree, before they gave a mighty flap and she cried out as she was yanked backwards harshly. Her feet lifted off the ground and she reached up with one of her hands to grab onto the claws that had sunk into her shoulders. The creature and Emi sped pass Sly and flitted high up into the air. She caught a glimpse of more lizard men approaching Sly’s hanging prison before they broke through the green canopy and she lost track of him altogether. Emi growled and lashed out with her katana. There was a screech above her and warm blood splattered across her face but it didn’t let go of her. She slashed again and this time the screech died quickly and her stomach lurched as they began to drop heavily through the air. She braced herself, because they’d been high up and when she crashed back through the canopy, the world went blurry and painful for a moment. She hit a few branches on the way down, but towards the bottom, she managed to catch herself on a few so that when she landed, it wasn’t with full momentum and she stumbled as she landed on her feet, falling back onto her side and she lay on the ground breathing for a moment, concentrating on drawing air into her lungs. The winged creature crashed to the ground next to her and she stared at it, its wide beady eyes staring cold and dead back at her. She was in pain. As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t for a moment. She was clawed up and banged up and she’d been poisoned and she wasn’t sure how she’d lost control in this world so quickly. She felt a whimper escape her lips as she lay on her side on the dirt, but then she heard something else that was more motivation she could ever ask for. Sly’s voice. And he was yelling for her. .Wolfie. “Emi!” Sly shouted her name, his hands wrapped around the rope cage he was trapped in. His own voice sounded harsh and terrified because she’d just been kidnapped by a fucking pterodactyl and now there were god damned lizard men moving in towards the net. His head was craned backwards and he couldn’t see any sign of her but she could take on one dinosaur, right? She was this badass, warrior princess and she could handle it. He tried to convince himself of that because the alternative was that they were both fucked. It surprised him just how scared he was for her. Not that he wanted anything bad to happen to her, but usually at moments like this he was more worried about himself. There were lizard men circled beneath him and another one was moving towards the tree that was holding him there but his eyes were scanning the sky because he wanted her to be okay. Yeah, he needed her to come save his useless ass because he’d been caught by one of the stupidest tricks in the book, but he also just wanted her to be okay. She’d been grabbed by a fucking pterodactyl and he could imagine that going a lot of terrifying and awful ways. The whole net jolted and he cried out before the lizard men loosed it and suddenly he was falling through the air. There was wind rushing past his face and then it was striking the dirt path hard, his jaw and his knees cracking hard off the ground. For a moment his vision went black and he blinked to try and clear it away. His head was throbbing painfully and his whole body ached. A groan left his lips and he tried to push himself to his knees. Bruising pain lanced through him when he put weight on them and the rope net was heavy on his back, trying to keep him pinned to the ground. He managed to lift his head and focus on one yellow eyed gaze before they ripped the world out from underneath him. They started dragging the net with him still in it, his skin scraping over the ground and he shouted in pain and surprise as one of his arms got tangled in the ropes and bent painfully backwards. “Oh fuck all of you,” he shouted, kicking and struggling just to free his arm. His feet dragged across the dirt and all in all he’d had better days. His black pack had been knocked off his back to hang from that arm. He felt it pulling from his grasp as his arm twisted and he cursed and yanked hurriedly at the limp. It dragged across the ground and a pained yell left his lip as the skin on his arm shredded and the backpack tumbled out behind him. That had the grimoire in there, and he could only imagine Emi’s reaction if he lost it. That was, if she was still okay and he tipped his head back and screamed her name again. His arm yanked free and he curled his hands around the net in front of him, ropes scraping painfully over his back. He twisted his head to the side and there were two lizard men at the head of the net, dragging him down the path towards wherever the fuck they were going. There were others scattered around him and he lost count of how many because they kept moving around, but he saw the one pause and pick his backpack up and he could have screamed in frustration. “Hey jack offs,” he shouted, and one of them turned to glance down at him. He was walking to Sly’s right, thin cuts on his skin from Emi. “Why don’t you let me go before my hot Asian friend comes and rips more of you a new asshole?” The lizard man hissed and leaned down closer to Sly, his tongue flickering out from between his scaly lips for a moment. “Be ssssilent,” it hissed at him. Its claws flashed in front of his face as a warning, voice a low angry rasp. He didn’t miss the intent behind it and his hands curled into fists around the rope. “Or I will force you to be.” “Wow, that’s really like B movie villain stuff right there,” Sly said, sneering at the lizard man. Its face contorted in anger, probably because he was still talking rather than because he understood a word of what Sly was talking about. He kept rambling anyway because he was pissed and he was scared and he never did know when to shut his mouth. His back hit a rock and he winced slightly as he banged over it, but the two dragging him didn’t really look like they cared. “You couldn’t think of a better line? Not even a ‘no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die’? Because that would have at least been kinda cool. I would have been able to run with that.” A hiss left the lizard man’s mouth and his foot lashed out at Sly, kicking him hard in the side. Pain lanced through his ribs at the blow and he bit down on the hoop in his lip to keep from shouting out. “Quiet,” the lizard man told him again, pointing a claw at him. “Yeah how about fuck you?” Sly snapped. The lizard narrowed its eyes and kicked him again. The force of the blow jolted the whole net and he couldn’t help but cry out this time. The two dragging him turned around to glare at him and he wondered if he was going to find himself hogtied and bound in a second. They didn’t stop though, just yanking the ropes higher on their shoulders. “You will be quiet when we feed you to the tyrant lizard,” it hissed, leaning closer and grinning at him dangerously. Behind that one, sharp claws were ripping open his backpack and he watched it reach in and pull out a can of food. It frowned and held the metal tin to its face, sniffing at it before turning to the one next to it and letting him sniff it too. Both of them grinned afterwards and it was fucking scary to watch lizard men smile. They had too many teeth and they were all too fucking sharp. Sly watched as he tossed the can to the right, one of the others catching it and his claws puncturing the metal surface. The one still holding his backpack watched them for a moment before ripping the black canvas open wider and he felt his heart sink when it pulled out the grimoire. It frowned, yellow eyes narrowing as it turned it over in its hand and then he saw its eyes light on the silver snake coiled on the front. Its eyes widened and its gaze shot towards Sly before going to the lizards dragging him. “Shīruburēka?” it hissed, and he didn’t like the sound of that because he’d heard it before, right before a spider tried to eat him. A bad feeling was settling in his gut, especially when the others paused, turning around to focus on him. The ropes slipped from their clawed hands and he started yanking at the net, trying to scramble backwards. His movements were stopped when one of them grabbed him by the back of the neck, sharp claws digging into his skin and stilling his retreat. Across from him he could see the one turning the grimoire over in its hands, eyes focused on the snake for a long time before it tried to open the book. As soon as its claws tried to split the pages there was a low clap of thunder and a yelp of pain. He saw it jump back, the book falling from its fingers as it held its hand hurriedly to its chest. He saw its eyes widen in fear as it stared at the book and then a narrowed gaze went to him and none of this spelled good things for Sly’s future. One of the lizard men crouched in front of him and he felt the claws tighten on the back of his neck, blood startling to trickle down his throat as it punctured his skin. His hands rose to try and claw his way free and then another hand grabbed his wrists. The one in front of him grabbed his shirt roughly and something told him he didn’t care if ripped or not. “Hey, woah,” he protested, legs kicking weakly as it yanked the fabric up towards his neck. “I’m starting to feel a little violated here. I mean, maybe you could at least buy me a drink or something before you start trying to rip my clothes off.” The lizard snarled and ignored him, landing a sharp backhand to the side of his face and pain jolted through his cheekbone to his eye at the blow. A hiss left its lips when it saw the snake curled across his chest and then it was releasing his clothes and standing up. He groaned and felt himself being pushed forward, ropes starting to take the place of the clawed hands holding him. “Shīruburēka,” the lizard man hissed gleefully and then he was being dragged to his feet and shoved forward roughly. He stumbled on the dirt and almost lost his footing but there were claws digging into his arm holding him upright. “He will be pleassssed,” the lizard said behind him, and he felt another hand close around his arm next to him. “He will devour you and reward hisss sssservants.” “Sure,” Sly said, grinning and tipping his head back against his shoulder. His head was throbbing and he was starting to feel a little woozy from all the head wounds. Every part of him hurt but they kept pushing him forward anyway. “Because being the bitches of a T-Rex always works out in the end. I’m sure it’ll go swimmingly for you.” “Sssssilent,” the lizard man hissed, and he finally backed it up with a length of fabric that he jammed between Sly’s teeth. He tied it tightly behind his head and he snarled curses behind the gag because as it turned out he wasn’t a big fan. They dragged him over the dirt path and he tried to pay attention to where they were going. He tried to watch his captors for a way out or the trees for any sign of Emi but he didn’t see anything of her. If she was still out there than she was being fucking sneaky and he hoped that was it. He hoped she wasn’t dead somewhere because there was nothing he liked about that thought. He didn’t want to be the reason that Emi got killed for the second time, especially if this time it turned out to be for good. After a while he just couldn’t do it anymore. His head fell and he watched his laces drag out behind him, just trying to keep his feet moving over the dirt path because he was on his way to be feed to a T-Rex and if he lived through this he would think this whole fucking thing was just amazing and if he didn’t then he would get devoured by a dinosaur in less than two bites. He didn’t see a lot of middle ground in this situation. The lizard men kept up their bruising grip on his skin, dragging him through the woods until they veered off on a smaller dirt path that wound upwards. His head lifted at that, watching as they began to ascend concrete stairs. His head rose as they dragged him upwards, climbing the remains of a building so overgrown that he couldn’t tell what it was anymore. Half of it had been ripped off and that was probably why they picked it. The top floor jutted out away from the wreckage of whatever it used to be, leaving something like a platform sticking out there and this was just fucking fantastic. He jerked and struggled as they started dragging him upwards and he could see other lizard men inside the building after they entered it. He didn’t know how many there were but they weren’t really what was on his mind. The T-Rex was a little more concerning. They dragged him to the top floor and he was yelling and cursing at them behind the gag, the words muffled by the fabric. The one was grinning and behind him was the one still holding the grimoire and he told them both that they could fucking die and go to Hell. His feet tripped over the final step and he tried to jerk his arms away. It earned him bloody lines across his upper arm and a blow to the face that left him dizzy and confused before they started dragging him down the hallway to the empty air. He felt the ropes tighten as they tied him to the metal girders left behind and this was just fucking bullshit. “Call our God,” one of the lizard men said. He stepped back and Sly turned his head over his shoulder to watch him. They were all looking happy and satisfied with themselves and then one towards the back lifted a horn to his lips, blowing hard into the end of it. The sound blasted out past Sly, echoing over the treetops and he could see birds flitting out of the trees stretched out below them. He could see the whole city from here, and most of it was just forest. It was overgrown and devoured by the wilderness and somewhere in there maybe Emi was still alive. Something huge and leathery burst from its perch above Sly’s head and he shouted behind the gag when he realized it was another one of those fucking pterodactyls. He blew on the horn a second time and then a third before he let it fall to his side. The lizard men gathered around him took small, tentative steps back and for proclaiming how much they loved their god they suddenly seemed terrified. He couldn’t blame them because in the next moment he heard the rumble. His heart clenched and he watched the dust flake off the walls next to him. Below the forest was growing quiet and he could see a flock of birds suddenly abandon its post as the earth shook around them. Another rumble made the walls next to him quake and he heard one of the lizard men behind him let out a quiet sigh. “He comesss,” he hissed, and Sly didn’t understand why he sounded so fucking happy about that. Right, maybe because he wasn’t the one about to get eaten by a T-Rex. Wenston Emi was moving too slowly and she knew it. She was limping slightly because there was a bleeding wound on her leg from where she’d fallen through the canopy. She had one hand on Kaidokusuru, still firm in her grasp, and the other hand was on her stomach, blood staining her fingers from the razor talons of the pterodactyl that had sliced across her stomach. They hadn’t gone deep, but the blood was staining through her shirt and dripping from between her fingers. It wasn’t fatal. None of the wounds were fatal. She’d survive and it would only take about a week for her to be back to full capacity. She was good at gauging wounds. These wounds were minor. But she felt panicked and terrified because she couldn’t hear Sly anymore. She’d heard him yell for her a couple times and now she couldn’t hear him at all. She couldn’t hear anything and the only reason she knew she was going in the right direction was the drag marks on the ground. They had him. They had the sealbreaker and more than that, they had Sly. She couldn’t pin the moment she’d started thinking of him as more than just the sealbreaker. Maybe it was when he said he hadn’t hated her and he’d apologized for saying bad things to her. They were just words, she hadn’t been offended. She hadn’t known that simple words had power, until he’d said he was sorry. She was failing him. She’d let him get hurt more than any other sealbreaker she’d ever protected before and they were only on the third demon. It was going to get worse. There were worse and more dangerous demons out there and that made Emi wonder if this would be the time she failed. She wondered if she was going to let Sly die and if she let that happen, then she would do the honorable thing and she’d fall on her own sword because that would be the greatest failure in the world. She couldn’t let it happen. Not just because it would mean Izanagi would walk the earth and do with it what he pleased, but it would mean that Sly was dead. And that was unacceptable. The familiar sound of a horn filled the air and Emi’s eyes widened as the ground seemed to shake beneath her feet. She was out of time. Ahead of her she could make out noises of the lizard people and somewhere in there was Sly and somewhere beyond that was Senshutokage. She was out of time. She was about to fail in protecting him if she didn’t do something. Crouching low on the ground, she pulled at one of the sigils around her wrist. She held it in her palm and pulled it to her lips and whispered to it, “Kaze watashi ga anata ni denwa.” Calling on the power of the wind. Immediately, she felt the air gust around her, blowing her hair about her face and then sinking into her skin. She closed her eyes against the feeling, because of all the elements, this was the most powerful and it was also the most difficult to harness and draining to control. She was going to be rough when this was over, but they both were, and she would sacrifice herself for Sly. And it wasn’t just because he was the sealbreaker and she was still trying to figure out what that meant. Standing slowly, she held Kaidokusuru down at her side and the blade was swirling with energy and wind. Her limbs felt loose and she could feel the power in her fingertips. She took a deep breath and then she was running. Faster than what should be possible. Faster than the lizard men could comprehend. When she broke through the trees, they were piled out, nearly a hundred of them, all facing away from her, looking towards the large lizard standing beside the broken building. Emi took the scene in quickly. She spotted Sly almost immediately. He was roughed up and gagged and he was tied to the building. His eyes were wide and he was struggling against his bonds because Senshutokage, what she imagined must have been Sly’s T-Rex, was standing over him. Saliva dripped from Senshutokage’s razor teeth and Sly was yelling behind the gag in his mouth. There were a hundred lizard men separating her from Sly. She knew what she had to do. Sucking in a breath, Emi brought Kaidokusuru up. She concentrated on her hands, one gripping the hilt firmly, placing her other palm on the blade. She forced energy into her hands and into her blade and then she spun and when the momentum brought her blade and her hands around again, she released the energy with a yell. A gust of wind emerged from her hands and her blade and it was like something was being ripped out of her skin but she withstood it and she didn’t hold back because Senshutokage was leaning down towards Sly, who Emi proudly noted was not closing his eyes or turning away. A path was cleared through the lizard mean as the gust of wind knocked them out of the way, sending a clear line of them into the air. She started running through the path she’d cleared before the rest had a chance to realize what was happening. Ahead of her, Senshutokage paused as the gust of wind she’d sent hit his leg. He tipped his head to look down at it and then lifted his gaze to her, a roar escaping his massive jaws. “Kōken'nin!” Senshutokage roared at her. She kept her gaze on him, but she could hear Sly yelling anew, now not so terrified, but more relieved and worried. She almost cried out when Senshutokage’s tail snapped out and hit the building Sly was tied to. He gave a shout behind his gag as the floor rumbled and debris fell about him, but the building didn’t collapse. He looked roughed up and there were new bruises and blood on his skin and she didn’t like that at all. He was hurt and bound and there was a demon trying to devour him and she wasn’t letting that happen. Not at all. As she reached the end of the lizard men, they’d started to realize what was happening and a few lashed out at her. She didn’t stop or slow, not even when claws raked across her arm. She just broke through them and she was moving with all the speed that the power of the wind would allow. She reached the edge of the building Senshutokage stood next to and she placed her foot firmly on the stone before kicking herself off and sailing through the air towards the lizard demon. Senshutokage roared and swung his tail her way. She adjusted herself in the air so that she intercepted the blow and grabbed onto the tail. It whipped her with ferocity and jolted her body with bone jarring force, but she held on and when it snapped to the side, she planted her feet firmly on the limb and ran up the body. But instead of making her way up towards his head, she flipped backwards and landed firmly on the platform Sly was on. Focusing once again on her hands, she concentrated the energy on her blade and she whirled around, releasing it when she was facing Senshutokage again. He’d been coming at her with his massive jaws, but when the wind erupted from her hands, it was like a huge blow to his face. He staggered backwards, roaring and swiping at his own face with tiny arms. Emi took the opportunity to turn and she ran to Sly, using Kaidokusuru to cut the ropes that bound him to the building. Sly stumbled as he was cut loose, falling to his knees and Emi caught his arm carefully. As soon as she pulled the gag out of his mouth, they both demanded, “Are you okay?” at the same time and she was caught off guard by his worry for her above himself. He seemed to be too because then he was smiling awkwardly and he said, “You’re cutting it kind of close, you know. I was starting to feel like the goat from Jurassic Park.” She smiled at him, unable to pull her hand from his arm for a moment because she just wanted to make sure he was okay and touching him was the only way she could know that. But then his eyes went pass her and widened slightly. “Emi!” he cried. She could see the shadow looming over them and she rolled backwards, her hand still around Sly’s arm, pulling him with her as she made them dodge out of the way of Senshutokage’s massive jaws. She shoved Sly up against the wall and while her face was close to his, she whispered, “Stay, please,” and she wasn’t sure why she said please, maybe because she so desperately didn’t want him to get further hurt, but she didn’t wait for his response. Whirling around, she was bolting across the floor and while Senshutokage’s head was lowered, she took the opportunity to jump atop it. The lizard demon yelled as she grabbed onto his cracked, leathery skin and then his head rose above the building. He shook it side to side and Emi just held on, waiting for the opportunity to take him down. .Wolfie. She was amazing.Sly had his back pressed up against the wall and for a moment he stayed exactly where Emi had put him, watching her leap off the edge of the building to land on a fucking T-Rex’s head. He didn’t think she understood just how ridiculously cool that was. Her fingers dug into the cracks in his skin and held on as he thrashed his head, the sword gripped tightly in her other hand and her feet braced against his leathery flesh. Sly watched her with wide eyes, wincing when the T-Rex opened his mouth and roared. Spit flew from his gaping maw, sharp teeth gnashing in the light and his eyes wild in his skull. He tossed his head to the side, trying to snap those teeth closed on her but she was small and out of his reach, holding on with fierce intensity in her eyes. The tiny arms didn’t do much to help him and he whirled, the tail lashing out behind him before slamming into the side of the building. Sly yelped and dropped into a crouch as the whole structure shook and rattled around him. A chunk fell off the building and landed on the lizard men gathered below. A glance showed him that more than one had been caught by the falling debris, crushed into the dirt. He didn’t hear the footsteps on the stairs behind him, mostly because he was distracted by the roaring dinosaur in front of him. His eyes were focused on Emi and they were wide with fear and concern because even if she was fucking badass that was a god damned Tyrannosaurus Rex and the thing was scary as all hell. He watched her brace her feet on its neck and as soon as there was a lull in its motions she was racing across its skin, the blade held tightly in her hand. T-Rex thrashed his head to the side and Sly shouted as he saw her slide across its skin, feet braced to try and catch herself and her hand snapping out to grab hold of the ridge above his eye. For a moment she was just dangling there and then he saw her blade flash out and pierce his eye, blood spraying across her face. She had a firm grip on the ridges of his flesh as she twisted the sword deeper into his eye. His giant maw opened and an earth shaking roar left his jaws in painful agony. His head tipped back and then thrashed to the side, trying to fling Emi off of him. His tail slashed through the air behind him and struck the side of the building again, making Sly press himself harder against the wall to stay steady. She used the momentum to flip herself back on top of its head and he saw her holding on tightly. His heart was thundering loudly in his chest and he watched her with a mixture of admiration and concern. The girl was out of her damn mind. Emi was covered in wounds and he didn’t like how many of them there were. She had bruises and cuts on her skin and she had to be hurting, even if she was barely letting it show. He wondered what had happened to the pterodactyl that had tried to take off with her and he could only imagine it ending one way since she was still here and it wasn’t. She was seriously the most amazing woman he’d ever met. There was a flash of movement to his right and he barely had time to turn his head before the blow was catching him hard across his jaw. His head cracked off the wall and he stumbled, knee striking the ground as a clawed hand curled around his arm. They dug tightly into his skin, splitting the flesh as he was dragged away from his spot on the wall. He heard angry, hissing words from above him. His vision was blurring and his head was swimming and he could barely hear what it was saying. “You will not esssscape,” the lizard man hissed at him, teeth snapping angrily in his face. “He will devour you whole and he will reward his sssservantsss.” The lizard man yanked hard on him and when he got himself to look up he saw it gripping his arm, the book held tightly to its chest with its other arm. It dragged him across the platform, eyes rising to the T-Rex. It was still thrashing and tossing its head and for a moment Sly glanced at him because Emi was clinging on tightly. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her feet slip and she dangled off its skin, fingers digging in tightly to the ridges of its flesh. Then he glanced back at the lizard man and all of its attention was focused on the T-Rex that was thrashing and bucking as it tried to get Emi off of him. She was holding on for dear life, her face a mask of determination. He wasn’t looking at Sly and he took a breath because he knew he was about to do something stupid and hero shit never ended well for him, but fuck it, he had to try. He ducked his shoulder and then threw himself into the lizard man as hard as he could. A surprised grunt left its throat as he knocked them both to the ground, the book falling out of its hands and sliding across the concrete slab. His fist pulled back and he hit the lizard man as hard as he could in the face. His knuckles popped when he did but he pulled back and hit him again because Emi was a little busy with a T-Rex and that meant he had to try and save his own ass this time. His knuckles split after the third time he hit him and that was the last blow he got in. The lizard man snarled and he felt a burning pain in his side as claws slashed across his skin and feet like talons kicked him in the gut. He fell backwards and it was on him in a second, claws digging into his throat as it grabbed his neck. He shouted in pain, kicking and thrashing to try and get free and he felt another blow land across his face. His head snapped to the side and he felt blood trickling from between his lips as it held him to the ground. His vision blurred and for a moment he focused on the T-Rex and Emi. He hoped she wasn’t too disappointed in him because he hated that look on her face. It was why he couldn’t hate her for forcing sobriety on him, no matter how much it had hurt. Her smile was just too damn beautiful. She made him want to try harder. He didn’t know if he could be half the things she believed he could, including sober, but she made him want to try. She said she was proud of him. She told him he could do things besides just be a cheat, a thief, and a liar, and even if he wasn’t sure he believed her he wanted to try. It was almost funny that everything in his life could be traced back to a girl. Teeth gnashed in front of his face and a snakelike tongue flickered from between its scaly lips. “Perhapsss I will just kill you now,” it snarled. He gasped as the claws tightened on his neck, fingers pulling at them desperately as his legs kicked beneath it. The pressure let go abruptly and he sucked in a harsh breath of air, rolling to his side so he could try and suck oxygen back into his pained lungs. His fingers curled against the concrete, coughing and choking because he could still feel the harsh pressure around his throat. His eyes focused on the platform next to him and he saw Emi crouched on the concrete, her blade held out behind her and the lizard man rolling over onto all fours as it landed hard on the ground. Behind him he could still hear the T-Rex roaring. The lizard man’s face contorted in a snarl and then it launched itself at Emi, claws flashing as it tried to cut through her. Her blade swung out in an arc, knocking them aside as her leg kicked out and struck it hard in the chest. It stumbled back and for a moment her head twisted over her shoulder to verify Sly’s position and that of the T-Rex. The ground rumbled ominously and he twisted his head over his shoulder to keep track of the dinosaur. Its head was twisting towards them and he could see deep lacerations lining its skin. They dripped blood but not half as heavily as its mutilated eye. It took two stomping steps closer and he could hear the lizard men below screaming and scattering. They disappeared into the woods, maybe to watch, maybe to just hide from the giant fucking dinosaur that was charging the platform. His breath came in a hiss and he scrambled backwards away from the edge as its head lowered towards them. Its jaws opened and he saw huge dripping teeth that completely put anything from the Natural History museum to shame. There was a clash of metal against claws and then suddenly Emi was dropping to the ground on her back. Her feet kicked out and tossed the lizard man over her head at the same time the T-Rex’s head snapped down and closed around its midsection. He could hear it screaming from inside its mouth as it tossed its head, and then it was quiet as the lizard man was ripped in half, the lower part tumbling out over the edge as the dinosaur tossed his head back. He didn’t seem to care that it was one of his own, jaws snapping and crunching the top half of its body before it swallowed him whole and ducked his head to focus on them again. “Kōken'nin,” it roared, and Sly didn’t think he would ever get used to a talking dinosaur. He felt his blood run cold as it weaved its head to the side and focus on Emi. She was crouched on the concrete, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she watched the demon’s eyes land upon her. “Hold still, so that I may swallow you and Shīruburēka.” Its lips stretched into a grin and then its jaws were opening wide, head crashing down towards the platform. Sly shouted in fear and kicked at the ground as he tried to scramble back. The whole building rattled and another chunk broke off near the edge. A shout of surprise left his lips as Emi grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back as hard as she could. He stumbled and struck the wall but she was already moving forward, her blade held to her side as she launched off the platform onto the dinosaur’s muzzle. Her hand gripped one of his nostrils, hot air blowing her hair around her face and then she was hauling her sword back and slicing deep into its skin. A pained roar left the dinosaur’s throat as it stumbled back, tossing its head against the cut. It stumbled sideways and Sly shouted as it crashed hard into the building, the whole thing buckling under the blow. The floor he was sitting on cracked and broke and he cried out as he started to slip down towards the ground or worse, the fucking dinosaur that wanted to eat him. He rolled over onto his stomach, catching the edge with one hand and the book with the other before he fell off into space. His heart was thundering loudly in his chest, his breath coming harsh and uneven as he tried to hold on. He could hear the dinosaur roaring and above him Emi was still on its head, clinging to it with one hand and leaving deep cuts in its flesh with her blade. He wanted to keep his eyes on her but they crushed closed instead as he felt his hands slipping. “Fuck me,” he grumbled, tilting his head to the side and cracking one eye open. The ground was a long ways away. He sucked in a breath and did his best to tuck the book in his coat but at this point if he dropped it then they were just going to have to fucking deal. His muscles trembled as he reached his other hand up and his legs kicked desperately as he tried to hold his own body weight. His fingers dug into the concrete and then he struggled to drag himself to safety. Above him the dinosaur let out a deafening roar, making the floor he clung to rattle and shake. He winced but forced his eyes to stay open as dust floated down around him. A cough left his lips as he finally hauled his body up over the edge, dragging himself onto its cold surface and he was having a really hard time breathing, the air rasping in and out of his lungs. His head tipped to the side as he tried to focus on the T-Rex and Emi and she still had a hand on the ridge around its nostril, her sword buried up to the hilt in its nose as it roared and screamed in pain. Sly couldn’t help but think again that she was absolutely fucking amazing. Wenston Emi was losing her grip. She was trying very hard to stay away from the massive jaws and razor teeth Senshutokage was trying to chomp down around her. Kaidokusuru was buried hilt deep into the lizard’s snout and he was flinging his head back and forth, trying to shake her loose. She was trying to hold tight, but her limbs were weak and she knew she had to take down the demon soon, or she wouldn’t be winning this fight. Sly was somewhere behind her and he just couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. She wondered if he was cursed somehow, because whenever she turned her back on him, he managed to get beat up or pounced on or squashed and she’d never had a more troublesome sealbreaker. She’d never protected one that had needed her so badly and it was bringing forth every ounce of protective nature she had in her. She never wanted to fail at her duty, but she especially didn’t want to fail at this one. Gaining some slight leverage as Senshutokage swung his massive head to the side, she planted her feet on his skin right above his teeth and one false move and she knew she’d lose a leg or worse. So she was careful and calculating and there was no room for error now. She swung herself up so she was straddling his snout and she drew her sword out of his nose, driving it forward through Senshutokage’s other eye. Blinded, the T-Rex, as Sly referred to him, roared and threw his head back. Emi held on for dear life, knowing that beneath her were rows of razor teeth ready to tear her apart and swallow her up. She waited until Senshutokage stopped bucking his head to pull herself up and then she withdrew her sword and aimed it between his eyes. She gave a scream of might and anger as she drove the blade in deep and immediately, the lizard demon stopped moving. It stood there for a moment, jaws gaping and eyes both popped and bleeding. Then it started tilting and Emi struggled to pull her blade free of the beast before she turned and flipped off of its snout, landing with nearly no noise at all on the platform Sly was on. She ran to him, an arm wrapping around his chest as she yanked him backwards and then shielded him as Senshutokage’s falling body smashed into the building. Around them, the world seemed to crumble. The building started to collapse and Emi shielded Sly the best she could around the falling debris. She half expected the earth to fall out from beneath them and for them to go careening towards the ground far below. But as the dust settled and the world stopped rumbling, Emi turned her head to look over her shoulder and half the building was gone. Senshutokage lay in the rubble, his chest rising and falling slowly and getting slower by the second. Emi pulled back from Sly, keeping her eyes on the demon to make sure it wasn’t a trick before she turned back and gave Sly a once over. “How badly are you injured?” she asked, her hands coming out to touch the spots of blood on him and the new bruising on his face and he didn’t seem to mind any of it. He grinned at her but it was bruised and bloody. “Bad enough that I think I need you to kiss is and make it better,” he said. She just frowned at him and tried not to smile because he was a persistent fool. She let go of him and moved back slightly. Their way down from this part of the building had been demolished by Senshutokage and they were going to have to climb down. She looked around and there were still many lizard men out there. Then her eyes moved to the demon lying on the ground and he was still breathing, but beyond that, he wasn’t moving. “I must finish it,” she told him and then pushed herself to her feet. She ignored the protests of her wounds and stepped carefully over to the edge of the platform. Sly cleared his throat behind her. “I think he’s done.” Emi nodded her head and turned back, pointing to Sly’s chest. “We cannot leave until you bare his mark.” Then she held her katana out and flipped off the platform, free falling for a moment before she stuck her katana down beneath her. It split through the T-Rex’s neck, puncturing its jugular and immediately, blood splattered her face and clothes. The rise and fall of his chest stopped. Above her, she heard Sly gasp. “Ow, fuck,” he yelled and she placed her hand on Senshutokage’s head, whispering a silent word of peace to him, before she looked up at Sly. He was rubbing at his chest and she pulled her blade clean, because now they were done and now they could go. Sly crawled to the edge of the platform and peered hesitantly down at her, because it was a long way down. Then he sat back and held up the Grimoire. “Can I ask now?” Emi nodded. “Yes, it is finished.” Sly grinned, shaking his head and he opened the Grimoire. “Okay, book, we’re ready to go home.” For a moment, the Grimoire lit up and Sly squinted his eyes against the sudden light. When it faded, they both looked around them. A frown crossed Emi’s face because she couldn’t see the door and usually it appeared right near them. She glanced back up at Sly, and he’d swung his feet over the edge. He was bleeding and bruised and dirty and he looked down at her with a frown on his face. “Where the fuck is the door?” he demanded. She shook her head. “I do not know,” she told him honestly. When Sly’s eyes went behind her for a moment, he sucked in a breath and she whirled to see what he was looking at. There were a couple of lizard men who’d gotten brave enough to come out of their hiding spots. They were reaching out to touch Senshutokage’s tail or his feet and their eyes were wide as they came up to look at her. “Godkillerssss,” one of them whispered. Emi’s hand tightened around her katana as she faced them and more and more lizard men were appearing from the trees and from their hiding spots. She took a few steps back, but then braced herself because if they were going to attack, she had to be ready. Above her, Sly was flipping through the pages of the Grimoire. “Okay, book, this isn’t funny. Can you maybe bring the door closer so we can see it? I really need a shower and some Tylenol and maybe a gyro, so, come on, let’s go.” Nothing happened and Emi knew that nothing would. She wasn’t sure why, but the door had appeared far away from them and there were so many things different about this time around that she wasn’t sure what was happening. She wasn’t sure what had changed or why the demons were awake or the Grimoire wasn’t the same as it normally was. Emi spoke lowly and calmly, trying not to spook the bewildered lizard men. “Senshutokage was no God,” she told them. “You are free of his reign.” The lizard men looked blankly at her for a moment, before one at the front suddenly yelled, “We musssst avenge our God!” Then they were all running at her at once. .Wolfie. Emi back flipped away from the lizards, her sword flashing out in an arc as they charged her. Sly’s fingers were fumbling and desperate as he flipped through the book but he was barely seeing any of the pictures or the words because he couldn’t fucking read them anyway. He paused at the ink picture of the T-Rex and slammed the book down hard against the concrete.“Come on you fucking piece of shit,” he snarled. “Be good for something.” There was no door. There was supposed to be a door out of here so that they could go home and he didn’t understand why there wasn’t one. He wanted out of this fucking Jurassic Park nightmare already, before either of them got hurt anymore. Emi was moving quickly but the lizard men were fast and unhurt and there were a hell of a lot more of them. She had to keep making wide sweeps with her sword to try and keep them at bay and that meant she wasn’t doing much individual damage to any of them. He looked up at her for a moment with wide panicked eyes because he didn’t think there was anything he could do to help her. If he went down there they would rip him apart in a second. He couldn’t even take on one of them by himself, let alone a hundred. She flipped backwards, her blade a flash of light as she moved. She leapt out of the way of claws aimed for her stomach, foot pressing against a fallen stone as she launched herself back at the lizard men. There were bruises and cuts littering her skin and she had just been fighting a fucking T-Rex for the last hour but she was still moving fast, her blade sinking into the chest of one as she tossed him into his fellows. Blood sprayed in an arc as she yanked her blade out and then whirled to catch the claws hurtling towards her head. She pushed them off and then ducked under another blow, spinning and swiping the feet out from under them. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he looked back down at the book, his fingers flipping hurriedly through it and snarling curses as he did. What fucking good was he? He was just a thief, a cheat, and a liar, and none of those skills came in handy right now. And yeah, maybe he was a magician but that was part time. He couldn’t do real magic, just stupid card tricks. One fist slammed down on the book in frustration, his other hand going back to scratch at his chest and it was stupid that right now all he was thinking about was that this would be better if he were high as a fucking kite for all of this bullshit. His head rose to watch Emi for a moment, his hands still pressed down on the book as he looked at her. She was lashing out a kick into one of the lizard man’s chest, her sword stretched out in the opposite direction as she thrust it into another. She pulled both limbs back and ducked low as one charged her, flipping him over her shoulder and onto the ground. A pained cry left her lips as another slammed into her from behind and Sly leaned forward at the blow, his eyes wide. “Emi!” he shouted. She kept moving with the blow, throwing herself forward into a roll before she pushed herself upright and turned, slicing out her sword at the man behind her. He caught it in his claws, twisting her blade to the side as the kept charging forward at her. She yanked and turned her sword, slicing it backwards and taking off his hand, his sharp scream splitting the air. Sly was watching her so he didn’t notice the blue glow around his hands and he didn’t notice the pictures under the book shifting like they were alive beneath his fingertips. He sucked in a breath as he watched Emi try and fight off a hundred lizard men by herself. A bellow split the air below and his head turned at the sound as something came charging out of the trees. It was a triceratops, two others following closely behind and Sly felt a grin spread across his face. He ducked his head as he charged, slamming into the lizard men closest to Emi. There was a harsh scream as a horn punctured right through his chest. The dinosaur kept charging, tossing its head and mowing them over like he was a fucking plow truck clearing out snow. Emi was watching with narrowed eyes, her blade held tightly in her hands as she crouched against the earth. The three of them kept charging, stomping over lizard men and tossing them aside like toys. The ones closest to the edge watched for a moment and he saw them glancing nervously from the three triceratops to the body of the T-Rex behind them. The triceratops snorted, turning its head and slamming it hard into the closest lizard man. He shouted and tried to grip onto the horn in front, claws slashing out towards its face. He heard the dinosaur bellow as they drew sharp bloody lines through its skin and then it tossed its head again, throwing the lizard man to the ground. Large feet rose and then smashed down on top of it, ending its life in a gurgle of blood. “This is so fucking cool,” Sly said, his eyes wide. Emi was watching nervously like she was afraid any moment the three might turn on her. The other lizard men were retreating now, hissing angrily as they backed off into the trees. Within moments the battlefield was quiet and stilled, only Emi and the three dinosaurs remaining. The biggest one snorted, stomping his feet against the ground and he saw Emi tense, her hand never leaving her blade. He turned his head so that his eye was focused on her, nostrils flaring as it blew hot air across her skin. “What did you do?” she asked, glancing up at him. “What did I do?” he asked. “What did you do? You’re the badass Asian chick with all kinds of crazy sword tricks up your sleeve. I just play with cards.” He snorted and shook his head but he wasn’t going to question anything that worked in their favor. He scooted closer to the edge of the platform, frowning as he looked down and he really didn’t want to drop that far. She was moving around the dinosaurs, watching them carefully as they did the same in return. “You are the magician,” she shot back. “What spells did you work?” She was moving backwards away from the dinosaurs but they weren’t attacking her. But the biggest one was mirroring her movements, walking forward as she moved back towards Sly. “Not a damn thing, as far as I know.” He waited until she was underneath him and then dropped the book. She caught it easily in her arms before pulling it to her chest like it was something precious. He lifted an eyebrow before dropping down to a rocky, broken outcropping. He slumped down into a sitting position, legs dangling off the side as he watched her. For a moment he rested there, elbows resting on his knees as he grinned at her. “You know,” he said. “I think I’m getting jealous of that book. Why don’t you hold me to your chest like that? I thought I was the most valuable thing in the universe. Don’t I deserve a little tender loving care?” “The book cannot bandage itself,” she said dryly. She was giving him a curious look though, and he wondered what that meant. He didn’t know what was going on in her head half the time, if she was really as cool all the way through as she thought she was. Maybe she was thinking that she had to save his stupid ass a thousand times a day and he chuckled and shook his head. He pushed himself off the rocks and stumbled as he landed on his feet, surprised when Emi’s hand came out to steady him. She released him a moment later and he thought he missed her touch when it was gone. But hell, maybe he was just desperate for any kind of female attention at this point, especially if it was from Emi. She stepped back, her attention turned to the three dinosaurs and she hesitated a moment before bowing her head respectfully to them. “I thank you for your assistance,” she said gravely. The triceratops snorted in response and then started moving towards Sly, its head ducked as it nudged his hand with its nose. He lifted an eyebrow at the motion, patting its snout and grinning. “Hey bud,” he said. “Don’t suppose you know where the door out is?” It snorted again and then it turned and bumped against him, head ducking and snuffling at the ground. His hand patted along its head and then its shoulder, its skin rough and leathery underneath his fingers. Beyond it was the corpse of the T-Rex and he could only imagine what his chest looked like now. He wondered what it would look like after all thirteen were dead, if they made it that far. He had no doubt that Emi would, but the fear was settling back in his chest that he was going to end up dead. Only this time he didn’t have his drugs to ease that fear and instead it made his mouth dry and panic lance through his nerves. He patted the triceratops one last time and he was surprised when it turned and bumped into him again. His hand stilled on its back and he wondered if he was losing his damn mind or getting suicidal but hell, when was he going to get chances like this again? He grinned and lifted his head to look at Emi, nodding his head in the dinosaur’s direction. “I think he wants us to hitch a ride,” he said. Her eyes narrowed and he heard her snap out a sharp “Baka,” but he was already moving. His foot braced against its leg and he slung himself up behind the bony frill. His grin grew wider and then he turned and held his hand out to Emi. “Are you coming?” he asked. Wenston Emi was clinging to Sly like a lifeline and if he made any comment about it later, she was going to hit him. They were riding atop the triceratops, Sly sitting behind the bony frill, with a stupid grin on his face. Emi sat behind him with her arms around his waist because there was nothing about this she liked and she wasn’t comfortable riding this animal. Every time it jerked or moved too fast, her grip would tighten around him and she’d bury her face in his back. She knew she was being weak and this fear was irrational, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t like this. For the most part, Sly was keeping his mouth shut and if he knew what was good for him, he’d keep it that way. The most he was saying was how cool this was and he kept asking her if she knew how amazing it was to be riding a dinosaur. And she just kept telling him that she didn’t think it was very amazing. She thought it was foolish and unsafe. But he’d just laugh and she let him get away with it because if he was laughing, he wasn’t thinking about his medicine. The triceratops jerked a little and Emi let out a small noise, her arms tightening around Sly and her face pressed between his shoulder blades. She heard him laugh and then she felt one of his hands touch hers. “Oh come on,” he said and she mentally told him to carefully consider the words that next came out of his mouth, but she didn’t think he would. “You can’t be scared of this thing. You were riding a freaking T-Rex earlier. This is like a teddy bear compared to that thing.” Emi withdrew her arms quickly and he laughed in response. She sat back and tried to steel herself because he was right and she shouldn’t be scared. “I am not scared,” she said forcibly so he would understand that she didn’t get scared of anything. Except then the Triceratops jerked again and she actually squeaked as she wrapped her arms back around him and pressed her face back into his jacket. Laughing, but not in a mocking way, he put his hand back on her arm and said, “It’s alright, I’ve got ya, babe.” The words struck her. The side of her face was pressed firmly in his jacket as she watched the ground pass by them. Her senses were never completely shut off and she was listening for any movement from lizard men or those flying things she’d fought or anything else that could hurt them, but her guard wasn’t at full capacity and when he’d said the words, her mind wasn’t focused on anything but him for a moment. It was dangerous, but she couldn’t help it. She’d never encountered someone like him before. She’d never met someone quite like Sly and every minute she was with him, her feelings about him changed and morphed until she wasn’t sure what to think any more. At first, she’d just thought he was a thief and a cheat and a liar, but now she was sure he was more than that. She was sure there was something great in him that was trying to break out because she say little glimpses of it all the time. She saw it in his apologies, or in the way he worried for her, or told her that he had her when she was scared riding atop a dinosaur. Emi kept her arms around him and she kept her head firm against him and she chewed her lip hesitantly because she didn’t know what this all meant. She was the guardian. She shouldn’t let anyone get close to her or let herself get close to anyone because at the end of all of this, there would only be heartache. There would only be Sly left alone in the world and she didn’t want to do that to him. She didn’t want to see him hurt. Not physically and definitely not like that. “You were very brave today,” she said instead, because she didn’t want to be thinking about it. She didn’t want to be thinking about any of it because she didn’t have the right to. Duty came first. She was not allowed room for personal feelings. Sly snorted. “Brave?” he laughed. “When was I brave? When I walked into an obvious trap? When I almost got sacrificed to a T-Rex God? When I got roughed up by lizard freaks?” Emi smiled slightly but didn’t let him see or feel it. She wiped it away quickly. “Yes,” she said simply. Sly scoffed, but didn’t say anything because maybe he was confused by what she meant by it. She lifted her head slightly, so it wasn’t pressed against him anymore. She glared at the Triceratops to let it know that if it bucked her off, she was going to slay it. Then she said quietly, “I am very proud of you for facing everything without fear.” Sly was quiet for a moment and Emi wondered if she’d said something wrong because he was hardly ever quiet. She felt his hand tighten on her arm a moment before he said, “Why do you keep saying stuff like that?” She frowned and didn’t understand. “Because it is the truth,” she answered. She’d thought it was obvious that she wasn’t a liar. “I keep getting my ass kicked,” he said bitterly. “I don’t do anything but sit there and watch you fight and occasionally make things harder for you. I don’t understand why you keep saying shit like you’re proud of me or I’m being brave.” Chewing on her lip again she shook her head. “Just because you cannot fight, does not mean you cannot be brave. I do not understand your reluctance to think anything good about yourself.” Sly went quiet at that again and she didn’t press it. After a moment, she leaned her head forward against his back again and she stayed like that until the dinosaur slowed down and finally came to a stop. When she lifted her head, there was a door carved into a tree trunk. She let go of Sly and slipped off the dinosaur, surprised when she found herself wobbly on her feet. But she quickly forced herself to get over it and remain strong. Her aches and pains were starting to make themselves known again. But she kept those back and turned around to watch Sly hop off the dinosaur. He had a strange look on his face, but when he saw her watching him, he forced a grin and turned to the Triceratops. “So, Spike,” he said, reaching out and petting the dinosaur on the snout. “Thanks for the ride, and you know, saving our asses and everything.” The dinosaur nudged its snout beneath Sly’s hand and he laughed, giving it another pet, like it was nothing more than a dog or a horse. Then Sly turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised. “Aren’t you going to thank Spike for the ride, Emi?” he asked, grinning. She narrowed her eyes at him and then turned to look at the dinosaur. She bowed her head slightly when it turned its massive head to eye her. “I thank you,” she said simply and the triceratops snorted hot air and then turned back around, walking into the trees with its two companions. Emi watched it go and when it had disappeared, she turned around and headed towards the door. “I do not think it liked me,” she said to Sly. Then she pulled the door open. .Wolfie. The door let out behind the 7-11 a few blocks from Sly’s apartment. He stopped inside to buy gauze and medical tape because he was pretty sure Batman band aids weren’t going to cover it this time. They were both beat to hell and the chick behind the register gave him an odd look so he told his five to look like a twenty and bought a pack of cigarettes and a blue raspberry slushie for Emi. “Drink it slow, okay?” he said, pressing it into her hands. She stared in confusion at it, holding it gingerly in her fingers as she glanced up at him. He grinned at her, ripping his pack open and nodding his head at the drink. “Too fast and you’ll get brain freeze.” They headed down the street back towards his apartment and it felt strange to be home after being in the jungle with dinosaurs and lizard men. Already it was starting to fade into the background like a bad trip or a fucked up dream, or maybe some mix of he two. There were cuts and bruises on his skin that were happy to remind him that it hadn’t just been a dream, but it still felt far removed now that he was heading down a concrete sidewalk with buildings towering around him. “What is this?” she asked, tilting her head and looking confused. His grin widened as he lit up his cigarette because sometimes she was just too fucking adorable. He thought it was cute that she’d been scared to ride on a triceratops because he was starting to think there wasn’t anything she was scared of. She’d run all over a damn T-Rex that was trying to eat her and she hadn’t batted an eye but the triceratops had made her cling to him like she was drowning. He’d tried not to tease her too much because he’d liked having her arms wrapped around him and her head resting on his shoulders. The last thing he wanted to do was make her mad or scare her off. “It’s called a slushie,” he told her, a grin on his face. “Trust me, it’s delicious.” He nudged her arm with his elbow and she glanced up at him when he did, her eyes narrowed. But she didn’t snap at him not to touch her this time so that was something right? She put the straw to her lips and took a tentative sip before she pulled back quickly, licking her lips and staring at it. “It’s cold.” He tipped his head back and laughed. “Of course it is babe,” he said. “If it wasn’t then it would be juice. Or syrup, but still not half as good.” He grinned at her, blowing smoke out between his lips. It came out in a gray cloud in front of his face and it matched the gray clouds over his head. It was dark and overcast and he wondered how long they’d been gone and if it was going to rain. She frowned at him but kept drinking it anyway and he smiled at her before his head turned away, studying the buildings around him. There were a thousand things running through his head and he couldn’t pin down any one thought. He needed a gun. He wasn’t a fighter and he kept proving that over and over again. Maybe he could throw a punch but that wasn’t going to count for much against demons, especially not if they were all as big as the turtle or the T-Rex. That meant Emi was by herself against every one of them. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that he was this useless weight dragging her down because he didn’t want her to get hurt for him. She was this amazing, badass chick and she shouldn’t be taking so many blows for a nothing and a no one like Sly. He didn’t understand why she kept saying things like he was brave or that she was proud of him. There was nothing there to be proud of. It was nice to hear and all, but he knew better and he felt like a fraud when she said shit like that. He was nothing, just a thief, a cheat, and a liar. He was an addict and as soon as he thought that his gaze dropped to his trailing bootlaces, his chest constricting. He wanted it. He was home and it was getting late and he wanted his nightly hit. He felt his mouth go dry and his breathing quickened because he wanted it so fucking bad it almost hurt. He stuck the cigarette between his lips and sucked in smoke as his fingernails went to scratch at his arms and he was already thinking of calling Ash and getting loaded. He wanted that rush, that blast of euphoria that would ease all the aches and pains and bruises all over his skin. He wanted to be high and free and he didn’t want to think about how useless he was or how much he danger he was in of dying at any second. He wanted his fucking heroin. “We should take some time to heal,” Emi said, and the words brought his head up off the ground. “A week should be sufficient for our wounds to heal and then we can go after the next demon.” She was watching him with her head tilted to the side but as soon as he looked at her she turned her gaze away. He smiled because half the slushie was gone and her lips were blue. There was a little bit in the corner of her mouth and he reached a thumb out to brush it from her skin. She ducked her head to the side away from the touch be he kept smiling at her anyway. “Sure, babe,” he told her. “Sounds good.” He nodded his head and looked back down at the ground and he should get a job. He wondered if Bones would let him come back to work at the tattoo shop because he needed money and conning wasn’t going to cut it. He flexed his hand and thought he would be a lot better at his job if he wasn’t shaking half the time. There was always thieving and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth when he thought it because he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. There were more risks involved if he went that route but that wasn’t what made him hesitate. That might fall under the category of dishonorable as far as Emi was concerned. And he didn’t want to let her down or disappoint her and that was a strange feeling. He wanted to do better for her. He liked it when she said nice things about him, even if he didn’t believe them himself, and he wanted them to be true. She made him want to try harder because she had a beautiful smile and he could be so pathetic sometimes. He felt like a dog trying to earn a scrap from its owner and the mental picture almost made him laugh. Sly kept his feet quiet on the stairs because he still owed Konstantin last months rent and he was working on this one. He held the door open for Emi, grinning as he let her inside. She was starting to move slower, almost limping and he pretended he didn’t notice. He moved towards the couch, tossing the book on the table before he slumped down on the fabric, head falling back against the cushions. “Man that feels good,” he said tilting his head to the side to grin at her. She followed him into the apartment and she was watching him carefully. “You can take the shower first,” he told her. “I’ll take sloppy seconds.” Her eyes narrowed but he kept the lazy smile on his face as he watched her. After a moment she nodded, going to get her clothes off the table where she’d left them. They were going to have to figure something else out if she was going to be staying here for a while. Maybe he could clean his room, give her a drawer or something and that made him smirk because they weren’t even dating and he had her moving in with him. He watched her and she was moving slowly and hesitantly and he was getting weird, awkward tension from her again. He didn’t understand why until she stopped in the doorway and turned back around to face him. “I am sorry it was so painful for you to stop taking your medicine,” she told him. “But I will do it again if I must.” His face darkened as he looked at her but he kept his voice calm. “I know,” he said. She nodded her head and closed the bathroom door behind her. He kept staring even after it was shut, his breathing shallow as he looked at the space she’d just vacated. He knew she would. He didn’t doubt for a second that if she had to she would force him to detox every fucking time they walked into a new world. There were still ten demons. That meant ten more times that he could go through that hell, crying and cursing and vomiting in a pathetic mess and he doubted she would hold his hand the next time. It didn’t change anything. He knew all those things but the second he heard the water kick on he was pushing himself off the couch and moving quickly towards his bedroom. His hands were shaking and he didn’t want to think about that because he was sober and they shouldn’t have been shaking but he wanted his fucking heroin and his breath was rasping in his chest as he shut the door. Sly’s hands ripped open the drawers to his dresser and let them crash to the floor. He yanked clothes out and he tried to remember if he had any back up stashed anywhere in his room. He thought he should have something, somewhere, but he couldn’t remember. He tore all the drawers out and left them on the ground, ripping the clothes out and leaving them in piles on the carpet. His hands rattled and dug through his nightstand and he found a needle but there was nothing left in it but dried residue and he cursed and through it at the wall. His heart was thundering in his chest and he didn’t know if he was more afraid of finding something or finding nothing. If he came up with nothing then he would have to make the active choice to call Ash and get more if that was what he wanted. If he found something then he would probably relapse right now and then Emi would walk out of the bathroom and see it. She would hate him. He didn’t have a doubt about that. She wouldn’t be proud of him and she wouldn’t think he was brave and he felt so much frustrated at that because he wanted his drugs. He wanted to be high and he wanted it so badly that he was hurting. His nails scratched at his arms and there were already thick bruises there and blistered blood vessels and he scratched at it anyway. He found it under the bed. It was only a little, tucked back behind an old shoe box and an empty box of pizza. He didn’t remember when he’d gotten it or how old it was. It was barely a pinch, wrapped in a plastic baggie, but it would be enough. It would get him high for half an hour. He slumped down against his bed and he just held it in his hands, his fingers trembling as he did. He wanted it and he felt pathetic for that. He was an addict and a junkie and he was supposed to be in control of these things. He licked his lips and played with the metal hoop in his face and he knew if he waited much longer than Emi would find him here and maybe that was what he wanted. He could pocket it and hide it and get high whenever he was ready or he could let her take it from him and throw it away. Sly was still sitting on the floor when he heard the bathroom door open. His heart started to pound harder in his chest but he didn’t look away from the plastic baggie. He kept his eyes on that even when he heard the door creak open, even if he never heard her footsteps on the carpet. He didn’t hear her until she crouched down beside him and he still couldn’t look at her. Emi didn’t reach for it. He kept waiting for her to try and take it but she didn’t. She just held her hand to him and waited. He sucked in a breath and he wondered if she would ever understand how much effort it took for him to press it into her palm. Her fingers closed over the baggie and he tilted his head to the side as she pushed herself to her feet. “Hey Emi?” he asked quietly. She paused in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder at him. He didn’t know what the look on her face meant. “Sly?” she said. He licked his lips and there were a lot of things he could have said. He could have said thank you for forcing sobriety on him or that he fucking hated her for it but he didn’t think either of those things were true. He could have told her that she shouldn’t be proud of him because he was a junkie and it wouldn’t be long before he slipped because he thought that was absolutely true. He didn’t. He smirked and only asked her one thing, nodding his head to the right. “Why is there a sharpie samurai on my wall?” Wenston Four : Kōgeisakka “What does fuck mean?” Emi sat on the back of the couch. Her legs were crossed beneath her and Sly had told her countless times that it wasn’t how she was supposed to sit on the couch, but she didn’t like sitting on it normally. From here, she could see around his whole apartment, perched up on the back of it. There was a bowl of cereal in her lap as she watched a couple of men with small muskets in their hands move around on the magic box. It was nearly all they’d been doing the past couple of days. The first day when they got back, Sly had slept nearly the entire day. Emi had slept more than she thought she should have, but she had been exhausted. They were slowly healing. In more ways than one. When she’d come out of the shower that first day back from killing Senshutokage, Sly had been sitting on the floor looking miserable with some of his medicine in his hand. She couldn’t tell him how proud she was that he’d handed it over without her having to take it from him. He still got jittery sometimes. Mostly it was when they weren’t doing anything or he had too much time to think. She’d try to distract him by asking him questions to keep his mind off of it, but it didn’t always work and sometimes he’d snap at her. She never minded. She could understand that. Sly was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with his own bowl of cereal next to him and a paper laid out in front of him. He’d explained it to her that it was a newspaper and it was a way people kept up with events and advertised things and entertained themselves. She didn’t really understand the purpose. They’d had an almanac when she’d last been in this world that seemed to serve the same purpose and was more interesting. When she asked the question, Sly looked up from his newspaper, where he’d been circling things with a pen. She thought maybe he was looking for a job. He’d mentioned it yesterday that he should probably try to find one so he could get some money. She wasn’t sure how it would really work out, but if he wanted to try, she would let him. She just hoped he knew that when it came down to it, the demons came first. He snorted and stood up straight, frowning and it looked like it was hard for him to think of the answer. “Well, it means…” he trailed off and scratched at his chin. “Geez, babe, it can mean a lot of things.” Emi made a face and pointed at the television. “They say it a lot in your magic box and it is used many different ways. I do not understand what it means.” She watched as Sly’s eyes went to the television a moment before he bit his bottom lip, chewing on the metal hoop there and he looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh. “Why is it funny?” she demanded, her face puckered. Sly shook his head, setting his pen down and pushing his bowl away. He leaned onto the counter and just looked at her for a moment. “No, it’s not…I’m not laughing at you,” he said quickly. “It’s just that it’s sort of a cuss word. One of the more popular ones, actually. And people use it all the time. I mean, it could be an action. Like, I want to fuck you, is a way you could use it.” “Does that mean sex?” she asked bluntly. Sly spluttered a little bit, his mouth quirking up into an awkward smile. Then he frowned. “Well, if you’re going to hit me if I say yes, then no. But if you’re cool with me saying that I want to have sex with you, then yes, that’s what it means.” Emi just glared at him and he nodded his head, not waiting for an answer. “But, you can also use it like, this is fucked up. And in that case, it means more like, this is messed up. Or the situation is weird or bad and you don’t like it.” Emi snorted and turned back around, shoveling another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and it was one of the foods from this new time that she liked. “Your language is odd,” she said once she’d swallowed her cereal. Sly chuckled a little bit and then Emi turned to look at him over her shoulder again. He was looking back down at the newspaper. “Have you found your job yet?” she asked. “Uh,” Sly grinned sheepishly up at her. “There’s nothing really in here for someone like me,” he said and she wasn’t sure what he meant by that but she didn’t ask because she didn’t like when he berated himself. “So I was thinking I’d just run and see this guy I know. Maybe he’ll give me my old job back.” Emi nodded. “Then you can get your boomstick,” she said and still didn’t understand why Sly laughed every time she said it. “Yeah,” Sly said. “I don’t know where the hell we’re gonna get a boomstick, but I’ll look for one.” He grinned and shook his head, dumping his cereal bowl into the sink and then turning around to lean against it. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his feet. He seemed like he was getting antsy again and Emi’s brow furrowed a little before she hopped off the couch and came to place her bowl next to his in the sink. She wasn’t limping anymore. She was still slow and woke up with aches and pains, but they were nearly gone and in a couple more days, she’d be back to normal. She’d trust herself to protect him again against the demons. “Let us go talk to your friend,” she said, standing next to him. Sly lifted an eyebrow and looked up at her. He glanced around the apartment before he looked back, confused. “What, right now? At this very moment?” Emi nodded. “Yes,” she said and then moved pass him to his bedroom. He’d cleaned out a drawer for her to keep her clothes in and she dug out a fresh pair, pulling them on and not bothering to shut the door or worried that she was changing in front of him. He leaned against the doorway, still looking slightly confused but not really hiding that he was watching her either. “Well, I mean, I don’t know if he’ll give me my job back,” Sly said and he sounded somewhat nervous. “I don’t even know if a job is really such a good idea.” “It will keep you occupied,” Emi said as she folded her old clothes up and placed them on the end of his bed. She’d been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights. He’d offered her the bed, but she’d outright refused. It was too soft for her anyway. She was used to sleeping on the floor with only a mat beneath her. She turned around and looked at him. “Are you ready?” Sly snorted. “You are such a control freak, you know that?” She made a face because she wasn’t sure what that was. He shook his head. “Alright, hold on I guess,” he said, sounding mockingly dramatic. “The things I do for you…” he mumbled to himself as he started pulling on his shoes. Emi smiled when he wasn’t look and then wiped it off her face. As she came back out into the living room, she said, “And perhaps we can get another one of those blue drinks on the way.” .Wolfie. Sly snorted and shook his head, his eyes on Emi. “I’m so easy for you,” he said.Emi glanced up, one hand holding the blue slushie and the other resting on her sword. He almost told her that maybe he should have left the thing at home for once but he didn’t think she’d listen to him anyway. If she’d taken it with her to the IHOP he doubted she would leave it at home to go see a man she didn’t know. One of these days it was going to get them both into trouble. She sucked on the blue slushie and it made him grin because sometimes she seemed like such a little kid. She liked Saturday morning cartoons and cereal and she was like a tiger kitten or something. “What does that mean?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. He chuckled and shook his head. “It means I’m a sucker for a hot chick with a hot mouth and you fit the bill.” She frowned at him and didn’t seem to know what to say to that so she turned her attention back to her slushie, prodding at it with her straw. Sly watched her for another moment and he smiled when he noticed that her tongue was blue. She was hot and she had no qualms about stripping in front of him and there was no part of him that was going to argue with that. They were walking side by side down the sidewalk and Sly was smoking while he tried not to think about a lot of things. He was trying not to think about he fact that he hadn’t had a hit in a week, never mind that he’d had a pinch of it in his fingers. If he started thinking about either of those things then his hands would start trembling and he would start having trouble breathing and then he would start to wonder why he hadn’t called Ash yet. He would start to wonder what exactly the point of sobriety was and he would start getting pissy because he hadn’t exactly chosen to be that way. So he smoked a cigarette instead and he didn’t think about that. He didn’t think about where they were going because then he would start getting nervous. It had been just over a year since the last time he’d set foot in the shop and he flexed his hands, wondering if he could still tattoo for shit anymore. He wasn’t shaking. That had to count for something. He could hold his hand steady and he thought about Emi forcing that spoon in between his fingers because maybe he was starting to get a little bit why she’d done that. A few hours without smack and he’d already been trembling and how had he ever convinced himself he wasn’t a junkie? Fuck, he wasn’t even doing the stuff and that was all he could think about, even with smoke curling in his lungs and a hot Asian chick walking next to him. “What was your old job?” Emi asked. She ducked her head to look at his face and he blinked as he focused back on her. A slow, embarrassed smile pulled at his lips and he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. What if he wasn’t any good anymore? What if he got in there and he couldn’t tattoo for shit because he hadn’t touched pen to paper in a year, let alone ink to skin. “I’m a tattoo artist. At least I used to be. Sometimes. It was more of a hobby than anything really. I mean, I’m not very good or anything but I know my way around a needle,” he said. “But I guess you figured that out already.” She frowned, her lips pursed as she studied his face and he held his arm out before she could say anything about that. He pointed to a skull above his wrist, turning it so she could see it in the light. It was faded and the lines were still a little sloppy but he couldn’t get himself to touch it up. “That one’s me,” he said. “Sixteen in a buddy’s basement. His stepdad operated a shop out of his house and he let me fuck around a little bit. I was big into the Misfits at the time. First tattoo and I did it to myself.” Sly was grinning as he showed her and for a moment she just studied all his tattoos before she shook her head. The smile faltered on his face as she looked up at him because half of his didn’t mean anything more than he was a fan of something at the time. “You are full of surprises, Baka,” she said, and he didn’t know what the tone or the words meant so he just smiled wider. “Yeah, well, I just like keeping people on their toes,” he said, winking at her. “Why did you stop working there?” she asked, still working on her slushie. He wondered if she was asking because she cared or because she was just trying to keep him from thinking about just how well he knew his way around a needle. The smile faltered for a second and he took a final drag of his cigarette to try and hide it before he tossed it in the gutter. “I stopped showing up for work,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. He cautioned a glance at her and she was frowning at him. He didn’t like that so he slapped a grin across his face. “Aw, don’t give me that look, babe. It sort of made for an awkward work environment when my boss started fucking my girlfriend. Guess that’s what I get for dating a fucking whore, yeah?” Sly didn’t wait for a reaction because he wasn’t sure exactly what kind of one he was expecting from her. He reached back and pushed the door to the shop open, leaning his back against it to hold it open for Emi. There was the familiar sound of a bell jingling over his head when he did and as soon as the door was open they could hear the screaming of guitars coming from the sound system. Emi walked in cautiously, her eyes sweeping the place as soon as she set foot in it. He let the door swing closed behind him and did the same because he hadn’t been in here in a long time and they’d redecorated since he’d left. The walls were painted red, gold framed artwork hanging on the wall and photo albums sitting on various tables around the lobby. There were stock pictures hanging on the wall, the usual tiger or dragon or rose tattoos and tribal symbols and nonsense for the man on the street to walk in and pick from. Bones was an elitist prick and he hated doing anything he didn’t design but Sly hadn’t cared. It made his job easier. There were couches arrayed around the room and a desk at the far end that currently had a black haired girl with snakebite piercings sitting in the office chair. He didn’t recognize her, so Bones must have hired her after Sly left. There was a second woman sitting on top of the desk next to her and they were looking through one of the albums together. She had long blonde hair that she was constantly running her fingers through and hazel eyes that always looked tired, even when she was smiling her crooked smile. Sly hadn’t really expected her to be here. He didn’t know why, because it just seemed like the kind of shit he should have expected. He cleared his throat to try and get her attention, heading across the hardwood floor with Emi at his side and that helped. It helped remind him that he had a whole other mess of problems now and it shouldn’t bother him to see one cheating ex-girlfriend again. “Well if it isn’t Krystal with a K,” he said, and her head whipped around at the sound of his voice so fast he thought she might hurt herself. Her eyes widened when she saw them and for that brief moment he saw something nasty on her face. A little sneer of disgust that she couldn’t hide that he’d given her a thousand reasons for. He’d seen it enough times in their relationship and it didn’t bother him now. Then she smoothed it out and replaced it with her crooked smile, pushing herself off the desk and heading over to him with a familiar sway to her hips. She ran her fingers through her hair before tossing it over her shoulder. “Well hey there Sylvester Waite,” she said, and he knew she was using his full name just to annoy him so he kept the smile on his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug that he wasn’t really buying but he hugged her back anyway. “How’s tricks?” she asked. “Never been better,” he told her with a grin, and he was going to tell her that whether it was the fucking truth or not. “Krys, this is Emi, Emi, this is Krystal.” He tried to ignore the lingering smell of incense and marijuana she left on his clothes as she pulled back and it was nice to see that some things never changed. Her gaze turned towards Emi and they both studied each other for a moment. Emi looked tense and her gaze was shuttered as she studied the other girl. He couldn’t get a read on her but Krys was as obvious as a fucking neon sign. Her eyes were narrowed and the smile was fake and a little mean. “She’s cute, Sly,” she said, glancing up at him and he didn’t mistake her tone for anything nice. Then she turned back to look at Emi and her voice was dripping false sweetness. “Knowing Sly, he probably didn’t warn you so I’ll just tell you now, sweetie. You’ll never be as important as the drugs. So don’t go getting your hopes up that he’s going to clean up his act any time soon.” “Wow Krys,” he said, drawing her gaze back to him and he gave her the same fake ass smile she’d been giving him. “I thought you’d wait a little longer to start pulling out the full on bitch card, but hey, why waste time with formalities?” Krys smiled and tipped her head to the side. “Just thought I’d let her know what she’s getting into.” “And that’s sweet of you and all but if you’re going to start slapping warning labels on relationships maybe you could have started with ours. You know, before you decided to surprise me with the whole ‘I’m a cheating whore’ thing. That would have been swell,” he said, still smiling at her. Then he clapped his hands together and ducked his head to try and look through the doorway to the tattoo stations. “Speaking of which, is Bones around?” “I’ll get him,” the girl behind the desk said. She was already pushing herself to her feet when Krystal waved her down, already stalking away from Sly and Emi towards the door. “I got it,” Krystal told the girl, shooting a glare over her shoulder at her. She snorted and held her hands up, flipping Krystal off after she was through the door. Sly watched her retreating back and felt the smile slip off his face. Their whole relationship had been like this. When it was good it was like Mt. fucking Everest but when it was bad it was like the lowest pits of Hell. Emi wasn’t saying anything and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Sorry,” he told her, and he wasn’t sure exactly what he was apologizing for but he felt guilty that all of a sudden she got to see last year’s worth of baggage. Krystal had done a number on him, as much as he hated to admit it, and it had honestly come as a surprise to him when he found out she was cheating. “She’s… ah, well she’s a bitch. Always was easier to deal with when I was high.” Sly let out a small sigh of relief when Bones came through the door the next moment, without his girlfriend this time. He grinned when he saw Sly and it said something for the man that he wasn’t faking it. Sly probably should have hated him after what happened but if their positions were reversed he wasn’t sure he would have turned Krys down either. He was probably twice Sly’s size, a bear of a man with dark skin and darker eyes that looked like he could have been just as at home in a biker shop as he was in his tattoo parlor. The only part of his skin not covered in tattoos was his face and that made up for it with the piercings in his eyebrows instead. “Sly,” he said, coming over to clap a hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t expect to see you in here, well, ever again, honestly. After… well, you know.” He grinned awkwardly and scratched at the back of his neck. “Sorry about all that.” Sly shrugged like it was no big deal because it wasn’t anymore. He had demons to kill and that felt so fucking weird just to think. “Yeah, well, don’t worry about it,” he said, shooting the man a grin and he watched his grow wider at that. “Though you know, if you really feel that bad about it maybe you could give me my old job back?” Bones laughed at first and slapped Sly on the shoulder again before it died out. “Wait, you’re serious?” “Just part time,” Sly said hurriedly, and he hoped he didn’t sound too fucking desperate because if he said no he would just go back to stealing or something. He didn’t know how he was going to get his hands on a gun but he could find a way. He’d figure it out, he always did. It just made it easier if Bones said yes. “I mean, I don’t expect you to make me a full artist again or anything but maybe a couple of days a week or something?” He grinned hopefully at the other man and he didn’t like how uncertain he looked. “Sly…” he drawled, and then he scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “I don’t know man,” he said, shaking his head. He chewed his lip and studied Sly carefully and maybe he should try sounding more desperate instead. A sigh left the man’s lips and then he smirked and shook his head. “Maybe I could give you a couple of days. But only because I fucked your girlfriend,” he said, pointing at Sly’s face. It shouldn’t have made him laugh but it did. “Thanks man,” he said. “Don’t mention it,” he said, still grinning. Then he tilted his head to look at Emi and it grew wider. “Now, who’s this?” Wenston Emi forgot what Sly had told her about using the microwave. She stood in front of it with a plastic wrapped hot pouch or something in her hand and she didn’t know what to do with any of it. He’d shown her how to use it this morning before he’d went to work. He’d shown her how to use a lot of things. The microwave, the can opener, the payphone across the street. He’d told her to use that in case she needed anything and that he didn’t have one because it was too expensive, but she didn’t really want to tell him that she wasn’t sure what a payphone was. He’d shown her how to use it, but she didn’t know what she did with it. Mostly, she thought he’d just shown her all these things because he was nervous. He’d been anxious and wandering around the apartment and finally Emi had told him that if he didn’t leave now, she was going to take off one of his hands. He’d laughed, but she hadn’t smiled to show she was joking, so he’d left. She’d thought about following him, or going to the place to check up on him, but she decided that he needed to make the conscious decision to work instead of go find more medicine or thieve anything. She wasn’t going to bother him until he got back home. Not even if she couldn’t figure out the microwave. Biting her lip, she cautiously reached for the handle of the device, pulling it open and then she plopped the plastic wrapped hot pouch inside and closed the door. There were a lot of symbols on the microwave, but she still hadn’t learned to read English and she didn’t think Sly knew that. So she pressed a button to see what it did. The microwave lit up and Emi gasped, stepping back a few paces. Inside, she could see her hot pouch turning in a slow circle and her face contorted into a frown because she didn’t understand how these things worked. She cautiously rounded the counter, to put it between herself and the microwave and she just waited. How was she supposed to know when the thing was ready? Maybe next time she should just light a fire and cook the hot pouch over the fire. After a few minutes, the acrid smell of smoke started to fill Sly’s apartment and Emi made a small noise, approaching the microwave because she didn’t think it was supposed to smell like burning. When she was inches in front of it, it dinged and she gasped again, holding her arms up defensively. But the microwave stopped moving and went dark and after a moment she reached forward and pulled the door open. The plastic wrapped hot pouch was too hot to touch for a moment, the plastic burning her fingers when she tried to pull it out. She waited a minute for it to cool off and then she took it out and put it on the counter. She stared at it for a moment because Sly didn’t tell her what exactly she was supposed to do with the thing once she had it cooked. Making an executive decision, she reached for Kaidokusuru and gave a small apology that she would degrade her katana so badly, but she cut the hot pouch in half easily and then slide the gooey, flaky thing out of the plastic. Picking up one half, she took a small bite and chewed carefully. She shrugged when it actually tasted well enough to eat and then took a bigger bite. She placed her katana on the counter and picked up the other half, walking around the counter and back to the couch to sit on the back of it and watch the magic box again. Sly had left it on cartoons for her. She’d learned that she enjoyed the cartoons with the coyote and the bird the best. But she didn’t understand why the coyote kept using the same company if all of their devices didn’t work properly. Or why he wouldn’t just set his own trap for the bird. She would get that bird in a completely different way. The coyote was just being a fool. Once Emi’s hot pouch was gone, she sat watching the magic box for a while and she hoped Sly was doing well at his job. She wasn’t sure she approved of the people he associated him with. The nasty woman seemed vile and mean. She wasn’t sure what to think of the big man named Bones. He seemed more like a piece of art than a man. And she’d noticed the way they’d made Sly feel and she didn’t like it. If they gave him a tough time, she might have to have a word with them. Especially that woman. The magic box went dark as Emi’s cartoon show ended and her eyes flickered to the reflection in the glass. She could see herself and she sucked in a sharp breath as she suddenly realized she could see someone else. Someone standing in the kitchen. Emi whirled quickly, her dark hair flying about her face. Kaidokusuru still lay on the counter and she made a dive for it, but as soon as she reached for the hilt, the figure in the middle of the kitchen swiped it from the counter. Emi caught only a glimpse of the figure before there was a pop and it disappeared into a small trickle of orange smoke in the air. She held her breath, because she recognized that smoke. She recognized that power. Something slammed into her back, driving her forward where her stomach met the counter. The wind was knocked out of her lungs, but she didn’t hesitate to snap her head back into her attacker. The back of her head met something hard and she heard a small cry before she turned herself around, swinging an arm out. It met only orange smoke. She flipped over the counter, constantly moving because if she was moving, he couldn’t sneak up on her. She dropped down behind the counter and she grit her teeth because what was he doing here? How had he come to this world? They weren’t supposed to travel between worlds, especially not the sealbreaker’s world. Jyorougumo was supposed to be the only demon in this world. “Takeru,” she growled to the air, addressing the demon by name so he’d know she knew who he was. Not that it would change anything. If he was here, it wasn’t for anything good. She felt her heart start to pound in her chest and she was suddenly worried about Sly. If Takeru could find her, they he could possibly find Sly and maybe he’d stopped by to see him first. Maybe she’d failed and didn’t even know it. She shouldn’t have let him out of her sight. Panic and fear were spiking through her stomach because if anything happened to Sly while she was here not watching him, she’d never forgive herself. A hand suddenly fisted in her hair and she let out a small yell as her head was yanked up. She was forced to stand, her hands coming up to grab the wrist of the hand that held her. It pulled her backwards over the counter and she swung her legs up, over her head until her knees collided with Takeru. She heard him grunt and let go of her and she kept rolling, spinning so she could kick him across the face. It gave her the first clear look at the demon. He was human. But only in appearance. He wore a suit that looked odd on him because she always knew Takeru to only wear a suit of armor, not a finely pressed suit from modern times. He was stumbling backwards, blood spilling from a split lip she’d just given him. He held Kaidokusuru in his hands and that infuriated her. “Emiko,” Takeru said, standing up against the couch as she sat on the counter, her eyes narrowed, body tense, waiting for him to make a move. “It is nice to see you again,” he said in his native Japanese tongue. She answered in Japanese. “What are you doing in this world, Takeru? This is not your place. You may not walk here.” Takeru laughed. “I do as I please,” he said. Then he disappeared in the blink of an eye, orange smoke trailing up towards the ceiling. Emi flipped backwards off the counter, back into the kitchen and ducked as the microwave she’d been using earlier suddenly flew her way. She ducked beneath it and winced as it smashed into the wall. The drawers and the cupboards were being pulled open one by one and orange smoke was filling the room. Emi did her best to dodge everything he was throwing at her and she growled because without Kaidokusuru, she could not use her wind sigil and that was the only way to keep up with the demon. Finally, a dish flew pass the counter and smashed into Sly’s magic box and Emi growled because Takeru was destroying Sly’s home and it scared her that she didn’t know if Sly was even okay to be mad about it. It scared her that she’d been comfortable letting him out of her sight and that was her mistake. She should have known better. The fact that the demons never walked in other worlds wasn’t an excuse. She needed to protect him. At all times. At all costs. Standing up, she started moving through the room in graceful movements, striking at every place Takeru appeared. He disappeared again each time before she could land a blow in. He was fast. He’d always been fast and nearly impossible to defeat. There were a few times where she hadn’t. “Thirteenth daughter,” Takeru growled. “I look forward to our battle this time around.” Emi growled. “Thirteen demon,” she snapped back. “I will defeat you in the end.” Takeru laughed and Emi gasped as a blow across her cheek caught her off guard. She stumbled to the side and then let out a cry as she felt a hand wrap around the back of her neck. Before she could react, because Takeru had supernatural speed, he slammed her head down onto the counter. She saw stars for a moment and she could hear him talking to her as they cleared slowly. “Izanagi will walk. Your sealbreaker will die.” “I will not allow it,” she yelled at him and flung her arms back. Her elbow caught him in the side and Takeru tightened his grip on the back of her neck. She only barely kept from crying out as his hand erupted into flames. The fire licked at her skin and she bucked against the grasp. “You will not win.” She swiped her leg out and the satisfaction she felt when it connected with Takeru’s ankles was overwhelming. He let go of her neck and she pulled herself up onto the counter, out of his reach. She turned around quickly and grabbed for Kaidokusuru. She hissed as her own blade sliced at her hand, drawing thick, red blood droplets onto the floor. Takeru disappeared into orange smoke and she sucked in a breath as he appeared behind her, the blade pressed against her throat. She froze and if he were to kill her with her own katana, she would find only shame and terror in her death. Takeru’s lips were close to her ear. “I have killed you before,” he whispered to her. “I will see you dead again.” Then he was slamming her head into the faucet on the sink. Stars exploded behind Emi’s eyes and she barely caught herself as Takeru shoved her away, onto the floor. Blood was trickling down her face, into her eyes and she brought a hand up to touch the wound on her head that was bleeding heavily. Her eyes darted to the counter, where Kaidokusuru lay again, surrounded only by orange smoke. She waited for a moment to see if Takeru would appear again, but he didn’t. Emi shoved herself to her feet, grabbing her katana. Her thoughts were only on Sly. Her head pounding, blood trickling down her face and spilling from her cut hand, she could only think of Sly. He had to be okay. .Wolfie. “How ya doin’ baby?” Matt asked.At least, Sly assumed his name was Matt, because that was the name he was tattooing on the back of the girl’s neck. He’d forgotten her name, Kathy or Katie or something like that. It didn’t matter because the guy wasn’t getting her name tattooed anywhere and he wondered if she even thought about that before she’d agreed to get his slapped on her skin. “Okay,” the girl said. She tried to smile up at him but gritted her teeth and closed her eyes when Sly started filling in the second ‘T’ at in his name. Her fingers tightened around the padded table and her boyfriend just smiled and tightened his grip on her skin. It had been strange coming back to work, partly because he hadn’t had a real job in a long time and mostly because he felt like he was on a trial run. If it turned out he sucked and he couldn’t do his job than Bones would probably just turn around and tell him not to bother coming back. He wasn’t even using his own station and it had taken him a moment to figure out where the man kept his needles and ink. Derek and Elijah were still on staff and a piercer named Woody that was new to him. Ivy was the girl behind the desk, and she’d given him a heads up when he came in that Krystal wasn’t on staff but she sure as fuck liked to hang around a lot so that was just fucking great. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and he didn’t want to think about her because if he did he’d start thinking about the roller coaster ride that had once been their relationship. “If you need me to stop for a minute or get some water just say the word, sugar,” Sly told her. “I’m good,” she told him, forcing her eyes to open and smile at him. Sly smirked, one gloved hand reached up to wipe the excess ink off the back of her neck and she was starting to look a little sweaty and pale. He almost wanted to warn her that when she came back to get a butterfly tattooed over the name she couldn’t get rid of then it was going to hurt a lot more, for more reasons than one. Tattooing a name was like the fucking kiss of death and that was probably the only mistake he’d never made when it came to his relationships. He kept his mouth shut and didn’t say it because they weren’t going to pay him for his opinion. His hand was steady as he went back to work and he pressed the metal tip back against her skin, filling in the last letter. This was his second one today and Bones had just stayed to watch him for the first one. Having the man look over his shoulder hadn’t helped, not until he started shooting the shit about the band the guy wanted on his forearm and Sly had fallen back into the familiar rhythm. He knew how to do this. Maybe his artistry wasn’t the best but he could get better if he wanted to. For the first time in years he was sober and he could hold a needle without shaking. He still had trouble looking himself in the mirror but maybe this would help. Maybe he was finally starting to get his life back together, if demons didn’t manage to kill him first. He wondered how Emi was doing. He hoped she was okay and that she figured out the microwave alright. He’d given her the crash course in 21st century technology and he didn’t know if it had all sunken in. Maybe he should have left directions. Maybe next time he should just leave her leftovers or something or maybe she could just come hang out in the lobby with Ivy while he worked. “Alright,” Sly said. He cleaned off the tattoo one last time, studying his work and the angry red lines around the black word on her neck. “You’re all set.” He pushed his foot against the floor and rolled to the table, picking a mirror up so that she could check it out in the glass wall in front of her. She sat up gingerly, holding her hair off her neck with one hand as she twisted around to try and get a look at it. Matt was grinning at her, his head ducked as he tried to look at his brand on her. “It looks great baby,” he said, his grin widening as he saw it. There was an answering smile on her face and then she squealed, turning around to press a sloppy kiss to Matt’s mouth. Sly snorted and waited for them to finish before he waved her over. “Still have to patch you up, hon,” Sly told her. “You need any touch ups on this sucker later just come back and I’ll take care of it for free.” He wheeled back over to slap a bandage on her and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole time. Her boyfriend went back to holding her hand while Sly gave them the aftercare printout. They were still holding hands while they went out in the lobby to pay. He chewed on the hoop in his lip while he cleaned up his mess and tossed his gloves and the extra ink. “Why are you back here?” she asked, and he tried not to jump at the words. Sly glanced over his shoulder and Krystal was leaning in the doorway, her arms crossed under her chest and a take out bag dangling from her fingers. There were foil wrapped sandwiches inside and he smirked, jerking his head at them. “You bring me one of those?” She rolled her eyes, taking another step closer and leaning her arms across the padded table. “Answer the question, Sly. Why are you here? ‘Cause if you think this is going to win me back you’ve got another thing coming.” Her eyes were narrowed and he wondered if she was purposefully trying to push her breasts right out of her top or if it was just that second nature to her now. He wasn’t sure if he should be enjoying it or not. Sure, they were nice, but they came attached to a crazy bitch and he’d already been there, done that. He laughed and her glare made his smile grow even wider. He leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head as he kicked his feet up on the table. “Honey I would rather fuck Bones than ever stick it in you again. And he’s not really my type. Too much facial hair, I think I’d get scruff burn. Though I don’t know, he does look like he’d be gentle with me.” She watched him for a moment and then snorted, shaking her head. “You’re such a freak,” she said, pushing herself back off the table. “Does your new girlfriend know that?” Her tone was bitter and angry and he tilted his head to the side to grin at her. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re jealous,” he said. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was exactly the fucking same and he thought it was interesting that she hadn’t wasted any time reminding him of that. She’d tried the fake smiles the first day but tha had died fast enough as soon as she realized he wasn’t just going to disappear and leave her the hell alone again. “Especially considering the whole ‘you’ll never win me back’ speech. I gotta say you’re sending me some mixed messages here.” “Go to Hell, Sly,” she told him. “I’m not jealous of your little Hong Kong hooker.” “Hey,” he snapped, and he was surprised at how quickly he answered and how angry his voice got. She didn’t have any right to talk about Emi like that. Not ever. “You can say what you want about me but you keep your fucking mouth shut about Emi, you hear me?” He lifted a finger to point it at her face and she seemed more startled by the reaction than anything. Sly heard the little doorbell ring from the other room but he kept staring at Krystal because if she said another thing about Emi they were going to have a problem. He didn’t hit girls but he might make an exception if he said anything like that again. He heard Ivy’s startled shout and then his gaze rose to the door because in the next moment Emi was rushing through the doorway. She barely noticed Krystal, pushing past the girl to head straight for Sly. His eyes widened when he saw her and he was half out of the chair because she had blood all over her face and he felt his heart lurch in his chest when he saw that. “Are you okay?” he asked, and he heard her ask the question at the same time as her eyes lit upon him. He smirked but he was already moving to grasp her arm, eyes studying the bloody wounds on her head. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. “What the hell happened?” Sly was surprised when he felt her grasp his chin, tipping his head from side to side with a narrowed gaze, as if she didn’t believe him when he said he was alright. He watched her with a confused frown as she paced quickly around him and then he felt her arms suddenly wrap around his waist, her head pressed against his chest. “I am glad you are alright,” she told him. If he didn’t know better he would say she was trembling. If he didn’t know better he’d say she was losing her composure a little bit. But he did know better and he must be misreading it. His arm wrapped around her anyway and he pressed her head against his chest. “I’m okay,” he told her, smiling awkwardly. “It’s only my first day of work honey; I think I can handle it. You’re the one bleeding all over me. Seriously woman, what is it with you and ruining all of my shirts?” She stepped quickly back, shrugging off his hands when they tried to hang onto her arms. “Takeru,” she said lowly, and Sly frowned, shaking his head because he didn’t know what that meant. “The thirteenth. He is here. He may be coming for you yet.” Her voice was quiet and low and he heard what she was saying but he wasn’t processing it yet. Behind her, Krystal was still staring awkwardly and he saw movement out of the corner of his eye as Bones came to stand in the doorway behind her but he didn’t take his eyes off Emi. She had a bloody cut on her forehead and he lifted his shirt to try and wipe it off her skin. It had run all the way down her face, covering one eyelid in a swath of red. He needed to hurry up and buy a gun or something because he didn’t like seeing her hurt like this. “I thought we had to go to them,” he said. She didn’t look like she had an answer for that, ducking her head to look at the floor and he sighed, wiping the blood off her cheek before raising his head. “I’m gonna take her home,” he told Bones. “I’ll be back Monday?” Krystal’s eyes narrowed but Bones just rested his hands on her shoulders, nodding his head with a smile on his face. “See you Monday,” he told him. “You feel better, okay babe?” he told Emi, before he slid his arm around Krystal and guided her out. Sly looked back down at Emi and she was chewing on her lip, her eyes flicking around the room with an almost anxious look in her gaze. One hand moved back to her shoulder but he was just staring at his feet because he didn’t like that she’d been hurt and he didn’t like it had happened at his house because they were supposed to be okay here. The demons were in their own little worlds and he could pretend that everything was okay and he wasn’t going to die because he really, really didn’t want to die. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Should we head home? Or… I don’t know.” “We should move from here before your work is also destroyed,” she told him, turning towards the door. He followed her quietly, hand rubbing over his mouth and he stayed close because she was covered in her own blood and he didn’t like that. He was scared and it took him a moment before he frowned and looked up at her. “What do you mean ‘also’?” Wenston “What the hell?” It was the first thing Sly said when he opened the door to his apartment and Emi bit her lip because he was mad and it was her fault and this was his home and now it was destroyed. She knew what that felt like and it hurt more because the same person who’d destroyed Sly’s home had destroyed hers a long, long time ago. That it was the same person was killing her inside, because Takeru should have been dead many times over by now. This was just cruel fate. Sly stepped over the threshold and into his apartment, eyes scanning the mess. Emi stepped in after him, but stayed near the door, her eyes moving around the apartment to watch for any signs of Takeru, but now that it was over, she didn’t think he’d been here to kill Sly. The more she thought about it, the more she figured he’d just been here to toy with them. Or her, specifically. She may have been overreacting when she’d gone to find Sly. It could have been a stupid move, because she could have lead Takeru right to Sly. But on the other hand, if Takeru had wanted Sly dead today, he would have been. And she wouldn’t have been able to stop it. Bending down to pick up one of his broken mugs on the floor, Sly snorted, looking at the destroyed microwave and other appliances and Takeru had left barely anything intact. Emi worried her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest, guilt eating at her gut. “Well, babe, if you didn’t know how to use the microwave, you could have just called,” Sly snorted a laugh and she couldn’t tell if he meant the laugh or not because his home was in pieces and it was her fault. “I am sorry,” she said quickly. “He took me by surprise.” Sly turned to look over his shoulder at her, his eyes wide for a moment. There was a grim look on his face, but when his eyes met hers, his face softened and he looked surprised at something. He put down the broken mug and stood, coming over to her. “That was a joke, Emi,” he said, a smile on his face. “I know it’s not your fault, okay?” Emi shook her head and when Sly tried to reach out to touch her arm, she jerked away from him because there was guilt and fear burning inside of her and she didn’t like to be touched or comforted because both of those were things she shouldn’t have. Both of those were things Daisuke would work on beating out of her and she needed to overcome them on her own. She did not need help. Not ever. “Your home is destroyed,” she said lowly, walking over to Sly’s magic box, which was broken and the glass shattered across the floor. She bent to push it upright, not looking at Sly or anywhere but the mess she’d caused of his home. “I should have been able to prevent it.” Sly snorted again. “I mean, it sucks my shit is wrecked, but I don’t think you let it happen on purpose.” She shook her head and her hair fell about her face and over her shoulders and when she still wouldn’t look up at him, Sly crossed the room and crouched in front of her. “Emi, hey,” he tried, reaching for her hand. She jerked her hand away from his and just held her hands in her lap, eyes on the ground submissively because he should be yelling and he should be punishing but he was neither of those things and she didn’t understand this world anymore. She didn’t understand this duty. “Takeru is extremely powerful. He is more powerful than I have ever seen him before and I do not know how he walks your world.” Sly swallowed thickly. “Should we go after him?” he asked hesitantly, like he was afraid of the answer. She shook her head. “Takeru is the thirteenth. He is always the last.” Sly nodded. “Okay, so we’ll be ready for him by then,” he said and he was frowning and looked like maybe he didn’t believe his own words. “I’ll have my boomstick. You’ll be your hot badass Asian self. We’ll be unstoppable. You gotta have faith, George Michael says so.” He grinned and she didn’t understand the joke, but she understood the meaning. He was trying to tell her that they were going to win. He was trying to tell her that he believed they’d get through this. There was a strange feeling overtaking her and she thought maybe it was because she could have failed Sly so horribly today. She could have let him die and she was startled to realize she was more scared of him dying than she was of Izanagi rising. Her failure would come in two parts. One would mean she’d let Sly down, the other would mean world altering events and she was more afraid of the first and that wasn’t right. That wasn’t why she did this and she was confused and upset because it was never supposed to be like this. Emi stood quickly and the words were coming from her mouth quickly because she needed him to understand. She needed him to know what they were dealing with because he pretended like he had faith they’d get through this and she needed him to know what it could come down to. “To stop Izanagi from rising, Takeru must die.” Sly frowned at the words and stood up as well, scratching at his cheek. “I do not always win against Takeru.” A smile spread across Sly’s face at that, but it faltered and then he looked a little awkward. “What do you mean you don’t always win against him?” he demanded. “I don’t see an ancient Japanese god roaming the earth, so you’ve done a pretty good job of stopping him so far.” “I protect the sealbreaker,” she said calmly, her eyes on Sly’s face. “Sometimes it is the sealbreaker who must kill Takeru.” Emi swallowed thickly. “Takeru has killed me as many times as I have killed him.” Sly didn’t say or do anything for a moment. He just stared at her, the look on his face unreadable and Emi just stared back because she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. When he started laughing, it surprised her and she frowned because she didn’t think he understood the gravity of her words. Sly turned around, running a hand over his face as he leaned against the counter. When he turned back around, there was an incredulous look on his face. “So what you’re saying is it could come down to me and him and if I lose, the world ends.” Emi nodded her head slightly. “Yes,” she said simply. A scoff escaped his lips. “Well the world is fucking screwed, then,” he said, his voice bitter. He crossed his arms over his chest. Emi ducked her head and looked down at her shoes. She bit her lip slightly and then whispered, “Takeru is the warlord who slaughtered my village.” She heard Sly suck in a slight breath and she continued, “I know him more intimately than any other soul and he knows me the same. He is my greatest enemy and I will do all I can to ensure you will not have to face him alone.” Her eyes rose again. “But he wants you dead. He thirsts for it. I have always and will always give everything I have to keep that from happening. Including my life. That is my duty.” She swallowed again and the next words hurt more than she thought they should. “Whether through death or duty, the battle against Takeru will end my time in your life. And you must understand there is nothing that will change that.” For a moment, Sly looked like he’d been struck in the face. He was studying her, like he was trying to figure out why she’d tell him that. She wondered a bit herself. Maybe she cared for him too much and she thought he should know that there would come a time when she would be gone. It was inevitable. And it was something he had to know. It was something they both must understand. Emi sighed and she turned her head to look at the mess on the floor again. She brought her foot out to toe at the glass. “I am sorry about your magic box,” she said, because she didn’t know what else to say. .Wolfie. Sly was in a funk.He’d been in a funk ever since he had to quit his fucking heroin but now it was worse. There was a cigarette hanging from his lips and he wasn’t even smoking it, just holding it there with tightly clamped teeth as he cleaned his shit up. He’d dumped the television by the door and he’d take it to the dumpster tomorrow because there was no point trying to fix it. He’d see if he could get a cheap one from the pawn shop or something later. He didn’t want to think about it right now. He wasn’t in a funk because all his stuff had been destroyed. He wasn’t in a funk because of Krystal, though having to deal with her bullshit wasn’t helping any and all he wanted was his god damned heroin. He wanted his drug and he wanted to crawl back inside a needle and soothe the anxiousness in his veins with that beautiful golden eyed girl that got him flying high. His nails scratched at his arms and he was probably going to leave bruises but he just didn’t care. He told himself he didn’t care about a lot of things right now because it was just easier that way, and Sly was always taking the easy way out. How the hell was he supposed to stop this Takeru guy? Fuck it, he couldn’t even think about that right now. A trash bag full of broken dishes got dropped on the ground next to the broken television and he didn’t even care that much that his shit was broken. Well, alright, he cared a little bit. Just because he had a job again didn’t mean he was suddenly rolling in dough and could replace it all in a day. He wasn’t mad at Emi but she probably thought he was because he was slamming around a lot and he wasn’t looking at her because that hurt more than he liked to admit. She’d tried to help. She’d started picking stuff off the floor and he’d just taken the dishes from her hands and dumped them in the black trash bag. He’d pointed at the bathroom with his cigarette and just told her to go take a shower. It was a bad sign that she’d actually done what he’d said. It meant that she definitely thought he was mad at her now and he wasn’t. He couldn’t stay mad at her, even when she fucking took his drugs away and through them out the window. Even thinking about that made his blood itch and his hands restless but he couldn’t hate her because she was Emi. She was a contradiction and a mystery to him. She could be sweet and innocent without even knowing it, drinking blue slushies and watching cartoons and asking him what ‘fuck’ meant and then turn around and slice a man in half with her blade. He liked her. He liked having her around and yeah, part of it was because she was hot and he’d seen her boobs. But part of it was because she made him want to try harder. Before she’d showed up he would have just robbed the damn 7-11. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him when this was over. He was thinking about the cold, hard words she’d told him. When this was over she would be gone. Emi would be gone and he would either be dead or left behind to clean up the mess. Most of his apartment was bagged up and sitting by the door when she got out of the shower. He’d settled on the couch and the grimoire was on top of the coffee table where he’d dropped it after they got back from killing the T-Rex. Sly had his head tipped back against the couch, his eyes closed and his whole body tense no matter how hard he tried to relax. Chain smoking wasn’t helping and closing his eyes wasn’t helping and nothing would except for a gram of China white and he was supposed to be sober. He was supposed to be getting his life together but he didn’t feel so great all of a sudden. He didn’t hear her footsteps on the carpet but the couch shifted as she perched on the back of it, legs crossed at the ankles. “What are you doing?” she asked quietly, her voice surprisingly uncertain. He snorted and cracked one eye open at her. Her hair was still wet, held back out of her face by the hair band. Her wounds were cleaned and there were nasty bruises and a cut left behind. It had scabbed over and looked like it had hurt but she probably hadn’t flinched. “I’m waiting for you so we can ask this stupid book who the next demon is,” he told her. “’Cause if we don’t then I’m going to end up calling Ash and getting so fucking loaded I might never come down again. So can we just get this over with?” Emi ducked her head, hair falling around her face and her voice quiet and sad. He didn’t miss how her shoulders tensed and he didn’t like it when she looked like this. Like she’d made a mistake somehow and she hadn’t. “You are angry with me,” she said. A sigh left his lips and he leaned forward, elbows braced against his knees. His hands scrubbed over his face, scratching at his jaw before he tilted his head to look back at her. “No,” he said, and she still wasn’t looking at him. He nudged her with his elbow and she glanced up at that, shifting her leg away from him. “I’m not mad at you I just…fuck, are you really okay with this?” She frowned at him. “Okay with what?” she asked. His hand gestured over his head, his voice growing in pitch and he didn’t know why he was so upset. He didn’t know why he was practically yelling at her or why she was just letting him rant. “That it always has to be you? I mean this shitty job just get dumped on you and it sounds like bullshit to me that no matter what you can never pass it off or quit or anything,” he said. He shook his head, ducking it to look at the floor as he scrubbed a hand over his face again. “I mean you have to do all this shit to save one stupid asshole and when its over you just close your eyes and wake up to do it all again. Doesn’t that bother you even a little fucking bit?” “It is my duty,” she told him and he groaned at the answer. Her voice was calm and passive and he wondered if she really believed that or if she’d been saying it so long that she’d just convinced herself of it. Sly wasn’t sure why he cared either way because it wasn’t his life and she could do what she wanted but he didn’t like the answer anyway. “There is no room for selfish thoughts.” “Alright,” he said, leaning back against the couch and looking up at her. “So let me ask you something. Are you telling me there’s no way out for you because you know there’s not or because you haven’t even tried looking for one?” He paused after the question but when she didn’t answer he snorted and shook his head. “‘Cause me, I would have tried to bail after the first couple times that I don’t know, I died maybe? I mean, I’m glad you like me and all babe, but I’m an asshole and I ain’t worth dying for.” Emi sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and maybe she sounded a little annoyed with him. “Izanagi must remain trapped, Baka,” she told him. “That is what is most important, not my personal desires.” “Well that’s fucking stupid,” he snapped. “What if I don’t want you to go?” Emi grew quiet at that and Sly wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. He wasn’t sure why he’d said it except that he thought it was the truth. He didn’t like thinking that when this was over she would just disappear and leave nothing but a memory and scars behind. He scratched at his chest and after a moment she lifted her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she told him quietly. “My duty comes first.” Sly watched her for a moment, his arms braced against the back of the couch and his eyes on her face. His teeth tugged at the hoop in his lip and he wanted to yell and tell her that it was bullshit and that wasn’t fair and he was a slick bastard, maybe he could find her a way out. But maybe she didn’t want one. Maybe she really was that cold and all she wanted was to do her duty and move on to the next dumb asshole that opened this stupid book, in twenty years or a hundred or however long it took. “Well, guess we better get on it then,” he said quietly. She nodded her head and he tried to ignore the feeling in his gut that felt something like pain. It wasn’t fair for her to just show up and change his whole fucking life and then just be gone again. “Hey book,” he said. He turned his head away from her but he didn’t want to think about it anymore. He was still in a funk. He braced one boot against the table as he leaned forward but he didn’t touch the grimoire, grabbing the pack of cigarettes off the coffee table instead. “How about showing us the next demon we’re supposed to axe?” The book responded immediately, an invisible wind rushing past him and snapping the cover open and he felt numb as he watched the pages flip. The moved in the breeze and he saw flashes of black ink and words he didn’t recognize in front of his eyes as the book answered him. He didn’t really want to do this but if they stuck around here he might relapse. He was restless and angry and he would start to wonder what the point was of staying sober for Emi if she wasn’t going to be around later. He would start to wonder what the point of ever being sober at all was and he hated that he had to try and think of answers all the time because he was a junkie. The pages fluttered in the breeze and then settled on an ink image of a monkey. His eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, tipping his head to the side. “Donkey Kong?” he asked, and then frowned, eyes narrowing at the picture. “Never mind, that is totally Rafiki. Seriously? We’re going to kill the wise old monkey from the Lion King?” he turned to look over his shoulder and Emi was leaning forward to look at the book. She looked a hell of a lot calmer than he was and he didn’t think that was fair. “That is Kōgeisakka,” she told him, sitting back and resting her hands on her sword. “The monkey demon.” Sly snorted, lighting up another cigarette and tossing the pack on the counter. “Well that just seems messed up somehow. We’re going to kill a Disney character.” She looked down at her blade and didn’t respond, maybe because she didn’t know what he was talking about. He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If you’re not okay for this we don’t have to rush I just…” The words trailed off and he didn’t know what he was going to say. He was mad because he didn’t want her to go and that wasn’t fair for him to ask because they barely knew each other. She was still hurt and he was being pushy and he felt like an asshole. “I will be fine,” she told him. “I have suffered worse wounds than this.” His face fell at that and he looked away because he wasn’t sure how that was supposed to be comforting. He didn’t want her getting hurt and he didn’t want her dying and he didn’t want her disappearing when this was all over but maybe that was too much to ask. He would get over it. A sigh left his lips, followed by smoke before he turned his attention back to the book and he would deal. When she was gone, he would just go back to his life. “Want to help us out, pull a little smoke rope magic and show us where the door is to this place?” Sly asked. Wenston Sly started laughing as soon as they got to the building the book lead them to. Emi wasn’t sure why, because she didn’t know what kind of a store it was and she still couldn’t read English. It didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary. Definitely not something who would have men walking around in demon rat suits. It was just a brick building with beads in the windows and a blue canopy over the front with white, fancy lettering on the material. But Sly was laughing and she wanted to know what was so funny because he hadn’t been laughing this morning. He’d been angry. She still wasn’t sure what to think about the whole thing. There was a lot about the situation that she didn’t understand because he seemed to be getting upset by the strangest things. The biggest thing that confused her, and one of the things she kept hearing over and over in her mind, was him asking what if he didn’t want her to go. Why would he want her to stay? She’d come and infiltrated his life and had only been causing him problems. The sealbreakers normally were anxious to see her go. They were usually mad she was keeping them from raising Izanagi. Most of the time she did not get along with them. They hated her until they found out in order to raise Izanagi, they had to die. Then they worked with her reluctantly. But Sly was different. He didn’t want Izanagi. And for some reason, he didn’t want her to go and she wasn’t sure what to think about that. She’d tried so hard for so long to not think about it and not get attached and when he’d said it, she realized that she had similar feelings. She realized that for the first time in a long time, someone was being nice to her and wanted her around and didn’t begrudge her. She didn’t want to leave that. She didn’t want to leave him. But she had to, so she kept her mouth shut about it because there wasn’t a way to stop it and even if there was, who would work on keeping Izanagi from rising? It was her duty, and she’d not force this duty on anyone else. It was her task. “What is it?” Emi asked quietly when Sly ran a hand over his face. He held the smokey string in one hand and his backpack was on his back. They’d packed food and a first aid kit this time. In case they got stuck in the world for a while, they had to bring supplies. She didn’t think all of the worlds would have the commodities of canned food like Senshutokage’s world had. Sly snorted, letting out a breath and he grinned when he looked over at her. Waggling his eyebrows, he said, “Well, Emi, you’re about to get a pretty interesting taste of modern day culture. Man, I feel like maybe you should close your eyes or something, this is kind of an…adult store.” Emi frowned, not understanding. “I am an adult,” she protested, looking back at the store and she wondered what that even meant. Did it mean only adults could enter? What kind of things would they sell in an adult only store? It didn’t make sense. “Yeah, trust me, I know,” Sly said, grinning ear to ear. “This would be kind of an awkward arrangement if you weren’t. But look, this store is…well you see, Emi, when two consenting adults decide that they really like each other, they…well they fuck each other. And that’s great and all, but sometimes they like to spice it up in the bedroom, you know? Pink handcuffs, massage gel, toys. Sometimes toys that vibrate.” Emi glared at Sly for a moment before she blurted. “I have had sex before.” The look on Sly’s face went from being surprised to something comical to him trying to mask it all with a serious look. “Well…good for you,” he said, reaching up to scratch at his cheek awkwardly. “I don’t normally find that out about a girl until long after we’ve started dating.” Emi just watched his face because she didn’t understand why he suddenly looked nervous and anxious. Maybe he was embarrassed about something. She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Have you not had sex?” she asked in all seriousness. Sly spluttered a little, his eyes wide. “Wow, babe, you are something else, you know that?” he asked, chuckling awkwardly before a moment before he snapped his mouth shut and nodded. “Yeah, Emi, done the deed before. Plenty of times.” He shrugged with a mischievous grin on his face. “It’s fun.” Emi tipped her head to the side. “Does it make you uncomfortable that we are talking about sex?” she asked, studying him because his face was turning red and she didn’t want to make him mad again because he’d seemed to be getting over it a little bit. “Who? Me? No, no, I’m not uncomfortable,” Sly grinned. “I just, didn’t expect to be talking about it with you is all. Or at least not this openly. Out in public. In front of a sex shop. You know, if you see anything in here that peaks your interest…” he trailed off. Emi frowned and then stepped pass him. “I do not need toys,” she told him. Behind her, Sly let out a breath, mumbling under his breath, “Jesus Christ it’s not fair you get away with saying things like that,” before he followed her into the store. When she stepped inside, she frowned because it wasn’t exactly what she had expected. There were odd suits and what looked like torture devices all over. There were pictures of men and women in compromising positions wearing skimpy or no clothes at all. Emi turned to look at the smoke string in Sly’s hand and it was pointed towards a door at the back of the store. “Come,” Emi said, leading the way through the store and frowning at the different items she came across. She paused once to look at a life size doll of a woman with her mouth wide open. She poked it with a finger and it was soft and plastic. She didn’t understand what it was for. She turned to look at Sly, who was walking behind her with his hand over his mouth and she wondered if he was smiling beneath that hand or if he was back to being mad. “Did you have sex with Krystal?” she asked. That seemed to sober whatever mood Sly was in. He let his hand fall from his face and he bit at the metal hoop in his lip, studying her a moment. He nodded his head. “Yeah. Not every part of our relationship was bad,” he smirked to himself and then looked like he hadn’t meant for her to hear that. He cleared his throat. “You’re asking a lot of questions about my sex life.” She ducked her head and turned back around. He moved up to walk beside her. “No, it’s alright, I just…I didn’t take you to be the type of girl who was so open with it.” Emi shrugged as they reached the door. She turned to look at him and seeing the door must have dampened his mood again because he sighed and let the smoke rope flitter away into the air. He shoved his hands into his pockets. When he realized she was looking at him, he turned to meet her gaze. She offered him a slight smile, because he may still have been mad at her and he always seemed to get happier when she smiled at him. “I am comfortable around you,” she told him and he frowned a little at that and she couldn’t read the look on his face so she turned around and steeled herself again because she couldn’t get close and that may have been stepping over the line. “Come, let us face the demon.” .Wolfie. Sly face planted as soon as he stepped through the door, his cheek meeting rough dirt and his palms scraping off the ground at a delayed attempt to catch himself. He scraped his knees and felt something hard and metal digging into his side as soon as he landed. He groaned, pushing himself upright and tipping his head to the side to watch Emi drop into an easy crouch and keep going.A sigh left his lips and he dragged himself back to his feet, wiping the dirt off his jeans and his shirt. Three seconds on the other side of the door and he was already facedown on the ground and he managed a small laugh at that, dusting his hands off. Emi was already poised and tense, her hand resting on her katana as she swept the area around them. Sly tried to blink the grit from his eyes and did the same, his eyes widening slightly because it wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. They were standing in the middle of what looked like the biggest used car junkyard in a state like New Jersey and he snorted a small laugh, scrubbing his hand over his mouth. There were mounds of damaged metal around them, broken gears and wires lying in twisted piles. The door they’d come out of looked like it was on a strange excuse for a car. It sat crookedly on a pile of other discarded and twisted machines and he couldn’t begin to imagine what any of them were or what they did. He ducked his head to look inside the car and all he could see coils and wires hanging down inside like vines taking it over. He snorted and shook his head. The sky above them was dark and clouded, and every once and a while he could see a sudden flash of flames from somewhere within the metal labyrinth. Smoke curled into the sky and he turned in a slow circle as he tried to see over the mountains of steel. “Well,” he said, forcing a smirk on his face and glancing back at Emi. “This isn’t exactly what I expected.” She was frowning but spared him a look at the words. “Nor I,” she admitted quietly. “Nothing is as it should be this time” He heard the faint tones of frustration in her voice and he nodded his head like he knew what she was talking about. He didn’t know what to expect any time they walked through a door but it almost killed his smile. He forced it to stay on his face, sighing dramatically and shaking his head. “And if you can’t depend on demons to be consistent then who can you depend on?” She shot a glare at him and then held her head up. “Come, Baka,” she told him. She started heading down the sad excuse for a stone walkway, the round slabs of gray winding between the walls of twisted metal. He followed her closely, his head watching the junkyard around him. Some of the things looked like toys or dolls and he didn’t want to think too much about that because if he did it would creep him out. Did people live here? Was this the whole world or just the demon’s backyard? He jumped when another blast of fire went off somewhere behind him and his arm brushed against Emi’s as he tried to stay close to her. It was a moment before he realized she wasn’t pulling away from him. She looked like she didn’t even notice, her eyes sweeping the road they traveled with a narrowed gaze. He cleared his throat, nudging her arm with his to try and get her attention. “So when you say you feel comfortable around me, what uh, what do you mean by that?” He ducked his head and grinned at her, ignoring the quiet sigh that followed the words. “Do you mean comfortable like in a friend zone sort of way, like you want me to paint your toenails and talk about boys sort of way, or in a you want to jump my bones sort of way? Just you know, so I know whether I should start buying nail polish or condoms.” She frowned and shook her head, not looking at him. “I don’t know what either of those things are,” she said. He heard a roar of fire as it belched into the sky the next row over and even Emi tensed at that one, her sword half out of its sheath before she realized nothing was attacking them. He wasn’t sure where they were going but he was content to follow her. Sly laughed and then bit down on his lip so she didn’t think he was laughing at her. “Oh babe,” he said. “Condoms are the easiest form of birth control out there, so that guys like me can have casual sex without leaving a string of bastard children behind them.” Emi glanced at him for a moment and then nodded her head. “And what is nail polish?” she asked. He tipped his head back and barked out a laugh before he let his hand drop into his hands. “Well,” he said. “I guess I can take that as my answer.” He was still chuckling as he ran his hand over his face and back through his hair, his head tipped to the side to look at her. “You’re killing me, sugar. But you know if you change your mind I’m here for you any time you get the urge for casual sex. Or you know, even not so casual sex. I could even take you on a date or buy you flowers or some romantic shit like that.” She was quiet for a moment and her head was turned away from him so that he couldn’t see her face. Not that it would help him read her expression much anyway. The girl had surprised the fuck out of him today, because he hadn’t really pictured her having sex with anyone. Well, alright, he’d pictured it, but not in the past tense. More in the present tense on his couch, but still not the point. “For someone who is so uncomfortable talking about sex, you think about it a lot,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. There was a small smile on her face and he tipped his head back in a loud laugh because he thought she was making a joke. “Hey,” he said. “When you haven’t gotten any for as long as I have then you tend to fixate a little bit. Last time I was getting laid with any kind of regularity I was still with Krystal. Then again, maybe it has been longer for you. I can understand if you have any sexual frustration you’d like to take out on me, but just so you know I’m all for a woman taking control but if you want to tie me up or whip me or anything then we might have to work something else out.” “Were you in love with Krystal?” she asked, glancing over at him. The question startled him almost as much as her asking if he’d had sex with her, because she asked both so calmly. He felt his face turning red and he smiled sheepishly, running a hand over the back of his neck as he looked away and he wondered if he had been. He’d told the girl he was enough times, but he was a liar. There were hunks of metal lying in the path as it curved to the right and he studied them instead of Emi because he wasn’t sure why she was asking. Maybe she was just curious. He was thinking really hard about the question because in part, Krys had been right about him. He’d been in love with his drugs, but he’d cared about her and he’d tried really hard to be someone that she could love anyway. “I don’t know,” he said. “More than I’d loved anyone before her.” Emi nodded her head at that and he didn’t know why he felt weirder admitting that then that he’d fucked the girl. He ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair, surprised when she started speaking. “There is a legend in Japan,” she said. “That the gods tie a red string around the pinkie fingers of two people destined to be lovers, with no care given to their circumstances. The string never breaks, even if it becomes tangled or stretched. It is called the red string of fate.” Sly chewed on the hoop in his lip as he watched the back of her head. She glanced back at him and her voice was still calm. “I do not think Krystal is at the other end of your red string.” Sly smirked at that and ran a hand over the back of his neck. “God I hope not,” he said, and his grin widened when he saw a smile spread across Emi’s lips. “Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get someone half as hot as you.” The words didn’t have the reaction he was hoping for. The smile fell off her lips as quickly as it had come and it was easy to believe that it had never been there at all. Her head turned and they were rounding another corner in the maze of broken metal and junk. The scrap fell away and he whistled lowly at the building that rose up before them. It had been hard to see over the mounds of machines and gears but it looked like a giant temple, fire bursting from smoke stacks in the top in regular intervals. She loosened her blade in its sheath, nodding her head towards the staircase that lay ahead of them. “This is where we will find Kōgeisakka,” she told him, eyes sweeping the cleared area. “He will have laid traps and puzzles for us. You must be careful and stay close to me at all times, Baka,” she said. She glanced back to make sure he heard her and what she was telling him. There were twin metal statues at the bottom with matching steel blades in their hands. The swords were almost as tall as Sly and he swallowed nervously when he saw that. “Sure babe,” he said. “I’ll try not to take off or get kidnapped on you this time.” Her gaze darkened and she nodded her head. “I will try not to fail you this time.” He snorted and slung his arm over her shoulder as they started heading towards the staircase. “Please, sugar,” he said. “Rescuing me from a giant T-Rex who thought I looked like a Big Mac is hardly what I call a failure. And anyway, if he’d actually eaten me then I wouldn’t be around to say it so don’t worry your pretty little head about me.” Emi shrugged his arm off and he wasn’t really surprised. “It is my duty to protect you, Sly,” she told him, shooting a glare over her shoulder. Her feet paused in front of the first stair but she didn’t ascend it yet. “From harm as well as death.” He smirked and nodded his head and didn’t point out that she’d called him Sly and not Baka. “Sure, babe,” he said. Her eyes narrowed at him as she studied him for a moment and then her gaze lifted to the staircase and the stone temple that lay at the top of it. There was a giant set of double doors awaiting them and he could see the gears set into their surface. He wasn’t sure he liked this place or where it was going and he doubted Emi did either. Then she lifted her foot and took a tentative step forward onto the first step. There was a rush of air as soon as she put pressure on them and he heard the grinding of gears right before he felt Emi push him hard in the chest. He let out a cry as he fell back on his ass, two swords slicing through the air where his and Emi’s heads had been a moment before. She had rolled forward up the stairs, her blade whipping out and already pointing at the statues. There was a flash of steel as she attacked the one on his right, the blade slicing down at his arm. There was a flash of sparks as it met metal and glanced off but she didn’t stop, bringing her blade back up towards his head in a slash. The blade caught under the statue’s chin and there was a scream of metal as it bounced off that too. “Well shit,” Sly said quietly. Wenston Emi didn’t know what sort of enchantments these metal men were under, but she knew she didn’t like them. She knew by the way Kaidokusuru kept bouncing off of their bodies leaving only nicks and scratches in their wake that this would be a tough fight and it made her wonder again how it was the demons had been granted time to be in their worlds instead of in slumber. She wondered what other force was at work here, because it had to be something. Takeru could not learn to walk through worlds on his own. Genbu could not learn to enlist gatekeepers, Senshutokage could not have a cult who followed his every move and worshipped him. The demons were being taught tricks and Emi wanted to know who was behind it. Apparently, Kōgeisakka was learning new tricks to. Like how to enchant an army of metal samurai. Sly was crawling backwards on the ground, his eyes wide as he watched the fight and for once she was glad he wasn’t staying put. He was too close to the fight because she wasn’t slowing down these metal men, not even a little bit. She didn’t think she’d be able to stop them quickly enough if one of them went after him. But luckily for now, they both seemed to be focused on her. Emi ducked beneath one of their massive longswords and she flipped backwards, one hand pressing against the dirt ground while with the other she lashed her katana up towards the approaching metal man. It deflected off of a brass plate on the metal man’s chest and then Emi was rolling to the side as the second metal man swung his sword down. It sunk into the ground and she knew she wouldn’t be able to withstand a blow from one of those things. So she just had to keep moving fast, because they were clunky and slow. Rolling backwards, she used her momentum to fling herself to her feet. She ran a few steps and leapt, planting one foot firmly on the scrap wall next to her before pushing herself up and backwards. She whirled in the air, her katana and her leg striking out. Her katana made a glancing blow off one of the metal man’s faces, while her leg connected with its shoulder. She managed to move it back an inch, but all in all, the attack only managed to make her leg hurt. She landed in a crouch and immediately had to leap out of the way of his longsword. As she was rolling, she realized there was only one metal man behind her and when she righted herself again, her eyes darted to Sly, who had climbed to his feet and was backed against the wall, holding his hand out towards the other metal man who’d broken off from the fight with Emi to corner Sly. He was advancing towards him, and Sly looked like a trapped rat. “Whoa there, big guy, let’s just talk about this, huh?” Sly tried. The plea didn’t faze the metal man at all. He hauled back on his longsword and then brought it crashing down towards Sly, who ducked with a yell and then scampered out of the way. Emi gave a small cry when the metal man reached down and grabbed Sly’s backpack, yanking back hard on it. She moved to rush forward and help him, but had to jump to the side suddenly when her own metal man’s sword swung down and nearly took off her arm. Emi kept trying to move pass him or bring him down, while behind the metal man, Sly was being slammed up against one of the walls of scrap. He grunted and opened his mouth like he was going to say something or yell for her, but then the metal man’s hand clamped down around his throat and Emi saw his eyes go wide as he started being strangled. His hands came up to grasp at the metal man’s wrist, but the monster was holding tightly. A yell pulled its way from Emi’s throat because this fight had gone on long enough. Taking one step back to give herself some room, she ran forward and flipped over the metal man blocking her from Sly. As she was above him, she kicked her feet out, catching him in the back of the head and at that, he took a stumbling step forward. But she didn’t pause to try and finish him off. She was running across the small gap towards where Sly’s struggles against the metal hand clamped around his throat were growing more desperate. His face was red and his feet were dangling off of the ground. His eyes started to flutter and at that, Emi launched herself at the metal man. She collided with all the force she could muster against his shoulder and it managed to knock Sly loose. He slumped to the ground on his hands and knees and immediately broke into a coughing fit, drawing in deep breaths of air into his lungs. She couldn’t even stop to see if he was all right, because the metal man was turning on her, swinging his long sword in her direction. Flipping backwards, she crouched between the two metal men for a second and they were both coming at her. She didn’t have time to call on the power of her sigils and for a split second, she didn’t know what to do. They were slow, but they were tough. He katana did nothing but scratch their metal bodies and if she got hit with one of their swords, she knew without a doubt she wouldn’t be around long after. An idea occurred to her when she thought that, and she only had a moment to put it into play and no time to hesitate or guess if it would work or not. She flung herself up, dodging the metal man who’d been strangling Sly’s longsword and she grabbed onto his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his shoulder and she held onto his head. The metal man paused and Emi dodged away from his hand that was grasping at her, trying to pull her off of him. Emi looked over her shoulder and the other metal man was still advancing. She snarled at it because it needed to move faster. She felt the metal man she was attached to grab onto her shirt and she stifled a yell as he yanked on it. The fabric ripped and a large tear appeared up her back, but it had afforded her the extra time she needed. The metal man coming at them raised his sword above his head and Emi waited just long enough to dodge out of the way at the last minute. Sparks and the sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air. Emi landed in a crouch on the ground near Sly and she reached over and pulled him along the ground as he still coughed. She didn’t like how raspy and ragged they sounded, but she would deal with it in a minute. One of the metal men had just cut the head off of another. Its sword strong enough to pierce each other, thinking it was about to slice Emi. The slain metal man twitched for a moment before it fell heavily with a bang to the ground. It left one more standing and Emi raced forward while it had paused to pull its sword out of its fallen comrade. Emi’s hands closed around the fallen one’s sword and she yanked backwards on it. She gasped as it nearly dislocated her shoulder and her eyes darted to the remaining metal man as he raised his own sword above his head. Emi let loose an angry, enraging yell as she put all her strength, all her might, and all her will behind lifting the sword that was taller than she was and three times as heavy. She managed to swing it around and the sword cut through the metal man’s ankles, making him fall to the ground. Dodging to the side from the creature’s falling sword, she lifted one more time on the sword, not lifting the tip off the ground, but holding it just high enough to move it above the metal man’s neck. Then she jumped up and put her weight and force behind the blade, shoving it downwards to sever the thing’s head from his body. Oil and springs leaked out of the two fallen metal soldiers and for a moment, Emi just kneeled there on the ground, staring at them. Behind her, Sly had gone quiet and when she realized that, she snapped her head around. He was kneeling beside a wall, watching her, but his hand was rubbing at his throat where stark red bruises were forming across his throat. Standing quickly, she hurried over to him and pulled his hands down away from his neck so she could inspect the wound for herself. Her fingers prodded at his skin and he winced once but then he was grinning and she took that as a good sign. When he spoke, his voice was ragged and sounded like it hurt. “You just killed the tin man, Dorothy.” .Wolfie. “Are you alright?” Emi asked. Sly smirked and his voice was still raspy when he spoke. “Nah,” he said. “I think I need you to kiss it all better.” She sighed. “Are you well enough to move?” Her fingers were still on Sly’s neck and even that light touch hurt but he didn’t say anything. She was looking at him with concern as she crouched in front of him, her other hand on her sword. Behind her lay the mutilated bodies of robot samurai and these worlds just kept getting weirder and weirder. He felt like he was walking through a movie montage and he kept waiting for them to drop down in the middle of Predator or something. “If I say ‘no’ can we go home and you can play nurse for me instead?” he asked, grinning and waggling his eyebrows as he did. She sighed and shook her head, gripping his upper arm to help him upright before she released him and took a step back. “I thought you were anxious to face Kōgeisakka?” she asked. He winced at the question, not just because of the bruises. She was facing away from him, toeing at the collapsed metal soldiers on the ground. There was oil spreading in a pool around the bodies and he still couldn’t believe the way she’d just bashed that fucker. She was a kung fu goddess. He could seriously just watch her all day. “Anxious isn’t really the right word,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. The words scraped against his throat on the way out. Emi stepped lightly on the steps and relaxed only slightly when metal robots didn’t come to life to try and kill them again. Sly moved to her elbow as he followed, his eyes focused on her and his hand moving to the front of his neck and the bruises there. They throbbed painfully and he’d been starting to see stars when she’d saved his ass yet again. It was ridiculous that a stranger from another century had done more for him in the short time he’d known her than anyone else in his fucked up life. He thought again that when this was over she was just going to be gone and he was trying really hard not to think about that because it made him miserable when he did. Really he should just be used to it by now. Eventually people always left him, or he left them, because he was an asshole and a good for nothing and he had a line of ex-girlfriends willing to attest to that. It just felt strange knowing exactly what the time limit on her sticking around was. He wondered what would happen if they put off on killing the demons so she could stick around longer and somehow he didn’t think she’d go for that. Duty came first, right? There were two massive doors at the top of the staircase, gears visible in their surface and he could only imagine what was going to happen when they opened them. Emi chewed on her lip and then pulled him to the side out of the way, hand on her sword. Her fingers pushed him up against the wall and then she moved to stand in front of the doors, hands hesitating over the handle. Sly stayed where she’d put him, his teeth tugging at the hoop in his lip as he watched her nervously. There was a hole in the back of her shirt where the samurai robot had tried to rip her off him but she didn’t look hurt and he wanted her to stay that way. “Be careful, yeah?” he said, his voice raspy and ragged. She glanced over at him, frowning slightly before she turned her attention to the doors. That seemed to stiffen her resolve and her hand close firmly around the handle, yanking it open before she jumped back away from them. The doors creaked and the gears in them whirred as they pulled open. He could hear a low ticking noise and when they stopped it was followed by a sudden rushing sound through the air. A hiss of breath left Emi’s lips and she ducked into a crouch at the sound, her fingertips pressed against the stone and her eyes focused on something Sly couldn’t see. He could hear something moving through the air but he was hidden behind the door. He pushed himself away from the wall and went to stand next to Emi, ducking his head to look inside. A frown creased his brow and he could only stare for a moment before he shook his head and looked at her. “What the fuck is up with this place?” he asked. “Does this guy have nothing better to do than sit around and build traps? Is that like his hobby or something? Can he just disembowel babies or something like a normal demon?” He shook his head, putting a hand to his throat because it hurt to talk and it sucked because he was bad at keeping his mouth shut. This was going to be a rough trip. Emi was frowning as she watched the trap that waited inside the door. Huge metal pendulums swung back and forth across the hallway before them, cutting swaths through the air and probably through anyone unlucky enough to set foot in there. Which in this case was the two of them. He watched them swing back and forth and he almost missed the quiet words that came from Emi’s lips. “None of this is right,” she said softly. “The demons should not be this prepared.” Sly looked at her and he didn’t like the expression on her face. “What does that mean?” he asked. She shook her head and waved a hand next to her head like it was nothing. “Just that they have never been this ready before. Genbu should have had gatekeepers guarding the way, Senshutokate should not have had such a following. Kōgeisakka should not have so many traps waiting for us. He would have traps, certainly, but not a temple such as this. He has had too much time to prepare.” Her eyes were locked on the swinging blades and the next words were dark. “Takeru should not be able to walk through worlds.” Sly reached a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “Huh,” he said. “Well that figures. While you were taking a nap they got to play in their sandbox?” He smirked and shook his head before he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Hey, does that mean that… I don’t know, maybe you could stick around and prepare for them? Or just stick around? I mean, maybe it’s not against the rules.” He smiled hopefully at her but there was answering one when she glanced at him. “It is against the rules,” she told him gently. “That’s okay,” he said. “I’m kind of a rule breaker.” He was still grinning at her but she just looked sad and he was having a hard time keeping it on his face. He sighed and scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck before he nodded his head. He tried to pretend it didn’t bother him but it did and he found that a little confusing. “Right,” he said. “But you’re not. Got it. Hey not that I think you’ll mind but I’m just going to be quiet for a while. My throat’s killing me, babe.” “I do not mind,” she said. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy your banter, Baka.” He didn’t expect her to smile at him but she did and fuck she had a gorgeous smile. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve it but he would never argue with it. It pulled an sheepish smirk across his face and then her hand was curling around his upper arm. “Move when I move, stop when I stop.” A startled noise left his throat but she didn’t give him time to argue. She was moving forward and he tried to remember to keep pace with her because he really didn’t want to end up sliced in half by a giant blade. He didn’t really want to die at all. As soon as the first blade passed them she moved them forward, stepping quickly and lightly into the deathtrap and he was making small, panicked noises in the back of his throat. It was irritating the already raw flesh but he couldn’t help it because another blade was swinging down behind them. They took two quick steps and then stopped abruptly and he almost lost his footing. Emi’s hand held tightly to him and it was the only thing that kept him from taking one step too far. He sucked in a harsh breath as one sliced through the air right in front of them and he could feel the wind off the blade as it passed. “Fuck me,” he whimpered. Then she was dragging him forward through the maze of blades and he just tried to concentrate on keeping pace with her. Her eyes were concentrating on the end of the hallway and he just tried to remember to breathe. His knuckles were white around the strap of his backpack and he thought hers were white around his arm, she was gripping him so tightly, but he didn’t argue. Sly didn’t breath easy until they reached the end of the bladed deathtrap. He didn’t relax until she pulled him down into the small stairwell at the end of the hallway, lined with electric bulbs that hummed above his head. It was a short drop down. “Jesus,” he said, pressing his back against the wall and his hand against his chest. His heart was pounding loudly and he was sucking in harsh breaths of air, glancing back at the swinging blades behind them. “Seriously,” he snarled, waving a hand at them. His voice was rising and he heard it break as the words scraped out of his throat. He ignored the pain because he was annoyed and this was just stupid. “Who puts this in their house? What the fuck is wrong with this guy?” Emi patted his arm. “You did well, Baka,” she told him. She didn’t look disturbed by it, hands moving to fix her ponytail before she adjusted the blade at her side. Then she was turning away from him and taking the steps slowly and cautiously. When she realized he wasn’t following her she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Come,” she said. “Kōgeisakka lies ahead.” “Just fucking great,” Sly muttered. Wenston The hallway in front of them was long and narrow, with no doors to the sides of them, only one at the very end of the hall. Tiles lined the floor with pictures of different animals on them and Emi narrowed her eyes towards the tiles when she saw that. Her hand came out to press against Sly’s chest, holding him in place. She could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest and she was proud that he’d handled the pendulum hallway as well as he had. She knew his throat had to be bothering him but he wasn’t complaining and he’d come a long way from the first time she’d met him running away from Jyorougumo. “This is a puzzle,” she said and let her hand fall from Sly’s chest to point at the tiles. “The pictures on the tiles, we must only step on the right ones.” She crouched low to get a better look at the tiles, her hand pointing to the different pictures as she named them. “The fox, the eagle, the serpent, the hare, the carp, the macaque.” Sly snorted a laugh. “Macaque?” he crouched down next to her. “You should probably just say monkey, people might get the wrong impression if you call it a macaque.” He grinned and when she frowned at him, not understanding, he waved a hand in front of his face. “I’ll explain later. So, this dude’s a monkey, right? Well, we probably step on the monkey pictures then.” Emi twisted her mouth side to side. She didn’t think Kōgeisakka would make it that easy. But she didn’t know what other animal he would choose to be the safe one. Beside her, Sly stood up and hefted his backpack up higher onto his shoulders. She chewed on her lip for a moment before she followed suit and stood by his shoulder. “I suppose,” she nodded her head. “Well that doesn’t sound very reassuring,” Sly said and he was trying to be funny, but his raspy voice and faltering smile belied how nervous he was about this. She echoed the sentiment. Kōgeisakka’s traps were vicious. The metal men they’d fought before entering his temple had been hard and she wasn’t sure what else he had in store for them, or what would happen if they stepped onto the wrong tile here. It could mean a quick and instant death, or fighting more of those metal men and neither of those options were very appealing to her. “Why don’t you go first,” Sly grinned at her. Her mouth quirked up into a smile despite herself. She glanced at him and he waggled his eyebrows, but there was concern there in his eyes and she appreciated the look. The same way she appreciated him telling her to be careful. She thought again about him asking her if the demons could stay awake, then why couldn’t she. She didn’t know how to explain to him why that wouldn’t work. She didn’t know how to explain that she didn’t even know how the demons were awake or who was behind it or why. If she knew those, maybe she could explain to him why she couldn’t. There wasn’t a question as to whether she could or not. It wasn’t an option, it just wasn’t. She couldn’t break the bounds of her duty. The responsibility was hers and until the world was not threatened by Izanagi, she could never put herself before her duty and she could try explaining that to Sly, but she didn’t think he would understand. The longer she did this, the harder it was for her to understand as well. “Stay back,” Emi told him carefully, not expressing any of these thoughts and not even acknowledging that she was having doubt or want. She pushed him back a few steps and then stood on the edge of the tiles. She stared down at the monkey tile and wondered what was wrong with the word “macaque,” before she lifted her foot. She almost placed it down onto the tile when a thought struck her suddenly. She withdrew her foot and looked at the tiles again, closely. The fox, the eagle, the serpent, the hare, the monkey – they were all demons. She knew each and every one of them by name. She’d fought each and every one of them and she would continue to fight them until the end of time if her duty required it. There was only one animal on the tiles that was not something or someone she would be fighting and she lifted her hand to touch her shoulder and the koi tattoo there. “Having second thoughts?” Sly asked from behind her. Emi didn’t turn around to look at him and she didn’t explain why she wasn’t stepping on the monkey tile. She moved her foot to the carp tile and she heard Sly behind her start to warn her, but then her foot planted firmly down on its surface. She held her breath and behind her, Sly had hurried forward, his hands hovering near her, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. When nothing happened, she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. “It is not the monkey,” she told him. Sly snorted. “Yeah I can see that,” he looked down at the tile she stood on and then frowned. “How’d you know it was the fish?” Emi sighed, her fingers brushing over her tattoo again. “Even demons respect the desire of greatness,” she told him and he frowned deeper, tipping his head to the side. She looked away from him. “The koi is a symbol of great triumph and personal gain. There is an old belief that the koi swim upstream to reach the dragon gate. It is a great journey and very few succeed. But once the dragon gate is reached, they are transformed from so meek of a creature to a great one. A dragon. It is a symbol that without pain and hard work, we will amount to nothing. Kōgeisakka appreciates the symbolism as much as I do.” Sly reached a hand up to scratch at his cheek. Then he nodded his head towards her shoulder. “That’s the reminder? That you’ve got to suffer before you’ll be anything great?” “Yes,” she said simply, her head dipped down to look for the next carp tile. “Well that’s bullshit,” Sly said and she frowned to look at him. He shrugged. “I think you’re great already.” Emi couldn’t explain the sudden knot in her stomach or the lump in her throat. She had to turn away from him so he wouldn’t see her face or the way it fell. The things Sly said sometimes were too nice for her and she wasn’t used to them. She liked when he said these things, but she knew she shouldn’t. She knew she shouldn’t be letting him have these thoughts or entertaining his advances. No matter what they made her feel like. “You shouldn’t,” she told him and the words came out cold. She didn’t turn around because she didn’t want to see his face, whether he got hurt by the words or not. “I should be nothing more to you than a guide. You will only be hurt in the end if I become anything else.” She didn’t wait for a response, stepping over onto the next carp tile. Sly wasn’t saying anything behind her and she felt her chest constrict because she didn’t want to hurt him. Not now and not later when she was gone. He was a good man, who’d been on the wrong path, but still a good man. Hopping onto the last tile, Emi paused for a moment, frowning as she looked between two separate tiles whose pictures had been scratched and worn beyond recognition. It could be either a hare or a carp and she wasn’t sure which one. She turned to look over her shoulder and Sly hadn’t started following along the tiles yet. He had a strange look on his face and when she looked back at him, his eyes met hers and he wasn’t smiling. “I cannot tell which tile is the carp,” she told him, not acknowledging the look on his face. Sly, apparently, wasn’t ready to drop it. “What if I don’t want you just to be a guide?” he said quietly, like he was walking in unknown territory and Emi figured that’s exactly what he was doing. She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at him. “I can be nothing else,” she told him quietly. “Come, we must focus on the puzzle,” she nodded her head towards the tiles in front of her. “Is it because you don’t want to or can’t?” Sly asked, determined. Emi sighed, turning forward again. “Sly,” she said, but there was no annoyance in her voice. She closed her eyes a moment and she had to think about what she was going to tell him. There was the answer she should say, the answer her duty told her she must say. Or there was the answer she wanted to tell him. And she was frustrated that the two of them weren’t the same. Because they should have been. At last, she just said, “I does not matter what I want.” “It matters to me,” Sly said quietly. Emi didn’t turn around because she didn’t want Sly to see her face. She took a steadying breath and she pointed to the tiles in front of her. “I cannot tell which tile is the carp,” she repeated. She heard Sly let out a slow breath behind her, finally giving up his inquiries. “Just flip over them, you’re almost at the end,” he told her. She frowned. “If I flip, then you must as well,” she said. “We must know which one it is,” because she knew Sly wouldn’t be able to flip over the tile. He was getting better, but he wasn’t an acrobat and she doubted he’d be able to leap to safety from where she stood. “I will go with this one,” she said, pointing to the one of her right. It looked more like a carp than the other one. Lifting her foot, she didn’t hesitate as she let it come down onto the tile. As soon as she made contact, the floor beneath her feet rumbled and Emi stiffened, her eyes widening. She had only a second to realize she chosen the wrong one before the ground started to crumble beneath her feet. Behind her, Sly gave a frantic, “Emi!” She sucked in a harsh breath as she tried to push herself off the tiles and onto safety, but the ground was giving way beneath her and it fell away in a shower of rocks, opening up into a black, abyssal pit. She gasped as her hands reached for the edge and her fingertips only clipped safety, not catching herself. Then she fell with the stone into the pit. .Wolfie. “Emi!” Sly shouted her name desperately as he watched her disappear beneath the ground. He was already moving, scrambling across the tiles and cursing as he tried to watch which ones were the fish and which ones were nothing. He landed half on an empty tile as he moved across the floor and he could hear the tile cracking beneath his boot before he got his other foot on the carp. “Fuck,” he snarled, because he couldn’t see if Emi was still hanging on or if she was just gone.He moved to the last tile and then to solid ground, immediately turning around and crouching by the gaping hole left in the floor. His hands curled around the edge as he peered over and he couldn’t see anything but black stretching out below him. “Emi!” he called again, his voice scraping harshly out of his throat. It hurt so bad he thought it should be bleeding but not half as bad as thinking she was gone. All he could hear was his voice echoing inside but that was all. He didn’t hear her answering him or telling him to calm down or keep his voice down. When the echoes finally died down all he could hear was quiet buzzing from the lights. He stayed crouched on the edge of the hole until his legs and his feet went numb and his eyes hurt from trying to stare through the darkness. Every noise had him shouting her name but it was just water dripping to the ceiling from somewhere above him or his hand nudging a rock off into the abyss. She didn’t answer and the oppressive silence starting bearing down on him. His heart was pounding in his chest and he kept thinking that she had to be okay because he needed her to be okay but the gods or devils or whatever the fuck was out there had never cared about what Sly needed or wanted before so why should they start now? She was tougher than him. She was smarter and quicker and she was just trapped on another floor or something. Maybe if he waited here long enough then she would come back. Wasn’t that what they told lost kids? Just stay put, and someone will come find you? Sly wasn’t exactly a kid anymore but he felt like one because he was utterly and completely lost here without Emi. For the longest time he couldn’t even move, he was so fucking paralyzed with fear and panic. What if he moved and she needed help climbing back up? What if she was alone down there or she’d been knocked out and he just walked away and fucking left her there? The thoughts made his chest tighten and his breath was just a harsh rasp in his throat. “Emi,” he called again. He heard her name bounce off the walls but no answer. He pulled his backpack over in front of him and his hands were weak, the fingers numb as he tugged at the zipper. He pulled out his lighter and then tugged all the cigarettes out of the box so he could set fire to that and drop it down the hole. A sharp gasp pulled its way from his throat because it wasn’t an easy fall. He could see rocks jutting out at all angles along the walls and he swore he could see a glimpse of bones and faces in the flickering flames before they were gone. It was a long time until the box finally winked out, and he couldn’t tell if it was because the flames just died or it struck the bottom but either way he still couldn’t tell if Emi was okay or if he should try and follow her and he didn’t know what to do. After a while he realized that all he could hear was the quiet rasping of air going in and out of his lungs and it finally started to sink in that he was alone. When that sunk in he sat back on his heels and slumped to the stone floor, hand coming up to cover his mouth. Emi wasn’t coming back. The hand moved from his mouth to run over his eyes and he realized he was trembling. She was gone and there was no part of him that wasn’t losing his fucking mind just thinking that and a sharp, pained cry left his lips as he tilted his head forward and rested it in his hands. He was shaking just sitting here and he had to fucking do something. He couldn’t go back the way they’d come in. There was no way he’d make it through those blades by himself. He was too much of a clumsy bastard, he’d end up losing a leg or something worse and he would be dead before he even made it halfway through. He could try and go forward without her but as soon as he thought that he felt his stomach clench because he didn’t know what lay ahead of him. It could be more puzzles or it could be more robots or something worse and he didn’t think he could do this without her. He sat there for a long time and he couldn’t get his legs to move because his mind was settling into a dark place where he didn’t see what the point of getting up at all was. He was stupid and useless and she had fallen because she was always protecting him. He had to be the worst sealbreaker she’d ever dealt with. He was worthless and a drug addict and all he did was get her hurt and he wasn’t even aware of the pained animal noises leaving his lips. No wonder she didn’t want to stay. He wouldn’t want to stay with him either and she was the first thing in a long time that had made him want to try and be better. Sly didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there before he finally forced himself to stand. His legs were tingling as feeling returned to them and he took the time to readjust his backpack. He lit himself a cigarette and put the lighter in his front pocket because it was the only light he had and then he looked back down at the hole. He sucked in a shaky breath of smoke as he tried to steel himself about what he was about to do and he didn’t think it was what Emi would tell him to do but that was why he needed her to be okay. So she could tell him what a fool he was and make him want to try harder just to get one smile from those lips. She had to be okay. He kept telling himself that over and over again because the alternative was so much worse. If she was dead… well, Sly was probably dead too then, so none of it fucking mattered. He was scared. He was so scared he was shaking but he didn’t know what else to do so he tried to ignore it and maybe if he did then it would just go away. He licked his lips and then lowered himself onto the edge of the pit, pulling the lighter out and flicking it open. He held the fire down and he wished this could just be like those fucking old fashioned Indiana Jones temples and he could throw a torch in here or something. He couldn’t exactly rip light bulbs off the wall, could he? The first ledge was probably ten feet below him and he swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment because once he dropped down there he wasn’t getting back up. Maybe Emi was already up and moving on and if that was true then why hadn’t she shouted back? Maybe there was something worse down here and he bit down hard on the hoop in his lip as he tried not to think about it. He flicked the lighter closed and then turned to slide down the edge, dangling from his fingertips for a moment before he let go. A shout left his lips even though he was expecting it and then his feet were hitting the ledge below. He slipped, his hands scraping against the rock and barely catching himself as he started to fall farther into the pit. His breathing was ragged and he wondered if it was because he was scared out of his mind or because he’d been choked or just because of years of heroin abuse. Maybe it was a combination of all those things and maybe he should try quitting smoking next. Maybe if he got Emi back in one piece then he would. Even if she never wanted to be friends or anything because she had her duty and he was busy fucking up everyone and everything around him it didn’t change the fact that he still liked her and he just wanted her to be okay. He licked his lips and pulled his lighter back out, craning his neck to try and see into the darkness. “God fucking damn it,” he growled, tipping his head back against the rock. There were ledges below him but they were barely enough for one foot at a time and he wasn’t going to be able to see where he was putting them. Maybe he was a fool. Sly pocketed the lighter again and then swung so that he was hanging off the edge of the ledge. His feet stretched out in the darkness and he closed his eyes, listening to his heart pounding in his chest. His arms were shaking and he felt his fingers start to slip. He could picture himself falling down through the darkness and ending up a broken pile of bones and guts on the ground. The image made his hands slick and he sucked in a breath and tried to ignore the mental image because if it could happen to him then it could happen to Emi and he didn’t ever want to picture her like that. His feet finally caught the edge and he breathed a sigh of relief, a second before it crumbled beneath his weight. A sharp cry left his lips as he was suddenly falling through empty space. His hands clawed at the air and they scraped along the wall, fingers catching at the rocks and getting nothing but dust and chips of stone in his face. His back struck something hard and he was twisting in the air, elbow jarring off the rocks before his body finally struck the bottom. He landed in the water with a splash, automatically sucking in a breath before he realized that it was water and not air that he was pulling into his lungs. He coughed and gagged, legs kicking out and striking stone before pushing off them. He sucked in a ragged breath of air as soon as he broke the surface, coughing and hacking and gagging as he tried to breath in oxygen instead of water. His hands caught at stone and he pulled himself free of the water, trembling arms resting against the ground as he struggled to breath and did this demon really want to shut him up this bad? He coughed up water and he was still shaking as he collapsed on his side against the stones, eyes blinking as he tried to focus on the world around him again. It was a canal beneath the temple, the water running past him and under a metal grate beneath a stone sluiceway. It was fairly wide and deep and he was lucky for it because otherwise he probably just would have cracked his head off the stones. He sucked in another breath and rolled over onto his hands and knees as he tried to look for Emi. The first thing he noticed was a door set against the wall, next to the metal grate. The second thing was that the pieces of what looked like a damn roomba were lying scattered across the ground and he almost laughed in relief when he saw that. “Emi,” he called, and then it turned into a cough. He spit up water and then pushed himself to his feet to try and follow her. Wenston The rocky tunnel spanned out in front of her for a long while. She could barely see a thing, the dark of the rocky cave she’d fallen into broken up only by dim yellow lights that were so far spread out it left her bathed in darkness most of the time. She was using the wall for support more than she thought she should have to. It was rocky and jagged and when the light failed to penetrate the darkness, she had to be careful not to cut herself on the sharp edges. The fall hadn’t been pleasant. She’d scraped her elbows and her right arm on the rocks and had smacked her chin, leaving a bloody scrape dripping in its wake. But she’d been banged up worse and these were just scrapes and bruises. She wasn’t letting them slow her down because Sly was still up there and that was terrifying her. He was by himself and they were getting separated too often. She was making too many mistakes and one of them was going to get him killed one of these times. She needed to get back to him because if he tried to press on or leave, he could get hurt or killed and she’d never forgive herself. She needed to find him. She was anxious to find him. A part of her just wanted to tell him what she was thinking, but she was having a hard time admitting it to herself and saying it out loud would change things. It would change a lot of things that she didn’t think she’d be able to handle. She wanted to stay with him. It was becoming obvious to her. Every time he brought it up or said something nice about her or joked about finding a girl like her, she wanted to tell him that if her duty was ever fulfilled, if she was ever given a chance to end this duty honorably, she’d do so because she liked it here with him. His world was odd and strange, and so was he, but she liked it. She liked him. She wanted to tell him, but there was no getting out of her duty. There was no leaving honorably and honor was all she had. It was all she’d ever had. Emi begged him silently to stay where he was and not try to move forward. Kōgeisakka would have laid out many traps and puzzles and it wasn’t that she didn’t think he was smart enough to figure them out, it was that she didn’t want them doing it by himself. She was supposed to be there for him. And so far, she just kept messing up and getting injured and she had to do better. He needed her protection more than any other sealbreaker had ever needed it before so that meant she had to try harder. Much harder. And she was going to. She didn’t know how long she walked, but she was moving quickly through the tunnel. There’d been one sentry guard when she’d first found the door, but she’d dispatched that quickly. Kōgeisakka made some odd contraptions, but at least that one had been easily disposed of. She just hoped there were no more metal men down here. Or puzzles with pits beneath them. Up ahead, the tunnel broke off into an open enclave and Emi slowed down a little as she approached, crouching just inside the darkness. There was a great light high above and it looked like a grand hall or something, with a high ceiling and vast space. Emi chewed on her lip as she saw what was occupying the room. There were rows upon rows of soldiers similar to those metal men they’d face on the stairs outside. Except these were smaller and thinner. Their swords not as big, but they looked to be made of the same material and Emi sneered because there were too m any of them if they came to life. Reaching for the sigils around her wrist, she pulled on one of the sigils and put in her palm. Holding it to her lips, she whispered into her fist, “Mizu watashi ga anata ni denwa.” Calling on the spirit of water. A blow glow swirled around her hand and she could suddenly see her breath in front of her face. She put her palm to the hilt of her katana and the blue glow swirled down her blade. The temperature dropped considerably around her and her skin paled, leaving her scrapes and bruises a stark contrast. She stood, her icy sword held out to her side and she stepped into the grand hall. As she walked between the rows of the metal soldiers, her eyes kept swinging back and forth, looking for any signs of movement. There was a door on the other side of the room and she just needed to make it to that door so she could find her way back to Sly. She hoped he was okay. She hoped he was waiting for her and he knew she was coming for him. She hoped he didn’t think anything less of her for making these mistakes but she wouldn’t blame him if he did. She wouldn’t blame him if he was angry or punished her. She just kept messing up and maybe she wasn’t strong enough for the demons this time around. Maybe this time around, they’d finally win. She made it half way through the room before there was a sudden clicking sound. She halted her steps, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw one of the metal soldiers had stepped out into the row, but it was standing still. She narrowed her eyes at it because it wasn’t moving, just standing there and there was no sign of life or light coming from it. Bringing her katana up in front of her face, she bowed her head to the solider and was only slightly surprised when it bowed its head back. Then it was charging. It was faster than the two on the stairs and Emi braced herself for the fight. She didn’t expect the soldiers standing around her to suddenly click to life. She sucked in a breath and that was the only preparation she had before the room erupted into a flurry of motion. All of the metal soldiers, each and every row of them, were suddenly coming at her. There were many of them, and it would be a battle, but she wasn’t going to be struck down here. Not here. Not when Sly was depending on her so fiercely to come back to him. She wouldn’t let him down like that. So she fought back with everything she had. Emi struck out at the nearest metal soldier. Her blade wasn’t deflected off of these soldiers. Instead, the icy swirl of her sigil let her slice through the metal, freezing the soldier to the core so that when she brought her foot up to follow up with a kick, the soldier shattered beneath the force. She didn’t have time to feel satisfied or happy, because there were more coming at her. She leapt and whirled and lashed out in a fast paced dance in between, around, and above the metal soldiers. She flipped and dodged and whenever she struck one with her katana, she would follow it up with a blow from her feet or her arm and she’d shatter the soldiers to pieces. She fought hard and fast and she lost track of how long she was fighting the army of metal. A few of them managed to get some solid blows in, one of them slicing a slash open on her side. It didn’t go deep, but it bled enough to stain her shirt, making it stick to her skin. She kept moving. All the while, she kept moving and kept her mind on Sly because he was waiting and if he was hurt or dead because she was wasting time down here, then she would take the honorable way out and fall upon Kaidokusuru. When it was over, Emi was crouched in the middle of the grand hall, with an army of frozen, shattered metal soldiers around her. She dripped blood onto the ground from a wound on her side, her scraped chin and elbows, and another wound above her knee. But she pushed herself to stand and then looked towards the door. She thanked the water sigil for its power and reattached the sigil to the bracelet around her wrist before walking to the door. “Please be safe, Sly,” she whispered and hoped to whatever fates were listening that they’d grant her request. .Wolfie. Sly hurt. He was bruised and battered and really fucking sick of this temple already. He was limping down the hallway, his hand resting against the wall to guide his way and maybe that was stupid. He kept waiting to step on the wrong stone and get poisoned darts in his ass or find himself falling through another pit into a floor of spikes or some other bullshit like that. His heart was loud in his chest and somewhere ahead of him he could hear the sound of metal clashing. The massacred robot behind him was only some small comfort but he focused on it because it meant Emi was alive. She’d lived through the fall and she was okay and now he felt like a moron because maybe he should have just stayed put. She was right when she called him a fool. He was the dumbass who’d willingly crawled into a pit because he was too fucking terrified to go on without her and now he was wandering around alone in this stupid demon’s temple. His breath was still rasping in and out of his throat and every once and a while he had to stop and cough because it felt like there was still water in his lungs. He slowed down as the tunnel opened up into an open area. His hand clenched against the wall and he felt his heart starting to beat faster because he couldn’t begin imagine what came next. He moved to the opening, head tilting to the side as he tried to see what was waiting for him. There was a glint of metal on the ground and he grimaced because as far as he knew there would be more robots who wanted to choke him to death and his hand rose unconsciously to his neck. As soon as he stepped beyond the hallway he burst into laughter. He leaned against the wall for a moment while his heartbeat slowed back down into a normal pace and his head tipped back, a smile on his face because Emi was in a lot better shape than he was. There were broken robots lying on the ground, their bodies covered in a layer of frost and random parts of them lying scattered across the floor. The girl was just too fucking amazing. Sly pushed himself away from the wall, keeping his distance between himself and the robots. Even if they were all in pieces, he’d seen enough Terminator movies to know that dead didn’t always mean dead and he didn’t want a metal Schwarzenegger on his ass. There was only one exit to the hall and it was a door on the other end. It was shut and he frowned and sucked in a breath and he really missed Emi. He hoped she was alright and it was interesting to him just how scared he was that she was hurt. A part of it was because he needed her and he couldn’t do this without her. But most of it was that he didn’t like thinking about her being hurt. He didn’t want her getting injured and he didn’t want her dying and he didn’t really want her to go. He would get over it when she was gone, because he didn’t really have a fucking choice, but he wasn’t happy about it. He was going to miss her. He missed her already. Emi must have just passed through here so maybe it was safe to open the damn thing but somehow he didn’t believe it. He gripped the bag tightly and hurried across the stones, ignoring the aches and bruises that tried to remind him just how battered his body was. When he got home he could sleep for the next two days but he had to get out of here first and that meant he had to catch up. He’d spent way too much time just standing still at the edge of that hole and he should have moved faster. His hand hesitated over the door handle and then he bit down hard on his lip and tried to tug it open. It didn’t budge and he frowned, teeth biting down on the metal hoop as he tried again. It didn’t budge and he growled, tugging his backpack around in front of him so that he could dig out his screwdriver. He pressed his shoulder against the surface and tried to jam it in between the door and the wall. There was a spark of blue as he jammed it in between the stone and the metal and he only had a second to acknowledge that before the door burst open. A shout left his lips because there was sand pouring out of the door and it knocked him to his ass. It flooded around him and spilled out onto the floor, going into his mouth and his nose. He rolled over onto his hands and knees as he coughed and tried to get it out of his throat. It was sticking to his clothes and his skin and then something hard slammed into him. A startled shout left his lips as it knocked him to his side and his hand scraped over the grit and the stone as he tried to catch himself. He heard ragged coughing next to him and he sat up quickly, a hand reaching out to steady the form crouched on the ground next to him. Emi had hit him hard when she rushed out with the sand and now she was clutching at her throat as she tried to gag and cough and get it out of her lungs. His hand moved to her shoulder to hold her and his heart was pounding loudly in his chest. She was shaking, one hand gripping her sword tightly and the other clenching against the stones. “Emi,” he said quietly, ducking his head to try and look in her eyes. “You okay, babe?” Her breathing was ragged and harsh but she lifted her head to look at him at the sound of her voice. “Sly?” she said. “You’re alright.” She looked confused to see him and then pulled back away from his hand, sitting back on her heels as she turned her head to look back from where she’d come from. The door was held open by the flood of sand, the ground covered with it and a trickle still pouring from holes in the walls. The edges were jagged and ceramic, broken when a god damned desert had tried to rush into the small room and drown her. There was a door at the other end but it was shut and he imagined locked. Sly snorted and smiled at her. “Yeah I’m alright,” he said. His voice was harsh and raspy and it was ridiculous that she was asking about him when she was the one who had just almost drowned in sand. It shouldn’t have made him feel good that she cared but it did. “But I was asking about you. What, you’re so sick of me already that you’d rather fall through pits in the floor?” “I am fine,” she told him. Then she frowned and glanced at him. “How did you get down here?” she asked. He smirked and rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh… well, I tried to follow but mostly it just turned into a fall… that’s a long fucking way down by the way. But hey, thanks for clearing the way for me,” he said, jerking his head behind him at the dead robots. She glanced at them for a moment but she didn’t look proud of herself and he didn’t get that. She’d killed all of them by herself and there were a lot of them. If he’d come this way by himself there’d be nothing but bits and pieces left of him. “Though I don’t know about you, but I’m getting sick and tired of these stupid B movie traps.” She nodded slowly and he didn’t like how shaky and pale she looked. “I am sorry for failing once again,” she said quietly. Sly sighed and he didn’t care if she liked it or not, he reached forward to grasp her shoulders and he tried to pull her against his chest in a hug. She didn’t want to go at first. She stiffened and leaned away so he pulled himself into a crouch and went to her. One hand rested on the back of her head as he tugged her head against his chest and he thought she was going to fight him when another cough wracked her form. He rested his other hand on her back and hugged her tightly, his chin resting on the top of her head. He waited until the coughing fit stopped and then ducked so his lips were by her ear. “Just don’t scare me like that, okay babe?” he told her quietly. Sly felt her stiffen under the words and he sighed as he felt her start to pull away again. He should have just let her go but for a moment he couldn’t because she could have been dead. She could have died falling in a damn pit for him or drowned in sand or gotten killed by the broken robots behind him, though that one was almost ridiculous to think. He almost kissed her. She was pulling away but his hand was still on the back of her head and his lips were inches from hers. He could feel her breath against his cheek and her eyes were open and focused on his. All he had to do was lean forward a little. Emi seemed to realize the same thing and then her hand was hitting his chest as she pushed him away. She struggled to her feet and she still looked shaky but he could see her push it away. Her hand tightened around her sword and then she held a hand down to Sly to help him up. He looked up at her, his hands resting on his knees and his teeth tugging at his lip and for a moment he couldn’t smile. “You really okay?” he asked her. She frowned and kept her hand out. “We should move on,” she told him, not answering the question. He wondered if it was because she wasn’t big on lying and she couldn’t have been okay. How could she be? Sly sure as hell wasn’t and he’d been outside the door. “Yeah,” he said, nodding his head. “Alright. But you know, if you’re not okay I won’t think any less of you.” He grinned and she didn’t return it, but he didn’t expect it. He took her hand and let her help him up, mostly because he just wanted an excuse to hold her hand. Sly wasn’t above taking scraps where he could get them and if this was all he was going to get then he would take it. He winced as he stood back up, the bruises on his skin aching and sore. He rubbed at his neck and followed her as she stepped through the sand back to the door and he didn’t understand how she could do that, how she could just shove it all down and keep going. Her feet were light on the sand but his sunk right through it as they headed back into the small hallway. He didn’t like it but the seals were already broken and it looked like the trap had already been sprung. Somehow it didn’t surprise him that the door opened easily beneath her hands and he barely heard the quiet sigh of irritation as she pushed it open. A staircase wound up above them and he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck because he was really fucking sick of this temple. “You think he’s actually in here somewhere or just sitting outside laughing his ass off?” Sly asked with a grin. “He is here,” Emi said. Her hand met his chest and stopped him at the bottom of the stairs. “Let me go first,” she told him. Sly smirked and bit down hard on his lip because he hated that plan. “I guess,” he said. “But watch your step, yeah?” A small smile tugged at her lips and then she turned away so that he couldn’t see it. Her foot hesitated over the first step and he couldn’t really blame her for it. He had to fight the urge to reach for her as she pressed down lightly on the stairs. Almost immediately he heard the puff of air and she yanked her foot back, dropping into a crouch with her hand on her blade. Sharp metal darts clattered against the stones and his eyes narrowed as he glanced at the walls. There were little holes lining the whole staircase and he sighed, shaking his head when he saw that. “It never ends, does it?” Wenston Emi was trembling. Her hands shook and no matter how hard she tried to make them stop, they wouldn’t. She was crouched down next to the staircase, her eyes moving along the walls as she took in all the tiny holes that were concealing metal darts and for a moment, she just couldn’t think. She couldn’t do anything but crouch there and look at them. She’d been scared. Dying never came easy. There would never come a time when she’d be okay with it, but most of the time, she could handle it. It had only happened a handful of times, and always at the hands of Takeru. But he made death quick. Not quite painless, but quick. She didn’t have time to be scared for long. Not like drowning in a room filling slowly with sand. Not like watching the sand travel up from your feet and feeling it constricting around you and blanketing your face and breathing it into your lungs. Not only that, but this was only the fourth demon. And if she died this early in the game, which she never did, that would leave Sly to fight the other nine demons alone. That terrified her. It terrified her that she kept coming so close and getting hurt and one of these times she was going to leave him before he was ready. The fear of failing was so strong in her gut that it was painful and terrifying. She didn’t want to do that to him. Standing up, she shoved those thoughts aside and walked back out into the other room. Sly followed her a little bit and he was being quiet, just watching and waiting to see what she was doing. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to yell at him that he’d been stupid to follow her because he could have gotten badly hurt, but she couldn’t because if he hadn’t come along, she’d be dead. She didn’t like that. She didn’t like that she’d come so close and had to rely on him because that wasn’t his job to protect her. It was the other way around. She wanted to yell at him for making her hug him, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t find it in herself to do that because even though she’d been stiff as a board with his arms around her, she hadn’t wanted him to let go. It had taken every ounce of determination to push away from him and it was only because she knew it wasn’t right that she’d been able to do it. She thought about having his face so close to hers and she should have yelled at him for that too because he couldn’t get that impression in his head about her. He couldn’t because he’d only get his heart broken when she left in the end. Emi walked through the grand hall, picking up two larger pieces of the metal soldiers she’d slaughtered earlier. She carried them with some difficulty back over to where Sly waited and he reached for a piece when she held it out to him. “We will use them as shields,” she said simply, before moving pass him and going to stand at the base of the stairs again. Sly hauled his piece over and came to stand beside her. “Uh, I’m not sure I like this idea,” he said, looking at his piece of metal soldier before raising an eyebrow at her. She just glared and he sighed, hefting it up near his shoulder. She reached over and pulled him into a low crouch. The metal pieces barely concealed them and the look on Sly’s face told her he still didn’t like it. Emi stared at the base of the stairs, chewing on her lip and she couldn’t get herself to move. She knew they should be ascending the stairs and heading through the doors at the top to take on the monkey demon somewhere on the other side of them, but she was still shaking. She could still feel the sand pressing in from all sides, burying her beneath its weight and she trembled harder for a moment before she drew in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Sly,” she said and she saw him turn his head to look at her. She didn’t meet his gaze, but she swallowed thickly. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him. Thank you for saving her, or that if there was an honorable way out she’d take it, or that the one guy she’d had sex with had been slaughtered when her village had been destroyed and they hadn’t really loved each other and she wasn’t sure why he should care about that but she thought he would. She thought maybe he’d want to know that she’d never been in love, because she couldn’t afford it. But she didn’t say any of those things because they were stupid and she barely knew him and she was supposed to be guarding him, not smiling when he said nice things to her or took the time to show her the technologies of his world. So instead, she just said, “Stay close.” Then she grabbed his arm and they started ascending the stairs quickly. Sly yelped, but managed to keep up, mainly because she had a death grip on his arm and with the other, she held the metal piece of fallen soldier up like a shield from the metal darts whooshing out of the wall. They clanked off the metal and Emi was pulling them up the stairs quickly because the quicker they got to the top, the less darts they had to deal with and they could get to the door and be done with this world. They reached the top of the stairs and once they got beyond the metal darts, they both dropped the metal pieces to the side. Emi turned and looked down and there were darts littering the sides of the stairs on both sides. She glanced at Sly and he looked pale and bruised in the dim light at the top of the stairs, but he was grinning when he saw they’d made it to safety. “You know,” Sly started. “Indiana Jones just ran through the darts, faster than they could shoot,” he waggled his eyebrows at her and she didn’t miss that the humor in his voice was struggling. He was scared and hurt and she could sympathize with both of those things. Her side was caked in blood, and her chin was red and scraped, as were her elbows. Sly looked battered and bruised and she wished they could just take it easy for a while. When they were done fighting, she was going to make him take it easy. She was going to make him rest and heal because he was still getting over the effects of his medicine. “I do not think you can run that fast,” she told him, turning around to look at the door. Sly snorted. “Never underestimate my will to survive.” The tone of his voice was joking, but the words struck at Emi like a physical blow to the gut. She didn’t look at him for a moment, looking down at her feet and if Sly noticed the change in her features, he didn’t say anything. He was brushing himself off, because he was still covered in sand and dust and so was she probably, but she didn’t care at the moment. The words were ringing home with her. “I do not,” she said quietly and she saw him lift his head to look at her. She turned and met his gaze. “I will do better in protecting you.” Sly sighed. “Emi, how many times do I have to tell you…” he started. She didn’t let him finish. She panicked for a moment because all she could think about was the sand closing in around her and the thoughts that she was leaving Sly along and she had to try harder. She had to do better. She had to protect him until the last demon because he couldn’t do this on his own. He wasn’t trained enough for it. And the thought that she’d come so close to dying and leaving him alone stole her breath away. Emi reached out and wrapped her arms around his chest and she felt him stiffen for a moment in surprise before he relaxed and put his arms on her shoulders. “I am sorry,” she told him, her face pressed against his chest. “I do not want to leave you to face this alone.” Then she pulled away from him and she didn’t look at his face. She turned and opened the doors because it had been a moment of weakness to return his hug and she needed to snap out of it and move pass it. So she stepped through the doors before he could say anything to her and continued deeper into the temple to find the demon. .Wolfie. The door let out into a dimly lit hallway and this one seemed older than the rest of the temple so far. The walls were slick with moss and something black that he didn’t want to begin to imagine what it was. Some of the bulbs on the wall were already dead and there were others that were flickering as they followed suit. Water dripped from the ceiling to the grimy floor and left puddles in its wake.Emi took the lead and Sly let her, fighting the urge to rest a hand on her back or her shoulder to let her know that he was still here. He didn’t know what he could do to help exactly, because mostly he did the running and the hiding and the getting rescued. It made him feel weirdly guilty and he wasn’t sure what to do about that. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and he couldn’t help but think again that he was next to useless to her. Yeah, he’d broken the lock and gotten her out of that sand trap, but if he’d come across the room full of soldiers first he would have been dead meat. She was looking between the two walls, her footsteps light on the floor as she led the way and it wasn’t fair that she always had to babysit him. It wasn’t fair that she was trying to do this all by herself. “So Emi,” he said. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore how raspy it still sounded. She glanced over her shoulder briefly at him and then looked away, her whole body tensing at the sound of his voice. He wondered what it meant that she’d hugged him. Maybe she liked him, and that one put a cocky smirk on his face. But maybe it didn’t mean anything except that she’d been worried that they’d been separated. Maybe she’d just been scared about being trapped in that room and drowning in sand. He didn’t like that one. He didn’t like picturing her scared or dying, especially like that. “There were other sealbreakers before me, yeah?” Emi nodded her head, her footsteps quiet and light on the ground. She looked like she was just waiting for more darts to pour out of the walls or a boulder to chase them out of the temple or even for more robots to show up and try to kill them both. None of it would have surprised him at this point and god his life was fucked up. “Yes,” she said. “Many before you.” “So what were they like?” he asked. A grin slid across his face and he moved to her elbow, even though she didn’t look back at him. She was working very hard at not looking at him and he wondered if she was embarrassed. “Thieves and cheats and liars?” “No,” she told him. “There were many warlords and gloryseekers. Most who break the seal do so on purpose, to set Izanagi free.” “Wait a second,” he said, and she actually paused at that. He snorted and shook his head, running a hand over his mouth as he processed that. “You’re telling me that people did it on purpose? They set this guy free, set the demons free, got the tattoo slapped on their chest… on purpose?” At the impatient nod of her head his frown deepened. “Why?” She sighed and turned her back to him, continuing to travel down the hallway. “Legend has it that whoever sets Izanagi free will be granted a boon by him. They sought such power for themselves, until they realized they had to die to free him from his prison.” Sly snorted again, toying with the hoop in his lip. “Well,” he drawled. “I guess that makes sense. I mean, who wouldn’t want a favor from a God?” He chuckled darkly and shook his head but she didn’t respond. Her hand rested on his chest and she pushed him against the wall as they reached the opposite door and he let her, leaning his head back and thinking about that. He wondered what he would ask for, if he were in that position, and he couldn’t really think of anything big enough to summon a damn God for it. Maybe for a different life, but odds were good he would just end up falling into the same habits he always did. As soon as he thought it, his nails dragged across his arm and he bit down hard on the metal in his lip to try and stifle the dark thoughts that rose to the surface of his mind. Maybe he would ask for a year’s worth of china white and that he even thought that told him he’d become a junkie. His hands trembled as he pulled them away from his arm and he focused on Emi instead. She was hesitating and he frowned when he saw that. One hand was resting on the hilt of her sword and the other hand was shaking as she held it over the door handle. She was staring at it and he saw the physical effort it took for her to force her hand down and close around the handle of the door. He licked his lips and then forced a smile onto his face. “So what were they like?” he asked her. She glanced up at him and he let the smile widen for her. “Probably not half as pretty as me, I’m sure.” “They were not like you,” she told him. The answer made him chuckle because she wasn’t quite agreeing with him but it was close. “Most were soldiers, warriors,” she said, and then ducked her head. “It is in the past. There is only one sealbreaker now.” He wondered if she really meant it when she said things like that. He wondered if duty really was all she cared about because it hadn’t felt like it when she’d clung to him before. It had felt like a girl that actually cared whether or not he got hurt, and not just this responsibility she’d had passed on to her. “Wow,” he said. “I hope you don’t forget me that easy when the next one comes along.” Her voice was sad and her hand tightened around the handle. “I hope I do,” she said quietly. “But I do not think I will.” Then she yanked it open, jumping back as soon as she did in case there was something nasty waiting on the other side. There was, but nothing that attacked her when she opened the door. Her eyes narrowed and Sly leaned around the side to look in the room, lips puckering as he saw what waited for them. The ground fell away on either side of a stone walkway, dropping back down into the temple and the hard stones below. It opened back up when it got to the other side, but that was a good twenty yards away. “Well,” he said, “I hope you’re not afraid of heights or anything.” He smirked but it didn’t quite reach his face because he didn’t really think any of this was funny anymore. At least he could see the walkway, because if this was like the damn Last Crusade and he had to just hope and pray there was ground beneath his feet then he was going back the way he came. “I am not afraid,” she said, stepping out onto the walkway. She crouched as she did, one hand resting on the threshold of the door in case it gave way beneath her. She waited cautiously, one hand on her sword and her eyes scanning the stones quickly. He snorted. “Of course you’re not,” he said. “You’re not afraid of anything. You’re like Wonder Woman or something. Only Asian and hotter.” He chewed on his lip as he watched her make her way out onto the stones and maybe she wasn’t scared but he was scared for her. She was moving cautiously but she honestly didn’t look scared. Her feet were light and graceful and she made it look easy. “So let me ask you something,” he said, moving to step down onto the walkway and he realized as soon as he did that he really wasn’t okay with this. “You ever have sex with any of them? The other sealbreakers I mean.” A sigh left her lips and she glanced over her shoulder at him, shooting him a glare. “No,” she told him. He didn’t think she meant for the answer to make him smile but it did. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.” She sighed again and turned her head away and she didn’t look relaxed anymore. One hand was a tight fist at her side and the other was holding onto the hilt of her sword. Her shoulders were stiff and she was watching the walkway instead of him, which to be fair was probably a lot safer. “You should stop,” she told him coldly. He recognized the tone of her voice because it was the same as when she told him not to tell her how amazing she was. “I can be nothing more than a guide to you, Baka. We have been over this.” “Yeah,” he said, and he ignored that maybe the words hurt. He ignored that maybe he was starting to want more. “Well, I’m a shitty listener. Sorry about that, it’s just part of my charm. And you know, you ever want to find out what my other charms are then you’re more than welcome to join me in bed sometime. Or I can join you on the couch. Or in the shower. Whatever gets you off, babe.” She chose to ignore him, her feet carrying her across the walkway. She paused in the middle to look back at him, waiting as he finally put all the weight on his feet and let go of the doorway. He was licking his lips and trying to pretend he wasn’t scared of falling. His mouth felt dry with fear and for a second he thought that if he was high this wouldn’t be half so terrifying. But then, if he was high he wouldn’t be here because he’d probably have done something sloppy or stupid and he was already enough of both those things. Besides, he could wait until he got home and immediately the thought derailed because there was nothing waiting for him at home. No drugs to take the sting out of his bruises, no heroin to lift his mind out of the black hole it had been in lately, nothing to ease his pain and let him settle into a place where he could just be warm and happy and not scared all the time. It paused him in his tracks and for a moment he couldn’t get his feet to keep moving. His knuckles were white around the straps of his backpack and there was a light breeze blowing up from the cold stones far below him. “So,” he said, licking his lips and staring down at the ground below. “The guy you did have sex with. He the one at the other end of your red string?” She was quiet and he wondered if he’d crossed a line at some point. His eyes were focused on the stones that were a really fucking long way down and he couldn’t get his feet to move. Not until he felt Emi’s light touch on his arm and he hadn’t heard her come back. “No,” she told him, and then she nodded her head towards the solid ground that lay not ten yards away. “We must keep moving,” she said gently. She smiled before she turned her back on him and a sigh left his lips. He felt his feet moving without thought to follow her because he didn’t want her to look down on him. He didn’t want her to think that he was scared and worthless and he wanted to be something that she could honestly be proud of. All of it just because she had a beautiful smile and he didn’t think it was fair. Sly didn’t feel better until his feet hit the platform and his heart was pounding loudly in his chest. He told himself not to look back and not to look down but he did anyway and it was a really, really long way down. He let out a breath of air as he leaned against the solid wall and he only had a second to relax before he heard the metal clicking noise over his head. “Sly!” he heard Emi shout. His eyes were wide because suddenly her sword was out and she was jamming it into the wall next to his head. Her fingers curled around his wrist and yanked him back and he could hear the screaming of twisting metal. There was a spider stuck to the wall by Emi’s blade. It was the size of his hand and it was made of metal and gears and an almost hysterical laugh left his throat when he saw that because it was just messed up trap after messed up trap. His head tipped back and he could hear the clicking start to echo over his head. He had only a moment to see a glint of eyes looking down at him before Emi was dragging him forward, her hand ripping open the next door and dragging him through it. She kicked it shut behind them and he didn’t miss as she pulled him forward that she hadn’t sheathed her blade. Wenston For a long while, they stood near the door they’d just entered and Emi didn’t dare move them forward. The room was darkened in front of them, a flickering light bulb above their heads the only source of light in the room. Ahead of them was the beginning of a staircase and after only a few steps, the room darkened to the point that Emi couldn’t see a thing. It didn’t matter, she knew what was waiting for them in the darkness. Emi’s had was still tight around Sly’s wrist and she wasn’t planning on letting him go any time soon. She held Kaidokusuru out in front of her and tipped her head back, jutting her chin in defiance towards the darkness. Beside her, Sly was breathing heavily and he sucked in a breath like he was about to say something, but she cut him off before he could open his mouth. “Kōgeisakka,” she called out and she could almost hear Sly’s jaw snapping shut. She felt him tense beneath her grip but she was still holding his wrist and hopefully he took some comfort in knowing she was here for him. There was no noise from the darkness, but Emi narrowed her eyes anyway, staring at the black void. “I have come to kill you, Akuma,” she told the darkness. “Show yourself.” Her heart was starting to beat loudly in her chest. She didn’t like that Kōgeisakka had time to prepare for them. She didn’t like that any of the demons had time, but especially not him because he was a tinkerer. He was a crafter and these inventions were more sophisticated than they’d ever been before. A low, rumbling laughter started to fill the air and Emi took a step to the side, coming to stand in front of Sly’s shoulder, ready to shield him should anything come at them from the darkness. Sly gave a nervous laugh and whispered quietly, “This is kind of creepy.” Emi nodded. “He is being difficult.” Sly snorted. “Well I don’t think he’s just gonna walk down here and let you spear him, babe.” She ignored him for a moment, knowing that Kōgeisakka was listening to every word they were saying. “No, but he is being cowardly. Only a coward hides in the shadows. If he had any honor, he would show himself in the light and come and face me.” She yelled the last part and at that, a light to their right popped on, a little further up the stairs. Emi tensed at what the light had exposed. Standing on the stairs was another metal soldier, only this one had more of a form than the others. And the form was eerily familiar. Its metal kimono was blue and white. It was human in form and feminine and Emi let out a small breath because it looked like her. It looked like her from a long, long time ago. From the first time she’d ever faced Kōgeisakka. The first time she’d ever beat him. She was staring at a metal image of herself. Another light popped on a little further up the stairs and there was another metal Emiko standing there, dressed differently. In a suit of armor and she recognized that one was well. It was a different fight. A different time when she’d taken on Kōgeisakka. She was getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as more and more lights popped on, revealing at least a dozen different metal Emiko’s until finally, a light popped on at the very top and was empty. Emi let out a breath, keeping her eyes on that one. “Um, so, those are supposed to be you, right?” Sly asked quietly. “I would assume,” she answered. Sly gave a nervous chuckle. “Think they know how to fight like you too?” She didn’t answer that question. She tightened her grip on her blade and was about to call out Kōgeisakka again, but she didn’t have to. His voice echoed through the large staircase and metal Emiko soldiers. “Hello again, Kōken'nin.” His voice was resonating and deep, but very well spoken and Emi frowned because he hadn’t spoken such proper English the last time. He was learning from someone and she wondered again who was behind these new tricks. “Do you like my toys? I made them for you.” Emi let out a low breath. “You have learned many new tricks, Kōgeisakka.” There was another low, rumbling laugh and then at the top of the stairs, something began to step into the light. It started with spindly metal legs, like those of a spider. But there were gears and pumps conducting its movements. As the giant metal creature stepped into the light, Emi narrowed her eyes at what sat on its body. Instead of a metal spiders body, it was a seat of some sort, with controls and gears and in the middle sat Kōgeisakka. His fur was grayed and groomed. He had round spectacles over his eyes and he wore a leather apron with tools bursting from the pockets. There was grease and cuts and burns all over the apron. When he grinned, his large canine teeth glinted in the flickering light. “Holy shit,” Sly whispered behind her. “I’m going to have fucking nightmares after this.” Kōgeisakka didn’t respond to Sly, but Emi was sure he’d heard him. “New tricks? These are not tricks, my dear girl.” He laughed, putting a fur covered hand to his chest. “These are art. Profound and innovative. There is nothing here that I have not created with my own two hands. I have been preparing for you, Kōken'nin. I have been waiting.” “Who has set you loose, Akuma?” she demanded, pointing her katana at the monkey demon. “Who has freed you from your slumber?” The demon waved a hand in front of his face. “It matters not,” he said with a wicked grin on his face. “What matters is that I have created many gifts for you. We have a bittersweet relationship, you and I. I have created all of my fondest memories of you here,” he held his hands out to the twelve metal Emiko soldiers on the stairs. “My favorite deaths by your hand. I’d like to share those memories with you. I’d like you to see how they felt.” “Emi?” Sly asked from behind her and she didn’t tear her eyes away from the demon, but she tipped her head to the side to tell him she was listening to him. “You got this,” he said and she could see the grin on his face out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure what he was grinning about, or that he was even confident in his words, but she felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips anyway. Letting go of his wrist, she pushed him back against the wall and whispered, “Stay,” to him. “Yes ma’am,” he joked but she guessed it was only because he was nervous. She wasn’t feeling much better about this situation. Taking a few steps forward, she raised Kaidokusuru to her lips and nodded her head at Kōgeisakka. “I am ready for your battle,” she said. The demon just laughed. “You will never make it to me,” he said. And with that, the twelve metal Emiko soldiers raised their own swords and bowed their heads before they were coming at her all at once. .Wolfie. They were really good replicas. They moved like Emi and they fought like her and as soon as Sly saw that his stomach dropped because there were a dozen of them and only one of her. And she was human. She was fragile and mortal and the blades could cut her open a lot easier than she could cut through metal. He stayed against the wall where she’d left him, his teeth biting down hard on the metal in his lip. Emi was in the middle of the room and she was surrounded by twelve metal versions of herself. His heart was thundering hard in his chest and his eyes were wide as he tried to keep track of their movements. They were all really fucking fast, because they were all her. There were differences but they were slight and barely noticeable. The metal copies of her moved a little bit stiffer and maybe that was the one thing she had going for her. She was lithe and agile and could bend beneath their blades and get around them easier. She was having an easier time dodging their blows. But they were fucking robots, and it barely mattered when she managed to strike them. Her blade skittered across the metal surface and she had to keep moving so that she didn’t get caught by the others around her. She twisted out of the way of a thrust, using her blade to shove the sword to the side before she brought it up in a bright arc. It scraped against the robot’s chest and caught her across the chin. He sucked in a harsh breath as the replica’s hand snapped out and tried to wrap around her throat. The blunt fingers caught at her throat but she jerked her head out of the way and flipped backwards. They were fast and he was scared for her because he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. He didn’t want to just sit here and watch her get shredded by pale copies of herself and he needed to be better for her. There was nothing he could do to help and it surprised him just how much he hated that thought. Sly wasn’t a hero and he never had been. He ran from fights if he could and if he couldn’t then he got his ass kicked and the best he managed was to crawl back to his feet later and get his ass home. That had worked for him and if it were just him he was worried about then he would just keep doing it until one day he wasn’t fast enough. But it wasn’t just him he was scared for anymore. Her sword skidded along steel as she blocked a strike from the one in the blue kimono. Her foot lashed out and struck one behind her in a uniform he didn’t recognize and he wondered just how many centuries she’d lived through. She spun and twisted her blade to catch the sword of an Emi wearing armor and she shoved it up over her head, flipping backwards and dodging the blow that was lashing out at her. One of the robots kicked out hard and caught her in the back, knocking her forward. His breath came in a hiss as she stumbled and then she caught herself, continuing forward in a roll before she rushed forward towards the monkey in the chair. His eyes widened for a moment behind the glasses but Emi didn’t reach him. All of the metal replicas were focused solely on her and the moment she started moving they were running after her. One of them rushed forward and put a foot out to launch herself off the leg of the monkey’s spider and kicked hard at Emi’s chest. She ducked the blow and then slashed out with the sword, a screech of metal sounding as she dragged it across the robot’s back. Kōgeisakka chuckled as the others closed in on her again, tipping his head back and laughing and it was a really fucking awful sound. It was loud and harsh and he grimaced when he heard it but he stayed against the wall and wished he had a gun. His gaze moved back towards Emi and a harsh shout left his lips as a blade found its way across her ribs, opening a long cut in her side. She didn’t show any signs that it hurt but her sword snapped out and knocked the steel aside, slamming her foot forward and knocking the robot back. In the next moment another was behind her but she dodged to the side and slashed out with her blade. The longer he watched the harder his heart beat in his chest because he was scared for her. They were fast and deadly just like her. She was human and she was going to tire and slow and they weren’t, not nearly as soon. He bit down harder on his lip and tried to believe that she could do this because she was smarter and better than them. They were just metal and wires, not like her. She was amazing. She was the most amazing woman he’d ever met and he slid down into a crouch against the wall because he hated just sitting here watching her in the middle of all those blades. One of them thrust towards her stomach and she dodged to the side, her blade slashing out in response. Sparks flew as the metal scraped across the robot’s throat and if she were human she’d be dead. “Kōken'nin,” the monkey called, and Sly spared him only a glance. It was the first time that the nasty things at the end of the tunnel weren’t coming after him. They were focused solely on Emi and this felt personal. This felt like a vengeance trip and the grin on the monkey’s face just solidified that thought. “You should be pleased. At last you have become the epitome of a warrior. There are no more flaws, only perfection.” He chuckled and it turned into a screech and that damn monkey was fucking creepy. “Jesus,” Sly growled. A sigh left his lips and he shook his head, raising his voice to shout at the monkey. “Will you just shut the fuck up? Just because you made a couple of Cylons doesn’t make you hot shit.” “Baka,” Emi growled. “Be silent.” She ducked beneath a blade as it sliced over her head and whirled, slashing out at the Emi behind her. Her blade managed to catch between her head and neck and there was a screaming sound as her sword cut through the robot. She separated her head from her body but she didn’t have time to move as another came after her. The monkey turned his head to focus on Sly and he pressed himself harder against the wall because he wasn’t sure he liked that look directed at him. His lips puckered and his eyes narrowed beneath the glasses and then a vicious smile stretched across his face. His teeth were sharp and they glittered in the dull light. In the reflection of his glasses he could see flashing metal as the eleven remaining robots tried to kill Emi and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her for long. Another thin line of red appeared along her cheek but she never cried out. “Shīruburēka,” he said. “You should do as Kōken'nin says and be silent. Your turn will come soon enough.” “Yeah, fuck you monkey boy.” He gave the demon a cocky smirk, lacing his fingers behind his head as he leaned against the stones. “Start building your next robot because she’s going to rip you a new asshole when she’s done with your little dolls over here.” The monkey’s eyes narrowed and its teeth spread into a snarl. “They are art,” he snapped. “Not dolls.” Emi hissed something at him and he looked back at her for a moment. For a split second her eyes shot over to him in a warning and then she was throwing herself backwards, foot snapping out and catching her copy’s jaw in a hard kick. They were still coming after her, eyes dull and lifeless and unchanging. Cuts and dings lined their bodies but they didn’t slow them down. She had blood trickling down her side and down the slice in her face and if he didn’t know better he would think she was starting to slow down. “Oh bullshit,” Sly spat, jerking his head at the demon because why the hell not? The thing wanted to kill him anyway. “They’re god damned tinker toys. Why don’t you just admit that you didn’t make them to beat her up, you made them because she’s sexy as hell and you got a little lonely just sitting around waiting for her to show up. That’s sick man. Even I’m not into interspecies erotica.” There was the screaming of metal as Emi caught one of her clones by the neck and flung her into the way of a sword. The robot sliced through the other, cutting her in half and letting both pieces fall to the ground before she kicked out at the one still coming forward. Another sword swung down at her and she dodged back and thrust her own blade in between the gaps in its construction. There were few and far between but Emi was quick and she twisted the blade deep, sending sparks flying out between the metal plates. Another robot began to short circuit and crumple but there were still another nine left to go. There was the whirring of gears and it drew his attention back up towards the monkey because he was glaring at Sly as he started to move the metal spider. “You were told to be silent, Shīruburēka,” he said. It started to move across the floor, his hands on the controls. “Yeah, and I’m a shitty listener,” he shot back. The monkey’s lips curled into a snarl but it didn’t get the chance to say whatever was on the tip of its tongue. Emi was moving across the ground, kicking aside the closest robot as she bolted towards the metal spider. Her blade flashed out and jammed hard into one of the gears, cutting through the metal. Oil spat out onto the ground and the leg buckled next to her. She just kept moving, rolling beneath the body and slicing out at another one of the legs. She took a second one out and he heard the demon shout as the whole thing began to collapse. Sly breathed a sigh of relief as Emi rushed out the other side but one of her replicas wasn’t so lucky. It had tried to follow her and the chair came down hard on its back. The spider hit the ground, oil spurting out from its broken legs and the monkey’s eyes wide as it yanked at the controls. Then his head lifted and he turned to look over his shoulder where Emi was pushing herself up onto one of the legs and moving swiftly towards Kōgeisakka, her blade pointing out towards him. “I have made it to you,” she said dangerously. Wenston Kōgeisakka opened his mouth in a vicious roar, spittle flying from his jaws as Emi ran up the broken spider’s leg towards him. She lashed out with her blade, but Kōgeisakka was fast too. He leapt out of the chair of his spider contraption and rolled with ease down the stairs. Emi narrowed her eyes and flipped off the contraption as well. Her advancement on Kōgeisakka was cut short as the eight remaining metal Emiko’s tried to cut her off from their master. One leapt at her midsection, its arm cranked back and sword in hand. It lashed out towards her and Emi ducked beneath the blade, bringing her legs around to hit it square in the stomach, knocking it black and following up the blow with Kaidokusuru, inserting her blade into the gap between its arm and shoulderblade. She twisted it and the arm was ripped right off. The metal Emiko looked down at it, and then twitched as sparks flew out, before it went stiff and crumpled to the ground. Emi dodged two of the others as they came at her and she leapt up onto the wide railing at the side of the stairs, back flipping over all of them to get between them and Kōgeisakka who was making his way back up the stairs towards his contraption. She didn’t know what he planned to do when he got there because she’d taken his contraption out of commission. At the bottom of the stairs, Sly was still crouched near the wall and she wished he’d listen to her once when she told him to keep his mouth shut. Although she was proud that he wasn’t showing his fear to Kōgeisakka, she wished he wouldn’t provoke the demon. His flapping tongue was going to get him into trouble one of these days. He couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut, not even after he’d almost been strangled to death earlier. Although, she didn’t mind it when he spoke to her. She liked talking to him. Racing her way back up the stairs towards Kōgeisakka, Emi watched as the demon reached his fallen contraption and yanked something out of the chair. She didn’t slow down her pursuit, almost reaching him, but she veered away at the last moment when he pulled something up and aimed it for her. It seemed to be some sort of musket, but Emi was still surprised when a spray of razor metal exploded from the end of it. One of the pieces clipped her shoulder, leaving a bleeding gash and she ignored all of the wounds that littered her skin for now. The blast from Kōgeisakka’s musket sailed pass her for the most part and took out two of his own metal Emiko creations. The demon let out a growl and aimed again. From the bottom of the stairs, Emi could hear Sly making small noises of distress and as she flipped out of the way of another blast, she glanced at him. His eyes were wide and he looked scared as he watched her. She hated seeing him scared. She wished she could do something for him. Find him a weapon. Maybe when he got a musket of his own, he’d feel better. But she hoped he knew that she wasn’t going to let the demons kill him. Not while she still drew breath. The remaining five metal Emiko’s caught up to Emi and she brought Kaidokusuru up to block a blow from one of their swords. She grabbed onto its arm and pulled it between her and Kōgeisakka as another blast exploded from his musket. She felt another stray piece of metal scrape at her leg, but most of the blast collided with her metal counterpart and she threw the now defeated soldier into another one. They both tumbled down the stairs. Another one of them came at her and she swung her sword around, catching it in the junction between neck and shoulder, as she’d done the first one and she removed its head in one clean swipe. She rolled backwards down a few of the steps and when the remaining two came at her, she kicked her legs out, catching them off balance and sending them teetering over the railing. They fell a ways to the floor and landed with a loud thud, sparks and springs jumping from their bodies and they laid still on the floor. Emi turned back to Kōgeisakka and he was reloading his musket in a hurry. Without hesitation, Emi ran up the stairs towards him. He brought the musket up and behind her she heard Sly shout for her, but she didn’t slow down and she didn’t stop because she knew she could be fast. She knew she could get to him before he fired the thing at her. But then he pulled the trigger. Emi managed to duck beneath most of the blast, a few stray pieces slicing at her shoulder as she rolled to the side to lessen the damage of the blast. She used her momentum to propel herself forward and her katana found its way into Kōgeisakka’s gut. The demon gasped in pain and Emi regained her feet, flipping the demon over her back and throwing him down the stairs. Kōgeisakka rolled down the steps, hitting the remains of his metal Emiko’s before he came to a rest a few feet in front of Sly, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Then he looked up at Emi, who was crouched at the top of the stairs. She took a few steadying breaths and tried not to let her wounds cloud her mind. She stood and descended the stairs slowly, her katana held out in front of her. “Kōgeisakka,” she said as she reached the bottom. The demon lay on the floor, the wound to his gut fatal as he bled out onto the stone floor. There was blood on his teeth and his lips but his eyes moved to her. “Let me end your suffering.” She was surprised when the demon started laughing. It was a pained, horrid thing and blood bubbled up his throat in a cough, but he was still watching her. “Suffering,” the demon said, like he found the word amusing. He closed his eyes for a moment and turned his head to look at Sly. Emi sneered and stepped around him to stand next to Sly, who stood and came to her shoulder. “You’re here to end my suffering, you say,” he laughed, blood leaking from between his lips. Emi licked her own lips and swallowed thickly. “You will return to your slumber. You will be at peace.” A snarl curled Kōgeisakka’s lips. “Peace? You’re a fool, Kōken'nin. You and I will never find peace.” At the words, Emi’s heart stilled. She felt her face go pale and it took every ounce of strength she had in her to not let her katana start shaking in her hands. The demon gave another bitter laugh. “We would play this song and dance for eternity if the fates had their way.” Emi crouched down, her blade still pressed against Kōgeisakka’s throat. “It is what we were chosen for,” she told him quietly, completely aware that Sly was standing next to her, hearing all of this. She wondered what it meant that Sly and the demons both wanted to end this cycle and she was the only one who didn’t. “Why must it always be you that wins?” Kōgeisakka asked, his breath starting to come short and quick. “Why must it always be me that dies?” Emi’s face fell. “For that, I am sorry,” she told him quietly. Kōgeisakka looked up at her and for a moment his face looked sad. Then the emotion went away and his bitter laugh was back. “You always win, Kobayashi. But not this time. Takeru is prepared for you this time. You will die. You both will die.” Emi shook her head. “I will not let that happen,” she told him, then she leaned over him. “How is he prepared? How have you forgone your slumber?” The demon didn’t answer her. A smile curled his wicked lips then he leaned forward. Emi kept her blade steady and it cut into his skin slightly. He whispered, “You will fail.” Then his hand came up and curled around her blade. He brought it down quickly before she could stop it and she gasped as it sliced into his neck. He gurgled on blood and his eyes were on her when they faded and Emi bowed her head in respect. His words echoed loudly in her ears and she didn’t know what to make of them. “Emi?” She turned her head, almost having forgotten that Sly was there. She pulled her blade back and went to stand, but she sucked in a harsh breath when her leg gave out. Sly’s hands shot out and caught her shoulders, but she was immediately shrugging them off. “Whoa, hey,” he said. “Emi, you okay?” “I am fine,” she snapped at him and she didn’t know why she was upset, but it wasn’t with him. She pushed his hands away and looked down at her leg where the metal scrap had cut into it. She forced the pain away and stood, wavering only slightly. “Hey, take it easy a second,” Sly said, trying to reach for her again. “Here, let me look.” “It is fine,” she said again, snapping at him. “Well, you’re bleeding everywhere,” Sly pointed out. “Come on, just let me help.” She snapped her head towards him. “I do not need help,” she growled and he paused, his eyes wide as he looked at her, his hands out in front of him. She looked away quickly because she didn’t want him to see the way her eyes were brimming with tears and she couldn’t understand why Kōgeisakka’s death was upsetting her. Or perhaps it was his words to her. She closed her eyes a minute before turning her head back towards him, but not looking at him. “Forgive me.” Sly shrugged. “It’s alright,” he said quietly. “It’s been a rough day,” he snorted a laugh and she could tell he was grinning for her, but she couldn’t look at it and she couldn’t return it, not even a little bit. She shoved herself to her feet and when she put her fingers to her shoulder, they came away bloody. She looked pass her fingers to Kōgeisakka and she bit her lip. “We should go,” she whispered, and she ignored the way her voice quivered. .Wolfie. Emi didn’t let him help her up. She didn’t let him help her walk or keep her steady. She pushed his hands away every time he tried and she wasn’t snapping at him but she might as well have been. She wasn’t saying anything. She was quieter than normal and he wasn’t sure what she was thinking because she was still a mystery to him and he couldn’t figure her out. He couldn’t figure out whether she liked him hitting on her or if she was on the verge of using her sword to shut him up. He couldn’t figure out if she was trapped in this duty because she thought it was her responsibility or because it was really what she wanted with her life.He couldn’t figure any of it out and she wouldn’t give him a straight answer if he asked. So he didn’t. He kept those questions to himself and a quiet sigh left his lips instead, his head ducking as he pulled his shirt up to his chin because there was a monkey on his chest. He shook his head, clucking his tongue when he saw it. “This isn’t half as cool as the snake or the spider,” he said. Emi didn’t answer. She was leading the way out of the room and he wasn’t sure if there were more traps waiting for them but hopefully they would just find the door. It hadn’t appeared when Kōgeisakka died and that stupid book wasn’t helping out any. So they were still wandering around in this damn temple and he was ready to go home. He wanted to get Emi bandaged up and into his bed, though the second part was more of a personal wish than a necessity. At this point he didn’t even need to share it and that was surprising him more than a little bit. She’d drowned in sand and been cut up by robotic clones and fucking shot out by a monkey with a rifle. He just wanted her to heal. He wanted her to be okay and it surprised him just how desperately he wanted her to be alright. More than that, Sly didn’t want her to go. He kept thinking about what the demon had said to her, and what Genbu had said before that. They were trapped, never at peace, never at rest. They were all going through the motions and every one of them expected that it was going to happen all over again the next time someone got stupid and opened the book. Not one of them was talking like maybe this time it would end. Even the demons didn’t sound like they believed their god was going to rise and Emi didn’t sound like it was going to matter if she stopped it. How the fuck was that fair? So she got to keep killing thirteen demons over and over again and that was it? That was her prize? Congratulations, you’ve managed to stop the world ending god from rising up and killing everyone or whatever the fuck, so now you get to do it all over again. He sucked in a breath and plastered a smile on his face for her, ignoring his thoughts. It wouldn’t help either of them. If that was what she wanted he didn’t really see any way to stop her. He didn’t know if it would matter to her if he asked her to stay. “Hey, cheer up. We won. I’ll take you home and get you patched up and it’ll be all good.” His elbow nudged her arm and tried to get her attention, a grin on his face. They took the few steps down into a stone hallway and it made it more like a canal than anything. Up ahead he could see a door and there were markings on it that were starting to be familiar. “See? There’s the door.” Emi didn’t respond at first and he sighed, rubbing a hand over his mouth before her voice came quiet and low. “He is only the fourth.” He glanced at her and her lips were a thin white line, though he couldn’t tell if it was from frustration or pain. Maybe both. She was trying not to limp but the monkey had fucking shot her and she was already covered in thin lines from fighting twelve of herself. It was insane that she’d still won. No one else could have faced that and come out on top and he didn’t understand why she wouldn’t believe him when he said how fucking amazing she was. She was so out of his league it wasn’t even funny anymore. “Yeah, I know,” he agreed. He was trying not to think about that. He was trying not to think about doing this nine more times because then he would get scared and he would want his heroin because he didn’t want to die. As much as he didn’t want Emi getting hurt, he sure as fuck didn’t want himself in the line of fire, and he was trying to decide which one of them bothered him more. Not long ago it would have been an easy choice. He’d always picked self-preservation first. “But I mean, there’s no rush, right? If they’re already preparing for you then maybe you could take some time to prepare for them.” A frustrated noise left her throat and she shot a glare over her shoulder at him. “You are asking this for selfish reasons,” she spat. He didn’t understand why she sounded so angry and he held his hands up because he didn’t mean to keep pissing her off. “Well, yeah,” he said. She sighed again at the admission and shook her head, turning to focus on the long hallway. There was no guarantee that there wasn’t something else still waiting for them but Sly was past caring. He was just done with this place. “Just because I like having you around doesn’t mean it’s not true though.” He ducked his head and she still looked angry or sad or some mix of the two, so he gave her his most charming smile. “It’s gonna be okay, sugar. I swear.” “Stop it, Baka,” she snapped, and he was surprised at how fiercely she said the words. She lifted her head to glare at him but her eyes just looked sad and her voice was harsh and broken when she spoke. “You are a fool. You should not keep saying things like that or thinking anything about me. When this is done I will be gone, one way or another, and you must be prepared for that.” The words were like a slap in the face and for a moment he paused and he couldn’t get himself to keep walking. He ducked his head to look at his feet and he didn’t know why it hurt so much. It shouldn’t have. He barely knew her and it shouldn’t surprise him that she would be gone, and be gone willingly. She had her duty and that was all that mattered, not him. Sly’s hand moved to rub at the back of his neck and he wanted to argue with her, but he wasn’t sure that leaving wasn’t exactly what she wanted and he wasn’t sure he could take hearing that. So he sucked in a breath and lifted his head to smile at her and she looked surprised at the reaction. “I know, babe,” he said. “I get all that. But it doesn’t mean I don’t like you and it doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re insanely hot. And in case you haven’t noticed, I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. So I’m probably just going to keep telling you those things until you get sick of me and remove a limb or sleep with me or something.” Emi was staring at him and he wasn’t sure what the look meant. He thought about the way she’d clung to him before and the words she’d said because he didn’t think that had been about duty. She hadn’t wanted to leave him alone and maybe this was starting to bug her as much as it bugged him. Then again, maybe he was just full of wishful thinking. “Just for the record I vote the second option.” He grinned and shrugged, going to move past her because it was about time they got out of this fucking temple. As soon as he stepped on it he groaned because he knew he’d done something stupid. The stone beneath his foot pressed deeper into the ground than it should have and he heard something click and release a second before he heard the rumbling over his head. Emi’s hand came out to grip his arm and her eyes had gone wide, her gaze going to the ceiling. Her head followed the sound as something like thunder echoed above them and then she was letting out a small hiss of breath as the giant fucking boulder rolled out of a hole in the ceiling and started barreling down the hallway towards them. “Oh fuck you,” Sly groaned. “Run, Baka!” she hissed, dragging him away from the trap. Emi was already moving, her hand tight around his arm as she started running towards the door at the other end of the hallway. Suddenly it seemed really far away and he didn’t need her to tell him twice. He ran after her and told himself not to look back but he could hear the sound of it bouncing off the wall as it barreled down on them like a train. His heart was thundering in his chest and he just focused on the door at the other end because he sure as fuck didn’t want to end up a pancake. They raced down the hallway, feet pounding against the stones and he kept telling himself not to look back but he did at the last second. Emi’s hand was closing around the door handle and as she was yanking it open he looked over his shoulder. All he could see was a wall of stone right in front of his face and he swore he felt it connect with his nose before the blast of light burst around him. Emi’s hand stayed around his arm as she yanked him forward and he felt himself falling backwards through the door. He hit the linoleum hard, his palms getting bruised off the solid surface and his knee striking the ground with a loud crack. He managed to keep his head from bouncing off the floor and that was only some small consolation all things considered. Emi was crouched on the floor next to him, her fingers bruising around his arm but as soon as she realized he was alright she let go of him. He groaned, pushing himself over into a sitting position as she stood up and dusted herself off. His eyes focused on the ceiling above him, the dim halogen bulbs casting a bright light on the floor and the pale yellow wallpaper to either side of a slowly swinging door. He frowned at that and then his head turned over his shoulder to see where they’d landed. They were in the ladies bathroom at a strip club. He knew that because he’d been in here before, when Magic had decided she wanted a little action after one of her shows. He wasn’t going to argue with that, though most of it was just a hazy blur of drugs and sex. He’d been mixing medications when he was with her, and to be fair most of their relationship was a blur. There was the sound of a toilet flushing and then the door at the end opened. A woman walked out and started heading for the sink before she realized that the two of them were there on the floor and then she paused, eyes going wide as she focused on Sly. Then her eyes narrowed and she was grabbing the soap off the counter and hurling it at him. “Pervert!” she screamed, and he just winced as it struck him on the back of the head. Wenston Five : Tsuiseki-sha “Who did your ink?” Emi glanced up from the book of drawings she was looking through. It was Monday, and that meant Sly had gone back to work. It had given them a few days to rest up and a few days for Emi to think. She’d been quiet that first day back and she hadn’t let Sly bandage her wounds like he’d wanted to. She done it herself locked in his bathroom and when she’d come out, he looked worried and a little sad and she’d felt bad but it was better to hurt him a little now than terribly in the end when he finally realized she wouldn’t be able to stay with him. The couple of days had been awkward, because Sly’s magic box had been destroyed by Takeru. He didn’t have the kind of money he needed to go and buy a new one, so he’d taught her how to play card games and that’s how they’d spent most of the last few days. Or they’d gone out to find things to eat or he’d taken her to the mall but they hadn’t bought anything, they’d just spent time there. It was getting harder and harder to not admit that she liked spending time with him. He was fun and he made her smile and when he said nice things about her, she still got fussy with him, but they still made her feel good about herself and none of the other sealbreakers had ever been like Sly. She didn’t think any that came after him would be either. He was one of a kind and she liked him. It was hard to remember that she wasn’t supposed to. She was only supposed to protect him. When he’d gone back to work, she’d come with him because she wasn’t letting him out of her sight now that Takeru could walk through the worlds. It scared her that he could be waiting in one of the other worlds as well. If he teamed up with another of the Thirteen, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to take them both on at once. Separately, they were a battle. Together, they were near invincible and if they ever realized that, she wouldn’t be able to stop them. So while Sly was in the back working, Emi sat in the lobby of the tattoo shop looking through all of the pictures of tattoos. She didn’t understand half of them, but some had great meaning. There were a lot of koi tattoos and she liked a few of them. Looking down at her shoulder, she lifted a hand to cover it self-consciously before looking at the girl sitting at the desk. It was the same girl who’d been here the day she’d met Krystal. Her nails were painted black, her hair dark and her lips dark and odd metal in her ears and she looked sort of scary, like a sorcerer or something, but so far she’d been nice to Emi. Her name was Ivy and Emi thought that was a strange name for a person, but she kind of liked it. “It was given to me by my father,” Emi said cautiously, because she still wasn’t used to people being okay with her markings. The last time she’d been in the world, they hadn’t been acceptable and she’d had to keep it covered. But it seemed like everyone had tattoos now, so she hoped people weren’t judging her when they saw it. Ivy nodded her head, half smiling and it was the most she’d seen the girl smile. “It’s hot,” the girl said, then snorted. “You should see if Sly would give you another one on the other shoulder. You’d look badass.” Emi wasn’t sure if badass was an okay thing to look, but judging by the girl’s face, she guessed it was. She nodded her head and smiled politely. “It would have to have great meaning,” she told her. The girl gave a solid laugh. “Well, you’re better than a lot of the people we get in here, I guess. You tell me the meaning of getting Tweety bird on your ass, huh?” Emi just shook her head because she wasn’t sure. The girl shook her head too and looked back down at her books for a second before bringing her gaze back to Emi. Emi followed her eyes and could tell she was looking at the bruises and cuts that still littered her skin. Her chin was still scraped and even though most of them had faded, they still lingered. “So, you get in a fight? You look worse and worse every time I see you.” Emi brought a hand up to rub at her cheek, where a thin red line was healing. “It is nothing I cannot handle,” she told the girl and then looked back down at the pictures, because she didn’t feel like explaining the seal to Ivy. Sly had told her not to talk about the Grimoire or the demons in front of anyone else because they’d feel funny. She didn’t understand, but he knew these people better than she did, so she’d listen to him on this one. “Uh huh,” Ivy said, looking at her suspiciously. Then she held out a hand. “Look, I’m gonna just go ahead and ask because, I dunno, I used to be Christian or something – but Sly didn’t do that to you, did he?” Emi narrowed her eyes at the girl. “He would never hurt me,” she said and she surprised herself with the ferocity and intensity of her words. But it was the truth. She believed it whole heartedly. Not to mention that she didn’t think he’d ever get a blow in if he tried. But that wasn’t worth consideration. The girl nodded. “Alright, just had to make sure. He seems like a cool guy.” “He is…unique,” Emi said, hesitatingly for a moment. “I enjoy his company.” Whatever the girl was going to say next was cut off when Krystal walked out of the back rooms. Emi crinkled her nose because the girl smelled strongly of herbs or incense or a perfume of some sort. She wore clothes that were too tight and too short and Emi didn’t like the way she spoke to Sly or to Ivy. When Krystal saw Emi sitting on one of the couches, her face scrunched into something nasty before she plastered on a fake smile and walked over towards her. “Emi, right?” Emi nodded, but didn’t say anything to her. Krystal bent a little at the waist, tilting her head to the side. “Look, sweetie, I don’t know how they operate over there in China, but here in America, if you’re not a paying customer, you don’t get to loiter.” Behind the desk, Ivy snorted, rolling her eyes but didn’t say anything. Emi glanced at her and the girl just shrugged a little, so Emi turned her attention back to Krystal. “I do not know how they operate in China either,” she said. “I have never been there.” Out of the corner of her eyes, she could Ivy stifling a laugh at the look on Krystal’s face. The busty blonde stood up a little straighter, the smile falling off her face. “Cute,” she said. Then her eyes narrowed. “You know, I have to tell you, I’m kind of surprised you’re with Sly. You’re really not his type.” Emi didn’t say anything. She didn’t correct the girl and tell her that she wasn’t with Sly. She just sat back and looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. “So that must mean you’ve got a good gag reflex, am I right?” Emi wasn’t sure what the girl was talking about, but something told her she was being insulted. She tilted her head to the side and looked Krystal over. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to piss the girl off, but she didn’t really want to talk to her anymore. She wondered how much longer Sly was required to work today before they could go home and be rid of her. “I do not appreciate being insulted,” Emi told the girl dryly. Krystal laughed and it wasn’t anything nice. She bent forward again. “Oh, honey, I’m not insulting you. I’m just letting you know you’re not his type. Get a boob job, learn to put a dick in your mouth and please do something with your hair – then you’ll be his type.” Emi frowned, because she didn’t know what was wrong with her hair or even what the other two things were, but she wasn’t going to let Krystal know. Maybe she’d ask Sly later. It was probably something that would embarrass him and she almost smiled at the thought of it. “I am comfortable with who I am,” she told her. Krystal shrugged and walked over to the desk, leaning against it. Behind her, Ivy sneered at her, but the girl was oblivious to it. “I didn’t say you weren’t. But I’m saying Sly likes a certain kind of girl and you aren’t it. He’ll get bored with you eventually. Unless your tits are laced with crack, you’ll never be anything special to him.” .Wolfie. Sly was tattooing a cartoon Minnie Mouse onto a guy’s leg. He was calling her a pin up, but Sly thought she was a little less Marilyn Monroe and a little more Pamela Anderson. Especially with tits bigger than her ears and her skirt barely covering her ass. He was spending most of his time trying not to laugh, because it wasn’t his business, and he didn’t want to know. All he did was ink it.“That’s decent work,” Bones said. He was leaning over Sly’s shoulder and he was trying to pretend he didn’t find it a little nerve wracking having his boss hovering while he tried to do his job. It didn’t help any that the man was fucking his ex-girlfriend. “Does that mean I get to keep my job?” Sly said, shooting a grin over his shoulder. The guy had his eyes closed and a hand over his face and he hadn’t really paid attention to either of them. He’d been that way since he came in and he hadn’t really wanted to talk, which put Sly off a little bit. There was that whole bonding through pain thing that was supposed to go on between client and artist. Then again, maybe if he were getting a porn version of a cartoon rat tattooed on his skin he wouldn’t really want to talk about it either. Bones laughed and Sly had barely pulled the needle away from the man’s skin before a hand clapped down on his shoulder. “I always did like you, Sly.” Then a sigh left the man’s lips and he pulled a stool over, sitting it down next to Sly. He glanced at him warily before turning his attention back to the man’s leg. He was working on filling in the red in her skirt and he could see the man gritting his teeth. “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I mean… do you really want your old job back, or is this just…” he waved his hand and looked at Sly for help but he just frowned. Bones sighed again and lowered his voice. “You know. Drug money.” Sly snorted and he was surprised Bones was being so blunt with him. The man didn’t like confrontation and he wondered if it was his woman at home giving him a hard time. Krystal had always been like that. She always knew better than everyone else how to live their fucking lives, her sister, her mom, Sly. He didn’t see her changing much in a year. Once upon a time he’d told her he loved her. It had probably been a lie but he’d cared enough to tell it and that was more than he gave a lot of his girlfriends. She hadn’t needed him, she’d just wanted him, and then she’d wanted to fix him and that’s where it fell apart. “That hurts me, man,” Sly said. A smirk spread across his lips but he didn’t even look up because if he didn’t then he didn’t have to think about all the mixed emotions that brought up in him. He wouldn’t have to think about how fucking badly he wanted his drugs and he wouldn’t have to think about what his life used to be like and what it was like now. He wiped the tattoo off and sat back, studying his work. “If I wanted drug money I’d just steal it or something.” Bones chuckled and nodded his head, pretending like he believed him. Sly almost opened his mouth to tell him that he was sober now, but he was still coming to terms with that himself. He didn’t want to say it and then relapse because then there would be Krystal’s voice in the back of his head saying that nothing would ever be as important to him as the drugs. “Yeah, alright,” Bones said, clapping him on the back again. “If you make it another week then maybe I’ll set you up with your own station. Maybe I’ll even pay you.” He grinned and kicked the stool back with one foot. “Oh come on.” Sly groaned, slumping back in his chair. “I just tattooed a porn star Minnie on this guy, I better get paid for it.” “I’m still right here,” the man said, peeking out from under his arm. Sly snorted and slapped him on the other leg. The guy’s voice sounded familiar and he couldn’t quite place it. “Well good,” he said. “I thought you’d gone and died on me. In that case you can sit your ass up here and tell me what you think, ‘cause you’re all done.” The man frowned and then tipped his head to the side, stretching his leg out so that he could look at it. Bones laughed and held up a hand as he headed out of the room. Sly heard him shouting through the doorway for his woman and he tried not to feel a twinge of jealousy at that. It would have ended with her one way or another. It always did. “It’s uh, it’s perfect man,” the guy said. He turned his head over his shoulder and gave Sly an awkward smile. As soon as he did he just started laughing and it wasn’t because of the ink he’d just put on the guy’s leg or because of how uncomfortable he looked now that it was done. It was because he realized where he knew the guy from and it was just too fucking funny. He was still laughing as he gestured at the guy to sit back and started patching him up. The kid didn’t say anything, ducking his head and looking annoyed and embarrassed. Sly couldn’t blame him. He’d be embarrassed too if he were the guy in the rat suit at Chuck E. Cheese. “Have a nice night, Phil,” Sly told him as he was walking out. “Good luck with the Mickey Mouse thing.” He was still grinning as the man shot a startled glance over his shoulder and then he hurried out to the front desk to pay. He shook his head and started cleaning up his station for the night, dumping his gloves in the trash and putting the needles away. He wondered if Bones meant it about getting him his own station. He wondered if that was what he wanted. Emi was waiting for him in the lobby and he smiled when he saw her because she always made him smile. Even if half the time she didn’t return them or yelled at him to stop being so nice to her, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t really want to. Things had been strange between them since they got back and he was trying not to let it bother him. She’d been quieter and colder towards him and he was still trying to figure out where they stood. He thought they were something like friends, but he was pretty sure if he asked then she would tell him they could never be friends because all she had was duty and was just going to leave anyway. He knew all those things. He understood that all of this was temporary, but that was the story of his life. Nothing and no one stayed and he was used to it. It should have been easier to take coming from her, but the longer he was around her the more he liked her. He’d had a crush on her from day one because she was hot and badass and amazing and all those other things she yelled at him for saying. Completely out of his league, but if she said the word he would jump in bed with her in a second anyway. Sly slumped down on the couch next to her, slinging an arm around her shoulder and grinning even when she pulled the arm back around and dropped it in his lap. She had an art book in front of her and she was flipping casually through it. “See anything you like?” Sly asked, glancing down at it. There was a tiger crawling over a yin yang symbol and then she flipped the page, still not looking up at him. Koi fish leapt across the page in various colors and formations and then she turned it over to see a dragon coiling across the page in front of a tribal tattoo. “I could put one of those on your back if you want.” “I have not earned it.” She sighed and closed the book, finally looking up at him. “Are you done with work for the day?” she asked. “Well, as far as I’m concerned you should already have your dragon,” he told her. Her eyes narrowed at him for that and he saw her face fall. Any second now he was going to get to hear that speech, the one about how he shouldn’t give a shit about her or say nice things because she was just going to leave. He wondered when she would figure out that no matter how many times she reminded him it wasn’t going to change anything. He plastered a grin on his face and pushed off the couch. “Yeah,” he told her. “I’m all done. Now come on, we’ve got some place to be.” He held a hand out to her to help her up. “Where are we going?” she asked, frowning at him. She ignored the outstretched hand, pushing herself to her feet. He grinned at her and then turned to wave goodbye to Ivy before he headed for the door. The frown on Emi’s face darkened and it just made his smile broader because he loved surprises. He wondered what she’d think or if she’d just be freaked out because the television had startled her. He led her to the door, holding it open for her. She studied him a moment and then sighed, heading out onto the street. “You’ll see,” he told her, still grinning. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked backwards down the sidewalk so that he could watch her face because if she was too annoyed he wouldn’t make her. It might just freak her out, the way the television had at first. Emi’s eyes were still narrowed as she studied him. “I do not like surprises, Baka,” she told him. “I know,” he said with a grin and a wink. “But I do. Just trust me, babe.” She sighed but she fell easily into step beside him. She wasn’t limping anymore and it seemed like most of her wounds had been superficial. He couldn’t really tell because she didn’t admit to him when she was hurt bad and she hadn’t let him help patch her up. Something had changed in the temple and he wasn’t sure what or whether it was good or bad. “Sly,” she asked. “What is a boob job?” A cough tore itself from his throat at the question and he looked over at her with wide eyes. After a moment he laughed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Well, it’s when a chick gets implants to make her breasts bigger. Why do you ask, sugar?” She nodded her head like that made sense. “What about a dick?” she asked. “Why should I learn to put one in my mouth?” The question made him trip, his feet catching off the sidewalk and he barely recovered his balance. He braced himself against the wall and he stopped where he stood, crushing his eyes shut and covering them with one hand. “Oh Emi,” he said, and for a moment that was all he could manage. He tipped his head back and then a sharp laugh left his lips. He shook his head and then turned around to keep walking. “It’s not fair that you get to keep asking things like that. All the best answers will get me hurt.” “Does that mean you will not tell me?” she asked. He didn’t hear her catch up to him but her voice came from his elbow and he was trying not to look at her. It felt like his face was red and if he was blushing he was never going to live it down. He didn’t fucking blush. He was a filthy perverted bastard and it wasn’t fair that she could ask those things and sound so innocent doing it. “Not until you’re older,” he told her. It just made her frown and he was still having a hard time meeting her eyes. But he grinned anwyay and pulled the door open for her, jerking his head at the inside of the movie theater. “After you, sugar.” Wenston Emi wasn’t sure what this place was, but there were a lot of people there. The lobby was large and they were standing in line to speak to a person that was handing out cups and buckets of food that Emi didn’t recognize. She stood next to Sly and tried not to feel self-conscious about herself because some of the people would stop to look at her and it didn’t take her long to realize they were looking at her katana. The person who’d sold them their tickets had looked at it too, but he didn’t seem like he’d cared. He’d smirked and said, “Nice replica,” and then helped the people behind them. “What is this place?” Emi asked. Sly stood beside her with his hands laced behind his head as they waited for the line to go down. He was grinning like a fool, but at least he was happy and he seemed to be in a good mood lately. She wondered why. She’d been trying her hardest to get it through his head that they couldn’t be friends and he needed to know that she’d be gone in the end, but he just kept being nice and kept complimenting her and she didn’t understand his persistence. A part of her really liked it. She liked the way he looked at her because it wasn’t mocking and it wasn’t cruel and it wasn’t like the other sealbreakers who felt stuck with her. He wanted to be with her. He didn’t want her to go in the end and that was a different feeling and sometimes she wished he’d be more like the others. But sometimes she wished she could just enjoy him for what he was. “Well I know how much you’ve been missing the magic box lately,” he grinned and waggled his eyebrows, but the joke must have went over her head because she didn’t understand what was funny. He cleared his throat and shrugged, letting his arms fall down to his sides. “So I thought we needed a little entertainment. Action packed, explosion filled, sex having entertainment.” Emi frowned. “I will not have sex with you,” she told him. Sly snorted. “I didn’t really mean you and me. I meant other people.” Her face twisted into something confused. “We are going to watch other people have sex?” she asked and the people in front of her turned to look at her over their shoulders. Sly gave a nervous laugh and then lowered his voice. “It’s not what you’re picturing. You’re gonna like it, trust me. We’ll get you some popcorn, a pepsi, maybe some goobers. This will be the perfect date.” He grinned at her and she narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to protest that, but he held up his hands. “Not literally. I know it’s not a date. I know we can’t be friends and you don’t want to stay – just go with me here for a minute, okay? You need to kick back and relax a little. Have a little fun.” Emi didn’t answer him, but she didn’t protest either. She looked up at the walls, where posters and carboard cutouts were lined. She wondered who the people in the pictures were and they all looked different and odd. Were they warlords or heroes they worshipped nowadays? She almost opened her mouth to ask, but then they reached the counter and Sly was ordering them food. He gave her a drink and a bag of some strange looking food and a box that she couldn’t read the writing on. “What is this?” she asked, holding up the bag of the yellow food. Sly grinned, leading her down the hallway towards one of the rooms at the back. “It’s popcorn. Don’t worry, it’s a vegetable so it’s healthy.” He laughed and she didn’t know why, but she followed him into the room and there were seats escalating up an incline facing a giant white wall. Sly lead the way to a row and sat down in one of the seats. He grinned at her as she came to sit next to him, eyeing the other people in the room, but none of them seemed that interested in them. Sly took the drink from her hands and placed it in one of the round holders on the arms of the chair. Emi frowned at it and leaned forward, inspecting the holder. She placed the small blue box of whatever on her lap and then looked at the bag left in her hands. She wasn’t hungry, but Sly had bought it for her and she didn’t want to be rude. She looked at him and he was watching her with a grin on his face. When he saw her questioning look, he laughed and reached forward, grabbing a few of the popcorns and popping them in his mouth. “Try it, it’s good,” he said. Emi chewed her lip and picked up a piece of it. She held it up so she could examine it a bit before she ate it. It wasn’t bad. She ate another one and then looked to the front of the room. “Are we here to watch a play?” she asked. “I do not see a stage.” “Uh, not quite a play, but something like it. Something better.” If he was going to say anything else, he was cut off when the white wall in front of them flickered to life. Emi gasped and nearly dropped her bag of popcorn to the floor at the giant face that appeared on the screen. Her hand went to the hilt of her katana, but Sly reached forward and put his hand over hers. “It’s okay, Emi,” he said and he wasn’t scared or mocking. He was still smiling and looked amused, but not mocking. “We’re here to see a movie. It’s like the magic box, but bigger, okay? It’s moving photographs, remember? They’re not real.” Emi glanced at him and her eyes were wide, but she flicked them back to the screen when the lights started to dim. She tensed and she didn’t even notice that Sly’s hand was still over hers. Her eyes were darting around everywhere and then they went back to the screen as more people started talking and she blinked and was startled because it was so large and it looked so real. “You okay?” Sly asked and his voice broke Emi out of her sudden anxiety. She glanced at him and then seemed to realize his hand was still touching hers. She jerked her hand back and nodded because she didn’t get scared of things and if Sly wasn’t scared of this, then neither should she be. This was something Sly did often, apparently and no one else in the room seemed scared. Emi looked behind them at the bright light coming from a separate room and she didn’t understand the magic behind it, but she sat low in her chair and just watched the moving pictures for a moment. Sly snorted and grabbed more of the popcorn. He kicked back in his chair and was grinning the whole time. Emi glanced at his face and then at the popcorn. She took another piece and ate it and the longer she was there, the more relaxed she got because the pictures on the wall weren’t coming after them and Sly seemed relaxed and happy. And she wanted him to be happy and not worry about her. “Okay, so those were the previews,” Sly leaned over and whispered to her when the room dimmed even darker. “It’s an action movie. You’ll like it. There will probably be a badass guy and a damsel in distress. Kind of like us, but you’re a badass chick.” Emi quirked her lips. “And you are the damsel in distress,” she said. That earned her a laugh. .Wolfie. Sly spent more of the movie watching Emi’s face instead of the screen. He smiled at the expressions she was making because it was her first movie ever and she had this look of wide eyed wonder that he didn’t think she was even aware she was making. He couldn’t tell how much of the story she was getting, but then again he hadn’t exactly picked a movie with a complex plot. It was exactly what he’d told her it was, a lot of explosions and gunfights and sex scenes that barely fit an R rating.At one point he tried putting his arm around her shoulders. She didn’t shake him off at first and he wondered if that meant she didn’t notice or if she just didn’t mind. Probably the first. He should have known better than to try but he couldn’t help himself. He wondered how much of it was because he was lonely. His last girlfriend had been a chick named Casey and they’d barely been dating a week before she’d stopped coming over. He hadn’t even noticed until two weeks later when he saw her at the bar with some other guy. He couldn’t remember if it was because half the times he’d fucked her he’d been high or because he just didn’t care that much anymore. It was hard to remember exactly where his life had been going before he’d opened that stupid book. He’d barely been holding it together and it probably wouldn’t have been too much longer before he was back to sleeping in subway cars. Emi didn’t see any of that. She didn’t know that about him and he didn’t want her to because he thought she would be disappointed. He didn’t know why he cared so much about what she thought of him. It shouldn’t have mattered, because it had never mattered to him before. What he should have said was that she should just get used to it because fucking up was what Sly was best at. It all circled back to the drugs because maybe he was sober now and keeping it together but eventually he was going to slip. And then she was going to hate him. Maybe that was why he was trying so hard now. He didn’t want her to hate him. He wanted her to look at him and smile and say she was proud of him even though he never did anything worth being proud of. She had a beautiful smile and he couldn’t get over that. He couldn’t get over the way she spoke to him, like she still believed he was a worthwhile person and even if he didn’t believe it he wanted to try for her. She wasn’t anything he deserved and they both already understood that she wasn’t anything he could have but he kept trying anyway because when she smiled it was all worth it. It was a good five minutes before she realized his arm was around her shoulders and moved it. He smiled and pretended it didn’t hurt. She was still a little wide eyed when they left the theater, her box of candy still unopened in her hands. He took the empty popcorn box and the drink and dropped them in the garbage before he started pulling the plastic off. “So,” he said. “What did you think?” Emi glanced at him and then back behind her at the theater. People were filing out around them and she pulled in on herself like she was uncomfortable to have that many this close, but she didn’t say anything. “I am not sure,” she said. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about it and her lips pursed before she looked up at him. “Is it truly that easy to make a truck explode?” she asked. Sly laughed and he hoped she didn’t think he was laughing at her. He shook his head and handed the box of candy back to her. “Car, Emi. And nah, it’s a lot harder than it looks,” he said, pushing the door open with his back and holding it open for her. She was frowning at the box of candy before she dumped some out into her palm and studied it. “It’s for dramatic effect. Blowing a car up looks way fucking cooler than just having it sit there and turn into an insurance adjuster’s nightmare.” “I suppose,” she said, still frowning. Her eyes were focused on the candy and he chuckled, reaching over to grab a piece and pop it in his mouth. She glanced up at him for a moment, quirking her mouth to the side. “This world is very strange and new.” “Yeah,” he agreed. “I guess it is.” He smiled at the words and he wasn’t sure why. Sometimes she seemed so innocent and then he remembered that she could kill him with one hand and it killed the illusion. “I’ll be honest, it’s kind of a shithole most of the time and the people that live in it aren’t much better, myself included. But don’t get me wrong, there are some good things about it.” “Like blue slushies,” she said, her voice solemn. “Yeah, like blue slushies.” He laughed and nodded his head, still chuckling. “And sexually liberated women.” Emi was still considering the candy in her palm but she glanced up at that. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him and he wasn’t sure what that look meant but it didn’t look like anything good for him. He just shrugged, giving her a sheepish smile and holding his hands up. “Hey, don’t judge me okay? A guy like me takes what he can get. You say slut, I say ex-girlfriend.” Emi was still frowning and she quirked her lips to the side as she thought about that. “Have you had sex with many women?” Sly smirked, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to pretend that he didn’t feel suddenly awkward. “The short answer? Yes.” She kept studying him for a moment before she looked away. She popped the candy in her mouth and then frowned, looking at the box and turning it over in her hands. “This is very sweet,” she said, and she sounded startled as she chewed it. A broad grin stretched across his lips. “Well yeah,” he said. “That’s kind of the point.” The smile was still on his face as he tugged the box out of her hands. She frowned and looked sad to see it go so he just poured some in his palm and handed it back to her. “So,” he drawled. “What do you want to do now? We could go to the bar. I could teach you to do body shots or hustle pool or you could watch me get drunk and make an ass out of myself singing along with the jukebox. I’d say I’d buy you a drink but something tells me you’d just turn it down anyway.” He grinned at the look she gave him and nodded his head. “Whatever you want.” Her head tipped back to look up at the dark sky and the streetlights above them. She popped more candy in her mouth and then looked down at him. He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head but he was disappointed. Last time he’d been at a bar he’d been at McGrath’s and that had ended with a giant spider killing four men. Not exactly how he’d wanted his night to end. “It is late,” she said. “You should get your rest. We must go after the next demon soon.” “Yeah,” he said dryly, looking down at his boots. “Of course. Can’t forget about them.” He snorted and rubbed a hand across his mouth and he didn’t understand the sudden urge to get high. He thought about it too often and wanted it too badly. “You know the difference between you and me?” he asked, shooting her a grin. “You never think about yourself.” Something like a smile played across her lips as she glanced at him. “And you always think about yourself?” He laughed, not so much because he thought it was funny but because he wanted her to know that the words hadn’t hurt. Hard to argue with them when they were true. “Well yeah,” he agreed. “And because I think about you all the time.” Emi frowned and he wondered if she was getting sick of telling him over and over again that she was just going to leave. She looked like she was tired of saying it and every time she did he wondered what it was she really wanted. “Baka,” she said. “You should not think anything about me. I am here to protect you and that is all. We cannot be friends or anything more.” “I know, babe,” he said, and then he waggled his eyebrows at her. “But just for the record, we don’t have to be friends to have sex. It could just be no strings attached kind of sex. You know the kind, where I know you’re going to leave and never call me in the morning and both of us pretend we’re fine with it.” She sighed and shot him an annoyed glance that had him holding his hands up innocently. “It was a joke, honest. Unless you’re okay with that, then it’s not a joke. But otherwise I was just kidding.” Emi sighed and didn’t say anything else and Sly shut his mouth after that. He focused on the walk home and even if she kept saying they couldn’t be friends he’d liked this. He’d liked taking her to the movies and showing her new things and he just liked her. There were three men waiting outside his apartment when they got up the stairs and he felt his stomach sink when he got to the top. One of them was Konstantin, and he had his arms crossed over his chest and a dark look on his face. The other two he didn’t recognize but they had nasty looking tattoos on their knuckles and up their arms. He wondered if the old man was part of the Russian mafia or something and if that was the case then maybe he would start paying his rent on time. Next to him Emi tensed and he plastered a grin on his face. “Hey fellas,” he said. “What’s going on?” Konstantin rattled something off in Russian, pointing angrily at Sly and he could guess what was going on even through the language barrier. One of the tattooed men crossed his arms over his chest and jerked his head at Sly. “My uncle Konstantin says you owe him money. He says it is not good business for him and that means it is not good business for you.” He saw Emi’s hands tighten around her sword out of the corner of his eye and he glanced at her and shook his head. She frowned and then he moved in front of her because she didn’t need to be involved in this. “Alright comrade, let’s just take it easy.” He held his hands up but the guy grabbed him before he could say anything else. A grunt of pain left his lips as the man shoved him hard up against the wall, his face slamming up against the plaster. “I am not your comrade,” the man growled, his Russian accent thick and dripping with malice. “In Russia we have a way of dealing with people like you Mr. Waite. You will pay my uncle what you owe him or we will show you the Russian way of handling things. I do not think you would like it very much.” “Nope, probably not,” he grunted. “That could explain why I’ve never been.” The man snorted and shoved him one last time against the wall, his hand yanked hard behind his back. He grimaced at the pain but it could be worse. “You think you are very funny man. Maybe not so funny when we start taking payment in body parts.” The man released him and he breathed a sigh of relief when he turned around and Emi hadn’t drawn her sword. Her eyes were narrowed and her hand was on her blade but she hadn’t pulled it and he was so fucking grateful for that. The last thing he needed was her to piss off scary Russians anymore than he already had. He tried to rub feeling into his arm as the man pointed at his face. “You have one more week. Than me and my brother come see you again. Next time we do not ask you so nicely.” Wenston Sly closed the door to his apartment behind them, locking it quickly before he leaned his head against it. Emi just watched him for a moment. He let out a slow breath and she could see his shoulders drop and she didn’t like the look on him. She didn’t like when he looked defeated because he’d just overcome the whole ordeal with his medicine and he must have done something to deserve all this bad karma. She refused to believe the fates were this cruel for no reason. But so far, she couldn’t tell. He seemed good enough to her. “Why do you owe them money?” Emi asked. She saw him tense again, but when he turned around, the foolish grin was back on his face and she wondered how many of those smiles he actually meant. She tipped her head to the side to study him and he looked tired. More tired than he’d been five minutes ago. Sly waved a hand in front of his face. “Look, don’t worry about it. When Bones pays me next week, I’ll take care of it. Now that I’ve got a job, it shouldn’t be a problem.” He waggled his eyebrows and then moved into the kitchen. He pulled a drink out of the fridge before he came back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Emi still stood near the door and she narrowed her eyes at him because she didn’t like that he wouldn’t tell her why he owed them money. “I should speak to him,” she said. That seemed to stir something in Sly and he sat forward quickly, giving a sharp, “No.” His hand came out like he meant to physically stop her and the reaction confused her. He seemed to calm himself down and said a little more quietly, “No, just…you just stay away from those assholes, okay? I’ll take care of it.” He nodded his head and leaned back on the couch even though she hadn’t agreed to anything. Emi pursed her lips and looked down at the box of sweet candies in her hand. She sighed and walked over to Sly, holding it out for him. “If you are having trouble with your money, then you should not spend so much of it on me,” she told him. He looked at the box she was holding out to him and then up to her face and the she could tell the smile on his lips was genuine this time. “Why not?” he joked. “Tonight was fun. More fun than I’ve had in a long time.” He snorted and waved his hand at her and she clung to the words for a moment because Sly seemed like the type of person who had fun all the time and she didn’t understand why tonight had been the most fun. At least not for him. For her, it had been an experience and she was still trying to figure out movies and popcorn and everything else that went with them. “Don’t worry about the money, babe. I’ve got it taken care of.” Emi pulled the box of candies back and held them close to her chest, frowning down at Sly. He ran a hand over his face and then blinked up at her, raising an eyebrow because she was just staring at him and not saying anything, but she was trying to figure him out. She was trying to figure out if he wasn’t telling her because he was scared to get her involved or if he was embarrassed. She couldn’t tell. Sly seemed to get nervous with her just staring at him, so he gave a dry chuckle and said, “So our first date went well, until the end there when I got manhandled. Normally manhandling would be alright, but only if it was the girl doing the manhandling. Not some big, hairy, obnoxious Russians.” “This was not a date,” she said adamantly and walked over to the small table he had set up near the kitchen. She set the candies down and then turned around to look at him. He had his head tipped back on the couch and she couldn’t see his face. “Of course it wasn’t,” he said and now he sounded even more tired. “Because you don’t want to be friends and you don’t want to stick around. I get it.” Her mouth was moving before she could stop herself. She was saying the words before she realized they were not helping her prove her point that if they became friends, it would only end in heartache. But she was saying them and there was no taking them back. “It is not that I do not want to.” She caught herself as soon as she said them and Sly actually sat forward and turned to look at her with his eyebrow raised. She took a breath, steadying herself because her own words had caught her off guard. Before he could say anything, she quickly added, “It is that we cannot be friends. You will be hurt in the end.” Sly snorted. “Nothing new with that,” he said and she didn’t like it when he said things like that but she kept her mouth shut. Sly sighed and set his drink down on the floor before he stood up and came around the couch. He stood next to it and he looked like he was trying to be serious for once. “Okay, Emi, be honest with me now.” He ducked his head to see if she would say anything but she just narrowed her eyes, so he continued. “If for some reason you suddenly didn’t have to be the Guardian or whatever anymore, and you could stay in this world, would we be friends?” Emi chewed her lip for a second, frowning as she studied him, trying to figure out if this was a trick or not. She tipped her head to the side and said, “That would not happen. There is no way out.” A frustrated sigh left his lips and he said, “We’re pretending here. What if there was a way out?” “I do not see the point of pretending,” she told him and she saw his shoulders drop in defeat again and she hated that she’d put that look there. He nodded, though, and plastered a wry smile on his face. “Of course you don’t,” he said and then picked his drink back up, downing it quickly before throwing the bottle onto the counter. He started heading for his bedroom. “I’m going to bed. You could join me if you want.” He looked over his shoulder at her and she shook her head slightly. He grinned and shrugged again. “A guy’s gotta try,” he said and then turned back around. She watched his retreating back and bit her lip because she knew he was sad and upset with her. It bothered her that he was. She let out a slow breath and as he stepped through the doorway to his bedroom, she said softly, “I believe we would be friends.” Sly paused and looked over his shoulder again, frowning at her like he wasn’t sure if he’d heard her correctly or not. Emi sighed and looked down at her hands. “But there is no abandoning my duty, so there is no point in hoping it will happen. You have your hopes too high, Baka.” Sly smirked, but it didn’t quiet reach his eyes. He turned around and walked back out of his bedroom, approaching her. Emi straightened and didn’t look up at him as he came to stand in front of her. His hand came out to reach for her chin and she jerked her head away, making his hand pause before he moved slower and reached her, tipping her head up so her eyes were meeting his. “Emi,” he said carefully and she felt her breath shorten slightly because he was touching her and he was close and for once she wasn’t pulling away. She wanted to hear what he had to say. “Just because you know something’s going to end, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t enjoy it while you have it.” The words surprised her, because they were deep and profound and she hadn’t heard Sly be any of those things. He was usually just joking and funny. She thought about the words and they went against what had been engrained in her to believe, but maybe she didn’t want to believe those things anymore. Maybe she wanted to believe Sly. Then she thought of what Daisuke would think and she shook her head, breaking away from Sly’s grasp. “I cannot,” she said forcefully and then turned and headed to the bathroom. She closed the door quickly behind her and then leaned back against the door, letting her breath come in slow, steady gasps. She lifted a hand to touch her chin where Sly had been touching her and she felt tears brimming in her eyes because she wanted to believe him. She wanted to think he was right, but she couldn’t. It would hurt so badly in the end. And not just for him. Emi didn’t want to say goodbye in the end. .Wolfie. If Sly hadn’t had work the next two days, he probably wouldn’t have gotten out of bed. Even that wasn’t much incentive but if he didn’t go to work then he didn’t get paid. He only had a week to try and scrap up two months worth of rent to try and appease giant angry Russians that wanted to turn his face into a piece of artwork Picasso could be proud of. It was his own fucking fault but it didn’t make him feel any better about it. He had better things to spend money on, like a new television or drugs or Emi. Normally he would bail on this shitty apartment and the man renting it to him but he had her to think about and he didn’t want to put them both out on the street. She could handle herself, but she shouldn’t always have to. This was the only thing he had to offer her and he was going to keep a fucking roof over her head if he had to steal or cheat to get the rest. He was starting to realize that he actually gave a shit about her and that made just made all of it worse. If he just wanted to get in her pants then it would be easier to take the constant rejection because he’d been turned down before. If he didn’t like her at all then it wouldn’t hurt quite so much every time she told him they couldn’t be friends. Not because she didn’t want to be, but because they just weren’t allowed thanks to some stupid bullshit rule she had. He couldn’t tell with her. He couldn’t tell if it was actually what she wanted or if she was just trying to avoid pain and heartache because with Sly involved there was no getting around it. That was his fucking life. Pain and loss and loneliness and he didn’t know how to get through it without the drugs to ease his hurts. He was tired. He was so fucking exhausted and he didn’t know why exactly but he thought it was just everything finally catching up to him. All his life it had been easy to just push stuff aside and ignore it, but he’d always done that using drugs or booze or loose women. He didn’t have any of those things now. Instead he was just left with his own reflection in the mirror and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing it without a narcotic haze in his eyes. He would take just about anything at this point. He wanted his fucking heroin or an eight ball of cocaine or even a damned blunt. If he thought Krystal would share he would ask her but she was a selfish bitch. There was only one thing that had kept him from picking up the phone and calling Ashley as soon as they got to the shop and that was that he was seriously broke and he didn’t know if Bones would pay him before Konstantin’s nephews came knocking on the door again. He’d been jittery and irritated all day and he had barely managed to bite his tongue before snapping at Emi when she started asking him questions about how the refrigerator worked. That was just what he needed, to alienate her even more. He should have just kept his mouth shut. All he’d done was put this awkward tension between them and he should know better by now. Girls like her didn’t want anything to do with guys like him because he was a worthless fuck up and they both knew it. By the time Thursday rolled around he was just drained. He didn’t understand what the point of getting up was because it was just going to be the same shit, over and over again and he just wanted to be numb. There were demons out to kill him and as far as he knew there was one of them that could just saunter in here and slice him open on his bedroom floor. There was that dark, miserable part of him that wondered why he was bothering to fight against it. He wondered why he bothered trying and he wasn’t sure if that was really him talking or the aftermath of heroin withdrawal that couldn’t be happy without chemicals lending a helping hand. It was sometime after noon when she came in and he didn’t hear her enter. He didn’t hear her footsteps on the carpet and he barely felt the bed shift when she sat cross legged on the end of it. He was dozing in and out of wakefulness because he’d been having nightmares again and it made for a shitty night’s sleep. He had the pillow pulled over his head to try and block out the sunlight and his sheets were half on the floor, the other half just covering his legs. “Sly?” she asked. He felt her tug the pillow off of his head and he groaned when she did, rolling over onto his back. He slung a hand across his face to try and shield his eyes from the brightness. He blinked and licked his lips, parting his fingers to look at her. “What’s up, babe?” he asked. He shot her a grin but it was weak and forced. “You finally decided to join me?” Her arms were wrapped around his pillow, her sword resting against the side of his bed next to her knee. She shook her head at the comment and he just chuckled and let his eyes close again because that was nothing he didn’t expect. He thought about getting up because she probably wanted breakfast or something but he couldn’t get himself to move. She was quiet for a moment and then he felt her nudge his leg. “Are you going to get up?” she asked. He frowned and opened one eye, focusing on her through his fingers. “Already am, babe,” he said. She lifted an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything. He sighed before he shot her a smirk. “I don’t work today sugar, just let me sleep.” “You should get up,” she said, and she wasn’t really asking. “We should go after the next demon.” He snorted and didn’t answer her, letting his eyes shut again because he just wanted to go back to sleep. He was tired and he was sober and he was only capable of fixing one of those things right now. After a moment she sighed and shoved at his legs. “You are being childish.” Sly sighed and pushed himself upright because it didn’t look like she was going to let him go back to sleep any time soon. Both hands scrubbed over his face before they dropped into his lap and then he forced a grin onto his face for her. “Look babe, I’m pretty tired,” he said. “You think it can wait until next week? I think my ass is still bruised from the last demon we went after and unless you’re going to kiss it and make it all better then I think we should hold off.” Emi glared at him for a moment and she didn’t look like she gave a shit about the charming smile he was trying to give her. Then she pushed herself off the bed and headed out into the other room. She looked pissed and he sighed, running a hand over his face. He’d thought he was getting through to her. For a second he’d had his fingers against her skin and her eyes had been on his and he’d thought that maybe he had a chance. He could have kissed her she looked so damned beautiful and for a moment he’d thought maybe she would have let him. Even if they couldn’t have that he didn’t understand why they couldn’t be friends. He didn’t understand why she wouldn’t let him be anything but an obligation to her. Then again, maybe he did. Maybe he wasn’t worth the gamble, because that’s all Sly was. He was a gamble and he couldn’t promise her that he wouldn’t let her down. Not when he was still thinking about his drugs every god damned day. The next moment she came back into the room, the grimoire held tightly in her arms. He chuckled and shook his head, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched her. She settled back on the end of his bed and he tried not to think that he liked her sitting there. It would be better if she was half naked too, but he would take what he could get. “The longer we wait the more time the demons will have to prepare for us,” she said. She flipped the book open and held it out to him, ignoring his look of apprehension. “They have had enough time already. We have had enough time to heal, there is no reason to stall.” Sly sighed, resting his head in his hands. “Right, of course,” he drawled. “Absolutely no reason to put off going after demons that want me dead and apparently would be just as happy to kill you too.” His fingers ran through his hair and then he snorted and shook his head. “You mind if I get breakfast first?” He grinned at her, ignoring the book as he pulled himself out of bed. The sheets tangled in his legs and he kicked them away from him, grabbing a shirt off the floor and tugging it over his head. Emi sighed, pulling the grimoire back to her chest. He didn’t wait to see if she followed him because why would she? She’d probably already eaten and ever since the other night it had seemed like she wanted as little contact with him as possible. It bothered him but there wasn’t much he could do about it without turning into a pushy asshole and he didn’t want to be that either. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and settled on the couch with it, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. Mostly he tried not to think that his breakfast used to involve a syringe and a metal spoon. After a moment Emi came out of the bedroom, the book still held in her arms and her eyes watching him for a moment. He didn’t know what she was thinking and he didn’t ask because they weren’t going to be friends, no matter how much he wanted otherwise. Her duty came first and always would. He was just one sealbreaker out of at least a dozen of them and when she was gone she would forget about him like she had the others. If he was lucky he would manage to forget her, but he didn’t think that was going to happen. She waited until his cereal was gone and he’d cleaned up the bowl before she took the book to the table and opened it up on the wooden surface. He smirked as he turned around and wondered if she would get mad if he wanted to go shower first. “Ask it now,” she told him. Her hands rubbed at her arms, stepping back and nodding her head at the book. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I’ll ask, but I’m showering before we go anywhere, okay?” She nodded her head. “Just ask.” Emi was all business and he glanced at her for a moment because he really didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to go wandering off into other worlds and facing off with demons and he didn’t want to do anything. He just wanted to go back to bed and pretend that if he went to sleep then he would wake up and his life would be something worth waking up to. He didn’t think Emi wanted to hear any of that. Another sigh left his lips and he nodded his head, walking towards the table. “Hey book,” he said. “Why don’t you give us a heads up on the next demon that supposed to kick my ass?” The book fluttered as soon as the words were out of his mouth and he watched the pages flip in the wind. There was a knot settling in his gut and he glanced up past the book towards Emi. For a moment there was a look on her face and she didn’t look happy or satisfied. She looked almost sad as she sat there staring at the fluttering paper and he wondered if she did want out and just didn’t want to ask for it. He thought about how quietly she’d whispered that she thought they would be friends and maybe they already were and she just didn’t want to admit it. It felt like more, but maybe she was right and he hoped for too much. When the pages finally stopped fluttering they settled on an inking of a dog or a wolf or something. He glanced at Emi’s face and she looked pale and not like herself. “Tsuiseki-sha,” she said quietly. Wenston For a moment, Emi just chewed on her lip and stared at the ink drawing of Tsuiseki-sha and she couldn’t move. The inking was fake and not realistic at all, but it didn’t keep her from remembering the fangs and the claws and the feel of the wolf’s hot breath on her neck and she turned her glare to Sly instead of the Grimoire because he was just sitting there looking at her curiously. “Ask it again,” she demanded and when she did, Sly frowned, puzzled. “What? You think it’s gonna change its mind?” Sly asked and there was a small smirk quirking the corner of his lips, but she didn’t return it, not even in spirit. Reaching forward, Emi shoved the book closer to him and pointed to the picture. “Ask it again, it has made a mistake.” Even as the words were coming out of her mouth she knew they weren’t true. The Grimoire chose the demon it thought they were most ready to handle. Why it chose Tsuiseki-sha, she didn’t understand and couldn’t begin to guess. He was almost always saved for towards the end. He was powerful and dangerous and wicked. She dreaded facing Tsuiseki-sha almost as much as she dreaded facing Takeru. “Mistake?” Sly asked and he seemed to be waking up a little bit at her distress. He’d been despondent these past couple of days and Emi didn’t like the change in him, but it wasn’t something that needed to be done because they couldn’t be friends. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. Daisuke would never approve. And even though the man was dead and gone and had been for a long time, she still did things according to what he would approve of. “Emi…” Sly started. She cut him off quickly and banged her hand on the table. He startled a little bit at the outburst and she surprised herself at it, but she didn’t let it show on his face. “Ask it again, Baka,” she spat at him. There was a moment where concern flashed across Sly’s face, and then annoyance and he tipped his head down towards the book and said, “Yo, book, your hot Asian wants to fight another demon. Maybe you could change your mind?” He stared at the pages and Emi stared at the picture of Tsuiseki-sha, but none of them moved. The book didn’t flip to any other page and it just sat there, still and unmoving and Emi hadn’t expected anything else. “Well, looks like we’re stuck with the mutt,” Sly said, glancing up at her. Emi brought a hand to her lips and chewed on one of her thumbnails. Her face was furrowed in a frown as she watched the Grimoire and then she shook her head. “I do not understand,” she whispered and she wasn’t really talking to Sly, more to herself, but Sly raised his eyebrow anyway. “Why would it choose Tsuiseki-sha? We are not ready for him.” And she wondered if it was just that she wasn’t ready for him. Sly chewed on the hoop in his lip before looking up at her again. “Well, we could wait,” he suggested with a hopeful look. “Hold off for a couple days, or weeks, or months. Heck, we could waits years, right?” She almost said yes. She almost said that they should wait, but she took one look at his face and he wasn’t asking to wait because he didn’t think they were prepared. He was asking to wait because he wanted her to stick around and the fact that he wanted that scared her. So she shook her head. “No, we cannot wait,” she said. She licked her lips and ducked her head, giving a defeated sigh. “If the Grimoire thinks we are ready for Tsuiseki-sha, then we must face him.” Sly tilted his head to the side to study her for a moment and she realized she’d closed in on herself, so she let her arms fall down to her side and her back straighten. “So,” Sly said and pointed at the inking of the dog. “What makes this guy so tough?” Emi sighed, looking towards the wall and she thought about lying to him for a moment. But she wasn’t a liar and Sly deserved the truth, especially if they were going to go fight Tsuiseki-sha together. He should know what he was getting into. “I have had sex with him,” she said and Sly’s eyes shot open wide. She worked on keeping her face calm and passive. “What?” he asked, sounding a little shocked. “I don’t…think I heard you right on that one, babe,” he said. “Because it sounded like you said that you had sex with a demon.” Emi’s face puckered and she shook her head. “It was before he was a demon and before I was the Guardian. He was a warrior from my village and we were having a loveless relationship when my village was destroyed. He was slaughtered with them, but the fates must have seen potential in him because they made him a demon to the Grimoire.” Sly snorted and grinned and she didn’t see what was so funny about that. “So he’s one of your ex-boyfriends?” he asked. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he gave a dry laugh. “Man and I thought Krystal was bad. Your ex is a demon.” “He was not my boyfriend,” she snapped and Sly raised an eyebrow, looking a little amused as he leaned back against the couch. Emi took a steadying breath. “He was married, but his wife would not conceive, so I was tasked with conceiving a child for them.” At that, the smile slipped from Sly’s face and was replaced with a frown. She watched his face because he looked puzzled and a little put off by that and she wondered if it wasn’t something that was commonly practiced these days. Sly waved a hand in the air, shaking his head. “Wait a minute, so he just wanted to have a kid with you?” When Emi nodded, Sly scoffed. He hesitated before he asked, “Did you have one?” and he sounded awkward asking it, like he wasn’t sure if she was about to get offended or not, but she didn’t. “No,” she told him. “It was not his wife who was the problem.” At that, Sly gave a laugh. “Oh, so he’s shooting blanks, huh?” At Emi’s puzzled look, he shook his head. “Nevermind. So, you two have history, I get it. But you’re good at not making things personal, so, why’s this guy so tough?” Emi tried not to let the words hurt because that’s what he thought of her, that she didn’t make things personal. She wondered if he thought she just forgot about all the past sealbreakers and she wondered if he knew she could name each and every one of them. She could tell him all about them If she wanted to. And there was a reason she didn’t have relationships with them. It was easier to say goodbye when they didn’t like each other. Emi sighed, sitting down on the couch beside Sly and he looked surprised that she was sitting so close to him. She stared at the spot on the floor where his magic box used to be and she wondered when he was going to get a new one. Probably after he paid those nasty men who wanted money from him. “Because,” she said and she frowned because she didn’t think she was ready to face Tsuiseki-sha. She didn’t think either of them were ready, but there must have been a reason the Grimoire chose him next. There must have been a reason he was sending them to that world. “He still desires a child.” .Wolfie. Sly sat quietly next to Emi on the couch and at first he didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t saying anything, her hands resting in her lap and her eyes just focused on the floor. He was staring at her but he couldn’t help it because she didn’t look like herself. She didn’t look confident and in control and it was so unlike everything he’d come to associate with her that he wasn’t sure how to react. He wondered just how consensual it had been with this guy. From what she’d said about her father the guy probably could have told her it was her duty and she would have done it without question. Then again, maybe she hadn’t seen a problem with it. Maybe she’d volunteered and it surprised him how much that bothered him. He wasn’t one to talk about loveless relationships but he thought there was a difference between a casual fuck and her being used to just to carry some other guy’s kid. He didn’t like it but that probably shouldn’t be the first thing on his mind going after this guy. “Well,” he finally said. “That’s too fucking bad for him, isn’t it?” He smiled at her as she glanced up at him, her gaze shuttered and masked. The words didn’t look like they’d made her feel any better and after a moment he sighed, pushing himself to his feet. She was still watching him as he rounded the couch. “You can take this guy,” he said with a grin. He paused to rest a hand on the top of her head and he wasn’t surprised when she shoved him off. A sigh left his lips and he just held his hands up as he started to walk away. “Baka,” she snapped. He couldn’t tell if she was angry at him or at the prospect of facing this demon but either way she sounded pissed. He glanced over his shoulder at her and she looked mostly frustrated. “I know,” he said, still smiling. “We’re not friends. We’re not anything.” Then he shrugged. “But you’re still a hot, badass Asian.” She frowned but didn’t say anything else. He gathered his clothes out of the bedroom and then went in for a shower. As much as he didn’t like leaving Emi alone when she looked so sad and disturbed, he needed time to think. He didn’t know what he needed to think about but his head wasn’t focused and he was still so fucking tired. The water was warm on his skin and he was happy to just duck his head beneath it and let the shower try and wash the sleep and the grit from his eyes. He closed them and tried to focus on what they were doing instead of what he wanted to be doing. What he wanted to do was get loaded. What he wanted was for Emi to smile at him again and it seemed like every time he thought he was doing better he just made things worse. He didn’t know which one of those things he wanted more but he understood that he couldn’t have both. If he relapsed already then she would hate him and if he stayed sober then… then what? What the fuck did he think was going to happen? He laughed at himself and rested his head against the tiles. They were going to kill another demon. That’s what he should be thinking about. A wolf or dog demon or something that used to bang Emi and there was no part of this that didn’t seem like an all around bad plan. He wished she’d told him that they could put it off but maybe it was better this way. Maybe they could just go and kill him and be done with it. He turned the shower off when it started to get cold and he dressed quickly to try and warm his chilled skin. He was still scrubbing a towel through his hair when he shoved the door open and it was easy for him to plaster a smile on, eyes seeking out Emi. “So this demon,” he said. “He’s gonna be gunning more for you than for me, yeah?” Emi frowned and glanced over at him. She was still sitting on the couch, her sword next to her hand. She still looked uneasy and unhappy and he hated that look on her face. He didn’t like that something had her scared and he especially didn’t like that it was some demon who wanted to do horrible things to her and make her bear his child or whatever the fuck he had planned. “Yes,” she said. “He will likely regard you as nothing more than an annoyance to him.” “Well, I can’t really argue that, can I?” He smirked and he saw Emi’s eyes narrow farther but she didn’t say anything. “You think he’ll have any tricks up his sleeve?” he asked, going to get his backpack out of the bedroom. “I don’t know,” Emi answered, and he thought that made him more nervous than anything. He sighed, coming back out to throw a couple of cans of soup in his bag. It was empty without his black case and he bit down on the hoop in his lip as he tried not to think about that. He was failing miserably and he knew it but he was still sober so that had to count for something, right? “Right,” Sly said, kicking a chair out of the way as he stood in front of the book. “I guess we’ll find out, right?” He smirked and he knew it was fake but he did it anyway because Emi was looking back at him. After a moment she pushed herself to her feet and came back to the table, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to ask the book where they were going. He chewed on the metal hoop and ran a hand through his hair. “You sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. “We can wait. It’s not a big deal.” “I will be fine,” she said, her voice sharp and cold. He didn’t believe the words, no matter that she wasn’t a liar. “Now ask the book to show us the way.” She pointed at the pages as she said it, before putting her arms back over her chest. Sly sighed and then nodded his head, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Hey book,” he said, kicking at the table again. “Why don’t you show us where the door to this dog demon thing is?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth the pages were fluttering, smoke rising up from inside it and coiling around him. It was fucked up that he was getting used to this. It seemed wrong that it wasn’t out of the ordinary to go hunting demons or holding smoke in his fingers. He wondered when the day would come that he would wake up and realize that he’d been put in a rehab facility because he was completely out of his fucking mind. His hand came out to grasp the smoky coil and as soon as he did, the book snapped shut. Emi moved to grab it, hands curling around the binding and then moving to his back to put the book inside. He held still to let her and he glanced over his shoulder at her face as she did. “So your uh… arrangement,” he said. “That a normal thing back then?” She glanced at his face and then her eyes dropped. “It was not unheard of,” she answered. “Huh,” he said, running a hand over his mouth. The other was gripping the smoky gray rope in his hand and he followed it to the door. He pulled it open, holding it for her as he let her out into the hallway and he tried not to glance at the door across the hall. He tried not to think that he didn’t know how long it was going to take to kill this demon and the longer he was gone the less money he could make. “Well, it’s pretty unheard of here. They’ve got surgeries for that shit now.” She didn’t say anything, her face masked and calm. He didn’t know what she was thinking, if she was okay with any of this. He wondered if she was dreading killing him or looking forward to it and he was surprised at the weird knot of jealousy in his gut. The rope of smoke led them out onto the sidewalk and he grimaced at the bright sun, covering his eyes with his hand. He squinted against it, trying to focus on where the gray line was leading them. It coiled down the asphalt and he trailed behind it like a dog on a leash. The thought almost made him laugh but he wasn’t really finding a lot funny today. He glanced over at Emi and she was barely sparing him a glance. It made him wonder if he’d just been crazy when she told him that she thought they would be friends or if she was just trying to make the lesson sink in that they couldn’t be. He sighed, nudging her with his shoulder and drawing her eyes to his face. “So look, this is going to sound kind of cheesy and I don’t even know if you even need to hear it, but in case you’re not sure, I mean, I think you’re worth more than just being some asshole’s baby mamma.” “Baka,” she said, and his face contorted into something between a smile and a wince as he waited for the next words. She seemed to hesitate and then she looked down at the sidewalk. “I am the thirteenth daughter. My only love must be for my duty.” He tripped a little at that and tried to cover it up, but he thought that was one of the saddest things she’d said to him yet. He frowned and she glanced at his face, studying him curiously like she was surprised by the reaction. After a moment he snorted and shook his head, keeping careful hold on the gray rope in his hands. “I gotta tell you, that’s pretty depressing, sugar.” “It is how it must be,” she told him firmly. “Yeah?” he drawled, glancing down at her. She had her head up and she looked like she was getting herself back under control. He wasn’t sure he believed it. Ahead of them the smoke rope guided them around a corner and then disappeared down the stairs into the subway station. He grimaced and then followed it downwards, turning his attention back to Emi. “Well I don’t get that. I don’t get who gets off thinking they get to tell you how things have to be and how you’re supposed to live your life. I mean, look at you. You’re smart, amazing, sick hot, and you fight like a goddess. So the way I see it you should do whatever it is you want to do.” “That is because you do not understand honor,” she snapped. He was surprised at how irritated she sounded and he ducked his head to look at the ground, ignoring his own frustrations. “My duty is more important than my personal desires. It is more important than any one man and no matter how many times you ask me it isn’t going to change.” A sigh left his lips and he threw one hand into the air. “God damn woman,” he snapped. “I’m not telling you to say fuck all to your duty. I’m just saying that I don’t get who has the right to decide what that is for you. I don’t get why that has to be your everything.” She sighed and didn’t answer him and he tried to shut his own damn mouth because he’d probably just pissed her off. He ran his hand through his hair and followed the smoky rope through the subway. It led them to the spinning entryways and he hoped it easily with one hand. Emi frowned and then followed after, her feet light as she landed back on the ground. The rope ran forward and led them to the door of a subway car where a familiar symbol sat on its metal surface. “Well,” he drawled. “Here we are. Last chance to change your mind, babe.” She didn’t answer, but when the doors slid open she walked forward into the light. Wenston As they stepped through the door, Sly tripped and fell to his hands and knees. Emi was able to catch herself and if she hadn’t been so focused on the demon and this world, she would have found it amusing that Sly seemed to have so much trouble with the doors. She went to help him up, but paused when she saw where they’d come out the other side in. It was a room, instead of open land or a forest like she’d thought it would be. But she should have expected it, because Tsuiseki-sha was different from the other demons. He wasn’t trying to hide or make them waste time in his world. He wanted them to come. Specifically her and the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. Of course Tsuiseki-sha would have things waiting for her to show up. He wanted her here. And he wanted her to stay here. Sly pushed himself into a kneeling position, brushing himself off and then he paused when he noticed the room they were in. He frowned and it looked like he didn’t know whether to be amused or disgusted. They’d come out of the door into a bedroom. A vast, spacious bedroom with a four post, canopy bed in the middle that was twice as large as any bed Emi had ever seen. There were throw pillows and soft, deep red blankets on the bed. On the opposite side of the room was a vanity, set up with all sorts of accessories and next to them was a rack of clothes and Emi saw some kimonos that looked like the things she used to wear before she’d become the Guardian. “Did we seriously teleport to the dude’s bedroom?” Sly asked and he still had a strange look on his face that she couldn’t read. Emi didn’t respond at first, she just drew her katana, her eyes darting around the room. She saw no motion and no signs of Tsuiseki-sha, but she didn’t sheath her sword because she still didn’t feel comfortable. “He has had much time to prepare,” she told Sly quietly and then she did lean down to grab his arm and pull him to his feet. He had been looking content to just sit on the floor all day, but they needed to find Tsuiseki-sha so they could kill him and leave his world. Sly had work in a couple of days. He couldn’t miss work. He had to make money to pay back those men. She wondered distantly if she should try to help him earn money, but she didn’t know what she could do to earn it. “Be on your guard, Baka,” she told him. “I do not believe we will remain hidden for long. He is not like the others. He wants us here.” Sly snorted and looked around the room. He paused when he noticed a painting on the opposite wall and she followed his gaze, feeling her hand tighten around her katana. The painting was of her. “No, I think he wants you here,” he said. Emi let out a sigh and headed for the door to the bedroom. She wasn’t sure what laid beyond it, because Tsuiseki-sha hadn’t had a palace the last time she’d been in his world. He’d been feral and reckless she’d chased him around in the woods. She didn’t know what it meant that there seemed to be civilization this time around. Opening the door, she peered out into the hallway. There were doors lining the stone walls in both directions, but the hallway curved and she couldn’t see which way would lead them out. So she chose to go right, walking along the wall and making certain Sly stayed near to her. “So, how’d you get into an arrangement with this guy, anyway?” Sly asked and she frowned because it sounded like he was trying to be casual, but there was an undertone of a different emotion to his voice and she wondered if he thought ill of her because of it. Maybe he disapproved of it and if he did, it would surprise her a little bit because he seemed very open and willing. Emi kept her voice low. “It was asked of me,” she said. “By who?” Sly asked, whispering as well and at least he was trying to be quiet, even when he could not keep his mouth shut. She was leading them down the hallway and each of the rooms she passed, she’d peer into and they were all bedrooms. Decorated differently. She hadn’t seen a single occupant in any of them and she wondered what they were all for. Maybe Tsuiseki-sha was trying to have children with other women, other than her. When Emi didn’t answer at first, Sly looked annoyed or frustrated and she didn’t understand why. He chewed his lip before he said, “Was it Daisuke?” he asked, pronouncing the name incorrectly, but close enough that it made her stiffen. She didn’t think she would ever get used to that name coming out of Sly’s mouth. And he’d said it with such disdain that she almost turned around and yelled at him. “Yes,” was all she said and Sly scoffed, but wisely kept his mouth shut. They were approaching the end of the hallway and when they reached the door, Emi crouched down next to it, glancing back at him and watching as he did the same. She narrowed her eyes at him because he had an upset look on his face. “It was an honor that I met his approval to bear another life,” she said and the words didn’t seem to help his mood out any. “You know what,” Sly said and he leaned forward and Emi wasn’t sure why he looked so angry all of a sudden. “I think your definition of honor is out of date, sweetheart. There’s ways to be honorable without always getting fucked over.” Emi frowned and shook her head. “I was not wronged,” she said. Sly snorted. “Yeah, because getting stuck in a never-ending duty protecting a bunch of assholes who want to raise a god and having sex with a guy who doesn’t give a shit about you other than you’re the woman whose going to have his baby, sounds like you weren’t wronged at all.” Turning back to the door, Emi didn’t have a rebuttal for that. She didn’t have an argument and she thought she should have. No one had ever questioned her sense of honor before. No one had ever asked her to put herself before others and she wasn’t sure what she thought about that. She wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore because Sly seemed really upset with the whole thing and she couldn’t tell why, exactly. “Are you mad that I had sex with a man I didn’t love?” she asked, not turning around to look at him, her eyes on the door and she knew this was a bad time to be talking about all of this, because it was keeping her from having her head in the game, but she needed to know now. Now that he’d started it, she needed to know what he thought. Sly sighed. “No,” he said and that made her glance back at his face. He was studying her a minute. “I’m mad that, of all the things you’ve told me about yourself, none of the crap that’s happened to you has been of your own free will. Everything’s just been forced on you. Tell me a time when you got to choose to do something you wanted,” he said. Emi frowned. She didn’t have an answer for that. The silence seemed to answer for her because Sly shook his head. “Exactly,” he said. “You should get what you want sometimes. Not what other people want for you.” Emi watched him a moment before turning around and getting ready to open the door. “Baka,” she whispered. “Sometimes I cannot tell if you are very wise or if you are a silver-tongued fool.” He laughed slightly. “Which one would win you over?” .Wolfie. “Neither,” Emi told him, and he couldn’t tell if she was smiling or not. Then she pushed the door open.It revealed a stone staircase that spiraled downwards. Emi kept her hand tight on her blade as she moved forward, her footsteps light on the stones. Her eyes were narrowed and her head tilted to the side as she listened and watched for any signs of the demon. Tapestries hung on the gray walls and he didn’t like that most of them were either of women or of hunting dogs chasing down deer or people through the forest. He frowned at one because it was a man with a tattoo on his chest getting ripped apart by dogs that looked like wolves. The tattoo looked way too fucking familiar and he scratched at his own chest when he saw it. “We’ll see,” he answered, turning his attention back to Emi. “I haven’t shown you just how silver tongued I am.” Her hand rested on the wall to guide her way but she glanced over her shoulder at the words. He grinned and shot her a wink. It just drew a sigh from her lips and she shook her head at him, turning back around to the stairs. He kept his eyes on her and she was tense and uneasy. He could tell just by the way she carried herself and he didn’t like that. He didn’t like that she’d been forced into that arrangement and he didn’t like that she thought it was an honor to be used like that. He really didn’t like that she didn’t even see herself as being used and it bothered him because she deserved better. She deserved the world and he wished he could be the type of man that could give that to her. He wished he could be better for her. Sly tried to stay quiet as they headed downwards but his feet felt thick and clumsy compared to her and he could hear his footsteps echoing off the walls. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced behind him, wishing he’d gotten a gun already because then maybe they could just shoot this asshole and be done with it. There were lights flickering in sconces to guide their way down and he scrubbed a hand over his eyes because it was bright and they bothered him. She slowed when they reached the bottom of the staircase and he tried to follow her movements. There was a room that opened up to their right and another set of stairs to their left. Her fingertips rested against the ground as she crouched, looking around the corner into the room next to them. He could see firelight flickering across her skin and he tensed because she did. There was no one in the room, but it looked like someone had been recently because there were flames burning in a grand fireplace, a thick fur rug spread out in front of it and he felt his lip curl because he didn’t like thinking about what this demon wanted with Emi. Bookcases lined the wall and there were a few plush couches spread out around it. He could see a bottle of something sitting on the table and he imagined it was wine or maybe a roofie colada. There were two glasses set up and waiting and he felt a sick feeling in his gut as he wondered just how many times Emi had faced this demon. His mouth was moving before he could think about what he was asking and he glanced down at her face as he did. “Has he ever… been with you after becoming a demon?” She stiffened and didn’t look at him and her voice was low when she answered. That sick feeling was churning in his gut and he didn’t like the way her eyes dropped to the ground at the question. He didn’t like anything about this and the longer they were here the more he just wanted her to kill this demon and be done with him. “He has tried,” she told him. Sly’s eyes narrowed and then he nodded his head. “Yup,” he said. “I officially hate this guy.” Emi glanced back at him for a moment and then her gaze dropped to the stairway. “We should continue on,” she said. He snorted and let her lead the way, watching her as she slid to the top of the stairs. She was light and silent on the stones as she followed them down, her knuckles white around the hilt of her sword. The stairs let out into a grand hallway, huge wooden tables set up parallel to each other and set for a feast or something. He wondered where all the other people were because so far they hadn’t seen anyone. There were just empty rooms and creepy paintings and all of it was making him uneasy. At the far end was the main table and to the left was another fireplace, the logs smoldering within the bricks. There was a painting of a man over the fireplace and he thought maybe that was the demon, but he wasn’t sure. There was a woman waiting for them, and she wasn’t what Sly expected. She was sitting at the main table, her legs slung over the side and a glass of wine held in her hands. Sharp, black nails rested against the glass surface. Her face was painted in a white and black skull pattern like she was celebrating the day of the dead, her lips bright crimson and her dark hair spilling around her face. Piercing eyes were already focused on them and a smile curled her mouth when she saw them. She was hot in a gothic sort of way, her dress low cut and leaving little to the imagination. “Emiko Kobayashi,” she said. Her voice was low and sultry and it echoed across the hall. At the sound of it, six dogs lifted their head from around her feet and Sly tensed because he hadn’t seen them there. They were big fucking dogs, their lips curling in a snarl and baring sharp white fangs. He licked his lips and told his feet to stay put instead of turning and running the other way. “I do not know you,” Emi told the woman. Her sword was still out and she shifted slightly so that she was in front of Sly. He thought he should feel worse about that but she was the badass Asian chick and he was the dumbass with no weapon and a target on his chest. The woman laughed and it was a loud, mocking sound. She pushed herself slowly to her feet, her movements lithe and graceful and he had to give it to the guy, he had good taste in women. “No,” she said. “But I know you. My master will be pleased that you are here.” Her footsteps carried her up onto the table and her eyes never left them as she walked across it. She didn’t even glance at Sly and he didn’t know if he was grateful for that or annoyed. This was all too personal and maybe Emi was good with pushing that sort of thing away but he was uncomfortable for her. “Well, that’s convenient,” Sly said, resting a hand on Emi’s shoulder. “We were looking for him. Hey, you think your boss could come out and say ‘hi’ so that we can go ahead and kill him? I mean, not that we’re in a rush or anything, but the sooner he’s dead, the sooner we can leave. And no offense to you or anything, but this whole place is kinda giving me the creeps.” The woman looked at him with her eyes narrowed. “Be quiet, Shīruburēka,” she snapped. “Name’s Sly, babe,” he told her, and then he sighed, shaking his head and glancing at Emi. “Why does everyone keep calling me that? And how come I keep getting told to shut up? Do you think I talk too much?” “You are of no interest to me,” the woman snapped. He shouted in surprise as she flicked her fingers and he found himself slamming into the wall, his head cracking off the stones. Emi’s eyes were wide and he returned the look as he pushed himself back to his feet. “I have heard much about you,” the woman said, head tilting curiously as she studied Emi. “A warrior without equal, I am told. I wonder how true that is. Should we test it?” A smile crossed her face as she asked the question, turning to look at her dogs. Emi tensed a moment before a sharp whistle pierced the air and as soon as it did the dogs were up and moving. They charged swiftly across the ground and Sly automatically took a step back before Emi’s hand curled in his shirt and shoved him back against the wall. Then her blade was slicing out, cutting through the first dog as soon as it reached her. There was a high pitched yelp and then a growl as the second one launched itself off the floor at her. Its teeth were sharp and white in the fire but she flipped easily out of the way, landing on the table and lashing out with her sword. It caught the second one across the face and it cried out as it cut across its eye. The beast stumbled back, paws clawing at its face and shaking its head. The other four were already snapping and attacking Emi at once, two of them darting beneath her blade and launching t her chest while the other two tried to attack her from the back. She whirled, slicing out with her sword in an arc. She kicked out at one of the dogs and then jumped over it to the floor, turning and slamming her sword home in another’s chest. The one with the blinded eye was growling, shaking the blood from its head before it turned and noticed Sly. A growl curled its lips and he felt curses spilling from his as he scrambled away from it. His hand curled around a chair and he yanked it in front of him as the dog leapt. It slammed hard into the wood, knocking Sly back against the wall as he tried to hold it off. “Nice doggie,” he said, “Nice killer mutt… Jesus.” He gasped as it shoved its head through the wooden slats, snapping at his face with sharp fangs. He shoved the chair hard at it, trying to knock it away from him. The woman was laughing and clapping her hands, watching with a grin on her painted face as she watched. She was smiling at Sly as her hound snapped and fought to get at him. He felt claws raking at his legs and he pulled them back, kicking at the thing with his boots. It snarled and tried to turn to bite at him, but its head was still trapped within the chair and that was something anyway. Then the woman was turning to look at Emi and she was kicking away one of the remaining three dogs, hurrying to Sly’s side. Her blade lashed out and severed the hound’s head from its body, an arc of red splattering Sly’s face when she did. She whirled to face the other three, blade ready at her side as they charged at her. Snapping jaws aimed towards her leg and her face and she kicked them aside, the whole time the woman laughing quietly as she watched. She didn’t seem to care that her mutts were getting slaughtered. Maybe she was into that kind of thing and he decided that at that level of creepy it didn’t matter how hot she was. “Megara!” a voice suddenly shouted. It echoed across the hall, cracking off the stones with the force of its anger. Emi tensed but didn’t take her eyes off the dogs so Sly did it for her, turning his head to watch the man descending the opposite stairs. His face was cast in shadow but he was pretty sure he was the same guy in the painting over the fireplace and that meant he was the asshole they had come here to kill. The woman whistled and immediately the dogs stopped attacking, stepping back and sitting patiently on the stones. “My lord,” she whispered, bowing her head. He waved a hand at her, dismissing her like he would a pet and then his gaze turned towards Emi and there was nothing about the look he wore that Sly liked. “Emiko,” he said. Her name came out like a caress and he saw her tense at the sound of it. “Tsuiseki-sha,” she said. Wenston He was exactly how Emi remembered him. The past few times she’d encountered Tsuiseki-sha, he’d been more beast than man. But now, standing there, she could remember what he’d been like before he’d become the demon. He’d been a great hunter in their village. One of the very best and he’d been able to track just about anything. She remembered they day he’d gotten married, because she’d been very young and hadn’t started training to become the Guardian yet. She remembered thinking he was handsome – but that was all before she knew about the Grimoire. Now, when she laid eyes on him, she felt sick to her stomach. A knot of dread had tied itself deep in her gut and she was trying very hard not to let it show how much his presence bothered her. The only thing she was grateful for, was that at least they were facing Tsuiseki-sha first thing, instead of walking through a maze of tricks and traps. At least he would die quickly. Tsuiseki-sha grinned at her as he walked into the room, his hands folded behind his back. He looked human, but she knew otherwise. She knew it was just a guise. “You look more and more beautiful every time we meet,” he said, eyes solely on her and Emi still had her sword held out in front of her and Sly at her back. She was still wary of the dogs sitting there patiently and the woman, Megara, on the other side of the room. The woman didn’t look happy to see them. In fact, she was looking at Emi with an intense glare. “I am here to kill you, Tsuiseki-sha,” Emi said, looking him in the eye so he’d know she wasn’t going to change her mind about it. He laughed anyway and it was a putrid sound. “You were always about business,” he said, a cruel smile on his face and Emi narrowed her eyes, increasingly aware of her embarrassment at having Sly hear these things about her. She wasn’t sure why she was embarrassed or why she felt something like shame. Maybe it was the way he’d reacted when she told him about what happened. Or maybe a part of her wanted him to know that it didn’t mean anything that she’d slept with Tsuiseki-sha and refused all of Sly’s advances. They weren’t the same situations. She wanted him to understand that. And it frightened her a little just how badly she wanted that. Tsuiseki-sha shrugged, holding his hands out and Emi tightened her grip on her katana, glaring at him in case he decided to attack. He just chuckled, holding his hands up and he was more calm and collected than she’d seen him in a long time. “But first, I have a proposition for you that I think you should hear.” “I do not make deals with your kind,” she snapped at him. The grin that spread across his face was something terribly wicked. “You’ve just never had the right bargaining chips.” Then he flicked his wrist at Megara. Before she could react, Sly was giving a startled cry behind her. She whipped her head around to look at him, but he was already moving. She tried to reach out and grab onto him, but his shirt slipped through her fingers and then he was slamming into the wall across the room. Megara hand her hand up and she twisted her fingers. In doing so, Sly was turned around so his back was pressed against the wall, his hands held up at his sides by invisible bonds. There was a trickle of blood leaking down the side of his head from where he’d smacked into the wall and he struggled in vain for a moment against the bonds Emi couldn’t see. “Sonofabitch,” Sly spat, giving up his struggles and he glared at Megara. “That’s a neat trick,” he snapped. The woman laughed cruelly, sauntering over to him. Emi started to go to him, but Tsuiseki-sha said, “She can kill him with a snap of her fingers.” It made Emi stop in her tracks and Sly’s eyes widened a little at that, as Megara held up her hand, her fingers ready to snap. Turning to glare at the demon, Emi spat, “I will kill you, Akuma.” He laughed again and he was coming closer, but she held her ground and didn’t move because Megara was next to Sly, her fingers running over his chest. Sly looked slightly uncomfortable at that as he looked at Megara’s face and then down at her hands. The woman chuckled, sultry and low. Emi glared at Tsuiseki-sha as he spoke. “You could,” he agreed. “But not before I kill him.” Sly gave a sudden yell and Emi’s eyes darted to him. Megara had her fingers pressed into his chest, her fingernails drawing bloody marks down his shoulder. “Bitch,” Sly told her and she laughed before slapping him hard across the face, drawing a trickle of blood from his lips. “Do not touch him,” Emi growled at her. Megara turned to look at her, the glare back on her face. Tsuiseki-sha leaned forward a little. “Musuhi is an opponent you’ve never been able to win against,” he said and Emi turned her attention back to him because the words were true. Magicians were some of the most deadly warriors in all the worlds. Megara seemed to be a very powerful one. “But, I’ll let him live.” Emi frowned and she didn’t like where this was going. “I’ll let him live, and I’ll give you a home. Here, with me. All you have to do,” he reached out and Emi tensed as his hand brushed at her face. “Is be with me.” “Fuck that,” Sly yelled. “Emi, kick his ass.” The outburst earned him another harsh backhand to the face. His cheek split, more blood trickling down his face and it enraged Emi to see blood on his skin. She turned her attention back to Tsuiseki-sha and she tipped her head to the side as she looked at him. “Tsuiseki-sha,” she said and he leaned a little closer, his face near to hers. He was smiling, and she had an answer for that wicked smile of his. “I will never be with you,” she whispered. The smile fell off his face a moment before she moved. She brought Kaidokusuru up, aiming for his neck as she sliced. He gasped and then he was moving too and he was a lot faster than she remembered. He lashed out at her and suddenly he wasn’t human anymore. Fur had sprouted along his skin and a snout replaced his face. Her aim was off because of the shift and she missed hitting him with her katana. She ducked backwards and abandoned him for a moment, instead redirecting herself at Megara because she wanted the woman away from Sly. Megara gave a startled gasp, ducking beneath the blow of her sword then throwing her hand out towards Emi. The powerful blast of an invisible force caught her square in the chest, sending her back across the room. She fell and rolled for a moment, but used the momentum to roll herself right back to her feet. Then, Tsuiseki-sha was on her. He was coming at her, trying to subdue her and she knew he was trying not to hurt her because he didn’t want her dead and he didn’t want her hurt. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to have a child with her and Emi wasn’t about to let that happen. She didn’t want to be with him. Now more than ever, and she was having trouble understanding where Sly came in to all of this, but he was on her mind because she didn’t want to be with anyone while he was around. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be with him. It couldn’t mean that. It just couldn’t. Emi flipped backwards away from Tsuiseki-sha’s grasping, clawed hands. She lashed out at him and caught him across the arm with her sword. He gave a pained howl and across the room, Megara answered it with an angry yell. Emi sliced at him again and then Tsuiseki-sha was moving faster and more viciously than he had been a moment ago. He was countering her and she wasn’t sure he was even aware he was doing it. He swiped at her with his claws and she ducked beneath it. When he lunged, she leapt over him, kicking his back to push them away from each other. Then she turned around and was getting ready to slash at him again, but he’d already caught himself and was turning back, his claws raking. She felt pain tear through her side and she couldn’t help the sudden gasp that escaped her throat. From the wall, Sly yelled her name and Megara clapped, laughing happily. Tsuiseki-sha didn’t slow down and he didn’t stop, even when Emi felt her own body refuse to move. He swiped at her again and the claws raked across her arm, digging in deep and she yelled, stumbling backwards before he swung his mighty, furred paw at her face, backhanding her hard. She tripped and hit the ground hard and she laid there for a moment, blinking the blood and darkness from her eyes. “Emi!” Sly was yelling and his struggles had started up again against the invisible bonds. “You fucker, leave her the hell alone!” For a moment, nothing happened and Emi laid on the floor, just concentrating on breathing. Her side was on fire, blooding seeping from a wound there and more from several slashes on her arm. One side of her face was numb but there was blood trickling into her eye from a wound on her head. She felt dizzy and sick all at once, but she was trained to withstand pain, so she starting pushing herself up, no matter how much it hurt. A growl from behind her was the only warning she had before a hand was fisting itself into her hair and yanking her backwards. She stumbled as Tsuiseki-sha shoved her down against the table and rolled her onto her back, one hand coming to grasp her around the throat and his snarling snout near her face. “Look what you made me do!” he screamed at her, his voice deep and feral. He lifted her by her neck and slammed her back down against the table and it took her breath away, leaving her gasping. “We’re supposed to be together,” he cried, his other free hand moving to her side, slipping beneath her shirt and she hated being touched and this was why. Emi tried to listen for Sly, but he wasn’t yelling and it sounded like there was a struggle going on over by the wall. She hoped Megara wasn’t hurting him and she realized her mind was wandering and that was never a good sign. She felt weak and sick and the pain was fading away into numbness which wasn’t any better. Tsuiseki-sha nuzzled her neck with his snout and her hand closed tighter around her katana. “You’re mine,” he growled and nipped at her neck. With a shaky breath, she whispered, “Never,” before bringing her sword up with all the strength she could muster and slicing it into the side of Tsuiseki-sha’s head. He went tense for a moment and Emi’s hand fell from the hilt of her blade because she didn’t have the strength to keep holding onto it and she couldn’t even think about why that was. Then he tipped to the side and fell off of her, dragging her down with him as they fell off the table and to the floor with a thud. Emi laid there for a moment and from near the wall, she could hear Megara’s quiet, panicked, “My lord?” Then the woman was screaming in rage and Emi forced her head to roll and search Sly out. There was darkness encroaching on the edges of her vision and her breathing was coming in short, stunted gasps, but she saw Sly and he had blood trickling from his mouth and his head and there were scratches on his chest and it looked like Megara had been roughing him up a little, but his eyes were wide and they were on her and they were scared. Seeing that, Emi forced herself to roll onto her side and she tried to push herself up. Her arms were shaky and her skin was pale, but Sly needed her because he was still being held against the wall. Only, Megara wasn’t going to allow her to help. Because in the next moment, a gust of wind knocked Emi back, slamming her back to the floor and she cried out at the vicious jarring of her wounds. She could hear Megara walking over to her. The woman said, “My master will rise again,” she growled. And Emi could only lay there and wonder what she meant as she bled onto the ground. .Wolfie. “He offered you everything,” the woman snarled. “And you threw it back in his face.” Her fingers flicked at Emi and a cry tore its way from her lips as an invisible wind struck her, driving her hard against the ground. Her jaw cracked off the ground but after a moment her fingers curled against the stone and Sly could only watch as she tried to push herself upright. “He is Akuma. And I will kill him again,” Emi told her. Her breath was coming in sharp pants, her hand pressed tightly against her side as she tried to struggle back to her feet. Her hands were slipping in the trail of her own blood that she was leaving on the floor. “No,” she snarled. “You won’t.” Megara’s eyes narrowed with rage and hatred and then her hand was gesturing at Emi like she was swatting a fly. A sharp wind lifted her from her feet and slammed her against the wall and Sly felt a cry leaving his throat when she struck the stones. She was already clawed up and hurt and now she was banged up and bruised and he hated it. He yanked at the invisible bonds but they weren’t budging, just holding him still as Emi took all the damage for him. The woman watched Emi for a moment but she wasn’t moving. She wasn’t fighting back and she wasn’t saying anything, she was just lying on the ground. When she was satisfied she turned, gaze focusing on the man on the floor and her face contorted into something like pain when she saw him. She moved towards the body on the floor her hands held at her side and something blue and unnatural dancing from her fingertips like fire. It didn’t hide the blood that lingered on her nails and her knuckles from where she’d struck him and clawed his chest. Her eyes were narrowed and they were focused only on the man lying on the ground. There was blood pooling around him in a dark circle and Emi’s blade was still embedded in the side of his skull. Sly thought it was too good for him. A whimper left the woman’s throat and then she was kneeling next to him. Her knees landed in the pool of blood, her fingers rolling him over and pulling his head up towards her. His jaw was slack and his body limp as she held him. “My lord,” she whispered, and a low keening noise left her throat as she looked into wide and dead eyes. One hand rested on his chest while the other held the back of his head, and then she was ducking so that her cheek was pressed against his chest, her eyes closing. Sly yanked desperately at the invisible bonds holding him because he didn’t give a shit about her and he didn’t give a shit about her dead lord. The only thing he was concerned with was Emi. She was just lying there bloody and she should never look like that. She should never look so weak and broken and his heart was a cold lump in his chest just seeing her like that. Her skin was splattered with red and her hands were limp and empty. “Emi,” he called, yanking hard at his wrists. “Open your eyes, honey, please.” “Be silent!” the woman screamed. Her head whipped over her shoulder and her hand shot out, palm towards him and blue light suddenly bursting in his vision. He cried out in pain as the back of his head struck the stones with a hard crack and he swore he could feel his ribs cracking under the pressure. He bit down hard on the hoop in his lip and he wished he weren’t so fucking useless. His head fell to his chest when the pressure let up and he forced his eyes to open and to focus because Emi was hurt and maybe dying and that thought hurt so fucking much he couldn’t breathe. He wanted her to be okay, more than he wanted that for himself. The revelation startled him and he felt his chest tighten with the knowledge that he cared more for her than what she could do for him. He had fucking hated watching the demon touch her. He’d hated watching the beast put his hands on her and hurt her with his claws and it filled him with hatred and jealousy and he almost didn’t recognize the sensations. Sly wasn’t used to hating anyone except himself that much but if he could have he would have put the sword through that fucking asshole’s skull himself. No one should ever be able to hurt Emi, especially not like that, and he was snarling as he struggled. It hadn’t even sunk in yet that there wasn’t blistering pain on his chest from a new tattoo. Not until Megara’s hand pressed down on the other man’s chest. He saw his body arc off the floor and Sly went cold when he saw that because if he got back up then they were both going to die. A strangled shout left his lips and he yanked desperately at the bonds holding him, feet kicking at the wall and frustration contorting his features as he tried to free himself. None of it worked. He stayed pinned against the wall and Emi wasn’t getting back up and something like panic was settling into his already fearful heart. A sharp scream left the woman’s throat and the sound was the last thing he expected. Her head tipped back and he saw something blinding beneath her fingertips, where her fingers met the other man’s skin. Something black followed, crawling up her hands and disappearing beneath the sleeves of her dress. It reappeared on her chest, a black dog coiling across her skin. She gasped, slumping forward and lying on top of the man’s chest as she sucked in harsh pants of air. He couldn’t see her face but her whole body was trembling as she rested on top of him and he wondered what had just happened. Then the body stirred. A strangled shout left his lips as the demon turned his head to the side, focusing on Megara. His lip curled and bared sharp teeth and when his voice came it was a harsh growl that rumbled in his throat. “Mistress,” he said. The woman laughed quietly, still pressed down on top of him and her hands curling in his clothes as she held onto him. “Now you are mine,” she said quietly. Her laugh was sultry and dark and the sound of it sent chills down his spine. Her eyes closed as she rested her head against his shoulder. “As I have always been yours.” There was movement out of the corner of his eye and his head turned to see Emi pushing herself to her feet. He sucked in a harsh breath because he couldn’t believe she was still going. She stumbled a little on the stones, one hand pressed firmly against her side as blood leaked out between her fingers. Her other hand came out to catch herself on a wooden chair and then it curled tightly around the surface. Her other hand dropped to grip it and she was trembling as she lifted it and swung as hard as she could. Megara lifted her head at the last moment, hearing the rushing noise in the air. The chair met her squarely across the jaw, knocking her back down on top of the body on the floor, blood trickling from between her lips. As soon as the blow caught her, Sly dropped from the wall, his knees cracking hard off the stones and his hands scraping painfully against the floor as he tried to catch himself. There was a thump and his head lifted from the ground to focus on Emi. He sucked in a breath at the sight of her as she lay on the ground, her hands trying to hold herself up and her hair around her like a dark halo. “Emi!” he cried, scrambling across the ground. His hands were just gripping her arms when Megara lifted her head. Sly’s eyes widened but he barely had time to pull Emi tightly against him when the scream burst from the woman’s mouth. It rattled the walls and the stones below him and he heard them cracking all the way along the floor. A blast struck them and he pitched forward, body covering Emi’s as they both slammed into the ground. His heart was thundering loudly in his chest but it was nothing compared to the maelstrom going on around him. His fingers were digging into Emi’s arms and he ducked his head, pressing it against her shoulder as the world suddenly crumbled around them. His head tipped to the side and he saw Megara pushing herself to her feet, blood trickling down her jaw. She wiped it away with one hand, looking down at disgust at the red left on her skin before she lifted her gaze. She didn’t even notice Sly. She looked right through him to Emi and he saw her lips curl with hatred and anger before she was striking out with one hand. He cried out as the wind slammed into his back, pressing him against the ground as it rumbled and shook around him. “You think you are any kind of match for me?” she snarled. His head lifted for a moment and there was hatred crackling in her pale eyes, her hands held out to her sides. The demon crouched at her feet like a pet, the three dogs looking on and waiting for a word. Emi didn’t answer. He couldn’t even tell if she was still conscious or not but he hoped to fucking Christ she was. He wanted her to open her eyes and tell him she was okay because there was so much blood on her that it made him feel cold and sick. He just wanted her to be okay. No matter what happened to him, he needed her to be alright and he wasn’t used to feeling like that. The woman screamed again, hatred and anger on her painted face as the sound of her voice shook the world. “Megara!” someone called, and he didn’t see who, because his head was pressed into Emi’s shoulder and he was begging her quietly to be okay. There was blood running into his eyes and it was slick beneath his fingers as he held onto her. The woman’s head whipped over her shoulder and he didn’t really understand what happened next. There was a blast of blue light and then the woman was moving across the room, her back slamming hard into the stone wall. Her head snapped back and there was a snarl on her lips as her skull cracked against the stones. He felt fingers curling around his arm and yanking him upright and he caught a glimpse of dark hair and the same painted face that she wore. “Come,” a voice growled in his ear. “We must move quickly. It will not hold her for long and I cannot face her alone.” Sly heard the words. He did, and he understood them, but he still couldn’t tear his face away from Emi because her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving. A whimper left his throat and he yanked his arm out of the man’s grasp, dropping down next to her and dragging her into his arms. Her breath was coming weak and shaky and her skin was cold to the touch. “Come on babe,” he whispered, and he was hardly aware of what he was saying. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me like this.” Wenston Daisuke had been a strict man. If you knew him, you’d follow the rules around him. He was hard to please and never forgave mistakes unless you atoned for them. He wasn’t the leader of their village, but he might as well have been, because when things were tough or decisions needed to be made, they didn’t go to the leader. They went to Daisuke. Emiko learned this at an earlier age. She learned what power and respect her father held and how little tolerance he had for rule breakers and weakness, even within his own family. He ran his household very strictly and his children were more of an army than a family. She’d heard him say once that he was cursed with thirteen daughters and she’d always found it interesting that he would think of his children as curses. He’d always wanted a son, and he’d never gotten one and it wasn’t until she was seven that she’d learned that it wasn’t that he wanted one, but that he needed one. The one rule in Daisuke’s house that none of his thirteen daughters ever thought of breaking, was that they were not allowed into his room. Daisuke didn’t sleep with his wife, because she was more of a necessity than a desire. He had a room in their home that no one was allowed to enter except for him and he’d threatened each and every one of them that if they went in there, they’d be given a swift and harsh punishment. To a seven year old, even back then, it only made the temptation greater. Emiko was already a curious child. She caused more mischief and wreaked more havoc than any of his daughters previously, but Daisuke had shown a great patience with his youngest daughter, patience that was reserved only for her and had built a barrier between her and her sisters. Daisuke would often teach her things he did not teach his other daughters. At meal time, when she’d mimic his movements at the table, he’d go out of his way to make it hard for her to copy him, but he’d never tell her to stop. Some would say he had compassion for his youngest, because she was his last. Others would say that Daisuke already knew what would befall her. They would guess that Daisuke could see something in her that told him she was the child he needed, but he felt guilty because she was not a son. She was a daughter. And there had never been a daughter that took over the line of work Daisuke was in. She was seven when she first learned of Daisuke’s lineage and his sense of discipline. He was out in the field, training with the other warriors of the village, and her sisters were tending to their duties around the village. Emiko was too young and too curious. The door at the back of their home was Daisuke’s room. She would stand outside of it for hours, wondering what was inside with all the imagination of a child. But when Daisuke was out and she found herself alone with the room, curiosity got the best of her. She crept to the door and pushed her way inside and was disappointed when the only thing in the room was a line of scrolls on a small shelf at the far end. She approached the scrolls with care and stealth. Her small hands reached out to touch one, and as soon as she did, heat radiated out of the paper and burned its way up her arm and onto her sternum. She cried out, despite the necessity to remain hidden. Daisuke had returned from the fields early that day. And when he came in and found his daughter with the Guardian’s seal on her sternum, it was the last time he was ever compassionate or patient with her. She had never seen or felt fury like she had when Daisuke punished her then. When he took lashes to her back and told her he’d let her be soft and weak and now she’d damned herself and them. She didn’t understand what he’d meant, but she understood the meaning of discipline and restraint because it was beat into her with every lash broken out across her back. It was the day she became the Guardian. And even though it wasn’t the worse pain she’d ever felt, it was the most memorable. - - - Emi’s face was nuzzled against someone’s neck. She was being carried, she could tell that much. Her head was spinning and her body felt numb, except for a dull throbbing in her side that told her that was the source of her current state. She remembered fighting the demon and she remember Sly and it took every ounce of energy to pull her eyes open because she needed to make sure he was okay. The relief she felt when she realized it was Sly’s arms she was in, sent her tumbling back into near unconsciousness. She drifted in and out, and she couldn’t tell much of what was going on, other than that they were running. Every once in a while, she’d hear Sly say something and someone else’s voice would come, but she couldn’t tell who it was or even if she recognized it. The world was just a dark, cold place around her and she shivered in Sly’s arms. She felt him tighten his grip when he felt her shake and then his voice was quiet as he asked, “Emi? Babe? You with me?” She tried to tell him yes, but her mouth and her mind wasn’t cooperating. She felt his head turn and his cheek pressed against her forehead and she should have been complaining that he was so close and touching her, but she wasn’t. She didn’t want to acknowledge that having him this close was comforting, but it was. After that, she sunk back into darkness for a while, but her mind was still working and she couldn’t help but feel that she’d failed him. She knew she was hurt and she knew that if the demons or Takeru attacked now, she wouldn’t’ be able to protect him and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt a heavy weight settle on her chest because this was what failure was and she was drowning in it. “Put her here,” the strange voice came and it broke Emi back into consciousness. She felt herself moving and then Sly’s arms laid her down on something soft. He was being gentle and careful and his hand came up to guide her head back onto a pillow. The world spun for a moment and she felt his hand on her forehead. “She’s really cold,” Sly said and she wanted to tell him not to talk to this stranger because he was probably a bad guy. He should have learned that lesson when they’d gone after Genbu and ran into those gypsies. But her mouth wasn’t working. There was rustling around the room and she felt her shirt lift slightly. She whimpered at that because she could still feel Tsuiseki-sha’s hands on her and she hated the noise coming from her mouth, but she couldn’t help it. But then Sly was shushing her and whispering, “Shh, Emi, it’s okay. It’s me.” Emi’s eyes fluttered for a moment and through the blurry world around her, she could make out Sly crouched next to her. He smiled and gave a sad laugh when he saw her eyes open. If he was about to say something, he didn’t get the chance. In the next moment, the other person in the room was pressing down onto the wound on her stomach and Emi couldn’t help the pained cry that escaped her lips. Her back arched off the bed and Sly reached forward to hold her, his eyes wide and panicked. He turned to the stranger and snapped, “You’re hurting her!” The stranger shook his head. “She has lost too much blood,” he said in response. “If she loses much more, she will die.” .Wolfie. Sly’s hands were shaking as he held onto Emi. She was pale and her skin was flecked with blood and there were words ringing in his head telling him that too much more and she would die. She would be gone and if that happened he didn’t think he’d give a fuck if some ancient god managed to rise. He didn’t think he’d give a fuck about much of anything anymore.The man was using a cloth to wipe off her skin and then he was leaning back, pulling a wooden case closer. He pulled out a sharp needle and thread, his other hand still pressing down on the wound to try and stop the flow of blood onto the bed. “What are you doing?” Sly said. His voice was high and panicked and he knew it but Emi had her head tipped back, sweat breaking out on her forehead and her eyes closed. There were small, breathy noises of distress leaving her lips and he didn’t like the sound. He felt her fingers curl around his arm and she held onto him tightly. He couldn’t imagine how much pain she was in because Emi didn’t show things like that. She didn’t show him pain or fear or hurt, not ever, because she was so much stronger than him. “I am sewing the wound shut,” the man said. “It will stop the bleeding.” Dark, lank hair fell in his face and then he was leaning forward, pulling the cloth from the wound. Sly bit down on the metal hoop in his lip to try and keep from making a sound, but the gouges looked awful. They were deep and bloody and dragged across her ribs in jagged lines. They were both startled when Emi’s hand came out, closing around the man’s wrist in a tight grip. Sly moved closer because it was the most she’d woken up on the walk over here. She had been unconscious and unresponsive and he’d been terrified. She sucked in a shaky breath and he saw her lips moving but no sound was coming out. He leaned closer and he caught a whisper of sound leaving her lips. It sounded like an effort just to manage that but she gritted her teeth and forced the words out. “No,” she said, and he almost laughed because even when she was hurt and on death’s door she could still find time to tell him no. She shook her head and her fingers moved from the man to Sly’s forearm instead. “Cauterize it,” she told him. Sly’s mind was moving slowly and he didn’t understand what she was asking until the man put the needle away and moved to the fireplace. He took a short blade from the sheath at his side and then rested it on the coals, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them. His eyes were pale, his face painted in the same manner as Megara. Sly still didn’t know his name. He didn’t know a fucking thing about him except that he’d gotten them out of that building and that was all he cared about right now. It wasn’t until it started to heat and glow in the flames that he understood what she wanted. “Jesus Christ Em,” he breathed. “Are you serious?” Emi didn’t answer him but her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around his arm. His gaze went over his shoulder as the man took the heated blade from the fire and then moved back to Emi’s side. He licked his lips and the metal hovered over her wounds for a moment. He glanced at his face like he wanted to ask her permission but her eyes were closed, her breath ragged in her chest. “Hold her still,” the man said, glancing at Sly, and that was the only warning he had. One hand moved to her shoulder and the other to the back of her head as the blade pressed down on her skin. There was the hiss of burning flesh and she was echoing the noise in her throat, fingers digging with bruising strength into Sly’s arm. “It’s okay babe,” he whispered, and he didn’t know if it was true because she was hurt really fucking bad and he didn’t know anything about first aid. He could slap a band aid or some gauze on but that was about all he had. This went beyond that and he hated that he was relying on some guy he didn’t even know as he seared the claw marks shut. “I’ve got ya,” he told her, ducking his head to press against hers and maybe she hated being touched but he couldn’t stop because he was afraid that if he let go then he would lose her. She was awake as they patched her up. He could tell by the small breaths she took and the little whimpering noises but she didn’t scream. He could smell burning skin, her fingers digging into his arm and probably leaving marks behind but she didn’t scream or cry out. She kept her eyes closed and at one point she tilted her head to the side and rested it against his forearm, her body trembling. When it was done the man moved back, setting his blade aside to cool. He moved around behind them and Sly couldn’t even look at him because Emi was shivering on the bed, her eyes closed and her skin pale as her fingers relaxed as she lost consciousness. The man moved back to her side and he was holding a jar of something in his hand and white bandages. Sly glanced at him when he popped the top and a smell rose up into the air. It wasn’t bad, exactly, but his nose wrinkled when he caught a whiff of it because it reminded him of incense and marijuana and he didn’t like either of those things. “What are you doing now?” he demanded, catching the man’s hand before he could touch Emi’s skin again because Sly didn’t like anyone else touching her. “It will help her heal faster and ease some of her pain,” he said. He glanced at Sly and then down at he hand holding onto his wrist before he sighed. “Here,” he said, holding the jar out to Sly. He released him cautiously, taking the jar and sniffing warily at it because he didn’t know who the fuck this guy was and if he should be trusting him this close to Emi. “You do it then.” He pushed off the bed, not watching to see if Sly did what he said and then went to his fireplace, stirring the coals before he put a kettle of water over the flames. Sly watched him for a moment and then turned his attention to the fresh marks on Emi’s skin. Sly sniffed cautiously at it again and then reached his fingers in, scooping up whatever was in the jar. It had the consistency of lotion and it left a greasy feeling on his skin, but the man said it would help. If he’d wanted them dead all he had to do was not show up, right? All he’d had to do was leave them with Megara and her fucked up zombie and killer puppy dogs. There were easier ways to kill them both and even if it wasn’t exactly his first nature to trust strangers, logic said that the man wasn’t out to hurt them. A sigh left his lips and then he gently started smoothing the lotion or salve or whatever over the lines in her side. “Who the fuck are you anyway?” Sly finally asked, glancing over his shoulder at the man. He was setting up cups on his table, dropping tea bags into the ceramic mugs but he looked up at Sly’s voice. He hadn’t really taken the time to study him or where they were going but his heart was slowly starting to respond to its normal rhythm and he was trying to take notice of where they were. The man had led them deep into the woods to his hut or cave or whatever the fuck he wanted to call it. It was small and would have been cozy if Sly wasn’t worried out of his mind about Emi and if she was going to be okay. The man studied Sly for a moment and he tried not to be freaked out by the skull mask painted on his face. “My name is Haemon,” he said, and then nodded his head towards Emi. “And she is the Guardian, yes? Come to kill the demon?” Sly snorted. “Well yeah, I know who the fuck she is. I asked who you were, bud,” he said. He gestured a hand at his chest, still watching the man. “Not that I’m not happy for your help and all getting us out of the castle, but since we’re sort of in bat country here you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not exactly trusting of some forest dwelling hobo that happens along.” Haemon laughed quietly and nodded his head. “Good,” he said. “You shouldn’t be.” Sly sighed because that still wasn’t an answer and he looked back down at Emi. His fingers finished smoothing the salve over her skin and then he set the jar aside, using the bandages the man had brought to start wrapping her side. She woke up a little at the motion, fingers moving to grip his arm and still the hands moving over her stomach. “It’s okay,” he told her quietly, pausing for a moment in his motions. He shot her a grin as her eyes opened, waiting for the hand to release his skin. “I swear I’m not trying to cop a feel, babe.” She watched him for a moment and then her eyes slipped shut again, her head falling back against the pillow. He let out a breath and then finished wrapping the bandaged around her waist. He tried to ignore that his hands were still shaking out of fear for her. When he sat back again the man was watching them. A smile crossed his lips and then he went to get the kettle out of the flames. He brought it back to the table and poured it into the three cups, using a small spoon to stir the liquid. “When she is awake again, you should make her drink this,” he said, pushing the cup across the table. “And since you are already awake, you should drink this while I tell you ‘who the fuck I am.’” There was a wry smile on his face as he said the words, moving another cup closer to Sly. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he studied the stranger and then he pushed himself off the bed. He picked them up, sniffing carefully at them. The one for him smelled like the chai tea that Magic used to drink all the time and the one for Emi smelled like lemons and something else. He frowned, chewing on the hoop in his lip before he moved back to the bed. “Okay, talk,” he said. The man waited until he took a cautious sip and then he smiled. “I am a magician,” he told Sly, and it wasn’t anything he hadn’t expected but he still felt a sliver of fear at the words. “But I was not in support of Tsuiseki-sha or what he has done.” Sly snorted, taking another swallow of the tea. He made a face and then set it aside, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Oh yeah?” he said, lifting an eyebrow. “And what’s that? Raping and pillaging mostly?” He didn’t trust the words because wasn’t this supposed to be the demon’s domain? How did anything good slip in? Fuck, he’d thought the gypsies were good too, and look how well that had turned out. To be fair they weren’t evil, exactly, but they’d turned on him fast enough. The man smiled sadly and nodded his head. “Mostly,” he said. “That, and he took my sister from me.” Sly groaned, running his hands over his face. “Let me guess who that is.” The man sighed and kept staring down into his tea. “Megara,” he supplied, and Sly just chuckled because that just seemed to figure. He parted his fingers to look at the man and he looked sad and depressed and he probably would have been too, if his sister was a psycho bitch that wanted to bone a demon. He sighed and looked away, his gaze going back to Emi because he needed to keep reminding himself that she was alive and she was probably going to be okay now, right? His hand reached out and brushed some of the hair from her eyes and she looked so fragile and weak that it terrified him. “You love her,” the man said, and the words startled him because they came out of nowhere. He spluttered a little, glancing back at him and pulling his fingers away from her skin. Haemon was watching him, taking a slow sip of his tea as he studied them both. “You should tell her,” he offered, and Sly wondered when this had suddenly turned into an episode of Dr. Phil. “I like her,” Sly supplied, his eyes narrowed in a glare. He didn’t see the point in explaining himself anymore. He didn’t know her enough to love her, and even if he did, Sly didn’t love anybody but himself and his drugs. Everyone knew that. The man smiled and ducked his head. “My mistake then,” he said. Wenston Emi was used to waking up in strange places. She was used to the temporary confusion as to where she was, when she was, and who she was supposed to be protecting. It came with the territory and it had taken her a while to get over it, but she had. She’d learned to not miss the comfort of waking up in a familiar place or to a familiar face. But what she wasn’t used to, was waking up to the pain and the fuzziness in her head. She wasn’t used to waking up badly hurt. Normally when she was hurt bad, she just didn’t wake up at all. They were in a hut of some sort. Emi noticed that first and Sly second. He was slumped near the bed she was laid out on and he had an elbow propped next to her, holding his head up as he dozed off and he didn’t look restful or calm, but he was asleep and that was fine with her. She knew he hadn’t been sleeping well. She heard him toss and turn at night. His face was bruised and there were bloody marks on his chest, but other than that, he looked unhurt. Once she assessed that they weren’t in immediate danger, she starting taking account of herself. She hurt everywhere. Most of her felt numb and limp, her fingers thick and heavy. When she rolled her head to look down at herself, her neck was stiff and there was heavy bruising on one side of her face. She looked down at herself and the side of her shirt was caked in blood, almost completely dried. The only light in the room was coming from the fireplace, keeping them warm. There was another portion of the hut that was closed off and Emi wondered if the man who’d come for them was in there. Lifting her arm was a task. The claw marks there had been stitched shut, but it still left her hand sore and her fingers clumsy. She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up slowly, quietly. Bright bandages covered her side and she reached to lift the corner of them, looking at the wound beneath. She could still remember the feel of the hot blade pressed against her skin and the smell of her own flesh as it burned and twisted around the wounds. She’d made them do it, because the wounds had been deep and the best way to close them was to cauterize. She would be moving a lot, because wounds didn’t keep her down, and any stitching they did would probably have been ripped back open in a heartbeat. Letting her shirt fall back into place, Emi brought her hand to her waist and she frowned, because Kaidokusuru wasn’t strapped there. Her head rolled to the side, her eyes darting around the room and she only saw blades that were foreign to her, none that belonged to her. None that were hers. She closed her eyes against the panic that brought on because she’d never lost Kaidokusuru, not once. That was her blade, it was the thing that she cherished most in the world and she didn’t know where it was. She’d failed. In an awful way. They weren’t even pass half of the demons and she’d gotten injured to the point where she hadn’t been able to take care of herself, let alone Sly. She glanced at his face and thought about the way he’d held her in his arms and the way he’d comforted her and she hadn’t needed it, but it was nice to have. She thought about what he would have done if she’d left him alone and there was no way he’d be able to take on the other demons. She didn’t fault him for it. But there was no way. She wondered again why the Grimoire had chosen this demon, this world and she still couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it was the Grimoire’s way of telling her that she was done. Maybe it was trying to get rid of her because it wanted her to fail and as soon as she thought that, she knew it was stupid. The Grimoire had a will of its own, yes. But it didn’t have malice. It didn’t have greed or desire. It just had knowledge and truth. Maybe she was just getting too slow. The demons had had time to prepare and she hadn’t. Maybe she should have found a way. It was her fault. This mess was her fault and if Daisuke were here, he’d punish her for it. He’d make sure she understood and atoned for her mistakes. She knew Sly wouldn’t. He hadn’t that first day when she’d let the spider demon get to him. She doubted he would now. Sly’s head slipped off his hand and tilted forward. He jerked as he caught himself, shifting in his chair and mumbling something. His hands came up to rub at his eyes and he stretched, but winced as it pulled the scratches on his chest. He blinked heavily, eyes falling on Emi and it took him a moment, but she could see the moment he realized she was awake. “Emi,” he breathed out and there was so much relief in his voice that she immediately felt guilty because she should have been faster and stronger and not let herself be hurt like this. His hand reached out like he was going to touch her head, but then he seemed to hesitate and think better of it and she thought he looked a little embarrassed. But then he cleared his throat and asked, “How you feeling babe? You scared the crap out of me.” She licked her lips and tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat and a harsh cough wracked its way up from her lungs. Sly reached back for a cup of something sitting on the table next to him and then brought it forwards, intent on helping her drink it. She shook her head and he paused, looking confused. “I am fine,” she said, Then she frowned as she looked at him. “Why are we still in this world?” she asked. Sly looked like he wanted to protest her choice not to drink what was in the cup, but he turned around and set it back down. Then he grinned at her and he was trying very hard to remain calm and happy, she could tell. “Didn’t get my new art,” he said, lifting his shirt and she frowned again when she saw the symbols on his chest. The dog was not among them. “Then we are not done,” she said and tried to push herself up. She gasped at the same time Sly’s hands shot out to catch her. “Whoa, hey, slow down there, babe,” he said, guiding her back into a prone position. The room was spinning around her and she felt Sly’s hand come to the side of her face. “Emi,” he demanded and she realized she’d been drifting away again. “Emi, come on, stay with me honey, please.” The room didn’t stop spinning and her head tipped to the side. Sly slid off his chair and crouched next to her, his fingers running down the side of her face comfortingly and she didn’t even have the energy to tell him to stop, or to even know if she wanted him to. “Where is…Kaidokusuru?” she asked, her breath coming short again. Sly winced and he looked a little guilty as he said, “We didn’t have time to grab it.” Emi felt her face fall and she felt weak and useless and helpless. Daisuke would be so disappointed with her. Her eyes filled with tears and she didn’t bother to hide them from Sly, but she rolled her head away from him so she wasn’t looking at his face. “Then I have failed,” she whispered. “And you should have left me behind.” .Wolfie. “Emi,” Sly said. His hand moved to her hair and it almost physically hurt when she pushed him away, her face pressed into the pillow and her eyes closed. There were tears running from beneath the lids and it felt like such a lie when he forced the smile onto his face but he did it anyway. His fingers moved to try and brush the tears away but they kept running down her skin and soaking the pillow beneath her. “It’s okay babe,” he told her, willing her to believe it so that he could too. “We can get it back. I mean, we know what we’re up against now, right?” It didn’t even sink in yet that he was saying ‘we’ and not ‘you.’“There can be no victory,” she said, and her voice was so quiet and broken that he felt his heart breaking with it. The smile fell off his face and his chest felt tight as he watched her. He licked his lips and shifted closer, hand still resting on the side of her head. His thumb slid against her skin, wiping the hot tears away and he hated seeing her cry. He never knew what to do when girls cried and she wasn’t just any girl. She was this hot, badass Asian and he didn’t think anything could get under her skin. “I have failed.” “You haven’t failed,” he told her. He ducked his head to try and look into her face but she was keeping her eyes closed. “Hey, it’s okay. This is just a minor setback. We’ll go back, kick ass, take names, and then go home and have a few brewskis.” The words just seemed to upset her more. She pushed herself upright, shoving his hand away from her so roughly that he lost his balance a little, barely catching the side of the bed. “I have lost my blade, allowed you to be injured, allowed myself to become so injured that I could not do my duty or protect my charge, and the demon still lives. There are no words for the shame I carry now.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she turned her head away, her body trembling and starting to waver on the bed. He moved before he could think about how fucking stupid he was for doing it. He pushed himself up next to her, one arm coming to the back of her head and the other wrapping around her shoulders as he pulled her into a hug. “Hey,” he said quietly. “It’s not your fault, alright? You said it yourself the demons are more prepared than they should be.” She didn’t respond and she didn’t hug him back. She just sat stiffly and after a moment he sighed, laying her back down on the bed. “We’ll get it back,” he told her. The look on her face said she didn’t believe him and he didn’t blame her. Why should she? The only person in this with her was Sly and he wasn’t good for a fucking thing except distracting her and getting her hurt. If he weren’t so damn worthless than maybe she could have just cut both the demon and his witch in half and not had to worry about him getting hurt. He started to reach for her again but he stilled his hands because he knew better. She didn’t like to be touched and just because she was hurt didn’t mean that rule had changed. He sighed and shifted to the edge of the bed, reaching for the tea again. “You should drink this,” he told her, pulling it towards him. It had gotten colder since he poured it but the man said she should drink it and since his hadn’t killed him yet he was going to go ahead and trust him on this too. He’d gone to sleep in his room and Sly assumed that meant it was after dark but he didn’t know. He didn’t know what time it was or what fucking day it was and maybe he should have been more worried about that and his job and the Russians that wanted to teach him a lesson but he wasn’t. He was worried about Emi. She shook her head. “I do not want it,” she told him. Sly sighed and scrubbed one hand over his face for a moment. “Well, just do it anyway,” he told her. She glanced at him and he forced the grin across his face, holding it out towards her. “Come on. You want to get better, right? This’ll help.” She studied him for a moment and the tears had stopped but her eyes were still red and she looked so damn sad just sitting there all banged up. He wished he knew how to make it better. He wished that there was a single thing that he could do to take her pain away or get her sword back or do anything to make her smile but he was just a worthless fuck up and he knew it. Some small relief swept through him when she finally took the tea. He helped her sit up so that she could drink it but she wasn’t looking at him anymore. She stared into the cup and drank it wordlessly; her gaze distant and sad and she just looked broken. She looked like the world had just fallen out from under her and it almost made his grin falter. If she couldn’t or wouldn’t fight, then what chance in Hell did he have of getting them out of this? It was a battle to keep the comforting smile on his face but lucky for him he was a liar and it stayed plastered across his lips until she emptied the cup and he moved it back to the table next to her. His hands held onto her arms as he helped her lay back down and she didn’t argue or yell at him or tell him to stop touching her. Even so, he let her go as soon as she was settled because he’d probably overstepped his bounds already and he didn’t want her to hate him. “It’s gonna be okay, Emi,” he told her, letting his hands come to rest in his lap. Her eyes were already drifting shut and he wondered what was in the tea he’d just given her because she was already half gone before she was even settled. His eyes swept her for a moment and he hated the blood that covered her clothes and her skin. There was a deep, dark bruise on her face and claw marks on her shoulder and he hated that he was the useless asshole that just watched as she got hurt. As soon as she was asleep he pushed himself off the bed. He tried to be quiet on the wooden floor, picking her cup off the table. He toyed with the ceramic mug for a moment sniffing again at the contents and he hoped it helped because he hated seeing her in pain. He knew she could take it, because she was tougher and stronger than him, but it didn’t mean she should have to. His backpack had been dropped next to the bed and he dug in it for a moment, pulling out his cigarettes and his lighter before he headed outside. As soon as he did he felt the chill air freezing him right to his bones and it helped wake him up a little. There was a fallen log set up right next to the door and he settled on that, kicking his boots out in front of him as he lit up his cigarette. The forest was thick and dark around him and he could hear rustling and crunching from within its depths. He didn’t think he would ever get used to hearing that. He was used to cities and lights, cars and people, and all the noises that came with those things. He was used to drugs and easy women and he wasn’t used to any of this. He wasn’t used to giving a shit about someone that wasn’t him. He wasn’t used to caring if he was good for nothing. A frustrated shout left Sly’s lips and he tipped his head back against the side of the hut, his skull hitting the wood hard and he didn’t care. His eyes were crushed shut and not even the smoke in his lungs was helping soothe his mood because he was so full of self-loathing right now that it almost hurt and he didn’t have his drugs anymore to drown it out. Emi thought she’d failed. She thought that she was the failure, this beautiful amazing woman that had just dropped down in his lap and he wanted to tell her the truth. Sly was damned, and anything that came near him turned to shit. He thought about the look in her eyes and it looked like she was giving up. She was probably just hurt and tired but maybe she was as tired of this duty as he would have been. He thought about the dozen robots that the fucking monkey demon had made of her and that meant she had done this at least a dozen times already. She had killed all these demons before and somehow it didn’t surprise him that when he came along everything went to Hell. It didn’t surprise him, but it hurt. He was fucking worthless and he hated himself and he hated that she’d needed someone to watch her back and instead she was stuck with him. “You’re so fucking useless,” he said up to the stars, and his own voice sounded harsh and broken as it rang in his ears. “I suspect you’re not taking about the Guardian,” a voice said, and Sly jumped because he hadn’t heard anyone approach. He hadn’t heard Haemon settle on the log next to him and he hadn’t even seen his shadow. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he spat, putting a hand to his chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack there, bud.” He turned his head and the man was sitting quietly on the other end, his hands laced together as he stared at the dirt and the grass beneath his feet. Sly watched him for a moment and then sucked in a puff of smoke from his cigarette before pinching it out with his fingertips. “You need something, or just feel like creeping around in the darkness?” The man chuckled and lifted his head to look at Sly. The moonlight made the circles beneath his eyes look dark and hollow and he tried to ignore just how unsettling that was. “This is my home,” he said, waving a hand behind him. “If anyone’s creeping, I believe it’s you.” Sly snorted and ducked his head and the man’s smile grew wider. “You are not what I expected,” he added. “Yeah, I’ve heard it already, thanks,” Sly spat, tipping his head back against the wood. “You expected a warrior but I’m just a thief, a cheat, and a liar.” He let his eyes close and if it weren’t so cold out here he would just go to sleep where he sat. The man laughed and it wasn’t a cruel sound. It was quietly amused and Sly cracked one eye to look at him. He was still watching his fingers and Sly frowned when he saw blue spreading from between his fingertips because it seemed anymore like that never led to anything good. “No,” he said, lifting an eyebrow at Sly. “I was going to say that I did not expect a magician, especially one who refuses to use his power, even for the woman he loves.” He held up a hand before Sly could say anything. “I apologize. ‘Likes.’” Sly snorted and kicked at the dirt in irritation. “I’m not refusing to do shit,” he snapped. “You think if I knew what to do to make it better I wouldn’t already be doing it?” He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. He was planning on going back to check on Emi and make sure she was still alright and hadn’t slipped away while she wasn’t looking. “Truly?” the man said, and Sly glanced over at him, the door half opened. He was looking at him with a curious frown on his face. “Are you not a magician? I have been wrong before but you have the eyes of one.” “You think I’m a magician because I have blue eyes?” Sly lifted an eyebrow and he couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that. He shook his head and ran a hand back through his hair before he turned, foot bracing the door open. “Look bud, I know a couple of card tricks and that’s about it. I play an awesome poker game but when it comes to force powers then you’ve got the wrong man.” His hand gripped the door as he started to head inside the hut, his gaze seeking out Emi to make sure she was still alright and still breathing. He almost missed the quiet words that came next. “I could teach you how.” Wenston When Emi woke again, she was alone. The room was lighter, small shimmers of sunlight coming through the cracks in the hut. The fire still blazed in the fireplace and there was a deerskin blanket thrown over her. Her head was a lot clearer than it had been last time and her body was less numb, which allowed her to feel the pain, but she could deal with pain. She’d always been able to deal with pain. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about what she’d said to Sly the last time she’d been awake. She hated that she’d cried in front of him. She’d hated that she’d let him see her break and see her be weak. No one was ever supposed to see that from her because she wasn’t supposed to be weak or let emotions get the best of her. She was stronger than that. Daisuke had made sure of it when he’d beat those characteristics out of her. Except now her sword was gone. The demon had nearly killed her and his mistress had nearly killed Sly and she’d left him alone to take care of things and if it weren’t for the help of a complete stranger, they’d be dead and Izanagi would be roaming the earth. It was a strange feeling to her that she was more concerned with the Sly being dead part of that than she was with the Izanagi rising part. She thought about his hands brushing the tears from her cheeks. She thought about the soothing words of comfort he’d whispered to her and the way he’d helped her drink tea and got her settled and she didn’t know what to think or how to handle any of it. He was too nice to her when he had no reason to be. She’d failed him, she’d nearly gotten him killed and he should have been punishing her. He should have been thinking she was a failure and pushing her away. But he wasn’t and she didn’t understand that. Gingerly, she pushed herself up on the bed so she was propped on her elbows. The room was empty and she fought down a small moment of panic because Sly wasn’t there and she was supposed to be protecting him. How could she protect him when she was unconscious and drugged and hurt? Her side protested violently and she bit her lip to keep from crying out, but she finally managed to get herself into a sitting position, one of her hands gripping the edge of the bed and the other pressed firmly over her side. Sweat broke out on her forehead at the movement, but she pushed herself through it because she needed to know where Sly was. As she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, she heard movement and noise from the other room. She froze for a moment and just concentrated on listening. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if it was the demon or Megara coming for them, but she’d figure that out if she had to. With her eyes closed, she focused on the noise and she realized it was two people talking. One voice, she recognized but didn’t know. It was the man who’d helped them escape. The other was Sly and he didn’t sound like he was distressed or upset, but he sounded agitated. Using the edge of the bed, Emi climbed to her feet. She was unsteady and her knees threatened to give out beneath her, but she forced them to stay taught and for herself to stay standing. She used the furniture was more of a crutch than what she would like, but she made her way across the room to the doorway. She leaned against the wall and peered out into the other room. Sly was sitting on the floor across from the man who’d saved them. He had his legs crossed and there was a deck of cards splayed out on the ground in front of him. They were talking quietly back and forth to each other and Emi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Sly had an odd look on his face. Like he was concentrating or trying really hard to understand something but not succeeding. The man with the skull painted face flipped over a card and Sly snorted, as it was obviously not what he had expected. Sly looked up at the man and his eyes were narrowed as he said, “I know how to do these stupid card tricks.” He brushed the cards away. “I told you I knew how to do these. How are these supposed to help me help Emi? They’re just card tricks.” Emi felt her pulse quicken a little at that and she quirked her head to the side, studying Sly for a moment. The words meant a lot to her, but she knew they shouldn’t. She knew she shouldn’t care whether or not Sly wanted to help her. She shouldn’t’ care if he was trying to get better at something for her because he was the sealbreaker and there wasn’t supposed to be anything between the sealbreaker and the Guardian. The man with the painted face smiled patiently at Sly. “These are not simply card tricks,” he said. “It is the art of deception.” He smiled at the confused look Sly gave him, but then the man’s eyes went pass Sly and met Emi’s. Sly turned his head to follow his gaze and when he saw Emi standing there, his eyes went wide. “Emi!” Sly cried, stumbling his way to his feet and coming over to her quickly. “What are you doing up, you shouldn’t be walking around, babe,” he said and he didn’t even hesitate as his hands came out to catch her elbows. But once his fingers were on her skin, he froze, like he knew she didn’t like it and knew she was going to yell at him for touching her. She didn’t. She didn’t yell at him and she didn’t jerk away from his grasp. Instead, she felt her knees shaking and leaned into him. He sucked in a breath and his arms came around her. “Whoa, hang on,” he said and guided her gently back to the bed. “I know I said that tea would make you better, but it’s not a miracle cure,” he joked as he helped her sit back down on the bed. She didn’t lay down and he didn’t try to make her lay down. Emi licked her lips and she steeled her face and voice as she said, “I am sorry for earlier.” Sly’s eyes came up to meet hers and he paused in what he was doing to study her for a moment. Then he frowned and said, “For what? You didn’t do anything, Emi. I mean, usually girls don’t start crying until our second date, but hey. Everything’s cool.” Emi didn’t smile for him. She just looked at his face as he sat beside her on the bed and she had so many things she wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t. She had her duty, which she’d failed. She had her honor, which she’d broken. And those were the only things she had and they’d both been shattered when she’d failed to protect him from the demon. “I should have hidden my shame from you,” she told him. Sly let out an irritated sigh. “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said forcefully. “You did nothing wrong, Emi. I don’t know how many times I can tell you that.” Emi felt her eyes getting heavy again and her head started to lean forward. Her forehead rested against his shoulder and then he was guiding her back down on the bed. As her head hit the pillow, she sighed. “Daisuke would have punished me by now,” she told him. .Wolfie. Sly frowned and his voice was quiet and harsh. “Well I’m not Daisuke,” he said.Emi’s eyes opened for a moment to look at him with an unreadable expression on her face. He wondered if she was he was wishing he could be more like her father but if she was then that was too bad because he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t going to make her feel like shit because she thought she’d made a mistake. Everyone made mistakes. He was a shining example of that and more. Then her eyes closed again, her head turning to the side. “No,” she said. “You are not.” He bit down on the piercing in his lip and it was all that kept him from asking her if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The answer didn’t really matter and he should just shut his mouth and let her sleep because she was still weak and hurt and he didn’t know how long it was going to take her to heal. He was just grateful she wasn’t in danger of bleeding to death anymore. After a while he heard her breathing even out and he watched her for a moment while she slept. It was the only time he saw her relax and at peace, because the rest of the time she kept that cold mask on and she was very careful not to let it slip. It had killed him seeing her cry. He’d hated seeing so much despair and disappointment clouding her eyes and he hated that it was all for herself. If she’d looked at him like that, like he was a failure, then he would understand. But he didn’t get how she could think she was anything other than completely amazing. She was beautiful and strong and confident and the kind of girl that he could fall completely for and could never deserve. He could still feel the warmth of her as she leaned into and held onto him for strength and he wanted to be that for her. She made him want to be a better man. He lingered on the edge of the bed for a while, hands resting on his knees and eyes just watching her as she slept. He was thinking about a lot of things but mostly her because she’d been taking over his mind for a while now and he wondered if he should just come out and tell her that. He didn’t want to call it love, because he only loved his drugs more than himself. But he liked her. She made him feel something other than that empty disgust he felt when it was just him and his reflection in the mirror. Not that it mattered. She was going to leave, because everyone did eventually, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t take what he could get while he had it. Even if it couldn’t be more than a scrap here and there, it was still more than he deserved. The last time anyone had gotten under his skin like this he’d been with Krystal, and that had turned out so fucking well. Not that they were anything alike, and he felt stupid even trying to compare them. Emi was so far out of his league she could step on him without even knowing he was there and Krystal was just as down and in the gutter as he was, whether she admitted it to herself or not. He heard the man clearing his throat over his shoulder and he glanced back at him. “Are you ready to continue?” he asked. Sly snorted and scrubbed a hand over his face, wincing at the bruises that lingered on his skin. “Yeah, alright Mr. Miyagi,” he snapped, pushing himself to his feet. “Let’s get back to this wax on, wax off bullshit.” The man laughed and held the door open to let Sly back into the room. He sighed and slumped down on the floor, crossing his legs underneath him and gathering the cards back towards him. His fingers automatically started moving and shuffling them, his gaze watching the man and not his hands as he settled back across from him. “So, want to run by me what we’re doing again? Because I know how to cheat at cards already, doesn’t mean I can throw your bitch sister across the room any easier.” The man snorted and the smile left his face at the mention of Megara. He ducked his head and pulled the cards from Sly’s fingers, splitting the deck and shuffling them again before he spread all of them out in front of his knees. Then he pulled his hands back, gesturing at the cards with an open palm. “Change them,” he ordered. Sly frowned because he didn’t know what any of this was supposed to accomplish. Somehow he didn’t think they were going to be able to stop Megara with card tricks and illusions. “Into what?” he asked, glancing up at his face. The man shrugged, a smile drifting back across his lips. “Whatever you want,” he said, resting his hands on his knees and waiting. Sly sighed and looked back down at the cards spread out before him. He rested one hand on the end and chewed on the hoop in his lip because that sounded like a challenge and he didn’t know what he was supposed to be proving. He knew how to change cards into money or into other cards, but he wasn’t sure if that was what the man was looking for. What the fuck did that mean, the art of deception? What did that have to do with force powers? After a moment he quirked his lips to the side and then he slid his finger over the back of the card. He wanted it to turn into a fucking butterfly or something but it just sat there and he frowned at it. The man smiled and then picked up the card, flipping it over. There was a butterfly on the back of it and then he flicked it and knocked the illusion free, turning it back into a two of spades. Sly sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head. “I don’t fucking get this at all,” he said, frustration leaking into his voice. He’d been trying to listen to the man but so far he’d just done a lot of talking about mushy sushi or whatever and he felt like the slow kid in class. The man smiled and leaned forward, ducking his head to look at Sly. “You are asking too much of things,” he said, and the words stung because they sounded like what Emi had told him already. “This is only a playing card, and you are asking it to think it is a butterfly. It knows what it looks like, but it does not understand the nature of a butterfly because it is made from a tree.” Sly let his hands fall away from his face and for a moment he just stared at the man. “You sound like a fucking hippy,” he said. The man chuckled and then he pressed the card in between his palms before he opened them back up. There was a blue glow when he did. A flower sat in his hands, the green tendrils falling off the edge of his hands and the petals bright and vibrant in the dimly lit room. Sly frowned and reached forward, picking the flower up and lifting an eyebrow as he studied it. It looked like a flower and it felt like a flower but he wasn’t sure he believed it because he was a liar and none of the shit he pulled every lasted. “So is this an illusion, or is this a flower?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow and looking at the man. Haemon smiled and pulled it back from his hands. “It is a playing card that remembers how to be a flower,” he said, and it wasn’t really an answer. He snapped his hands shut and when he opened his palms again it was a two of spades. “You cannot change the nature of a thing but you can manipulate it to your will. When you fought Megara she asked the wind to hurt you and it obeyed.” “Okay,” Sly said, and he wasn’t sure he was really getting this. “So what was all that art of deception business?” He gathered the cards back and started shuffling so that he could keep his hands busy because when he got frustrated he wanted to get high and there was nothing here but his cigarettes. Maybe if he were high he would understand this more. The man kept the patient smile on his face and held his hands out for the deck. Sly dropped them into his waiting palm. He shuffled them in front of Sly and then pulled three from his deck and dropped them to the floor face up. A smirk curled his lips because he knew this trick. It was one of his favorites and he wondered if the man already knew that. “The strength of a magician does not lie only in Musuhi,” he said. “It is useful but it is just a tool. Our strength is in trickery and lies. Now, follow the lady,” he said. He picked the cards up and then flipped them over face down before he started to shuffle them. Sly watched for a moment and then he looked up at the man’s face, watching him instead of the hands that moved the cards around. He quirked his mouth to the side and he wondered if any of this was actually going to help Emi or if he was just going to be this dead weight she carried around until they both ended up dead. Maybe he was losing his damn mind because he was just a cheat and a liar. He couldn’t change the world or work magic or do anything except get the shit kicked out of him. The man looked up when he was done and he smiled at Sly, gesturing at the cards in front of him. “Well?” he asked, waiting for Sly to look down at them or say something. “Which one is the Queen?” Sly glanced down at them for a moment and then he shook his head. “I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s the one you palmed right at the beginning, but hey, I’ve been wrong before.” He felt the cocky smirk pull at his lips as he looked back at the man and he saw a grin stretch across the others lips. It looked deathly and almost horrifying with that mask painted on his skin. “Good,” he said, and then dropped the cards into Sly’s hand. He pushed himself to his feet, dusting himself off before he went to get a cloak and throw it over his shoulders. Sly frowned at the motion and the man smiled before he could ask. “I am going to check my traps,” he said. “Hopefully there will be something we can eat for dinner in one of them. You stay here and practice telling the cards to be what they are not. I will help you check the Guardian’s bandages when I return.” Sly’s eyes narrowed for a moment as he looked at the man and then he pointed a finger at him. “You bring back your sister or something sneaky like that and we’re going to have a problem, you hear me bud?” The man laughed and patted him on the head as he walked past. “If my sister is with me then I will already have a problem, bud.” Wenston “You should eat,” Haemon said. He was sitting across the room in a chair next to the fire. There was a pot over the burning embers with a ladle sitting resting on the edge. Haemon had a bowl in his hands and was eating the stew he’d cooked with a wooden spoon. Sly sat next to Emi’s bed with a bowl in his own hands. There was a loaf of bread sitting on a small table between him and Emi and he kept dunking some of it in the stew. He was eating like he hadn’t eaten in weeks and Emi guessed it was probably because the food was free. Her own bowl sat untouched next to the loaf of bread while she sat up in the bed, leaning against the wall with her legs folded under her and a blanket over her lap. She narrowed her eyes at Haemon, because he was watching her closely and she wasn’t sure she trusted him enough yet to eat anything he offered her. She felt she should have warned Sly about it too, but a part of her knew that Haemon was only trying to help. If he wasn’t, he could have killed them a hundred times by now. “I do not trust you or your food,” she said to him and her voice was nasty and bitter. She almost felt sorry after she said the words, but what was a little more shame on top of the ever building pile she already carried around with her? Sly paused in eating his food, a chunk of bread half in and half out of his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her and then looked to Haemon, who just smiled warmly and didn’t seem to be too bothered by her hostility. “That is fair enough,” he nodded. “But if you are to get your strength back, you need nourishment.” “I do not need it badly enough to accept anything from you,” she told him, leaning back further against the wall and ducking her head, but keeping her eyes on him. Sly pulled half of the chunk of bread out of his mouth and chewed slowly, looking between the two of them like he was watching something of great interest. It looked like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or scared that he’d been eating the food without question. Haemon laughed and set his bowl down near the fire. He brushed his hands off and stood up, stoking the fire for a moment before looking back over his shoulder at her. “You are prideful,” he said with such finality that the words struck Emi harshly. She frowned deeply at him and she didn’t even look at Sly because she didn’t want to know what he thought about that observation. “I am not,” Emi told him. The man continued stoking the fire and when he got it going bright and big again, he stood and turned around to look down at her. She didn’t like that he could gain his feet so easily and she still was in a bed, even if she was sitting up. When she’d woken up, Sly and Haemon had been looking at her wounds and the man had told her she had a fever. She could feel it on her skin. She could feel her flushed cheeks and the sweat on the back of her neck. Haemon had made her drink some tea while they’d changed her bandages and he’d told her to go back to sleep, but she’d refused because he’d been cooking something and she wanted to make sure he didn’t put anything in their food. So as she sat there on the bed, watching the two of them eat, she went between shivering and sweating and she didn’t want to touch his food because she didn’t trust him and she didn’t like that he was helping them. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She didn’t mind the help. But she didn’t like that she’d been put in a position where she’d had to accept some stranger’s help. It was things like that that got a person killed. “Then you are afraid,” Haemon told her, sitting back down. Emi’s eyes narrowed further and she grit her teeth as she said, “I am not afraid.” Haemon shrugged. “You are one or the other,” he said nonchalantly, looking towards Sly, who was sitting there quietly, looking awkward and out of place. “You are either too prideful to accept assistance, or too afraid to acknowledge your situation.” He raised an eyebrow at Sly. “Which do you think it is?” Sly looked caught off guard. He spluttered for a moment, looking between Haemon and Emi, his gaze lingering on her for a moment and she gave him a glare and dared him to say she was either one of those things. Because she wasn’t. She was ashamed of her failures and she could acknowledge her situation. She was the Guardian. She would be the Guardian until the end of time. There was nothing more to it than that solid truth. Clearing his throat a little, Sly licked his lips and said quietly, “I think you’re super awesome either way,” he nodded his head like that was a really good answer. He faltered a little bit when Emi just kept glaring but then she looked back across the room at Haemon. “In my time, the failure and shame I carry now would require me to take my own life to restore my honor,” she told him. Sly let out a small noise and then he gave a nervous laugh, drawing both of their attention to him. “Well,” he said loudly, like the louder he spoke the further he could push that thought away. “Good thing it’s not your time now, right? I mean, we don’t do that stuff anymore. Life is all about redemption now, babe. Maybe I should take you to church one day. Although, there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t self-combust the minute I set foot inside.” Emi ignored him as he grinned at her and turned back to Haemon. “And I am not afraid of my duty.” “I did not say you were,” he said, tilting his head to the side to look at her curiously. “I said you are afraid to acknowledge what your duty has become.” Sly cleared his throat, but Haemon cut him off before he could interject anything. “It is more punishment than duty now.” Emi stared at Haemon and she didn’t have words for him. She didn’t know what to say to that. She thought she should argue or tell him he was wrong, but she couldn’t because the words struck her deeply. They struck her the way harsh truths would strike her and she looked down at her lap, pulling the blanket a little closer around her. She could feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck and her face felt more flushed. Her eyes were getting heavier again and she felt hotter. Haemon must have noticed it, because he stood and walked across the room to her. “You are becoming more feverish,” he said, reaching for her forehead. Emi’s hand shot out and caught his wrist. “Do not touch me,” she spat, gripping him tightly. Haemon didn’t seem disturbed, but he turned to look at Sly. “I need to look at her wound again.” Sly’s eyes widened in concern for a moment before he scrambled to set his bowl of stew down and came forward, gently prying Emi’s fingers from Haemon’s wrist. “Babe, he’s just trying to help,” Sly said. “I won’t let him cop a feel, I promise.” He grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her as he swung around to sit next to her on the bed. “Just let him take a look.” Emi didn’t say yes or no to that, but when Haemon reached forward to pull the blanket down, she didn’t protest either. She may have leaned closer to Sly, but if she did, it was only because she was tired of sitting up on her own, not because she didn’t want to be touched by anyone but him. Definitely not because of that. Turns out, Haemon didn’t get a chance to check the wound. He started pulling on the bandages, but his hands froze when a howl sounded in the distance, off in the woods. Emi glanced at his face and his eyes were wide as he stood straight up, listening to the howl, his eyes seeking the doorway. He stood there for a moment and Emi didn’t protest when Sly put a hand on her arm. “What was that?” he asked, looking up at the man. Haemon didn’t answer. Instead he shook his head and looked back down at the two of them. “It is not safe here anymore,” he told them, his voice grave. “We must go. Now.” .Wolfie. “I do not need you to carry me,” Emi said.Sly had her cradled in his arms, her cheek pressed against his shoulder and her arms draped loosely around his neck. There was sweat breaking out on her forehead and he imagined running around in the wood wasn’t helping much. He didn’t like that they’d had to take her from bed because she was still in bad shape and she hadn’t eaten anything. He had her wrapped in the deer skin blanket and her bandages were still on but they hadn’t had time to change them or ease her fever any. Haemon was leading the way and he didn’t know where they were going but the trees were getting thicker and darker around them. He’d already lost all sense of direction and he hoped that Emi was just being naturally suspicious and didn’t actually think Haemon was on the other side. If he was then they were fucked because he was completely fucking worthless. As it was the howling was getting steadily closer and he didn’t know what they were going to do if it caught up to them. He hadn’t even been able to take on one of Megara’s dogs by himself so he hoped Haemon had more than flowers up his sleeve. He bit down on his lip to try and keep the smile off his face. “Of course not, babe,” he said. “But it makes me feel all manly and junk.” He looked down at her with a grin on his face. She glanced up at him with narrowed eyes and he couldn’t tell if it was because she was annoyed or if it was because she was feverish and just trying to focus on him. He sighed and shifted her in his arms because even if she was light he wasn’t used to having to do this much exercise in a month. “Alright, just humor me okay? You’re hot as hell and I don’t just mean that in the sexy way.” She was quiet for a moment, her hands fisting in his shirt and he wondered if she even realized she was doing it. A shiver ran through her and his hands tightened their grip, holding her closer to his chest. She hadn’t yelled at him yet about touching her but maybe he was just the lesser of two evils at this point. “You are still the damsel in distress,” she told him quietly. Sly chuckled at that. “Never thought otherwise, sugar.” “Keep quiet,” Haemon said, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes focused on Sly for a moment and then they went past him to the trees beyond. A howl broke through the trees as it got closer and he felt a sliver of fear run down his spine. Leaves brushed the back of his neck as he ducked under a tree and he felt his heart beating harder in his chest. He licked his lips and fought the urge to look under his shoulder to seek out the hunting dogs. “Hey, don’t look at me. It’s her fault,” he said, trying to crack a joke. No one laughed and he sighed when Haemon shot him a darker glare at him. He pushed a branch aside and held it out of the way. “Alright, I get it, I’ll shut up. Seriously babe, you never answered me. Do you think I talk too much?” Emi’s cheek was pressing harder against his shoulder and her eyes were fluttering as she tried to keep them open. He didn’t know if he should hope for her to stay awake or not because she needed her rest but it scared him when she closed her eyes. He didn’t have any guarantee that she would open them again and he didn’t like that. “Yes,” she told him. “Ouch,” he said, wincing in response. His bots thudded through the fallen leaves and snapped rotted branches beneath the soles. “Well, if that’s the way you feel. Don’t expect me to sing you Radiohead again any time soon.” “Quiet,” Haemon said again, his voice something like a hiss. He glared back at Sly and he made a zipping motion over his lips to show that he understood. The man watched him for a moment and then led them to the edge of an embankment. A small stream ran through the woods, the waters running over smooth rocks and deeper into the trees. Haemon didn’t pause, heading down the grass and stepping into the water. It ran over his feet and Sly paused at the edge, looking over at the man. “We’ll try to lose the scent in the water. Can you carry her and still keep your balance?” he asked, nodding his head at Emi. “I can carry myself.” A frown creased her brow and her head rolled to the side to focus on Haemon. The sweat was running down her forehead and he hoped they could stop soon so that they could change her bandages and try and get her to eat something. He didn’t blame her for being suspicious and he didn’t know whether she was being prideful or scared or stubborn. But he wondered if the man was right. He wondered if her duty had become more punishment and maybe she didn’t want this anymore. Maybe she could just stay. Sly opened his mouth to comfort her or lie to her or something but Haemon didn’t give him the chance. “No you can’t,” he said. “I’m sorry Guardian, but for now your lives are in our hands. Now can you carry her or not?” “Yeah,” Sly said, ducking his head at the words. “I got her.” “Good,” Haemon said, and then he turned and started heading up the stream. Sly hesitated for a moment and Emi was looking up at him as he did. “I hope I’m not lying,” he joked quietly. She frowned up at him, fingers tangled in his shirt but he didn’t give her time to argue. He stepped into the stream after Haemon, the water washing up over his boots and his shins. It was cold and a curse left his lips as it tried to shove him off his feet and wash him down the other way. Behind him another howl split the air and it sounded closer than he liked. It sounded like it was hot on their trail and he shivered and fought not to look over his shoulder because he didn’t want to show Emi that he was scared or that he was a coward. It slowed their pace and he knew it, because he was fighting to keep his balance in the water. He slipped once when it got deeper and he felt so fucking guilty when he dropped to one knee and the water soaked through his jeans and splashed up onto Emi’s skin. She started at the chill and her eyes opened, focusing on his face. “I’m sorry,” he told her, and he meant it. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet, shoving up off the rocks and trying to ignore just how much heavier his legs were now. “You don’t have to apologize,” she told him. Her voice was quiet and another shiver wracked her form. The blanket was soaked and he felt like an asshole because he said he had her and instead he’d dunked her in the water. Her eyes opened and they looked a little glazed as she pressed her head harder against him. “I apologize to you. I am supposed to protect you, not burden you.” He scoffed. “That’s just stupid, babe,” he said, as he followed Haemon out of the water for a moment and up a short, rocky path. The water was getting deeper and his heart was beating hard, his arms burning as he struggled to hold onto her. The dirt track arced around the stream for a moment and then circled back to the stream’s edge. The sound of rushing water was growing louder and he didn’t like how the stream was turning into more of a river. It rushed around his legs as he followed Haemon back into the churning waves and every step was becoming more and more of an effort. He heard his breathing increase and he was trying to even it out but he wasn’t sure it was working. He thought again that maybe he should stop fucking smoking so much and maybe this was punishment for not following through on that. He heard the loud howl echoing off the trees behind them before he heard the sound of paws crashing through the leaves and the branches. Haemon’s head turned over his shoulder and he paused in his steps, gesturing at Sly. “Get behind me,” he ordered. His stance widened and his hand went to his belt where the short blade was sheathed. There was a hiss of steel as he drew it and Sly couldn’t help but look behind him as he went to obey, carrying Emi behind the man’s back. The sound of crunching branches and leaves grew louder and then he saw the glint of golden eyes as it burst out of the trees. A shout of surprise left his lips and he couldn’t help himself because it was just as terrifying as he remembered. The dog splashed through the waters, paws churning the waves as it ignored Haemon charging right for Sly. He took a step backwards and slipped on a rock, landing hard on his ass in the water. For a moment he panicked because he was holding Emi in his arms and the dog was thundering right towards them. His feet scrambled against the stones and then Haemon was holding his hand up. He heard the wind whistling past his ears as it slammed hard into the dog. It yelped as the blast struck its body hard, knocking it down into the waters. The man held his blade at the ready, licking his lips as he shifted back in front of Sly. A snarl left the dog’s lips and it straightened itself out, shaking its fur out and its hackles rising. A growl left its muzzle as it lifted its head and focused on Haemon this time, circling dangerously through the waves. The man’s eyes didn’t leave the dog but he tipped his head over his shoulder to speak to Sly. “Now you will do as I did,” he said. “Tell the wind to obey you. You do not need to change its nature or deceive it into being something it is not. Bend it to your will. You are a magician, it will answer your call.” Haemon made a slight bow to the dog and then he sheathed his blade and stepped aside. For a moment Sly’s mouth dropped because he didn’t expect the action and the beast paused, one of its paws lifted above the waters. A growl left its throat and it watched as Haemon turned his back on it and walked to the edge of the bank, leaving Sly and Emi in the waters with the beast. Then it turned its head and focused on them and Sly heard a whimper leave his throat because it had really fucking big teeth and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He didn’t know how to fucking cast magic spells, he’d barely gotten a grasp on changing a god damned playing card. But then a hiss was leaving Emi’s throat and he felt her pushing hard on his chest. “Betrayer,” she said, her voice cold and angry as she pulled herself from Sly’s arms. Her feet slipped in the water and he kept his grip on her arms as she struggled to stand, keeping herself between Sly and the dog. He felt panic well up in him because then it was charging. “Emi!” he cried. There was a flash of teeth in the dull light and agonizing fear as he imagined them ripping through her. He moved without thinking, pushing his shoulder in front of her and pulling her protectively into his arms as the dog hurtled towards them. His eyes crushed shut and he wasn’t thinking about asking anything to move or to obey him. He wasn’t thinking about playing cards and he wasn’t thinking about Haemon and what a fucking asshole he was. All Sly was thinking about was that he couldn’t let Emi get hurt anymore than she already was and he didn’t even know what it meant when he heard the rushing in his ears or the sharp yelp that followed after. The water was wild around them and when he finally looked over his shoulder he saw why. The water had lifted up from the stream and slammed the dog beneath its surface. Wenston Emi’s heart was beating too fast. Her face was pressed into Sly’s chest and her hands were clenched in his shirt. She was barely standing of her own accord and Sly’s arms were wrapped around her, keeping her from slipping into the lapping river. When he turned to look over his shoulder, Emi followed his gaze because not a moment ago, she’d expected him to get mauled by the dog. She’d been terrified she was about to watch him die. She was shaking, but she didn’t think it was from the cold water or the gusty wind. Sly let out a semi-hysterical laugh, one hand leaving her side and coming up to run his fingers over his mouth. “Holy shit,” he said, watching as the waters carried the dog down the stream with more force than what was natural. It wasn’t fighting to break surface, it was going with the roll of the waves and Emi knew now when to recognize something that was dead. Turning her head to the side, she rested it against Sly’s chest as her eyes sought out Haemon and he was crouched on the edge of the bank, a satisfied smile on his face and Emi didn’t have words for the way she felt about that man now. Partially because she wasn’t sure, but mostly because he’d left Sly on his own against that dog and Sly was the one that they needed to protect the most. He was the one who needed to survive this and he shouldn’t have to fight on his own. Not ever. But he’d done it. It had worked and he’d manipulated the waves to do his bidding and that was Haemon’s doing. He’d forced him to explore the power he had inside of himself and this lesson had been successful. She just hadn’t liked the odds, because Sly could have been killed. Sly turned back around, eyes wide as he looked at her and then up at Haemon. “Did I do that?” he asked and she looked down at his hand that had come back around to touch her waist. He’d seemed to have forgotten that she didn’t like to be touched, but then again, maybe so had she. “Did I just jedi mind trick a river?” Haemon smiled and stood. “Your heart reached out for you,” he said. “But it was you.” He jumped down from the higher bank he was standing on and looked around, listening and watching for any signs of more dogs. Emi didn’t hear any, but then again, she was barely keeping herself upright and her head was starting to spin again. She felt so cold and so hot at the same time and it was an odd feeling. When she shivered, Sly seemed to realize they were still standing in the river. He let out a breath and moved to pick her up again. “Come on, babe, I know how much you like skinny dipping with me, but I’m freezing my ass off in here.” He was trying to joke and there was a genuine smile on his face. Emi shoved him in the chest suddenly and he stumbled a little, his foot slipping on a rock and he almost took them both down into the water, but he caught himself at the last minute. He looked at her, startled. She growled at him and spat, “Do not ever do that again.” Sly lifted an eyebrow at her, his hands coming out to catch her elbows, because she must have been swaying on her feet, more than just with the rolling river. “Do what? Pull a Criss Angel? I mean, he’s a douchebag, but I don’t really know any other magicians except Houdini, and he’s kind of out of date.” She didn’t know what she was talking about and the world was starting to spin around her, but she shoved him in the chest again. It had little force behind it and he took her wrists easily. “Do not ever put yourself between harm and me again,” she said. “You are all that matters. I will not have you hurt for me.” Sly snorted. “Well maybe I wanted to give the hero thing a try for a little bit,” he joked. “Do not,” she told him and took a breath because her vision was going blurry as she watched him. “I cannot lose you,” she said and her words trailed off as she felt herself tipping forward. Sly sucked in a harsh breath, jumping forward to catch her before she hit the water. He swung her legs up, cradling her again and Emi’s cheek rested against his chest and this was getting too familiar but she couldn’t help it. Haemon came into the river and helped Sly bring her out of it. “Come, we must keep going, I know a place we can go,” he said and then he was off again, not giving Sly time to rest. “Sure,” was all Sly said and Emi found it strange that for once he was being quiet. She opened her eyes and found that he was looking at her. There was an odd look on his face and she didn’t understand it, but maybe it had something to do with what she’d just told him. He was looking at her like he was trying to figure her out. She wanted to tell him it had been a slip of the tongue, because it couldn’t happen, but then her head was falling back against his shoulder and the world was slipping in and out around her. She wasn’t sure how long they walked after that, but each time she woke even a little, she would shiver and she could feel Sly beneath her doing the same. They were soaked and she wanted to tell him to find shelter and warmth or he would get sick, but each time she opened her mouth to tell him that, she’d drift off before she got the chance. “We are here,” Haemon’s voice woke her at last and when she opened her eyes, she was still in Sly’s arms and the sky was darkening above them. There was a rocky outcropping in front of them and Haemon was shoving on a boulder. When it rolled to the side, it revealed a cave entrance behind it. He held the boulder up and Sly slipped into the entrance. Haemon let the boulder fall back in place and they were bathed in darkness for a moment before Haemon snapped his fingers and blue flame curled up his fingers like a makeshift torch. Sly snorted. “How do you do that?” he asked. “In time,” Haemon said, waving his other hand. “Come. I have supplies hidden here.” They walked for a little bit through the cave. It was winding and narrow in some places, but all the while, Sly kept Emi cradled close to his chest and he was being too quiet. Emi kept her eyes closed because they were too heavy to open. Her mind drifted everywhere and she couldn’t hold a coherent thought. When they came upon an open cavern, there were supplies like Haemon had said. “Lay her there,” Haemon pointed to a pile of furs lying on the floor. “We must look at her wounds now.” Sly did as he was told and Emi could feel his arms shaking as he lowered her gently. He stayed knelt at her side and when he tried to pull his arms away, Emi caught one of his wrists and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe she didn’t want him to go or maybe she wanted him to be the one to look at her wound and not Haemon because she still didn’t trust the man. Sly stayed near her and she finally pried her eyes open to meet his. A smile broke out on his face, but there was hesitation there and then he was asking, “I know this is kind of not fair to ask right now, since you’re delirious and everything, but…I’m a cheat, so I don’t play by the rules and you’ve never given me a solid answer, so it’s been bugging me,” he chuckled to himself and Emi blinked heavily up at him. When he realized she wasn’t going to laugh with him, he leaned closer and brushed some of her hair away from her forehead, where it was soaked to her skin with sweat. She didn’t know where Haemon was, but she heard him rustling around somewhere in the cave. “Would you stay with me if you could?” Emi’s eyes fluttered shut and she wasn’t going to answer him. She had every intent to drift off leaving his question unanswered because it wasn’t one that she ever planned on answering because it was impossible for her to stay. But she thought the answer. Her mind thought the answer she would tell him and her mouth must have been listening, because she heard herself whisper, “Yes,” before she drifted off. .Wolfie. “Sylvester,” Haemon said. “Come here.”Sly blinked at the words, his eyes gritty and sore as he did. He had his back pressed against the rock wall of the cave, the stones digging into his spine and his head resting against its hard surface. He had been dozing in and out of sleep but none of it was restful or deep. He’d been cold most of the night, his clothes still damp because he’d kept falling in the fucking river. A groan left his lips and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth as he tried to sit up. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed in this cave or in the hut before this. He’d lost track a while ago and that probably should have been worrying him more. He should have been thinking about what was going to happen when he got back and whether or not there would be angry Russians waiting on his doorstep for him. If he missed work then he probably wouldn’t have a job to go back to. Then he would be back to scamming or stealing because no one else in their right mind was going to hire him. Emi lay curled on the furs by his side and he’d had one hand running soothingly through her hair all night. They’d changed her bandages but the fever had still gotten worse for a while and she hadn’t slept easy. She’d tossed and turned, kicking the blankets off her one moment and then shivering in the next. Sly had stayed by her, trying to make sure that she didn’t move too much and rip open her wounds because she still had stitches in one shoulder and nasty burn scars on her side. They’d put the salve back on it and at one point when she’d woken he’d gotten more tea down her but she still hadn’t eaten and he thought she needed to. “It’s Sly,” he said. He shifted on the stones, rubbing the back of his neck and grimacing at the tight, sharp pain there. His muscles were sore from carrying Emi, but he didn’t mind. He’d liked holding onto her, even if he didn’t like the reason it was necessary. She’d said yes. He grinned as soon as he thought it, pulling his knees up and scrubbing his hand over his face. Yes, she wanted to stay. With him. Whether she meant to say it or not because she’d been feverish and half conscious, she had and he believed her. It was more than he’d had any right to hope for but she’d said it and no matter what happened next it meant the fucking world to him now. Haemon smiled. “Sly,” he said. “Come here.” He gestured his hand at the fire in front of him and Sly looked up at it for a moment. Blue flames crackled over a small pile of logs, a circle of stones holding it in. There was heat radiating off of it but no smoke and he didn’t understand how he’d done it. There were a lot of things he still didn’t understand, like how he’d force pushed a fucking river for one thing. It was great and all that he’d pulled it off and it made him grin just thinking about it but there was a problem. He had no fucking clue how he’d done it. His mind hadn’t moved past the card tricks. All he’d been thinking about was blood spilling out of Emi’s side and the smell of her skin burning in the darkened hut and he’d just wanted to protect her. He pushed himself away from the wall, moving across the stone floor to the fire. His muscles ached and protested and his nails scratched at the gouges in his chest because they were itching as they healed. He hadn’t really noticed his own wounds or pains because it didn’t seem right for him to bitch and complain when Emi had been ripped open and then burned shut. “What do you want, Yoda?” Sly asked, settling across the fire from him. The flames felt warm and pleasant on his skin. Haemon smiled and he had his legs crossed underneath him, his hands resting lightly on his knees. He studied him for a moment as Sly got situated and the smile never left his face. Then he turned and prodded at the blue flames with a stick, stirring logs that didn’t even look like they were burning. “You did well against the dog,” he said, and Sly snorted, a small smirk pulling at his lips. The man noticed and then pointed the stick at his chest. “But you can do better.” “Yeah, about that, bud,” Sly spat. His eyes narrowed and he pointed back at the man. “I don’t really appreciate you leaving us in the lurch like that. I get this whole tough love bullshit but you don’t get to put her in a situation like that.” The man chuckled and tossed his stick on top of the flames. “I knew you could do it,” he said. “If you couldn’t, you would be dead anyway when you went after Megara. Better we know now instead of later.” He grinned and ignored the nasty look Sly was giving him. He reached forward and then cut through the fire with his palm, scooping the blue flames into his hands. Sly’s eyes widened slightly and Haemon was grinning as he turned back to him. “What you did was out of instinct,” he said. His fingers toyed with the fire, moving it from one hand to the other and letting it flicker and dance across his fingertips. “You asked the world for help and it obeyed you, but you did not bend it to your will.” He twisted his hands and spread the fire out like a cat’s cradle woven through his fingers. “When you do your card tricks, you do not ask their faces to change. You tell them to. You demand that they obey you and they listen to your will. You must exert the same kind of control over the elements. Now take this.” Sly frowned as the man twisted the flames into one flickering ball of light and then offered it up to him. He was hesitant as he reached for it because he could feel the heat from where he sat and then the flames were pouring off onto his fingers. A snarled curse left his lips as he felt them burn his skin and he yanked his hand back, clutching it to his chest. “You fucking asshole,” he spat, his fingers tingling and burnt. He glared at the man as the blue flames fell to the ground and burst into dust and ash as they struck the stones. He turned his head quickly over his shoulder to make sure his outburst hadn’t woken Emi but her eyes were closed. Haemon laughed and then shook his head. “Will,” he said again. “It is all about will. You are full of fear and hesitation and you cannot be when you work with musuhi. Nothing will bend to a man like that.” He tipped his head to the side and Sly rolled his eyes, scrubbing a hand over his face because he didn’t know what the man wanted from him. After a moment Haemon sighed and then ran his hand through the flames again. “You fear failure,” he said. “You fear rejection and disappointment.” Sly snorted. “Of course I’m scared of failing, Dr. Phil. It sorta means I end up dead and I’d kinda like to avoid that, thanks.” Haemon shook his head and he didn’t look away from the fire in his hand. His voice was low and gentle but the words were harsh and he didn’t want to hear them. “It is not death you fear. It is the thought that you are already dead. You are afraid to face yourself, Sly.” His head lifted to look him in the eye. “The disappointments and pains of the past have left you crippled.” For a moment Sly didn’t have an answer for him. His gaze locked on the fire and he didn’t like the words so all he thought about was a needle and his drugs because if he was high then they wouldn’t bother him. He licked his lips, teeth tugging at the metal hoop and he didn’t want to think about the drugs but he didn’t want to think about the words even more. He didn’t know why they bothered him but they hurt because he couldn’t remember the last time he could look in a mirror when he wasn’t high. Then he smirked and looked back up at Haemon. He lifted his hands from his lap and wiggled his fingers at him. “I’m not crippled,” he said. “See? I’ve got all ten fingers and all ten toes. I don’t think my career in the NFL is going to take off, but otherwise I’m good.” “Oh?” Haemon said. “Then hold the flames in your palm.” He smiled and nodded at the fire next to him. His fingers toyed with the ones in his own hand and Sly’s eyes narrowed as he watched him for a moment. His skin still stung painfully and he didn’t exactly want to add second degree burns to the things that were wrong with him. A sigh left his lips and he reached towards the fire. He could feel the blistering heat beneath his skin and any closer he’d be burning himself again. He hesitated, his hand hovering next to it but he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He’d tried just picking it up and he’d gotten himself burned. Was he supposed to be trying to cast a magic spell or something? He chewed on the hoop in his lip and his eyes narrowed in concentration. Maybe he was just supposed to ask the fire not to fucking burn him. He wasn’t exactly sure how to do that but he thought it really hard and then reached for the flames. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he spat, yanking his hand back as it flickered over his skin. Haemon laughed and shook his head. “What were you thinking about?” he asked, moving his own fire between his fingertips. “I don’t fucking know,” Sly spat, sticking his fingertip in his mouth. His skin felt sore and raw and at this rate he was going to end up with blisters all over his hands. He felt stupid, especially when Yoda over there was playing with it like it was fucking silly putty or something. “I was thinking that I didn’t want to get fucking burned, that’s what I was thinking.” “Then you will get burned. You are stronger than the fire. Do not ask it to obey you, tell it to.” Haemon smiled indulgently, still playing with the fire in his hands. “When you bent the waters to your will, what were you thinking about then?” Sly ducked his head. “I don’t know,” he said, and the lie came easily off his tongue. For a moment he glanced over his shoulder at Emi and she was lying on her side, the furs covering her form and her breathing easier than it had been when they first arrived. A glimmer of a smile crossed his face because she’d said she couldn’t lose him and it had sounded personal. She hadn’t said that she couldn’t fail or that she couldn’t lose the sealbreaker. She’d said she couldn’t lose him and he wanted to call her on it. His hand rubbed at the back of his neck and he looked back down at the dirty stone floor. “I was thinking that I had to protect her,” he said, and he felt embarrassed for some reason after he said the words. He glanced up at Haemon’s face and the man nodded his head again, a knowing smile on his face. Sly sighed and rolled his eyes at him, kicking at the dirt. “You see?” Haemon said. “There was no hesitation in that thought. No fear, no doubt. Only your will.” He studied him for a moment and then glanced past him towards Emi. “She is strong,” he said, and Sly snorted because he didn’t need anyone to tell him that. He knew how strong she was. He knew how badass and amazing she was. “But the road she walks is breaking beneath her feet. She will need someone there when it finally crumbles.” The man’s eyes moved back to his face and they looked dark from the paint and the blue flames that danced across his skin. “She does not need a coward or a fool,” he said. “You must prove to her that you are neither.” Sly snorted and a wry smirk creased his lips. “Well,” he drawled. “I can’t promise that.” Wenston Emi woke to Sly’s fingers moving over her forehead. The world was fuzzy and dark, but there was a blue fire burning brightly on the other side of the cave that gave them enough light to see around. Sly was leaned over her, kneeling at her side and for a moment Emi couldn’t remember how they’d gotten here. Then bits and pieces of the trek started to fall into place and she remembered the scene by the river and what Sly had done. She was proud of him for bending the water to his will, but she was also furious that he’d put himself in danger for her. Sly smiled when he saw her eyes focus on him. “Hey, babe,” he said and he was in high spirits for some reason. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I need you to try and eat something, okay?” She glanced at his hands and there was a can of soup in it, one of the cans he’d packed away before they’d come here. He’d already gotten it opened and there were scorch marks on the bottom of it, so he’d heated it up over the fire. Setting it down, Sly reached for her and she let him help her into a sitting position and didn’t protest. She put her back against the cave wall and while Sly was settling down in front of her, her eyes rose to seek out Haemon and the man was sitting near the fire, his eyes closed and concentrating on something. Her own gaze narrowed as she watched him and she needed to talk to that man about what he’d done by the river. “Emi?” Sly asked and she brought her gaze back to him. He was looking at her curiously and she wondered if he’d been talking to her, because she hadn’t been listening. She realized she hadn’t said anything to him since he’d woken her up and maybe he was wondering if she was still in there or if she was delirious and zoned out. “You feeling any better?” Emi watched him for a moment before she reached out and took the open can of soup from him. His hands stayed close to her as she set the can on her lap and used the spoon to raise a bite to her mouth. Her hands were shaking and she hated that, but she couldn’t help it. She felt weak and powerless and as she chewed, she leaned her head against the rocks behind her and looked out into the vast darkness of the cave. She didn’t take another bite right away and it must have worried Sly, because he ducked his head forward so he could see her face. “I know I’m no Emeril, or even Haemon over there with his rabbit stew or whatever the hell we ate earlier, but you gotta eat more than just a bite.” A sigh escaped her lips and she turned to look at him. He was grinning at her and she couldn’t find it in her to return it or laugh at his joke. There was an empty weight at her hip and she couldn’t hold her hands still or even sit up on her own. She felt defeated. She felt her will breaking beneath the weight of it all and she thought again that if she were back in her time, she’d rid herself of her shame by forfeiting her life. “I believe we must kill Megara,” she said instead of answering him or vocalizing any of the real thoughts she was having. She saw Sly frown because he must not have been expecting that and across the cave, she saw Haemon’s eyes open and his head turn to kill at her. She glared back at him, but spoke to Sly. “If killing Tsuiseki-sha did not finish our duty in this world, then his soul must not be his anymore.” Sly snorted. “Okay, sounds good, but we can worry about that when the time comes,” he said and pointed to the soup. “First things first, we’re getting you better.” Emi narrowed her eyes and went to protest, but Sly held up a hand, “You’re not fine,” he said. “Well, you’re fine, but not…fine. Gotta get you ship shape again.” From across the cave, Haemon spoke up. “Megara may still be saved,” he said. Emi frowned at him. “My duty is to close the seal by any means necessary. I will not risk failure trying to save someone who willingly followed one of the Thirteen.” Emi knew the words were harsh, but they were the truth in her eyes. She couldn’t try to save Megara. The only person she was meant to save was Sly and she couldn’t try to protect anyone else, because it would distract her from her duty to him. He came first. Always. “You have your duty, Guardian,” Haemon nodded his head. “I have mine.” Emi set the can of soup down and put her hands to her side, because the wound there was throbbing, but her eyes never left Haemon. “If you put Sly at risk, then you become a threat, Magician,” she told him and saw Haemon raise an eyebrow curiously. “I will not hesitate to eliminate you.” “Whoa,” Sly said, giving a nervous laugh, holding his hands up between the two of them. “We’re all on the same side here, I’m pretty sure. I mean I don’t expect us to sit around the fire singing Kumbaya, but I think we’ll make a pretty kick ass team, huh? Working together? A regular mod squad.” Haemon turned his head away and closed his eyes again, going back to concentrating on whatever he was doing. Emi watched him for a while before she turned her head to look at Sly and he was smiling at her. She let her head duck and shook her head. “I do not have Kaidokusuru to defend you with,” she whispered. Sly sighed, reaching out to touch her arm, but she pulled it away and his hand was left hovering there for a moment before he let it fall in his lap. “I told you we’re going to get it back. Besides, you’re pretty good at hurling chairs. So I’m sure you can turn just about anything into a weapon.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, but she didn’t even look up at him or respond. Sly licked his lips, clearing his throat nervously and scratching at the back of his head. “So, uh, what did you mean by the whole, ‘I cannot lose you’ bit by the river?” Emi felt her heart spike because now that he’d said it, she remembered herself saying that to him. She shook her head, “I meant if you die, I have failed and Izanagi will rise,” she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sly shake his head, leaning forward to try and see her face. “I don’t think that’s what you meant,” he said, grinning. “I meant nothing else,” she told him. Sly snorted. “Well, that’s not the impression I got last night when you said you wanted to stay with me.” He grinned but Emi felt her chest constrict because she shouldn’t have said that. She bit her lip, but her chin was quaking as she tried to hold back her emotions. “I’m pretty sure that means you like me.” Neither of them probably expected her reaction to the words. Her face crumbled and tears streaked their way down her cheeks as she shook her head. “I cannot,” she said quietly, a sob escaping her throat. Sly’s eyes went wide and all of his humor was gone as he moved the canned soup of out the way and scooted closer. “Whoa, hey, Emi, it’s okay,” he said, reaching for her shoulders. She tried to pull away from him, but he kept a grip on her, trying to turn her so he could see her face. “These waterworks are killing me, babe. Look, I’m sorry I brought it up again, okay? It’s gonna be alright.” She shook her head and then she turned to look at him and his face was sober and caring and little frightened and it only made her sob again. “My duty is all I have,” she told him. “I know nothing else. I can be nothing else.” Then she let him pull her against him and she put his face to his shoulder. She tried to hold back, but she couldn’t because his hand was moving soothing up and down her back and the other was pressed to the back of her head and she knew she wasn’t supposed to like people touching her and she wasn’t supposed to need comforting, but this felt okay. She felt safe here. “But I’ve never wanted it less,” she said, before she sobbed into his shoulder. .Wolfie. Sly held her until the tears stopped and even then he couldn’t get himself to let her go. She wasn’t fighting to get out of his arms and he didn’t bother trying to figure out what that meant. One of her hands was curled in his shirt and the rest of her body was trembling, even after she stopped crying. He just held her, his hand running up and down her back and the other resting on the back of her head as her cheek pressed into his chest. His shirt was soaked with tears and after a while his ass started to fall asleep but he ignored both of those things because they weren’t as important as the girl in his arms. “You okay, babe?” he asked after a while. He kept his voice low because he didn’t want to make her upset again and he didn’t want to scare her off because he could get used to having her pressed up against him like this. He smirked and then ducked his head to try and look into her eyes because she wasn’t answering him and she was making him worried. The smile faltered when he saw her face because her eyes looked distant and sad just before they focused on him. She blinked and then shook her head, pushing away from him. He caught her arms, head still lowered and watching her eyes as she stared miserably at the furs beneath her. “I do not know,” she said, her voice quiet and shaky. “I don’t think so.” “Well, maybe there’s a way you can stay,” he blurted, and he was surprised he actually got the words out. He smiled and lifted his hand to brush some of her hair back behind her ear. She didn’t flinch at the touch but she seemed to realize afterwards that she shouldn’t be allowing him to get that comfortable with her and she ducked her head to the side. “There’s gotta be a way out.” The words had about the reaction he expected. She pushed his hands away from her, moving backwards so that her back was pressed against the wall again. “There isn’t,” she told him, and she sounded angry but he didn’t take it personally. “Without a Guardian the seal will be broken and Izanagi will roam the earth. I am the only Guardian left.” Her hand covered her mouth after she said it and he saw the tears brimming in her eyes but she didn’t let them fall this time. Sly scooted forward, ignoring the glance she shot him as he took her hands into his. She tried to tug them back and he smiled as he held them to his mouth, warming them with his breath. “I’m a cheat and a liar babe. If anyone can find a way out of this, it’s me.” “You should show her what you’ve learned,” Haemon said. Sly glanced over his shoulder and the man was still sitting by his fire, his hands resting on his knees and his eyes shut. They slid open as he spoke, focusing on Sly with a smile on his face and he couldn’t get himself to return it. He wanted to believe he was on their side but it was hard to tell. If his loyalty was to his sister the psycho witch then he didn’t know what was going to happen when they all finally came face to face. He didn’t know whose side he would pick and if they would end up facing two magicians and a zombie dog because if that’s what it came to they might be in trouble. He smirked and turned back around to look at Emi. He held one hand up, his thumb pressed against his index and middle finger. It was sinking in slowly, all the things that Haemon was trying to teach him. He didn’t understand all the hippy mumbo jumbo he went on about sometime, but he mostly understood will. He’d gotten burned too many times throughout the day learning that lesson. He understood that there wasn’t that much difference between palming a coin and telling the wind to do it for him. “Let there be light,” he said with a grin. When he snapped his fingers he felt and heard the spark that burst in the air. He felt the heat from the flame that was suddenly flickering from his fingertips and he saw Emi’s eyes widen as she focused on it. “Baka,” she said quietly, the light dancing across her face and he thought she was beautiful. “I am proud of you.” The words made him duck his head to hide the smile that broke across his lips because he was still uncomfortable with any kind of praise. He didn’t deserve it and he didn’t know what to make of her when she said things like that. She was hurt and in pain and this was the best trick he had up his sleeve so far. There was no reason for her to be proud of him and he would have told her that if thought there was a point to it. It just meant it would hurt more when he did fuck up. “See?” he said. “I may be the slow kid in class but I might end up being good for something after all. If only the castle was made of straw then we’d be set.” He smirked and then rolled the fire towards his palm, swiping his other hand across it and snuffing it out. She watched his hands for a moment before she looked up at his face and he was surprised because she really did look proud of him. “You must have belief in yourself,” she said, her hand resting on his for a moment. The touch was light but it still sent a spark to his brain because it had been a long time and she was hot. “You are capable of great things.” He smirked and tilted his head to look into her face. “Oh yeah?” he said. “Well, if I’m supposed to have belief in myself then I think you should believe me when I say I’ll find a way for you to stay.” As soon as he said it the look dropped off her face and her head ducked, staring at her lap as she pulled her fingers back. He saw the moment she closed herself off from him again and he didn’t know if he should feel guilty for it or not. He said the words like he believed them, but he wasn’t sure how yet. But if she meant it then the Grimoire was the best place to start and when they got back he might have to actually man up and touch the thing. “There is still no honorable way out,” she told him. Her voice was quiet and weak and he wondered who she was trying to convince. He smirked and shrugged it off like it was no big deal. “We’ll see,” he told her, shifting closer. He picked the can of soup off the floor next to him and then lifted a spoonful out, holding it to her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed them from him and he chuckled at the look as she began to feed herself. “See, even though you didn’t ask me what I wanted, the thing of it is that I want you to stay.” Her brow crinkled at that and she lifted her head from the soup to look at him. He stared back and then let a smile curl his lips because he wasn’t sure what she was searching for as her eyes roamed his face but he hoped she found it. He wasn’t a good man. He was probably a worse boyfriend and a terrible friend, but he didn’t want her to go. The selfish part of him wanted her to stay here with him and help him get his life together because he was afraid of what would happen to him when he was gone. He was afraid that he would relapse and he was even more afraid of the part of him that wanted that. There was a little voice in the back of his head that said as soon as she was gone he could go back to shooting gold into his veins without anyone caring. He hated himself just for thinking it. He hated that the thoughts didn’t feel as foreign as the ones that wanted her to stay. There was this unfamiliar feeling in his gut that didn’t want her to leave because he didn’t like the thought of her doing this all over again. He thought about that fucking spider demon that had slashed up her arm and the things that the monkey had waiting for her. He thought about the demon they still hadn’t killed yet, that fucking dog that had tried to feel her up and if she left then she would have to face that all over again. It was like a nightmare that just wouldn’t end and he could understand that. She’d stopped eating again, the spoon held loosely in her fingers as she looked down at the can. She swallowed what was in her mouth and then she shook her head, glancing up at him through veiled lashes. “You shouldn’t,” she told him, and he sighed sitting back on his heels. Then she licked her lips and he didn’t think she meant for him to hear the next words. “I shouldn’t want you to.” He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Ah, but babe I want you to want me.” He waggled his eyebrows and she just shook her head again. A sigh left his lips and then he sat forward, going to pick up the spoon again because she needed to eat. Emi pulled it away from him with narrowed eyes and it just made him laugh. “Sly…” she started. He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I know,” he said. “We can’t be friends, right?” He chuckled after he said it. She frowned and he was failing miserably at getting her to eat. “I didn’t say that,” she told him. The words just made him laugh again and it made her frown darken, her gaze dropping to the can of soup in her lap. “You must understand,” she said. “There is not supposed to be anything between the Guardian and the sealbreaker. It just makes everything harder.” She shook her head and then sucked in a breath, like she was trying to reign in her emotions and it killed the laughter but not the smile. He shifted closer so that he was crouching in front of her and then his fingers brushed her chin, drawing her gaze up to him. “I do understand,” he told her. His voice was quiet and serious and she looked at him curiously because it wasn’t like him. “Then you understand that even were we to become friends, that is the most we could ever be,” she said. “Even that is asking too much. Her voice shook and she tried to look away after she said it. His fingers still held her chin and he tried to tilt his head to keep looking in her eyes. “I cannot…” she started to say, and then she crushed her eyes shut, ducking her head away from him. A sigh left his lips and he moved his hand to the side of her face. “Emi,” he said. “Come on babe. Just look at me for a second, okay?” He smiled when she did as he asked and he didn’t like that she looked like she was ready to cry again. He sucked in a breath and then nodded his head as he tried to gear himself up to say the words to her. “Look, the fact is that I’m not a good man,” he told her. “I’m a thief, a cheat, and a liar, and those are just the things I’ll admit to. Any one of my ex-girlfriends would probably be happy to add other virtues onto the list, junkie and manwhore probably towards the top.” He snorted, scrubbing a hand over his mouth. He couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment. He smirked and glanced up at her face and she was just watching him with sad eyes. “I’m so bad at this,” he told her, shaking his head and looking away. “The thing is, you make me want to be a better man. When you’re around, I want to try harder. I want to prove to you that I’m worth something. So you can take that for what it’s worth because I’m not telling you because I expect anything back. I just thought you should know.” “Sly,” she said, catching at his wrist as he stood. She licked her lips and looked up at him and if he didn’t know better he’d say she looked nervous. He’d say she looked scared and that hadn’t been his intention. Then the look was gone, replaced with a quiet, calm mask that he was used to seeing on her face. “I already think you are a good man.” He laughed and leaned down, one hand resting on the back of her neck as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes closed against the touch and his lips pulled into a smile because she was allowing it. “No you don’t,” he said. “But thanks for saying it.” Wenston Emi sat huddled with the furs pulled closely around her. She leaned against the cave wall and her legs were pulled up. The position stretched at her stomach wound terribly, but she could take it. She was cold and she was tired and she was trying really hard not to fall asleep because across the cave, Sly and Haemon were practicing different things with musuhi and Sly was learning it slowly, but at least he was learning it. One minute, he’d get frustrated and call Haemon every name under the sun. The next minute, he’d get what Haemon was trying to have him do and the two of them would be like best friends. Sly would get a look on his face that told her he wasn’t used to accomplishing things. He wasn’t used to succeeding and it made her think of him lying in a bed, screaming at her for his medicine. It made her think of him sitting in his bedroom with a small bit of it in his hands and how hard it had been for him to hand it over to her. But he’d done those things. She didn’t understand why he’d said she didn’t really think he was a good man, because she did. She thought some of his judgments were clouded by the medicine and his hatred for himself got in the way of a lot of things. But underneath all of that, underneath the dark cloud of self hatred, there was a good man. She’d seen glimpses of him. More and more the longer he went without his medicine. She wondered why he didn’t think he was one and what had happened to him to drive him down this path. She shouldn’t have let her emotions slip out in front of him. The last time she’d cried so openly in front of anyone had been when she’d returned to her village to find all the people she knew and loved slaughtered. She’d wept for them, but that had been something worth crying over. This wasn’t. At least, she didn’t think it was. A part of her thought being the Guardian was getting really old. But another part of her knew that if she didn’t do it, someone else would have to. And this was her duty and hers alone. She didn’t know whether to believe Sly or not when he said he’d find a way out of it for her. He sounded like he believed it, but she didn’t want to encourage him because he would be crushed in the end if he didn’t find one. She meant it when she told him they could be friends and nothing more. Although she had trouble picturing that staying true once the flood gates were open. She could still feel his lips pressed against her forehead and no one had touched her that gently. Not ever. “You must tell the rock to move,” Haemon was saying and Emi focused on them a moment. Sly was concentrating hard on a pile of rocks, but they weren’t budging and Emi wondered what he was trying to do. She’d been spacing out, not paying attention. Sly sighed. “No, no, you have to say it like this – tell the rock to move, you must.” He grinned like they were supposed to get the joke, but Haemon just lifted an eyebrow and Sly chuckled rubbing the back of his neck. “Yoda,” he explained, but it didn’t help. “Little ancient green dude who lives in a swamp. Kick ass with a lightsaber.” “Was he a Magician?” Haemon asked. Sly laughed and Emi wasn’t sure why. “You could see he was THE Magician.” Emi couldn’t help but smile at the confused look on Haemon’s face because the man was wise and powerful, but leave it to Sly to confuse him. She rolled her head to the side and Sly’s pack was sitting near her on the furs. She let one of them drop, exposing her arm as she reached out to pull the pack near to her. She didn’t like how weak she still felt, because it was a task just to get the pack over to her. Her hands shook and when she got the pack up against her legs, she had to let her arm fall into her lap, giving herself time to rest. Once she caught her breath and her limbs didn’t feel like weights again, she opened the pack and looked inside. She hoped Sly wouldn’t mind. The Grimoire was sitting on top and Emi stared at it for a moment. Her fingers ran over the smooth leather bindings and she felt her mood dropping. She frowned at the book and then shoved it to the side. She was beginning to wonder if the Grimoire had chosen to send them here for a different reason other than the demon who’d made it. Maybe they were sent here for the world, not the demon. She’d been wondering for a long time how they were going to make it through this when the demons were so strong and the sealbreaker wasn’t a fighter at all. Maybe the Grimoire sent them here because it knew Haemon would find them. Or maybe because it knew Sly and Emi needed to hash things out. There was another can of soup in the pack, but she left it there because she wasn’t sure how much longer they were going to be in the cave. She was going to have to get herself up and moving again soon, or else they’d rot here. Sly had a job to return to and money to make so he could pay off those men who wanted money from him. They couldn’t stay here forever and she was holding them up, she knew it. A knife lay at the bottom of the pack and Emi paused as she spotted it. Her hands closed around the handle and she pulled it up out of the pack, the blue glow of the fire dancing off the blade. It wasn’t a special knife or necessarily a big one. For a moment, her mind went to a morbid place because she’d meant it when she told Sly that in her day, ritual suicide would be the only way she could ever gain her honor back. If she were home, with Daisuke and her village, she’d run the blade deep into her gut and strike it across herself. She pushed that thought away because if there was one thing that Sly said that was getting through to her, it was that she wasn’t in her time. She was in his now. And people didn’t do that when they made mistakes. She could hear him telling her that these days, the world was all about redemption and she knew she would have to redeem herself with Sly. She would have to get him to forgive her for the mistakes she made. But mostly, she’d have to forgive herself. A noise from somewhere to the left of her caught her attention. She turned her head to look into the dark crevices of the cave, but the light from the blue fire didn’t reach some of them, leaving them bathed in shadow and blackness. Her hand tightened around the handle of the knife and she frowned because she couldn’t tell if the noise had been rocks falling or if there was something there. It had been very quiet. She glanced back at Haemon and Sly and they both had their backs to her. Haemon was trying to show Sly how to engulf both of his hands in fire and make the fire leap from his fingers. Sly only had a small flame in his hands and seemed to be getting frustrated with it. Neither one of them acted like they’d heard the noise. Emi looked back towards the small corner of the cave and she watched it for a moment, but no further noise or movement came and she relaxed a little. She sat back against the cave wall and went on watching Sly, her mind starting to drift again with thoughts of him and watching the man he was becoming. When something wet hit her arm, she flinched, looking to her bare shoulder. Something was dripping down her skin, but she couldn’t tell what it was. She frowned, because it was too thick to be rain water, but there was no color to it. She reached up to wipe it off of her shoulder, at the same time lifting her head to look above her, thinking maybe there was an animal in the cave with them. She didn’t expect to find two yellow eyes meeting her. She didn’t expect to see the bared jagged teeth dripping saliva down onto her. She didn’t expect to find the thing that was left of Tsuiseki-sha clinging to the wall of the cave above her head. She gasped out of surprise. Then he was dropping down onto her. .Wolfie. Sly had a smile on his face and there was fire flickering on his fingertips when he heard Emi’s sharp gasp followed swiftly by a pained roar. His head turned over his shoulder and immediately his eyes went wide and a startled shout left his lips.She was on her back, her feet kicking as she tried to back away from the monster facing her. There was a knife grasped in her hands and he dimly recognized it as the one he’d stolen from the magic shop and dropped in the bottom of his bag. A long bloody slash was cut across the beast’s face and it dragged a paw across its snout before shaking it off. It was Tsuiseki-sha. He recognized the eyes if nothing else because there was nothing recognizable as human anymore. “Emi!” he shouted. The fire on his hands spluttered and died as he startled to scramble across the floor towards her. He felt thick and clumsy and slow and he was terrified that she was going to be dead before he could even get to her. The demon didn’t wait, launching itself off its back legs on top of her. She slashed out with the knife as it threw itself at her, catching it across the muzzle again and a terrible roar left its throat as she did. Her foot lashed out and kicked it in the jaw with surprising strength and she never ceased to amaze him because even hurt and weak she still fought back with all the strength she had. He reached her in the next moment, hands just closing around her shoulders as Haemon reached his feet. His hand gestured at the demon and the wind howled around him as it slammed hard into the side of the demon. It drew a yelp from its lips and a startled shout from Sly because it struck him too, knocking him across Emi before he could balance himself. “Are you okay?” Sly asked, turning his head to the side to look at her. There were fresh scratches across her neck and shoulders and they made his hands slick as he held onto her. One hand was braced on the other side of her to try and stay upright because around them the wind was rushing loudly and he was trying not to fall on her. The stitches already in her skin looked like some of them had pulled loose but he was more worried about the jagged lines left on her side. “I am fine,” Emi said, pushing at his arms and shoving him roughly to the side. She still held the knife in one hand and all her attention was focused on the demon behind them. Haemon was walking towards it, hands loose at his side and the wind rushing around his form as he walked across the cave. The demon was pushing itself to its feet, shaking its head and focusing on him with narrowed animal eyes. A growl rumbled up from its throat and then it pushed off the stones, running swiftly towards the magician. One hand shot out and gestured roughly to the side, the wind howling as it hurried to obey him. It slammed into the demon again, knocking it to the side but it didn’t stop. It rolled with the motion, claws scrabbling off the stones as it kept charging at Haemon. The man’s eyes went wide for a moment as the demon slammed into him, knocking him back into the wall with a sharp cry. Sly shouted along with him as he saw jaws sink into his arm, drawing bloody lines across his skin. It shook its head to the side and there was a burst of blood across the stones as it tossed him to the side like a rag doll, his body slamming into the stones. It shook its head one last time and Sly could hear the loud snap as the man’s arm broke. There was blood all over the ground and he could hear Haemon making horrible whimpering noises in the back of his throat as the demon tossed him to the side. Then it was turning, fangs dripping red and eyes narrowed as they focused back on Sly and Emi. He got a good hard look at it and it was more terrifying than he remembered. Its shoulders rolled and it looked more like a stalking wolf than it did a dog. Its paws struck the ground hard as it started walking back towards them and his fingers tightened around Emi’s shoulders as he saw it getting closer. There was fear making his heart pound loudly in his chest and his mouth was as dry as a bone. Then Emi’s hand was curling around his arm and she was yanking him back with a hard grip. The knife was in her other hand and she pushed him back with her palm as she put herself between him and the demon. “Stay behind me,” she told him, holding out in front of her and crawling into a kneeling position. She was trembling, but she did it anyway, even with fresh blood on her skin. The demon growled and its nostrils flared as it inhaled air into its lungs. There were still jagged slashes across its skin and it was hurt and battered but it didn’t look like it was going to slow it any because then it was baring its teeth and attacking. “Fuck that,” he snapped, and then he was pushing her hard out of the way. The demon struck him with all the force of a barreling train. His head slammed hard into the wall and for a moment it went hazy and dark around him. He was only dimly aware of his body, his fingers tingling and numb and blood running down the side of his face. He careened off the wall and fell to the ground, his body slamming into the stone and his eyes focusing distantly on the blue fire that flickered on the other end of the cavern. He could still see the stones sitting around it from where he’d tried to lift them with the force of his will and maybe he just wasn’t strong enough. He was nothing, and all this playing around with magic tricks didn’t make him anything more. He’d been told that enough times. Drug addict, fuck up, failure, those were all that he was. He felt the truth of that settle into his gut and he could see his fingers lying next to his head, limp and useless just like him. Haemon was on the ground and he could see the man rolling onto his back, holding his arm to his chest and tears glittering in the blue light. There was pain etched on his face and when he opened his eyes Sly could see it reflected in them. There was disappointment and despair and Sly knew what that felt like. He felt it every fucking day of his life and he had to look away because it was like looking in a mirror. His vision swam and for a moment he closed his eyes and almost left them that way. He felt hot breath on the back of his neck and a low growling in his ear. Something wet dripped onto his skin and he didn’t know if it was drool or blood or both. His fingers tightened on the stones and he sucked in a breath, forcing his eyes to open because he thought that Emi would be disappointed if he didn’t. And he never wanted to disappoint her. He turned his head to the side and the fangs were right next to his face. “Fuck you,” he said weakly. There was the sound of growling and he thought for sure that this was the last moment of his life. He winced and waited for the fangs that never came. He just heard a sharp pained yelp. It broke through the fog in his mind and he blinked, fingers digging into the stone as he pushed himself upwards. His head lifted and turned and he caught a flash of fangs as the demon whirled away from him. As he turned his back he could see the steel embedded in his spine, from where Emi had jammed it home. An angered roar rumbled up from within its chest and then he saw it settle back on its haunches, launching itself at Emi. She rolled out of the way, grabbing for anything that she could use as a weapon. Her hand closed around one of the stones and she turned, slinging it hard at Tsuiseki-sha’s head. It struck him hard against the muzzle and he shook his head, teeth bared in a snarl. Claws flexed against the stone and then he charged towards Emi again. She kicked out at his snapping jaws, catching him across the nose but it didn’t stop the grasping claws and it didn’t stop the demon as he snapped at her neck. “No!” Sly shouted. His hand shot out and he felt the wind rushing around him as it slammed hard into the demon’s side. It roared again as it was thrown backwards, body rolling across the ground for a moment before it struck the wall. It fell off and shook its head, trying to clear its head. It rolled itself back onto its feet and turned sharply towards him. It snarled and then started charging across the stones towards them. His hand cut sideways and the fire raced from the pit across the ground in a sharp line, a wall of fire separating the demon from them. Its jaws opened in a roar, pacing angrily on the other side. Sly dragged himself away from the wall, pulling himself towards Emi. She was grabbing another stone in her hands, throwing it through the flames and striking the demon on the snout again. It yelped and ducked its head for a moment and he smirked at that, pulling himself across the stones. Behind her, Haemon still lay on the ground, blood trickling out around him and he looked the worst out of all of them. He was pale and his skin was covered in a sheen of sweat as he pushed his back against the wall. “Hey man, you doing alright there?” Sly asked. He crawled over to the man’s side, grasping his shoulder tightly. He winced and then rolled his head to the side, still cradling his arm to his chest. He sucked in a breath and then shook his head. “She has forced our hand,” Haemon said, his voice shaking. “I believe it is time to face my sister.” Sly went cold at that and he glanced up at Emi’s face. She was still watching the demon but for a moment she glanced back at him and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing. She was still hurt, and he wasn’t ready. He couldn’t do shit for himself except work a couple of neat tricks that would be great at parties. He could light a cigarette and play with cards but he couldn’t take on a witch. Whatever she was thinking, she didn’t get a chance to tell him. The demon chose that moment to come after them, launching itself through the fire as soon as her gaze left it. The fire caught in its fur and he could smell burning skin and hair as it charged. It was focused on him and he wondered what he had done to piss the thing off. His hands pushed out at it, forcing a blast of wind towards the demon. It struck it hard in the muzzle and knocked its head into the ground for a split second. It was enough. Emi was moving faster than he thought she should be able to. He saw her hand curl around the knife she’d left in its back and then she was ripping it out in a splash of blood before she jammed it back home in the back of the demon’s neck. There was a little part of him that hoped he would feel that sharp pain from a tattoo taking shape on his chest but it never came. There was just a dull fear in his gut and a dead dog on the cave floor. Wenston The sun was blinding as they left the cave. Haemon was leading the way, though his pace was slow and each step looked like it was painful. Emi wasn’t doing much better. Sly was staying close to her side and when they broke from the cave, he brought a hand up to try and shield his eyes, but the sun left them all blinking and Emi didn’t remember it ever being this light in this world so far. It had been just foggy and dark and awful. Sly’s hand was hovering behind her and sometimes she’d feel him touch the small of her back like he wanted to help her walk, but she refused. She didn’t need his help. Even though her legs were shaking and every step sent a jolt of fiery pain up her side. There were new, throbbing wounds on her neck and shoulder, but she was ignoring those for now. She was more concerned with the bloody wound on Sly’s head and even though she was trying not to look at him, her eyes kept drifting to it because it looked nasty and she hoped he didn’t have a concussion. Head wounds were the worse. “Do we even have a plan?” Sly asked and his hand shot out to catch Emi’s elbow as she stumbled a little over a tree root. It took her longer than it should have to regain her balance, leaning into Sly because her body wasn’t cooperating. She’d done fine in the cave against the demon, but she’d done more than she should have and she knew it. When she finally got her balance back, she leaned away from him, pulling her arm out of his grasp. He still stayed near her and she tried to pretend she wasn’t grateful. The last thing she wanted to do was fall on her face. Haemon’s breathing was ragged with pain. When he spoke, his voice was low and breathy. “We will face Megara head on. Her pride is the key to her downfall.” Emi frowned at that and stared at the back of Haemon’s head. “Do you still plan to save her?” she asked. The man didn’t look back at them, but his words were loud and clear. “Yes, I do, Guardian.” Emi slowed her pace a little on purpose and Sly was matching her so they fell a little behind Haemon. She kept her eyes on him and she was still holding the knife from Sly’s pack in her hand, down at her side. Sly kept glancing at her face because he must have picked up on her unease. She tipped her head towards him and said as quietly as she could, “Do not trust your back to him.” Sly’s eyes widened a little and he looked up at Haemon before looking back at her. “He’s helped us a lot so far, Emi,” he whispered back. “Does everyone have to turn out to be a bad guy?” She glanced at his face at that and he was grinning, but there was a seriousness behind his features. Like he was waiting for her to tell him what to believe with the man. “The only one you can trust is yourself, Baka,” she told him coldly, then looked back to Haemon. Beside her, Sly snorted and his hand touched the small of her back again when she winced as her foot caught on a stump and jarred her side. Her hand came to hold the cauterized wound there and when she brought her fingers back, they were splotted with red. She narrowed her eyes at the blood because she knew some of her wounds had been reopened. “I trust you,” Sly said quietly to her. She stiffened involuntarily at the words. His hand was still pressed to her back and for a moment his touch sent electricity over her skin. She licked her lips and tried not to look at his face. The words made her feel guilty again, because she’d let him down when she’d gotten hurt. She’d let him down when she wasn’t fast enough to keep him from moving in front of her and taking a blow from the demon. She frowned and said, “Trust must be earned.” Sly raised an eyebrow at her. “Does that mean you don’t trust me?” She gave him a look and he chuckled at that. “Right. Forget I asked that. But you can, you know. I may be a thief, a cheat and a liar, but I’m not those things to you.” Emi swallowed thickly, but she didn’t respond to that. They were quiet a moment before ahead of them, Haemon turned around and waved them over with his good arm. “We will wash and bandage here,” he said, pointing ahead of him to a running brook. Emi didn’t like that they were going to be left exposed, out in the open. It was getting bitterly cold out and she thought maybe they should start packing extra clothes in that pack of Sly’s. Maybe warmer ones. They made their way towards Haemon and Sly looked like he was intent on helping Emi, but Haemon turned and held some cloth out to him. “If you wouldn’t mind,” he said. Sly glanced down at it, then at Haemon’s arm and then sighed, taking the cloth and crouching down next to him. “I thank you,” he said, bowing his head slightly at Sly. Emi made her way carefully down to the edge of the river. She dipped her hand in and tried to wash the blood off her neck and shoulder. She pulled her torn shirt up and examined her side, pulling the bandages back to look at the wound and it looked stretched and pulled. It was an ugly, nasty scar with the cauterization and she knew it was stupid and prideful, but it made her sad that she had another scar. One that wouldn’t go away with time, just like the ones on her back. It made her wonder why Sly wanted her. Couldn’t he see all the failures that marred her skin? Every scar she had was testament to a great failure in her life. Didn’t he understand that? They barely knew each other. She hadn’t been around that long and he knew next to nothing about her save for what she’d told him. So why did he want her? Was it purely a physical attraction? She thought about what Krystal had told her, about her not being Sly’s type and she was still trying to figure that one out too. Her hand came up to tug on her hair and she frowned, because she still didn’t know what was wrong with it. A whistling sound suddenly cut through the air and around them, the wind picked up slightly. Emi’s head shot up and then she turned to look over her shoulder at Haemon. He was watching Sly work on wrapping his arm, but when he heard the whistle and felt the breeze, his eyes rose and they were wide. He gave a sigh. “She is here,” he said, looking at Emi. “What?” Sly squawked. “She’s here? Now? We don’t even have a plan yet!” Emi watched Haemon because the man was watching her. She lifted her knife and pointed it at him. “I will only tell you this once, Magician,” she said, her tone deathly serious. “If you betray us or put Sly in harm’s way, I will kill you.” “It is not me you have to worry about,” Haemon said, then his eyes moved pass Emi and Emi turned to look over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes slightly, because walking on top of the river was Megara. She was walking on water, not sinking beneath its surface. Her hair was wild about her from the breeze and she tipped her head back and laughed at them when she them. “No,” she said, eyes going to Emi. “You have to worry about me.” .Wolfie. “I like your whole ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ trick,” Sly said, gesturing his hand at the river and the woman walking on top of it. “Though personally I would have gone for the whole turning water into wine thing, but hey, to each their own I guess.”Emi stood next to him, her posture stiff and her hand tightening on the knife. A hiss left her lips and she shot a glance over at him, probably warning him to be quiet but he never could keep his fucking mouth shut. Then again, maybe the hiss was for the sword hanging at Megara’s side like a trophy, her hand resting gentle on the blade’s hilt. She was smiling as she watched Emi and there was something like hatred in them that he didn’t understand. Then her gaze moved to Sly. Then she tipped her head back and laughed, flicking her fingers at him. The wind roared and whistled around her and then hurried to obey. A rush of air left his lungs as the wind struck him hard in the chest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him back against a tree and he had to be honest, he was getting kinda tired of being slammed around. His head was still pounding from where he’d struck the side of the cave wall and there was crusted blood on his skin because of it. More of it was Emi’s than his, which didn’t necessarily make him happy, but he still didn’t like that he kept getting tossed like a kid’s toy. “You talk too much, Shīruburēka,” she said, watching him fall heavily to the ground. His hands came out to catch himself, knees hitting the dirt hard. There was a smile on her face and then her hands fell to her side. “I have no interest in you.” “Megara,” Haemon said, his voice harsh and pained. He took a step towards her, arm cradled against his chest and his eyes wide as he watched her. Behind him Emi took a careful step back, moving her way slowly towards Sly’s position as she tried to put distance between herself and Haemon. “Look at what you’ve become,” he said. “This isn’t you.” “You know nothing,” she spat, eyes narrowing at her brother. “You understand nothing. You are a child compared to what I have become.” Her voice was harsh and angry and then she smoothed her expression out, a smile curling her lips. “But it’s okay brother. I’ll forgive your ignorance and I’ll forgive you giving aid to our enemies. Just walk to my side.” She took a step forward over the waters, holding out her hands with the palms upwards. Her smile was gentle and encouraging and it was scarier than her glare. The man hesitated, his arm cradled to his chest. Then he jutted his chin at her. “You walk to mine,” he told her. Megara laughed and clapped her hands, a gleeful smile on her face. “I’ll accept that,” she said. Her feet were light on the water’s surface and Sly would have thought it was cool if he didn’t think she was a terrifying, evil bitch. Emi’s hand gripped him under the elbow as she reached him, trying to help pull him to his feet. It was ridiculous that she felt she had to because she was the one that had been all ripped to shreds and he should be trying to protect her. His hand came back, pressing against the rough bark as he hauled himself upright, offering her a small smile. She didn’t return it, her gaze focused intently on Haemon and her knuckles white around the knife. “I do not like this,” she said, not bothering to keep her voice low. Megara’s gaze flicked to her for a second and a cruel smile curled across her lips. Then her gaze dropped to her brother, her fingertips coming out to brush his chin and lift his head up to look at her. “Brother,” she said quietly. “I’ll forgive all your sins if you do this one thing for me.” Her hand went to her side and then she pulled Emi’s blade from its sheath. “Destroy the Guardian.” Haemon wasn’t moving. He went still as soon as the fingers touched his skin and Sly had a sinking feeling in his gut. “You know,” he said. “I think jedi mind tricks are considered cheating. Just saying, ‘cause I’m sure you’ll care about that.” The words trailed off. She was smiling but her gaze didn’t leave her brother. She pulled the blade out into her hands and then held it gently out to him, the blade resting across her palm and her fingers curled around the hilt. She offered it to him, feet still resting on the water as she looked at the man standing on the bank and Sly felt that sinking feeling intensify as the man reached out and took it from her. His hand grasped the bindings and he didn’t seem to notice his broken arm anymore, turning around to face them. Beneath his painted face Sly could see his eyes. They were dark and there was no recognition as he held the blade towards Emi. “I hate it when you’re right,” he said quietly, and he sounded like a child when he said it but he couldn’t help it. He smirked at her for a moment, hand resting against her back to keep her steady. “Why does everybody but you always turn out to be a bad guy?” He thought about Emi telling him he couldn’t trust anybody but himself and that was a more depressing thought then he liked because he couldn’t trust himself at all. He was more likely to betray himself than anyone around him because if he listened to what he wanted deep in his traitor’s heart then all he would see was a fucking coward. He wanted to run and he wanted to shoot himself full of drugs and he didn’t want any part of these demons or their worlds. He just wanted to be high so that things like this wouldn’t hurt him. If he was high then he wouldn’t feel that vague sensation of disappointment and betrayal that Haemon was walking towards them with Emi’s sword in his hands. He wouldn’t be drowning in fear thinking that in the next few moments they would both be dead and he wouldn’t be feeling that horrid certainty that no matter what he did he would never be good enough. But he wasn’t high and he couldn’t run because even if he did, Emi never would and he couldn’t leave her to die. Not when she was the only one that had ever said she was proud of him and he didn’t want to disappoint her. He shifted so that his shoulder was in front of her and his hand came out before Haemon got any closer. His eyes narrowed in concentration and he tried to forget about everything else and just on the fucking wind that he needed to obey him. It whistled around his ears and he felt himself take a step forward with the force of it. He pushed forward and it struck Haemon hard in his chest, knocking him back off his feet and onto the bank of the river. He rolled for a few feet, his legs landing in the waters as one hand grasped at the grass on the edge. The other still held Emi’s blade and that just didn’t seem right. Sly took a step forward and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next but then Megara was twisting her hand in a sharp motion, wrenching him off his feet with startling force. He cried out as he lifted into the air, hanging by an icy pressure around his neck and his legs dangling beneath him. “Well, well,” she snarled, stepping forward off the river. “Did my brother teach you some new tricks, little sealbreaker? Did he tell you that something as weak and pathetic as you was a match for me?” “Release him,” Emi snarled, and he caught a glimpse of movement beneath him. She had the knife in her hands and she was moving as quickly as she could across the grass, hand lashing down towards the other woman in a sharp arc of steel. Megara snarled and her hand snapped out like she was backhanding her. It struck Emi hard and sent her flying across the grass, her shoulder striking the ground as she rolled. Sly cried out at the motion because there was already blood caking her skin and jagged lines in her gut and she was hurt enough already. “Brother,” she snapped, flicking her fingers at him. “Deal with her.” He rose off the ground like a puppet on a string, his movements jerky and uneven as he regained his feet. He lifted the blade up and held it lengthwise in front of him, stalking towards Emi where she lay on the ground. She was forcing herself upright, one hand pressed tightly over the wound in her side and Sly felt a sharp spike of fear because there was red on her fingertips and he didn’t like that. She’d said she was proud of him but how could she be when all he did was talk too much and fuck up all the time. Megara twisted her fingers and he felt sharp pains digging into his throat before she was stepping closer to him. “I want to show you something,” she said, and he didn’t like the sound of that, even if her voice was low and breathy. She smiled and her fingers came out to rest along his cheek before she dug them in tightly to his skin, drawing bloody lines along his flesh. “Sorry,” he said. “As sexy as that sounds, I don’t think I want to see whatever your something is. Especially with your brother right there. Might get awkward.” He grinned and he saw her smile in response, even if he didn’t think it was for the same reasons. Then her fingers dug deeper into his cheek and he hissed in pain as she left bright red furrows in her wake. Behind him he heard a clash of steel and he glanced over his shoulder for only a moment. Haemon had Emi’s sword in front of him and she was barely stopping it with the small knife, the hilts pressed together as she tried to keep it from cutting her in half. He yanked it back and it drew a sharp red line across her arm when he did, before he brought it over his shoulders to bring it back down on her. Then Megara’s fingernails were digging into his chin, yanking his head back around towards her. Her other hand came up and then she was gripping the top of her dress, pulling it down to reveal a black dog curled on her sternum. “Do you know what this means, little sealbreaker?” she asked, leaning forward so that her breath moved across his mouth. “I don’t know,” he said, grinning toothily at her. “Maybe that you’re a bitch. But that’s just a guess.” “It means that I’ve taken the aspect of the demon,” she said. Her fingers wandered along the edge of the tattoo, tracing it with her fingertips. “And that means that if I want to stay free then the sealbreaker has to die.” She smiled and her hand was tight around his jaw, her teeth bared in a menacing grin. “That’s you, darling. But first I want to watch your Guardian die.” She turned her head over her shoulder and she twisted his jaw to the side so that he could watch. He felt a sharp pain in his chest because Haemon and Emi were still fighting, her blade still in his hands and even as she watched he was striking her hard. She hit the ground hard, elbows jarring off the dirt and her hair wild around her face. He saw her struggling to stand but she was still weak and hurt and he felt desperation squeezing its fingers around his heart because the only one she had to watch her back was him, and he was dangling in a witch’s grasp. His hand came up to grip her wrist and then a sharp cry was leaving his lips because Haemon was pulling the sword back, aiming it towards Emi’s chest. His hand twisted in a sharp gesture and the sword yanked from Haemon’s hands. He stumbled at the motion, still pitching forward towards her and Emi still had the knife in her hands. He saw it thrust through the man’s stomach but he didn’t have time to see if it was a fatal move or not because he was jerking his hand in a hard motion and pulling the sword towards them. Megara’s fingers released his and she shouted as the steel shot towards her chest. One hand shot out and gripped the blade, stopping it before it pierced her heart. Blood ran along its length and dripped to the ground as it sliced through her palm. The power holding him slackened and weakened and he felt his feet hitting the dirt. Sly had only learned a couple of tricks so he picked the first one that came to his mind. His fingers snapped together and fire burst in his palm before his hand shot out and wrapped around her neck. She screamed and tossed the sword from her, hands going to his arm and trying to yank his grip off of her because the fire was licking and crackling along her throat and all he could smell was burning skin. Wenston Emi didn’t have time to feel bad about Haemon. She’d learned a long time ago not to get attached to people and so far, Sly was the only person she’d broken that rule for. She didn’t know what it meant that she could admit that to herself now, but she could. And she did. The fear she felt with Megara being so close to Sly was more than just failure protecting the sealbreaker. It was failure protecting Sly. They’d become two separate things in her mind and as she watched him press his hand against her throat and the flames erupt against her skin, she was realizing that. He meant more to her than duty. Pulling the blade out of Haemon’s gut, his blood spilled over her hands, making them slick. He stood there for a moment, lingering on his feet with his mouth wide and gaping and his eyes pleading with her but she didn’t know what he wanted. Maybe to keep his sister alive, maybe to help him so he wouldn’t die. But she wasn’t going to feel bad about him. She’d warned him. She’d told him that if he turned on them, she’d kill him and she meant it. It was cold and uncaring, but he’d put them in danger. He’d put Sly in danger. A scream from Megara had Emi’s head snapping towards the two of them. She was pulling at Sly’s wrist, the flames licking at her neck and face. Her other hand was hanging limply down at her side, Kaidokusuru stuck through her palm, deeply embedded. Blood dripped down the blade in rivulets. Megara was focused solely on Sly and when she finally seemed to realize that pulling at his wrist wasn’t going to stop the flames, her hand shot out and a violent wind slammed into his chest, hurling him back into a tree. A small cry escaped Emi’s lips as she watched Sly’s head smack into the tree and he fell down to the ground with a thump. He didn’t catch himself this time and panic spiked through Emi’s chest when he lay on the ground and didn’t get back up. She didn’t like when he didn’t get back up. Not ever. Rushing forward, as fast as her body would allow her, Emi came at Megara. The woman was still focused on Sly, but she barely turned her head in time before Emi was slicing through the air with the knife towards Megara’s face. The woman dodged it and Emi brought it around again. The blade sliced across Megara’s cheek and the woman gave a sharp gasp before lifting her hand. Emi tried to dodge to the side, but the gust of wind clipped her should, sending her painfully to the ground. She felt the wound in her side rip and pull, sending fire hot agony through her body and for just a moment it was blinding, paralyzing. A moment was all Megara needed. Another gust of wind hit Emi hard and she tumbled down a small embankment towards the brook. She landed with a splash and it gave her a vicious start at the bitter cold. The water was only a few inches deep, but she was practically laying down in it. She pushed herself up with shaking arms, ignoring the way the water was turning red around her. Some of it was Haemon’s blood washing off of her, but most of it was blood from her wounds dripping into the clear brook. She’d just gotten herself to her hands and knees when one of Megara’s booted feet shoved her head back down into the water. It caught Emi off guard and she wondered why she was being so sloppy this time around. She’d gotten hurt, but that was no reason to let down her guard or make mistakes like this. It took every ounce of self control she had to not cry out or draw breath when her head sunk beneath the water. It was freezing and awful and her face was pressed painfully into the rocks and pebbles beneath the water’s surface. Emi struggled for a moment and knew what she was about to do was going to hurt, but she wasn’t going to drown here like this. So she swung her legs around, her side protesting loudly as pain tore up her ribs. But she got her feet beneath her and got enough leverage to push herself up. Megara’s pointed heel dug painfully into her neck and Emi could feel it break skin, but she just kept pushing. Megara stumbled back and Emi took the moment of distraction to twist her body around and grab the hilt of Kaidokusuru, still deep within Megara’s hand. She yanked it towards her and Megara gave a wailing scream as the blade cut out of her palm, bringing two of her fingers along with it. She stumbled backwards, her hand pressed tightly to her stomach, but her eyes were on Emi and they were burning with intensity. Burning with hatred and Emi wondered again what she’d done. She hadn’t loved the demon and she hadn’t wanted him, but she didn’t think Megara would listen to that. Behind Megara, Sly still wasn’t moving and Emi was trying not to rush over there and see if he was breathing. She had to handle Megara first. Surely if Sly was dead, she’d know. Izanagi would make his presence known. She tightened her grip on Kaidokusuru and kept her eyes on Megara, who pointed a finger at her. “Shame is heavy in your heart, Guardian,” she spat and the words stung like a powerful blow. Emi froze for a moment and she couldn’t move. She was aware that she needed to take out Megara, but she couldn’t get herself to go anywhere. Megara’s hand was twisting and controlling as she held it out to her. “It condemns your soul, even as we speak. You must redeem yourself. You must regain your honor.” Megara lowered her head and her eyes narrowed. “You know what you must do.” Emi was moving not of her own accord. She felt herself lift her katana, but she wasn’t going after Megara. She turned the blade around, holding it down towards her so the tip was pressed over the wound in her side. There were a million thoughts running through her mind. Honor. Shame. Redemption. Megara was right, there was only one way to regain her honor. It was what she’d been thinking of in the cave. But then her eyes went for a moment to Sly, lying still in the gray grass. She saw his fingers moving, curling as consciousness tried to find its way back to him. There was blood on his head and his face was turned away from her, but his fingers were moving and he would be awake soon and then what? Then he’d be left to face Megara alone because Emi had wanted to restore her honor? It wouldn’t be honorable now. It wouldn’t restore anything. It would be a cowards way out. She couldn’t leave Sly alone. Her eyes came back to Megara and the woman was frowning at her. She took a step closer, her hand still twisting and pressing harder into Emi’s mind, but Emi wasn’t weak. If there was one thing about her that would always remain strong, it was her will. And she wasn’t about to let Megara take that from her. She moved quickly. Turning the blade around, she sliced it through the air once and once was all it took. Kaidokusuru cut cleanly through Megara’s neck. The woman’s eyes were wide, her face slack and Emi crouched, one hand coming down to steady herself on the ground because her limbs felt weak and heavy. She watched as Megara’s head fell from her body, rolling down the embankment into the brook. Her body tumbled to the ground after that, but lay where it had fallen. Emi stared at it for a moment, the thoughts of honor and shame fleeing from her mind until all that was left were her own. Not Megara’s. A groan from behind Megara’s fallen body caught Emi’s attention and she looked again to Sly. He was still facing away from her, his hand still curling weakly in the grass. She could see his other hand moving to his chest and she hoped it was because the dog’s symbol was appearing on his skin. She tried to push herself to her feet. She made only a short distance pass Megara’s body before her legs gave out. She caught herself on her hands and knees and her eyes came down to the wound in her side that was bleeding heavily again. Her arms shook a moment before they gave out too and she lay down in the grass. Her eyes were on Sly as she started to move and regain consciousness. But then the world started to fade away and she hoped he knew how to get them home. .Wolfie. Nancy always wanted to fuck when she got high. It didn’t matter to her where they were, whether they were at her apartment or at a party or in a public bathroom. If she was high she wanted to fuck and she didn’t care if they got caught by her friends or her roommate or the fucking bouncer that some bitch had called in because she wanted to use the handicap stall. Her meth made her horny, and Sly wasn’t shy about taking advantage of that. It had been one of his favorite things about her.He still remembered finding her dead on the bathroom floor. It was the first time he’d ever seen a dead body, even if it wasn’t the last one. He didn’t think about it often because who really wanted to remember that shit? Who wanted to think about their ex-girlfriend lying face down in a puddle of her own vomit with bloody track marks all up and down her arms? No one, that’s who. Sly woke slowly, his vision blurry and his mouth dry. His fingers flexed in the grass but he couldn’t manage to push himself up off the ground yet. His head was throbbing and he could feel something wet and warm on the back of his skull. Probably blood. Probably his. One hand rose to his chest, feeling a stinging, itching pain there. His nails scrapped over it and he winced because just doing that hurt. His legs shifted underneath him, feet pushing against the grass and easing him into a kneeling position. The world was spinning around him and he felt fuzzy and lost, a steady pulsing in his skull keeping him disoriented and hurt. He closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing the nausea that followed and just focusing on sucking in steady, rasping breaths. He wasn’t sure where he was. He wasn’t sure what he was doing and he almost laughed because that should have been a familiar sensation. He eased himself into a sitting position, one hand trying to hold his head together and the other gripping the slick grass beneath his fingers. He licked his lips and forced his eyes to open, the world still blurry and unfamiliar around him. He blinked and frowned when he saw a body lying not far from him, dark hair splayed on the ground and blood flecked on her skin. Panic and confusion choked off in his throat and his voice was harsh and unrecognizable to himself. “Baby?” he whimpered. It was a long moment until he realized that the girl was holding a sword in one hand and there was a second body lying not far from her. That one was missing her head and there were black fingerprints scarred around what was left of her neck. Memory crashed back around him when he saw that and then he pushed himself forward, crawling across the grass because he wasn’t sure he had it in him to stand up yet. “Emi,” he said, pulling himself to her side and rolling her over onto her back. Blood was splattered across her face but he didn’t think it was all hers. Her shirt was stuck to her side and the bloody scratches across her shoulders were oozing darkly and he felt his heart thump loudly in his chest at how hurt she was. His fingers went to her neck and felt for a pulse, relief washing over him when he felt the steady thundering beneath his fingertips. He shifted closer to her, hand cupping the back of her head and his head leaning down to feel warm breath moving across his cheek. It was stupid of him to think he would find anything else and he snorted, pulling her into his lap as he tugged her shirt up. The wound on her side had opened up again, the scars stretched and ripped as they leaked blood onto the ground. He snarled out a curse and then grabbed the knife off the ground next to her, using that to cut the sleeve off his shirt. “At the rate you’re going I’m not going to have any shirts left,” he said, smiling at her even if she couldn’t see it. He folded up the fabric and pressed it tightly to her side, holding it there with one hand and keeping the other on the back of her head. His eyes focused on her face for a moment and he didn’t like that her eyes were closed or that she had been torn up so badly. Wasn’t the book supposed to pick things they could handle? Maybe the demon and the witch were dead but he didn’t like what a close thing it had been. He pulled Emi into his lap, hand still pressed against her side. One of her hands was curled around her sword and even unconscious she wasn’t letting it go. Somehow that didn’t surprise him and he looked around for the sheath because he didn’t want her cutting him without even realizing she was doing it. He doubted she’d hurt herself, but he was a different story. His eyes focused on Haemon first and he felt his heart drop because the man wasn’t moving. He was lying face down on the ground, his eyes wide and open but they weren’t looking at Sly. They weren’t looking at anything at all. Sly had only seen a few dead bodies in his life, most of them since he met Emi, but this one felt worse somehow. It wasn’t like seeing the guys in the bathroom get torn down by a giant spider or even the cab driver that he’d watched die the day this all started. Those things had been fucked up and horrifying but he could deal with it because they’d been strangers or worse. This didn’t feel the same. Haemon had been someone he’d known, someone who’d helped them and looked out for them and he felt sick and wretched seeing his body lying there on the ground. He felt cold and miserable and he ducked his head, looking away from the man. He let go of Emi for a moment so that he could drag himself over to Megara’s body. He felt weird about touching it because her head was somewhere else and he felt a little sick just getting the sheath off her side. Even after he turned his back to her and back to Emi’s side he felt strange about it and he wondered if he could ever get used to these things and still stay sober. If it were just up to him he thought he would have relapsed the first day when he found the small pinch of it under his bed. He still wanted it. That wasn’t changing and it wasn’t going away. He wanted his drugs and he wanted to get high and it was at its worse whenever he got scared or got hurt. It was crushing his chest right now because there was a dead man on the ground behind him and Emi was hurt and they weren’t even halfway there yet. He took a shuddery breath and tried to make himself forget it. His fingers were thick and clumsy as he pulled the backpack around to his side. The book cover was rough under his hands and he tossed it onto the grass next to him, still holding Emi with his other hand. “Hey book,” he said. “How about getting us a way out?” At first nothing happened and he sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair before he looked back down at Emi. She was lying limp and quiet in his arms and he hated seeing her so weak and fragile. This world had been hard on her and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing her in pain and he really didn’t like the demon they’d come here after. He’d hurt her and scared her and wanted to do worse to her and Sly felt his grip tighten around her when he thought about that because it was just making him angry. If Sly was honest with himself then he would admit a part of him was jealous, because he didn’t want anyone touching her but him. He shoved the book away in his pack and then lifted her up into his arms. She was light but he was weak and he felt like his head had been repeatedly smashed against a tree. That wasn’t so far from the truth. But he was sick and fucking tired of being in this world and he just wanted to go home and go to sleep for a few days. He didn’t think that was in the cards, but he could dream. He followed the river downstream and felt a desperate relief when he found the door around the next bend. The water poured over a rocky outcropping and just behind the veil of water were familiar markings. He didn’t question it; he just walked into the door. It came out around the corner from his apartment building and as soon as he set foot back in the world he felt a thousand sensations crashing down on him. He didn’t know what day it was. He didn’t know if he’d missed work or if there would be Russians waiting outside his apartment. Maybe he’d been fired and evicted and he felt something like despair settling into chest when he thought about it. He tried to ignore it because the only thing he should be worrying about right now was getting Emi safe and healthy. She didn’t wake up on the walk up the stairs and he was surprised because he was breathing heavily by the time he made it to his apartment. It was a pain in the ass trying to juggle his keys and get the door open but he managed it, kicking it shut with his foot. No one tried to stop him and all of his things were still inside the door. Maybe he wasn’t up shit creek without a paddle yet. He carried her to the bedroom and settled her on top of the covers before he hurried to the bathroom. He filled up a bucket with water and then grabbed peroxide and bandages. There was a bottle of painkillers in his medicine cabinet but he doubted she’d want it. It surprised him how steady his hands were as he cleaned and bandaged her wound. He bit down on the metal hoop as he patched her back up and tried to ignore how blurry the world still seemed to him. There was pain pulsating in the back of his head and his temple and he thought dimly that he should have been used to it and surprised that he wasn’t. He’d been slammed around enough in his life that a few bruises and head wounds should have been nothing by now. A sigh left his lips and he sat back on his heels when he was done. The bandages were sloppy around her waist but it should stop the bleeding and hopefully he wouldn’t have to take her to the clinic. He was crouched by the side of the bed and for a moment he just watched her, his hand moving from her waist to the side of her head. He pushed the hair out of her eyes and he wondered if she really meant it when she said she wanted to stay with him. He wanted her to. He wanted her to mean it and he wanted her to stay and he was surprised at just how badly he wanted those things. He was surprised at how badly he wanted her. There had been a lot of girls in Sly’s life. There hadn’t been a lot who meant anything. Girls like Emi didn’t go for guys like Sly and he knew better than to get his hopes up about it. He was nothing and he had been content with that for a long time. Her eyes opened slowly, blinking in the darkness of his bedroom and for a moment she didn’t look like she knew where she was. He pulled his hand away from her skin when she did because he knew how she felt about people touching her and he had probably pushed his luck enough already. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or put unwanted pressure on her because maybe he was an asshole, but he didn’t want to be one to her. She caught his wrist before he pulled his hand all the way back, pulling it back to her chest and twining her fingers in his. It sent sparks along his skin to his brain and he watched her for a moment, wondering what that look was and where they went from here. He toyed with the hoop in his lip before he shifted closer, smiling and running his other hand through her hair. “I’m sorry,” he told her, and she frowned at the words. He shrugged, a wry smirk on his face. “Turns out I kind of suck at the playing hero business. Even beat to hell you’re better at it than me.” Wenston Six : Kan’ningu Emi woke to the sun on her face. Her eyes flittered open and across the room, yellow beams of light were coming in through a tiny window whose only view was the brick building next door. She tried, but not too hard, to think that she shouldn’t be getting used to this. She lay beneath the covers of Sly’s bed and it was warm and comfortable here. They’d come back from Tsuiseki-sha’s world two days ago. Emi had been pretty out of it and her final encounter with Haemon and Megara had left her weaker than she’d ever been. She knew what dying felt like. It had felt a lot like that. Sly had spent the first night on the couch. Emi hadn’t even been aware that he hadn’t slept in the bed, she’d been so out of it. But when she woke up and he wasn’t there, she’d been worried. She’d tried to find him, but he’d come in a moment after she woke up with some food and Emi had told him that she wasn’t going to put him out of his bed. He’d promptly told her that he wasn’t making her sleep on the couch. So she’d decided that they would both use the bed. Sly hadn’t argued. They’d made it back in time for Sly’s work. Emi hadn’t been able to go with him to work that day, she was still working on getting out of bed on her own. She was weaker than she thought she should be and healing slower than what she normally did. Sly had been torn about going to work, but Emi convinced him that she’d be fine. She told him that if Takeru showed up, he needed to use his magic and hide, don’t try to take him on by himself and she hoped and prayed that Takeru wouldn’t come again yet. If he did, it would be all over. So Sly had gone to work that first day, even though he’d looked a mess. There were dark circles under his eyes and she thought some of it was in part to how hard he’d hit his head against the tree. He had a nasty gash and lump on the back of his head and he was scraped up and bruised and sore, but he was alive. They both were. And that was more than Emi could say for Haemon and Megara. She’d had a lot of time to think. The only times she got out of bed were to go to the bathroom or to get water from the kitchen and each time she got up, she exhausted herself just walking those short distances. She’d lost a lot of blood and Sly had told her that they could go to the clinic, but they may want to give her someone else’s blood and Emi wasn’t having it. No one else’s blood was going in her body. So she spent most of her time in bed, and that gave her a lot of time to just lay and think and the thing she was thinking about most was why the Grimoire had chosen that world so soon. She thought she had it figured out. Sly was stronger and more capable because of her failures in Tsuiseki-sha’s world. He’d learned to harness power and together, they’d be stronger. Together they’d be able to take on the other demons, she was sure of it. They were better together and Emi was really thinking about what that meant for them. He’d said he would find her a way out, but she wasn’t sure if she should hope for it. He was going to be disappointed when he didn’t find one. This goodbye would be the hardest one she’d ever made. Probably for both of them. The keys jangled in the front door and Emi, who’d started to doze off, rolled her head to the side and looked out the bedroom door as Sly came into the apartment. He closed and locked the door behind him, peeking through the peephole for a moment and she wondered if those men were giving him problems again. When he seemed satisfied, he swung his pack onto the counter and then started heading towards the bedroom. She smiled slightly when she saw what was in his hands. “Hey babe,” he grinned at her, coming over to the side of the bed and sitting on the edge of it. He held the blue slushie out to her and waggled it in front of her. “Brought you a treat. You up for it?” Emi glanced at his face because she wasn’t used to being the center of someone’s attention. He’d just gotten home from work and now he was bringing her gifts and she was the first thing he did when he got home. She wasn’t used to it and she didn’t know how to react to it, but she knew how she felt about it. It felt like she meant something to someone, other than just a duty. “How as your work?” Emi asked, not answering his question as she pushed herself with her elbows into a sitting position. Sly stood and moved the pillows back, helping her lean back against the headboard and she tried not to get frustrated that she still needed so much help. She reached for the slushie and it made her feel a little better that her hands weren’t shaking anymore. They were steady and swift again. Tomorrow she would get out of the bed and test herself. She didn’t want to push it so she hurt herself again, but she couldn’t lay around all day anymore. Sly was grinning ear to ear as he watched her hold the slushie and suck on the straw. She didn’t understand why her drinking a drink made him so happy, but every time he brought her one, he seemed ecstatic. “Did an awesome tramp stamp today,” he said and Emi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Tramp stamp?” she asked, quirking her mouth to the side. “Yeah, it’s where girls get tattoos on the small of their backs, down here,” he reached forward and Emi was somewhat startled when his hand actually moved across the small of her back. His touch made her tense and tingle but he either didn’t care or was oblivious to her reaction. “It lets guys know there’s easy access.” When Emi made a face, Sly just laughed. “It means they like to get down and dirty.” “They like to have sex,” she said. Sly’s cheeks flushed a little and he scratched the back of his neck and she tried not to smile, but she liked it when he got flustered. “Well, yeah, that’s putting it simply.” He shrugged and leaned back on the bed a little bit, looking around the room and then looking back to her. “Oh and then I did a dragon tattoo on the bottom of some guy’s foot. I couldn’t fucking believe he wanted a tattoo on the bottom of his foot. Do you know how much that’d hurt?” Emi just shook her head because he was rambling and excited and she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Leaning back on the bed, Sly propped himself up on his elbows, his legs dangling over the edge for a moment before he rolled on his side and he was laying over Emi’s shins, but she didn’t pull back or shove him off. “Okay, babe, so here’s the thing. I listen to people tell me about their lives all day long and it’s boring as shit sometimes. But it made me realize that I still don’t quite know a lot about you. So…tell me something about yourself.” Emi raised an eyebrow at him. “You tell me something about you,” she countered and he laughed. “Man, I’ve met some stubborn women in my life, but you are right up there at the top, sweetheart.” Emi narrowed her gaze at him but he didn’t seem to mean anything by it, because he was moving on. “Okay, something about me, something about me. Well, I was a foster kid.” “What’s that?” Emi asked, licking her lips and she was dimly aware that her tongue had turned blue. Sly clucked his tongue like he wasn’t happy to be talking about it and she almost told him that he didn’t have to do this, but this was his game that he wanted to play. “It’s when you don’t have parents because they’re either dead or fucked up in the head, so the state passes you around to different families that don’t give a shit about you.” Emi’s face fell because she didn’t like that answer. She almost asked him where his parents had gone, but she kept quiet because maybe that was too personal. Sly seemed to notice her sudden concern, because he grinned again. “Okay, your turn. Tell me something about you.” Emi sighed and set her slushie down in her lap, trying to think of something to tell him. She didn’t really know what he wanted to hear. She finally looked back down at his face and he was waiting for an answer patiently. “I was fifteen the first time I took someone’s life,” she said and she wasn’t sure why she chose that, but she was saying it before she could change her mind. Sly lifted an eyebrow at her. “Seriously?” he asked and she nodded her head. “Uh, so, did he deserve it?” “Yes,” Emi said and that was what she was going to leave it at. Sly seemed to figure that out and he snorted a laugh. “You’re amazing,” he said and she felt a jolt run up her spine at the words. Sly rolled onto his back and laid down on the bed, legs still dangling, but he was off of Emi’s and he stared up at the ceiling, stretching his arms above his head and Emi just watched him as he did. She wasn’t so sure she was the amazing one. “Sly,” she said and he cut off a yawn halfway to turn and look at her. “Yeah, babe?” he asked. She ducked her head and she was almost embarrassed to ask this, but it was another thing she’d been thinking about while laying here in this bed all day. She swallowed and then brought her fingers up to the koi fish tattooed onto her shoulder. She looked at his face and she hoped he wouldn’t think she was a fool for asking this. “I have always remembered Daisuke by the scars he gave me,” she said quietly and she heard Sly swallow, his eyes watching her face. “I…I mean do you think…” she stumbled over her words and then just sighed. “Do you think when you have straightened things out with those men and I am not confined to this bed, that you could…well, that is…” Sly smiled and leaned forward, his hand coming out to catch hers and pulling it away from her shoulder. “Are you asking me to ink you?” he grinned. Emi watched his face, for any sign of mockery or disdain, but there was none. He was just smiling and she nodded her head, looking down at his hand running fingers over hers. “Yes,” she said quietly and it was heavily weighted with fear that she was dishonoring Daisuke. But she’d had a lot of time to think. And she was beginning to think that Daisuke was the one who’d dishonored her. .Wolfie. Sly was trying not to think he could get used to this.He sat with his legs crossed under him on top of the covers, his boots dumped on the side of the bed and his coat draped over the bedpost. There were cards scattered across the comforter, some of them even making it into that hat sitting at the end of his bed. A pile of them still sat loosely in one hand and with the other he was tossing them into the hat with a casual flick of his fingers. Next to him Emi was trying to do the same and he couldn’t help the smile on his lips. Her eyes were narrowed and she was concentrating so hard that she was biting the tip of her tongue. He didn’t think she realized she was doing it but he thought it was adorable, especially since her tongue was still blue. “I don’t understand the point of this game,” she said, flicking a card towards the hat. It veered to the right and she frowned when it landed on top of the comforters instead. “There is no point,” he told her, grinning and flicking a card into the hat. “It’s just a way to pass the time.” She nodded her head, concentrating hard on the hat before she tried tossing another card at it. A smile broke out across her face as it landed inside instead of in the growing pile around it and it was so unexpected that it almost took his breath away. She was beautiful when she smiled, and he would have told her that if he didn’t think she would stop if he did. “Like the magic box,” she said. He chuckled and nodded his head, taking his turn and tossing another card into the hat. She sat next to him on the bed and he couldn’t help but think that he could get used to this. “Yep, like the magic box. Except you know, with fewer commercials.” She smiled and flicked another card into the hat and he watched her for a moment out of the corner of his eye. Her legs were curled up under the covers still, her back resting against the pillows and her shoulders covered in white bandages. There were more of them around her waist but they were hidden by the loose shirt she wore. He’d done his best to patch her up but it wasn’t what a hospital could have done and he’d almost carried her to the clinic. The only thing that had stopped him was that she’d still been healthy enough to argue with him and could probably still kick his ass. After all, she’d killed a man at fifteen, and he bet he’d been tougher than Sly. He was glad for the break. He’d been back to work for two days but besides that neither of them had done much but sleep. He didn’t mind sleeping on the couch so that she could have the bed but he wasn’t stupid and he wasn’t going to argue sharing. He’d been trying to get into bed with her since the day he met her, he just hadn’t expected it to actually happen. He thought she looked good in his bed, hair spilling across the pillows and her legs tangled in his sheets. He could get used to it real fast, if he hadn’t already. “You are staring, Baka,” Emi said calmly. She glanced over at him and he couldn’t tell if that was a smile tugging at her lips but he was going to go ahead and pretend it was because it just made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He shrugged and laced his fingers behind his head, leaning back against the wall. A contented smile curled his lips but he let his eyes close for a moment. “Hey, it’s not my fault you’re sitting over there being ridiculously hot. Can’t blame me for noticing.” Then he cracked one eye to look at her, the smile never faltering. “So are you going to tell me what ‘Baka’ means yet?” This time there was no mistaking the smile on her lips. “No,” she said. A chuckle bubbled up from his lips and he was still grinning as he sat back up, running a hand over the back of his neck. “You are just too cute sometimes,” he told her. He ignored the dull, throbbing pain that still lingered in his head because he should have been used to headaches by now and this didn’t feel that different. The cause just happened to be a nasty knot on the back of his head and a gash that ran across his forehead. Funny how no matter how many times he got the shit kicked out of him head wounds still hurt the worst. “Alright, it’s cool. You can keep insulting me in another language. But seriously, I think it’s time you just admit it,” he said, grinning at her. She glanced at him curiously at the words and he leaned a little closer. “You like me. You want to jump my bones. Its okay,” he said, holding one hand up. “Your secret’s out. You don’t have to fight it anymore.” Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second and then they narrowed with a stubborn look on her face. “You are annoying and you talk too much,” she told him, and the answer just made him laugh. “And I don’t understand half of your jokes.” “See?” he said. “Completely in love with me.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows but she didn’t smile back. She watched him for a moment with narrowed eyes and then she looked down at the covers and he couldn’t tell if she was actually annoyed or not. Sometimes it was hard for him to guess how she was going to react so he sighed, shifting closer so that his knees were brushing against hers. His hand came out and he caught her chin in his fingers, lifting her gaze up to his. “Alright,” he said, eyes focusing on hers. The smile grew wider and he ducked his head closer to her. “Maybe it’s just that I like you.” There was a small, sharp inhalation of breath at the words and he smiled, still watching her face. His fingers moved, thumb brushing over her lower lip and he almost leaned forward to kiss her. He wanted to. He wanted to so badly but then her hand came up and pulled his fingers away from her. She turned to look away from him but she was still holding his hand in hers and it made him smile. “So,” he drawled. “Do you know what you want me to put on your skin or are you still working that part out? I could give you your dragon on your back or your other shoulder or something.” He leaned back against the wall, head resting against the plaster and his eyes lidded as he watched her. “Or maybe a Sylvester tattoo, so you’ve always got a Sly to remember me by.” At her blank look he tipped his head back and laughed. “Damn, I really need to get another TV so I can show you these things.” “Has Bones paid you yet?” she asked. She still had his hand resting in both of hers, her fingers wandering over his skin and he shivered at the touch because it had been a long time since he’d felt something that gentle and sweet. “Not yet,” he admitted, and he tried to pretend that didn’t worry him. He thought he still had a few days to pay Konstantin but he wasn’t sure. They were all mixed up thanks to that fucking dog demon and he was surprised he hadn’t missed work. He forced the smile across his face anyway and shrugged it off. “Tomorrow probably,” he told her. “But don’t worry about it babe. I got it covered.” Emi nodded her head but he didn’t know if she believed him. “You should pay those men before you buy your magic box,” she said. Sly smiled and ignored the other feelings churning in his gut. He always owed somebody money, that was just a fact of life. “Hey,” he said. “What did I just tell you? Don’t worry about it, babe.” He grinned at her but the look she gave him in return didn’t look amused. She looked concerned and he didn’t want her to be because she shouldn’t be worried about it. “Hey, you hungry? I’m hungry. How do you feel about take out? I’d just make some soup or something but I’m pretty sure all I’ve got left is spam and ramen.” “I am hungry.” She hesitated, her hand pressing against her side and he wondered how that was doing. She was still pale and weak and he hoped she healed soon, but at the same time he didn’t mind being the one to take care of her for once. He didn’t mind bringing her breakfast or having her sleep in his bed. If he could he would just keep her there, but he didn’t know if that was in the cards yet. He grinned, tugging his boots on with one hand, the other braced against the wall to keep from falling over. “Well alright then,” he said. “I think it’s about time I introduce you to the wonder that is pizza. I’ll be back soon, I promise.” She still looked hesitant and he wondered if she felt bad about still being confined to a bed. Her fingers were toying with the edge of the comforter and then she nodded her head, settling back against the pillows. “I will be here,” she told him. The words made him laugh even if they weren’t supposed to because he was glad for that. He was glad that she would still be here when he got back, even if that didn’t last. Even if he fucked up or she left or one of them ended up dead, he would take what he could get. He tried to tell himself that he would be alright when this was over because he should have been used to people leaving by now. It was a lie and he recognized it for one. There was a part of him that was starting to figure out that Emi was different, and he thought maybe it would hurt more than he liked to admit if she ended up gone. He didn’t want her to leave and he didn’t want his life to go back to what it had been before her. He didn’t like thinking about the empty space she’d leave behind. He was feeling good as he walked around the corner to the pizza shop. Maybe he shouldn’t have been, because there were still demons that wanted him dead and people that wanted money from him, but he did anyway. He was sober and he was still adjusting to that, but he couldn’t argue that he was a lot healthier than he had been. His hands didn’t shake all the time and he’d stopped having trouble breathing. His veins weren’t on the verge of collapsing and he tried to think about those things instead of the drugs. He still wanted them. That wasn’t going to change any time soon. But it was getting easier to deal with and maybe that was the best he could hope for. Maybe he would never stop wanting to run for a needle every time things got hard, but maybe he could control it. Sly was feeling good and that meant he should have seen it coming. They probably followed him from the apartment and as soon as he got next to the darkened alley around the corner he felt the hand closing on the back of his neck. He let out a startled shout and then the man was pushing him into the shadows, his fingers digging tightly into his skin as he threw him to the ground. His knee banged off the asphalt and he skinned his hands trying to catch himself before he fell into a puddle. His head lifted and he felt his heart sinking into his gut. “Hey fellas,” he said, shifting so that he was sitting on his ass instead of on his knees. He felt a little bit safer like that, but not much, because there were two giant Russians standing over him and neither of them looked pleased. Their beefy arms were crossed over their chests and he was pretty sure he knew where this was headed, but he forced a smile across his face anyway. “It has been six days,” the first one said. His voice was a low growl and Sly tried to pretend it didn’t make him nervous. “My uncle is getting concerned that you are not going to pay him. So, we come pay you a little visit, see if you have his money for us.” “I’ll have it tomorrow,” he said, doing his best to keep the smile on his face. In the back of his mind he was thinking that he already knew how this was going to end and he hoped Emi wasn’t too disappointed in him. He licked his lips, feeling the metal hoop beneath his tongue and he didn’t like how the man shook his head and cracked his knuckles at the words. “See? No reason to be concerned. He’ll get his money, I’ll get to stay pretty, everybody goes home happy.” “I do not think you understood the warning, little man,” he said. “Hey, my ex-girlfriends have plenty of nasty things to say about me, but little ain’t one of them,” he said, still smiling as he cocked a finger at the man. Before he could blink the Russian was reaching down and grabbing him by the hair, dragging him upright and shoving him against the wall. He saw the fist haul back a second before it struck him in the eye and stars burst in his head. “This is very bad business,” the man said, pulling back and hitting him in the stomach. All the air left his throat in a rush and he tipped forward, the man’s hand still gripping his hair. “It is not smart to fuck with Russians.” The man grinned toothily at him and then he was hitting Sly again, striking him in the cheekbone and snapping his head back against the wall. He hit him in the gut a second time and at that point Sly tried to fight back. He lashed out with a punch towards the man’s face and he caught him once in the jaw. It was the only hit he got in because after that the man snarled and tossed him to the ground. His hands scraped over the asphalt and his knee cracked off the ground, a puddle soaking through his jeans. For a moment he could see his own bruised reflection in the small, stagnant waters and then a kick caught him hard in the gut. The man leaned over him, gripping his shirt and hauling him upright. His fist slammed into Sly’s jaw and he felt his lip split, blood trickling down his chin before the man struck him again. He clawed weakly at the fingers holding onto his claws but he wasn’t a fighter and the next blow had something ringing in his ears. He blinked and for a moment he could barely focus on the streetlights high above him before the man was shoving him down onto the dirty ground, landing another kick to his stomach. A foot connected with the small of his back and his fingers dug into the asphalt, trying to curl up and minimize the damage. “When we tell you to pay what you owe, you pay,” the Russian spat, punctuating it with a hard kick to his shins. “Do you understand?” For a moment Sly couldn’t answer. His hands were digging into the hard ground and he was just trying to pull himself upright. He pulled himself over the asphalt and he could feel dirt and rocks digging into his palms, blood dripping down before his eyes as it leaked from his temple and his lip. His face was throbbing, his stomach and his back aching, and his head pounding miserably. The man crouched over him, thick fingers gripping the back of his head again. “Do you understand?” he sneered. Sly coughed once and then nodded his head. “God it,” he said, his voice scraping harshly out of his throat. The man laughed and then shoved him down hard towards the ground. His hand slipped and he felt his elbow connect with a loud crack, his cheek pressed against the blacktop and his vision blurry. He could feel fresh wounds pulsating on his skin and for a while all he could feel was pain. He watched the man stand up next to him and then spit next to Sly’s head. “Good,” he said, kicking him one more time in the stomach before both of them turned and walked away. “Don’t forget,” he called over his shoulder. Wenston Sly was taking longer than Emi thought he should. She was still sitting on the bed, trying to flick cards into the hat and she thought she was getting the hang of it, but she was getting distracted because the numbers on the clock next to Sly’s bed were ticking away and he still wasn’t back yet. There were a few scenarios running through her head and none of them were good. Takeru was the first and foremost and she kept telling herself that it couldn’t be that, because if he killed Sly when she wasn’t looking, she’d know about it when an ancient Japanese god rose from the earth. The second scenario she thought about, and the one she wanted least, was that he’d tricked her and had gone to get more of his medicine. When she closed her eyes, she could remember those first few days she’d knew him and she’d seen him use it once. She thought about him lying in a bed in some abandoned, dusty motel room screaming obscenities at her and maybe he’d finally slipped. She wasn’t being as vigilant with that as she should have been. If that was what had happened, then she’d failed him. Again. There were other possibilities. Maybe he’d gotten hit by one of those trucks on the road. Or cars, was what Sly called them. The trucks were the big ones, the cars were the little ones. She still had trouble with those. Maybe the shopkeeper of the store they’d gotten the incense from had come after him. Maybe that girl, Krystal, had something to do with it and if that was the answer, Emi was going to have a talk with her that involved Kaidokusuru. Her questions were answered in the next moment when the front door opened. She leaned over the edge of the bed, trying to get a clear view of the door because it was opening slowly, but she could hear the keys in the door, so it had to be Sly. She saw him slip in and instantly she knew something was wrong. His back was to her as he closed the door and locked and bolted it. He leaned his head against the door and she didn’t like the way he was carrying himself. “Sly?” she called to him. He didn’t turn around to look at her and that finalized it within her that something was wrong. She shoved the blankets off of herself and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Holding her breath, she pulled herself to her feet and ignored the throbbing aches in her side. The gouges in her shoulders were nothing to her anymore, but her side still pained her greatly. She walked gingerly, but with purpose, towards Sly. “Sly,” she called again. This time he turned around, maybe because he’d heard her get out of bed and getting closer. She froze in the doorway of the bedroom when she saw his face. There was blood running from his temple and from his lip, which was split. His face was bruised and he was holding his ribs. He’d been roughed up. He focused on her for a moment and then his face narrowed in concern. “Emi, you shouldn’t be up,” he said and pushed himself away from the door. He walked like he ached all over and Emi came forward, ignoring his concern for her because he was beat up horribly. “What happened?” she demanded, her voice low and cold, demanding of an answer. Sly paused when he heard her tone and for a minute he looked worried, but then he forced a crooked smile on his lips and it looked like it hurt to do. “I didn’t get the pizza,” he said and that wasn’t an answer. She narrowed her eyes at him and maybe that was answer enough. He was trying not to worry her and there was only one thing he kept telling her not to worry about. Coming forward, she took his arm and he hissed as she tugged him back towards the bedroom. She was remaining calm. She was fretting over him because he would live and she knew to remain calm in these situations. He wasn’t in danger of dying from his wounds. The danger came from someplace else and she would deal with that once she had him settled. Pulling him to the edge of the bed, she turned around and Sly was wincing, but tried to hide it when he saw her look at him. She didn’t say another word, just reached for his jacket and starting pulling it off of him. He grunted and gave a laugh but she didn’t believe it. “Ow, easy babe,” he said but she didn’t slow. She reached for the hem of his shirt and then she was pulling it up over his head. He hissed and groaned, but when she had it off, he gave a half smile. “I don’t know whether I should be telling you to slow down or take the rest off.” Emi ignored him as she looked at his stomach. There was dark bruising on his skin. She grabbed his shoulders and turned him around and there was more bruising on his back. Her eyes narrowed and she felt something intense and awful solidify in her stomach. She didn’t realize she’d been staring until Sly turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, really,” he said. “I’m used to being someone’s punching bag. Nothing new here.” She looked up at his face and that didn’t comfort her at all. His eyes looked glassy and his face bruises and maybe one of his eyes was starting to swell shut. There were knuckle shaped bruises on his cheek and then she was pushing him slowly onto the bed. He grunted and groaned and when she had him lying down, he looked up at her. “I kind of like being manhandled by you,” he said. She still didn’t answer him and she saw him frown at her. “Emi,” he said, trying to gain her attention. “Look, I’m sorry, they jumped me.” Her hands froze as she was pulling his boots off and she glanced at his face. He thought he had something to apologize for? It startled her. She finished pulling his boots off and then pulled the covers over him. He was still watching her with a strange look on his battered face. “Sleep,” was all she told him. “Babe,” he started to protest. “Sleep,” she told him again, more forcefully. He sighed and it looked like he was ready to do just that, but he said, “Can I at least get some advil?” “Is it medicine?” she asked, her voice still cold and hard. “Yeah, but not that kind,” he said, wincing as he shifted on the bed. “Although I wouldn’t mind the other kind.” He winced again as he said it and looked up at her shamefully, like he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. She just stared back at him and he swallowed. “Uh, it’s in a green bottle.” She didn’t say anything as she walked to the bathroom, her steps still light and careful. She pulled open a cabinet and found a green bottle, then she came back over and handed it to him. He was already starting to drift off, but he managed to pull the cap off and swallow four of the pills. Then he leaned his head back on the pillow, his eyes closed and he let out a long, drawn out sigh. Sly opened one eye to look at her and then he said, “You gonna join me? I mean it, babe, you shouldn’t be up yet and I’m not just saying that because I want you in my bed.” Emi’s face was still cold and impassive, but she sat on the edge of the bed and said for the last time, “Sleep.” He looked a little defeated at the words and he turned his head away and she almost told him not to feel ashamed or guilty, but she needed him to sleep. She watched him while he lost his battle to stay conscious and even after he was asleep, she kept her eyes on him for a long while. When she was sure that he was deeply asleep, she stood up quietly. Her side protested heavily, because this was more movement than she’d done in the past few days. She walked out into the other room, grabbing Kaidokusuru and then she unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway, closing it silently behind her. She turned around and her eyes narrowed at the door at the other end of the hall. She steeled herself and pushed her pain aside and when she stalked down the hall, there was no hesitation or stiffness to her movements. She reached the door and knocked on it lightly. She saw the light beneath the door break and she remained still because someone was on the other side of the door. It was a minute before she heard the door unlock and it pulled open slightly, a chain keeping it from opening all the way. There was a large man on the other side of the door. “What you want?” he demanded in broken English. Emi remained calm. “To talk,” she told him. The man’s eyes narrowed before the door closed. She heard the chain being removed and then the door opened. The big man stepped to the side, waving her in. Emi stepped pass him and she narrowed her eyes and a group of men sitting at the table. She recognized one of them as the man who was always giving Sly a hard time. He looked up at her when she came in. “He must have got my message,” he said, then snorted a laugh, the rest of the guys at the table doing the same. “You here to pay me?” “No,” Emi said. The man’s laughter died down at that. He put down the playing cards in his hand and stood up. The others looked like they were waiting for him to do or say something to signal them and she was aware there was still a guy behind her. The man, Konstantin, walked around the table to come stand in front of her. “Then why are you here?” “To talk,” she repeated. Konstantin laughed, looking at the man behind her before his eyes came back to her. “Maybe we can make an arrangement,” he said, tilting his head to the side. Emi narrowed her eyes, because she was sure his arrangement was nothing good. “How much does he pay you to fuck him?” he asked and she felt her lips curl at the question. “Nevermind that. You will give your services to me and my family,” he waved his hands at the guys behind him. Emi looked at all of them. “And we will call it even.” Emi glanced at one of the men sitting at the table. There was a bruise on his face and when she looked at his hands, his knuckles were split. She tipped her head around Konstantin to address him. “Did you use a weapon?” she asked. The man lifted an eyebrow and grinned, looking at his friends before looking back at her. Konstantin looked a little put off that she had ignored his proposition, but she’d deal with him in a second. The guy just shook his head. “Didn’t need to,” he said. “The guy was a punk. Barely even fought back.” Emi nodded her head and grabbed Kaidokusuru by the sheath, pulling it from her side and placed it gently on the bookshelf next to her. “Then neither will I.” .Wolfie. Sly was dreaming. He knew it was a dream even as he was in it, but it didn’t change the dull horror in his gut. In his dream he woke from sleep and walked out into the apartment to find himself standing in a nightmare world. The walls were streaked with bloody handprints and on the other side of the couch he could see an arm lying slackly across the carpet. His breath caught in his throat and his legs didn’t want to listen to him as he forced himself to walk around the back of it and see what was left.“Emi?” he whispered. He said her name in a shaky breath and then he could see her. She lay on her back, her sword jammed through her stomach and her hands bloody as they wrapped around the blade. He stared at her and she stared back with glossy and dead eyes. She was covered in blood, and it was soaking through the carpet and dripping from the ceiling above him. It was just a dream. He knew it was just a dream but it was the last one he had before he woke to the bed sinking down next to him. His eyes slid open and as soon as they did he wanted to close them again because every part of his body was aching with pain. He winced, one hand lifting to his head and he could feel the gash on his forehead and the bruises that littered his cheeks. His fingers wandered across his skin and felt the bloody scab on his lip. Even the skin around his fucking piercing felt swollen and sore and his hand fell to the pillow next to him because the lightest touch felt like another blow at this point. He swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes for a moment, just focusing on keeping the air moving in and out of his lungs. Every breath hurt, his stomach throbbing painfully but he lay on that because it hurt less than trying to lay on his back. A hand rested on the back of his head and it drew his eyes back open because he’d forgotten just what had woken him up. He blinked and tried to focus and a small smile moved across his lips when he saw Emi’s face. She sat up next to him, one hand pressed over the still healing wound in her side and the other was running across the back of his neck. He almost slipped back to sleep because the touch was comforting and soft against his bruised and battered skin. Only then he remembered why he was laid up in bed and he should have been the one taking care of her. He frowned and rolled his head to the side, his cheek resting on his arm as he looked over at her. “I’m sorry,” he told her quietly, his voice clumsy and harsh. She frowned, her fingers pausing in his hair and he almost took the words back just so that she would keep touching him. He tried to blink the sleep from his eyes, turning his head so that his chin was pressed into his arm but he was still having a hard time focusing. A quiet sigh of relief left his throat when he felt her fingers start their movement against his head again. “Why are you apologizing?” “I got my ass kicked, babe,” he told her. He smiled after he said it but it didn’t reach his eyes because he was always getting his ass kicked. Just because he’d picked up some new tricks didn’t mean he wasn’t the same old Sly. “Not exactly the best display of machismo. Especially when I’m supposed to be taking care of you.” He smirked, closing his eyes as her fingertips moved to his face, brushing over the bruises. They were sore to the touch but he didn’t mind. “It’s alright,” she told him, thumb brushing against the bruise on his temple. He was surprised to hear her say the words. He’d been braced for her disappointment because he’d barely fought back. Mostly he’d just laid there and gotten pounded on. “Sure, babe,” he said. There was bitterness and loathing in his voice and all of it was for himself. He turned his head away from her, eyes open and staring into the shadows of his room. He thought about her killing Megara even with a bleeding gash in her side and he couldn’t even stop a stupid Russian from banging his face up. “I’m not a fighter you know.” Her hand settled on the back of his head. “Well maybe I’ll have to teach you then,” she said. Sly snorted out a laugh and turned his head back towards her, cracking one eye open. He studied her carefully and she didn’t look disappointed in him. She just looked tired. “Oh yeah?” he said. “You going to turn me into some kind of a kung fu master?” Emi shook her head, stretching her legs out in front of her. It was slowly sinking in that he was half naked and lying in bed with a beautiful woman and she was absolutely killing him. “I don’t know what that is,” she said. “But you should be able to defend yourself against men such as them. They are strong, but they have no discipline.” The words struck him for a moment and he frowned, watching her face. His gaze dropped to her hands and he could see bruises on her knuckles and a few more around her wrist. He groaned, pushing himself up on one elbow and focusing his eyes on her face. His arm was shaking as he held himself upright but he did it anyway because she looked smug and confident and it occurred to him that she hadn’t been with him the whole time. “What did you do?” he asked, tilting his head to study her. Emi didn’t answer at first, pulling her hand back and picking something up out of her lap. He sucked in a breath when he saw the black gun in her hands, and she held it out to him by the barrel. “I got you this,” she said. “Jesus, what the fuck Emi?” he demanded, pulling the gun hurriedly from her hands. He turned it over to make sure the safety was on before he looked back up at her, one hand running through his hair. “You can’t fuck around with these things,” he said. “And where did you even get this? Did you steal this from those Russians? Fuck babe, I told you to leave it alone.” His voice rose in pitch as he spoke, panic lacing the words because she could have easily shot herself. He shoved the gun onto the nightstand and just stared at it for a moment before he turned his head to look back up at her. She could have gotten herself hurt or worse, because she still wasn’t at full strength and as amazing as she was he still didn’t want her messing with scary Russian families or anything. She was watching him for a moment, her expression calm as she waited for him to stop talking. “I went and I spoke with them,” she said, her voice calm and unafraid. “Is that the weapon you require?” He stared at her for a moment, head resting in one hand as he studied her face. He couldn’t believe her. She’d probably just fucked with the Russian mob and he wanted to be mad at her but he just couldn’t do it. A sharp laugh escaped his lips and then he shook his head, running his hands over his eyes. He winced at the pulsing pain he felt in the right one and it felt like it was swelling shut. “I don’t know if you’re completely amazing or completely insane,” he said. “Maybe both.” “I am not insane,” she told him. He snorted at the answer and then pushed himself up off the bed, rolling over onto his back. He laced his fingers behind his head and focused on her face because she looked more irritated at that than anything else. “Well then,” he said, smirking up at her. “I guess that leaves completely amazing.” Then a sigh left his lips and he shook his head. “You still shouldn’t have done that. You don’t know what these people are capable of. Fuck, I don’t even know what they’re capable of. And babe…” he trailed off, shame and guilt making his gaze fall. “I do owe him money. I probably deserved it.” Emi frowned at that. “Then you owe them currency,” she said. “That does not give them the right to hurt you.” He stilled at that, just watching her for a moment. “Well, you’d be the first one to think so then.” “What do you owe him money for?” she asked. She shifted on the bed, lying on her side and resting her head against the pillow. He tipped his head to the side so that he could keep watching her, his cheek resting against the comforters. “The high cost of living, sugar,” he told her, a smirk on his face. She made a face at the answer and it just made his smile wider. He should have been mad at her. He should have been yelling at her to stay the fuck away from scary Russians and that she shouldn’t be getting involved in his business. A part of him was pissed because he couldn’t help but think that when she was gone this was just another mess he’d have to clean up. He wondered if he could actually find a way out for her and if she’d want it if he did. The thoughts were making his head pound and he closed his eyes for a moment, wincing at the pain. He felt her hand brushing across his face again and the motion made him smile because it wasn’t that long ago that she didn’t want to touch him and she didn’t want to be touched. It reminded him of lying curled in a dusty hotel bed and he remembered her singing quietly to him to try and make him feel better. It hadn’t helped then. Nothing had helped because he had just wanted his fucking heroin and he was thinking about it now because if he had it then it would take away all the aches and pains of his body. He cracked one eye and she was still sitting up, watching over him with pale eyes and he snorted because she should have been resting. She should have been sleeping and getting better because she’d been torn up enough and now she was fighting his battles. Sly shifted lower, holding his arms up to her. “Come here,” he said. Emi stilled, looking down at him and the open invitation. He smiled as she chewed on her lip in thought and he rested his hand on her shoulder. She shivered beneath the touch and he didn’t know if that was a really good sign or a really bad one. “I’m not going to try anything,” he told her quietly. Then a sly smile curled his lips. “Not unless you want me to.” She shook her head but didn’t say anything, studying him with a cautious expression on her face and it was ridiculous that she looked more afraid of his open arms than she had been of going after demons or Russians or anything else the world threw at her. He laughed and tipped his head to the side. “I don’t bite,” he told her. “Well, again, not unless you want me to.” She hesitated for another moment and then she lay down next to him, letting his arms wrap around her. She settled in next to him, head resting in the hollow of his shoulder and her hand lying on his chest. Her hair tickled his nose and her chin was digging into his ribs but he couldn’t help the smile on his face. Wenston Emi stood in the center of Sly’s apartment. She’d moved the furniture out of the way and she was wearing a pair of Sly’s pants, though he’d called them basketball shirts. He’d had to go into detail about what basketball was, but he’d let her wear them because she was running out of other clothes. They were bloody and a mess and constricting and right now, she didn’t need her clothes to hold her back. She wore a tank top that was tight against her skin and she was barefoot in the middle of Sly’s apartment because today was the day she got better. She’d decided it that morning. Actually, she’d decided it yesterday when she’d paid Sly’s Russians a visit. The effort and pain she’d felt while taking them all on made her realize she needed to get better, fast. The longer she was incapacitated, the more opportunity Takeru had to find them and kill them. And she wasn’t about to let that happen. She’d spent the night in Sly’s bed, with his arms around her. He’d slept through the whole night, but she didn’t. She mainly watched his face and if he’d been aware of it, he hadn’t told her. But she’d watched him sleep and looked at the bruises and over the night, she’d made a startling realization: she’d lied to him. She’d lied to him when she’d told him that friends was the most they’d ever be. Because if he wasn’t lying about finding a way out for her, then she knew she wouldn’t be able to be just friends. She wanted more. But she couldn’t let him know that until she knew she could stay with him. If she couldn’t, she didn’t want to break his heart and friends was as far as they could go. But if she could, if she could stay with him and somehow this was all over, then she could get used to sleeping in his arms. Sly was sitting on the kitchen counter, because she’d moved all of his furniture and it was too hard to get to any of it. He’d woken up in the morning sore and achy, but he’d still smiled at her when he’d opened his eyes and found her still laying with him. She loved that smile. She loved that he did it so frequently, even if some of the times he didn’t mean it. Emi began her routine with stretches. It had been a while since she’d gone through this routine, because most of the time she didn’t have down time to do it. But she remembered all of the steps to it. Daisuke had made her do it for hours. She stretched her legs first, crouching low on the ground and pushing each leg to the side to stretch all the muscles. From the kitchen, she heard Sly eating breakfast as he watched her and for once he was being quiet. She wondered if he was just too sore and tired to make jokes or talk and somehow she doubted that. He’d probably talk in his grave if he could. Though she didn’t like picturing that, not one bit. She’d do everything to keep him from dying. Emi placed her palms on the ground and then kicked one leg back and up, holding it there. She heard Sly choke a little at that and a small smile crept across her lips because she knew he was watching. “Wow, I didn’t know you were so…flexible,” he said with his mouth half full. She ducked her head and looked at him upside down. “I must be,” she told him and smiled when he tipped his head to the side to try and look at her face upside down too. She brought her leg down and then lifted the other one. She wasn’t sure why she said what came out of her lips next. Maybe because she’d just slept in Sly’s arms and it was something she’d never done with anyone else. “I did not love Tsuiseki-sha.” Sly frowned a little at that and quickly finished the food in his mouth before he said, “I know.” He tipped his head again and set his bowl down. “You told me. Must have been a bad break up, huh?” Emi nodded, her hair swiping across the ground. She stood and folded one of her legs up so it was resting just above her knee. She pressed her palms together in a praying position and stood that way, with her back to Sly and her eyes shut as she concentrated on her muscles. Her side was starting to ache, but she pushed that pain away. She was done with it. “He was rough,” she said, her voice steady even though her emotions were not. She heard Sly still on the counter, but she didn’t turn around to look at him. “For our arrangement,” she clarified. “He was never gentle. He made me lay on my stomach so he would not have to see my face. If I made noise, he would cover my mouth because he did not want to hear it.” She heard Sly breathe out something that sounded like a curse to her. She brought her leg down, switching to the other one in the same position and held it. “When I came to him each time, I never spoke to him or touched him. I just let him do what he must and then I would leave. That is why he said I was always about business, when we fought him.” Sly was quiet and Emi opened her eyes and swallowed thickly, because he wasn’t saying anything to that and maybe he hadn’t wanted to know it. She wasn’t sure why she was telling him. Maybe he was disgusted with her. She put her leg down and turned around, sucking in a breath, surprised to find that he’d gotten down off the counter and was standing behind her. She was even more surprised that she hadn’t heard him approach. The look on his face wasn’t one of disgust. It wasn’t anger or loathing. It was concern and gentleness and it still surprised her whenever he showed that side of himself to her. He stood close and she dipped her head slightly. His voice was quiet when he spoke. “Is that why you don’t like to be touched?” he asked. Emi’s face fell a little. “I believe so,” she whispered back to him. She tensed slightly when Sly’s hand came out to grip her chin gently. He pulled her head back up and his hand moved to her cheek, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone. His eyes were watching her closely. “But you let me do it anyway,” he observed quietly. “You are different,” she told him. He smiled a little at that and she felt a smile of her own tugging at the corners of her lips, but it didn’t quite curl them up fully. His other hand came out to rest on her arm and then his head was tipping forward. Emi’s eyes were on his as he bent closer. Her breath started coming faster and her heart started beating louder because he was so close she could feel his breath on her face and she’d never been touched like this. She’d never seen that look on someone’s face before. Sly’s face was almost to hers when a knock on the door made them both freeze. Emi pulled away quickly and Sly’s hands fell from her. She ducked her head slightly and tried not to think what it meant that she hadn’t been pulling away. She turned and looked at the door, her eyes narrowing but her heart still aflutter. She walked to the counter and grabbed her sword, looking to Sly and nodding at him. He stood there for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips before he headed to the door. .Wolfie. There was a little part of Sly that thought about getting the gun off his nightstand and shooting whoever was at the door.He could still feel Emi’s skin beneath his fingers, her breath still warm against his cheek. She had been right there. He could have kissed her and he thought she would have let him. If the look on her face was any indication than maybe she would have welcomed it and he wondered what would happen once they started down that path, if they weren’t already on it. It had been tempting for him to go ahead and be a liar and try something on her last night. She’d been lying in his arms, her body curled around his and it would have been easy to try and kiss her then or slide a hand under her shirt and see what happened. If she’d been any other girl he might have and it was fucked up that the reason he didn’t was because he cared more about her than that. He didn’t want to scare her away and he was afraid that if he pushed her too hard he would get rejected just as violently. She’d been hurt before and he didn’t want to be the reason she got hurt again, because she was better than that. She was better than him. She was amazing and hot and the more time he spent with her the more he wanted to be around her. He wanted to be there for her and be a better man for her and mostly he just wanted her to stay here with him because he’d been happier than he had been in a long time just lying there with her in his arms. It had been hard to let her go. She was nothing like the other girls he’d been with, girls whose names and faces he couldn’t always remember because half of his life had been spent in a chemically induced haze. Sly looked through the peephole first and he frowned when he saw Konstantin waiting outside the door. He glanced back at Emi and she was moving quietly across the carpet to stand next to the door, waiting patiently with her hand on the hilt. He swallowed hard and then undid the lock, pulling the door open and trying to pretend he wasn’t a little nervous to see the man. He scrubbed a hand over his face and winced at the bruises that stretched and pulled beneath his fingers and it was easy to remember that he was the reason they were there. “Hey bud,” he said, forcing a smile as he leaned against the doorway. The man was alone and Sly was somewhat grateful for that. He didn’t need another reminder that his rent was due. He still had throbbing bruises on his stomach and his back that were more than enough incentive but his eyes widened slightly when he saw Konstantin. The man had dark bruises on his face and he was favoring his left side a little heavily. Sly glanced over at Emi and she just had her head tipped back, a confident look on her face. The man looked up at her before he focused his attention on Sly. “Waite,” he said, swallowing hard and lifting his chin. His gaze flickered to Emi again and he looked like she made him nervous, licking his lips and leaning against the wall. “Two months rent. Do you have it?” Sly frowned and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Bud, I haven’t even left the apartment yet. See, some assholes left me some nice shiners last night, so I was trying to sleep that off.” He sneered at Konstantin and gestured at his face and it was almost funny how hard the man was trying not to laugh. “But look, I get paid today, I’ll drop it off as soon as I get back, alright?” Konstantin’s eyes narrowed but he bit off whatever he wanted to say, probably because of Emi. “Do not forget,” he snapped. Sly smirked and gave him a mocking salute, receiving a curled lip in return. The man turned and stalked back down towards his apartment and he didn’t miss that he was limping a little as he went. He smiled and tried to pretend that he wasn’t still worried about this. If he pushed his luck he would probably just get himself evicted and then where would he go? He knew a shitload of people but he wouldn’t exactly call any of them close friends. They were mostly people he could count on to get high with. He bolted all the locks before turning around, aware that Emi was watching him. He smiled at her and jerked his thumb at the door. “Nice job, babe. We match almost blow for blow. But just a heads up, most people don’t use fists when they talk.” Emi made a face at him, returning her sword to the table and going back to stand in the center of his apartment. “He deserved it for what he had done to you,” she told him, and there wasn’t a trace of remorse in the words. It shouldn’t have made him smile but it did, and he crossed his arms over his chest for a moment, watching her even out her breathing and continue her stretches. “You have no idea how weird this is,” he told her. His teeth tugged on the hoop and he winced as it split his lip back open. He lifted an arm and wiped off his mouth with the corner of his sleeve before he looked back up at Emi. She was bent backwards like a ballerina, her foot held in one hand and the toes almost touching her forehead. She glanced over at him with a raise eyebrow and he chuckled, shaking his head to move past her to the bedroom. “You,” he shouted. “Saying all these nice things about me, it’s ridiculous. I could give you a list of girls who would be happy to tell you exactly why I probably deserved getting the shit beat out of me.” “Well I do not think you deserve it,” she called back. A small, honest smile curled his lips at that and he glanced through the open doorway at her. She wasn’t even looking at him but he thought she meant the words and he meant it when he told her that was strange. Everyone knew that Sly was a fuck up, a good for nothing waste of space, and it felt weird that she didn’t. He could try and convince her but he wasn’t sure he wanted to. She said she was proud of him, and he didn’t want to change that. “Well, we’ve already established that you’re not like other girls,” he told her. He didn’t bother closing the door as he got changed because fuck it, if she didn’t care if he saw her naked then he didn’t care if she saw him that way. She was frowning when he walked back into the room and she tilted her head to look over at him, bending backwards as she did. He sucked in a breath because she was crazy flexible and she was putting all kinds of filthy thoughts in his head. Not that he minded, but still, his hand was getting kind of old. “Because I am not your type?” she asked, and the question startled him. He snorted, moving back to the kitchen to clean up his bowl. “Who told you that?” he asked, but he already had a sneaky suspicion. Emi was quiet for a moment and he wondered if she was going to answer him. Then she let out a breath, exhaling as she stretched out her back and she didn’t seem to notice the wound in her side anymore. “Krystal,” she said. “She says I am not your type. I am not sure what she meant.” She frowned as she straightened back up, turning to look at him. For a moment she looked shy, fingers rising to play with her ponytail. “Is there something wrong with my hair?” For a moment he frowned and he wondered what else Krystal had said about him to Emi. He felt something like guilt settling in his gut because there was probably a lot she could say, not the least of all that he was a worthless junkie who had blown her off more than once for a fucking eight ball or a gram of heroin. He’d told her he loved her and he’d still always picked the drugs over her. Maybe that should have been a clue right there. He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his mouth and then he smirked at Emi, leaning against the counter to try and yank his boots on. “She meant that I usually go for a different kind of girl,” he supplied. She quirked her mouth to the side, walking across the carpet to stand in front of him and he had to admit, he loved seeing her in his clothes. They were big on her because she was tiny, but she still wore them well and it made him smile. “What kind of girl is that?” she asked, and she had that curious, innocent tone in her voice that made him think she was fucking with him. “Well,” he drawled, trying to pretend that she wasn’t making him a little embarrassed because how did he explain to a girl like Emi that he usually went for slutty chicks? “Usually I end up with girls who are willing to put out on the first date.” “Sex,” she stated. He chuckled, running a hand over his face and willing it not to turn red. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Girls who like sex. But I mean… it’s not that they’re my type… well, that’s not right, I guess they are my type. God damn it babe, I swear you like doing this to me.” He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, shrugging his shoulders and ignoring the pain it sent down his spine. “It’s not that I like those girls more than girls like you, it’s that they don’t tell me no. And I don’t just mean the sex, I mean they were into the same sort of shit I was. The drugs and stuff.” Her gaze darkened at that, the teasing tone out of her voice. “Your medicine,” she said quietly, and he nodded his head in response, His hand rubbed at the back of his neck and he tried not to feel too guilty that he couldn’t look her in the eye because then she might know how much he still wanted it. If he didn’t think she’d hate him for it he’d already be gone. “Yeah,” he said awkwardly. “But look, I didn’t love any of those girls.” He blurted the words out and he wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make it better or worse. He winced afterwards and looked away because he didn’t think any of it came out right. Emi just nodded her head and he didn’t know what she was thinking. He chewed on his lip and tasted blood on his tongue from where the skin had split and he wasn’t letting it heal. He wanted to tell her that they didn’t mean anything. They hadn’t gotten under his skin like she had, and for some reason it was important that she understood that. He wanted to tell her that he was going to find a way for her to stay so that he could keep her but he was scared that she didn’t want that. Right now he wanted her but there was the bitter, damaged part of him that wondered if that would change if he actually got her to stay. “Well, anyway,” he said, smirking and trying to change the subject. “Even if you beat the shit out of a mob squad of angry Russians, I should still probably pay my rent before he calls in the rest of the family. I’ve just gotta run down to the shop for a bit, it’s cool if you just want to hang out here. You should still take it easy on that,” he said, nodding his head at her stomach. She frowned at him already moving to get her shoes. “No,” she snapped. “Not after the last time I left you alone.” He chuckled at her, shaking his head and scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “Well, alright,” he said. “But you take it easy or I’ll carry your ass back here again.” He grinned at her, moving to the door and starting to undo the locks. She didn’t change out of his shorts and he was still smiling as he held the door open for her. She made sure to sling her katana around her hips and he couldn’t imagine that would even be leaving her sight any time soon. Sly braced his arm against the doorjamb a second before she tried to walk out it and she paused, glancing up at him with a frown on her face. He smiled, brushing the loose strands from her eyes before he leaned down so that his lips were by her ear. “And by the way,” he said. “I think your hair is perfect.” Wenston “You two look like shit.” Emi frowned at Bones, because “shit” was another one of those words that was like “fuck” that she’d heard used multiple times but still didn’t quite know the meaning of. She thought it was safe to assume it didn’t mean anything good. When Sly had moved the river using his musuhi, he’d exclaimed “Holy shit” after wards and she’d been wondering if it was a prayer or something similar. But now here Bones was using it and it didn’t sound like a prayer. It sounded like an insult. Beside her, Sly snorted, running a hand over his face, still battered and bruised. “I’m sure I’ll look better once you pay me,” he said and flashed a grin at the man. Bones chuckled and went to the counter where Ivy was leaned over a magazine. She moved to the side, but didn’t even glance up as Bones reached beneath the counter and pulled out an envelope. He came back over and held it out for Sly. Sly reached out to grab it, but when he tried to pull it away, Bones didn’t let go of it and Sly looked a little hesitant as he stared at the man. “Are you two into some weird kind of kink, or is this something that could follow you to work one day?” Emi ducked her head and glanced at Sly’s face to see what he’d say to that. Sly’s wounds were from something that would probably not bother him again so long as he paid them. But Emi’s was a different story. It was a very distinct possibility that Takeru could show up at Sly’s work and slaughter them all. She didn’t like thinking that way, but it was the truth. If that’s what Takeru wanted, that’s what he’d do. Sly sighed. “I’ve got it handled,” he told Bones and Emi was surprised by the confidence in his voice. Then he grinned again. “As long as you keep paying me, it won’t be a problem.” Bones seemed to study Sly for a moment and it looked like he wanted to keep pressing about it, but then he grinned back and nodded, letting go of the envelope. “Good enough for me,” he said and watched as Sly opened the envelope to look at the check and some cash inside. “Your wage and tips. You must do good work, you got more tips than my other artists.” Sly smirked and folded the envelope, shoving it into his pocket. “Maybe they just think I’m cute.” A bellowing laugh escaped Bones’ throat. “I doubt that,” he said and slapped Sly on the shoulder. Emi saw him wince and she resisted the urge to shove Bones away from him, because she doubted the man meant to hurt him. He seemed like a decent enough guy. She didn’t understand why he was with Sly’s Krystal, because she thought the man could do better. Maybe Ivy. She seemed nice enough too. “Hey, while you’re here,” Bones said, heading back over to the counter and pulling the appointment book open. “I’ve got a 12:00 and Zander called in. You mind filling in? It’s just a shade job. He’s got a fucking Yoda on his back.” Bones laughed at that and Emi wondered what a Yoda was. Sly made a face and looked like he didn’t want to do it, but then Bones added, “I’ll pay you time and a half.” That seemed to grab Sly’s attention and he looked over at Emi. “Mind waiting around for a little?” he asked. “That could pay for your new magic box,” he grinned. Emi smiled back at him and nodded. “I do not mind,” she told him. Sly laughed and pointed at the books in the lobby area. “Try to get some idea of what you want while you’re here, huh? I still say dragon. Or phoenix, those things are kickass and it kinda suits you.” Emi’s face blanched at that but Sly didn’t see, because he turned back around. She wondered if he knew what the phoenix meant to her. What it would mean to him, in time. She wondered if he knew what Takeru was. Probably not. Emi watched as Sly and Bones disappeared into the back to get set up for the appointment. Emi glanced over at Ivy and the girl finally looked up at her and smiled. Emi smiled back, because she kind of liked the girl, even if she was different. She turned around and walked over to one of the couches, pulling the books over to her like Sly had requested. She’d looked through these before, but she still didn’t know what she would want on her back. Maybe another koi. She didn’t think she deserved the dragon, like Sly wanted her to get. Maybe Sly could design something for her. Maybe a collage of the Thirteen, so she would always remember them. She would remember the trials she’d gone through and never forget what she’d fought for. The bell above the front door rang and Emi glanced up. Krystal was walking in, carrying a holder with three coffees in it. She wore dark glasses that covered her eyes and a skirt that covered next to nothing. She paused after stepping in and pushed the glasses up on top of her head. She sneered at Emi, but Emi just remained passive back to her. “Hey China,” Krystal snarked and then walked over to the counter, setting the coffees down before turning back around to her. Ivy sneered at her behind her back. “My name is Emiko,” she told Krystal politely. Krystal snorted and came to stand in front of her, her eyes going to the gouges on her shoulders and then to the basketball shorts she was still wearing. Emi felt a little self conscious then, because she was wearing men’s clothes. And not just men’s clothes, Sly’s clothes. Krystal raised an eyebrow. “You must be amazing in bed if you’re still around,” she said. Emi frowned at that. She leaned back on the couch and just looked up at Krystal. “I am not his type,” she told her and Krystal laughed a little at that. Emi tipped her head to the side. “I do not like sex as much as you.” The smile slipped from Krystal’s face and from the counter, she heard Ivy snort a cut off laugh. Pointing a finger at her face, Krystal’s voice was harsh when she snapped, “Are you calling me a slut?” “What is a slut?” Emi asked. Ivy supplied the answer, “I girl that likes to fuck anything and everything.” Emi glanced at Ivy and then looked back at Krystal. The girl was watching her with narrowed eyes, like she was challenging her to say something more. Normally, she’d back down because the girl wasn’t worth it. But she was tired of her and she didn’t like to think that Sly had ever been with her and had to be reminded of that every time he came to work. “Then yes, I am,” she said and she saw Krystal’s eyes widen in surprise. Ivy couldn’t hold back her laugh at that and Krystal turned to glare at her, which made the laughter stop, before she turned back around towards Emi, her eyes scathing. “Look you little bitch, I don’t know what website he mail ordered you from, but do us all a favor and go back where you came from. When he realizes you’re not going to fuck him, he’ll toss you to the curb. Sly only likes one thing and that’s girls who lay on their back for him.” With that, Krystal turned and stalked towards the back room. Emi frowned as she watched her and she was trying not to think that the words hurt. She wondered if they were true. She wondered if she didn’t let Sly do what he wanted with her, if he’d just give up on her one day or not care about her and she didn’t like how panicked that made her feel. She didn’t like to think that one day he’d just stop caring about her because she didn’t want to have sex with him. A part of her thought he wouldn’t do that, because it didn’t seem like he would. But another part of her thought that maybe Krystal knew better than her. She’d done it before for duty. She tried to convince herself that it wouldn’t be hard to do it again. .Wolfie. “I mean, I can understand getting a Yoda quote or something. That makes a sort of sense. He said some deep, philosophical shit sometimes. But this wasn’t like a little Yoda. This fuckin’ thing took up his whole back. Now that,” he said, pointing at Emi with the end of his cigarette. “That I do not understand.” Sly grinned as he spoke, shaking his head before blowing smoke between his lips.They were walking back down the street and Sly was feeling a lot better than he had twelve hours ago. He had money back in his pocket and it had been a while since he had so much cash on him. He had enough to pay his rent, though the asshole was going to have to wait until next week to get the current month. His face was still bruised and sore but it was nothing new and he would heal fast enough. Besides, as long as he didn’t think about it then he would notice the pain and he wouldn’t want to fix it with a shot of heroin. He wouldn’t have to think about how easy it would be to call up Ash and buy himself a gram of the stuff. It had taken longer at the shop then he’d thought and the streetlights were already on for the night. He felt bad, because maybe he could have taken Emi to help him pick out a TV today. Maybe she’d let him take her out for a drink or something, but he wasn’t counting on it. He hadn’t lied to her when he told her she wasn’t like other girls and a lot of him still didn’t know what to do about that. Girls like Emi didn’t want guys like him and the thought that maybe she did made him second guess himself. She deserved a guy that wasn’t going to hurt her, and he wanted to be that. He just didn’t know if he ever could be. He glanced over at Emi and the grin faltered because she wasn’t looking at him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked distant and sad, her eyes watching the cars as they drove by. He smirked and shook his head. “And you are not listening to me at all.” She blinked and glanced up at his face at that. He left the smile there so that she knew he was teasing her but he was surprised at how quickly she dropped her gaze. He tried to think if he’d done something to piss her off because she had smiled at him while they were in the shop, and they were still rare enough that he loved them when they came. “I apologize,” she said. “Who or what is a Yoda?” Sly studied her for a moment and then he looked away, sucking on the end of his cigarette. “He’s this little green dude in Star Wars. He’s like a magician who mostly sits around and says wise things. Like ‘do or do not, there is no try.’ That kind of thing. Unless you’re talking prequel Yoda, but I really don’t want to talk about that.” He chuckled afterwards, running his hand through his hair but she still wasn’t looking at him. “Look, I’ll just buy you the trilogy after we get a TV. Then you can see for yourself.” She nodded her head but didn’t look back at him and he rubbed a hand uncomfortably over the back of his neck. He had to have done something. He wracked his brain trying to figure out what it was, but he still hadn’t thought of anything by the time they got back. Emi stayed by his side while he went to pay Konstantin, watching the man carefully while Sly counted out bills into his palm. The man had leaned against the doorframe with a dark look on his face but he’d smiled after he had all the money in his hand. He’d surprised Sly by patting his cheek and then he’d called him something in Russian that Sly didn’t even want to ask about. There was a little part of him that resented having to give the man anything. He knew it was stupid but there was a part of him that wasn’t dead yet thinking that he could have spent that money on drugs. He could have bought a lot with that and stayed in his apartment shooting up and snorting whatever he could get his hands on. The cash was burning a hole in his pocket and if Emi hadn’t been with him the whole time he knew he would have slipped. He would have fallen so hard that he wasn’t sure he would get back up again and that nasty little part of him wondered what was so bad about that. He just wanted to feel good. That wasn’t his life anymore. Maybe if he told himself that enough times he would believe it. He headed into the bedroom, tugging the cash out of his back pocket so that he could drop it into the nightstand. “You want to do anything tonight, babe?” he asked. “I could take you to another movie or something, if it’s not too late for you.” He grinned and glanced over his shoulder at her. She stood behind him in the doorway, her fingers toying with the hem of her tank top and her eyes on the floor. She looked conflicted and pained and he frowned because he didn’t understand what was wrong. Then her head lifted and he watched her smooth the look off her face with almost physical effort, her chin tilting up as she focused on him. “You want to have sex with me,” she said, and it wasn’t a question. The words startled him, in more ways than one. He snorted out a laugh and he wondered if his face was turning red. A sheepish grin pulled across his lips and his hand moved to rub the back of his neck. “Is this a trick question?” he asked, but she wasn’t laughing. She shook her head ‘no’ and he snorted because he wasn’t sure what to make of her right now. “Well, yeah,” he told her, shrugging his shoulders. “Why, are you offering?” Sly was grinning as he asked but he didn’t expect her answer. “Yes,” she told him, and then she took a step forward into the room. Her fingers gripped the hem of her shirt and then she was pulling it up over her shoulders, dropping it to the floor. A nervous laugh left Sly’s lips and he tried to cover it up by running a hand over his mouth. His eyes took her in and the smile faltered a little because there were still bright red marks on her shoulder and her side and she should be taking it easy until she healed all the way. “What are you doing, babe?” he asked her, lifting an eyebrow and glancing at her face. She wasn’t meeting his eyes, her fingers moving to the borrowed shorts and letting them fall to the floor. He made a choked noise and took a step forward. “Emi?” “I am giving you what you want,” she told him. She stepped out of the shorts and Sly’s head was swimming because he couldn’t figure out if this was actually happening or not. He wondered if he’d fallen asleep at some point because this was going pretty much like one of his wet dreams. He watched her sit on the edge of the bed and then move back into the middle of it, looking up at his face. It was hard to remember to keep breathing and it was even harder to tear his eyes away from her body. Even with scars on her skin, she was beautiful and he hadn’t been laid in way too fucking long. She was hot and she was naked and she was lying in his bed offering herself up to him and he was about to step forward and take advantage of that when he finally met her eyes. She was watching him and she didn’t look like she was into this, she just looked sad. As soon as their eyes met she looked away and if he didn’t know better he would say she was on the verge of tears. “You don’t want this,” he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You do,” she said, and it was no kind of an answer. She ducked her head for a moment and he thought about what she’d told him about Tsuiseki-sha. The man had been rough with her and he’d used her and now she didn’t want to be touched by anyone. He wondered if she understood that it didn’t always have to be like that but he didn’t think he was going to convince her of it if he went ahead and had sex with her now. But God, it was so very, very tempting. “Emi…” he said, and then he stopped because he wasn’t sure what was about to come out of his mouth. He leaned down and picked up his basketball shorts before moving to sit on the edge of the bed, his back to her and his eyes on the floor instead of on the hot naked girl behind him. A sigh left his lips and he leaned forward, scrubbing his hand over his face, the bruises sore beneath his touch. “Do you want me to turn over?” she asked quietly, and he jolted at the words. “No, fuck no,” he told her, head turning over his shoulder. She was chewing on her lip and she looked miserable and sad and scared and none of those things were what he wanted her to look like while she was in bed with him. He wanted her to enjoy it. “Jesus babe, I’m not Tsuiseki-sha,” he told her, and the words came out harsher than he meant, mangling the man’s name as he did. “You don’t have to fucking offer yourself up to me like a sacrifice or something.” She was quiet for a moment and he saw something like confusion on her face. Then he had to look away because she was naked and that was way too distracting. “But this is what you want,” she said softly. “I am offering myself to you.” “This isn’t what I want,” he told her, shaking his head. He snorted after he said it, resting his head in his hands, elbows braced against his knees. “I can’t believe I just said that. Look, babe…” He trailed off, glancing over his shoulder at her. She sat forward a little, arms going around her knees. “I want to fuck you, but I don’t want to rape you. And that’s what this would be.” She looked away from him at the words, turning her head so that her cheek was resting against her knees. She trembled a little and he felt his heart sink because he hoped she wasn’t crying. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings or upset her but he was having the startling realization that he wanted more from her. He didn’t wanted more than a fuck and more than a friendship. “I did not want you to discard me because I would not offer my body to you,” she said, and her voice broke a little at the words. “Emi, that’s the last thing I want to do,” he told her. A sigh left his lips and he reached his hand out, fingers catching her jaw and pulling her head gently to look at him. “You’re better than this. You’re better than me. Don’t ever think otherwise.” Her gaze swept his face and he saw tears brimming in her eyes. “I do not understand you sometimes,” she said. Sly smirked and then leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead. “You and me both, babe.” She was still beneath the touch and then he pushed himself upright, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Go ahead and get some sleep,” he said. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you should probably put your clothes back on before I give in to temptation and take advantage of you. I am a weak, weak man.” He chuckled at himself, trying not to look at her as she held her clothes to her chest. She was watching him and he knew it but she was still naked and he couldn’t look at her or he would change his mind as quickly as he’d made it. The book was still in his backpack and tossed on top of the table. He grabbed the whole thing and went into the bathroom and he wasn’t sure why he was hiding it from her but he didn’t want to disappoint her if he didn’t get an answer. He lit himself a cigarette and then sat on the edge of the tub and he tried not to think that not too long ago he’d been in here shooting up. He tried not to think that even less time ago there’d been a hot naked chick offering herself up to him and he couldn’t believe he’d told her no. He dropped the book in front of him, flicking ash into the tub before he sucked in a breath and looked down at it. “Hey book,” he said. “I know we haven’t exactly gotten along in the past, but I need a favor from you.” He chewed on his lip and took a drag off the cigarette before he glanced at the closed door. Somewhere beyond it Emi was curled up in his bed and he wondered if she was okay. In a minute maybe he’d go back and wrap his arms around her and tell her that she was beautiful and perfect and he wanted her more than he’d wanted anything in his whole fucking life and he barely knew her. Then he dropped his head to look at the book and his voice was quiet and serious as he spoke. “I need her to stay.” Wenston Emi didn’t remember falling asleep, but she’d been out by the time Sly had come to bed. She vaguely remembered waking up slightly when he’d climbed into the bed. She remembered how quiet he’d been and how gentle his fingers were when they wiped at her cheeks that were wet with tears. He’d brushed her hair out of her face and then he’d laid down beside her and his arm wrapped around her and she’d fallen back asleep after that. She’d cried while he was in the bathroom because she was embarrassed. She’d been sure that’s what Sly wanted, she’d been sure he wanted sex and when she woke up in the morning, she was still slightly confused as to why he turned her down. A part of her was glad he’d said no, because she hadn’t been ready for it. She liked him well enough, but she wasn’t ready for that. She was confused about where they stood and how far she should let it go because if he didn’t find a way out of this for her, they’d both be hurt in the end and she didn’t want that for him. She didn’t want to hurt him. A part of her was still afraid he was going to throw her to the side, like Krystal had said he would. But she’d offered herself to him so he wouldn’t. She offered to give him what he wanted so she could stay and he’d refused it and that hadn’t been something she was expecting. He wanted sex, but he only wanted it if she wanted it and she didn’t know what to make of that. Sitting up in the bed, she glanced next to her and Sly wasn’t there. For a split second, she panicked, but as she listened to the sounds of the apartment, she could hear Sly moving around in the kitchen. Emi swung her legs over the edge of the bed and she was wearing Sly’s shorts still and her tank top. She rubbed at her arm as she walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Sly was cooking something on the stove, bobbing his head to a song he was mumbling and clucking out with his tongue. When he turned his head to look at her, she ducked her face because she was still embarrassed. “Uh, morning, babe,” he said, clearing his throat slightly. She glanced back up at him and he gave her a grin, which she answered with a small smile of her own, but wasn’t able to keep it on her face. She looked at the stove and the aroma was cooking meat. “You like bacon?” Sly asked, pointing to the pan. “I’ve got bacon and toast. No eggs, no pancakes, but at least there’s bacon, right?” he chuckled to himself and she leaned against the wall as she watched him. “I am sorry,” she started to say. Sly was looking at the bacon, but he held up his hand to her and waved it back and forth. “Uh uh,” he said before turning his head to eye her. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, beautiful.” She tucked in on herself slightly at the word “beautiful” but kept listening. “I don’t know where you got it in your head that if you didn’t let me fuck you I’d just toss you out on the streets, but that’s not gonna happen. You understand?” He was looking at her with such a determined look that she nodded her head without saying a word. “Good,” he told her, then scooped some bacon up and put it on some paper towel on the counter. “Now, let’s eat. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.” Emi stepped forward, picking one of the pieces and sniffing it slightly before she bit a portion of it off. Sly was watching her face and he laughed when she frowned at the bacon and held it up so she could see it clearly. She glanced at him. “What are we doing today?” she asked. “You do not have your work.” “Nope,” Sly said, chewing on his own bacon, jumping up onto the counter and watching her. “We’re gonna go after the next demon today,” he said with a grin. Emi’s eyes widened as she looked at him. She didn’t know why he was smiling about that or if he was even being serious because Sly hated going after the demons. He always complained when she was the one pushing them to go. “Why today?” she asked. Sly shrugged a little and looked down at his lap for a moment and she frowned at the motion because she didn’t like when he couldn’t look at her as he told her something. She felt like he was not telling her the truth when he did that. “Well, I’m bored and there’s a few days before I have to go back to work, so, why not?” he asked, looking up and chuckling a little. The smile fell off his face quickly. “Unless you’re not up for it. You need a few more days to recover?” Emi shook her head, frowning a little because he sounded so genuine when he asked her that. “No, I am ready,” she said. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. “But, why are you rushing? Are you angry with me for yesterday?” Sighing, Sly jumped off the counter and came over to her. She tensed slightly as he reached up and held the side of her face. “Emi, I’m not mad at you. Not at all. You do realize I said no because I care about you, right?” She was watching his face and she saw him swallow thickly at his own words. “Really care about you,” he said, a little quieter. Their eyes were locked for a moment and Emi thought about leaning forward and pressing her lips against his, but instead she said, “It was Krystal.” Sly’s face darkened at her name and his brow furrowed. “What?” he demanded, his hand falling from her cheek to rest on her hip instead. She didn’t mind the touch. Emi shrugged a little. “Krystal told me if I didn’t have sex with you, you would make me leave.” She was surprised when a slight growl escaped Sly’s throat. He sighed and shook his head. “Look, don’t listen to anything she says. She’s jealous that I found someone who is a hundred times better than her, that’s all.” Emi smiled again at the words and she ducked her head because he was talking like they were more than friends and she was okay with that. It scared her a little and she knew it went against everything she’d built up for herself through the years, but she was okay with it. “I found you,” she told him quietly. He laughed and then he was gripping her chin and pulling her face up again. She met his eyes and before he could move, she said, “We should ask the Grimoire, then.” Another sigh escaped Sly’s lips and he ran his thumb along her jaw before he let go of her and leaned back against the counter, grabbing another piece of bacon. “I already have,” he said and she bit her lip because she still didn’t know why he was so eager to go after the next demon. Even if he was bored, they could surely find something else to do, right? Sly scratched at his head and then turned to look at her. “Uh…is there a tweety bird demon?” .Wolfie. Sly held the smoky gray string in his hands, following it down the sidewalk with a smile on his face. Emi walked next to him and she kept giving him curious looks, like she wasn’t sure what to make of him at the moment. He was okay with whatever she came up with, as long as she was done thinking he was mad at her. The only thing he was mad about was that Krystal was fucking with her head.“So this Kan’ningu…” he paused and glanced at her face to make sure he was saying it right. At the slight nod of her head he grinned. “What’s his deal? Are we dealing with the sneaky, trap laying kind like that monkey or the rip your throat out like Cujo?” Something like a smile graced Emi’s face and he wasn’t sure why it was there but it made him grin in response. He hadn’t liked coming in last night and finding tears on her cheeks and he liked even less that he’d put them there. He didn’t like that he’d hurt her because she deserved better than that. She deserved better than to be dragged down into the gutter alongside him and that’s why he’d had to tell her no. If he’d said yes then he didn’t think he’d be able to look at himself in the morning, let alone her. He cared about her. More than he’d cared about anyone in a while and he meant it when he said he wanted her to stay. But it bothered him that Krystal had told her he would just toss her aside when he got bored and it bothered him even more that he couldn’t swear to her that it wasn’t the truth. He wanted to, because that was what she deserved, but he had a history of being a worthless fuck up. “He is much like you,” she said, and he glanced over at her. She still had that small smile on her face and she tipped her head to the side to look at him. “He is a thief, a cheat, and a liar. It will make things interesting.” Sly laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. It made him happy that she didn’t shrug him off and she didn’t glare at him. A little part of him thought she leaned into his side and he thought maybe if he could really find a way to keep her in this world then he would do everything in his power to be the kind of man that she deserved. He would try to stay sober and keep a steady job and try not to be the same cheating asshole that he’d always been. Even if they didn’t work out and he fucked up and relapsed he wanted to try because Emi could be worth it. Either way she deserved to be free, and he wanted to prove it to her. “I see what you think of me, babe,” he said, giving her a sly grin. “Saying I’m no better than a demon.” She shook her head. “You are better than a demon,” she said, but that was all she gave him. He laughed again, squeezing her shoulder tightly with one hand. He held onto the smoky gray rope with the other. “Well, I guess I’ll take that. It’s almost like a compliment anyway. Admit it,” he said, grinning at her. “You think I’m pretty.” She smiled but didn’t answer and the lack of one still made him grin. He was light on his feet as they walked down the sidewalk, the sun bright on his face a beautiful girl in his arms. He almost forgot about the smoky string in his hands a couple of times, lifting his hand to rub it across his mouth before he remembered that it was twined in his fingers. The book was sitting securely in the backpack slung over his shoulders, along with a few cans of soup and the knife he’d thrown in there. The gun was tucked in the back of his pants and he was trying not to be nervous about carrying it. He wasn’t a stranger to guns, but he’d never owned one before and it felt weird carrying around one stolen from Russian mobsters. On the upside, it wasn’t likely to get traced back to him from some demon’s alternate universe or whatever. He hadn’t told Emi why they were headed there yet. He couldn’t get himself to open his mouth and tell her the truth because he didn’t want them both to be disappointed if the book had steered him wrong. It said there was an out. He wasn’t sure what it meant yet, but when he’d asked the book if he could keep her, it had given him an answer. Sly would probably have to tell her after they walked through the door. She would want to know why they were there for a demon but not actually going after it yet, but the demon wasn’t the important part. They would handle it while they were there because he was pretty sure she’d make them, but it wasn’t why he was pushing for them to go. If it was just a demon he would be stalling because the longer it took to kill them, the longer he could keep Emi around. But if there was a way out for her like there was supposed to be, then he could keep her either way and they could just kill all the fucking demons and he could get on the business of convincing her that sex was a very, very good thing. “Can I ask you something?” Emi asked. She tipped her head to the side so that she could look at him and she was chewing on her lip in thought. He still had his arm around her but he let her go so that he could pull the door open. The string had led them to the mall and he couldn’t wait to see what kind of fun joke the book was going to play on him now. “Sure babe,” he told her. “Anything you want.” “Why were you with Krystal?” she asked. She blushed after she said it and ducked her head and he wasn’t sure what to make of the question. “I mean… it is just that she seems… cruel. I do not like the way she speaks to you sometimes.” Sly snorted and for a moment he didn’t know how to answer the question. Emi was walking alongside him but she wasn’t looking at his face anymore and she looked a little nervous and embarrassed. After a moment Sly laughed and he shrugged like it was no big deal. “I don’t know babe. Krystal’s always had this thing about her, this charm or vibe or whatever. You think she hates everyone in the whole fucking world that you convince yourself that if you could just get her to like you then it would make everything better. Like she could make all your problems just go away. You can imagine how well that worked.” Her face fell and she looked down at her feet as they walked. He swallowed hard and wondered if he’d said something wrong, but he was trying to be upfront with her because she’d always been upfront with him. The string was guiding them through the food court and he skirted the tables as they headed for the other side. “Did she make you happy?” she asked, glancing up at him. He laughed, even though it wasn’t that funny and Emi frowned at the reaction. “Babe,” he drawled. “Only one thing made me happy and if she had her way I wouldn’t have been doing it at all.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. “With her it was always this really fine line between love and hate and I can tell you which one usually won out. The only reason we stayed together as long as we did was because the sex was better when we hated each other.” Emi nodded but she looked sad or distracted now and he felt guilty for putting that look on her face. His hand reached down to take hers and it drew her eyes back to his face. “That’s over now,” he told her quietly. “That’s not my life anymore.” Something like a smile pulled at her lips and he returned it, wondering what she would do if he leaned down and kissed her now. She bit her lip as he pressed his lips against her fingers and then she ducked her head. He kept smiling as he dropped his hand to his side but he kept holding her hand and she didn’t try and pull away. He hoped she believed him, but if she didn’t he would prove it. “So this demon,” he prompted, following the string to a Taco Bell. “You think he’ll have traps waiting for us?” Emi shook her head and she looked somewhat serious now, her hand going to rest on her sword. “I do not know what to expect anymore,” she said. “They have had much time to prepare and Kan’ningu could have anything waiting for us. Anything.” “Well, then I guess this’ll be an adventure, won’t it?” He chuckled and pushed the door open with his back. There were a few guys working there and they frowned when he let himself inside. The door ran through their kitchen to the walk in freezer and he swore sometimes this book was just trying to fuck with him. As long as it was telling the truth about this amulet then he was willing to piss off a couple of fry cooks. “Sup guys?” he said, jerking his head at them as he pulled Emi past the steel tables. “You’re not supposed to be back here,” one of them said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at his buddy and slapped him in the chest, jerking his head at Sly like he was supposed to do something. The kid just shrugged and then the first one sighed, looking back at the two of them. “You’re not supposed to be back here,” he said again. Sly grinned at him. “Just passing through, bud,” he said. The kid’s eyes narrowed and Sly ignored him, following the string right to the metal door. It curled unmistakably around the handle and he let go of the string before he rested his hand on it. He paused for only a second before he turned to face Emi. “Look, there’s something I’ll have to tell you once we get on the other side, okay?” he said. She blinked and glanced up at him, her eyes narrowed in a frown as she studied his face. He smiled and lifted his hand to brush against her cheek. “Just trust me okay?” At her look he laughed, and then held his hand up. “Alright,” he said. “Well, just trust that I would never do anything to hurt you, how about that?” She studied him for a moment and then nodded her head slowly. “I will trust that,” she said quietly. “Good,” he grinned, and then yanked the door open. The blue light washed around them and for once he led the way into the demon’s realm, stepping over the threshold and ignoring the startled shout of the kids behind him. Sly was still smiling, right up until he stepped through the door and fell right into the ocean. Wenston Emi gave a startled gasp a moment before her head sunk beneath the water. Out of instinct, she kicked her legs and waved her arms down, pushing herself back to the surface where she drew in a deep breath of air. She coughed afterwards, because she hadn’t been expecting the water. She bet Sly hadn’t been either and she turned quickly where she was treading water and Sly was splashing around a few feet from her. He looked like he was having trouble staying afloat with the pack on his back. “Sly,” Emi called, but a wave caught her in the face, making her splutter as she swam over to him. The waters were clear and blue and it wasn’t deep but it was over their heads. She was aware that they were in a cove of some sort, with beaches and trees on three sides of them before the water opened up into a vast ocean. As she reached Sly, his head was beneath the water and she gripped his shoulders tightly, pulling him back to the surface, slipping beneath it herself a little as she did. She heard him cough and gag and then she was pulling him towards the closest shore. There was a slight undertow trying to pull them out to sea, but Emi kept one hand firmly on Sly and the other arm she used to swim. He was kicking and swimming with her, making their way slowly to the shore. By the time they reached a shallow enough place where they could stand, they were both breathing heavily and exhausted trying to fight the current. They stood and Emi kept her hand on Sly’s arm as they walked towards the beach. Sly tripped at one point and Emi pulled him back to his feet, practically dragging him. His jacket was weighing him down along with the pack. They collapsed onto the sand when they reached the beach. Sly caught himself on his hands and knees and then turned around to sit down, sucking in deep gulps of air, his arms resting on his knees as he looked out at the ocean they’d just climbed out of. Emi crouched next to him, her back to the ocean and her eyes already scanning the dense forest that surrounded them. The sky was bright and clear. The sun hot and a cool breeze blowing in off the water. She saw no signs of civilization. “What the fuck?” Sly spat after he caught his breath. He swung the pack off his shoulders and then pulled his jacket off, rolling it up and wringing the water out of it. “Has that ever fucking happened before?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. Emi shook her head. “No,” she said, turning to look at him and his hair was dripping water down his face, his hands and clothes already collecting sand. She smiled a little bit at the sight because he could be so strange and out of place some times. She liked him for it. “The Grimoire has never sent us to the ocean before,” she told him. Sly snorted. “Great,” he said and his eyes went to his pack, glaring because the Grimoire was inside. Emi pulled the pack open and pulled the book out. It was completely dry and she brushed some sand off of it before she set it back into Sly’s pack. The Grimoire was good at protecting itself. “That book is out to get me,” he said. “The Grimoire is neither good nor evil,” she told him seriously. Sly sighed. “I know, babe,” he said then brushed his hands off before he ran them over his face. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get a kick out of fucking with us.” Emi frowned a little, because she didn’t understand what Sly meant. She was about to ask him, when a noise from the trees behind them made her head snap back towards the foliage. Sly turned around, having heard it too. “What was that?” he demanded. “It better not be a polar bear or a smoke monster, because I do not want to be on fucking Lost.” Emi wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but that was nothing new. She held her hand out, motioning for him to be silent as she stood. Water still dripped from her hair and ran down her face, soaking her clothes, but she ignored all of it for now as she walked slowly up the beach, her hand on the hilt of her katana. Her eyes scanned the trees and then she narrowed them at a darker patch that what was surrounding it. “We are not alone,” she told Sly, turning her head slightly to face him, but her eyes still on the trees. Not a moment after she said it, she was dodging out of the way of a spear that came hurling out from between the trees. It stuck into the sand and fell limply to the ground. She heard Sly give a startled shout, but her attention was already on the people who were jumping out of the trees. They were dark skinned, barely clothed. There were carved bones in their noses and ears and they wore jewelry made of the same pearly yellow bone. They were coming at her and Sly in the next moment. Emi offered small words of peace to the fates for what she was about to do. She didn’t think they were working for Kan’ningu, but they were aiming to hurt or even kill Sly and for that, she couldn’t let them live. She drew Kaidokusuru and engaged in battle with the strange men. She was slower than she normally was, the wounds in her side and her shoulders still slowing her and throbbing painfully whenever she bent the wrong way, but she could fight through it. She could withstand the pain. She sliced through one of the men on her right, severing his arm from his body. He let out a vicious scream before crumbling to the ground. It made the others pause, glancing at their fallen comrade before they looked back at Emi with intensely heated glares. They came at her and she swiped her katana low, taking out one of their legs, but the other man leapt over the blow and then leapt at her. Emi ducked quickly, her teeth clenching as her side flared with pain but she worked through it, throwing herself backwards into a flip to follow the man as his leap had taken him over her. Her legs caught the man’s shoulders and then she was twisting her body, flipping the man to the ground with her ankles locked around his neck and she could feel it snap beneath her grip. She landed hard on the sand and then her eyes shot towards Sly. He had drawn the gun from the back of his pants, but he was fiddling with it, swearing at the thing, maybe because it was wet. He wasn’t aware of the man coming at him from the side, eyes wild and mouth open, teeth shining white in the sun. Emi growled and she launched herself to her feet, sprinting across the sand and jumping clean over Sly to intercept the man, whirling in the air to bring momentum to her sword as she sliced through his neck, head severing from his body. “Jesus,” Sly said as she landed in a crouch, one hand pressed into the sand and the other holding her sword out to the side. She turned to look at him. He was staring at the severed head but he blinked and looked at her, the gun in his hands forgotten for a moment. “What is with you and severed heads?” he squawked. She frowned, but didn’t have time to answer him as a yell came from the trees. They both turned to look at the man standing there. He was dressed more royally than the others had been, wearing leopard spotted and tiger striped furs along with bones. He gave another scream and then held his hand up. Emi’s eyes widened a little as she saw what was in his hands. It looked like a head, but it was incredibly too small. It didn’t look like a child’s. Sly snorted. “Oh look,” he said. “You have a soul mate.” .Wolfie. Emi frowned and shot a glance over her shoulder at Sly. “I would not dishonor even an enemy in such a manner,” she told him. For a moment he just stared at her and he almost started laughing because she was adorable and he didn’t think she even realized it half the time. He bit it off when the man dressed in fur gave a wild yell, holding the head up and shaking it before he reached to his side.There was a huge, curved blade there and he drew it from his belt to hold it up in the air. He shouted something at them in a language that was nothing like what Sly had heard before and then he lowered the sword to point it at Emi. “I don’t think he likes us very much,” he dryly. Emi shot him a look and he grinned and shrugged, gaze staying on her as she turned back around. She shifted slightly in the sands, her feet bracing against the ground and her blade held out in front of her. She didn’t act like any of her wounds were bothering her but Sly wondered if that was true or if she was just faking it really well. Probably that one, and if he’d been smart then he would have made them stay home until she healed completely. “Stay behind me,” she warned, gaze staying on the man as he shook the shrunken head at them. He grinned, and he couldn’t resist checking her out because the words were just asking for it. “Don’t have to tell me twice, babe.” She didn’t respond and he didn’t really expect her to because then the man was thumping the shrunken head against his chest before he hooked it on the hilt of his sword. Then he was moving, launching himself down the sandy slope towards Emi. She caught his blade with hers, ducking to the side as she pushed it out of the way. She was slower than her normal speed but she was still fast and agile, her blade drawing a long red slice down the side of the man’s arm. He roared in pain, turning and bringing his sword down with force towards her head. She caught the blade with hers again, twisting and shoving it aside with an angry crash of steel. She tucked and rolled beneath the next blow that he sent swinging towards her head, lashing out with the sword and drawing another angry red cut across his midsection. He snarled and then kicked sand at her with a quick motion, spraying it up into her face. Sly watched her stumble backwards for a moment and the man had a nasty grin on his face as he raised his sword, swinging it down towards her head in a bright arc. “Emi, go right!” Sly shouted and he was almost surprised that she did as he said without questioning or hesitating. Her heel pushed against the sand and she threw herself to the side, landing in a crouch while one arm swiped across her eyes. She was blinking sand and salt water out of her vision, focusing on the man with an angry gaze. The man was grinning and then he took a step back towards the tree line. He held a hand out and there was a hiss of steel before another man dropped down next to him, holding a matching sword that he pressed into his leader’s hands. “How do these people keep finding us?” Sly grumbled, ducking his head and finally managing to pop the clip out of the gun. He slammed it home and then glanced up at Emi who had shifted so that she was standing between him and the two men. “You know they just want to carry me off and sacrifice me to a fucking volcano god or something. Or you know, cut my head off and shrink it. You can’t let that happen, babe. That’s a horrible fate for a pretty face like this.” “I will protect you, Baka,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. “You are still the damsel in distress.” The words were serious but there was such dry humor in her voice that it almost made him laugh. He was still chuckling as he flicked the safety off and then glanced up at the man dressed in his best Sunday furs. The man was grinning as he stepped down the beach, twirling both swords in his hands and his eyes locked on Emi. “You ever seen Indiana Jones?” Sly asked, flicking a glance towards her for a moment. “No,” she told him, lifting the blade in front of her. He smirked. “Good, then this’ll make me look like a real bad ass.” After he said it he lifted the gun and pulled the trigger. The recoil was more than he expected and it was a lot fucking louder than he’d thought it be too. The blast echoed in his ear, his shoulder jerking back at the sudden jolt and he cursed afterwards because they made it look a lot easier on the movies. There was smoke in his eyes for a moment and he waved it out of his face before he focused on the jungle man. There was a bullet in the side of his chest and the blow had knocked him back on his ass. He frowned, looking down at it with both swords still held in his hands. He blinked and let go of one of them, lifting his hand to his chest and pressing it against the wound. His fingers came away bloody and he held them up to the sunlight for a moment before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell back against the sands. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips and then his head tilted slackly to the side, his eyes wide and sightless as he stared off across the sands and it was a second before Sly realized that he’d never really killed anyone before. “That was easier than I thought it would be,” he said, pretending his voice wasn’t shaking as he did. He swallowed hard and glanced up at Emi and she was still tense, gaze focusing on the man still left in the trees. He looked uncertain for a moment, stepping forward and crouching by his leader. His hand came out and ran over his face, waiting for the man to blink or respond at all. Then a smile stretched across his lips and he took both swords from the man’s hands, the shrunken skull still dangling from one of them. He held them up in the air and shouted something into the trees and it made Sly a little nervous how many voices answered him. The man was still grinning as he turned around, giving a short bow to Sly before he was gone. They sat there on the beach for a moment, staring at the bodies left behind and listening to the rustling underbrush as the men disappeared. Sly swallowed and blinked, glancing up at Emi and grinning a little lopsidedly. “Well,” he said. “That was some kind of a welcoming party. You think next time they could just send strippers and beer?” Emi quirked her mouth to the side before she walked back to him, crouching by his side and checking him for injuries. He snorted as she tipped his head to the side and he didn’t know why she had to look because he hadn’t moved from where she’d dumped him. When she was satisfied she rested the blade across her knees, hands reaching out to pull her hair loose and fix it. There was blood flecked across her skin and he reached up with the edge of his shirt to wipe it off her cheek. She offered him a small smile, eyes going to scan the tree line one last time before she turned all her focus back on him. She studied his face for a moment and then tipped her head to the side with narrowed eyes. “What were you going to tell me?” she asked. “Ah,” he said, laughing nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck and then pulled the backpack into his lap. “Well, here’s the thing. We’re going to make a little detour. The demon’s not really our top priority this time around, so Tweety can just fucking do what he always does and wait for puddy tat to come eat him. And don’t tell anyone I made that joke, alright?” She frowned, staring at his hands as he pulled the grimoire out and dropped it down in front of him. “What is our top priority then?” she asked, and she sounded wary and uneasy. “Don’t worry about it babe. You said you’d trust me, remember?” He grinned up at her and she didn’t look comforted by that thought. Not that he would be either if he was her. Usually when Sly said ‘trust me’ it ended poorly for all parties involved. “Don’t worry,” he said again, reaching up and running a thumb along her chin. “This’ll be nothing like that time I put kerosene on a campfire.” He chuckled and scrubbed a hand through his hair, shaking the water off like a dog. She ducked her head as water splattered across her face and then she surprised him by reaching out and shoving his head playfully away from her. A laugh escaped his lips and he caught her wrist, pulling her forward so that she fell into his side. He was still grinning as he turned to look at her face and then he felt his heart slam hard against his chest because her face was inches from his and she was beautiful. His eyes focused on her lips and his parted, head moving forward towards hers. She turned her face aside at the last second, and a quiet sigh left his lips when she did because she was absolutely killing him. “What do you need the grimoire for?” she asked, focusing on the book instead of on him. Sly let out a sigh, scrubbing his hands over his face before he looked down at it too because the book didn’t make him all tangled up. He didn’t answer her question and he wondered how long he could keep dodging it until she made him tell her. He’d dodge it as long as he could and he shifted so that his legs were on either side of the book, ducking his head to look at it. “Alright book,” he said. “I need another look at that map you showed me last night. Especially since you kinda just dumped me in the ocean. I think you owe me for that, especially since I don’t see any chicks in bikinis or fancy little umbrella drinks waiting here for me.” The book flipped open to blank pages and he grinned when spidery black ink started to spread across its surface. Not too long that would have freaked the fuck out of him because it was the same thing that the book had done to his skin. Only now it was the answer he needed and he studied it for a moment as a map drew itself in front of his face with a bright red X marking the spot. “Alright,” he said, looking up at her with a grin. “Looks like we’re heading down the beach. Which I guess is nice, though it’d be better without jungle people trying to kill us. You know, when we get back you should move to California with me?” As soon as he said it he paused because he was surprised the words had come out of his mouth. He was already thinking like she was going to get to stay. He was already thinking like she would want to stay with him and he was thinking that he would ever get off the east coast and out to LA like he’d planned to for half his life. He chewed on the hoop in his lip and he glanced at her face and didn’t tell her that it was a big step for him and he didn’t tell her why they were really here. “Where is that?” she asked. Emi was frowning and she looked uneasy as he carried the book in front of him for a moment because it would probably piss the thing off if he started ripping pages out. He dug in his pocket for a moment and grinned when he found a playing card and it was easier than he thought to wipe his thumb across it and draw the map where an Ace of Spades used to be. Sly chuckled as he put the book away, slinging it over his shoulder and tucking the gun back in his jeans. “I’ll just have to show you.” Wenston They walked along the beach for a while. The sun was high and bright and warm and it worked quickly at drying their clothes out. Sly had his jacket tied around his waist and the pack slung over his shoulders. He was holding a card out in front of him that he’d placed a copy of the map the Grimoire had shown him on. She still wondered what they were doing here and what they were after if it wasn’t the demon, but he’d asked her to trust him and not to worry and that’s what she was going to do. Because he hadn’t given her a reason since coming off of his medicine not to trust him. He’d almost kissed her. She knew that’s what he’d been doing and she’d almost let him but she’d panicked at the last minute. She’d diverted his focus onto the Grimoire because she still wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure what would happen once the opened that door and it terrified her. It terrified her because if she let him get close and let him get comfortable, it would hurt so badly to say goodbye that when she had to go after the demons all over again, she didn’t know if she’d be able to do it. The thought clenched her heart and made a dark cloud settle across her spirits. She didn’t want to do this again. She didn’t want to fight the demons again or meet a new sealbreaker or wake up to a new world. She liked this world. Sly’s world. She liked movies and blue slushies and magic boxes. She liked Sly. She didn’t want to start over. As they made their way around a leafy bend in the beach, Emi quickly scanned the new cove for any signs of danger, but she didn’t see any. They hadn’t encountered any more of those strange men from the forest and she couldn’t tell if they were following them or not, but she didn’t think so. Her eyes fell on a group of flowers up near the tree line. Brilliant pinks and bright, beautiful blues. She recognized the flowers and the sight of them made her smile a little to herself. She glanced at Sly’s face and he was studying the card, looking between the map there and the beach around them. She thought about him pulling his boomstick, or musket, or gun or whatever he called it – out and killing the man with the severed head. She wondered if he’d ever killed anyone before and she somehow doubted it. She hoped he was okay, because even the heartiest of warriors remembered their first kills. “Sly,” she said, in way of catching his attention. “Babe,” he answered, looking one last time at the card before glancing over at her face. She watched him for a moment and debated about what she was about to ask him, but finally decided that even if she was terrified of opening up to something more than just friends with Sly, that didn’t mean that it hadn’t already happened. She sighed and then reached out to grab his hand. His eyes widened slightly at the contact but she turned away from him and started leading him up towards the pink and blue flowers at the tree line. When she reached the flowers, she didn’t let go of his hand, but brought her other one up and pointed at the flowers. “I want this,” she told him and the words sounded foreign to her because she never told people what she wanted. She never wanted things, only to do her duty. But Sly had pointed out once that she never did or got anything she wanted so she was trying it because he’d been mad about it. He’d been mad that she never got what she wanted. Sly raised his brow for a moment, glancing at the flowers before looking back at her face. “You want me to buy you roses?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. Emi shook her head. She let go of his hand and reached forward to cup one of the blue flowers gently. “This is Keshi,” she told him. “A blue poppy.” She turned to look at him. “The last sealbreaker was an herbalist.” Sly made a face, but she turned back to the flowers and pointed to the pink, bell-like ones. “This is the Maiden Lily. They both grew in my village when I was a child.” Sly scratched at his cheek and she leaned forward to smell the flowers and it brought back such memories from before a time when she knew what a Guardian was. Sly surprised her by reaching forward to brush some of her hair out of her eyes. She glanced at him, wondering if he thought she was silly or stupid. But he was smiling at her, his eyes bright. “You want to take one home, or…?” he still seemed confused. “I want you to give me them here,” she said and motioned over her shoulder at her back. Sly glanced at it and then it seemed to dawn on him what she was asking. “You want these as your tattoo,” he said, more than asked. Emi nodded. “If you can,” she told him. “Whatever you design, I want these.” She smiled at the flowers and closed her eyes and for a moment, she felt everything melt away. She felt the sun and the breeze and Sly was standing close and they weren’t in immediate danger and everything was okay. She could pretend for a moment that they weren’t risking their lives every day or that her time with him wasn’t limited. Sly’s hand brushed her hair behind her ear again and she opened her eyes. His hand fell on her shoulder and then he was turning her to the side and she looked up at his face. His eyes were scanning her features and there was a soft smile on his lips. His hand came up to cup her cheek and she bit her lip and wondered if he tried to kiss her again if she’d let him. She thought maybe the answer was yes. “You’re beautiful,” he told her quietly and she was surprised by the bluntness of his words. She smiled slightly and tried to duck her head, feeling her cheeks flush, but he caught her chin and pulled her face back up. He started to lean forward again when a shout from somewhere further up the beach made them both pause. Sly sighed as Emi turned to try and see who was yelling. “This is getting ridiculous,” he said under his breath and she wondered what he meant by that. “Shh,” she shushed him, taking his hand again and pulling him towards the trees, ducking behind a fallen log. There were a group of three men coming around the bend on the opposite side of the cove. They were dressed scraggily, with beards and bandanas and sashes around their waists. They were carrying a trunk or something in between them and they were squabbling back and forth among themselves. Sly gave a small laugh. “Holy shit, are those pirates?” he asked. Emi frowned. “Singapore had pirates,” she said. She felt Sly’s hand tighten around hers and she knew she should probably let go, but she didn’t want to. “So did the Caribbean,” he quipped. .Wolfie. Sly crouched behind the fallen log, Emi next to him and still holding his hand. He chewed on the metal piercing through his lip and fought the urge to stare at her but she wasn’t making it any easier on him. She was hot and badass and it hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d stopped pushing him away. She’d stopped telling him that they couldn’t be friends or anything more. She had taken his hand willingly and he thought he would follow her just about anywhere she wanted to lead him. He thought about her telling him that she wanted flowers tattooed on her back and it almost surprised him. It wasn’t something that marked her for duty or reminded her that she needed to be better. They were just flowers and they were beautiful like her. He never would have pinned her as a flowers kind of girl but it made him smile because it was something that she liked and she wanted and she deserved to get what she wanted after spending her whole life doing what someone else had laid out for her. Now if he could just get “I want this” to become “I want you” then he could die a happy man. Her other hand rested on her sword and they watched as the three pirates made their way along the beach. They were arguing with each other and he couldn’t hear what they were saying at first but the one in the lead looked like he was blasted out of his mind. He was stumbling drunkenly, a flask in one hand and his other gripping the metal rung in the front of the trunk. “You know,” the one in front said, his words slow and slurred. He tipped his head over his shoulder and stared at the other two before he belched at them. “It don’t seem right to me that we have to split it four ways. I don’t see Jackie out here helping us bury it.” The man holding the other end of the trunk snorted. “Yeah, well you take that up with him when you see him,” he spat. The man in the middle had a bright red sash around his waist and a patch over his left eye. There was a gun shoved into the sash and he kept his hand resting on it, the other trying to help hold the chest up. “He’s right you know,” he said, turning to give a one eyed glanced to the man behind him. He smirked and then nodded to the man in front, lifting one hand to scrub at his scraggly beard. “Gold does split easier three ways instead of four.” The man at the end stared at him for a moment and then a smile spread across his lips, revealing yellowed and rotting teeth. “Why yes it does,” he said, turning his attention to the man in front. He was oblivious to the dealings going on behind him, taking another swig from a clear bottle and belching loudly across the sands. “You know he’s probably just sittin’ on the ship, drinkin’ his whiskey and laughing at us poor bastards out here doing the dirty work,” the man said, shaking his head to himself. “Well, if he thinks he can pull one over on Bart he’s got another thing comin.’” The man carrying the other end of the trunk rolled his eyes, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. “Jackie wouldn’t do that to us. He’s the one puttin’ himself out there, goin’ to tell Cap that the trunk got lost. Hell, he might already be floatin’ face down in the ocean somewhere.” He rolled his shoulders and pulled the trunk higher, licking his lips nervously. “I mean, he wouldn’t lie to us, right Willie?” A nervous, high pitched laugh left his lips and the man with the eye patch just shrugged, looking back at the drunk. The man, Bart, snorted and looked over his shoulder at the other two. “If you believe that then you’re dumber than me.? Sly snorted and glanced over at Emi, unable to keep the grin off his face. “This is so fucking cool. You know I totally dressed up as a pirate for Halloween last year?” She looked at him curiously and he wondered if she even knew what Halloween was and if she didn’t then he’d teach her that too. “Let me tell you, I look fucking bad ass with an eye patch.” She glanced at him for a moment, hand still resting on her sword and a small smile playing across her lips. “I like you better with two eyes,” she said. He had to bite back a laugh because sometimes he couldn’t tell when she was trying to make a joke and just being completely genuine. He squeezed the hand held in his for a moment, bringing her fingers to his lips for a moment and kissing her skin. He kept his eyes on the pirates but he felt her staring at him for a moment before she squeezed his hand back. It made his smile grow wider and he damned everyone that kept interrupting every time he thought he had a chance to kiss her. The pirates decided to stop right in front of them, dropping the trunk on the sands and looking around. Sly tensed as their gaze swept the tree line but they were oblivious to their presence and he relaxed his grip on Emi’s hand after they stopped. The one in front turned and took another swig from his bottle, the thing practically empty by now. “Well,” he snapped. “This is as good a place as any. Get digging you two,” he said, grinning and swaying on his feet as he stumbled away from them, slumping down on the sands. The man with the red sash snorted and waved his hand at him. “Fuck you,” he snapped. “What are you going to do, just sit over there and hog all the rum?” he demanded, a snarl curling his lips. The man behind him had dropped his hand to his gun. The drunk man snorted and then he yanked his pistol from his belt, firing a shot into the sands at the man’s feet. He let out a startled yelp and stumbled backwards, tripping over the trunk and landing sprawled on his ass. “Why yes I am,” he said, grinning at his friend. “So go on, get digging.” He laughed and then turned his attention back to his rum. Willie stayed sprawled there for a moment, staring with wide eyes at the drunken man sitting on the beach. His friend stood uncomfortably, his hand still resting on his pistol and looking from one to the other like he wasn’t sure what he should be doing. He licked chapped lips and his hand tightened on his gun but he didn’t pull it yet. The drunkard was grinning still and then he moved the gun to point at him, tilting his head to the side. “What? You got something to say to me?” he asked. “Just calm down Bart,” the man on the ground said. He was shifting and trying to draw his gun without the man noticing. Bart didn’t listen to him and Sly jumped when his gun went off in his hands. He shot the man lying down first and his gun was already in the process of moving to the man still standing when his gun went off too. The blasts were loud and bright and sudden and Sly winced as they both went down in a heap, bloody holes in their chests and three dead bodies lying on the beach. For a moment he stayed where he was, his grip tighter around Emi’s hand then he was proud of and his eyes locked on the three pirates. He chewed on his lip and watched the blood start to seep out into the sands and he couldn’t believe how fast it happened. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and he wondered if it hurt, dying like that. It had been almost as quick for the man back down the beach but he wondered what had gone through his head and he wondered if he was okay that he’d been the one to pull the trigger. Maybe he should have felt something more about it, because he didn’t feel guilty. He’d been coming after Emi with two swords and trying to kill her so he sure as fuck wasn’t sorry he did it. He didn’t know what he felt, if anything at all. After a moment she pushed herself to her feet and he was sorry to feel her hand slip from his. She made her way over to the bodies with cautious steps, one hand never leaving her sword. He watched her crouch by them one by one, feeling for a pulse and listening for the sound of air going in and out of their lungs. After a moment she glanced up and motioned him over. “It’s safe,” she said. He pushed himself off the ground, dusting the sand and grit from his jeans before he followed her. “Man,” he said, clucking his tongue and smirking at her. “If you can’t trust pirates than who can you trust?” “I do not trust pirates,” she told him, and the reaction made him laugh. He paused by one of the bodies, nudging him with his foot and watching his head tip to the side. Emi crouched next to him and pulled off the gun and the pouch of ammo at his side, dropping both on top of the trunk. “You know,” Sly said, glancing at her and grinning. “If we’re going to be wandering around in pirate territory then maybe we should look the part. For professional reasons or some shit and really I just want to dress up as a pirate, please, please pretty please?” He waggled his eyebrows at her as she looked up. Emi hesitated, glancing down at the bodies and chewing on her lip. “I do not feel right, stealing from the dead, even though they are already thieves,” she said. Sly nodded his head and ran a hand over the back of his neck but then she surprised him by crouching by the body closest to them and starting to strip him. “But you are right,” she said, glancing up at him with a small smile and honestly he didn’t think anyone would ever say those words to him. It made a bright grin stretch across his face. “If we are not ready to face the demon then it is better if we pass unnoticed through his territory.” “Hell yeah I’m right,” he said, crouching next to her. He couldn’t resist tugging the eye patch off Willie’s head and he tried not to think that this was pretty fucking morbid because if he did then he would think too much about the dead bodies he’d seen. He pulled it over his eye and tilted his head to the side to look at Emi. “See?” he said. “Bad ass.” She shook her head at him, that beautiful smile playing across her lips. He watched her for a moment as she pulled the pirate’s clothes on and she wasn’t shy about changing in front of him. Not that he minded. He’d already seen her naked and there was nothing for her to be shy about. He watched her for a moment, toying with the hoop in his lip and trying to pretend it wasn’t really fucking distracting. He was failing miserably at it and his gaze lingered on her even after she got a borrowed shirt on over her head. She paused for a moment, wrinkling her face and pulling it to her nose. She glanced at Sly and she was frowning, lifting her head away from the clothes. “These stink,” she said, and he laughed in response. “Of course they do babe. They’re from pirates,” he said. Wenston “Does California look like this?” Emi asked as she plodded alongside Sly. He’d gone all out with his pirate clothes, putting the eye patch over his eye and tying a bandana around his head. She thought he looked odd in the clothes, but he seemed to be enjoying it. The clothes she’d put on herself were large on her. She’d had to tie the shirt off to one side to make it tight enough, but it kept slipping down off of one of her shoulders. The pants were large and baggy, but she’d tied the red sash around her waist to help hold them up. Kaidokusuru was still at her side and Sly grinned like a fool every time he looked at her. “Not quite like this,” Sly said, looking out at the water. “This is more like…Hawaii or something. California is more commercial than this. Lots of people. Lots of half naked people. Skimpy little bikinis. It’s nice.” Emi made a face and Sly just laughed. “You’d look good in one.” Emi watched his face for a moment and then narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you wear a bikini?” she asked. Sly burst out laughing at that and she wasn’t sure what was so funny, but it made her smile when he laughed like this because it was genuine and it was true. He had different laughs and not all of them were honest, but this one was and she liked that she knew him enough to tell the difference. She liked that he hadn’t made fun of her for pointing out that she liked flowers and the more she thought about it, the more she liked that he’d told her “no” the previous night in his bedroom. He could have easily said yes. He could have easily made her lay down and gotten what he wanted out of her and she would have let him, but she wouldn’t have been okay with it. She thought it would have hurt, because it meant he was the man that Krystal said he was. It meant that he only wanted that from her and didn’t want anything else. But he’d said no. He’d said he didn’t want it to be like that and she believed him. She just didn’t know what it was like any other way. She wondered if he’d be rough or if he’d make her lay on her stomach or if he’d want to hide her face and cover her mouth and she thought the answer to those questions were no. He told her she was beautiful. “If I wore a bikini, we’d have a problem,” Sly said. “I’d scare all the tourists off the beach.” Emi smiled and ducked her head. The shirt slipped from her shoulder again and she reached up to pull it back up, but Sly caught her wrist gently and guided her hand back down, his fingers twining with hers. She glanced at his face. “Leave it down, babe,” he told her. “You look gorgeous.” She ducked her head shyly, but the smile slipped off her face as she looked at the beach further ahead of them. There was fog rolling in from the ocean and she could see ship’s masts in the distance, silhouetted by the mist. Docks and huts lined the shore and built up upon itself into a rickety town. Emi pulled at Sly’s hand, slowing their trek towards the town. Sly pulled the playing card with the map etched onto it out of his pocket and glanced down at it. He sighed. “X marks the spot,” he said. He nodded his head towards the town. “That’s where we’re going.” “What are we looking for?” she asked, glancing at his face. She trusted him, she did. But she was growing more and more curious as to what they were doing here if it wasn’t for the demon. She didn’t know what else would be in this world that Sly wanted to get or what Sly could even be interested enough in that he’d want to go through other worlds. He hated going after the demons. He complained about it every time and he wanted to put it off as much as possible. But he’d sought something out without her. He’d suggested coming to this world and she wanted to know what it was for. Sly grinned at her. “We’ll know it when we see it, I guess,” he said and that wasn’t an answer. She frowned at him and he sighed. “Can you just trust me for a little bit longer? At least until we find what we’re looking for?” Emi studied him carefully, chewing on her lip before she let out a low breath. “I do trust you,” she said. “But I need to know what we are here for.” And there was no hesitation or question in her voice. Just a solid truth that Sly needed to tell her what they were looking for and why they were here. The smile faded from Sly’s lips and he turned to face her, his other hand reach out to take hers and he looked suddenly nervous or unsure of himself and that made her nervous. She watched his face, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at the ground between them as he held her hands in his and she realized that she’d become oddly okay with him touching her. In fact, she found herself missing it if he wasn’t. “I’m selfish,” Sly said and it wasn’t what she’d expected to come out of his mouth. She raised an eyebrow at him and he quirked a small, lopsided smile before looking up at her face again. “I’m also a thief and when I see something I want, I take it.” His face grew serious again and he lifted one hand to brush it down the side of her cheek. She trembled beneath the touch and felt her breath quicken because she didn’t know about the way he was looking at her. “I told you I’d find a way out for you and I’m not gonna lie and say that it’s solely because I think you shouldn’t have to keep doing this shit over and over again. Because a big part of it – a really fucking big part of it – is that I want you to stay. With me.” Emi didn’t know what to say to that. She felt the blood drain from her face and she just watched Sly. It was nothing she didn’t already know. It was nothing she couldn’t have already guessed. But hearing him say it, seeing his face when he did, and noting the solid tone of his voice – he wasn’t lying. She’d had her doubts when he’d told her “no” the other night, but all those doubts were washed away because he was standing here saying it to her and he meant it. And she didn’t know what to say back. Sly smiled a little, but he looked nervous, running his thumb across her chin. “Say something, babe,” he chuckled awkwardly. “You found a way out?” she whispered quietly. “The book did,” he said, ducking his head so he could look her in the eyes when she looked away from his face. She met his gaze again and she still wasn’t saying much. “Look, I don’t know if it’s gonna work so I wasn’t gonna tell you until I did, but…I don’t know. You said you wanted to stay so-” She cut him off suddenly by throwing her arms around his chest. He grunted in surprise as she pressed the side of her face into his shoulder and stared off at the beach behind them and she could see flowers and trees and somewhere beyond that were pirates and treasure chest. She listened to Sly’s heart beat in his chest. Her mind was blank and her own heart beat loudly in her chest. She clung to him, squeezing him tightly and she couldn’t put into words what she was thinking or how she was feeling and maybe it was because she didn’t know the words for it. Maybe it was because no one had ever taught her them or because she’d never felt it before so it hadn’t mattered how she expressed it. Sly’s hand came up to cup the back of her head while the other one moved up and down her back soothingly. “So, I’m gonna go ahead and assume this is a good sign,” he said and he sounded unsure. Emi closed her eyes and just held him tighter, like if she let go he would change his mind or tell her to stop. She was scared to hope he was telling the truth, but it was too late to change the spark of it that had flared up inside of her. “Thank you,” she whispered into his shoulder. .Wolfie. “Hey, don’t thank me yet, babe,” Sly said, laughing quietly. “Wait until I pull it off. Then you can thank me as much as you want.” He said it with total confidence and it was easy for him to say the words but he wondered if they were true. He wondered if this would actually work and he hoped so, because he wanted her and he wanted to keep her. He ignored the cynical, self-loathing part of him that thought maybe he just wanted her now because he couldn’t have her. His arms rested comfortably around her, fingers tangling in her hair while the other ran up and down her back and he didn’t stop himself from thinking that he could get used to this. He could get used to her being here and being with him and he didn’t know if that’s where this was heading but he hoped so. He wasn’t lying when he said she was beautiful or that he wanted her. He wasn’t lying when he said he cared about her. She wasn’t like other girls so he didn’t think of her like one. She wasn’t this empty-headed girl that he could have sex and get high with and then say goodbye to in the morning. She wasn’t Magic. “I thank you for trying,” she said, and he smiled because she meant the words. He wondered how many times in her life someone had asked her what it was she wanted and he thought the answer could have been counted on one hand. He wondered how many times she had actually gotten it and he thought that number was even less. So if she wanted to stay with him he would find a way for her to do it. Her arms tightened around him for another moment and it was pleasantly unusual for her to volunteer to touch him. Her face was pressed against his chest and her arms around his waist and Sly came to a startling realization. He was happy. There was sun on his face and sand beneath his feet and a beautiful woman in his arms. He smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head, eyes squinting against the brightness. He was dressed like a god damned pirate and it didn’t matter to him if he stank like one too, it was still fucking cool as far as he was concerned. He glanced down at her and her shirt was still hanging off one shoulder, her skin bare and his head was ducking before he stopped to think about it. His lips brushed over her shoulder and he felt her shiver beneath the touch. He didn’t know what that meant but then he lifted his hand to rest against her bare skin, running his thumb across it. “Emi,” he whispered, still kissing her shoulder and moving towards her neck. Her hands tightened around his waist but she didn’t pull away. “What do you want with your flowers?” “I don’t know,” she said, and it made him smile that she sounded a little shaky. She swallowed hard and then she was stepping back, her hands sliding down his arms to grab his as she stepped backwards. “We should continue on,” she said. “Well, let me know if you think of anything else. Or you know if you just want the flowers I think I can pull that off.” He was grinning at her, happy to trail after her as her fingers twined in his and she led him down the beach. Ahead of them they could see the port city of pirates or sailors or whatever was waiting for them. Maybe Sly should have been worried about the pirates or the demon or a thousand other things, but mostly he was just worried that there would be nothing at the end of the yellow brick road. “I will,” she said, ducking her head, and she still seemed shy that she had asked at all. It made him smile and it made him want to give her anything she asked for and more because she deserved to get the things that she wanted. “I am still deciding.” Then she shot him a look, a small quirk to the corner of her mouth. “I still do not think I have earned the dragon.” Sly laughed and then shook his head. “Of course you do babe. You deserve a dragon just for putting up with my shit this long.” Her fingers squeezed his hand and it drew his eyes to her. She shook her head at him and he felt her move a little closer, shoulder brushing against his. “I do not like it when you say things like that,” she told him. “You are a good man.” Another laugh left his lips and he pulled her fingers up to his hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as her fingers hid the smile that slipped from his face. The words stung because he knew better and he didn’t know if he should be convincing her otherwise or not. He wasn’t a good man and he still didn’t know why she said things like that. He didn’t understand why someone like her would say she was proud of him or call him brave when he was still covered in bruises from getting his ass beat by angry Russians. “Babe, we’ve been over this. I’m not a good man, I’m a thief, a cheat, and a liar.” “You are those things,” she agreed, and it made him grin, running a hand through his hair. She glanced up at him and for a moment his eyes met her and it was distracting how beautiful they were. It was distracting what a gorgeous mouth she had and he had to bite down hard on the hoop in his lip to stay focused. “But you are still a good man.” He chuckled and shook his head again because whether or not he believed the words he didn’t have it in him to argue with her. Even if it would give her a heads up about what a let down he would eventually be. “You’re a sweetheart,” he told her. “What does that mean?” she asked. She made a face at the nickname and glanced up at him, hand still holding his. The other was resting on the hilt of her sword and she only spared him a glance before she turned her attention back to where they were going. There were boats bobbing on the water and the excuse for a city had walkways and ramshackle buildings all jammed together in a mess of wood and rope. He could hear creaking from the boards as they grew closer, the trees on one side as the city grew into it. “It means you’re a doll,” he told her, and she gave him a confused look that said she didn’t know how those things related either. He bit off a laugh and shook his head. “I just think it’s cute that you keep thinking nice things about me. I mean, you have met me right? Allow me to introduce myself, Sly Waite, liar, thief, cheat, asshole, con artist, junkie. Did I leave anything out?” She frowned at him and then turned her attention away as they headed onto a wandering wooden walkway. “You see only the faults in yourself,” she said. “You must have faith in yourself, Baka. There is much to be proud of.” The words were honest and there was a shaky smile trying to make its way across his face, but he wasn’t sure if he should let it or not. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that he was worth more than what he had made of himself but history spoke a different tune and whether Sly wanted to change his ways or not didn’t matter when it came down to whether or not he was actually capable of it. He hadn’t lied to her when he said she made him want to be a better man, but it wasn’t a hard step up from where he’d been. “Well,” he drawled after a moment. “I’ll just have to take your word for it, babe.” Emi was glancing over her shoulder at him when the kid ran into the back of Sly’s legs. He stumbled forward a step and the kid was already starting to dash away before Emi’s hand shot out and caught the back of his shirt. The kid let out a yelp as she yanked him backwards and his eyes were wide as he glanced over his shoulder at the two of them. “Let me go!” he howled. Sly side and leaned over him, plucking the gun from his sticky fingers. “Keep your paws to yourself, kid,” he said. He shoved it back in the waistband of his pants and then Emi nudged him forward with her knee, letting the kid go. “Go home, little Akuma,” she said, and the kid didn’t wait for anything else to be said before he took off. Sly watched him go and then snorted, hand resting on the gun because the kid had been quick, and he didn’t want to risk losing it now. Especially when there might be a thousand reasons to use it and a demon they would have to face eventually. He hadn’t been nervous walking in here but now he was aware that there was a very valuable grimore in his backpack and it looked like they’d just walked into a city of thieves and cutthroats. Down every alley was a man getting drunk or already past it. There were beggars and thieves and he could see a man having his way with a prostitute against the side of a building. He snorted and watched for a moment before he looked away and to be fair, this was his kind of place. Or at least it would be, if he wasn’t worried about finding a knife sliding in between his ribs. That would even take the fun out of a place like Vegas. “I do no like it here,” Emi said quietly. Her gaze was flicking around and he saw it linger on a group of five or so pirates lounging outside a bar. There was a crash from inside and they watched dully as a man got thrown out on his ass. “Keep your hands off my girls unless you’ve got gold!” another man shouted. He followed the other onto the porch, landing a swift kick in his ass and sending him sprawling. He groaned as he pushed himself upright, pulling himself along the wooden slats until he reached a gap where he threw up into the water. The pirates watched him for a moment and then one slapped the other and said something that must have been funny because it got the others laughing. “I don’t know,” Sly said, grinning at Emi. “I kinda like it. It’s like me, looks like it’s just made up of all its vices, but maybe underneath it’s got a heart of gold. Or you know, more vices.” He laughed to himself and then pulled the card out, tilting it to the side so he could try and get a better idea of where they were going. His teeth tugged on his lip and then he lifted his head. “This way,” he told her, nodding deeper into the port city. Her fingers tightened on his and then she led the way through the people and the scum and the filth and he couldn’t blame her for not liking it because it was dirty and dangerous. He thought again that it seemed like his kind of place. Wenston As Emi led the way through the wooden streets, she kept her grip tight on Sly’s hand and tried not to think about how much she didn’t like this place. There were men who were too drunk, men who were too sober, men with pistols and swords and knives and clubs. The women all wore dresses and the dresses were all too short or low in the front or hid nothing. Emi tried to keep an eye on all of them, because they were all a threat to Sly and she almost told him that it wasn’t worth it to come here. The danger was too high. But she kept her mouth shut and her hand tight on Sly’s because he’d said there was a way out and he’d gone out of his way to find it and that meant he wanted her to stay. She could still feel his lips on her skin from where he’d kissed her bare shoulder. She hadn’t been expecting him to do so. She hadn’t expected it at all and it had surprised her how intense the urge had been to turn her head and catch his lips with her own because she’d never done that before. She’d never kissed anyone before and maybe that had been the only thing stopping her from doing so when he’d had his lips pressed against her shoulder. If she was being honest with herself, she was scared. Haemon had been right about that when he’d said it. She was scared of what her duty had become and she was realizing it now that she was with Sly. She was realizing that the many seal breakers she’d protected, she’d kept herself distant and cold and focused because it made it easier to face what was next. It made it easier to think that she would be the Guardian until there wasn’t a Grimoire to protect. But somewhere along the line, it had become worse than that. It had become habit to treat everyone she met with the same cold, distance that she treated other seal breakers. It had become more about habit than about protection. She’d gone so long being cold and not letting anyone in that she was terrified to break it. But she had. For Sly. Because the more she thought about it, the more she realized that no matter what happened next. If she pushed Sly away now, it wouldn’t matter in the end. It was going to be hard to say goodbye. So maybe Sly was right in saying that she should enjoy what she had while she had it. The map in Sly’s hand led them up a small set of planked stairs. When they reached the top, there was a wooden walkway that led to a darkened hut. Emi frowned, because there was no one else up here and the fog rolling in from the ocean was thicker here, making it hard to see. She glanced over at Sly’s face and he was holding the card up close so he could read it. He glanced up at the hut and then back down at the card, frowning. “That’s the place,” he said, looking over at her. She offered him a small smile and then looked at the hut herself. She let go of Sly’s hand and kept it free, the other tight around the hilt of her katana. She led the way towards the hut, taking small, calculated steps, her eyes never leaving the flapping leather in the doorway. Neither one of them expected the flap to suddenly be thrown back. Emi paused in her steps and behind her, she heard Sly let out a curse in surprise. A woman stood in the doorway. Her skin was tan and her dark hair was tangled and frazzled about her face. She was dressed in similar fashion to the men they’d met on the beach and she had a wild look in her eyes. Her ears were pierced with bits of bone and she wore furs for a skirt and small top, a necklace made of some animal’s sharp, piercing teeth around her neck. “You are searching,” the woman said and Emi tensed as she took a few steps forward. She drew her sword halfway and the woman paused, looking at the blade before tilting her head to the side to look at Emi. “You are searching for a powerful thing.” Emi was surprised when Sly cleared his throat and came up to stand next to Emi, answering the woman. “That’s right,” he said. “We’re looking for-” “The key,” the woman said, cutting him off and her eyes going wide and wild. Her mouth spread into a grin and she pointed at Emi. “You are bound.” Then she took a step back and waved them inside. Sly glanced over at Emi, his brow raised and she narrowed her eyes and just followed the woman inside. If she tried anything, Emi wasn’t going to hesitate to kill her, but the woman needed to give her a reason first. The inside of the woman’s hut was dark and filled with furs and oddities. The woman sat down on a pile of furs, crossing her legs and grabbing a goblet off of a small table, sipping at it and watching Sly above the lip of the cup. Emi didn’t like the way she was looking at him and she grabbed Sly’s hand to keep him from getting too close. Sly cleared his throat again. “So you can help us?” he asked. The woman set her goblet down, smiling still as she laid back and Emi thought she was being very provocative. “You are not the only one searching,” she said and that made Emi frown. She wondered who else was looking for it and the possibilities were nothing good. She didn’t even know exactly what they were looking for or what it would do. “Well, I can assure you we’re the much better customers,” he said and he had that smarmy grin back on his face that he got when he was trying to impress someone. Emi kept watching the woman’s face and she didn’t think Sly had to try that hard, if the look the woman was giving him was any indication. The woman leaned forward and crawled onto her hands and knees. She was grinning at Sly and Emi slipped a shoulder between them, surprised at her own sudden protectiveness and jealousy. She didn’t want the woman to touch him, whether it was in a friendly way or not. “I will give you what you seek,” the woman said. She held up a finger quickly. “But, you must do for me a favor.” Sly ran a hand over his mouth. “What’s the favor?” he asked and Emi didn’t miss the way his eyes weren’t exactly on the woman’s face. “A pirate roams the taverns below. Far below. He dealt with the devil once. His soul for a pistol. The devil gave him the pistol, but gave him no bullets. Furious, he forged his own and called again upon the devil. When he came, the pirate killed the devil and stole back his soul.” Sly snorted. “Wait…you want us to go after a guy that killed the devil?” Emi glanced at Sly. “Who is that?” Sly just glanced at her and she narrowed her eyes at the look on his face. He snorted again and looked back to the woman. “What do you want from him?” he asked. The woman brought a hand to her chest, forming a circle there with her fingers. “Around his neck is where he keeps it. His soul. A soul touched by the devil. A soul stolen from the devil and stained in his blood. Bring it to me. Bring it and the key is yours.” Sly ran a hand over his face, like he was contemplating it. Emi kept watching his face and she saw his eyes move her way, studying her and whatever he saw on Emi’s face must have convinced him of what his answer was. He dropped his hand back down and looked squarely at the woman. “This creep got a name?” .Wolfie. The man’s name was Jackie Booth. That was all the woman told them and he’d laughed when she said it because somehow that didn’t surprise him at all. He thought of the three men that had gunned each other down on the beach and he wondered if it was the same man who was sitting back and waiting to collect his cut. Probably. It was too much of a coincidence otherwise.Sly had to admit, when the chick said she wanted a favor from them he hadn’t expected her to ask for a stolen piece of jewelry. She’d been crawling around on her floor with furs barely covering her. The last time a beautiful woman had looked at him with that look in her eye he’d woken up facedown on her bedroom floor with no pants and cigarette burns on his thighs. Somehow it wouldn’t surprise him if this little excursion ended the same way. That was probably the nicer option out of all of them. “Who is the devil?” Emi asked again, once they were out of the woman’s hut. She waited until the furs swung closed behind them and stopped him in the hallway, her hand pressing against his chest to pause him before they started heading below. “Short and simple answer?” Sly said, shrugging his shoulders. “He’s a big, bad, evil motherfucker.” Emi frowned and she didn’t look anxious to let him go. She kept her hand on his chest and she looked unhappy, her other hand resting on her sword. She chewed on her lip and then looked back down the hallway towards the woman’s hut and he wondered what she was thinking. “I do not like this,” she said after a moment, glancing back at his face. He smirked and took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers. “Fair enough, babe. But this is what we’re here after and I’m not leaving without it. So I guess we’ll have to figure out a way to either trick Jackie boy out of his soul or take it by force.” He grinned at her to try and ease the uneasy look on her face but she didn’t look like she bought it. He shot her a wink and squeezed her hand again. “I’ll do my best on the first option but I’m kind of stupid sometimes so you might be my fall back on that muscle thing.” Emi still didn’t look okay with it but after a moment she nodded her head. He didn’t miss that she made sure to put herself ahead of him as they made their way back down the wooden stairs and he watched the back of her head as they went. Her shirt was still hanging off one shoulder and he kept thinking about the way she’d clung to him on the beach. He kept thinking about her arms around him and her face pressed against his chest and he had such a teenage crush on her that it was ridiculous. He’d told her no last night and he wasn’t sorry but he did want to fuck her. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her in his bed, he just wanted her to go there willingly. There was a lingering thought in the back of his head that maybe that would never happen and he wondered if he’d be okay with that. He wondered if he’d be able to just be friends with her because it wasn’t what he wanted at all. Maybe if he broke her free than they would at least have time to find out. Sly wasn’t big on regrets and he thought if he just backed down now and let her go then he would regret it for years afterwards because he didn’t want her to go. If her words of thanks were any indication than it wasn’t what she wanted either and it made him more determined to pull this off. He thought about how she’d pushed herself in front of the woman back in her hut and he wondered if she was just being protective or if it had bothered her, watching some woman crawl around on the floor for him. “So that chick was a trip and a half. Hot, but probably all stocked up on the crazy,” he commented, glancing at her face as he did. Emi’s jaw tightened slightly and he wondered if she was jealous. “Not quite the favor I expected in a town of thieves and cheats and whores, but hey, whatever floats her boat, right?” “I do not trust her,” Emi said shortly. Sly chuckled at the answer, lifting his head and following her through the mess. The buildings down here were smaller, wooden boards just banged together and making little shacks and rooms above the waters. There were people covered in dirt and filth lingering in doorways and more of them hanging around with weapons at their sides. He could hear loud shouting and singing from a massive building down the way. It looked like it spanned multiple levels, the fires lit outside it and smoke rising up through the cracks in the boards into the sky. If there was any place to start, that was it. “I didn’t say I did, babe,” he said, glancing back at Emi. “But she’s got what I want, and I don’t mean that in a sexy way. Mostly.” The look she shot him was anything but nice, her eyes narrowed into a glare. She immediately looked away like she hadn’t meant for him to see it but she pulled her hand from his and let it fall to her side, the other tightening around her sword. She steeled her expression into something cold as she led him through the town. “She seems like your type,” she said, and there was a trace of hurt in the words. It startled him more than it should have and he hurried to keep up with her. “Hey,” he said, reaching to hold her hand. She pulled it from his fingers and he frowned, ducking his head to look at her. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re jealous,” he said, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “I am not jealous,” Emi said quickly, but she still didn’t look back at him. Her voice sounded cold and clipped and a little angry and for a moment he chewed on the hoop in his lip because he wasn’t sure how to get himself out of this situation now that he’d put himself in it. Then Emi ducked her head, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. “Do you want to have sex with her?” Sly snorted, scrubbing a hand over his mouth as he tried to think of an answer she would accept. A month ago the answer would have been yes. A month ago he wouldn’t have hesitated, whether or not Emi was trailing after him and trying to guard his ass. But a month ago he’d been high every day and he’d been scamming and thieving just trying to keep a roof over his head. A month ago he would have fucked anything that moved and he couldn’t meet his eyes in the mirror. Things had changed since then. Everything had changed, including himself, and even if he had never been great at monogamy he’d still managed it before for girls that weren’t have as amazing as Emi and he smiled before he tried to take her hand again. “Emi, babe, maybe I haven’t been making myself clear.” She started to pull her hand out of his hand he shifted to stand in front of her, pausing them both in the middle of the wooden walkway. She was still frowning but he nudged her head up with his fingertips beneath her chin. “I’m doing this because I want you,” he told her. There was a smile on his lips but he said the words with finality so that she would know where he stood. “Not Krystal, not chick in a pirate hut even if she is wearing nothing but a loincloth. I want you and I’m doing everything I can to try and have you because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.” Emi looked away at that and he couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not because the lights down here were dim and there were shadows playing across her face. Her eyes swept the walkways and gangways around them, water somewhere down beneath their feet and the distant sounds of ships creaking in the harbor echoing over the waves. After a moment she sighed and she glanced at his face, her mouth quirking to the side. “You didn’t answer the question,” she told him. Sly laughed and then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. She was stiff beneath the touch but he hoped she wasn’t mad at him, even if he wasn’t sure what he’d done. “No, I don’t want to have sex with her. Besides, God only knows what she’d give me.” Emi sighed and then pushed past him, but she didn’t look quite as mad at her and he smiled as he trailed after her. His hand came down to take hers again and she let him twine his fingers with hers, running this thumb over her knuckles. She pulled him behind her, hand on the sword as she led them inside the giant tavern towards the end of the docks. Inside was even louder than the streets, people yelling and throwing things at each other across the room. Emi ducked a beer mug as it flew past and smashed against the floor, someone shouting curses at the man to their right as they entered. There were card games set up and dice games being played and he tried not to stare at the half naked women bringing beer to their customers. There was a grizzled man at the bar and he hardly glanced up when they entered, slinging beers with a practiced ease. Sly moved a hand to his belt, making sure the gun was there before he tugged at the straps of his backpack to reassure himself that he hadn’t gotten the book stolen yet. It had the same weight so he hoped it was the same book. They moved around the tables, Sly jumping when a knife slammed into the wood next to him. He glanced over and there was a man with yellow teeth snarling something at another one next to him, his stringy locks falling in a dark curtain across his eyes. Sly sucked in a breath and moved closer to Emi because a part of him didn’t like seeing her in a hole like this. She made her way to the bar, leaning across it and trying to get the bartender’s attention. He glanced at Sly and then forgot about him but when his eyes fell on Emi the man grinned, revealing jagged teeth in his scarred face. “Well,” he said, leaning one elbow on the counter as he swept her with his eyes. Sly frowned and moved in next to her and he felt suddenly stupid because he didn’t like this man looking at Emi anymore than she’d liked that jungle woman looking at him. “What can I get for you dolly?” Emi frowned at the nickname and nudged her sword an inch out of its sheath with her thumb. He glanced at it and raised an eyebrow as she leaned in closer. “I’m looking for a man,” she said, and Sly didn’t like the smile that spread across his face. “I can think of a few fellas who would love to help you out with that,” he said, his smile broad and lecherous. Sly snapped his fingers in front of the bartender’s face. “Over here bud,” he snapped. He got a glare in return but at least the asshole wasn’t staring at Emi like that anymore. He didn’t like how he’d looked more at her chest than her eyes and even if she didn’t let it bother her it bothered him. “We’re looking for a Jackie Booth, you seen him?” The man stiffened abruptly and took a step back. He licked his lips nervously and then went to get a glass off the wall. “You’ll want the games downstairs,” he said, and then he was turning his back on them and walking away. Wenston The stairs that led to the basement of the tavern were dimly lit and winding. Emi could hear rowdy laughter from below and she chewed her lip the entire way down because she didn’t like this one bit. She didn’t like that Sly was in a place like this because even if he thought it was his kind of place, she didn’t. She thought he’d looked happier on the beach than he did here. That was his kind of place. Not this. Not these people.Sly followed down behind her, a frown on his face. She’d been somewhat surprised at how defensive he’d gotten with the bartender. She didn’t think Sly noticed that she’d seen it, but she’d recognized the look on his face from just moments earlier in the woman’s hut. It had been the same look that had been on hers when she’d thought about that woman being with Sly. It made her feel good that Sly returned the sentiment. She thought about him telling her that he wanted her and she was the most amazing woman he’d ever met and they hadn’t sounded like lines he’d tell just about anyone. They’d sounded like the truth and she’d blushed when he said them because it still felt weird to have someone who wanted her for more than just convenience or outcome. He wanted her for her. He wanted her because he thought she was worth more than duty and protection. She thought maybe she wanted him too. As they came out into the room below, Emi quickly took in the different ruffians down here. There were six men sitting at the table. Another two in the corner, each with a scantily clad woman on their laps. There was another man up wandering the room with a violin in his hand, playing some jaunty tune. Emi’s eyes quickly fell on the only man in the room who didn’t turn to look at them when they reached the bottom of the stairs. She guessed that was who they were looking for. “We are looking for Jackie Booth,” Emi said, seeing Sly open his mouth to say something and deciding she’d take control down here. She still didn’t like that they weren’t sure what they were looking for or that Sly had orchestrated this without telling her. She didn’t like that he was leading them down here because he shouldn’t have to. She was here to protect him and if he was leading them, then she wasn’t doing her job. She’d been failing at it too much lately. Ever since she’d been hurt fighting Tsuiseki-sha. Sure enough, the man who hadn’t looked up when they’d entered finally lifted his head slowly. He didn’t turn his gaze to them, instead looking at the man across from him, eyes narrowed. When he spoke, his words were slow and smooth, unlike the other pirates they’d met in this world. He had a hat on his head and his clothes were raggedy and he was scruffy and unclean, but there was a higher class of dignity about him than the others. “Your turn, Bill,” he said calmly. The man he was addressing turned to look at him, eyes wide for a moment before he looked down at his hand and then immediately shook his head, shoving the cards forward. “I fold,” he squawked. Jackie Booth sighed and set his cards down too, a look of annoyance passing over his face before his gaze finally moved to the two of them. “You’ve interrupted a perfectly good hand of poker, dearies,” he said, no humor to his voice as he eyed them. Emi watched his eyes roam their clothes and she held her chin up because she knew what he was thinking. “You’re wearing my mens’ clothes, so I can only assume you’ve murdered them.” Sly shook his head. “Your men shot each other,” he said and Emi sighed because sometimes he didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. “We just commandeered their garb.” He waggled his eyebrows like he was saying something smart and she wondered if he was speaking pirate or something. He seemed to know a lot about them and got excited just being around them. She wondered about what he’d said earlier about Halloween and she had no clue what that was or why someone would dress like a pirate for it. The older pirate sighed and reached up to remove his hat, holding it against his chest and looking at the others at the table a moment. “A moment, for our departed,” he said and then bowed his head. Emi frowned and watched as every man at the table did the same. She glanced back at Sly and he was grinning ear to ear like this was the best thing he’d ever seen in his life. It surprised her when Jackie Booth drew his pistol and shot the man who’d just folded in cards. She gasped and she’d never admit it, but she jumped and her heart was racing because the man was fast. The pirate he’d shot looked down at his chest, blossoming in crimson red before he looked back up at Jackie Booth, mouth floundering like a fish’s for a moment before he tipped over dead in his chair. Jackie Booth scoffed and put his pistol away. “Cheater,” he said as way of explanation. Then he turned to look at them again. The others at the table were being deathly still and silent. The violin player was standing near the wall, his head bowed in fear and the two with women in the corner were watching, but not forgetting about their lady friends either. Emi could recognize when a man had power and she knew Jackie Booth had power by way of fear over every person in this room. “So,” Jackie Booth said, leaning back in his chair and kicking his boot up on the table. “Why are you seeking out old Barnacle Booth?” Emi frowned at the name, but Sly let out a small chuckle, looking purely in awe and amazed by the man. She sighed when he took a step forward and didn’t seem shy or scared of the man at all. “I hear you play a mean game of poker,” he said, pointing at the cards. “And I wanted to see first hand.” Emi gave a side glance to Sly because the lie had rolled off his tongue so easily. He’d even changed the way he spoke a bit and she wondered again if he was pretending to be a pirate. She thought it was foolish. And kind of cute. Jackie Booth gave a laugh that she didn’t buy for a second. He waved his hand at the dead man in his chair and the two pirates sitting closest to him stood up and moved the body out of the chair and to the corner of the room before they came back to their chairs. “Have a seat,” Jackie said, gathering up the cards and starting to shuffle them. Sly grinned and came around to the chair. He sat down quickly and Emi felt her whole body tense because she didn’t like the space there was between them or how close he was to Jackie or how fast Jackie could be. This could go horrible in a blink of an eye and she didn’t like it at all. She wasn’t a tricks and cheats kind of warrior and she didn’t like that sense of hidden danger. She liked it better when she could see it. She liked it better when she could go in with her sword drawn. Jackie Booth started dealing out the cards and he kept his eyes on the cards in his hands, but he spoke to the room. “Chickie,” he said and Emi raised an eyebrow. She saw Sly glance her way and their eyes met for a moment. She thought maybe Jackie was talking to her. “You don’t look like you’re from around here,” he said. His hands paused and his gaze rose to meet hers. “Are you from Singapore?” Her face steeled for a moment and she wasn’t sure how to answer that. She wasn’t sure what this world knew about itself or the other worlds or if a Singapore even existed in this world. She wasn’t a liar and she wouldn’t be able to pull it off if she tried. So she just raised her chin higher and said, “No.” Jackie snorted, passing out more cards. “Then where are you from?” he asked and he sounded nonchalant, but she wasn’t buying it. He was fishing for something. “I do not discuss my affairs with strangers,” she told him and she saw him pause again, but his eyes stayed downcast. Sly was looking back and forth between Jackie and Emi. Finally, he licked his lips and said, “She washed ashore, that’s how I found her. Came outta nowhere. Maybe she‘s a mermaid.” He grinned when he said it and she thought it was because mostly it was the truth. They had washed ashore. And she had came out of nowhere to find Sly. Jackie’s eyes rose at last, but instead of coming to her, they went to Sly and a small smile spread across his face. “You better keep that pistol where it’s at for what’s about to happen.” Sly raised an eyebrow and Emi frowned because she didn’t like the threat there. She took a step forward, her hand tightening around Kaidokusuru because she needed to end this. They’d find another way, but this was too dangerous. She didn’t make it more than a step. A black hood was pulled down over her head and she gasped, hearing Sly give a shout of his own. She tried to whirl and strike out at whoever was behind her, but the pulled back on the hood, choking her and bending her backwards. Her hands came up to grab the arm around her neck and another wrapped itself around her waist, picking her straight up off the ground. She choked and growled, kicking her legs back to try and get loose, but the person didn’t budge. Then he was whispering, “Easy, Kobayashi. If I wanted you dead, you would be.” She couldn’t see through the hood over her head and she could hear Sly yelling something in the background but she froze for a moment because she knew that voice and it sent her heart leaping. She choked from the straps of the hood around her throat and it was hard to breath with her chest constricted by an arm and her feet dangling off the ground. But she whispered his name out and tried not to panic at just the small utterance. “Takeru.” .Wolfie. “Emi!” Sly shouted. He was half out of the chair when he felt the barrel of the gun press against his temple. He froze immediately, his blood turning to ice at the sensation. It wasn’t an entirely new sensation, but he didn’t think it was one he’d ever get used to.“Easy boy-o,” Jackie Booth said. His hand was curled around the back of the chair and it tightened when he felt the man grasp the handle of his gun and pull it from his waistband. His breath was coming quick and ragged and he felt panic warring with fear in his gut. His gaze was locked on Emi and the man holding her. One arm was wrapped around her neck, the other around her waist as she was dragged backwards. Fingers curled around his upper arm and he felt himself being dragged out of his chair. “You should worry more about yourself, and less about your mermaid,” Jackie said calmly, shoving him forward with the gun to his temple. “You fucking let her go!” he snarled, feeling cold sweat trickle down his spine even as he did. “Quiet,” Jackie said, his voice a little harder and colder. He slid Sly’s gun into his waistband and then shoved him forward with a hard grip around his neck. “You keep talking and I’ll go ahead and pull this trigger. There isn’t much keeping me from pulling it now.” The man holding Emi laughed as he dragged her through the room. She was kicking and struggling but his grip was tight around her neck and nothing she did was breaking his hold. “Thirteenth daughter,” the man said, ducking his head so his mouth was by Emi’s head. Sly felt a snarl rise up in his throat because he didn’t like him touching or hurting Emi. “I find it interesting that you are looking for a man and not Kan’ningu. Tell me, what interests you more than one of the thirteen?” Her face was covered in a black hood and he didn’t like that one bit. He didn’t like that she was still hurt from the last demon and now he’d gotten her into this mess and maybe if he was less of a moron they wouldn’t be. He stumbled over the wooden floor and the people around him moved back, letting them pass across the tavern to the door at the back. “I will destroy you Takeru,” Emi snarled. She was bucking and fighting but her voice sounded raspy and harsh as her hands clawed at the arms holding her. Her voice was muffled by the bag over her head and the arm around her throat. The man laughed again before kicking open the door in front of him. Jackie kept up his grip on Sly and the cold sweat was trickling down his neck and settling at his spine. He had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from talking because he didn’t doubt that Jackie would follow through on his promise and put a bullet in his skull. He’d seen how fast and how merciless he was and he was scared. He didn’t like the feeling and he didn’t like how helpless he felt on top of that. If it was just him he could deal with it. More than one poker match had ended with him getting dragged out back and beaten in an alley. Fuck, two days ago a couple of Russians had done it just to remind him to pay his rent. But he was scared that he was going to die and he was fucking terrified that Emi would and he didn’t like how hollow he felt when that thought crossed his mind. “You will try and you will fail and I will see you dead, Kobayashi,” the man said. “But that doesn’t answer my question.” He grinned and turned his head over his shoulder. “What about you, sealbreaker? Why are you not hunting Kan’ningu?” Sly shot him a sneering grin. “Damned if I know,” he said. “I’m just along for the ride.” The man laughed and shook his head. “Somehow I doubt that,” he said. “I can always smell a liar.” Jackie’s fingers tightened on his neck as he shoved him down a walkway. It ended abruptly by the docks and Sly felt his breath catch in his throat. A few ships bobbed on the waves, but his attention was drawn to the metal cages hanging over the waters. The man holding Emi didn’t hesitate, dragging her over to them and ripping the door open. As soon as his hand left her waist she lashed out a kick, catching him in the shin with a loud crack. She went for the sword at her side but she didn’t get a chance to draw it. Takeru was fast. Sly let out a startled shout when he moved, his hand gripping the back of Emi’s head and slamming it hard against the metal cage. His foot slammed into her back and it knocked her forward through the metal opening where she landed with a loud clang. She was already up and throwing herself back at the door when it clanged shut, Takeru sliding a chain around it with a smile on his face. “Emi!” Sly shouted, and he felt the answering blow of a gun handle meeting the back of his head. A distant part of him thought he should have been grateful it wasn’t a bullet, but mostly he just thought that fucking hurt. His vision blurred and when he managed to lift his head she had already yanked the bag off her head. She tossed it to her feet and drew her sword, her other hand going to yank on the chains. “Takeru,” she spat. “Face me in battle and we will see who wins.” It was ridiculous that it almost made him smile. She was trapped in a cage but there was no fear on her face and she had her blade in her hand. She was glaring at the man who’d put her there and if looks could kill then he would be dead a thousand times over. Then harsh reality set in because looks couldn’t kill and he was yanking hard on the chains holding her cage, hauling her up over the water. “I will ask you one more time, Kobayashi,” Takeru said. “Then I will ask your sealbreaker. Why are you here?” Emi’s expression never changed. He saw her suck in a breath and he wondered what she was waiting for because the back of his head was still pounding and he’d been beaten half to death not so long ago. He was still slow and stupid. Then her gaze turned to him and the tone of her voice was low and serious. “Tell them nothing, Baka,” she said. Sly frowned and the ominous words left his heart pounding in his chest. Jackie’s fingers tightened around his arm and then he was being dragged across the docks and dropped to his knees in front of some wooden thing. He snarled and tried to yank away from it but he just got another blow to the head for it. He listed to the side and then Jackie was pushing his head down and snapping it shut. His gaze was focused on the boards beneath him and he realized that part of the problem with being stuck in the stocks was that he could barely lift his head. He could barely see Emi and he didn’t see the demon until he crouched down in front of him, fingers lifting his chin to meet his eyes. “Hello sealbreaker,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “What do they call you this time around?” “Sly,” he said, forcing a smirk across his face. “And you’re the asshole that broke my TV. I think you owe me a new one for that, just so you know. I’ll forget about the dishes and shit if you replace it within the week, okay bud?” Takeru stared at him for a moment and he swore he could hear Emi let out a heavy sigh even from within the cage. The man watched him like he didn’t know what to make of him and he licked his lips and tried to pretend he wasn’t terrified. He tried to pretend that he wasn’t scared out of his mind or that he wasn’t shivering with disgust every time the man’s fingers moved beneath his chin. He turned to glance over his shoulder at Emi and then he let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. “He is a fool,” he said to her. “I think this may be the time you lose, Thirteenth daughter. I have nothing to fear from this one.” “Hey, I am still right here,” Sly said. “I do have feelings you know.” Takeru laughed again and then turned back to face him, a friendly smile on his face. “Yes,” he agreed. “And if you do not answer me then I expect I will be ripping them out through your chest.” Sly felt his blood run ice cold at how calmly and emotionlessly he said the words, before gripping his chin and lifting his head roughly. “Now, tell me little sealbreaker, why are you here?” He swallowed hard and he realized he was terrified to meet the man’s eyes. He blinked and looked past him to Emi as she hung above the water, blood running down the side of her face and her brow furrowed. “Just felt like a stroll along the beach,” Sly told him. A hard blow caught him across the mouth, knocking his head to the side. He felt his lip split back open but Takeru wasn’t waiting, walking back to the wheel that held Emi’s chain. He kicked it hard and something snapped loudly. Her whole cage rattled and shook and Sly sucked in a breath because as soon as he did that it began to sink slowly towards the water. His eyes widened and he lifted his head to look at her but she just held her head higher. “Tell them nothing,” she said again. It was good advice and he knew it but there was no point in any of this if she died on him. If she drowned right in front of his fucking eyes then what was the point of finding the key and what was the point of killing the demons? What was the point of any of it if she was gone and that thought sunk into his heart like an icy blade. Her feet were already submerged in the waters, the waves lapping at her shins and it must have been cold. She moved forward and started to yank on the chains holding her and Takeru just shot an amused expression over his shoulder as it rose to her knees. “Stop,” Sly said abruptly, looking desperately at the demon. The man smiled and grabbed the chain with his hand, stopping it in midair. It jolted at the motion, rocking her against the bars and she gripped them with one hand, her blade in the other. Emi’s look turned into a glare and she shook her head at him. She looked angry and desperate and her gaze was pleading with him. “Baka,” she hissed. “Say nothing.” “Tell me what you are here for, if not the demon,” Takeru said. Sly glanced at him and he saw something on his face for a moment. It was desperate and needy and he felt stupid for not catching it sooner. The demon already knew what they were here after. He wanted it too. Wenston Emi begged silently for Sly to keep his mouth shut. The water was freezing on her legs, up to her knees and quickly chilling her to the bone. She had a firm grip both on the bars locking her in the cage and the hilt of her katana, but her eyes were solely on Sly. She didn’t like that he was stuck in that wooden contraption and she liked even less that she was stuck in this cage. Her mind was racing to find a way out of this without getting Sly killed. But Jackie Booth holding a gun to Sly’s head was fast. And Takeru was faster. She’d known for a while that Sly didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut. And she supposed it was too much to ask for him to listen to her when she asked him to do something that would save his life. But that’s supposed to be why she was here, to protect him. But she couldn’t do it from behind this cage, so it was her fault, really, that he opened his mouth to give Takeru what he asked for. “We’re after the same thing you are, bud,” Sly said and lifted his head as far as he could to give Takeru a wide, smarmy grin. Takeru, for his part, seemed more and more amused with Sly and Emi didn’t like that one bit. She wanted to get the demon away from Sly because she didn’t know why Takeru was drawing this out. Why he wasn’t just killing Sly where he kneeled on the docks. It would end this. It was raise Izanagi and it was supposed to be everything Takeru wanted, but he wasn’t doing it and she didn’t know what to make of that. “Oh?” Takeru asked, chuckling a little and looking towards Jackie Booth, who was standing behind Sly, pistol aimed at the back of his head. Takeru’s hand was tight around the chain connected to Emi’s cage, but he wasn’t paying much attention to her, his gaze and focus on Sly. “And what am I here for?” Sly tried to shrug, but winced because his hands and his neck were locked into the wooden stocks. “Why don’t you tell me, Taco-roo,” he said and Emi narrowed her eyes at him because he was testing Takeru’s patience and he must have known that. “Be silent, Baka,” she spat, trying to draw the demon’s attention back to her, but Takeru didn’t even so much as glance her way. Sly did and when she met his eyes, she could see the fear there, even if it wasn’t played across his face. It made her pause for a moment because she didn’t ever want him to be afraid and he was now. She was failing him. Takeru snorted and ran a hand across his chin, eyeing Sly appraisingly. Emi didn’t like that gaze on Sly. It was a predator eyeing its prey. “If I had to guess, Sly,” he said his name with disdain. “I’d say you don’t know what you’re looking for.” Sly pulled off looking insulted with ease. Emi watched their exchange and knew this wasn’t going to end well for Sly. Takeru didn’t like smart mouths and Sly had the smartest one she knew. She glanced at the sigils hanging around her wrist and bit her lip. She reached for the sigils, because if she invoked the power of fire, she could cut through the bars. None of them expected the sudden gunshot. Emi gasped and her mind tore itself in two, one side registering that the last she’d seen, Sly had a gun aimed at the back of his head. The other side aware of a sudden, flaring pain in her arm and the bracelet she‘d torn off accidentally when she‘d jumped. She fell back against the cage, splashing into the water. From the docks, she heard Sly yell, “Emi!” and he sounded terrified and desperate. Emi cursed as the bracelet with her sigils fell between the bars, sinking into the water beneath her. She took several deep breaths, turning her head to look at her arm and there was red soaking through the dirty, stained white shirt she wore. The bullet had grazed by her shoulder. She glanced back to the docks and Jackie Booth still had his gun drawn, aimed towards her. “Why don’t you just put that shiny knife of yours away,” Jackie Booth said, his face hard and cold. Emi just narrowed her eyes at him and then gripped the bars, pulling herself back to her feet, soaked now in the cold ocean water. She tried to keep herself from shivering and it seemed that the water here in the mist and the fog was colder than it had been on the beach. She put her face close to the bars and then spit out from between them in answer to Jackie Booth’s request. Takeru sighed. He pulled on the chain suddenly and Emi gripped the bars tightly as she was pulled out of the water, lifted higher and higher than she’d been before. Takeru shoved a blade into one of the links and then let go of the chain, turning around and stalking over to Sly. “Leave him alone, Akuma!” she screamed at him. Sly tensed as Takeru leaned down and gripped his chin. He pulled his head up and it had to be painful at the angle his neck was craning. “I grow tired of this,” Takeru said and Emi had to strain to hear him. “Tell me what the witch sent you after or I will kill her and leave you her to watch her rot.” Sly grunted, but managed to keep the smile on his face. “What’s stopping you from doing that anyway after I tell you?” he asked. Takeru was quick as he let go of Sly’s face and backhanded him hard. Emi sucked in a breath because it looked like it hurt and he was already so beat up. They shouldn’t have come here this earlier. She shouldn’t have let him talk her into it. She should have made them stay home and stay in his bed because she’d been comfortable there and he’d held her in his arms and she’d do anything right now to get him back there. “Tell me!” Takeru yelled, backhanding him again. Emi watched a trickle of blood leak from the corner of Sly’s lips and she gripped the bars hard, terrified that she was about to watch him die. “Tell me or she dies!” Takeru screamed. Sly coughed, spitting blood onto the wooden docks and looking up at Takeru. He looked angry and hurt. “She sent us after your pirate friend’s soul,” he spat, breathing heavily. He waggled his jaw afterwards and it probably hurt. Emi felt her heart racing. “Baka,” she chastised him. He glanced up at her and he looked sorry, but determined still. Her face softened and she glared at the back of Takeru’s head. She doubted the demon was just going to let them go when he got what he wanted. Sly looked back at Takeru. “It’s on a chain around his neck,” Sly told him. Takeru stared at Sly for a moment, probably to figure out if he was lying or not. It didn’t look like Takeru was going to believe him, but then he was drawing a knife from his belt and hurling it in Jackie Booth’s direction. The pirate didn’t stand a chance, because Takeru was fast. Faster than Emi had ever seen him be before. She gasped a little when she saw the knife sink into Jackie Booth’s chest. The pirate’s eyes widened slightly before he tipped forward and fell to the dock next to Sly, who tried to back away from him before he remembered he was still trapped in the stocks. Takeru walked slowly over to the fallen pirate, gripping the chain around his neck and yanking it off. He held it up in front of him a moment, smiling. Then he glanced at Sly. “See you around, seal breaker,” he said and stood. “Hey!” Sly yelled after him and Emi prayed that he would just keep quiet. “You can’t even unlock these?” he demanded. Takeru paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Sly. He regarded him a moment before shaking his head. “No,” he said and then reached over and before Emi could say or do anything, he pulled the knife from the link in the chain holding her cage above the water. The cage fell quickly. When it smashed the water, she heard Sly yell her name as she collided with the bars, her forehead smacking off the iron with a white blinding hit. Then it was sinking and Emi tried to stand, taking in a deep breath before the cage sunk completely beneath the water, continuing to sink all the way to the bottom, settling solidly into the sand. .Wolfie. For a minute, Sly lost his mind. He saw Emi’s cage hit the water hard before sinking below its surface and he felt completely disconnected from what was happening around him. He was only distantly aware that he was screaming, his feet kicking at the wooden planks beneath him and his wrists raw and sore as he yanked and fought against the bindings that held him. Takeru was already gone, leaving them to their misery while he went to collect the reward and Sly wasn’t even thinking about that right now. All he could think about was that Emi was stuck in a metal cage that had just been dumped in the ocean. “Emi!” he screamed, yanking hard on the wood. It wasn’t budging, his neck raw and sore from where it scraped against the edges and his wrists bruised and aching. There were more on his face and he could feel the blood trickling from the corner of his lip, dripping slowly to the planks beneath him. He howled desperately and he didn’t know if he should be screaming for help because even if anyone did show up they’d probably just rob him and then leave him trapped and Emi dead and he didn’t have time to wait. There was a little part of him that kept waiting for Emi to pop her head above the waves and glare at him for getting them into this mess or for not keeping her mouth shut when she should have. He hoped for it. If he believed in God he’d be praying for it but he didn’t and she wasn’t doing it anyway and it was too long until it sunk into his thick skull that he had to do something to save her. He couldn’t let her die. Not her. Jackie’s body was lying not far from him and he tried to twist his form, kicking and trying to reach the corpse with a hand or a foot or anything he could. There were knives on him and a gun still in his hand and if he could get to either of those maybe he could get free. But his legs wouldn’t bend that way and his hands were caught tight and he screamed in frustration before he finally remembered that he wasn’t just a thief and a cheat and a liar. He’d told Emi as much and he’d proven it the last time they’d faced off with a demon. He was a magician too and there was no fucking point to calling himself that if he couldn’t get himself out of this mess with it. “Come on you fucker, just break,” he demanded, hands yanking at the wood and trying to concentrate on where metal clasps held it shut. Nothing happened and nothing budged and he screamed again in frustration. In the back of his mind he was counting the seconds from where the cage had hit the water to now. She was probably drowning. The water was probably filling her lungs and choking off the air in her throat and freezing her to the bone. He could picture her too fucking clearly because she’d almost drowned in a sand trap once and he could picture the look on her face afterwards. Drowning was slow and it hurt and he yanked hands hard against the wood, trying to slip them out or break it or something. “I’m not asking you I’m fucking telling you to break you piece of shit.” He snarled the words, feet kicking and scrabbling against the ground and he tried to put all his focus on that clasp because he needed it gone and he needed it now. There was the sound of screaming metal and then he heard a crack as the wood split next to his head. Splinters shattered and dug into his neck and he didn’t care because suddenly he could push up on the stocks and he was hauling himself free. He scrambled back away from it, already ripping at his coat and dropping it to the ground before his boots followed. The water was cold as he dived into it and he gasped reflexively, feeling icy water fill his mouth. He kicked at it and pushed himself to the surface, coughing and spitting it back up into the waves around him. His teeth were already chattering but he clamped them down hard and sucked in a breath through his nose before he ducked his head back under the waves. Bare feet kicked behind him and the salt water stung his eyes but he kept them open, scanning for the metal cage with Emi inside it. It sat on the sands below, the dirt churned and billowing up around the steel trap. There was a small cloud of blood floating through the bay and it came from the bullet hole Jackie had put through her shoulder. His hands reached in front of him, pulling at the water as he swam down towards her. He could barely see her through the cloud around her but when he did he found himself wanting to shout her name out of habit because she was still holding on. Her sword was out and she was jamming the blade in between the chain and the bars, trying to break her way free. It scared him how clumsy her movements were, her lids slipping down over her eyes as she tried to keep them open. She yanked on it but the blade was caught hard against the bars and nothing was breaking and she wasn’t getting free. Her lips were just parting as he dropped down in front of her and he fought the urge to scream to her to just hold it for a little bit longer but she’d been down here forever already. There was a look on her face he didn’t recognize and then her blade was slipping from her fingers, her body slumping forward against the bars as water flooded her lungs. She was dying right in front of him and he could have screamed because he couldn’t watch that happen to her. Not Emi. Sly saw her mouth his name and his chest was tight from panic and fear. His hands reached for the chain and he fumbled desperately for the lock because she was listing against the side of the cage and her eyes were sliding shut in front of him. The air was burning in his lungs as he finally got a hand on it and for once he didn’t hesitate and the magic wasn’t foreign to him. He was good with locks. He was good with breaking them and that’s what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Maybe he didn’t have his screwdriver but he pressed his thumb against the opening and bent it to his will. It snapped open and his fingers were thick and clumsy as he yanked the chain off her cage, already kicking inside it and reaching for her. Sly moved forward on the sands, pulling Emi into his arms because she was what was most important here. The sigils were back on her wrist and he shoved the blade in its sheath before he grabbed her. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other clamped down over her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding from her bullet wound. He pushed off the bottom of the bay and his heart was pounding loudly in his chest because she wasn’t helping him. She wasn’t moving at all. There was blood rushing in his ears and his lungs were burning from holding his breath but he felt numb and disconnected from his body. His mind was moving slowly and he wasn’t thinking about anything he should have been. He was thinking about her standing on the beach with him and telling him she wanted flowers. He was thinking about her arms wrapped around his waist. He was thinking about her lying in his arms in his bed and how when he was with her he felt like home. And maybe this whole thing was stupid and they shouldn’t have come here but he didn’t want to let her go. He needed her to stay and he needed her to stay with him because she was the dream girl he’d never known he had. She could be stubborn and cold, she’d taken his drugs away and never apologized for it, she was completely uncompromising, and she had a moral code he didn’t think he could ever live up to. He liked all of that. He liked that she was better than him but didn’t act like he was the scum of the earth. She acted like maybe there was hope for him yet and he thought if there was than he was only going to find it through her. A gasp left his lips as soon as his head broke the water and he heard his own breathing rasping in his throat as he dragged himself back onto the docks. He kept his arm around her and hauled her after him and all he could think was that he wasn’t sure he felt a heartbeat anymore. His fingers caught the wooden edge and he pulled himself up onto it, lying her on her back against the boards. “Baby?” he said, and he bit his lip as soon as he did because this wasn’t the same and she wasn’t dead yet. She couldn’t be. “Emi?” he tried again. His hands gripped her shoulders and his head ducked, pressing it against her chest as his fingers sought a pulse on her neck. He couldn’t tell. His hands were shaking and his teeth were shattering and he couldn’t tell if that was a weak thrum of her heart or just his own rushing in his veins. A whimper left his lips and he wasn’t even aware he was making the noise as he moved his ear next to her mouth. There was no air coming out of her lungs and the dull panic was crushing his heart. Sly pinched her nose, ducking his head to press his mouth against hers and try and breathe air back into her lungs. He couldn’t remember how this was supposed to work. He couldn’t remember how many times he was supposed to breathe for her or how many times he was supposed to push down on her chest. He couldn’t remember how long she’d been under or fucking anything because he was stupid and slow and he’d fucked everything up. His hands pressed against her chest and then his lips moved to hers again. “Please, please, come on babe,” he was whispering, his hands pushing down against her chest again and he wondered if he should be scared of breaking her sternum. He wondered if she was already dead and a desperate sob left his lips at that. He had his mouth on hers and he was breathing into her mouth when she threw up. Her body convulsed beneath him, spitting water up from her lungs and coughing raggedly. It splattered his face but he didn’t care because it wasn’t the first time a girl had thrown up on him but at least it was just water this time. His hand closed around her shoulder and he rolled her to the side, resting a hand on the back of her head as she vomited water across the wooden boards. She coughed hard, her body trembling beneath him and he shifted so that he was cradling her in his arms, reaching over to drag his abandoned jacket towards them. He wrapped it around her shoulders and he didn’t think it was enough because she was shaking and her lips were almost blue. A moment ago they had been and he was trying not to cry with relief when he saw color start to rise in her cheeks again. He kept running his hand up and down her back as coughs wracked her form and he kept doing it after they stopped. For a minute he was quiet and he didn’t know what to say to her. He didn’t know if he should apologize or yell at her for scaring him or tell her that he wasn’t lying when he said he honestly cared about her and he would do anything to get her to stay. “Well,” he said after a moment. His fingers were still running through her hair and she tilted her head back to look at him when he spoke. He shifted to pull her into his arms, hands moving to her shoulders as he tried to rub feeling into her bones. He ignored the gooseflesh on his arms and he ignored that he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. “Not exactly how I pictured our first kiss going.” Wenston He’d saved her. That’s all she could think of over and over in her mind as she shivered in his arms. They were both soaking wet and the breeze coming in off the ocean kept them chilled. Emi’s eyes were watering and all she could do was look up at Sly and feel his hands running over her shoulders, his jacket wrapped around her and she pictured him beneath the waves, tugging on the bars of the cage. He’d looked terrified. Sly chuckled a little, but it didn’t sound genuine. He was shaking just about as much as she was, but she didn’t think it was all from the cold. His head ducked, his lips pressing against her forehead and Emi closed her eyes against it and they just stayed like that for a moment. Emi felt herself drifting off in his arms when he finally pulled back from her, his hand coming up to brush some of her wet hair away from her face. “Babe,” he said and his mouth floundered for a moment, like he wasn’t sure what he should say next. Emi smiled up at him and he looked surprised to see it. “When will you listen to me?” she asked, her voice ragged and rough. She coughed afterwards and Sly’s grip tightened around her. She was trying to smile for him, but she was still trembling because she’d been scared. She wasn’t afraid to die, but she was afraid of leaving Sly to do this on his own. Every day he proved to her more and more that he was getting better and smarter and more capable. But he still wasn’t there. He still wasn’t able to do this on his own and she’d been so scared when he’d been in the water on the other side of the bars. Sly snorted. “You’re blaming this one on me?” Sly asked, though he was smiling down at her. Emi nodded her head against his shoulder. “Yes,” she told him and he looked surprised at first before he shook his head. “I’m the one who just saved your hot and adorably cute ass, may I remind you,” Sly said, waggling his eyebrows at her. Emi smiled wider and she didn’t know why she was smiling when she’d almost just died and left Sly alone to do this. Maybe it was because of the way he was looking at her, or maybe because he was right and he had just saved her. He’d broken out of his stocks and dove into the ocean and picked a lock to pull her to safety and that made her feel good about herself and about him and about them together. They could do this. And she was realizing she believed that for the very first time since meeting him. They could do this and beat this, together. “After you did not keep your mouth shut,” she chastised him. “After you wanted to play games with a pirate and mocked Takeru and gave him what the witch sent us after. You never listen to me and you always just do what you want and…” He didn’t let her finish. She wasn’t done lecturing him, but he must have decided that she was. Because one moment her mouth was running with ridicules and lectures and in the next moment, his lips were pressing against hers. She didn’t freeze or tense or push him away. If anything, she leaned her head up further to make it easier for him and closed her eyes as he kissed her. She kissed him back and she let out a desperate breath when he finally pulled his lips back. Emi’s eyes slid open and Sly was looking down at her like he was unsure if she was going to be mad or not. She was unsure herself, but she was leaning towards no. She was still laying in his arms, her legs tucked up next to her in an effort to keep warm and Sly sitting with his arms around her and she’d never felt more safe or secure. He’d saved her and she was starting to think it was in more ways than one. It was just that she’d never known she’d needed saving until he’d pointed it out to her. She just watched Sly’s face and for a moment, neither of them said a word. She kept looking at his lips and part of her wanted him to kiss her again. But then he licked his lips and said, “I…” he started. Emi didn’t like being cut off in the middle of her lecture, so she decided to return the favor. Pushing herself up with shaky arms, she pressed her lips against his vigorously. He made a small noise of surprise as her hands came up, one wrapping around his chest and the other cupping the back of his head, holding herself up and their lips together and she kissed him hard and desperately and she’d never felt this way about anyone before. She’d never wanted someone or something so much before in her life. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay with him more than anything in the world because he was fun and foolish and caring and brave and she wanted him. She realized, as her lips were pressing against his, that their one shot at finding a way out for her was currently being pursued by Takeru and when she thought that, she pulled back quickly. Sly went to follow her, but she put her hand on his chest and touched her fingers to her lips, shaky as she pushed herself to her feet. “We must go after Takeru,” she told him and she could feel her hands shaking even as her fingers were still pressed to her lips. She felt her eyes starting to well with tears because she’d crossed a line there was no coming back from. This was not a friendship anymore and she’d promised herself it would never become what this was. She wasn’t sure exactly what, but it was beyond friendship and she’d cursed them both with heartache if they didn’t find a way she could stay now. “Emi,” Sly said quietly and she felt his hand slip around her waist. He caught her wrist and pulled her hand away from her mouth and she looked up into his eyes. He frowned when he saw she was on the verge of tears and she wasn’t sure how to explain them to him. “I’m sorry,” he said and she thought he must be misinterpreting it. “Don’t,” she told him, shaking her head. “Do not apologize.” She felt a small noise escape her throat and she closed her eyes a moment before she said, “We must find Takeru and stop him. I cannot…” she trailed off, shaking her head and she felt Sly’s hand come up to lightly grab her chin, forcing her to look at him. She bit her lip. “I do not want to leave. I do not want the world to change again. I do not want to learn what tricks the Thirteen come up with next time. I do not want a new seal breaker.” She sobbed a little and Sly’s eyes widened. “Hey,” he said gently. “Hey, babe,” he ran his fingers over her cheek and pulled her closer to him, chin resting on the top of her head. She didn’t wrap her arms around him, she just tucked them into his chest and gripped his shirt like she was holding on for dear life. Maybe she was. Maybe if this was all taken away from her and she woke up having to do it again, she wouldn’t be able to do it. The thought of it alone made her heart break and she felt hollow inside. “You won’t have to,” he told her gently. “We’re getting you out of this.” Sly sniffled a little and he pulled back as she tipped her head up so she could meet his eyes. “Promise,” she told him and she felt him stiffen at the word. “Please promise,” she said again and she knew it was unfair to ask it of him. She knew it was unfair to put that kind of pressure and commitment on his shoulders but she need to hear the words. She needed to hear him say it before she could move any further with what she was feeling. His face hardened and he tipped her chin up. “I promise,” he said. .Wolfie. Sly was good at breaking promises. He was good at lying and stealing and being an asshole and he’d had a lot of practice at all those things. He wanted to say he never made promises he couldn’t keep but he did it all the fucking time. He’d broken promises to his girlfriends and his friends, sworn to be places and sworn to stay sober and then done neither of those things. They were easy for him to make because they were just words and it didn’t matter to him one way or another if he kept them or not.This was the first time the words were hard to say because he meant them. They were harder to say because the consequences of breaking his promise would be so much worse than if he had never made it at all. Emi would be gone. He would lose her and never see her again and she would be trapped into a life that she didn’t want anymore and he couldn’t do that to her. He wanted to keep her and she wanted to stay. It was hard for him to wrap his mind around that because he’d never really believed that she would want him back. Maybe she wanted out. Maybe she wanted a different life. But no one wanted Sly. He could still feel her lips on his and for a girl who came off equal parts icy and inexperienced, she knew how to kiss. There had been need and intensity and he hadn’t expected it when she’d kissed him back. At first he’d thought that she hadn’t wanted it and he’d felt like an asshole because just the night before she’d offered herself to him and he’d said no because she’d practically cried just making the offer. He didn’t want to be that man to her, but she’d surprised him by her reaction. He hadn’t expected anything about her because there was a fire and intensity in her that he had somehow missed when they first met. There was more to her than her duty or the things that her father had forced on her and he could see it more every day. He hoped she did too, because she deserved better. She led the way back up the stairs to the tavern and she was still wearing Sly’s coat around her shoulders. He let her because she had almost fucking drowned and he didn’t want her getting sick on top of it. She still had healing claw marks on her side and across her shoulders, the last thing she needed was a case of pneumonia. His boots were back on his feet and he did his best to ignore how cold his skin still was. His clothes were soaked through and they left a wet trail up the stairs. At least they were alive. At least they were still breathing, they just had to get to that jungle woman or witch or whatever before the demon took off with Emi’s key. He followed behind, his gun and Jackie’s gun in his waistband though he wasn’t sure either would do him much good if they ran into Takeru again. He was insanely fast, and it scared him that he was someone who could and had gotten the better of Emi. Her hand was held in his and he felt her fingers tighten almost imperceptibly as they hurried through the tavern. It almost made him laugh how everyone was making a point not to look at them, their heads down and subtly turning away as they pushed around the tables. He was aware of the scab forming on his lip and his forehead and they were both soaked to the bone. He wondered how many people had actually walked out of a game with Jackie Booth alive and to be fair it was mostly dumb luck. For once he was being quiet as he followed her back out onto the streets and he didn’t know what he was thinking. He was terrified because Takeru was a scary motherfucker but they couldn’t afford to fail. He didn’t want to go home empty handed and have her go back to sleeping on the couch because it would hurt less in the end. He was quiet because he’d tried working magic for the first time since they’d killed Megara and it had worked. If he’d thought of it sooner, maybe he could have stopped Emi from getting shoved in that cage. He hadn’t because he didn’t think about magic anymore because that meant thinking about Haemon and who wanted to think about a dead man? No one, that’s who. They moved quickly back up towards the woman’s hut and he didn’t need to use the map this time. Emi remembered which way to go, even if he didn’t and he let her lead the way, fingers twined in his. He tried to swallow his fear as they got closer because she had sounded so desperate when she asked him to promise and it was only the second thing she’d ever asked of him. She’d asked him for flowers and she’d asked him to stay and both of those were things he would be happy to give her. She slowed when they reached the hallway outside the woman’s hut and it was insane how quiet her footsteps got when she wanted to be silent. She crept along the edge of the wall, her sword drawn and her eyes concentrating on the door. Her fingers slipped from his and he knew they had to focus but he missed the touch when it was gone. Mostly he just wanted to go home and make out some more. Sly did his best to stay quiet as he followed her, pulling the Russian’s gun out of his pants and clicking the safety off. They were quiet right up until they heard the crash from inside and then Emi was moving swiftly, knocking the door open with a swift kick. The first thing he saw was the woman, her back pressed up against the wall and her feet dangling off the ground. Takeru had his hand around her neck, fingers digging into her throat and his eyes narrowed and mean. She was gasping for air, nails clawing at his arm and her hair was even more of a wild tangle around her head. Her clothes were disheveled and her hut was battered and destroyed, glasses lying broken on the floor and her furs flung around in a wild mess. “Where is it?” Takeru snarled, slamming her harder against the wall. “Tell me witch woman. My patience grows thin.” The growl was still on his lips as he glanced over his shoulder at them, but it fell off his face as soon as he focused on Emi. A puzzled look creased his face when he saw them and then he smiled, his lips stretching over sharp teeth. “Kobayashi,” he said. “You yet live. Surprising.” Emi didn’t respond to him with words and he felt a swell of pride when she moved. She was a blur of motion and her sword was a shining arc as she brought it down towards his head. Takeru released the woman, shoving her into the wall with a loud crack as he jumped back, knocking the blade aside with the flat of his hand. The snarl returned to his lips and Sly couldn’t help the small chill of fear that ran down his spine because this man was terrifying and dangerous and right now he was faster than Emi. He caught her sword hand with his and shoved it up towards the ceiling, landing a hard kick in her stomach. She twisted and lashed out with the blade again, drawing a thin line of blood across his stomach before he gripped her hair and slammed her hard against the wall. Sly let out a hiss as the man kept his grip up on her hair, his other grabbing her sword hand and keeping it down by her side. He was sneering as he leaned forward, his lips by her ear. “Are you so anxious for death that you would face me so soon, Thirteenth daughter? Perhaps I will oblige you. I will put you to sleep once again.” Something angry and dark crossed her face and then she was twisting, the blade turning in his hand and slicing across his arm. He let out a shout of pain as she kicked him back, his back striking a table and knocking a crystal ball off onto the floor. “I am awake at last,” she told him. “I will not return to my slumber.” Then she was going after him with the sword again and he let out a startled shout when the man disappeared in a burst of flame and ash. He reappeared in the next moment behind her and now it made sense how his apartment had gotten destroyed. The woman was crawling across the floor, not even watching the battle that was ripping her hut apart. She reached out and picked something off the floor, curling her fingers around it and holding it close to her chest. She looked down at whatever was in her hands, smiling at it like she would a child before she lifted her head to focus on Sly. The woman studied him for a long moment and he was torn between wanting to watch what she was doing and watching Emi to make sure she was alright. Takeru didn’t have a weapon but he didn’t need one. He was dodging almost all her blows, knocking the blade aside and hitting her more times than she was hitting him. He felt a dark fear in his chest because he didn’t know if she could win this one and he still wasn’t great at this magic business. She ducked beneath a kick, lashing out one of her own and shouting as he caught it in his hands and shoved her back against the wall again. “Searcher,” the woman said. His feet had already carried him half into the room but they were moving so fast and the man was blocking Emi so he was afraid to fire a shot. He didn’t want to hit her, not when she already had a graze on her shoulder. The woman whistled lowly and he looked at her just in time to see something on a glittering chain fly through the air at him. He caught it in one hand, a sharp spark running through his veins when he did. It made his skin tingle and even as his fingers cracked so he could look at it he knew what it was he was holding. The key. A smile creased his face and he lifted his head. Emi was kicking Takeru hard in the chest, knocking him back away from her. He stumbled a foot and then did his flashy fire and ash trick to reappear next to her. She brought her sword around in a slash and he did it again, appearing right in front of her. Sly saw her eyes widen in surprise for a moment and he saw the man’s face start to stretch into a smile and that was all he really needed to see. His hand came up out of habit more than actual need for the motion and then the blast of wind was hitting him in the side. It knocked him into the wall and a rush of air left his lungs because he hadn’t been expecting it. Sly was already hurrying into the room, his hand closing around Emi’s and dragging her into the hallway. “Time to go, babe,” he said. He pulled her hurriedly through the doorway and he felt her stall for a moment, yanking her hand from his. “But the key,” she whispered, and her eyes were wide and hurt and he knew that look. He’d seen it before on other girl’s faces. It was the look that said he’d broken his promise. It was the look that said maybe he wasn’t the man she hoped he was. Maybe he wasn’t. But it didn’t stop the smile on his face or his hand from lifting up the amulet on a chain. “I’ve got it,” he said. Her eyes widened and then he heard Takeru snarl from behind him. “Give that to me, foolish sealbreaker,” he spat. There was the smell of sulfur and fire in the air as the man disappeared and reappeared in front of him and Sly shouted, pushing Emi out behind him as he told the air to move its fucking ass and do something useful for him. Another gust of wind hit Takeru in the chest and it knocked him back against the wall. Emi didn’t waste time, her hand already tugging him away from the demon and he didn’t know where they were going but he didn’t care. He would follow that woman anywhere she wanted to lead him. Wenston Emi didn’t dare let go of Sly’s hand. Her fingers were still twined in his as she pulled him through the planked streets. She was trying to stay focused and not think about the amulet he was holding in his hands. She was trying not to wonder how it worked or what they had to do or if they’d still have to fight the other demons. She was trying not to wonder if she would still be the Guardian when she put that thing around her neck. She was trying to focus on the fact that Takeru was still out there and he was after them and now more specifically he was after Sly. Sly who had the amulet that Takeru wanted. She was proud that he’d used his magic and she made a promise to herself in her head that when they got back to Sly’s world and back to his apartment, she was going to make them rest for however long it would take for both of them to be healed and she was going to teach him how to fight before they went after the next demon. If they had to go after the next demon, that was. Some distance behind them, Takeru gave a raging howl. Emi’s hand tightened around Sly’s fingers and then she was yanking him down a narrow platform and towards the docks. She didn’t know where they had to go next, but her first order of business was just to escape Takeru. He was fast, but she thought Sly had surprised him enough by using magic that it gave them a bit of a head start. There were dinghies and rowboats at the docks. Further out, she could see the tall masts of ships, most of them flying a pirates flag. In the fog and the mist coming off the ocean, they’d be covered and she made up her mind quickly, swinging Sly around and shoving him into one of the rowboats. He gave a shout of surprise, tripping over the lip of the boat and falling face first to the floor. Emi jumped in after him, cutting the rope tying the rowboat to the dock as she did. She grabbed the oars and was rowing them out all before Sly managed to push himself to his knees. Sly turned around and watched the docks and Emi was doing the same. She expected Takeru to show himself any moment. But he never did and the further they got out, the more she wondered if he’d give up his pursuit that easily. As the docks disappeared into the mist, Emi didn’t slow, but she had to put more effort into keeping the oars moving as the wound in her side decided it was going to start hurting again. She tried to push the pain down, but she felt her body protesting all the abuse it had gotten recently. The drowning, the freezing, the beating, the claws and bullets. She shivered slightly, her muscles burning in protest. Sly turned back towards her, letting out a sigh of relief that Takeru was no longer following them. Emi wondered why he hadn’t pursued, but she guessed she should take it as a blessing. “He’s an asshole,” Sly said and Emi glanced at his face. It was bruised, a fresh one on his jaw and temple. He looked tired and sore and he was too pale because he’d been in the water too and she was still wearing his jacket. She knew he had to be freezing. “He is the worse of them all,” Emi told him quietly. Sly nodded and wrapped his arms around himself, giving a shiver at his sudden chill. Emi slowed the oars for a moment. “Take your jacket back,” she said and started pulling it off herself. Sly’s eyes widened slightly. “No, babe,” he said, reaching out and stilling her hands from pulling it off herself. “You keep it, you’re the one that almost drowned.” “I did drown,” she corrected him. The look on Sly’s face would have been amusing if Emi was the sort of person who laughed. The look he gave her said he wasn’t impressed with that statement and he probably didn’t appreciate being reminded of it. “I know,” he said and scooted a little closer to her. “I was there.” Emi ducked her head and reached to grab the oars again, but Sly stopped her. “Let me do that.” Emi frowned at him and he just laughed. “You’re bleeding, babe.” He nodded his head towards her shoulder and she turned to look at it. Sure enough, there was blood soaking through his jacket and she sighed because she was always ruining his clothes. She barely had any left and she was sure he had to be running out too. Turning around to look at the ships, she pointed to one with red sails and a black mast. “Go there,” she told him and then reached down to rip part of her borrowed pirate’s shirt off, tying it around the graze wound on her arm using her free hand and her teeth. Sly was rowing and watching her as he did. She wondered what he was thinking. She wondered what he thought of her and she was trying to believe the things he told her, but she wasn’t sure. A part of her was still terrified that she’d just opened this door and once Sly saw who she was and how awkward she was in his world, he’d throw her aside. Everyone was right when they said she wasn’t the type of girl Sly liked. She’d met Krystal and she didn’t think she was anything like that woman. What if Sly changed his mind? What if this key freed her and a few days down the road he decided he didn’t want her? What would she do then? She didn’t know his world. She didn’t understand what people had become and Sly had thankfully been patient with her so far, but there may come a time when he just got frustrated with her and said enough was enough. That thought terrified her. As they reached the edge of the ship, Emi grabbed onto a rope ladder that had probably been let down to allow the ship’s occupants go to shore. She wondered if anyone was still onboard and if there wasn’t, maybe they could steal the ship. If Takeru wasn’t following them anymore, their next order of business was to find Kan’ningu and kill him so they could go home. She had no idea where to start looking for him. They pulled themselves up the rope ladder and when Emi reached the top, she paused, her eyes peeking over the edge. They narrowed when she saw the crew. They were lying around the deck, most of them bloody and battered and all of them clearly dead. Some looked like they’d been dead longer than others. She turned to tell Sly that they should turn around, but she froze when the cabin door opened and a well dressed pirate walked out. His face was pale and his eyes were dull and misty blue, unseeing. But he was upright and walking and she didn’t know how because he looked like a corpse. He had a parrot on his shoulder and a sword in his sheath. There was a pistol tucked into his belt and his hat had a feather protruding from the side. He carried a cane and he head a moustache that turned out and curled up like a wicked grin. “Sly,” she whispered but didn’t look down at him. “Yeah?” he called up, for once doing the smart thing and trying to be quiet about it. “What’s up there?” Emi let one of her hands drop to her katana. “Kan’ningu,” she answered. .Wolfie. Sly chewed on his lip for a moment, still hanging on the side of the boat by the rope ladder. Emi was above him and he could hear the quiet hiss of steel as she drew her sword but he couldn’t see anything around her. Not that he minded the view. “What’s he look like?” he said, keeping his voice low. “Does he look like Big Bird with a pirate hat, or like a pterodactyl or something?”“No,” she said quietly. “He looks like a dead man.” “Huh,” Sly said, scrubbing one hand over his mouth. Then he tilted his head and tried to look up towards her face. “Well, that’s kind of a let down. But zombie pirate could still be cool. Do we go kill him now?” Emi turned her head over her shoulder to look down at him. Her sword was held in one hand and the other was holding on tightly to the rope ladder. He didn’t miss that there was blood staining the makeshift bandage she’d put around her arm or that she had fucking died on him once today already. They probably could have used more time to prepare for the demon part of this field trip, but it looked like they’d run out of other options. He tried to look on the bright side. The sooner the demon was dead the sooner they could go home because both of them were battered and bruised and could probably sleep for a week. That was all he wanted right now. He just wanted to crawl back in his bed and wrap his arms around Emi. He was hurt, so there was that dark, worthless part of him that couldn’t help that if he had his heroin then it wouldn’t hurt anymore. If he had his drugs he would feel warm instead of cold and he wouldn’t worry about whether or not Takeru was going to come after them for the amulet he carried with him. But he thought if he could just hold her and be with her for a little while then that would make it better too. They were dangerous thoughts and he knew it. It was the kind of thing he’d thought about Krystal, like somehow she could fucking fix him, but the difference between them was that maybe Emi could. Maybe he could be better for her. Or maybe he would just break her heart and finally prove to her that there was a reason no one wanted Sylvester Waite. He was an asshole and a junkie and it was only a matter of time until he proved it to her. It was only a matter of time until he relapsed or did something else so awful that he couldn’t take back and he didn’t think she would ever forgive him. It didn’t stop him from wanting her. It wouldn’t stop him from trying to do everything he could to keep her. “Yes,” she said, and he smirked at the answer because it was ridiculous what a contradiction she was. She could go from being shy and innocent to this cold blooded killer in a heartbeat and it was sexy and adorable at the same time. “But stay back,” she warned, turning her head away. He saw her hand tighten around the rope and above them he could hear the quiet echo of boots against the wooden floor. “We still do not know what tricks he has waiting for us.” “Right, because bringing a friend wasn’t a good enough trick,” he said, trying not to glance behind him. He wasn’t stupid enough to think this wasn’t going to come back and bite him someday but then he wasn’t thinking about it anymore because Emi was pulling herself over the edge onto the boat and he couldn’t see her anymore. Sly had gotten used to their little banter before a fight. He was getting used to the demons threatening to kill her and Emi telling them in her own way to fuck off and die. It was familiar and almost comforting and it worried him when he didn’t hear that. He was just peeking over the edge of the boat when he heard the gunshots and he shouted in surprise, one hand slipping from the deck and the other barely catching himself in the rope ladder. He swung there for a moment as the bullets ripped chunks out of the ship and pieces fell and splashed into the waves below. His head whipped over his shoulder and focused on Emi first. She’d dodged out of the way, her fingers pressed to the deck and her sword held lengthwise along her body. He scanned her quickly for any fresh bullet holes but he only saw the one and he let a quiet sigh of relief leave his lips when he saw that. Then his eyes moved to focus on the demon and he felt a small chill of fear run down his spine. Emi hadn’t been lying to him. He was a dead man and he was pointing a gun at her. The fog rolling across the deck just made those pale eyes more frightening, especially when it lapped and curled over the bodies lying around him. Nothing crossed his face, no expression, no anything as he pulled the trigger on his gun again. Sly ducked his head out of habit, the blast loud and echoing in his ears. Emi was already moving, throwing herself to the side away from the shots and then launching herself off the wooden deck towards the demon. Her sword lashed out in a shining arc, slicing straight through the man’s wrist and dropping his hand to the deck. Sly was grinning when it happened but it dropped away in a heartbeat because even severed the hand still managed to pull the trigger. A hot, burning line of pain blazed across his cheek and he let out a startled hiss of breath, barely managing to keep his grip on the wooden rope because he had been about half an inch away from having a bullet in his eye and suddenly his heart was beating faster. Emi didn’t hesitate, one foot stomping down on the hand and kicking the gun away from it. It skittered across the deck and then she was slicing her sword back towards the man’s chest. He took a step back, other hand dropping his cane to the ground and lifting the sword from its sheath. He barely managed to catch Emi’s blade on his, twisting it away from his body before he lunged with a move of his own. The feathers of his hat ruffled as he moved, the parrot clinging tightly to his shoulder. Sly pulled himself up onto the deck as they fought, his eyes never leaving Emi. They were both quick, but if she’d been at her full strength the man wouldn’t have stood a chance. He’d seen her fight at her full potential and she was like no one else on the planet. She was deadly and agile and beautiful. He’d never thought of fighting as an art form before her. It had always just been Sly getting his ass beaten by someone bigger and stronger, but when she moved it was like watching a dance. She twisted the man’s blade to the side, bringing her own up to draw a bloody line across his forearm. He didn’t cry out, not that Sly expected it. Dead men didn’t usually scream or shout or any of those things, because they were fucking dead. But Sly let out a hiss of breath as Emi forced his blade aside with the edge of hers, driving it in a quick thrust into his chest. She twisted it once it was in and the body rocked for a moment, her sword through his heart. The blood that blossomed there was slow and thick but the man didn’t even look down at it. He stumbled a little at the force of the blow but then he was moving again, swinging his down towards her head. Emi let out a breath and that was the only sign that she was startled or uneasy. Her hands were still wrapped around the hilt and she twisted to the side to dodge the other man’s blade, yanking hers out in a spray of coagulated red. It splattered across the deck in a dark spray. The man didn’t slow, swinging his blade back towards her and she flipped backwards on her hands, trying to gain space between herself and the dead man. Her eyes were narrowed as she studied him and the fresh wound in his heart. “He’s a zombie babe,” Sly said. She glanced over her shoulder at him with a look that said she didn’t know what he was talking about and he grinned, shaking his head. “We’ll have to watch Dawn of the Dead,” he told her, already pulling the gun from his belt. His fingers were numb and cold as he flicked the safety off and he winced as he pinched his fingers. “You’ve got to aim for the head.” Sly was ready for the recoil this time but the blast still surprised him when it went off by his ear. There was the smell of sulfur and smoke in the air as he fired and he heard an answering squawk from the bird. The bullet missed the man’s forehead like he’d been aiming for but it took off part of his jaw and made him fall backwards towards the deck. The parrot that had been on his shoulder had bolted after the bullet had whizzed by and he saw a green feather floating slowly towards the deck. The corpse hit the ground with a loud thud and for a moment the two of them just stood there staring at it. A small smile started to creep across his face the longer it stayed there and he finally looked up at Emi. “See?” he said. “Shoot it in the head.” An honest, beautiful smile graced her lips as she looked back at him and for that split second he felt proud of himself because he had actually killed one of the demons. He wasn’t a demon killer. He hid and cried and got beat on and he didn’t do shit except get her hurt. But there was a dead man lying on the deck and he had one of Sly’s bullets in his head and he found himself grinning. Except then it occurred to him that he felt fine and he frowned, glancing down at his hand as he rubbed at his chest. “There’s no mark,” he said, lifting his shirt to reaffirm it. Emi was still watching him and Sly was checking out his own chest and that was why they missed it when the parrot fluttered back down to the deck. Its claws dug into the shoulder of one of the dead pirates and tightened there until blood burst around its claws and then the man it had claimed started to push himself to his feet. The motion drew both of their eyes back to the dead pirates and Sly’s eyes widened for a moment. A hiss of breath left Emi’s lips and her eyes widened as realization set in. “Kan’ningu,” she said, her hand tightening on her blade. “I did not recognize you in such a small form.” The parrot tilted its head to the side and studied her. It blinked its gold eyes and then its beak opened. “I did not recognize you alive,” it squawked, and Sly couldn’t help but think that was more like it. Wenston “You will not survive the day,” Emi told Kan’ningu. She’d been surprised and a little angry with herself that she hadn’t recognized his form for what he was. She should have known. He was the bird demon, after all. She’d been distracted. She knew that she’d been, because she hadn’t been focused on the demon while they were in this world. She was focused on herself, on selfish things. On her freedom and wanting to stay with Sly and lay in his bed with him and those were all selfish things. She was getting distracted and stupid and sloppy. But a part of her thought he was worth it. So long as she didn’t get him killed. “Most likely,” the parrot squawked, tipping his head from side to side, looking at her through one eye then the other. The last time she’d seen Kan’ningu, he’d been a great eagle and she’d had to fight him atop a mountain. It had been a great battle, surprisingly one of the toughest. She wasn’t sure why he’d chosen a creature so small. Sure, he was able to raise the dead, but he wasn’t sturdy and couldn’t kill them himself. He had to rely on bodies. Emi held her sword down at her side, but kept her body tense and at the ready. “I could make it quick for you,” she told him quietly. “You could go peacefully.” She wasn’t sure why she was offering it to Kan’ningu. She didn’t think he would take the offer, but she was giving it anyway. Maybe because her body was sore and aching, her side reminding her that she wasn’t fully healed. Her chest hurt and breathing seemed like more of a chore than it usually was. Her lungs had been filled with water and she doubted all of it was gone. Behind her, Sly wasn’t in much better shape and she really didn’t want to fight Kan’ningu. She just wanted to leave this world and go back to Sly’s. The parrot seemed to be considering it for a moment before it squawked loudly. “There is no honor in forfeiting,” he said. Sly snorted. “I didn’t know demons cared about honor.” Kan’ningu turned his head to look at Sly and Emi took a step to the side, placing herself between the two because she didn’t want the demon to even remotely think about going after Sly. His battle was with Emi, but at the core of that, it was her duty to be between them at all times. She was letting Sly get hurt too much. She was letting herself get hurt too much. She needed to do better. “Shīruburēka,” Kan’ningu said and flapped his wings after he said it. “You know nothing of demons.” “I know they’re a bunch of assholes,” Sly snapped back and Emi sighed because Sly was the worse at keeping his mouth shut. She may have been able to get through to Kan’ningu, but not if Sly kept egging him on. “Whiny bitches, too.” Kan’ningu seemed to regard Sly for a moment, tipping his head from side to side before dismissing him quickly. His attention came back to Emi as he said, “You may kill me and others after me, but you will not win this time, Kōken'nin. He is prepared for you. He has a plan for you.” Emi’s eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to bite her lip because it would give it away that she was nervous and maybe a part of her believed Kan’ningu. But a bigger part of her still thought that if Sly and her went after this together, they’d win. She wouldn’t have been able to beat Takeru in the witch’s hut, but she didn’t have to do it alone because Sly was there and he’d fought for her. He’d fought with her and she couldn’t begin to express the emotions she felt at that. “I will kill Takeru,” she said calmly and sternly. She was surprised when Kan’ningu laughed. From behind her, Sly muttered, “Okay, parrots laughing? I’m kind of creeped out.” She ignored him for the time being because she didn’t like the way Kan’ningu was acting. He knew something that she didn’t and she thought this would be the perfect time to get information out of him, but she had to go about this the right way. “Any plan he has, I will be ready for,” she said, though she wasn’t as sure with that comment. “The sealbreaker will die,” Kan’ningu said, his voice suddenly angry and Sly was right, it was creepy coming from a parrot. “The sealbreaker will die and Izanagi will rise because he is tired of sleeping and is ready to come.” The words struck Emi like a punch to the gut. For a moment, she just stared at the parrot, her eyes wide and her mind racing. The demons weren’t supposed to know Izanagi. They were supposed to know of him, but not know him or what he thought or how he was. Just that if they won against Emi and killed the sealbreaker, he would rise. So how did Kan’ningu know what Izanagi was up to. Emi tightened her grip on her katana. “He will never rise,” Emi said sternly. “I will not allow it.” “You have no choice,” Kan’ningu said and then apparently he was done talking. The man he was puppeteering was suddenly racing forward and Emi brought her katana up to catch the man’s sword. The metal clanged together and Emi kicked out, intent on ending this quickly as she pulled her katana back and swung it towards Kan’ningu perched on the man’s shoulder. She didn’t expect the parrot to suddenly fly away, leaving a dead, empty body collapsing to the ground in front of her. She growled and looked up at him as he flew high, towards the crow’s nest on top of the mast. Turning, she pointed at Sly and she knew he probably wasn’t going to listen to her, but she snapped out at him anyways. “Stay,” she demanded. Moving pass Sly, she ran up the stairs of the ship’s deck towards where a sideways rope ladder led to the rope ladder leading up towards the mast. It was shaky and unstable as she climbed over it, but Kan’ningu had perched himself up on the crow’s nest and was squawking out noise, like he was calling for someone and she didn’t like that. She didn’t like who he could be calling or what would actually answer. She needed to shut him up, kill him, and get out of this world. Takeru was still out there somewhere and she prayed he wasn’t going to come to help Kan’ningu. Pulling herself up quickly, she bypassed the crow’s nest by leaping towards a bridge in the mast that the sail was connected to. She drew her sword and balanced as best she could, one hand wrapping around a rope hanging near her to help her keep her balance. She pointed Kaidokusuru at Kan’ningu and the parrot stopped making his noise, turning to look at her. “Why do you wish to keep Izanagi from rising?” Kan’ningu said to her, his voice calm and resolute. It made Emi pause, frowning and she said the words automatically. “He wishes to open the gates to the Dark Plains.” “To reclaim his love,” Kan’ningu said. “Would you not do the same?” The question caught her off guard and she sucked in a breath because her immediate answer was yes. She thought it without hesitation and she thought about if Sly were the one trapped in a world, what would she do to free him? What would she do to be with him? She felt it strange the things she’d be willing to do. “Emi!” Sly suddenly called from below and she kept her sword pointed forward, but glanced down to him, before snapping her eyes back to the parrot to let him know she wasn’t letting him out of her sight. Sly must have seen her look, because he continued. “We have company!” She frowned and she saw Kan’ningu flap his wings. She looked to Sly again and he pointed out over the water. When she looked where he was pointing, she saw a dark mass in the clouds, heading their way. She squinted her eyes and sucked in another breath when she realized it was a flock of birds. She looked back to Kan’ningu. “Would Izanagi rising really be a bad thing?” Kan’ningu asked. Emi steeled her face. “Yes,” she said. Then she lunged. .Wolfie. There was a flutter of wings as Kan’ningu launched himself off the crow’s nest and Emi’s sword cut the air where he’d been a moment before. He let out a squawk that seemed unfitting for a demon and it would have been fucking hilarious if he couldn’t control zombie pirates and summon an army of birds too. Otherwise he would be laughing his ass off that the bird demon was a pirate’s shoulder piece. Maybe tomorrow he would find it funnier but right now he just wanted him dead so they could go home. There was a part of him that thought they’d done this too soon, but if they’d waited he wouldn’t have the amulet in his hands.Takeru would have it instead. He didn’t know what the demon wanted with it, but he didn’t really give a fuck. Maybe he wanted out. Maybe he wanted to be free of being a demon and go back to being a warlord, but it wasn’t important to him in the least. It was for Emi, because he didn’t want her to leave or get stuck doing this all over again. He didn’t want to lose her and maybe he was jumping the gun and maybe the kiss didn’t mean anything and she didn’t want it to, but it wouldn’t change how he felt about her. He cared about her. He wanted good things for her and he wanted to keep her with him and he knew that he could change his mind about things like this in the space of a day, but he didn’t think he would. She was different. She was amazing and beautiful and he wanted her. “Disappointing,” the bird squawked, settling down on top of the mast. Its voice was angry and mean and he still found it unsettling coming from the beak of a parrot. “After all this time, you have learned nothing. You are little more than a blade and I hope I am there to see Takeru break you in two.” “See?” Sly said. “Bitchy.” He was trying to keep his eyes on the demon and Emi and the flock of birds making their way towards him and there were too many things to watch at once. He moved away from the ship’s edge until his back hit the mast and it gave him a better view of two of the three anyway. Emi was above him, trying to keep her balance as she followed the demon. It was making him nervous because the flock was getting bigger and closer and he wasn’t sure what to expect when they got here. “Takeru will die,” Emi said, holding her blade in front of her. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration but her feet didn’t stumble as she walked across the mast, even if she was moving slowly. She was pale and had to be hurting but it didn’t stop her. The parrot laughed again, shuffling farther down the mast with its clawed feet. “Everything dies, Kōken'nin.” Sly’s head tipped back at the words and he could already hear the rushing and fluttering of wings as the flock reached the ship. The sound of cawing and squawking was echoing over the waters and it was loud in his ears. The flock hit the mast first, birds of every shape and size diving at Emi with their beaks and their claws. He let out a shout as her foot slipped on the mast but she caught herself before she fell, hanging with one hand tangled in the ropes and her other foot still braced on the wood. “It’s like a fucking Hitchcock movie,” Sly said. The gun was still in his hand and he lifted it, starting to shoot wildly at the birds. They were too small and too fast and he didn’t think he would hit one even if he aimed but he heard a cry as a bullet struck one and knocked it to the deck. He tried not to feel bad about it but he’d never been the hunting type and it was just a little seagull. There were birds fluttering and clawing at Emi’s face and he tried to aim his gun closer to them but he knew he wasn’t a great shot and the last thing he wanted to do was put a bullet in her. That was the last thing he wanted to do. She pushed herself off the mast, hanging by the ropes for a moment while she slashed out with her sword. She cut through three of them with one sweep and their bodies tumbled to the deck below, blood staining her steel. Kan’ningu was watching, still shuffling down the length of the mast and clucking his tongue in his beak. Sly squinted, turning the Russian’s gun on the demon and trying to sight at him through the flutter of wings and talons all around him. The gun went off in his hand and blasted a chunk of wood out of the mast. The demon squawked and threw itself off the mast in surprise and then the birds were dropping towards him in a rush. He cried out and shielded his face with his arms but he could feel talons scraping over his skin and drawing bloody lines, their beaks pecking at him and this was just fucking ridiculous. He lifted the gun above his head and fired wildly. It startled the birds next to him and for a moment he felt them retreat. He lifted his head and scanned the air above him for Emi because he needed to make sure she was alright. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her because she was still hanging by the ropes, her knuckles white as her fingers twisted tightly in their coils. Her other hand still held her sword and the point of it was embedded in the side of the mast, a bird pinned to the wooden surface. A single green feather drifted down from it to land on the deck not far from him, its edges stained in blood. “Jesus you’re fucking amazing,” he breathed. Kan’ningu squawked weakly and Emi’s eyes were almost sad as she watched him struggle. His wings flapped uselessly and then fell limply next to his chest. He was breathing feebly, head rolling to the side and blinking large round eyes at her. There were cuts and red lines all over her arms and one on her cheek but she was steady as she held the blade through the demon’s chest. “I will see you in the Dark Plains, Kōken'nin,” Kan’ningu said. Around them birds were still flying and cawing but they seemed confused and lost. They circled the ship around them but for the moment Sly didn’t dare look away from the demon and Emi. “Go peacefully,” Emi told him, and then she twisted the blade into his chest. He tipped his head back and let out a horrible squawk as she did and he winced and fought not to cover his ears at the sound. It threw the birds into a greater frenzy and then suddenly they were diving on them again. Sly didn’t have time to process the sudden, stinging pain in his chest as fresh lines of ink were drawn across his skin because there was a parrot flexing its talons and diving towards his face. He still had his back against the mast and he threw his arm up to block the attack, crying out as they dug into his forearm and ripped lines through his skin. He pushed his arm out and tried to throw it off him but there were more to take its place. There was a thump as Emi landed on the deck next to him and then she was hurrying across the ground, her blade a blur of steel as she cut through them. She kicked the parrot off his arm and then she crouched by his side, fingers curling around his forearm and yanking him to his feet. “I think it is time to go,” she told him, hauling him upright without waiting for a response. “Fuck yeah it is,” Sly said, stumbling over a body as he let her drag him away from the birds. She was pulling him towards a door across the deck but he tripped as talons suddenly sunk into the back of his neck. He shouted at the burning pain and then he saw the body thump down next to him as Emi cut through it. “You are as clumsy as you are talkative, Baka,” she told him. He couldn’t help but laugh because it had almost sounded like she was teasing him. He pushed himself to his feet behind her, her hand still around his forearm as she dragged him towards the door. She kicked it open with one foot and shoved him roughly through the doorway. He fell face first against the wooden floor and behind him he heard the door bang shut followed by the thump of birds slamming into its surface. There was something warm and sticky against his cheek and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was, but when he focused he saw wide dead eyes in front of him. He groaned and pushed himself upright, wiping his shirt off the best that he could before he glanced over his shoulder at Emi. She was taking in a deep breath, lifting her arms to study the scratches there and she looked mostly annoyed and disappointed with them. The door rattled as a second wave slammed into it but she didn’t seem concerned, turning her attention to her sword and cleaning it off before she sheathed it. He smiled as she finally glanced back at him and she frowned like she didn’t know why he was smiling. “You kissed me,” he said. Her eyes widened at that like she didn’t expect it and for a moment she glanced over her shoulder at the door like she couldn’t believe he was bringing it up right now. “You kissed me first.” She turned back around to focus on him and she was chewing on her lip. There was blood on her face and he didn’t like it there. He didn’t like seeing her hurt and he sure as fuck didn’t like seeing her drowned. He didn’t like how cold and blue she’d looked and he didn’t think he would have been able to take seeing her die in front of him like that. Sly chuckled, scrubbing a hand over his face before he pointed at her. “You kissed me back,” he said. She didn’t look like she knew what to say to that. He didn’t know what he expected her to say anyway, but he was smiling as he said it because it was the truth. She chewed on her lip and studied his face and he wondered if she thought it was a mistake or she wished hse could take it back. Then a small smile pulled at her lips and something like relief settled in his chest. “Yes,” she agreed. “I did.” He smiled back at her but it was nothing compared to the radiant thing on her face. Then she frowned, taking a step forward as her eyes started to wander. “You are injured,” she said. She crouched next to him, using the edge of her shirt to try and clean up the blood on the back of his neck and he reached a hand up to stop her, fingers twining in hers. “I’ll be fine until we get home, babe,” he told her. She studied his face for a moment and he thought he should know her expressions better by now. He didn’t think she was mad, but he couldn’t tell. So he kept the smile on his face as he pushed himself to his feet, swinging his backpack around and pulling out the book. “Alright,” he said. “Any chance of a quick way home?” A blue glow lit in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to focus on the door they’d just come through. He laughed and shut the book, glancing down at its cover for a moment. “Uh, thanks,” he said. “For everything I guess.” Emi was watching him and he looked up at her, noting the amused quirk to her lips. “What?” he demanded. “You’re the one that told me to talk to the fucking thing. I’m just trying to play nice.” He was still grumbling as he shoved it in his backpack and then turned to open the door. He walked straight into a swimming pool. Wenston Sly had his shirt off while Emi was trying to patch him up. They’d managed to make it back to his apartment after going for yet another impromptu swim. This one hadn’t been as bad as being dumped in the ocean or being trapped in a cage at the bottom of it. The water had been warm and clean and it was easy to get out of. It didn’t mean she hadn’t panicked slightly when she’d sunk beneath the water again and she was going to have to overcome that fear quickly. She couldn’t be restricted by fear. Sly was sitting cross-legged on the couch as she was finishing putting band-aids on his neck. The amulet they’d gotten from Kan’ningu’s world was swinging in his fingers and he was just watching it, like he was trying to figure it out. Emi had to admit, she was curious about the thing as well. But her curiosity could wait until Sly was patched up. She was going to make them take it easy for a while, until they were healed. The demons could wait. They could wait until they were ready to face them. Emi smoothed down the band-aid and then patted his shoulder, scooting back on the couch so he could swing his legs around and face her. He grinned at her and held up the amulet. She just looked at the thing and chewed her lip. It didn’t look like a key. It didn’t look like anything other than a fancy piece of jewelry. There was a dark patch in the middle with gold etchings all around it. Tipping her head to the side, she looked at Sly. “How does it work?” she asked. Sly opened his mouth like he was going to answer, and then snapped it shut again, a frown on his face. “Well, uh, I’m not really sure,” he said, worrying his lip before he held the amulet out closer to her. “Maybe we should start by having you put it on?” Emi was a little apprehensive and her fingers were slow as she reached out for the amulet. Sly grinned at her and bypassed her hand, slipping the gold chain around her neck. It fell heavily against her chest and she tensed, expecting to feel a chill or a rush of electricity or something. Sly’s hands were lingering near her neck and he was just watching her expectantly. After a moment, when nothing happened, Emi glanced around the room and then frowned, looking back to Sly. “Nothing is happening,” she pointed out. She felt her shoulders drop and her face fell. She’d wanted so badly for this to work. She’d wanted so badly for it all to be over and she could be free to just be with Sly and not worry about Izanagi or Takeru or the Grimoire anymore. She’d gotten her hopes up too high. She’d been relying on this too much and that was her own fault. Sly’s brow furrowed and he let his hands fall into his lap, tipping his head to the side and concentrating hard on it. He reached for his backpack on the coffee table in front of them and grabbed the Grimoire out of it. “Maybe there’s like, a password or something,” he said and flipped the Grimoire open. “Hey book,” he snapped, because he’d gotten mad at the Grimoire for the whole swimming pool incident and she thought it was amusing that his attempts at playing nice had been so short lived. “What’s the trick to getting this thing to work?” The Grimoire started flipping pages and Emi scooted a little closer towards Sly, watching as the pages fell open onto a drawing of the amulet. Sly scoffed, because there were no instructions or anything, just the picture. Emi frowned and then reached pass him to point at the center of the amulet. “There is a missing piece,” she said. “What?” Sly asked, squinting at the picture before looking back at the amulet around her neck. “Oh,” he said and looked up at her face. “Well that’s gotta be it, then. We’re just missing a part of it. We can find that part and get it all fixed up and then it will work.” He nodded his head and looked back at the Grimoire and she wondered if he really thought it would be that simple. She wasn’t sure she did. She wasn’t sure she was completely convinced this would work. She was trying not to feel disappointed that it hadn’t worked right then and there. She felt dread welling up in her chest at the thought of it. This amulet was the whole reason they’d gone there and now it wasn’t working. She still didn’t know if she would be free at the end of all of this. Sighing a little, she reached for the amulet and started pulling it off. “It was nice of you to try,” she said quietly and it sounded sad, even to her. She leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder because she was growing tired and the disappointment was starting to settle in, even though she was trying to keep it at bay. It wasn’t a dead end. They could find the part and get the amulet to work and there was still a chance she’d be able to stay. But she couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit disappointed that she wasn’t already free. Sly’s eyes shot back to her, wide and shocked. He set the Grimoire down and caught her wrists before she could pull the amulet off. “Hey, we’re not done yet,” he told her, forcing the amulet back down around her neck. “I’m not giving up. I’m finding you a way out, I promised I would.” Emi nodded, smiling up at him as he looked back down at the Grimoire. “You did,” she agreed. “We’ll find that other part, you’ll get to stay with me, we can go to California, it will be good, you’ll see,” he rambled on and he held her hands in his while her cheek rested against his shoulder and she watched his face. He looked determined now and if he was disappointed, it wasn’t coming across on his features. He just looked focused and concentrated and she realized that he wanted her to stay just as badly as she wanted it. “We’ll find it,” he repeated. “Once we’re all rested up, we’ll ask the book where it’s at and we’ll go get it.” “Sly,” Emi whispered and she saw him snap his mouth shut, turning to look at her like maybe he hadn’t realized he’d been rambling so much. He seemed like he was trying to convince himself that this didn’t mean it wouldn’t work. It was just a snag and he probably was doing just that. “You are talking too much,” she told him, her eyes moving to his lips. A smile pulled itself across his face and he tipped his head down so he could look into her face. “I am, aren’t I?” he asked, his voice lowering. She nodded, a smile pulling at her own lips. His head ducked a little further and she sucked in a breath, her lips parting in anticipation. “Well,” he stalled. “We’ll just have to do something about that.” “We will,” she agreed. He grinned. Then he was kissing her. .Wolfie. Seven : Baishun-fu “What is the point of this?” Emi asked. Sly didn’t open his eyes but he felt her thumb brush over the hoop in his lip. He smirked at the motion, hand running up her spine to the back of her neck, his fingers lingering when they reached bare skin. She shivered beneath the touch and that was enough to get him to crack one eye open, trying to blink away the grit and sleep that lingered in his vision. Emi was on her side, braced up on one elbow as she watched him sleep. One hand was holding her head up while the other lingered on his face, her fingers wandering across his lips before they moved to his jaw. “It’s just there to look good, babe. It doesn’t really have a point except to let everyone know what a badass I am. Not like you couldn’t already tell.” He chuckled to himself and he saw a small smile curl her lips. He hadn’t seen her laugh yet but he cherished those smiled whenever they came. His fingers trailed across the back of her neck and he smiled when she tipped her head forward a little, giving him more access. Her hair spilled down across her shoulder, the shirt slipping from her skin and he fought the urge to tug it all the way off. They hadn’t crossed that line yet and he wasn’t sure how hard he was allowed to push. “What is badass?” she asked. He thought it was ridiculous how she could just wake up in the morning and be ready to go. He grinned, finally turning to the side and nuzzling his face against her neck. One hand dropped to her waist as he rolled her over onto her back and he knew that she only went because she wanted to. If she wanted to stop him she could, not that there was ever really any doubt about that. He wrapped his arms around her and kept his head pressed against her skin, lips moving against her neck as he spoke. “Badass is like… amazingly fucking cool, you know? Like you.” “And this?” she asked. Her hand was still on his face and he felt her fingers curl, her nails scratching at the stubble on his jaw and chin. He laughed when she did, tilting his head to look at her face and her small smile was growing wider. He loved that smile. He loved that he could put it there. “What is the point of this? Does this also show everyone that you are a badass?” “Nah babe, that just means I’m too lazy to shave.” She smiled back at him and then her hand moved from his jaw to his hair, her fingers running through it. Her other arm was wrapped around his shoulders and he felt her fingers moving slowly across his back. It had been two weeks already and Sly wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The first few days he’d been alright. He’d still had some time off work because Bones still had him on a part time basis and that wasn’t a big deal because it was better that way. Then he didn’t have to worry about coming up with excuses as to why he missed work and had a thousand new scratches and bruises all over him. It gave them some time to heal in more ways than one. Mostly he’d just stayed in his apartment with Emi and eaten pizza and beer. Well, he’d had beer, she’d sneered at the smell of it and had water instead. But he hadn’t even gotten drunk because he didn’t want to get too grabby with her and he was a friendly drunk. He’d been good. He’d been healing and he’d been relaxed and he’d been doing a really good job of keeping his mind off the amulet that still hung around her neck. One the one hand, he was happy it was there. They’d fought two demons to get it and it was supposed to be the key to keeping her here and it still surprised him how desperately he wanted that. But on the other hand, it was missing a piece and it was nothing but a shiny piece of jewelry without it. It looked good on her and he liked it there but it wasn’t going to keep her here when this was all over and some days it was really fucking hard to push that thought out of his mind. He liked her. He cared about her a lot, more than he’d expected he ever would, and he loved more than anything that every morning now he woke up with her lying in his arms. He liked waking up before her because then he could take a moment and just look at her. Morning was the only time he ever saw her hair tangled and mussed, her face relaxed and innocent and her lips parted as she slept. He loved those lips. He loved kissing them and he would forgive that was as far as they’d gone because it was Emi. Two weeks was a long time to be back in the world. Two weeks meant another paycheck and his rent finally caught up with. It meant that he had enough money to finally go down to the pawnshop and buy a TV and he’d even shelled out the extra fifty bucks for a DVD player so that he could show Emi half the movies he was talking about. It was worth it to see her eyes widen when she saw Yoda. Two weeks was a long time for Sly to have cash and Ash’s phone number and not put either of those things to use. Two weeks was a long time for him to be in this world and around temptation every second of every day and he was bad at resisting it. He was bad at doing the right thing because all his life he’d just done whatever the fuck he wanted. At the end of the day he’d had no one to answer to but himself and he always had some kind of narcotic ready and available so that he didn’t actually have to look at himself in the mirror. It was an easy out and it had allowed him to spend half his life in a numb haze. He hadn’t slipped yet, but if he was honest with himself he didn’t think it would be much longer. He wanted it, he had money, and Emi trusted him. That was like a slap in the face because he knew if he did fall and fall hard, she would hate him for it. She would be disappointed and she would wonder what the fuck she wanted to stick around for and he wouldn’t have an answer. “Sly,” Emi said, and he blinked because he hadn’t realized he’d been falling back asleep. His chin was pressed into her shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her stomach. Her skin was warm and soft and he could have stayed her all day. “Hmm?” he said, letting his eyes slip close again. His lips pressed against her neck and he heard her quiet inhalation of breath as they started to move across her throat. His fingers moved slightly, tugging at the hem of her shirt and slipping beneath the fabric to the skin beneath it. He lingered on the scars there and tried not to think about the demon that had left them there. “What can I do for you, beautiful?” he asked her, lips moving down her throat to her collarbone. “I…” she started to say. Her breath sounded a little uneven and he smiled against her skin, fingers wandering across her skin and he really wanted to show her what he meant when he said he wanted to get into her pants. Then she licked her lips, hands firmly pushing him up off of her. “It is time to get out of bed,” she told him. “We need to continue your training.” Sly chuckled, rolling over onto his back and watching her pull herself out of his bed. His fingers laced behind his head as he watched her and her hair was a dark, tangled halo. “You know,” he said, his voice quiet and low. “I would make sure it was good for you.” Emi looked distracted but she frowned and focused on his face at the words. “What do you mean?” she asked. He snorted and he wasn’t sure he liked the question. Was she asking because she really didn’t know what he was talking about, or because she had no idea that sex wasn’t this awful, one sided thing? He shook his head, pushing himself upright and running his hands over his face as he tried to wake himself up. “Sex,” he told her, hands dropping to his lap. “I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m just saying, it could be good for you too. At least, if I’m doing it right.” He laughed at himself, shaking his head. Emi watched him for a moment, her hands moving to rub at her arms and her teeth pulling at her lip. He wasn’t sure if she looked thoughtful or scared, but that was stupid because she never got scared. After a moment she cleared her throat and looked towards the door. “We should train,” she told him firmly. “We should go to the next world soon, you should be ready.” Sly laughed again, grabbing his shirt off the bedpost and pulling it over his head before he climbed out of bed. “I know, babe,” he said, scratching at the back of his neck. “We need to go after the second part of this.” His hand came out to lift the amulet by its chain and he was grinning at her as he said it. He had to be, or he would get scared that the book would ignore him and they wouldn’t find anything in this world or the next. He would get scared that Takeru already had the next part or maybe it was just long gone and there was nothing either of them would be able to do. He couldn’t let himself think like that, because thoughts like were the kind that led him straight back to Ash and her drugs. Thoughts like that would rip him apart from the inside if he let them because every day he realized more and more that he really, really didn’t want Emi to go. She smiled back at him and he was grateful that she let him believe it. He was grateful that she was at least pretending to believe the same and just for that he had to make this right. He’d promised her, and he already had enough broken promises on his shoulders. He didn’t want to do the same to her. “Yes,” she agreed, tipping her head up and smiling at him. “I would like to see California.” He grinned back, ducking his head towards hers. “I would love to take you there,” he told her quietly. Then he pressed his lips against hers and he was still smiling as she kissed him back. He couldn’t help but think he could get used to this. Then she was pulling away, hand dropping to hold his and pull him through the doorway. She pointed at the empty space of carpet in front of his television and stood over him with arms crossed before he sat down. Then she settled in the space across from him. They always stretched first, and he always got distracted by watching her do it. “Try to touch your forehead to your knees,” she told him, and then she was bending forward, her toes pointed up as she stretched. Sly just watched her for a moment with a smile on his face. “Sure babe. Just let me watch you for a moment.” Her head lifted slightly, her eyes narrowing at him. “Baka,” she said. “Do your stretches.” Her voice was firm and unyielding and it just made him smile wider as he echoed her position. “Have I mentioned,” he said, “That I kind of like getting pushed around by you?” Wenston “There are more ways to fight than just with your fists,” Emi explained. Sly stood in front of her and he looked like he was trying to concentrate on what she was saying, but every once in a while, a wicked smile would spread across his lips and she knew he was getting distracted or thinking something dirty. Probably both. But now, she had his attention and he was nodding at her like he agreed but she wondered if he really did. “Show me what else you can fight with, Baka,” she said patiently. Sly glanced at her face and by the sudden surprised look on his, she guessed that maybe he’d been just expecting her to do all the work here. She was going to make him think. He had to learn to fight and protect himself. Against the demons, against those Russians, against everyone who wanted to hurt him. She’d protect him with her life, that hadn’t changed. But she wouldn’t always be there to do so and a small part of her thought it was because the amulet wasn’t whole and it wouldn’t work and at the end of this, she would have to say goodbye. She thought about how that was going to work, if by the time they faced Takeru the amulet still wasn’t whole. It was quick and sudden whenever she killed Takeru. She’d kill him and there would be no time to say goodbye to the sealbreaker or anything. She’d just wake up in a new place, in a new time, with a new sealbreaker and she’d have to do it all over again. She wondered if she would even have the chance to say goodbye to him. She didn’t know which one would be harder, if she did or if she was just some place new without saying a word to him. “I guess I could kick someone in the head,” Sly said and grinned afterwards. Emi nodded. “Try to kick me then,” she told him and braced herself, watching his feet. Sly snorted. “In the head?” he asked. She nodded and didn’t look at his face and he gave a small laugh. “I don’t think I can get my leg up that far, babe. That requires a different kind of stretching.” Emi smiled and relaxed, looking at his face again. “Then what else can you use?” Sly sighed. “Fists and guns are about all I have.” Emi shook her head. “No, you have others,” she said firmly. “You have elbows,” she said and twirled, bringing her elbow around to hit him in the gut. He let out a whoosh of air, but she hadn’t hit him that hard. “You have knees,” she said, grabbing his head and pulling it down at the same time she brought her knee up. She lightly tapped his forehead to her knee. “You have weight,” she pulled him further, flipping him expertly over her shoulder so he landed on his back on the apartment floor. He grunted and swore as she laid across his gut. “You have speed,” she said, pulling him to his feet and slapping one shoulder, rushing around him to slap the other, then rushing back around to slap his cheek. When she came back around him, she took a step back and watching him a moment. His eyes were wide and he looked completely violated and flustered. She tried to keep the smirk off her face and she just waited for him to say or do something. His hair was disheveled and his shirt was crooked. She reached forward and he flinched slightly, but she just fixed his shirt for him. “Did we just make out?” he quipped and Emi smiled, shaking her head. Sly nodded, accepting that answer and he cleared his throat, straightening himself out and running a hand through his hair. “Okay, good, because just so you know, I’m not that quick. I take my time…make it memorable.” Emi sighed and snapped her fingers at him. He shut up quickly, blinking and widening his eyes at her. “Focus,” she told him. “Did you just snap at me?” he asked, a playful tone to his voice. “Yes,” she answered and then braced herself again, holding her hands out in front of her. “Now, come at me with something other than your fists.” Sly snorted. “Okay, I’m gonna need it in writing that you said that.” Emi frowned at him and she opened her mouth to chastise him, but he held up his hands. “Alright, alright,” he said and shifted from foot to foot, clearing his throat and shaking his arms loose like he was preparing for something great. Emi just watched him with a small quirk of her lips. “Okay, uh, elbow,” he said and then jumped forward, lashing out with his elbow. Emi dodged it easily because the move was clumsy and slow and he probably wouldn’t have hit her even if she had been standing still. If she was being honest with herself, she was kind of surprised that he hadn’t tripped over his own feet. But she sidestepped the blow to make him feel better and grabbed his arm, yanking it backwards and flipping him onto his back once more. She twisted his arm and sat on his stomach, patting his cheek as he lay under her. “Try again,” she told him, standing up and taking a few steps backwards. Sly sat up, but he didn’t stand up. He sat there, rubbing at his shoulder and he had a disgusted look on his face. “You know, this isn’t very fair,” he grumbled. Emi wondered if he was really mad because his brow was furrowed but he looked more like he was concentrating hard than he was upset. “I just look badass, I’m not really badass.” Emi sighed and stepped forward, crouching down in front of him and he watched her, a smile spreading across his face. “You will never win if you give up so easily, Baka,” she told him. He sighed and grumbled something beneath his breath. She raised her eyebrow at him questioningly as he turned to study her face and then he was moving. She was actually surprised by the move because he wasn’t coming at her with a fist or a elbow or a leg, he was coming at her with his lips and she gave a small gasp as his lips met hers, knocking her backwards so she fell on her butt. Sly kept pushing her down and she let out a small squeak as her back hit the floor and Sly pinned her with his body, hands holding himself up on either side of her. His lips moved across her neck and to her collarbone and up her neck. Emi tilted her head to the side as his lips moved across her cheek. And then she laughed. Sly stopped when she did, his head lifting to look down at her. She bit her lip and turned her head so she was looking up at him and he was looking at her curiously with a small, hesitant smile on his face. “I’ve never heard you laugh before,” he said and she felt her smile fade a bit as she looked at his face. “I am sorry,” she told him quietly and he frowned at her. “Why?” he asked, like he was appalled she would apologize. He lifted one of his hands up to run it over her head and she wondered herself why she was apologizing. Maybe because it had been so long since she’d felt comfortable enough around someone to laugh. She normally wouldn’t. She normally wouldn’t have let Sly get away with half the things he was getting away with. He was being undisciplined and unfocused and these were important lessons and she was letting him get away with getting distracted and distracting her. Maybe because she didn’t want him to turn out like her. Maybe because when he laughed and smiled, it made her happy and she’d spent so long being punished any time she did it that she didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t around her. Sly ran his hand over her head again, still frowning down at her because she hadn’t answered him. “Why would you apologize for laughing?” he asked again. “It sounds good on you,” he grinned. Emi swallowed hard as she looked up at him. “I…” she started but she didn’t know what she was about to say. She didn’t have an answer for him and she didn’t know what she wanted from him. “I was never allowed to,” she whispered quietly. Sly made a face at that and then he was ducking his head again, lips pressed against hers and she closed her eyes against it because he made her happy. Happier than she’d ever been and it pained her that she still didn’t know if she could stay with him. “Well I’m allowing you,” he told her, lifting his head so he could look in her eyes. “In fact, I’m demanding you do it more,” he grinned. Emi watched him for a moment and she’d never felt this way before about anyone. She was tempted to tell him they should go back to his bed and she’d let him show her what he meant when he said he could make it good. But she was scared still. She was scared of what he would do and if it would hurt because it had hurt last time and she knew that was weak, but it was something she didn’t want to go through again. But he’d promised it would be good. He’d told her she’d like it and she knew he wanted it. She knew what he wanted from her. “I will do what you want,” she whispered to him and she meant it. .Wolfie. “What?” Sly asked. He was still braced over Emi, one hand holding himself upright while the other ran through her hair in slow motions. There was a hesitant smile on his face because he wasn’t sure what she meant by the words but she’d laughed and he’d never heard her do that before. He hadn’t expected it and he still wasn’t sure why she had because sometimes she seemed annoyed with his inability to focus on anything she tried to teach him. He got distracted easily and tried to distract her all the time and it was pathetic how easily she could take him down every time. She never even broke a sweat, even when he was coated.He didn’t want to disappoint her, but he wasn’t a fighter. He was quick but he wasn’t strong, he was clumsy in everything but card tricks, and even if he knew he was never going to hurt her, he still didn’t like that he was supposed to try. But then she’d laughed and it was one of the most honest and beautiful things he’d ever heard. He looked up at her and he wasn’t sure what the look she was giving him was. Her eyes were lidded as she studied his face and she looked nervous but she wasn’t looking away. “I will do what you want,” she said again. He shook his head slowly because he thought he knew what she meant by that but he wasn’t sure. “Sex,” she told him quietly. His hand stilled at the words and his eyes swept her face, unable to keep the surprise from his gaze. He licked his lips and suddenly he felt nervous too. “You sure, babe?” he asked, and there was a part of him that was shocked he was even bothering to ask. He’d wanted her since he met her. Even before he’d known anything about her he’d thought she was hot and sexy and flexible and all kinds of things that made him want to get her into bed. But that was before and this was now and he didn’t want to be something she’d regret. He didn’t want to hurt her or put her through something she didn’t want because she thought it was the only way he wouldn’t toss her aside. That wasn’t going to happen. If anything, she was going to leave him, one way or another. And alright yeah, maybe he was sexually frustrated beyond all belief, but if she didn’t want this then it wasn’t worth it. There was a long list of other girls that were easy lays but that was all they were and he wasn’t going to put her in the same category. And besides, he and his right hand had gotten along fine for this long. He was getting used to taking cold showers in the morning. She nodded her head slowly, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. “You said it would be pleasant for me,” she said, and he couldn’t help but grin at the words. “You said you would make sure I enjoy it too. And I trust you.” “You trust me?” he asked, a wide grin on his face as she nodded back. His lips moved across her throat and down towards her collarbone and then to the other side of her neck where he bit down gently. She let out a small hiss in response and he lifted his head to grin at her. “But I’m a very bad man,” he said. She smiled back at him with that skeptical look that said she didn’t buy that and he wanted her to be right. Maybe that was why he still hesitated, his hand moving to cup her cheek as he ran his thumb across her skin. “Seriously, babe. I meant it when I said I wasn’t pressuring you. We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” “I know, Sly,” she said. Her voice was low and serious and it sent chills down his spine when she said his name. His fingers wandered across her cheek to her lips and he was finding it a little hard to breathe because he wanted her and he wanted this and he really didn’t want her to say no. He wanted her to say yes and to please take her now and he smirked at his thoughts. She smiled back when she saw it but it faltered for a moment as she watched his face. Then she cleared her throat. “Yes,” she told him. “I want this.” He watched her face as she said it and it was taking all his willpower not to just start pulling his clothes off on the living room floor. She was gorgeous and she’d already said yes and he had to bite down on his lip as he hesitated, watching her to see if she was lying. “Well,” he said after a moment, “Alright then.” A slow smile spread across his face and then he ducked his head to kiss her before he pushed himself up to his feet. He leaned over her, holding his hands out and she was still watching him nervously. Her gaze went to his hands and his smile widened as he pulled her up next to him. “I do anything you don’t like, just stop me, okay?” he said. She looked surprised at the words but she nodded her head and let him lead her back to the bedroom. Her hand was holding his tightly and he squeezed it back, glancing over his shoulder at her. She looked nervous but she still had her fingers twined in his and he wanted to believe her so badly when she said she wanted this too. Emi wasn’t a liar; she’d never lied to him once, even when he didn’t like the truth. Even when she told him his drugs were poisoning him and threw them away. Even when she said that the only way this could end was with her dead or still trapped in a never ending cycle and as much as he hated the thoughts that’s what decided him. As far as he knew this might be the only chance they got. He stopped next to the bed and she reached for the edge of her shirt to pull it off but his hands around her wrist stopped her. “Wait,” he said. She glanced up at him with confusion and he smiled, ducking his head to kiss her. Her lips parted under his and he took his time because he wanted her to enjoy this. He didn’t want to be something she’d regret. “Let me do that,” he said as he pulled away. That brought a smile and a hint of pink to her cheeks and he grinned at the sight. His hands dropped to her waist, sliding his hands beneath her shirt and running over the soft skin of her stomach. He pulled her closer before running his hands up her sides and peeling it off. She shivered as the air met her skin and he smiled in response, ducking his head to run kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder. His hands moved to cup her breasts and his voice was harsh as his mouth wandered back to her throat. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. She shivered against him and he felt her fingers curl tightly in his shirt, her head tipped to the side as his teeth scraped over her skin. He moved his mouth back to hers as his hands dropped to the waistband of her pants. She stiffened a little but she didn’t stop him as he pulled the strings loose and let them fall to the carpet. He pulled away for a moment, his eyes sweeping her body and sucking in a harsh breath because she was amazing and hot and sexy and he thought she was his. Maybe only his for now but it was something and he grinned as he cupped her face and dragged her back into a kiss. Sly turned her slowly so that her back was to the bed and then he was easing her onto it. His hands rested against her back and he was trying to be gentle with her but it was so hard when she was being naked and beautiful and kissing him back. He was surprised when her hands moved, tightening their grip on his shirt and tugging it up towards his head. It made him smile and he saw a hesitant, answering one on her face as she peeled it up over his head and dropped it to the bed next to her. She was being quiet and she still looked nervous and he was going to have to do something to reassure her that he wanted this to be good for her. He ducked his head, moving his mouth back down her throat and over her collarbone. He felt her hands move to his dark hair, running through it as his lips moved across her skin and didn’t stop. He trailed kisses between her breasts and over her stomach and he heard her let out a sharp gasp when he continued lower. Her fingers tightened in his hair and he smiled before he showed her exactly what else a lip piercing and a silver tongue were good for. She was trembling by the time he pulled away and he looked up at her face to make sure she was alright. Her skin was flushed and her lips were parted, her eyes lidded as she tried to focus on him. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked her, a small smile on his lips. She shook her head, swallowing hard before she managed to answer. “No,” she told him, her voice shaky. Sly grinned, turning to kiss her inner thigh. “Good,” he told her. The unspoken was that he really didn’t want to. He pushed himself upright, taking a moment to tug off his pants and kick them out of the way before he returned to his position over her, kissing her stomach again before moving his mouth back up to her chest and then up to her neck. He only paused to get protection out of his nightstand and then he settled between her legs, his arms holding himself over her. “You sure you’re ready?” he asked quietly. Emi’s hands rose to his sides and he felt chills run through him as she ran her fingers over his skin. She bit her lip and then she nodded her head, hand moving to the back of his and pulling him down into a kiss. “Yes,” she told him. A quiet groan left his lips as he entered her and his hands fisted in the sheets next to her head. Her legs were on either side of his hips, her hands still running along his back and his neck. For a moment all he could think about was her and how she felt as he thrust inside her. His eyes closed, sweat starting to bead along his skin. “God babe,” he said. “You feel fucking amazing.” Emi didn’t say anything in response and that was enough to get him to open his eyes. She was lying beneath him, her eyes closed and her head tipped back as her teeth bit down hard on her lip. He slowed the pace down, holding himself up with one arm as his hand moved to the side of her face. She was beautiful. She was amazing and she was perfect and she was lying beneath him in his bed and he thought his life had never been more perfect. His fingers moved along her cheek and then he ducked his head, kissing her neck. “Emi,” he whispered. “Open your eyes babe. Let me know you’re with me.” They slid open at his demand, tilting her head to the side as she focused on him. “I’m with you,” she whispered back, and the words sent sparks down his skin. He pressed his lips harder against her neck as he rocked against her, feeling her nails dig into his back. He pressed down tightly on top of her as his hands moved to her hips and she let out a quiet gasp of surprise when he rolled them over. He felt her hands brace themselves against his chest and he was grinning up at her because he kind of liked having her on top. Her eyes had widened and she looked startled and flushed and beautiful with her hips straddling his waist and hair falling down around her face. “You’re in control,” he told her, running his hands up and down her thighs. “Do whatever feels good.” For a moment she hesitated before she started to move and he bit down hard on the hoop in his lip as he watched her. He kept his hands on her hips but he let her control the pace, he just helped her keep rhythm. He felt her fingers flex against his chest, nails digging into his skin as she moved on top of him and he sucked in a breath at the sharp sting of it. He stayed on his back until she started to move faster and then he pushed himself upright, wrapping his arms around her and holding her on top of him. His hand rested on the back of her head, the other staying on her hips as they rocked together. She cried out when she came, digging her teeth into his shoulder to try and stifle the sound. He followed shortly afterwards, fingers tightening against her hips and he hoped he didn’t hurt her or leave bruises but he couldn’t stop himself. He held her tightly as he fell back against the bed, hands running up and down her back and his breathing ragged and uneven. Her hair was tickling his nose and they were both slick with sweat as she lay on top of him and he thought maybe he’d been lying to Haemon. Maybe he was in love with her. Wenston For the longest time, Emi didn’t want to move. She was lying in Sly’s bed, wrapped around his side and she was more content than she’d ever been or could remember being. He lay on his back and she lay pressed against him, one hand across his chest and her other arm curled beneath her, her face pressed into his shoulder and she loved being this near to him. He made her feel safe and it was a strange revelation that she’d ever not felt safe in the first place. Sly had been right. He’d made sure she liked it. It had been nothing like what it had been with Tsuiseki-sha. Sly hadn’t made her be quiet or look away or turn over. He’d done just the opposite. He’d made her look at him and he hadn’t taken his eyes off her the entire time. It wasn’t business, it was pleasure and that was the biggest difference between them. Sly had wanted her, not just the sex. He was making things difficult. She didn’t want to be thinking about him, but she was thinking of Daisuke and how disappointed he would be in her for letting herself get attached and get involved with the sealbreaker. It was against the rules. It was against everything she’d been taught when it came to the Grimoire and being the Guardian. There wasn’t supposed to be anything between Guardian and sealbreaker. But this wasn’t exactly nothing. Even if she wanted to pretend it was, she couldn’t. She liked Sly. Really liked him. She wanted to learn more about him and get to know him better and do things with him and let him show her more of his world. She wanted to see California and figure out what Halloween was and go see more movies and watch more DVDs and listen to his music. She wanted to do the things he wanted to do. She’d never experienced emotions and feelings like this before and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with them, especially since the amulet around her neck wasn’t whole yet and there was still a strong chance that at the end of this, they couldn’t stay together. Emi pressed her lips to Sly’s shoulder, his skin warm beneath her. He had one arm behind his head and the other was wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her close to him as he looked up at the ceiling and she just watched his face, wondering what he was thinking. She swallowed thickly and frowned a little, because a part of her was thinking about what Krystal had said and she wondered if that’s all Sly wanted from her. “Was it okay?” she asked him quietly. Sly’s head tipped down to her and his eyes were wide as he met her gaze. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked and there was a smirk on his lips, but she had to be sure. So far he wasn’t tossing her away. He was actually holding her close to him and he wasn’t loosening his grip or shoving her away, but she still had to be sure. “I just…” she started and frowned a little. “I hope I was not disappointing.” Sly snorted, rolling on his side so he was facing her. His hand slipped along her hip, moving across her waist and over her back and his fingers were light and felt wonderful on her skin. She shivered beneath his touch and he was smiling at her. “Babe, those funny noises I made? I wasn’t moaning in disappointment,” he grinned. She smiled slightly back and his hand came up to push some of her hair behind her ear. “I should be the one asking you how it was.” “Wonderful,” she said quickly and it made him chuckle. She felt her cheeks flush a little and she dipped her head, embarrassed, but he caught her chin and brought her gaze back up to his. “You are wonderful,” she told him and he made a face that she didn’t quite understand. He didn’t answer her though, just leaned forward and then their lips were locking. She closed her eyes as he kissed her and she kissed him back. After a while, she pulled away and ducked her head, tucking it in near his chest and she felt his arms tighten around her. She closed her eyes and was content just to lay there for a while. She was content just to be with him and in his bed and to know he was satisfied and he wasn’t disappointed in her. She wanted to stay. She wanted so desperately to stay with him at the end of this and it wasn’t just because she was tired of being the Guardian or she liked this world – it was because of him. She wanted Sly. She wanted to be with him and to be his and to let him do what he wanted with her. She wanted to stay because of him and him alone. And if she couldn’t have him, then there was no point in staying. Opening her eyes, she tipped her head back and looked at his face again. He had his eyes closed and he looked tired, but content. There was a smile still on his lips and she bit her bottom lip when she looked at the hoop there. She could guess now what that was for. She had a new appreciation for that hoop. “Kaidokusuru,” she said suddenly and Sly’s eyes slipped open. “What?” he asked, his brow furrowing a little. “That is what I want,” she said. Sly gave a chuckle and said, “You want your sword? I didn’t think I was that bad…” She shook her head, her smile widening. “No, that is what I want with my flowers.” She rolled into him more and his fingers moved to her back, the scars that crisscrossed across her skin rough on his fingertips. She felt him trace the scars there and she watched his face and the smile faltering there. “You want me to tattoo your sword onto your back?” he asked and she didn’t understand the tone of his voice. “Babe, the whole point of this tattoo is to let you forget this whole Guardian business.” Emi shook her head, her fingers moving across his chest and she nuzzled closer to him. “I can never forget,” she said quietly and she felt Sly tense beneath her, but she continued before he could get the wrong impression. “When a warrior is immortalized in art, in stone or paint or ink, they are often portrayed with their weapon. Their fates are told through the state of the weapon. A sword with its blade bare and whole means they are forever watchful and on duty. A broken sword means they have failed in their duty. And a sword within its sheath means their duty is complete and they may rest unburdened.” Sly was looking down at her, his hand still moving across the scars on her back. “Which one do you want?” he asked quietly, like he was afraid of the answer. Emi smiled, because he shouldn’t be. She reached for the amulet still around her neck and she pulled it up so they could both look at it. “I would like Kaidokusuru in its sheath,” she whispered. “Because then, when this is over and I am with you still, it will remind me that I am free.” The smile on Sly’s lips was small at first, but then it grew into something bright and brilliant. He was suddenly rolling her onto her back and leaning over her, his arms braced on either side of her. She just looked up at him, watching his face. “I like that,” he whispered to her. Emi smiled and reached her head up, pressing her lips against his. “Good,” she told him. .Wolfie. She was amazing.That was all Sly could think, over and over again and he wondered in the back of his mind what he’d ever done to deserve just having her here with him. He couldn’t stop touching her because it wasn’t that long ago that she had flinched whenever he got too close. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his fingertips and he was savoring the feel of her next to him. He’d been a little nervous afterwards that she would regret it but she’d washed that thought away when she’d smiled at him and said he was wonderful. No one thought that about him. No one ever said it because it wasn’t true, but she had been completely honest when she whispered the words and it meant the world to him. She meant the world to him and he hadn’t been this head over heels for a girl in a long time. His arm was slung over her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder and he could feel her fingers moving through his hair and over his shoulders. He smiled at the touch and pressed his lips against her skin, pulling her closer and nuzzling against her neck. “Let’s just stay here today,” he said, lifting his head slightly to run kisses up to her ear. “I’ll bring you breakfast in bed if you stay naked.” Emi turned her head, blushing slightly before smiling at him as he moved to catch her mouth with his. He expected her to argue and tell him that they had things to do like fighting or demon killing or even work. He was surprised when she didn’t, kissing him back before she smiled at him. “Okay,” she said, and the answer made him grin. He rolled onto his back, his hands still touching her skin as he pulled her into the circle of his arms. She went easily, holding onto him just as tightly and that still surprised him. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay here and more importantly, she wanted to stay with him. He didn’t know what this was exactly, but it felt honest and good and he was happy with her and it blew his mind that she wanted to stay as badly as he wanted her to. He squeezed her tightly in hug, pressing a kiss to her lips before he rolled himself out of bed. He grabbed his boxers off the floor, tugging them over his hips before he turned around and for a moment he just stood there and stared at her. She was lying on her stomach across his bed, sheets tangled around her and her hair dark and tangled around her face. She was amazing and beautiful and she was here with him and that made his heart catch in his throat. He walked back to the edge of the bed, leaning over her with arms braced next to her head. He pressed a kiss to her lips and then pulled his head back, looking her in the eye. “Are you my girl?” he asked quietly. He kept his voice steady as he asked and he wasn’t sure why but he was suddenly nervous. He moved his hand to cup her cheek, thumb running across her skin as he scanned her face and he wanted her to say yes. He wanted her to be his girl and he wanted her to stay with him and the only way that was going to happen was if he got that fucking amulet fixed. He just wanted to make sure she’d still want him if he did. He didn’t think he could take watching her walk away from him. She tilted her head to the side, chewing on her lip as she watched him and it was scaring him that she hadn’t answered yet. “And what does it mean to be your girl?” she asked. He let out a breath as a playful smile made its way across her lips and she was beautiful. He laughed quietly, ducking his head so that his lips were hovering over hers. “It means I get to do this,” he said, pressing them against hers and kissing her fiercely. Her hand rose to cup the back of his head and hold him there and it made his blood burn that she returned it with equal passion. Then he pulled his mouth away, dropping it to her neck. “Whenever I want.” She laughed. It was small and quiet and she bit it off as soon as she did but he’d heard it. “And if I say yes, does that make you mine?” Sly grinned, kissing her one more time before he pushed himself back to his feet. He started sauntering backwards towards the door, grabbing his pants off the ground as he went. “Baby,” he said, grinning at her and holding his arms out. “I’m already yours.” The smile that broke across her face was warm and beautiful and it made his grin widen when she pulled the sheets up over her mouth. “Good,” she told him, and it made him laugh. He thought about her wanting her sheathed sword tattooed on her back and maybe that was already answer enough. She wanted to stay with him. She wanted to be done with her duty and just be his girl and he thought if he could have that, if he could keep her, then maybe his life could be something good again. “Sly,” she called after him, and he glanced over his shoulder at her. She pulled the sheets down from her lips and he could see the smile there. “Yes,” she told him. The grin on his face was wide and honest and he was still smiling as he walked into the other room. She was amazing and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of her skin or the smell of her all around him and he just wanted to make her eggs and get back in there so that he could spend the rest of the day with her. The unspoken was that maybe they were enjoying today because tomorrow she could be gone. If they couldn’t find the rest of the amulet then he would lose her. He wondered if there would be any other chance to stop it. He didn’t know how it would happen and he didn’t want to ask now because today they were happy and he wasn’t going to ruin it. He wondered what the amulet would do. Maybe it would just stop her from being the Guardian. Maybe it freed her from her duty and he wondered what would happen if they found the piece before the last demon. Would that make someone else the Guardian? Would they still be trying to kill Sly, because he didn’t think taking her out of it would do the same to him. He was still marked, he’d still opened the stupid book. He scratched at his chest as he made breakfast, glancing down at it for a moment and looking at all the animals on his chest now. There were six of them and that snake and he wondered if he would be stuck with it when this was over or if they would all just disappear as soon as the last demon was dead. It was weird to think that they could pull it off because when he’d started this he’d been sure he was going to end up dead. That was all he’d been able to think of but now everything was different. Now he couldn’t help but think there were worse things than that. He could lose Emi, either by watching her die or by watching her win and being too slow and stupid to figure out a way for her to stay before that happened. It wouldn’t be the first time someone left him or ditched him but he thought it would be one of the hardest to get over because he wanted her to stay and she said she wanted the same. If he lost her now then he would be breaking that promise to her and he hated that thought. He was a bastard, a thief, a cheat, and a liar, but he didn’t want to be those things to her. She said he was wonderful. “I made eggs and toast,” he said, holding two plates in his hands as he walked back into the bedroom. “But if you don’t eat the toast I won’t be offended. It’s uh… Cajun style.” She was still stretched out under the sheets, her arms wrapped around a pillow and her eyes lidded and sleepy. He grinned, moving to settle cross legged on the bed next to her. Emi smiled at him, pushing herself into a sitting position and holding the sheets to her chest. She picked up a piece of toast and looked at the blackened thing curiously before she looked up at his face. He watched her bite her lip and then set it back down on the plate, shaking her head at him. “Thank you,” she said, picking up a fork to start eating her eggs. He watched her for a moment and then picked up his own plate, shoveling them unceremoniously into his mouth. She watched him for a moment, something like a barely restrained smile on her face and she covered her mouth for a moment, ducking her head. “Alright,” he said, pointing at her with the fork. “So I think you should tell me something else about yourself.” Emi made a face, wrinkling her nose at him before shaking her head. “You first,” she said, taking a bite of her eggs. She chewed them slowly but they seemed to pass inspection and she nodded her head before she looked back up at him. She studied his face for a moment, toying with the fork in her fingers before she looked away. “What happened to your parents?” she asked quietly. The question made his face fall for all of a second before he forced a grin across his lips. He shrugged his shoulders, going back to eating his eggs but he couldn’t quite meet her eyes. He almost lied to her. It was on the tip of his tongue that he didn’t fucking know and he didn’t care but he couldn’t say it because she’d asked and he didn’t want to ever be a liar to her. “They didn’t want me,” he said, scratching at the back of his head. “It’s no big deal. I mean, I should consider myself lucky, right? At least I didn’t get aborted.” She was quiet for a moment and it brought his gaze up to hers. She was watching him and he didn’t know what the look was but he cleared his throat nervously. Then he felt her hand slide into his and she squeezed it tightly. “I want you,” she told him quietly. Then she blushed and ducked her head but it was enough to put an honest smile back on his face. He chuckled, pulling her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. “Well good,” he said. “Otherwise you’d be the biggest tease in the world right now. And as hot as that is, I’m getting kind of tired of cold showers.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she just smiled and shook his head. He finished his eggs, putting the plate aside on the nightstand before he focused all his attention back on her. “Alright babe,” he said. “It’s your turn. Something about you.” She hesitated for a moment, looking down at the eggs still on her plate and he just watched her because she was beautiful and curled in his bed and he didn’t think she understood just what that meant to him. Maybe because he still didn’t, but it meant something. Then she lifted her head and her voice was serious. “You said once that you hoped I would not forget you as easily as the others.” He swallowed hard and then nodded his head. A wry smile pulled at his lips and he tipped his head to the side. “Well, yeah,” he said. “Though that doesn’t matter now because I’m going to get you out of this.” He said it with conviction and he hoped she believed it because he wanted to. Maybe if he said it enough times it would make it true because the alternative was just too much to think about. His hand reached forward and pushed her hair behind her ear, eyes lingering on her face. She smiled before it faltered and fell away, looking down at her lap. “That bothered me,” she said, and he frowned because he hadn’t even remembered saying it. “I do not forget any of them. I remember their names and their faces. It is just… it is hard to think about. If I think only about my duty now then I do not have time for regrets. It does not hurt as much.” Sly smirked, keeping his hand on her face. He leaned forward and kissed her and she kissed him back but her eyes stayed open, watching his face. “I can understand that,” he told her after he pulled back. He watched her for a moment and then he smirked, ducking his head to look into her eyes. “Admit it though,” he said. “I’m totally your favorite.” A small smile pulled at her lips and it looked almost sad. He tried not to think about that. He tried not to think about the time limit that might be on this because he was falling for her and he was going to find a way to keep her. He had to. “Yes,” she agreed. “You are.” Wenston “What is this one called?” Emi asked as she curled up on Sly’s couch. He was in the kitchen and she could hear the microwave going. She was still hesitant around that thing, unsure exactly how it could cook things without requiring fire. She heard popcorn popping and she knew that sound by now. Watching Sly’s movies was one of her favorite things to do with him. He was very patient with her when she asked him what things were. Sly was drumming his fingers on the counter top as he waited for the popcorn to pop. He turned to look over his shoulder at her and there was a grin on his face. It had been a constant thing today and she loved it. She didn’t regret having sex with him. A part of her had thought that she would, but she didn’t. Not even a little bit. She was happy and he was happy and if later that changed, she’d deal with it. But right now, she was content. “The Magnificent Seven,” Sly said. “It’s a Western, you’re gonna love it.” Emi made a face as she leaned over the back of the couch. She was wearing one of Sly’s sweatshirts and her last pair of jeans. She was going to have to go clothes shopping again soon, but she didn’t want to bother Sly with it. The sweatshirt hung down off her shoulder because she was a lot smaller than he was. Everything he owned was big on her, but she didn’t mind. Everything he owned smelled like him and she wanted to be reminded him every second of the day. “Western?” she asked. Sly nodded. “Yeah, like Wild, Wild West?” he waggled his eyebrows at her, but she just shook her head, having no clue what he was talking about. Sly sighed and scratched at his cheek. “Let’s see, how do I explain the Old West to you? Well, there were lots of guns and cowboys and sand. Oh and poker games.” Emi smiled. He was cute when he had to concentrate hard. “Cowboys?” she interrupted. Sly snorted. “Guys that ride around on horses and wear big hats. The girls go wild for them.” He paused and gave her a look. “Maybe we should watch a different movie.” Emi smiled and pressed her mouth against the couch to hide it from him. He grinned and he must have seen it. The microwave dinged and he grabbed a bowl out of his cupboard, opening the bag and pouring it in. He scooped it up and grabbed the remote on his way over to the couch. As he slid down onto it, Emi scooted closer to him and she tucked her legs beneath her, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. He chuckled, situating himself and setting the popcorn down. “Why do girls go wild for them?” she asked. “Babe, that’s one of the many wonders of the world,” Sly said, clicking the remote to start the movie. “I think it’s got something to do with the wild, untamed…machismo or something.” At the face she made, he laughed and ran his hands through her hair, brushing it out of her face. “I’ll tell you what, I’m not against a little roleplay. If it turns out you like cowboys, I’ll buy a hat for your birthday.” He grinned, but it turned into a frown and he looked down at her. “When is your birthday, by the way?” Emi tipped her head, still leaned against his shoulder to look up at his face. “The celebration day of my birth?” she asked and he chuckled, but nodded. She smiled and tightened her arms around his waist, but then shook her head. “I never had one,” she told him. Sly’s eyes widened and he sat up, pulling back from her a little, but keeping his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him curiously because he looked upset and she didn’t understand why. “You’ve never celebrated your birthday?” he asked, looking mortified. She shook her head again. “There was never a need to,” she told him. “Okay, change of plans,” he said and grabbed the remote. He clicked the magic box off just as the music started playing and Emi glanced at its darkening glass screen before she looked back at him, confused. “If you’ve never celebrated your birthday, that means you’ve never had birthday cake and that is just unacceptable.” He stood up and walked over to the table, grabbing his keys and his wallet. He turned back around to look at her. “Come on, we’re going out.” Emi pouted a little. “I thought you wanted to stay here today,” she told him, pulling the sleeves of her borrowed sweatshirt down over her hands. Sly grinned. “Trust me babe, this won’t take long.” He walked back over to the couch and before she could stop him, he was scooping her up. She let out a yelp and bit her lip to keep from laughing as he carried her to the door. “I can walk,” she told him as he swung the door open. She gripped his shoulders tightly and then quickly added, “I need Kaidokusuru.” Her eye went to her sword in the corner of his apartment and as he stepped over the threshold of the door out into the hallway, she couldn’t help the slight spike of panic that raced through her. She squirmed heavily against him and he finally set her down. He watched as she rushed back into the apartment, grabbed her sword and then came out again, looking a little embarrassed, but he looked like he understood. “One day, you’re not going to need to carry that everywhere,” he told her as he closed the door and locked it, reaching to take her hand. She let his fingers twine with hers and the other hand held Kaidokusuru down near her side. “That is not today,” she told him quietly and she saw the smile falter on his face for just a moment before he plastered it back on. She thought of the amulet hanging around her neck and she resisted the urge to reach up and run her fingers over it. It was the key, but it wasn’t whole yet and she needed it to be. Desperately. She was almost afraid to make Sly ask the Grimoire where the missing part was. Maybe it was in one of the worlds they’d already been to? She’d never gone back to a world after defeating its demon. She didn’t even know if it was possible. There were still demons left that could have it. And it only got harder from here on out. And then there was always the chance that Takeru had it. That scared her the most. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if that was the answer. Whenever she fought Takeru, she always gave it her all. But if he had the missing piece of the amulet, then she would give more. She’d give more than she’d ever given before. Because she wasn’t going to leave Sly. She was determined. They walked a ways down the sidewalk and whenever they went walking, Emi was always wide eyed, taking in the world. Things were so different and she still wasn’t used to everything. Cars made her nervous. The buildings were too tall. There were planes high in the air that she thought were dragons until Sly had told her otherwise. The people were curious. It was a different, scary world. But she loved it because it was Sly’s. “Here we are,” Sly said and grinned as he opened the door to a store for her. She frowned and stepped inside. Immediately she was assaulted with sweet smells. Sly slung his arm around her waist and pulled her along as he walked up to a counter. “Hey man,” he said to the kid behind the counter. “Two birthday cake cones.” Emi watched the kid grab a spoon and start scooping something out of a large tub. She didn’t understand what it was and as Sly paid the kid and handed her one of the cones, she found it was cold to the touch. Sly grinned as he ushered her towards a small round table. “It’s ice cream,” he told her. “Birthday cake ice cream. I mean, you’ll practically feel your arteries clogging while you eat it and you may go into a sugar coma afterwards, but it’s awesome. Try it.” Emi tried it slowly. She’d learned her lesson from the first time she tried the blue slushies. As she took a small bite, she brought her hand up to her lips. She made a face and looked at Sly. “It is sweet,” she told him. He laughed and took a bite of his own. She watched him get some on the side of his mouth that he didn’t seem to know was there. She smiled and before he could stop her, she was leaning across the table and kissing the ice cream off his skin. She sat back down and Sly had an amused look on his face. “Yours tastes better,” she told him. .Wolfie. Sly grinned and then he lifted his cone, smearing some of it on the tip of her nose. Her eyes widened in astonishment at him before he leaned forward and licked it off her skin, a Cheshire cat grin on his lips as he hovered in front of her. “Why yes it does,” he said, before he ducked his head and kissed her. She wrinkled her nose at him as he leaned back and he couldn’t help but laugh as she worked on wiping the rest of it off with his borrowed shirtsleeve. It was big on her but he didn’t mind because the sleeves kept slipping off her shoulders. He liked her in his clothes. It made him feel like it was the truth when she said she’d be his girl. It was comfortable and familiar and it made him forget about the demons and the book and the things that had brought her to him. All that really mattered was her. “So,” he said, leaning back in the chair. He rested one hand behind his head and the other held his ice cream cone as he worked on it. “Do you know even know what day your birthday is?” She shook her head, crossing one leg under her and holding the cone with two hands. “No,” she said. He frowned at that and it bothered him that she didn’t even seem to notice why that was wrong. He’d had a couple of shitty birthdays where all he’d gotten was a healthy beating, but he’d had some good ones too. Mostly after he’d turned eighteen and graduated from the foster system. Then it was easier to make his own fun, usually involving a lot of liquor and whatever else he could get his fingers on. He didn’t like that she didn’t even know what day it was on, because how was he supposed to make up for lost time otherwise? “Alright,” he said. “Well, it’s what, May something? Sixteenth? From now on that’s your birthday. So next year I’ll have to throw you a big party or something but for now when you’re done with that I’m going to get you a present.” He nodded his head, having decided that and he went back to eating his ice cream cone. She glanced up at him for a moment, her brow furrowed. “But I don’t need a present,” she told him. Then she went back to eating her ice cream cone and he grinned because it was starting to melt and she looked annoyed when she got it on her fingers. He chuckled, shaking his head. “Of course you do. Everybody needs presents, and anyway I don’t think I stuttered when I said I was going to get you one.” He grinned at her, finishing his up before leaning back in the chair, his fingers laced behind his head. She glanced up at him and he saw her smile before she leaned forward, lips brushing over his skin and tasting the sweetness left around his mouth. He grinned as her teeth tugged at the hoop in his lip for a second and one hand dropped to her arm, fingers tugging the shirtsleeve down to expose one shoulder where a koi fish had been left in ink. Then she pulled back, returning to eating her ice cream cone. Her tongue came out to try and clean it off the sides and his grin widened because he was a dirty pervert who just liked watching her. It made it worse when she went to suck some of the ice cream off her thumb and he thought she had to be teasing him. “You said we were staying in today,” she reminded him, glancing at his face. “And we will,” he said, nodding his head. He didn’t tell her that if she kept doing that then it was going to be sooner rather than later. “As soon as I buy you something unnecessary for your new birthday.” He saw her smile before she wiped it away and tried to pretend she didn’t and it made his smile widen because it was adorable when she did that. He waited until she finished her ice cream and then he pulled her up by one hand. She followed him easily as he led her out of the ice cream shop and out onto the street. He glanced at her face when they stepped onto the sidewalk because she always looked so fascinated by everything around them and he loved it. He wondered if she’d ever celebrated Halloween or Christmas or New Years or St. Patrick’s Day because that one was his favorite. He wondered if she’d ever flown in a plane or on a motorcycle and he thought the answers to all of those questions were no. He wanted to show her those things. He wanted to show her everything and he wondered if she really understood what she’d done to him. She made him happy. She made him forget that he used to be this asshole who stole a lot and did a lot of drugs and made him think that maybe he could be someone else. She made him think he could be a man worth sticking around for. He was happy, and that meant he should have expected his bad karma to catch up with him. They were just outside the mall when he heard the loud, unnaturally happy voice break through the air. “Pussy cat!” a woman shouted, and he felt his blood run hot and then cold when he heard it. Not because of who it was, but because of what she meant to him. What she’d always meant to him, and that was the best and cheapest source of heroin around. He felt Emi’s hand tighten on his but he was already stopping and turning around. His mouth was dry and his palms suddenly felt clammy and cold. “Hey sugar,” he said, smiling at her and letting out a huff of air as she threw her arms around him in a hug. She pulled back, one hand lingering on his arm and the other tipping her sunglasses up so she could get a better look at him. Her eyes were dilated and the smile on her face wasn’t kept there through anything nature made. She grinned at him and then her eyes flicked to Emi and the smile widened. “Aw babe,” she said. “What did I tell you about walking around in his clothes? You telling me the man can’t shell out and buy you a little black dress or something?” Then her head turned towards Sly and he was just surprised she’d remembered Emi. “You,” she said, poking him in the chest. “You got a new dealer or something? I haven’t heard from you in weeks.” “Come on Ash, it’s not like that,” he told her, and it wasn’t. He licked his lips and he glanced towards the purse she carried with him and suddenly the urge was hitting him hard and heavy. There was money in his wallet and he knew she was carrying something. He would take anything. He would take heroin if he could get it but he would settle for coke or pot or anything she might have in that fucking bag of hers because he’d been sober for weeks now and he let go of Emi’s hand so he could scratch at his arms. “Oh no?” she said, cocking her hip to the side. “Then what’s it like, Sly Sylvester? You telling me that gram I sold you lasted you for a fuckin’ month? Don’t try and sweet talk me, just tell me if you’re cheatin’ on me. I don’t think that’s fair after the deal I cut you.” “He doesn’t do that anymore,” Emi said. Sly licked his lips again and glanced down at her when she spoke. She looked uncomfortable and her gaze was shuttered and closed off. She looked up at him and for a moment he recognized that look on her face and he was surprised at the junkie part of him that suddenly railed in his chest and wanted to scream at her. The look was the same one she’d worn when she told him that she’d done it once and if she had to she’d do it again. She’d had it on her face when she’d first thrown his drugs out the window and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth and looked away because if he kept looking at her he was going to think about how painful that had been and how he’d never really chosen that path and it wasn’t fucking fair for her to keep him on it. He would get mad that she’d done that to him because she hadn’t had any right and he realized that his hands were shaking. He flexed the one and tried to keep it still but it wasn’t listening to him because he wanted it. “Aw, honey, is that true?” Ash asked. She tipped her head to the side to look into his face and she seemed surprised for a moment after he focused on her. “Well, good for you then. You go to the clinic?” At his small head shake her eyes widened slightly. “You go all cold turkey? You know, I could have sold you some methadone instead if I’d know you were going that route.” “Well, I would have asked for it if I’d known myself,” he told her, a small bitter smile on his face. He saw Emi cross her arms over her chest and look at the ground but he just kept scratching away at his arms because his skin was itching and she was right fucking here. Ash looked like she didn’t know what to do with that so she just smiled and gave his arm another squeeze. “Well, you need anything you know where to find me then. You want to relapse I can help you with that and when you’re done I can help you sober up again.” She grinned and then leaned in to kiss his cheek and he held still and let her. Then she let him go, taking a step back and putting the glasses back on her face. “See you around pussy cat,” She waved and then she was walking away. He let her. He didn’t want to. He really didn’t want to because she’d been standing in front of him and he had money and he could be high within ten minutes if he’d just said the word to her. He could have been shooting up on the bathroom floor and he could feel that mind blowing euphoria that made the whole world seem a thousand times better than it did when he was sober. He could have had that but he kept his mouth shut even though he was dragging his nails down his skin and leaving welts in their wake and he started when he felt Emi’s hands close around his wrists. He looked down and she was holding onto them, staring at the ground and not at him and if he didn’t know better he would think she looked on the verge of tears. He didn’t think that was very fucking fair because she wasn’t the one with insects crawling around in her veins. A shiver passed through him and then he licked his lips and tried to forget about it. He tried not to let it bother him and he tried to think that she wasn’t just a phone call away. His hand moved to take Emi’s and she glanced at his face when he did. “Come on,” he told her. She didn’t say anything and he didn’t know what she was thinking but she let him hold her hand and she let him lead her into the mall. He didn’t know what to say because he thought anything that came out of his mouth right now would be something he’d regret. He would hate himself because he was just a fucking junkie and he didn’t think she understood that yet. She wouldn’t until he fucked up and couldn’t take it back and he hated it and he hated himself right now because she’d just told him she was his girl. They were supposed to stay in bed all day and he wished now they’d never left because he’d been happy and content and now he felt like he was detoxing all over again because he’d just stood there and let Ash walk away. He tried to push it down but his teeth kept pulling at the hoop in his lip and he had to keep flexing his hands to keep them from scratching bloody lines in his arms. His heart was pounding loudly and his mouth was dry and he was having a hard time breathing. It didn’t change anything. He kept telling himself that, over and over again. He’d just run into her at the mall. It didn’t mean he had to call her the next chance he got, but he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t do that anyway. He glanced at Emi and she was being sad and quiet and he realized that he was too. He wasn’t talking, he wasn’t bothering her or asking her questions and he wasn’t smiling. He squeezed her hand and she glanced up at him, watching his face. “I’m sorry,” he told her quietly, and he wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for but he felt like he should. He saw some of the tension leave her shoulders at the words and she nodded her head, even if she didn’t say he was forgiven. Wenston He’d bought her a music box. She’d seen them before, but they were usually only owned by royalty or the very wealthy. Never in her life had she dreamed she’d ever own one and maybe that’s why Sly had bought it for her. He’d been walking around the store suggesting things and the tone of voice he’d used when he’d suggested the music box told her that he’d been joking. But she’d been so surprised the store had music boxes and she didn’t move on with him when he’d tried to pull her to another shelf. So he’d bought it for her.It wasn’t big and she couldn’t put much in it, but she loved it. She hadn’t even let them put it in a box for her. She just taken it and she had it wound and playing the entire walk home. It was a wooden box with a rose engraved into the lid. When she opened it, a blue bird twirled to a soft, sweet melody and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen in her life. She decided as they walked that she liked birthdays and she wondered when Sly’s was and what she would get him in return. She focused on it and laid her head on Sly’s shoulder and they walked in silence back to his apartment. Emi was trying not to be scared by his silence. Sly was never quiet. He was practically twitching beneath her touch and he was so tense she thought he was going to hurt himself. But she didn’t comment on it because she didn’t know what to say to make it better. He’d run into someone who used to give him his poison and she knew the look on his face. He wanted it. Or he was torn between wanting it and wanting to stay sober. If he didn’t, they both knew she wouldn’t hesitate to take away the poison again. He didn’t need it in his life. By the time they got back, it was starting to get dark out. Sly unlocked his apartment and Emi walked to the coffee table and set the music box down gently on the edge of it. She watched it for a little while longer and then she turned her head to look at Sly, expecting him to be looking at her because he was always looking at her. Only this time he wasn’t and she felt the smile, no matter how small it had been, slip from her face. Sly was leaned against the counter, his back to her. He was running his hands over his face and she could see how tense his shoulders were even from where she crouched next to the table. When he let his hands fall from his face, she could see them shake near his sides and she bit her lip as he went to the fridge and pulled out a beer, popping the top and leaning over the sink and he still wasn’t looking at her. She wondered if he was mad. She wondered if seeing that girl today reminded Sly of the nasty things he’d called her when he’d been feverish in bed after she’d taken his drugs away. She wondered if that girl reminded him that he’d said he hated her once. Shutting the music box drew Sly’s attention and he turned and finally looked at her and when he did, she could see the distant, torn look in his eyes. He looked a million times more tired than he’d been when they’d left to get ice cream. He probably wouldn’t want to watch the movie they’d started and maybe they could just go to bed so she could keep her arms around him all night and help him forget that he’d seen that girl today. Maybe she could help him remember what he had now. “You should take a shower,” he said before she had a chance to say any of that to her and the words were like a strike in the face. They’d come out harsh and grating on his throat and he cleared it afterwards, his eyes darting across her face like he wasn’t sure why he’d just said that. Emi thought she knew. He probably did too, but didn’t want to admit it. As she stood, she nodded and walked towards him. She stopped in front of him but she didn’t touch him. She just sighed and looked in his face. “You are strong, Sly,” she told him quietly. “You need only remember that.” He just chewed on the hoop in his lip and she sighed again, leaning forward to kiss him lightly on the cheek before she turned back around and went into the bathroom. The moment the door closed behind her, she felt like crying and she wasn’t sure why. She was thinking about him saying he hated her and about Krystal saying he’d never love her more than his drugs. She wondered if that was true. She wondered if he really would go back to that life while she was still here. And that thought almost did send her over the edge because it made her realize that she still thought she wouldn’t be with him in the end. She hurried forward and started the water, one hand over her mouth. She sat on the edge of the tub and just tried to get her emotions under control because it wasn’t his fault. It was his poison and the draw it held over him. It took a moment for her to realize she could hear talking coming from the living room. She frowned and stood, leaving the water running. Opening the door slightly, she peered out and Sly was sitting at the table, the phone in his hand. She strained to hear what he was saying and when she did, her heart skipped a beat. “Ash, it’s me,” he was saying. “Look, I…” he trailed off and ran a hand over his face and that’s all Emi needed to hear. He was strong, but that didn’t mean he didn’t need a helping hand every once in a while. Throwing the door open, she hurried across the room. He turned to look over his shoulder at her, his eyes wide like he’d been caught in the act and he had been. She reached for the phone, but he held it away from her. “Emi,” he growled at her and she didn’t like it when he got mean. He only ever got that way when his drugs were involved. “Just leave it alone,” he snapped at her. “You are stronger than this,” she told him calmly, leaning into him and reaching for the phone. He curled it in on himself and turned to glare at her. “It’s not what you think,” he tried and they both recognized it for the lie that it was coming from his lips. Emi tried not to let it sting that he was lying to her. So far as she knew, he’d never lied to her and she wasn’t going to count this because he wasn’t in his right mind. “Emi,” he snapped again when she wasn’t letting up. Her hands were prying at his around the phone as she was trying to steal it away. He must have gotten desperate and she hadn’t seen it coming, but suddenly his elbow swung back and popped her in the mouth. She gasped and stumbled back at that, hand coming to her lip and then they both froze. Sly was looking at her over his shoulder and she’d never seen his eyes so wide or his face so horrified. She was torn between being proud of him for doing what she’d shown him when she’d been trying to teach him how to fight and being hurt and upset because he’d used it on her when she was trying to help him. He hadn’t meant to, she knew it from the look on her face, but it didn’t take the sting out of it. She pulled her fingers away from her lip and there was blood trickling over her skin. That seemed to snap Sly out of it. “Jesus, Emi…” he breathed out, hanging the phone up and shoving it away before he was out of his seat and coming over to her. She didn’t mean to, but she took a step backwards and he froze when he saw that, his hands held out to her, but he curled them into loose fists when she flinched as he came near. He ran his hands through his hair and grit his teeth like he couldn’t believe he’d just done that and then he was coming forward again. “Baby, I’m so sorry,” he tried and she believed him when he said that. As he got close, Emi let out a staggered breath and held her hand out, catching him in the chest and keeping him away from her. He looked hurt at that, but she didn’t know what to do. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute and she was thinking about the amulet around her neck and the music box on the coffee table and his bed and how warm it was. She didn’t say anything as she ducked pass him back towards the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. The shower was working on steaming up the mirror, but she could still see her reflection and the blood on her lips and she wiped it away and didn’t know what to do. She thought she should go back out there in case he tried to call again, but she couldn’t get herself to do it. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and she crushed them shut so they wouldn’t fall. She didn’t cry over pain. And this was nothing. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. .Wolfie. He’d forgotten.Sly had forgotten just who and what he was but he sure as fuck remembered now. He was nothing and nobody, a worthless junkie and he was stupid to think that was ever going to change. There had always been that voice in the back of his head that told him he was going to fuck up and relapse or do something worse but that he actually had hurt so much worse than he’d thought. He’d hit her. He’d hit Emi in the mouth and he’d made her bleed and sorry wasn’t going to cut it. He’d never hit a girl before, not even Krystal and she’d fucking deserved it sometimes. Now he’d hit Emi and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. She didn’t want him touching her anymore. She didn’t want to look at him and she didn’t want him near her and he was pretty sure that whatever they’d had this morning was gone. He’d lost it in one quick blow and he couldn’t even be mad about it because it was his own stupid fault. Everybody knew that Sly didn’t care about anything but himself and his drugs and it wasn’t fair that he hadn’t warned Emi about that. It wasn’t fair that he’d gone ahead and believed his own lies and wasn’t that just the best magic trick in the world? He’d managed to trick himself. He deserved a medal or something for that. Maybe a theatre named after him. He didn’t stay. If he was half the wonderful man she’d thought he was then he would have. He would have knocked on the bathroom door or waited for her to come out and then he would have apologized in every language he knew. He would have helped clean the blood off her lip and bought her a blue slushie or something to make up for it because it was her birthday for God’s sake and he’d smacked her in the mouth. He would have groveled and begged and spent all night trying to make up for it. He didn’t. He put his keys and his wallet in his back pocket and then he left. He went straight to the payphone across the street and promised Ash the two hundred dollars in that wallet in exchange for the poison that got him in this mess. She met him at a diner in south side and he liked her because she knew when not to ask questions. She didn’t ask him where his hot Asian girlfriend was or what the hell all that on the phone had been about. She asked if he wanted her to join him for the night but he told her no because he had to have some kind of fucking line drawn somewhere and he thought that might cross it. That was how he found himself locked in the bathroom at a gas station snorting a fine mix of heroin and cocaine into his nose through a rolled up dollar bill. He would have laughed at himself for acting like some kind of rock star except nothing was really that funny right now. Maybe in a few minutes he would start finding everything a lot funnier but right now he just hated everything. He hated that little part of him that was grateful she’d gone back in the bathroom because that was the only reason he’d managed to leave. He hated that he felt better. He hated that as soon as the drugs hit his system he was leaning over the sink and he felt fucking amazing. He felt like he was a thousand miles in the air with the wind in his hair and all his problems just wasted away. His tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth, his breathing raspy in his chest and his vision blurred. His hands were gripping the sink hard and he just stared at them for a long time because he could hardly recognize them as his. He tipped his head to the side and looked into the mirror and he didn’t recognize the face either. That was enough to make him laugh. He noticed the little things. He noticed the dirt and the grime making his face practically gray on the glass surface. He noticed the rust around all the fixtures and the mold starting to grow and take over the edges. The place was disgusting but he found himself slumping over and falling to the floor anyway. As soon as he hit the tile he was laughing and then he was burying his face in his hands because if he didn’t stop then he would start crying. His head was swimming and the world was turning around him and he couldn’t focus on anything. He couldn’t focus on himself and he couldn’t focus on the ground because it just kept spinning. He’d hit her. He’d never meant to hit her but he had and he’d done it for this and he trembled when he thought that because she’d thought he was stronger than this. He wondered if the joke was on her or on him or maybe on both of them. Then again, there was that little part of him that wondered just what it mattered in the end. She was going to leave him anyway. She was going to die or move on and either way she’d be done with him so what the fuck did it matter if he started back on his self-medicating a little early? He laughed miserably and the thoughts didn’t make him feel any better. “Hey, man,” someone called. “You gonna be out soon?” There was loud knocking on the door and he jerked his head up, hitting it against the side of the sink. He laughed when he realized it didn’t hurt because his whole fucking body was numb. Though that didn’t explain his chest because there was so much pressure there that he was finding it hard to breath. His lungs felt like they were collapsing and he snorted and thought that would just be the perfect way to go. “Yeah,” he managed. The word came out sounding strange because his throat was raw and his tongue was thick and the world was a blurred and unsteady place around him. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and then checked his pockets to make sure that all the drugs he had left were stashed away because he would need them later. Or maybe he should just do them all now. He hesitated, moving his hand to rub at his nose and he wondered if he should just finish snorting what he had because then maybe he could go home and tomorrow he could lie and say he’d never done a thing and there would be nothing on him to prove otherwise. He made it to the door without tripping on his own feet. He tugged it open and a big man with a beard was waiting and he snorted and jerked his head at him. “What’s up, Brawny man?” he said, before pushing past him and out into the parking lot. “Go fuck yourself,” the guy responded, and he laughed as he heard the door slam shut behind him. He kept rubbing his hand over his face and his skin felt numb beneath his fingers. He held his hand out in front of him and flexed it and he couldn’t feel it moving. He could see it, but he couldn’t feel it and he shook his head and was still smiling as he shoved it in his front pocket and started stumbling home. He didn’t know what time it was. He wasn’t sure he cared, only that the cops might. The streetlights were bright over his head and he had to squint every time he walked through a puddle of gold so he watched his feet instead and he stared at his boot laces as they trailed out behind him. He watched them because they took up all of his attention and then he wouldn’t have to think about what he’d done and how he’d managed to fuck up this time and Krystal was right. He should come with a warning label. He was still high when he got back to the apartment but a sliver of fear managed to make its way through the fog in his mind. What if she wasn’t there? What if she’d left? It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been dumped like that but he thought it would hurt worse. His keys jangled in the lock and his other hand was scrubbing across his chest because his lungs still felt like they were being squeezed and he didn’t know or care if it was from the drugs or not. He stumbled a little once he was through the door and he snarled a curse as his hip knocked into the table. He kicked the door shut before he leaned heavily against it and locked it and once that was done he just stayed there, running his hands over his head as the room spun around him. Sly shifted, leaning his back against the door and forcing his eyes to open. The lights were off, the bathroom door open and the bedroom door shut and he closed his eyes after he saw that. He felt his legs give out and he slumped back against the door, his head resting against the wood and he felt a sickening churning in his gut. She hated him now. If she didn’t, she would soon. He wanted to stand up but it seemed like so much work so he kept his head down and crawled across the carpet to the bathroom. Once he got there he used the door to crawl back to his feet and then he braced himself against the sink to stay upright. His fingers tugged the medicine cabinet open and he grabbed the first bottle of pills he found. He thought it was Tylenol but it didn’t really matter and then he was dumping them all down the drain and pulling out the baggie of white he still had left. He shoved it inside the white bottle before he put the childproof cap back on and tucked it back away in the cabinet and it wasn’t until he closed it that he realized his hands had been shaking the whole time. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and he was pathetic. His eyes were sunken and he was pale and covered with a sheen of sweat and here he was crawling around his own apartment to try and hide it. His feet carried him back out into the apartment and he hesitated in the middle of it for a long time. The music box was gone from the table and her sword was gone and he felt that familiar fear sinking into his gut that she was gone and she wasn’t coming back because there was no trace that she was here or had ever been here left. He felt his breath rasping in his throat because that was the last thing he wanted and he didn’t know what to do because he was high and fucked up and gone ahead and hit her. “Emi?” he whispered. His voice sounded small and lost in the darkened room and he closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his throat. He made himself walk to the bedroom and he tried twisting the knob but it was locked. “Emi?” he tried again. His voice was harsh and unrecognizable as his. His fist raised and he knocked quietly on the door and maybe she was sleeping and he should let her be. He was about to head to the couch and just sleep there for the night when the door clicked and opened and the first thing he felt was relief before it was swallowed up by a familiar, dark loathing that he reserved for himself when he was at his best and brightest. She had a split on her lip that he’d put there and he could only stare at that for a moment because he was having a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. He finally got his eyes to move to her face and he immediately looked away because he didn’t know what she was thinking and he was afraid to ask. “Sly,” she said quietly. Her voice was firm and unyielding as she held her hand out and he knew what she was asking for. He shook his head and he heard her sigh. “Hand it to me,” she told him. “I don’t have anything,” he told her. He still couldn’t meet her gaze because he was lying to her and he suddenly felt like crying because he’d thought he could be different for her. He’d thought he could be a better man. A bitter laugh left his throat and he was just staring at her hand as she waited for him to just hand it over like that and then he shook his head again. He didn’t expect the hand that snapped out and grabbed his wrist but he probably should have. She shoved him hard against the wall, her other hand going for his pockets and digging in them. He wanted to make a joke about her manhandling him but he couldn’t. His cheek was pressed against the wood and his eyes were focused on the bed and he could hear the quiet playing of her music box echoing in the room. It was situated on the nightstand next to the bed and the sheets were still rumpled and undone and he felt something choking off the air in his lungs because this had started out as one of the best days he’d had in a long time. It used to be that his drugs set him free. It used to be that he could take them and nothing would hurt anymore and instead it felt like everything hurt now and he felt hot tears making their way down his face. “Where is it?” she demanded after she didn’t find anything. Her hand tugged at his, turning him around and pressing a hand against his chest to keep him there. He tipped his head back and just stared at the ceiling because he couldn’t man up and look at her. “Sly,” she said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. They startled him because his mind was still hazy and drugged and he blinked and focused on her hand. “Where is it?” she asked again, trying to duck her head to look at him. He slumped against the wall after she released him and he finally turned his head to look at her. She still had the amulet dangling from her neck and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and he was way too good at making her cry. He wanted to reach out and hold her but he didn’t think she wanted that anymore and that was his fault. “In the medicine cabinet,” he whispered. She didn’t hesitate, turning and walking away from him to walk into the bathroom. His hand came out and caught her wrist before she went. “I’m sorry,” he told her quietly, and it was the truth. He just didn’t know if it mattered anymore. Wenston Emi yanked her hand out of Sly’s grip. She stared at his face for a moment with her eyes narrowed and she thought he looked pathetic. She thought he looked out of his mind and wild and it was hard to recognize her Sly as the man that was standing here in front of her. Maybe this wasn’t her Sly. When he was on his drugs, maybe her Sly just went away. It would be easier if they were two separate people. But they weren’t. They were one in the same and she was trying to decide if she should feel stupid for disobeying every rule she’d set out for herself or terrified that she was losing him to himself. When she’d come out of the bathroom to find the apartment empty, she’d nearly gone out to tear down the whole city she was so eager to find him. She didn’t want him out there by himself. She didn’t want him unprotected from Takeru, from his Russians, from anyone else who wanted to hurt him but most especially himself. She knew it had been weak of her to go back into the bathroom and block herself off from him and maybe that was the only reason now that she was going to give him another chance. She didn’t say anything to his quiet, broken apology. She just turned around and threw open the bathroom door, rifling through the medicine cabinet. She pulled open bottles and when it wasn’t what she was looking for, she just tossed them aside and she didn’t care if she was wasting his things. This needed to be done. He needed a wake up call. She found the bag stuffed inside a little white bottle. She pulled it out with her fingers and threw the bottle away from her because now there was anger building up in her chest. Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears and she was going to keep them unshed. She wasn’t going to cry in front of him over this. He knew what he’d done. Now he just needed to know the consequences and what he faced if he ever did this again. Pulling the amulet from around her neck, Emi stalked back out into the living room and Sly had slumped to the floor, his knees pulled up and his elbows resting on them. His hands were over his mouth and there were tears on his cheeks and she felt bad for him even when she thought she shouldn’t. He looked up at her when he heard her come out and his eyes went immediately to the baggie in her hand, but then to the amulet in the other and he frowned, letting his hands fall away from his face. “Emi?” he asked and he sounded small and scared. She came to stand in front of him and she held both hands out to either side. The amulet swung in her fingers and the baggie was curled in her fist. She stared down at him and he was looking up at her, lost and confused and drugged. “Choose which one you want more,” she told him, her voice steady but angry. Sly frowned and shook his head. “Em…” he started and when she saw his eyes go to the baggie she felt her heart stop in her chest, but then they quickly darted to the amulet and she willed him to just tell her the truth. That was all she wanted. “Babe, I…” “Choose!” she screamed at him and he jerked, startled by the outburst. One of his hands came back over his mouth and his eyes filled with tears again but he still wasn’t answering her and she was trying really hard not to take that as her answer. The fact that it wasn’t an immediate answer tore into her. She thought about waking up in his arms this morning and how he’d looked at her when they had sex and how he’d taken her to get ice cream and laughed and joked and it was hard to believe this was the same man. “Choose!” she yelled again, this time kicking at one of his feet with her own. “I’m not a good person,” he croaked out, shaking his head along the wall. She sneered at him because that wasn’t an answer. She bent and shook both the amulet and the baggie at him. “You cannot have both,” she snarled. “If you choose this,” she shook the baggie at him. “I will smash this to bits,” she shoved the amulet at him and he flinched when it almost hit him in the face. She let out a breath, trying to calm herself down. “You must choose,” she said, looking him the eye and she wasn’t playing around. Again his eyes went to the baggie first and Emi was ready to shove it at him and smash the amulet then and there. But then he gave a sob as if it physically hurt for him to look away and his attention and hands came to the amulet. He grabbed it from her and pulled it to his chest and he looked at her face, shaking his head. “I need you,” he said, his voice surprisingly strong and she recognized that as the truth. Emi jutted her jaw and shoved him hard in the chest, knocking him back against the wall. She pointed at him with the hand that was still holding the baggie and her voice was low and dangerous when she spoke. “The next time you choose it over me, I will leave. And I will never come back. Not ever, do you understand?” Sly nodded and she thought he did, but she need more reassurance from him. She snatched the amulet out of his hands and shoved the baggie in them and Sly’s eyes widened, his gaze snapping to her face. She didn’t say anything as she stood back up, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet. He stumbled a little, but she didn’t give him time to catch his balance before she was dragging him to the bathroom. He tripped and she slammed him against the sink, holding him upright before she pointed at the toilet. “You throw it away this time,” she told him. Sly’s face crumpled and he shook his head at her. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Her face didn’t even change as she watched his because she knew he was. “Prove it,” she told him. “Are you still my girl?” he asked and his voice was quiet and scared and the words almost broke her. She almost wrapped her arms around him and told him it was okay, she was here now and she wasn’t going to ever let him slip like this again. The words hurt coming out, but she said them anyway. “Not tonight,” she whispered and she saw his face fall and a few more tears slipped from his eyes. Her face softened the tiniest bit and she added, “In the morning, when you are back to yourself, I will be.” He seemed to breathe easier after that and his eyes were still on her. She tightened her grip on his arm and it was the most she was going to touch him tonight. “But not tonight.” Sly seemed to think about that for a moment and she just met his gaze with a steady one of her own because tonight she was not his friend. Tonight she was not his girl or his lover or anything special to him. Tonight she was just the Guardian and she’d slipped in her duties but she would not again. Sly sniffled and then turned and he didn’t hesitate as he tossed the baggie into the toilet. He swallowed thickly as his hand hovered over the handle and he turned back to her. “I didn’t mean to hit you,” he whispered. Emi nodded her head once. “I know.” Then he flushed his drugs away. .Wolfie. Sly woke up on the couch with the familiar taste of cat shit in his mouth and at first he could only lay there because his mind was still fuzzy and he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t in his bed or if he was even still in his own apartment. He blinked and his eyes were gritty and sore, the light stinging them painfully as he opened them. He grimaced and let the lids fall closed, rolling over to drag a pillow over his head and it was all familiar because he’d done this a thousand times before. In a minute he’d figure out where he was and who he was with but right now he was just trying to ignore the headache building in the back of his eyes.There was a quiet swishing noise coming from somewhere behind him but it wasn’t worth it to turn around yet. He heard something rattle and then the sound of the trashcan and that sound wasn’t unfamiliar either. It was the sound of someone cleaning up after a bender or just the mess he’d left and he wondered if it was Krystal and if she was going to bitch at him again for it. He kept his eyes closed, rolling over onto his back and swallowing hard against the dry, nasty taste in his mouth. He frowned when he heard something rattle and clink on top of his chest and he lifted the pillow, cracking his eyes open to look down. His other hand was numb because he’d been lying on it all night but clasped tightly in his fingers was an amulet and as soon as he saw that he wasn’t confused anymore. Reality smashed down on top of him with painful clarity and he shut his eyes against it because it suddenly hurt. He kept his eyes shut and the pillow over his head but as soon as he remembered everything that had happened yesterday he felt the tears sting his eyes and he couldn’t stop them from slipping out the corners. He rolled onto his side, hiding his face against the back of the couch and he wondered if he could just stay asleep. He wondered if he could just close his eyes and stay gone because then he wouldn’t have to face her sober. He wouldn’t have to look at her and remember hitting her and remember leaving her to go get high in some shitty, rundown gas station. He thought about her telling him once that if she were to judge him, she’d judge him lowly and he bet that hadn’t changed. It didn’t take long for him to start drifting off to sleep again and he just stayed like that, sprawled on his side with his mind drifting in and out of consciousness. He was scared to wake up. He was scared to be sober. He was scared of what it meant that he’d picked her over his drugs and he didn’t think she understood how hard it had been for him. Maybe she didn’t want to, but the fact was that Sly didn’t pick anyone over his drugs. He’d tried sobriety for a little while because she’d made him and he didn’t want to detox again. It wasn’t a lie when he said he needed her. He’d told her a couple yesterday, but that one had been the cold hard truth and he needed her more than he needed his drugs. There was a dull, aching fear in him now at how much it would hurt if she left and so much worse if she left because he slipped again. If that happened he might as well overdose on it because there’d be nothing to come back to. The thought of it pulled a sob from his lips and he couldn’t stop himself. His arms wrapped around his chest and tried to hold the pain in but he was weak and he didn’t want her to go. He didn’t want to lose her now that he’d admitted he needed her. He was still shaking and crying against the back of the couch when he felt it sink under the weight of someone else. He hadn’t heard her approach, but then he never did. He wanted to stop crying for her. Yesterday she’d told him he was strong but he didn’t feel strong. He felt pathetic and weak and worthless and even if he was used to being that way, she’d thought better of hm. He flinched when he felt her hand settle on his arm but she didn’t pull away, keeping her fingers on his skin. “Sly,” she said quietly. He didn’t want to look at her. He realized he was scared of what he’d see. He was scared that she’d been lying to him when she said she’d still be his girl in the morning or even if she hadn’t that she’d changed her mind. He was scared that she’d hate him or that she’d tell him they should go back to being friends because that wasn’t good enough. Not anymore. “Sly,” she said again. She squeezed his arm and while it wasn’t gentle, it wasn’t mean either. “Look at me.” Sly sucked in a breath and tried to stop his body from shaking. He lifted one hand to try and wipe the tears and the grit from his eyes and then it moved down his face, rubbing at his nose and scratching at his stubble before he finally rolled over. He tilted his head so that he could look at her, shifting the pillow so that it was under his head instead of covering it. His eyes were dull and tired and he didn’t know what to expect. “What do you need, babe?” he asked quietly. Emi sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes watching his face and her hand still resting on his arm. Her sword sat not far from reach at the end of the couch, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing her own clothes today. It made his heart sink and he just wanted to hide his head and go back to sleep. Maybe when he woke up he would be a better man. Then she nodded her head at the TV and he realized she was holding the remote in her hand. “I can’t get it to work,” she said, glancing back at him. When he didn’t move she took the remote and pressed it into his hand, pointing at the TV. “Make it play.” He stared at her for a moment, eyes widening slightly because it wasn’t what he’d expected. She waited for him, shifting back on the couch and pushing his legs off onto the floor to give herself room to curl up in the corner. He watched her face and he thought she was beautiful, the light from the window illuminating her skin even as it burned at his eyes. He wanted to ask her if she would really leave if he ever slipped again. He wanted to know if she hated him but he was afraid of the answer. Then he swallowed and pointed the remote at the DVD player, pushing the play button before he tossed the remote onto the table. They were quiet for a while, her eyes on the movie and his just watching her. He still held the amulet in one hand and he toyed with the chain because he couldn’t keep his hands still and he was wondering if he should give it back to her. Maybe she didn’t want it and his head finally fell to the side, staring dully at the television and he just felt so tired and wasted. He felt worthless and useless and he didn’t want to get off the couch and maybe that was just the cocaine talking but maybe it was the truth. “I wasn’t lying,” she said after a moment and he blinked, startled at the words. He glanced back at her and she was still curled up in the corner of the couch, her chin resting on her folded arms. “You do it again and I will leave.” She glanced at him to make sure he was paying attention but he couldn’t get himself to look at her. “I know,” he said quietly. He wondered if he hated her a little bit for that. He felt that dark spark of anger in his chest because it was his life and his decisions and she didn’t have the right. It faded as quickly as it came because that wasn’t true anymore. He’d told her yesterday he was already hers. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was still your girl,” she said, her voice a little quieter and that got him to look at her. He focused on her face and she just looked sad now, her eyes studying him like she was waiting for something. She looked hurt and a little scared, her teeth pulling on her bottom lip and that finally got him to push himself upright, shifting closer to her on the couch. His hand came out and he brushed his thumb across the small split, eyes going to hers as he did. “I’m so sorry,” he told her again, and he didn’t think he could say that enough. “I’m sorry for everything.” Her hand came up and pulled his away from her lip, bringing to her lap and just holding it there. “I know you are,” she said, and it wasn’t forgiveness. He didn’t have any right to ask for it and he knew it but he hoped for it anyway. “You proved that.” His head tipped forward, forehead resting against her shoulder. “I know, but it’s the truth babe. I’m so fucking sorry. All of this is my fault.” He shook his head and he didn’t wait for her to respond but his hand was squeezing hers and he couldn’t look at her eyes. “Please don’t leave,” he whispered. “Please. I’m sorry, just don’t leave. I need you.” He felt her lips press against the top of his head, her other hand going around to rest on his neck and the touch was gentle and comforting. It made him breath a sigh of relief just having her hands on him and he leaned into the touch. “I don’t want to,” she told him. It made his face contort with pain because it wasn’t a promise that she would stay and maybe that was because the amulet in his hands was still unfinished. Maybe she wanted it to stay that way now and he was too much of a fucking coward to ask for any reassurances otherwise. “I don’t know the man you are when you’re on your drugs,” she said quietly. “I don’t either,” he said. He shook his head, still resting against her shoulder and he felt her fingers moving soothingly against the back of his neck. She wasn’t pushing him away and he was starting to relax against her, hand still held in hers. “Then why?” she asked him. She shook her head, ducking it to try to look in his eyes and he lifted his head slightly so he could meet her gaze. She looked confused and sad and she opened her mouth to say something but just shut it and tried again. “I don’t understand you sometimes. I don’t understand why you would choose to do that to yourself.” “There’s a lot of reasons, babe. Just no good ones.” He shrugged, letting his head fall back to her shoulder. His other hand was playing with the amulet and he thought about her saying she would smash it in front of him if he couldn’t pick her. He hadn’t know what he was going to say until the words had come out of his mouth. He hadn’t known what he was going to choose but the thought of losing her had hurt worse than being sober. It hurt worse than the small bout of withdrawal he was sure he’d have to go through later. She sighed and then he felt her lips press against the top of his head. “Go shower, Sly,” she told him. “You smell.” He snorted and lifted his head at that. He couldn’t tell if she was being serious or being playful but he managed to smile for her and then he pulled her head in for a kiss. “Alright babe,” he said, smirking at her. “You want to come join me?” “Not this time,” she told him. He nodded his head because he didn’t mistake the answer. He had fucked up and he was still in the dog house but maybe he wouldn’t be there forever. He leaned over her to kiss her forehead one more time before he pushed himself to his feet and then he stopped abruptly because the amulet was still dangling in his fingers. He held it up in his hand, watching it spin in the light before he glanced down at her face. She was watching him but when she saw him looking she held her hand out for it. It drew a smile onto his lips and then he leaned forward, slipping it back over her head. He sighed, bracing himself above her on the couch and trying to memorize her face because she was beautiful and amazing and he wished he could get her to smile again but he was probably going to have a lot of making up to do before then. He almost told her then that he loved her but he thought it might have sounded like a bullshit line some asshole just like him would say to try and get his girlfriend to stop being mad at him. Both of those things could have been true, so he kept it to himself. “Happy belated birthday,” he said instead. Wenston Once Sly was showered and dressed, he came out of the bedroom and Emi regarded him with lidded eyes. She thought he looked something like a dog with its tail between its legs, but she also thought it was fitting and right for him to look that way. He should feel guilty and he should know that he made a mistake and she wasn’t going to make it easy for him to forget that he’d chosen her over his drugs. She was very serious with him. If he slipped again, she’d leave. She’d make sure the seal was closed and if they’d found a way out for her, she’d find her own way in this world. But if she was still the Guardian, she’d deal with that too. Maybe that would have been the easiest way out of all of this. Just to remain the Guardian. The problem with that was she didn’t want it anymore. Whether or not Sly really wanted her, he’d shown her that she wanted more in life than just duty. She wanted to stay and she wanted to stay with Sly, but she wasn’t sure if the second part of that would happen anymore. It was up to him now and she’d do her best to make it hard for him to slip, but when it came right down to it, it was his decision. Her or the drugs. She hoped he chose her. Sly came around the couch and his hair was still wet as he sat down gingerly on the couch next to her. It was like he was walking on eggshells and she didn’t feel guilty at all. She didn’t regret the stipulations she’d given him last night and she still didn’t regret sleeping with him. It was just going to take some time and work to get back to that. He had to prove himself to her again. “What do you want to do today?” he asked her, his voice quiet and she could tell he was still scared and embarrassed and ashamed and it made her happy that he was because it meant he regretted what he’d done. Maybe it would keep him from doing it again. Emi already had the Grimoire out. She’d pulled it from his backpack while he was in the shower and when Sly asked what she wanted to do, she pulled it from beside her and set it on the coffee table. Sly’s eyes went to the Grimoire and she saw pain flash across his features. She kept her hands on the Grimoire as she watched his face and said, “We must get back to work. We have been idle for too long.” Sly glanced up at her and it looked like she’d just smacked him across the face. He licked his lips, leaning forward and his hand came out to take one of hers. She let him, but only because she still wanted him to know that she was there for him. She wanted to be stern for him, but not overpowering so that he’d want to go back to his drugs. “What about the amulet?” he asked. She shook her head. “It will have to wait.” A soft hiss escaped Sly’s lips and she felt his hand tighten around hers. He swallowed and scooted further towards her, his eyes scanning her face and she wondered what he was looking for. “You still want it, right?” he asked, and his voice shook with the question. His thumb moved furiously across her skin, coaxing her to say yes and if she were a weaker person, she would have said it. She would have given in and broken down and told him yes, they needed to find the missing piece. “I do,” she admitted and he relaxed a little, although the look of confusion was still written across his face. She finally squeezed his hand back. “But you need to prove to me you do as well.” Then she pulled her hand from his and pushed the Grimoire over to him. His hands looked lost for a moment and she looked him in the eye because she wasn’t backing down from this no matter how much he begged. Sly looked like he wanted to argue. It looked like he wanted to plead with her and defend himself, but he just raised his hand over his mouth and wiped away whatever he was going to say. He nodded and it looked like defeat on his face and she was worried that she didn’t see determination there, but she didn’t say anything and she didn’t back down. It was his choice. It was in his hands now and if he wanted her, he was going to have to work for it. “Okay,” he said quietly and scooted closer, grabbing the Grimoire and pulling it over to him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering himself before he cleared his throat and forced a smile across his face. She didn’t like how much effort it took. “Alright book, show us who’s next.” The Grimoire flung open and Emi kept her eyes on Sly’s face as he watched the pages flick and turn. For a minute, all she could think was that she hoped he fought for her. She hoped he didn’t just give up and go back to his drugs because that would hurt. It would hurt worse than anything she’d been through before and she hoped he knew that if he did that, he wasn’t only wrecking his own life, but hers. Because no matter what happened, this was and would be the last time she opened up to someone like what she’d done for him. She’d always been cold and shut off and she’d opened up for him and he’d thrown it back in her face. If he did it again, that was it. There was a reason she was so cold. The book finally fell open on a page and Sly frowned, his hand coming up to rub at his chest where the tattoo sat heavily. Emi’s eyes lingered on him for a moment before she turned to look at the picture on the page. This one was different from most of the pictures and she recognized immediately which demon it was. The page had been scribbled dark and the only noticeable features were a set of fangs and two golden eyes. “That looks like fun,” Sly muttered. “Baishun-fu,” she said and she felt his gaze come to her face. She met it with her own steady cold one. “The snake.” “Great,” Sly said, looking back down at the picture and biting at the hoop in his lip. Emi’s eyes trailed down him and back to the picture and for a moment, she was nervous. Baishun-fu had never been an easy demon. “So, what’s he like?” Sly asked, trying to strike up conversation and she appreciated that he was putting forth effort. She appreciated that he was trying, even if it was in miniscule ways. She hoped he kept it up. She didn’t know how much she was going to resist giving into him, but she thought it was going to be a lot. He needed to fight. He needed to be certain she was what he wanted because if in the end it turned out he changed his mind, she was going to hate him. That much she knew. “Not he,” Emi said quietly. “She.” .Wolfie. “Alright,” Sly said. He leaned his head against the back of the couch and he focused on Emi’s face. She was looking down at the book and she looked tense and a little nervous as she looked down at those golden eyes. “So what’s she like?”“She is a whore,” Emi said, and the words were cold and emotionless. She said it like a fact, not an insult. Sly snorted and ran a hand over his mouth to cover the smirk that threatened to pull across his lips. “Tell me how you really feel,” he said dryly. She looked up at him and as soon as she did the smile faltered and fell from his face because the look on hers was cold and unimpressed and he didn’t like it. It reminded him too much of when they’d first met and he’d laughed and told her he was a liar and that he wasn’t really sick. It reminded him of her saying she wished he’d never opened the book and he wondered if she felt the same now. He felt like a burden to her now, nothing but the sealbreaker and he let his gaze drop from her face because that thought hurt. “That is what she is,” she said, and he could feel her eyes on his face but he couldn’t meet them. He looked back down at the book and he focused on the sharp fangs there and for a minute he felt that old fear settle in his gut that one of these times he was going to end up dead. Maybe that was the best way this could end. “That is the form she usually takes. She is a charmer who has easily seduced men and women in the past to do her bidding or die for her as she chooses.” Sly let out a dry humorless laugh, scrubbing his hands over his face. The dull throbbing behind his eyes was intensifying and he was sure it was only going to get worse but he didn’t complain. “I don’t know if I should be scared or excited,” he said. “You should be neither,” Emi snapped, and he was surprised at the force in the words. He let his hands drop away from his eyes to focus on her and she looked cold and annoyed and he’d put that look there. “You should be strong. Now ask it where the door is.” She nudged the book closer and if she noticed the look on his face then she didn’t care. He stared at her face for a moment and he felt doubt settle in his chest because he wondered if she really wanted to stay. She said the words but he wasn’t sure he believed it anymore because even though she’d never lied to him she didn’t look like this was any place she wanted to be. If she did, wouldn’t they be going after the next piece of the amulet? Maybe she was just telling him that to keep him sober and he swallowed hard, looking down at his hands and then at the book resting by his knee. “Emi…” he started, but he didn’t know what he was going to say. He’d already said he was sorry and that wasn’t good enough. Nothing he could say was good enough so he closed his mouth and dragged the book closer to him because if this was what she wanted then this was what he’d do. If she wanted to finish hunting the rest of the demons and get this done and over with than he would do it and if she wanted to leave at the end there was nothing he could do or say to stop her. The thought twisted like a knife in his chest and he thought if that was what she did then he didn’t think it would take long before he went back to his drugs. He was pathetic. Even with her sitting in front of him with that dark look on her face he still wanted them. Even knowing that it was just going to hurt so fucking badly when he came down his body still craved it and he didn’t know how he was supposed to deal with this. He’d done exactly what he said he’d do and he’d slipped the first real chance he’d gotten and if he did it again she was gone. “Hey book,” he said, and his voice sounded rough and unfamiliar as it pulled out of his throat. “Where do we find the door to this snake demon?” he asked. “And I swear, you drop me in any more bodies of water then I’m going to leave you there.” The pages fluttered before he was even done threatening the thing, an invisible wind stirring his hair as it swept through. The familiar gray string rose from its surface, coiling in front of his face in smoky strands. He reached a hand out and closed around it, winding it in his fingers before he shut the thing. The backpack was on the floor and he dragged it over to drop it down inside. He had a rough time trying to zip it with one hand but then Emi reached down to help him. He kept the string in one hand while he got his boots on and he felt weak and sluggish as he moved. It was probably still in his system and he couldn’t wait until later tonight when his body had to kick it all out again. He was sure it was going to be loads of fun, and the only consolation was that it wouldn’t be as bad as last time. He’d probably throw up, maybe spike a fever, and then it would be done. Emi took the backpack from him, going to throw cans of food inside while he got his coat on and the silence that dragged on between them was thick and palpable. He watched her back as she stood at the counter and he knew he deserved this but it still hurt. She came back over to him and her hands were steady and firm as she situated the backpack around his shoulders. He held still and let her and he resisted the urge to reach out and take her hand because yesterday she’d pushed him away and he didn’t think she wanted him touching her. He thought about the way she’d shoved him against the sink and the harsh words she’d yelled at him and he wished he could tell her which Sly was the real one. The junkie, or the man she’d slept with. It just made his head hurt all the worse. He put the Russian’s gun in his jeans and hid it under his coat before they finally followed the string out of his apartment and into the street. It coiled out in front of them and he watched that instead of her because the string was safer. He tried not to think that this was just a normal hunt and they would be one demon closer to the end without any promise that she could stay. It started as an itch under his skin and he tried to ignore it at first. It felt like something was crawling in his veins and he scratched at one arm before forcing his hand back to his side. His fist clenched and unclenched and he didn’t want to think about what that itch meant. There were a lot of things he was trying not to think about and it was a dark thought in the back of his mind that his drugs would make it easier to forget about them. His heroin would white it out and make this stop hurting except he knew better. He knew that would just make it worse but it didn’t stop his body from railing against him or his hands from starting to shake. “So,” he said, wiping a hand over his face. “This snake, she poisonous or something? She got venom sacks tucked up in her gums or something? Maybe a rattle on her ass to give us a heads up which one we’re after?” He chuckled to himself but it wasn’t really funny. He was just rambling because his head hurt and this silence was killing him and he wished he knew what he could say to make it better. He glanced at Emi and she was walking just ahead of him, her hand resting on her sword. She glanced back at him at the question and she just watched him for a moment, focusing on his hand as he scrubbed it over his mouth. “Her very nature is poisonous,” she told him. “But it does not always take the form of venom.” “Right, right,” he said, holding his hand. “I got it, we’ll find out when we get there. Always a fun and interesting bachelor behind door number two, right?” He chuckled and then his nails moved to scratch at his arm. She was giving him a blank look and he shook out his hand, trying to stop the trembling. “So basically we’re on the look out for a hot chick that likes to bone?” She watched him for a moment and he saw something flash over her face for a second before it was gone. She nodded and turned away but he thought maybe she’d looked nervous or scared and he didn’t understand why that look had been directed at him. “Yes,” she told him. “That is likely the form she will take.” “Great,” he drawled, scrubbing his hand across his mouth again. He couldn’t help but think that normally he would be pretty excited about this hunt. Even if she was a demon, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t have hot friends around and he tried to ignore that because he’d fucked up enough already. “Well, thanks a lot, book,” he grumbled. “Just keep on dumping temptation down on top of me, it’s cool.” Somehow it didn’t surprise him that the string led him straight to a rundown gas station and he wondered sometimes if the book really did this shit on purpose. The thought made him a little nervous, that it might really have a will of its own and if it did then he swore it was just dedicated to fucking with him. Either that or it was Emi’s gods and either way he thought they had a warped sense of humor and if he ever met them he was going to go ahead and tell them that. It coiled around the door to the bathroom and Emi paused next to it, waiting with her arms crossed next to the door. He could see blue sigils coiled over it and he sighed, letting go of the smoky string before he pulled it open. “Ladies first,” he said, nodding his head at the door. He smiled at her but they both knew it was fake and it was taking a lot more effort than normal to keep one plastered on his face. He tightened his grip against the doorknob to try and get it to stop shaking but it barely helped. She hesitated for a split second, her fingers brushing over the amulet on her neck and he felt his breath catch at that because he didn’t know what she was thinking. Maybe she would change her mind. Maybe they could go after the next piece instead or maybe she was thinking about throwing it away. If it was the second one he didn’t know what he’d do. Then she stepped through the door into the light and he followed close behind her, pulling it shut behind him. As soon as he stepped through he felt his knee hit something and he was pitching forward against the ground. His hands scraped over something rough and gritty and he felt water soaking through his jeans and into his boots. “Oh fuck you,” he snarled, rolling over and kicking at whatever he’d landed on. His eyes narrowed into a glare as he focused on the wooden trough of water that was currently on its side and spilling water out onto sandy ground. He’d knocked it over when he landed right inside it and now he was sitting in a puddle of water and dirt. He could feel it soaking through his jeans and just behind it there was a horse standing there glaring at him, a rope tying it to a wooden post. He heard Emi snort and he glanced up at her, because her hand was covering her mouth like she was trying not to smile. She was standing next to the trough, dry and on her feet, one hand still resting on her katana. He felt a shy, hesitant smile pull at his lips as she stepped forward. She held her hand out to him and he looked at it for a moment before he reached up with a sand coated hand and let her pull him to his feet. She started brushing it off his shoulders and his shirt but his pants were probably a lost cause. A sigh left his lips and he shook his head, reaching down to pick the backpack up. “I’m telling you,” he grumbled. “That book just likes to fuck with me.” Wenston Emi was trying hard not to laugh. But it was just so Sly to walk into a world and step into the only thing that could even be considered a body of water for miles. He could find trouble no matter where he was and it was something she liked about him, so it was hard to remember that she was supposed to be cold and distant until he’d proved she should be otherwise. He was really good at making things difficult. Her hands lingered on his shoulders as she brushed the sand off and she didn’t realize she was doing it until Sly turned to look at her. Then she let her hands fall to her side and she didn’t explain herself to him. She didn’t want to tell him that she needed so desperately for him to prove he was worth it. She needed him and he’d said he needed her and she wanted him to realize that it went both ways. Whatever she was going to say to him was cut off when a man cleared his throat from down the dirt street. Emi’s eyes snapped to him and her hand went immediately to her sword, eyes narrowed in suspicion. The man was older and wore a large brimmed hat. He had his hands hooked into suspenders and there were pistols strapped to his hips. He wore a vest and when he noticed he had their attention, he pointed at Emi, but his eyes were on Sly. “How much you want for your Chinawoman?” he asked, a strong drawl to his words. Emi made a face and she wondered if the man was talking about her, because surely he couldn’t be that idiotic to ask that in front of her. Sly cleared his throat, giving a nervous laugh and he reached up to scratch the back of his head. He glanced sidelong at Emi, but she kept her eyes narrowed on the man. “Uh, she’s not, well, she’s not for sale,” he said and he sounded so nervous it made Emi just narrow her eyes further at the man. The man gave a smarmy smile and held one hand out to the side. “Come on,” he coaxed. “I’ll give you five dollars for her. That’s double the price I pay for most. And I’ll even let you stop by to give your nightly respects.” Emi frowned because she didn’t have a clue what the man was talking about, but it startled her when Sly slipped an arm around her waist and when she glanced at his face, there was something dark and cold there as he looked back at the guy. “Why don’t you just get lost, okay?” he said, his voice surprisingly calm and steady and she couldn’t take her eyes away from his face because he looked protective and mean and even though he was shaking as he touched her, it wasn’t out of fear. The smile slipped from the man’s face and he pointed a finger at Sly. “Do it for your country, son,” he said and Emi glanced back at the man, not understanding what was transpiring right before her eyes. She didn’t know what they were negotiating and she felt stupid and out of the loop and in a moment if the man didn’t back off so Sly could stop looking so mean, she was going to go over there and give him a reason to leave. “Railroads need building, commerce needs pathways to growth. Our country is built on the backs of Chinamen.” Emi frowned and before Sly could answer, she snapped out at the man, “I am not from China.” The man turned a heated glare to her and said, “I didn’t give you permission to talk to me, girl.” A low growl escaped Sly’s throat and he pointed a finger back at the man. “Don’t you talk to her like that,” he snapped and Emi felt all of his muscles tense as he held her close to him and she still wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but she’d had about enough of it. Especially when the man drew one of his pistols from its holster. “I could just shoot you in your bleeding heart and take her.” That was the last straw and Emi had Kaidokusuru drawn before the man could even raise the gun to aim it at Sly. She shot out from beneath his arm and she ignored the way she missed his touch as soon as it was gone. But she ran at the man and sliced her sword upwards as she reached him. He gave a piercing shriek as she severed his hand from his arm, both hand and gun falling to the ground as blood splurt from the remainder of the limb. Behind her, Sly gave a cry and she felt his hands grab her shoulders. “Time to go,” he demanded and then he was pulling her back away from the man, who’d fallen to his knees and was holding his darkly bleeding hand missing arm to his chest. Emi watched him to make sure he did not draw his other gun and she didn’t look away until Sly had pulled her around the corner of a building and he was out of sight. Once they were in the shade of a building, Sly let go of her hand and leaned heavily against the wood. He ran his hands over his face and Emi watched him curiously while she wiped the blood off her sword before she sheathed it. “I do not understand what he wanted,” she said to him and his eyes came to her face. He looked a little scared, but when she told him that, his face hardened and he stood a little straighter. “He wanted to buy you,” he said, one of his hands still scrubbing at his mouth and she didn’t miss the way the other one shook down at his side. “As a slave?” she asked, tipping her head to the side. Sly nodded his head. “Yeah and probably not just for building railroads either,” he spat, eyes narrowing and going back to the way they’d just come like he was daring the guy to come after them and she smirked to herself and wondered what he would do if he did. She felt a small pang in her chest when she thought of how protective he’d gotten and how he hadn’t hesitated to wrap his arm around her waist and maybe there was hope for him yet. Sly laughed a little to himself but it sounded strained. “Man, where’s Yul Brynner when you need him?” he said and she wasn’t sure who he was talking about, but she didn’t think they needed any help from anyone. It was just one guy and she’d taken care of him pretty well. Sly ran a hand over his face and then looked back to her when she didn’t say anything. She shoved off the wall of the store and came over to her. “Well, if we’re going to fit in around here, we need to look the part I guess.” Emi narrowed her eyes at him. “You said the same about the pirates,” she told him. “And that was unnecessary.” Sly smirked and it was a genuine one. “Well, this time we need it,” he said. “And I’m totally not saying that to see you in a dress.” She just glared at him. .Wolfie. The place was straight out of a western. There was a big, dusty main road that ran through the town, ramshackle wooden buildings lining the way. There was a crossroads in the middle and a huge clock tower situated at an angle in one of the corners. Sly snorted when he saw it, dragging a hand over his mouth and shaking his head. “I feel like we just stepped into Back to the Future Three,” he said, watching a tumbleweed roll across the ground in front of them. He glanced at Emi for a moment when she didn’t respond, but he didn’t really expect her to. They hadn’t watched it yet and even if they had she wouldn’t be likely to indulge him right now anyway.She was leading the way and he was sticking close to her because he hadn’t liked what that man had said about her. He didn’t like that in this world there were people who would be happy to chain her up and use her and even if she could take care of herself, she shouldn’t have to. He didn’t like anyone talking about her like that no matter what she thought of him right now. If he was smart he would have pulled the gun he carried with him but he still wasn’t used to having it and he kept forgetting it was there. There was a small dress shop off to the left side and he caught her wrist and pulled her towards it before she could argue. He heard her sigh heavily but she let him lead the way, her hand tight on her sword and her face cold and watchful. It was killing him. All of this was starting to feel like too much right now. They were in some western town with a demon that wanted him dead and she was barely talking to him. She was barely looking at him and he hated this. He hated that his hands were shaking and his body was tense because it hadn’t forgotten what it felt like to detox. He still remembered the bone shattering agony of it. He remembered screaming at her and telling her he hated her and he could still feel that dark part of him lingering in his chest. It was the little voice that said she didn’t have the right to make him quit in the first place or make him choose between her and his drugs. It was the vicious, nasty little part of his brain that said he should have just picked the drugs because she was going to leave him anyway. It was the part of him that thought if he could just get high one more time then he would be able to quit for good. He hated that part. He hated that those thoughts were his and he scrubbed a hand over his eyes to try and make them go away. He kept his mouth shut because he didn’t think she’d have any pity for him and even if she did he didn’t want it. He didn’t need her pity, he just wanted her to smile at him again and he felt his hands trembling as he pulled her up the wooden porch. There was sweat starting to trickle down the back of his neck and he didn’t think it was from the heat because he felt like there was ice water running in his veins and it wasn’t helping his hands stay steady. At least his bones didn’t feel like they were breaking and he wasn’t vomiting. They broke in through the back and he didn’t really feel bad about it. He told Emi that it was for her greater cause, which was the truth, and he didn’t need to tell himself anything. He was a thief, if he wanted something he took it and this was something that seemed necessary. He didn’t need anybody else coming up and asking to buy his Chinawoman and he didn’t need anyone giving them a hard time because they didn’t look like they were from around these parts. Besides, he found himself a cowboy hat and a leather duster that made him feel like a god damned gunslinger and it was almost enough to make him feel better about the whole thing. It wasn’t enough to make him forget any of the important parts, like the demon they were here to kill or the unfinished amulet hanging around Emi’s neck. He didn’t think anything but his drugs would make him forget that but that was a mess all its own. He started to wonder if anything or anyone in this world was even real. He thought about Haemon and wondered if he was something the demon had created or if he’d actually been a person. He wasn’t sure which answer would have been easier to take. He’d seemed real. All of these places seemed real and if Emi had been on better speaking terms with him he would have asked her about it. He would have asked her if they actually existed or if they were shadows created from the demon’s minds. “This is unnecessary,” Emi said, looking down at herself. “We should be searching for Baishun-fu.” He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face and he stopped with his hand over his eyes because his head was starting to throb and as much as he just wanted to find this funny he mostly just wanted to go home. He wanted to curl up in his bed and wrap his arms around Emi and let her convince him that he was worth sticking around for but she wasn’t going to do that because she wasn’t a liar. “Of course it’s necessary, babe,” he told her. He managed a smile but it was fake and plastic even as it pulled at his lips and she probably knew it. “It’ll help us avoid the kind of trouble we aren’t looking for. You know, like cutting some guy’s arm off.” “You are a fool,” Emi said to him as they stepped down off the porch. He snorted, tilting his hat down so that it shaded his eyes from the sun and he tried to be happy about that. He tilted his head to the side and it made him a little happier that she was wearing a blue dress that hung off her shoulders but she mostly looked annoyed and uncomfortable, pulling at the hem and the neck and adjusting the sword around her waist. “I still think this is unnecessary.” A sigh left his lips and he scrubbed his hands over his face before he threw them in the air and moved around to stand in front of her. “You know what?” he said, and she glanced up at his face when he spoke. “I’m done with this.” Emi’s face fell as soon as he said it and she stiffened beneath his gaze. He watched her hand tighten around her sword, the other hand falling loosely to her side and she was perfectly still even while he was shaking in his skin. He couldn’t stop moving now and he felt like there were insects under his skin and it was a battle not to try and scratch them out. “Done with what?” she asked. Her voice was hard but if he didn’t know better he’d think he heard a small tremor when she spoke, like maybe she was afraid of the answer. “This cold shoulder bullshit,” he told her, gesturing a hand at her before he crossed it over his chest and tried to hold it still. “I get it, you’re mad at me because I fucked up. So do something about it. Get mad at me, scream at me, tell me what an asshole I am, just do something. Give me a sign that you at least still care about me enough to hate me. Jesus, just tell me what you’re thinking.” He didn’t expect how quickly she moved. Her hand hit his chest and knocked him back a pace, the breath leaving his lungs in a rush. “I trusted you,” she shouted, and he didn’t expect the words or how much they hurt. Her hands curled into fists and he saw tears start to form in her eyes but she blinked them away and didn’t let them fall. She turned her head away and as quickly as the outburst had come she got her emotions under control again, her gaze lidded and shuttered and distant. “I trusted you,” she said again, lower. “I believed in you and I opened myself up to you and you just threw it all back in my face.” “I know I did, babe,” he told her. He stood there rubbing his chest and watching her expression and the eyes that weren’t looking his way. He took a step forward, resting a hesitant hand on her shoulder. She flinched beneath the touch but didn’t pull away. “I fucked up, but I promise it’ll never happen again.” He swallowed hard and even as he said it he didn’t know if he could keep it. The look she shot at his face said that she didn’t know if he could keep it either. He hated that. He hated that he’d hurt her so badly and sorry didn’t cut it. “And how am I supposed to know that’s true?” she asked him. “How am I supposed to ever trust you again?” A bitter laugh left his lips and he held his hands out to her. She glanced down at them and watched them shake before he tried to still them, flexing them into weak fists again and again. “Just look at me babe. I’m fucking shaking out of my skin right now. In an hour I’ll probably be throwing up and wishing I was dead.” Her gaze darkened at the words and she started to turn her head away but he reached up to catch her chin, pulling her back around so that he could look at her. She let him, watching his face and waiting for something and he hoped it was what she wanted to hear. “And I still want you more than I want the drugs.” It wasn’t until after he said the words that he realized they were the truth. He wanted her more than his heroin. Even though it was going to hurt like a bitch and he didn’t know if he would ever be able to stub his toe or have a bad day without wanting it. He wanted her more. He needed her and he couldn’t remember ever needing anyone in this life as much as he needed her. She let his fingers linger on her chin and she was just watching his face, like she was trying to figure out if it was the truth. He begged her silently to believe him because he didn’t know how much of this he could take but then she shook her head slowly, pushing his hand down. “I know you are in pain,” she told him, her voice low. “And I know that you are sorry and you want me to forgive you. But wanting something so much will not make it so. I am not ready to forgive you and begging isn’t going to change that.” The words hit him like a slap in the face. For a minute he could only stand there in the street and stare at her because she didn’t forgive him and he didn’t know what else he could do but apologize a thousand times. He knew it didn’t change anything. He knew it wouldn’t take back what he’d done. It wouldn’t erase that he’d gotten high in a filthy bathroom or that he’d hit her. But sorry was all he had and he didn’t understand that it wasn’t enough because she said she would still be his girl. His gaze dropped and for a minute he just felt defeated. He was just cold and empty and lost. She started to walk past him and he felt himself panic as she did, his hand coming out to catch her wrist. She looked up at him and her eyes were sad as he held onto her wrist, his fingers trembling against her skin. Then he forced a smile onto his face and even if it was fake he put it there anyway. “What about groveling?” he asked. “Would groveling help?” A look of confusion creased her features for an instant before she smoothed it away, shaking her head at him. She started to walk again, her arm pulling from his fingers and he turned to keep pace with her, hand hanging down at his side. His fingers brushed against hers and she didn’t hold his hand, but she didn’t pull away either. “Alright,” he said. “Well, what about sexual favors?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her when she looked at him, tongue coming out to play with the hoop in his lip. Emi shook her head again and at least her face turned a little pink at that. “No,” she told him. She shifted again in the dress and he watched her twist and adjust it and try and get it comfortable. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that was never going to happen but he did reach out to straighten the amulet chain around her neck. “Okay,” he said. “Can I buy you off with blue slushies? Ice cream? Pudding pops? Do you want me to bake you a real birthday cake because I could do that. Probably without burning the apartment down. Any of this doing anything for you?” She shook her head again. “No,” she told him again. A sigh left his lips and he let his mouth close because he didn’t know what else to do. His head ducked and he watched his boots against the dusty ground as they made their way down the street. His hands were trembling at his sides and he started to shove them in his pockets when he felt her fingers come out and curl around his. He glanced up at her and for a moment she looked back and met his eyes. “But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop trying.” The grin on his face was bright and honest and then he reached up to pull at the small sleeve on her dress. “Did I mention how beautiful you look?” he asked. Wenston Emi hated dresses. She especially hated blue dresses with frilly sleeves and tight waists and dragging skirts. Granted, it was one of the only dresses she’d ever worn, but still. She was used to skirts. She’d had to wear skirts while she was in England with a sealbreaker, but never dresses. Never fancy things like this and she didn’t like them. Not one bit. What she did like, was that Sly kept calling her beautiful while she wore it. She was trying not to like that too, but it wasn’t working. She was trying to be mean and cold and make him work for her affection but it was getting harder because he was sweet when he was himself. And even now that his hands were shaking and his face was pale and sweat beaded his skin, he was still being sweet to her and grinning at her and he was trying but she was still only giving him crumbs. It wouldn’t be much longer until she gave in. She thought about the amulet hanging around her neck and for a moment, she wondered what she was doing. She wondered why they weren’t going after the missing piece and maybe she was being reckless or stubborn, but she almost panicked when she thought about choosing to go after a demon rather than the missing piece. It had made sense to her at the time. She’d been mad. Mad at Sly, mad at herself, mad at everything. She’d tried to be cold and heartless and wanted to put Sly through hell so he could realize what he had to lose. Only now she was scared that she’d made a mistake. They would be closer to the end after they killed this demon and that meant they would be closer to her either leaving or staying. And she wanted to stay, no matter what she was trying to make Sly think, she wanted to stay with him and she wanted him to choose her and she wanted him to want her to stay. Sly walked along side her and his fingers were twined with hers and she allowed that only because he was shaking so badly it was painful to watch. He kept cracking his neck side to side and chewing on his thumbnail and he couldn’t hold still for the life of him. He was sweating profusely and it wasn’t because of the heat. She wondered if she was pushing him too hard because he was in pain and she didn’t think he’d be able to handle himself in a fight if they got into one. Not that he should have to and not that she ever really expected him to in the first place, but he was a magician and he’d been helpful lately and she thought if he was too sick to fight now, he’d fall back into that state of mind. Emi stopped walking suddenly and Sly ran into her shoulder, grunting a little and then turning to look at her wide eyed. “Babe?” he asked, his hand running over his mouth and his lips were even pale. Emi studied his face and she wasn’t normally one to admit it, but she thought she’d made a mistake pushing him this hard while he was sick. “What’s wrong?” Sly asked when she didn’t say anything. She didn’t answer him. She just tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him along the street and her mind was made up. Even if he’d made a mistake and even if she was mad at him and said she didn’t forgive him, she did. She wouldn’t tell him that because she still wanted him to work for it, but he was still the one that mattered here and he was sick and going to get sicker before he got better and she wasn’t just going to drag him around to kill a demon while that was happening. There was a group of tents set up just outside of the town and Emi could see people moving in and out of them. Most of them looked like her and not Sly and she sighed, but dragged him along towards the tents. “Emi?” Sly asked again, giving her a little resistance but she wasn’t loosening up on him. “Honey, where are we going?” “To bed,” she told him harshly. Sly snorted. “You change your mind about the sexual favors?” She heard the humor in his voice, but also the hesitation. “No,” she told him and that was all she said as she came up on an older oriental man sitting by one of the tents. She let go of Sly’s hand and went to stand in front of him. He lifted his head to look at her and then tipped his head back to look at her down his nose. She bowed her head slightly to him and said, “I have no money to pay you, but we need a place to stay the night.” The elderly man frowned at her and then turned to look at Sly, who just shrugged at him. She watched the man regard Sly with disdain for a moment before he turned back to look at Emi. “You may stay, he may not,” he said. Emi’s lips curled into a sneer and she tried to remain calm, but she didn’t like people looking at Sly like that and she didn’t like that she’d been foolish enough to drag him into this world when they should have just waited one more day. “What must I do to allow both of us to stay?” she asked. Sly cleared his throat next to her and she felt his hand slip into hers again. “Emi, it’s alright, we can just go,” he said and even as he said it, his voice shook and she could feel the trembling of his hands. The man regarded their hands clasped together for a moment and then his eyes came back to Emi. “In the morning, you will hunt a man for me,” he said and Emi frowned but then nodded her head. The man seemed accepting of that and took a step to the side, pulling the flap of his tent open. Emi bowed her head to the man again and then dragged Sly inside the tent. Sly tripped to his knees as he entered and Emi quickly took in the scene before she pointed to a bedroll. “Lay down,” she told him sternly. Sly didn’t do as she asked and she glanced at his face. He was just watching her with a curious look in his eyes. Then he frowned and said, “What are we doing, Emi? It’s still light out. There’s a demon out there. Let’s go kill it and get it over with.” Emi swallowed thickly and shook her head. “No,” she told him and a look of worry and apprehension crossed his face. Her own features softened and then she was moving forward, grabbing his shoulders and guiding him down onto the bedroll. He tried to keep himself upright, but he gave up and let her lay him down on his back. His hands came up to grab her arms as she tried to pull away and he still had that curious look on his face. Emi held herself up over him for a moment, looking down at his face and she wanted to say that she forgave him, but she couldn’t give in. “I need you to be okay,” she said quietly to him and his eyes widened a little. She ducked her head and then she was lying down next to him, lying on her stomach with her arms beneath her and her head facing him. He turned to look at her and she could feel him shaking next to her. “I do not want you hurt because you were too sick to defend yourself,” she said to him. Something dark passed across Sly’s face and then he was rolling onto his side and his arm was snaking around her. She met his gaze as he studied her face. “That’s why I’ve got you here.” .Wolfie. It wasn’t as bad as last time. That wasn’t much comfort when it did get bad, but it was something for Sly to cling to and he would take any port in a storm. There was sweat running down the back of his neck and from his forehead into his eyes and it cooled his skin while it dried, making him quake against the dusty bedroll. He kept going from hot to cold and back again but even when he was hot he couldn’t stop shivering. His muscles cramped painfully beneath his skin and they would be sore in the morning.He tried not to move too much. He didn’t slam his head off the ground even when he wanted to and he tried not to claw and dig at his arms when his blood burned in his veins. He stayed on his side, one arm wrapped around Emi and his forehead pressed into her shoulder. He didn’t expect anything from her. He didn’t expect her to hold him or tell him it was going to be alright or to sing to him or rest her hand on the back of his neck if he started to throw up. He didn’t expect any of that because she’d already done that for him once and it was true that he’d gone and thrown it back in her face. He’d done this to himself, and he didn’t expect anything from her. He breathed through his nose, his teeth clamped hard together and the air leaving his lungs in harsh pants. He was fighting hard not to cry out but everything hurt. Every part of him was in agony and he felt a small whimper escape his throat. His skin was sore and sensitive to the touch and his bones felt like they were ready to snap and break with every slight movement. Emi started to shift underneath him and his fingers tightened around her waist as she did. His eyes crushed closed and he pressed his lips harder against her shoulder, his breath uneven in his throat. “Don’t leave,” he whimpered. “I need you.” He felt her fingers lay against his arm as she rolled over but she didn’t say anything. He wanted to open his eyes and look at her face but he kept them shut because it made it easier to deal with the pain. He didn’t move, arms still holding her tightly and he knew that maybe she hated him and didn’t want him touching her but he couldn’t stop. He needed her. She was all that was keeping him from screaming right now and the only reason he wasn’t begging for his drugs. He wanted them. He would do almost anything for a hit right now because he knew if he had it running in his veins then it would take his pain away. It would relax his muscles and remind his bones that they weren’t made of glass and maybe he would be able to take a breath without feeling his whole body screaming back at him in agony. It would make everything all better again. And if he gave in then he would lose Emi and he wanted to scream because it wasn’t fair that he couldn’t have both of those things. He felt hot tears running down his face because he wanted his drugs and she wouldn’t let him have them anymore. Then he felt her fingers move to his face, wiping the tears away with gentle motions. “The pain will pass,” she told him quietly. His arms tightened around her, dragging her closer so that he could bury his face in her neck. He almost expected her to shove him away. She had been so cold with him and he didn’t expect her to have any sympathy for him but instead he felt her arms moving around him, one hand resting on the back of his head while the other moved soothingly between his shoulders. Later he would think about why they had stopped here and what she owed a man for allowing them to stay. If he’d been in his right mind he probably could have scammed him into it somehow but if he was in his right mind they wouldn’t need to stay here at all. They probably wouldn’t be here. They would be looking for the other part of her amulet so that she could stay with him and he had fucked it all up because he wanted to get high. This was the price for it and he felt wretched and miserable as he clung to her. He wondered what it meant that she’d made them stop at all. He thought that they were here for duty alone and he felt guilty for dragging her down. He felt guilty for a lot of things, like that he’d fucking hit her and left her to get high. That part was nothing he hadn’t done to his girlfriends in the past, but she was different and didn’t deserve to be treated like that. She had picked up the pieces and cleaned him up once and now he was putting her through it all over again. She was better than this. She was better than him and one day she was going to realize it and leave, if she even stuck around after this at all. It wasn’t as bad as the last time, but it was bad enough. He wasn’t screaming at her that he hated her and he wasn’t begging for drugs or for death. Mostly he kept his mouth shut and just held onto Emi for as long as she would allow it. He didn’t fall asleep. It would have been easier if he could have but the pain kept him awake and he spent the night clinging to Emi like a lifeline as his body fell apart. He didn’t expect her to stay with him the whole time but she did. She kept her arms around him and let him hold onto her, his fists clenching and unclenching in her dress as he shook and trembled. It was sometime before dawn when it finally passed enough for him to fall into a restless sleep. His dreams were violent and jumbled and he didn’t remember much about them except there was blood and pain and once he thought a man missing an arm walked right into the tent and shot Emi in the forehead. He swore he could feel her blood on his face before his eyes opened and he twisted his head to look at her. It wasn’t until she looked back at him and smoothed the hair out of his eyes that he realized it was just a dream. He watched her for a moment before he tried to clear his throat. It felt sore and locked up and he had to cough before he could manage to get any real words out of his lips. “Did you get any sleep?” he asked her, even though he knew the answer. She shook her head. “No,” she told him. “But I can manage without.” He nodded his head, still watching her where she lay next to him. He managed to uncurl his fist from her dress, lifting his hand to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. She was lying on her side facing him and he let his hand return to her hip because right now she was allowing it and later she might not and right now he needed any comfort he could get. He thought about how beautiful she’d looked lying naked in his bed and she was right, he wanted her forgiveness badly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered quietly. “I know,” she said. He felt her hand move to his neck, thumb running over the skin in a comforting motion. He hurt all over and his skin was sore to the touch but he didn’t tell her that because he didn’t want her to stop. She was just watching him and he couldn’t read the look on her face but then she surprised him. “How do you feel?” she asked. “Like shit,” he said. He snorted a small laugh after he said it but she didn’t return it. She was just watching his face and he swallowed hard before he looked away. “Hands are steady though.” He held one up to show her and he wasn’t shaking anymore. Just sore. “Good,” she said, and that was all. He kept waiting for her to get up and tell him it was time to go but she was still just lying there watching him and he wondered what she was thinking. He wondered if she was regretting ever being with him in the first place because he wouldn’t blame her for that. This was twice now she’d had to deal with his habits and the fallout from them and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that if he slipped again he would lose her forever. The thought hurt and at the same time it made him bitter because it wasn’t fair to expect him to be perfect. Everyone fell off the wagon. He cleared his throat and then tried to push himself upright. He missed touching her as soon as he lifted his hand from her waist but he needed both of them to shove himself into a sitting position. He rested his elbows on his knees and it took both hands to hold his head up. He was weak and he was sore but he thought the worst was over and he’d managed to keep the contents of his stomach inside this time. His head was pounding inside his skull but he could keep his hands still and he could probably stand up when he was ready. Sly turned his head to look at Emi and she was still on her side, her eyes watching him and her hands pulled tight to her chest. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad at me?” he asked, and maybe it wasn’t a fair thing to ask of her but he did anyway. She frowned and then shook her head. “No,” she told him. “But you should tell me anyway.” He snorted and then laughed, dragging his hands over his face. He shivered but he didn’t go to put his coat on yet because he didn’t want her to think he was ready to leave. He shifted so that he was facing her and then he reached out to take one of her hands. His thumb ran over the knuckles and she allowed it for the moment. “I think about my drugs every day,” he said. The words seemed to startle her and she pulled her hand back, a frown on her face. He couldn’t tell if she was getting mad or upset so he just kept going, resting his head in his hands so he didn’t have to look at her. “Most people when they get hurt or have a bad day, they take an Advil and then call their mom or something. I don’t know. I mean, you get hurt all the time, and you just ignore it. Me? I’m a junkie. Something happens and I want my drugs. I get hurt and I want to get high, I get sad and I want to get high. That’s my answer to everything. That’s been my answer for the last fourteen years since a kid gave me pot behind the high school gym.” He heard her shift next to him and he lifted his head to look at her. She was sitting up, her legs folded underneath the skirt and her hands pulling her sword across her lap. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked, and she looked hurt as she looked up at his face. He snorted and shook his head. “Because you should already know. I should have warned you. I’m sorry, I thought I would be strong enough to do this by myself and I’m not. I need you. I need help.” He shivered after he said it, burying his face in his hands and he felt so worthless that he had to ask for it. He was nothing but a junkie and he didn’t blame her if she decided she wanted nothing to do with him. He blamed himself. “I just want to know if you’re still my girl.” She kept watching him with that frown on her face and he licked his lips nervously because she wasn’t answering. He thought about her holding him throughout the night and he wanted to believe it meant something. Then she shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. “You really are a fool sometimes,” she said, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. “Yes,” she told him. “I am still your girl.” His eyes closed at that and a small sigh of relief left his lips. His hand reached up to catch hers before she could pull away and he pressed his lips hard against the back of her hand. “Good,” he said. Then he smirked. “I really am sorry.” She squeezed his hand and then she was letting him go, reaching down to hook a hand under his arm and help pull him to his feet. He was a little unsteady on them but she kept a hard grip on his arm until he was stable. His legs were trembling and he felt weak and sore but he could hold his hands still and if he had to draw his gun he thought he could do it without dropping it. Maybe if some asshole showed up threatening her again then he could actually do something about it. It was a moment before he realized that she was still touching him and he glanced down at her, meeting her gaze as she looked up at him. She worried her lip for a moment with her teeth and he couldn’t read the look she was giving him. Then she ducked her head and started to pull away but he caught her hand in his. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Thank you for staying with me,” he said. “Now what did we agree to for this tent?” Wenston The old man was waiting for them when they walked out of the tent. He sat on the ground outside with an empty basket in his lap and she wondered if he was just keeping it there to look like he had something to do. She wondered what he did do around here, because she was pretty sure he’d stayed outside the tent all night. She hadn’t lied to Sly when she told him she hadn’t slept. It just hadn’t been all because of him. She had wanted to keep track of the old man because he’d given in too easily to her. She didn’t trust him. But then, she didn’t trust anyone. Except Sly. And even that now was tenuous. “I have kept my end of the bargain,” the old man said as they emerged and Emi nodded her head, her hand held tightly in Sly’s. He was better this morning, but he was still weak. She thought about what he said about thinking of his drugs on a daily basis. She hadn’t known that. If she had, maybe she would have done things different around him. But now that she knew, whenever he was hurt or sad, she was just going to have to remind him that he had other things than his drugs to turn to. “Yes,” Emi agreed with the old man. “And I will hold up my end,” she told him. The old man studied her for a bit, his eyes falling to her sword and then going to Sly. She saw him look at Sly’s hands and she wondered just how smart and observant this man was because he seemed more accepting of Sly today and she wondered if he was basing his judgment of Sly off of the shaking of his hands. When he seemed to be satisfied, the old man reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a black sash, holding it out for her to take. Emi frowned and hesitantly stepped forward, taking it from him. As soon as she did, the old man settled back down and said, “His name is Ruddy Baker. You will find him in a cabin three miles West out of town. The cabin is hidden by rock formations. He will be the man with three fingers.” Emi watched the old man for a bit, she turned and glanced at Sly and he was watching the man like he was waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, Sly frowned and said, “What’d he do?” Emi glanced at the man and she thought if he was willing to tell them that, he already would have. She was right. The man just gave Sly a glare and turned back to Emi. “He carries a dragon headed pistol with him. Bring it back to me as proof that you’ve taken care of him.” Emi nodded and went to tuck the black sash into her pants, but realized that she was still wearing the blue dress. She made a face and turned to Sly, instead stuffing it into his pants pocket. He glanced at her with wide eyes and a mischievous smile on his face and she just narrowed her eyes at him because she wasn’t trying anything funny with him no matter how much he wanted it. She bowed her head again to the old man and said, “We will return with your pistol.” Turning around, she kept her grip firm on Sly’s hand as they started walking back through town. Sly was quiet until they got out of earshot of the tents and the man who had sent them on their task. “So…why are we doing this again?” he asked and she stopped to look back at him curiously. Sly shrugged at her gaze. “We could just kill the demon and get out of here.” “I gave him my word,” Emi told Sly and she half expected him to argue that, but his face softened and he nodded his head. She was surprised he accepted that answer and she watched him rub his hands up and down his arms like he was cold but he couldn’t be because the sun was high above them and she was already starting to sweat beneath the heat of the day. Without saying anything else, Emi pulled Kaidokusuru from its sheath and cut a long line down the side of her blue dress. She stretched one of her legs out of it and then nodded, satisfied that it offered her more room to move and run if she needed to. She sheathed her sword and looked back at Sly and he was wide eyed as he looked down at her leg. “You’re so fucking hot,” he said, looking back up at her. She raised a brow curiously at him and then took his hand again and started leading him out of town. The three mile walk was long and the pace was slow because Sly was having trouble with it. They were walking side by side and there was no breeze beneath the heat. There were no trees to offer them shade and no clouds in the sky. Buzzards circled someone off in the distance and the longer they were out in the heat, the slower they both became. After a while, Sly finally sighed and stopped walking. Emi stopped as well and turned to look at him. His cheeks were flushed and there was sweat pouring down his skin. She didn’t think she was faring much better. He looked at her and he was breathing kind of heavily. “I need to stop,” he said and he winced like maybe she’d get mad at that, but she didn’t. She looked around the sandy terrain and there was a small rock formation with a single leafless tree in the middle and she nodded her head. “We will rest for a moment,” she agreed and started heading towards the tree. Sly followed her closely and when they reached the tree, Sly all but collapsed in what little shade it offered. Emi remained standing, glancing around them to make sure there was no danger before she crouched down beside Sly and rested her arms on her knees, bringing her chin down to rest it there as well, though she didn’t sit down. “Are you mad at me?” Sly asked and she glanced at him because he didn’t sound hesitant or remorseful, he was just honestly asking. He was shielding his eyes with one hand from the sun as he looked at her and his face was scrunched and sunburned. Emi shook her head, looking back out at the terrain. “I am disappointed,” she told him. Sly snorted. “You know that’s worse, right?” he asked and she frowned, looking back at him. He shrugged. “That’s the thing parents say that gives their children years of therapy and prescription pills.” “It is different coming from a parent,” she said and looked away from him. Sly sighed and probably gave up but his words got her thinking and she chewed on her cheek for a moment, her mind wandering to Daisuke and what he would say to her now. Unconsciously, her fingers trailed up her shoulder to the tips of the scars on her back and she licked her lips. “Daisuke would be disappointed in me,” she said quietly. She didn’t turn around to look at him, but she heard him sit forward a little and she could practically feel the look on his face. “What the hell does he have to be disappointed about?” Sly demanded and she was surprised by the ferocity of his voice. She didn’t think Sly and Daisuke would get along if they’d ever had the chance to meet. “Many things,” she said honestly and laid her head on her arms, facing him and she scanned his face. He looked disgusted. “You mostly.” Something like hurt flashed across Sly’s face and then he scoffed. “Well all Dads hate their daughter’s boyfriends,” he said with a shrug and it sounded like he was defending himself or her, she couldn’t tell. Then he sighed and leaned his head back against the tree. “But I can see how he’d be upset you wound up with a schmuck like me.” Emi’s lips curled into a small smile and Sly plastered an answering one on his own face. She reached up to hold the amulet around her neck and the smile faded from her face. She shifted, scooting closer to Sly and he seemed surprised when she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. “When you think about your drugs, you should tell me,” she said quietly to him. Sly wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and she felt his lips press to the top of her head. “Why’s that?” he asked quietly. “So I may remind you that you don’t need them anymore.” .Wolfie. The last mile was the worst. By then Sly was covered in sweat and his legs were trembling from walking the whole way. It was only three miles, but it was three miles in the desert with the last vestiges of heroin withdrawal still clinging to his back like a black dog. Most of the pain had passed on but it left his thoughts dark and bitter because he didn’t have chemicals telling his brain to be happy. The heat bore down on them and it was oppressive and dry and made his tongue feel like sandpaper in his mouth. Most of his attention was focused just on keeping the air moving in and out of his mouth and it sounded raspy and hoarse.Emi was doing better than him but even she was sweating and he wondered how they were supposed to be in any kind of shape to kill this guy once they got to his cabin. He wasn’t sure anymore if he could pull a gun, though it was stupid of him to think that Emi would really need his help in a fight. It just still bothered him that he would be next to useless to her because he was tired of being that. He was just tired all around. His body ached and his head hurt and his heart hurt because she was disappointed in him. He would have preferred it if she was mad at him. Then she could throw things or hit him or do whatever she had to do to work through it. Disappointment was harder to take and harder to get over. He’d let her down and he felt like the scum of the earth for it. Two days ago she’d looked at him and told him he was wonderful and he’d gone ahead and proven to her why nobody thought that about Sly. She’d trusted him and he’d hurt her and he honestly didn’t know why she was still holding his hand or why she’d smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him. He wondered where they were going to go from here, after this demon was dead and they went back home. He wondered if she’d really stay with him. “Do you regret me?” he asked, glancing over at her. He kept thinking about her saying that her father would be disappointed in her and just thinking it made him angry. He could understand being disappointed at her taste in men, because that was more of a commentary on him than on her, but he couldn’t understand why he’d be disappointed about anything else. She was amazing. “No,” she said. He watched her and waited for more but that was all she said about it and finally he nodded, scrubbing one hand through his hair. It wasn’t much but it was all she was giving him right now and he should just accept it. It still hurt. He thought about how she’d looked in his bed and how honest the smile on her face had been. He’d gotten her to laugh and she was beautiful when she was happy. She was radiant and perfect and he would do anything to be back there right now. He would do anything to get her to forgive him and want to stay with him and maybe he should be trying harder but maybe he should be trying to think of ways to get over her. He could only think of one and it was the reason he might lose her in the first place. Their pace slowed when the rocks started to jut out of the ground, breaking up the deserted landscape. He felt Emi’s hand slip from his as she shifted position, the dress swirling around her legs as she scanned the rocks around them. Her hand was tight around her sword and even with the heat he didn’t think she would slip or hesitate if she had to draw it. He pulled the gun out of his pants and held it with both hands because it was heavier than he remembered it being. He trailed behind her, clenching his teeth to try and quiet the ragged sound of his breathing because it sounded loud even to him. The cabin was tucked back behind the rocks like the old man had said it was and he wondered again why they were even hunting this guy. He understood why Emi was insisting on going after him. She wasn’t like Sly. It wasn’t easy for her to break promises and lie. He just didn’t like that neither of them had any idea why the old man wanted him dead. He should have asked last night. He should have pushed it or told her that it really wasn’t necessary but he didn’t know if that was true and he’d been too messed up to push. She moved quietly and cautiously over the rocky outcropping, her feet light on the stones as she crept towards the small wooden cabin. It was off the road, tucked back and almost out of sight if no one was actively looking for it. There were spindly, leafless trees growing around it and as it came into sight he could see a trough of water with three horses tied next to it. He licked his dry and chapped lips when he saw it and tried not to think that even horse water looked good right about now. He wiped a sleeve across his forehead and felt stupid for forgetting that cowboy hat inside the tent. There was an almost soundless hiss as she drew her sword, her footsteps light on the sand as she crept towards the door. She was almost next to it when suddenly it was slamming open and the three men were bursting into the light. They were in the middle of an argument, their voices raised and faces red but they stopped midsentence when they saw Emi standing in front of them with her sword drawn. They paused, for a moment just staring at her and Sly swallowed hard, clicking back the safety on his gun because all three of them had guns shoved in holsters at their hips and he thought they were probably faster than him. All three of them were wearing cowboy hats and he felt like he had walked into a bad cliché because one was skinny, one was fat, and the third was the same size as Sly. The thin one focused on Emi’s face before his gaze traveled down her form and then he grinned, running his tongue along chapped and split lips. “Well howdy there little lady,” he drawled, staring unashamedly at her breasts. “Why don’t you put that shiny toy away before you get yourself hurt? I’m sure we can think of something else for you to play with.” Sly snarled and he was already stepping forward and raising the gun when the point of her sword pressed into the hollow of the man’s throat. His friends hissed, hands going for their guns. Sly whistled at them and shook his head. “Don’t do it,” he snapped. They hesitated and Emi glared at the two of them for a moment before she looked at the thin man. He was still licking his lips, but now his eyes were on her face and he had his hands raised as she pressed the point of her sword hard against his skin, drawing a bead of blood. She studied his hands and he had all his fingers on both of them and then her gaze went to the other two. “Raise your hands,” she told them coldly. As soon as he heard the words the fat man went for his pistol and Sly let out a shout because he was right in front of Emi and he didn’t think even she could survive a point blank shot. He aimed his gun and but didn’t get to pull the trigger because it didn’t matter. She was closer and faster than him. The man’s hands barely got around the handle of his weapon before her blade was slicing out in an arc and removing his head from his body in one quick blow. It bounced into the dust, rolling to a stop somewhere to Sly’s right and splattering his friend’s face with blood. The man shouted when it splattered across his face and he stumbled back, yanking the gun from his holster and raising it to point at Emi. Sly shifted his aim to him and yanked back hard on the trigger. There was a blast of light from the end of the barrel and it jarred his hands when it went off, sending a sharp ache up his arms. There was an answering thump as the bullet struck the man and he heard him cry out in pain as it slammed into his chest. He put a hand over the wound and tried to raise his gun again but Emi was on him. Her blade sliced up and severed his hand from his body. The man screamed and pitched forward to his knees, cradling it to his wounded chest and then she was whirling to point at the only man left standing. The thin man shook his head, taking hurried step backwards until he hit the cabin. “I didn’t do nothing, I swear it, oh Jesus Christ almighty don’t kill me.” He was trembling, his legs giving out beneath him and he slumped against the side of the building, his eyes looking up towards heaven. Sly snorted but he couldn’t blame him because Emi was scary when she wanted to be. “Haven’t we talked about this severed heads business?” he asked, walking towards her side and nudging the man’s head with his toe. It rolled to the side and he saw cold and unblinking eyes looking up at him. He felt his stomach lurch and he should really be getting used to dead bodies by now but he was suddenly thinking about that man he’d killed on the beach and about Haemon and a girl named Nancy and it was weird how the older he got the more people just started dying around him. “We have,” she said. The thin man was still whimpering and pressing his back against the wooden cabin but he hadn’t tried to draw his gun yet and that was probably the only reason he was still alive. Sly kept his eye on him and he was sure Emi did the same. “And yet it just keeps happening,” he sighed, clucking his tongue at her. “Seriously, what’s wrong with an old fashioned stabbing?” She crouched down next to the headless man’s body, pulling the gun out of his holster before she held it up so Sly could see it. It was a dragon headed pistol and he smirked as she lifted both of his hands so that she could see the two missing fingers on his right hand. She let it fall into the dust afterwards and then pushed herself upright. For a moment she seemed disgusted when she realized she could put the gun anywhere either and he bit back a grin because whether she liked it or not she looked beautiful in that dress. “It is inefficient,” she told him, walking over to hand the gun to him. He chuckled at her response, shaking his head because she was dead serious as she said it. He clicked the safety back on his before he hid that in the waistband of his jeans and then took the dragon headed pistol, turning the thing over in his hand. There was a thump as the man with the bullet in his chest tipped forward into the dust, blood pooling out around him and sinking darkly into the sand. “I see your point,” he said, and then he held the gun up to the light. “So you think that old man just wanted this guy dead so he could steal his gun? Because I gotta say, if I were a crazy old man that is exactly the kind of thing I would pull.” Emi snorted and shook her head. “I do not know,” she answered. “Either way, we owe him and our debt will be paid.” He nodded his head, wrapping the gun in the black sash before he slung it over his shoulder. “Fair enough, I guess,” he said. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched at the back of his neck before he turned his attention to the man still quivering in the corner. “Alright my beautiful and deadly girl, what do you want to do with him?” Wenston “Leave him,” Emi said coldly. She still held her sword in her hands and she walked over to the sniveling, scrawny man sitting against the wall. When she held the sword towards him, it dripped blood onto his clothes and the man gave a pained, desperate cry because that was his friend’s blood and Emi didn’t know if this man deserved her cruelty, but she trusted the old man more than she trusted this one. “He is a coward and he will live knowing he did nothing to stop his friends from dying.” The man pulled his hat off his head and hugged it to his chest. “Oh thank you, Jesus,” he cried, looking up towards the sky and Emi had never really understood Christianity. How could people think there was ever only one god? She shook her head at him and pulled her sword away, sheathing it and turning back to Sly. He kept his eyes on the sniveling man for a moment before he pointed out towards the desert. “Scram,” he said and the little man tore to his feet and took off without another word. Emi watched him go for a moment and she narrowed her eyes at him. What a pathetic little man. She heard Sly sigh and when her gaze came back to him, he was running a hand over his face, his eyes looking down at the dead men at their feet. “You did well, Baka,” she told him and his eyes came to her face though the rest of his head didn’t move. He frowned and dropped his hand back down to his side. She wondered what he was thinking because he had that look on his face that usually meant he didn’t believe what she was telling him and she wondered why he never did because she’d never lied to him. She’d never told him anything but the truth. She’d meant it when she said she thought he was wonderful. She’d meant it when she said she thought he was a good man and she still believed both of those things. She’d thought once that he was a good man going down the wrong path, and he’d slipped back onto that path, but it didn’t change the man he was when he was going in the right direction. Sly snorted. “All I did was pull a trigger, babe.” He grinned and looked back the way they came, his face falling a little bit. His cheeks were pink and it looked like he was getting sunburned. Emi felt hot and her skin was warmer than normal and she thought she probably looked about the same. It was going to be a long walk back. A noise from behind the cabin caught their attention and Sly’s face lit up when he heard it. “Holy shit, it’s a miracle,” he said before he turned and hurried around the cabin. Emi felt a moment of panic because she didn’t like it when he ran off without thinking there may be other people around. She hurried after him and froze when she saw what he’d found waiting for them in a little fenced in area. A brown horse stood there tied to a fence post. The saddle still sat on its back and it neighed and kicking its foot against the ground when Sly gave a laugh. Emi watched his face as he swung his backpack to the ground and climbed over the fence. He looked like he hadn’t just spent a night going through hell and that he’d forgotten he hadn’t smiled often in the past couple days. A bright grin broke across his face and he walked cautiously towards the horse, holding his hand out and petting the animal’s mane. Turning around, Sly was grinning ear to ear. “Mister Ed here is going to save us a walk back to town,” he laughed and she raised her eyebrow at the name and wondered who this Mr. Ed was. Then she made contact with the animal’s dark eyes and she felt her whole body tense. She bit her lip and looked again to Sly, ready to argue that they didn’t need to be horse thieves, but he was already grabbing his backpack and swinging himself up onto the horse, who didn’t seem to mind having a brand new rider. Sly turned and held his hand out for her. “Come on,” he said. She looked at his stretched hand and sighed, pulling herself up and over the fence before walking cautiously over to him. She let him help her up and it wasn’t because she didn’t want to get on the horse. She kept reminding herself of that. Sly laughed as she slipped onto the animal behind him and her arms came around his waist, holding him loosely. She could do this. Then the horse whinnied and its back legs kicked at the ground and Emi let out a loud squeak, squeezing tightly onto Sly and burying her face between his shoulder blades, her eyes jammed shut and her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. She heard Sly chuckling and felt his hand slide over hers. “Oh come on,” he said, but she didn’t even lift her head to look at him. “Dinosaurs I understand, but horses? Don’t tell me you’ve never ridden one before.” “I have,” she protested, her voice muffled as her face was still pressed into his shirt. She forced her head to lift and her arms to loosen, but he kept a hand on hers, holding her in place. “I just do not like them.” “You’re scared of them,” Sly said, sounding amused as he looked over his shoulder at her. She glared at him, frowning as she said, “I am not scared.” The truth of her statement was exposed when the horse snorted and shook its rear and Emi squeaked again, burying her face back into Sly’s shoulders. Sly laughed, but this time it was softer and it didn’t sound like he was mocking her. His thumbs ran over her fingers as she laced them in front of him and held herself in place. “It’s alright,” he told her gently and Emi hated that he had to talk to her like a child. She should just demand that they walk back and she almost opened her mouth to tell him that when he said, “I’ll get us there, you just keep holding on, babe. I won’t let you fall.” Emi’s chest constricted at the words and she tipped her head to the side so her cheek was pressed to his back and she was facing the exposed desert. She chewed her lip and thought about the words and if it was anyone else she’d argue that she wasn’t scared of falling and she wasn’t scared of animals and she wasn’t scared at all, she just didn’t like riding things. But this wasn’t just anyone else, this was Sly and those words he said had more meaning than she thought even he knew. She’d never been one who needed protecting. She’d never been one who needed someone to save her or help her or be on her side. She was always the one doing the saving or the helping or the protecting and all of that had changed when she’d met Sly. All of that had changed when he’d kept pointing out that the one thing she held onto as her safety and duty was the one thing she needed rescuing from. She thought maybe that was a lot similar to Sly and his drugs. When he got scared or hurt, he’d tell himself he could take away the fear and the pain by going to his drugs. When she got scared or hurt, she’d remind herself it was duty and she had that to fall back on. Maybe the two weren’t so different from each other. Emi’s arms tightened around his waist and she nuzzled her head into his shoulders as he guided the horse out of the fence. “Sly?” she asked quietly. “Yeah babe?” she asked and she could hear the grin on his face because maybe he liked riding horses the same way he liked riding dinosaurs. She thought about telling him that she’d made a mistake not going after the missing part of the amulet. She thought about telling him that she wanted him and she needed him as much as he needed her. But she couldn’t get herself to say any of those things because she was scared of what he’d say back. “Who is Mr. Ed?” .Wolfie. It was a thousand times easier riding back than it had been walking out there. The sun was still hot overhead and Sly’s hands were still slick with sweat, but at least he didn’t have to force his legs to keep moving long after the muscles were crying and whimpering at him. He still had to keep his balance on the back of the horse but that was a different kind of exercise and he was happy for the rest. Mr. Ed had an easy gait and didn’t fight him as he directed it back down the road they’d come.Emi’s arms were wrapped tightly around him and that kept a smile on his face. He wasn’t above taking scraps where he could get them and it was comforting because it was so familiar. Maybe it wasn’t a triceratops underneath them but she clung to him like it was and when the horse whinnied and balked at a snake in the road he heard her squeak and grasp his shirt firmly in her fingers. He laughed quietly, hands sliding over hers and holding them against his stomach. He tipped his head over his shoulder but he couldn’t see anything but the top of her head. Her face was pressed firmly between his shoulder blades, body tight against his. “You’re adorable,” he told her. At the words she started to untangle her hands from his clothes and he twined his fingers in hers to try and keep her there. He felt her head move, chin digging into his shoulder as she turned to look up at his face. She was looking at him with narrowed eyes and his smile widened because she was just too cute. “We should walk the rest of the way,” she told him. “Come on babe, we’re almost there. Just hang on a little longer.” He laughed, squeezing her hand tightly and he almost kicked the horse into a faster pace just to make sure she stayed where she was. He fought back the urge because he was trying to get her to trust him again and that would probably have the opposite effect. He liked that she was holding onto him so tightly and he almost told her to move her hands a little lower. “You know,” he said, glancing back at her with a smarmy grin on his face. “I think this whole trip is inspiring me. Maybe I should get a motorcycle if I ever save enough cash. What do you think?” “What is a motorcycle?” she asked. He felt her cheek rest against his back again, her fingers relaxing in his shirt. His thumb ran over her knuckles and he kept one of his hands on hers so that she knew he was there and he wasn’t letting her go. The other held the reins loosely, just to keep Mr. Ed from wandering off and eating grass and dirt instead of getting them back to town. As nice as this was, he didn’t necessarily want to keep wandering around in the desert all day. He didn’t think his body could take it. “Well, it’s sort of like a car. Or, hmm, you know what a bicycle is?” He glanced over his shoulder but he could feel her small headshake against his back. “Alright, well, I guess it’s like a two wheeled car, with the motor and everything, just open to the air. You know what, no, there’s a much better way to explain it. A motorcycle is a steel horse. It’s what all the cool cowboys are riding.” She snorted and he thought it almost sounded like a laugh. It made his grin widen and he fought the urge to look back and see if she was smiling. “I don’t think I would enjoy riding on a motorcycle,” she said. “And I do not think you are a cowboy.” He grinned, watching the town rise in front of them. Half the day was gone already and he wondered if it had taken them that long to get out there or just that long to kill those men. He tried not to think about it because it shouldn’t have been bothering him. They would have killed both of them in a second and he didn’t feel guilty about it, just like he didn’t feel guilty about that man on the beach. “I could be,” he told her, “if I had a motorcycle and a hat. You can’t forget the hat.” “You did forget the hat,” she said. “You said you would buy a hat for my birthday.” Her voice was dry and he couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not. His eyes widened and he twisted slightly in the saddle to look back at her. She squeaked at the movement, shooting him a glare. “Stop moving,” she said. “Or let me down to walk.” “Let’s just slow down here,” he said, still looking at her wide eyed. “You were into that? You’re into cowboys? Babe, why didn’t you tell me this? I would have bought ten hats and some assless chaps if I’d know that. You’re holding out on me.” “I didn’t say I was into cowboys,” she said, still glaring at him. He laughed loudly, shaking his head at her. “God I love you,” he said, turning back around in his saddle because her hands were starting to release his shirt and he didn’t want her walking the rest of the way back. Not that they had much farther to go, but it was the principle of the thing. His fingers slid over hers and he was still smiling as he urged the horse back into a trot. “But you know, if it turns out you are then there’s this little bar in south side called the Wild Cat I could take you to. It’s got a mechanical bull and everything. You want, I’ll throw on a hat and you can cheer me on as I get tossed on my ass over and over again.” She shook her head against his shoulders and he was surprised at her reaction. “Why would I enjoy watching you get hurt?” she asked. For a moment his fingers stilled over hers and he looked down to where her hands clung to him. His thumb slid over hers and he felt a warm smile pull at his lips because it made him feel better. It made him forget that he was the junkie who broke her heart. Then he shook his head, lifting it and squinting against the sun. He could see the rows of tents getting closer and he tried not to think that getting the gun for this man was just a detour, not even the main event. “I don’t know babe,” he said. “Because I deserve it?” Her fingers tightened around him and she pressed her face harder against his back. It was a slow moment before he realized that she was hugging him and he wondered if she was doing it on purpose or because she was riding on the back of a horse and was desperately uncomfortable with the whole thing. He tried to pretend it was the first one because it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside and it was a nice change. “I do not like it when you say things like that,” she told him. Sly laughed, squeezing her hand. “Well, thanks sugar,” he said. The smile lingered on his face long after it should have faded, even though his skin felt hot and sunburned. There was sweat running down the back of his neck and into his eyes and after a while even riding in the saddle started to chafe. He wasn’t going to complain. It was still better than walking the whole way. The old man was still sitting outside his tent holding a basket in his lap and Sly wondered what he even fucking did all day. The tents behind him looked empty and vacant except for a few old women sitting around a fire with a boiling pot over it. As soon as the horse stopped he felt Emi slip off the back of it, landing lightly on her feet. Her hand came out to catch in the stirrups and he was surprised at how shaky her legs were. It was enough to get him to crawl from the saddle after her, reaching out to rest a hand under her arm. She looked up at him for a split second before she shook it off, her face like stone as she tried to pretend she was fine. She looked up at Sly and didn’t wait for him, reaching up to pull at his backpack and pull the gun out. It was wrapped in the black sash and the old man’s eyes were focused intently on it when she turned around. “My end of the bargain,” she said, holding it out and peeling back the edges of the sash. The old man’s face lit up when he saw the dragon headed pistol and he took it reverently from her hands, holding it up to the light. An honest smile creased his face and it lingered there until he looked up at Sly. Then it darkened before he turned his focus back to Emi and bowed his head. “My thanks,” he said. His hands were quick and deft as he began to wrap it back up in the sash and then he stowed it in the back of his pants, gathering up his basket and settling back to his seat. “Your debt to me is paid in full.” Sly snorted, giving him a mocking salute. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he said. The man just narrowed his eyes and Sly wondered what he’d ever done to piss him off. He saw the man’s eyes drop to his hands as he grasped the reins in one hand and reached for Emi with the other. It wasn’t much but it was enough to make him smile when she allowed his fingers to twine with hers as they headed back into the main stretch of town. They paused when the man cleared his throat behind them and Emi glanced over her shoulder at him, her other hand tightening around her katana. It made him smile because she was just so badass all the time. The man nodded his head towards them, focusing his eyes on Emi. “How much for your horse?” Wenston “I can’t believe you gave him that horse for free,” Sly complained as he walked alongside her. She wasn’t holding his hand, but their shoulders kept brushing together and Sly was running his hands over his face, trying to get the sweat and dirt out of his eyes. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and she was being quiet around him, but she was thinking about what he’d said while they were riding the horse and she wondered if he meant it when he’d said he loved her. She was pretty sure he hadn’t meant it in that way, but there was still a part of her that was curious if he did. She wanted to ask him, but she was keeping her mouth shut about it because she was afraid of the answer. She wasn’t sure which scared her more, if he said no or if he said yes. “It was not our horse to sell,” she told him and he sighed before letting his hands fall down to his sides again. She didn’t hesitate to reach out and thread her fingers through his. He paused whatever he was going to say to look at her and smile. She smiled back and then looked towards the buildings again because it was time they did what they came here to do. And that was to kill a demon. Sly snorted. “Baby, people do it all the time. It’s called grand theft auto.” He made a face and added, “Except maybe this would be called grand theft equine.” He laughed after he said it and she frowned because she didn’t understand a word of what he was saying. He must of noticed because he cleared his throat to quickly cut off his laugh. She smiled and shook her head, her eyes going around the buildings and trying to figure out where Baishun-fu could be hiding. Further up the road, there was a two story building with a large balcony on the second story. She could see several girls in dresses on the balcony, waving handkerchiefs at men passing by on the street to make them come in and Emi’s eyes narrowed. “I believe Baishun-fu would hide there,” she said, pointing towards the building. “What the…” he grumbled, trailing off a little an pouting. “How the hell did I miss the whorehouse the first time through this town? I normally pay attention to those things.” Emi turned to give him a glare and Sly raised an eyebrow at her. “So I can be sure I know where to stay away from,” he quickly added. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to smile at the comment. “I doubt you are being truthful,” she told him and he just grinned, looking mostly amused with a hint of nervousness on his features. She narrowed her eyes and looked back to the whorehouse, as Sly called it. She sighed and let go of Sly’s hand. “Come, we must find Baishun-fu and kill her so that we may go home.” “I don’t see this going over well,” Sly grumbled so Emi barely heard it. But she did and turned around to glare at him before heading towards the whorehouse. There were swinging doors off the front porch. Honky music filtered out and there were shouts and laughter mixed in with the sounds. Emi sighed before she pushed open the swinging doors because something told her she wasn’t going to like it in here and she was going to have to keep a close eye on Sly because he didn’t seem to do well with temptation and she’d already promised herself she wasn’t going to let him slip again. Not that she thought he had the same problem with women that he did with drugs. Because if he did, she’d have to re-evaluate her options, but still, he shouldn’t have to be reminded that Emi was not as well experienced with sex as other women were. She felt a little inadequate thinking about it, but pushed herself into the whorehouse anyway. It was fairly full. There were no available chairs and the games tables were all full. Women lined the stairs wearing skimpy dresses and showing off their undergarments. Emi frowned and paused just inside the doors, her hand coming out unconsciously to straighten her dress. She felt Sly’s hand reach up to hold hers again, bringing her fingers to his lips and she looked at him because he was watching her face. “You’re beautiful,” he said, like he was reading her mind or correctly interpreting her lack of comfort in this place. “Let us just find her,” she said, but gave Sly a small smile so he’d know she appreciated his words. They walked into the crowd and Emi kept her eyes peeled. There were so many people, she wasn’t sure how she would recognize Baishun-fu, but she was sort of counting on the demon coming to them or calling them out. She kept a tight grip on Sly’s hand because if she were Baishun-fu, she’d slip close and take out Sly while he was in this crowd. Her eyes darted around just thinking about that because it was an all too likely scenario. Emi grew frustrated and a little nervous when they reached the opposite side of the room. She pulled Sly with her to the wall and turned around, staring at the patrons. Most of them were hardly paying any attention to them. Some of the men were looking Emi’s way but most of the women would glance at Sly, look to her, and then look away. Sly, for his part, was wide eyed with a smirk on his face as he looked around him. She decided she didn’t want to know what he was thinking because it was better that way. “Hey cowboy,” a sultry voice said next to them and Emi turned to look at a blonde woman who’d made her way to Sly’s side. Emi narrowed her eyes at her because she was slurring her words and she stumbled a little, falling into Sly, who held out a hand so she wouldn’t fall and Emi felt a weird spike of jealousy course through her. “You looking for a little fun?” Sly snorted, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Emi jutted her chin when Sly wrapped an arm around her waist. “Sorry, I’m taken,” he said and nodded his head like he was proud of himself. She wondered if he was proud to have Emi at his side or just proud he’d had the willpower to admit it. She tried not to let those thoughts get to her because he’d said he needed her and she just hoped he remembered it. “Aww,” the woman giggled, putting a hand over her mouth and Emi glared at her. “She can watch if she wants. Or join, but it will be extra.” Sly raised an eyebrow and Emi swore if he was even considering it she was going to tell him to wait outside. “As tempting as that is,” Sly said, looking the woman over and then he tore his eyes away from her and it literally looked like it pained him to do so. He looked to Emi and grinned at her and she just narrowed her eyes at him as well. “This is all the woman I need,” he said, giving her a squeeze. Emi thought it was a good answer. “Oh come on,” the blonde woman tried again, this time her hand coming out to rub across Sly’s chest. Emi immediately reached out and grabbed her wrist, shoving it away from Sly, who looked a little startled by the motion, but the blonde woman didn’t seem phased and Emi thought she’d had too much to drink. The woman laughed. “What’s the matter, honey?” she asked. “You feeling left out? Well here,” she said and the girl moved quicker than Emi expected, grabbing the back of her head and pressing her lips against Emi’s. “Fuck me,” she heard Sly mutter and she shoved the blonde away, wiping her hand across her lips and snarling at the woman. “Whore,” she spat out in Japanese and pulled herself between the woman and Sly, shoving her away. “Leave us be,” she demanded. The woman stumbled a little and laughed, looking beyond Emi towards Sly. “Be seein’ you, sweet heart,” she said and the blonde’s gaze came back to Emi, a strangely sober smile crossing her face. Emi frowned as the woman turned and sauntered away, the drunk gait gone and her motions completely controlled and smooth. Emi’s eyes widened as soon as she realized what had happened. “Baishun-fu,” she whispered. Sly’s eyes tore from the woman’s backside to Emi. “What?” he asked. “That was her,” she growled and took a step forward. As soon as she did, her vision wavered and she brought a hand to her head, trying to shake it away. She felt Sly’s hand on her arm and his voice was concerned as he said, “Emi?” She shrugged his hand off and her gaze went to seek out Baishun-fu in the crowd again. She thought she saw a woman in a red dress like hers heading up the stairs and she tried to take another step in that direction. The dizziness hit her again hard, this time stealing her breath away and her hand came back up to her head, her legs shaky beneath her. She realized all at once what a fool she’d been to let the demon get that close. And if that weren’t enough, she started suddenly when the swinging doors were shoved open, banging against the walls and several screams sounded from the patrons in the room. A voice called from the doorway, “Alright, where’s the bastard and the Chinawoman who killed Ramblin’ Ruddy?” Emi tried to tell Sly to run and get out of there because she could barely keep herself standing, but in the next moment her vision blurred horribly and she started pitching to the side. She just hoped Sly knew to leave her behind and get himself to safety. .Wolfie. The place turned into chaos in a heartbeat. Next to the door Sly heard someone shouting and then suddenly gunshots were going off and he could hear women screaming. In front of them people were shoving out of their seats and bolting for the doors or the stairs or anyway out of this place because a group of men were blocking the doors and they were all carrying really big guns.He took this in with wide eyes before his attention returned to Emi. Her fingers curled around his arm for a split second before they slipped and she careened towards the floor, her eyes rolling back in her head. Sly bit off a cry, arms barely catching her before she hit the ground and the momentum brought him to his knees. They glanced hard off the wooden floor but he kept her from hitting her head, cradling her to his chest as he stared at her with wide eyes. She was limp in his grasp, her breathing shallow and when he pressed a hand to her neck he could feel her heartbeat pulsing rapidly beneath his fingertips. “Emi?” he said, hands moving to her shoulders as he gave her a gentle shake. “Come on, Em, stay with me. Please baby, open your eyes.” His voice sounded desperate even to himself and he lifted his head for a moment towards the door. The men were shoving their way inside, led by a grizzled cowboy with an eye patch and a ten gallon hat on his head. Behind him was the little thin man and he felt a sneer curl his lips when he saw him, a scab still on his neck from where Emi had her sword pointed at him. “That him?” the man in front demanded. They were forcing themselves roughly inside the whorehouse and with the words his hand shot out and grabbed the nearest man, wrenching his face up towards the light. Cards fell from his fingers as he reached up to try and free himself but the one eyed man didn’t seem to notice or care, twisting his head so the thin man could look at him. He licked his chapped lips before shaking his lips. “No,” he said. “He was a little taller.” The man cried out as he was shoved roughly back and Sly muttered curses under his lips, head twisting around desperately for somewhere to hide or somewhere to run. The bar was next to him and he could see the bartender standing tensely behind the counter. By the doors a woman screamed and bolted for the stairs as they got close to her and the man snapped out a hand and grabbed her roughly. “Aw, where you goin’ darlin’?” the man asked, his other hand grabbing her cheeks and twisting her face into the light. He snorted when he saw her, shoving her towards the stairs and shaking his head. “Well today’s your lucky day, pet. You ain’t a Chinawoman. Guess that makes every day your lucky day, don’t it?” He laughed after he said it and the thin man laughed with him. Sly hooked his hands under Emi’s arms, scrambling backwards across the wooden floor. He stayed low and hoped today was his lucky day as he aimed for the bar. It killed him just how limp Emi was, her eyes closed and her body slack as he pulled her along the wooden floor. Across the room he could hear shouting as the man grabbed another woman and pissed off the man she was with. “Sit the fuck down,” he yelled, and he heard the gunshot echo off the walls. He winced at the sound of it and then he couldn’t see anything more because the wooden counter blocked them from view. Not that it would matter much in a few minutes. “Fuck,” he said, running a hand over his mouth and peering around the edge of the counter. The men were making their way through the bar, examining each patron one at a time and he didn’t like how quiet it had gotten. He could hear his own raspy breathing and it sounded loud in his ears. Next to him the bartender was moving his hands slowly down towards the shotgun he had hidden beneath the counter and it reminded Sly that he wasn’t completely helpless. He pulled the gun from his jeans, clicking the safety off with one hand and keeping the other resting on Emi’s shoulder. He glanced down at her and fear jolted through him at how pale she looked. “You see either of them Charlie?” the one eyed man demanded. Sly kept his focus on Emi, the back of his hand pressing against her forehead and she felt hot to the touch. It could have been because she was a little pink in the face from the sun but he wasn’t sure. There was sweat starting to break out along her skin and it reminded him too much of the barbs that had struck her in the chest. He cursed again, glancing up towards the stairs and he wondered if killing the demon would fix her. He wondered if he really thought he had a chance of doing that by himself. He was weak and scared and there were angry men with guns storming around out there. All he had was a single gun and a few magic tricks that a dead man had taught him. “No sir,” the thin man said. “Do see an awful lot of pretty girls here though.” He heard a woman scream and he tipped his head around the corner to look. The skinny man had grabbed a girl by her arm and he was grinning as he ran his tongue up the side of her neck. She had her face twisted away, contorted with disgust as she tried to shove him off her. There was a click as the bartender drew his gun. “You stay the fuck away from my girls,” he snarled, finger yanking on the trigger. The blast was loud next to Sly’s head but not as loud as the answering gunshots that went off in response. The bartender barely had time to let out a strangled shout before holes punched their way through his chest, shattering the glasses behind him. Sly bit his lip to keep from crying out as broken glass and blood rained down around him, bending over to shield Emi from the shrapnel flying overhead. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he focused on her and her eyes stayed shut, her face pale as she slumped against the back of the counter. She’d told him he was wonderful once. He hated to make her a liar. There was a crash as they flipped a table over and he heard the one eyed man cursing. “I’m gettin’ sick and fuckin’ tired of asking,” he shouted. “Some bastard and his Chinawoman went and killed Ruddy Baker and his brother Paul and if someone don’t tell me where they is then I’m goin’ to have to start puttin’ bullets in each and every one of you.” The gun went off again and he saw it punch a hole in the floorboards overhead, showering broken chunks of wood down onto the floor. There was a crunch of glass as someone walked up to the counter and he sucked in a panicked breath because in a second they were going to look over here and find him and Emi. Then they were probably both going to die and he wasn’t a big fan of that option. He pushed himself to his feet before the man could hop the counter and for a second he saw wide and shocked eyes before he was pulling the trigger. Sly wasn’t the best shot in the world. He’d only fired a gun a handful of times and every time he did it reminded him all over again how loud and bright it was. It reminded him that his limbs were still weak from heroin withdrawal and he really shouldn’t be doing much of anything except trying to sleep it off, but he didn’t have that option. Even with all that, it was still point blank range and even Sly didn’t miss putting a bullet through the man’s head. The man slumped forward against the counter and Sly ignored the sudden sinking of his gut because he looked like he was just a kid and Sly had just put a bullet through his head. He didn’t think about it because Emi was leaning against the counter at his feet and six men with guns were all focusing them on him. He gritted his teeth, jerking his head at one of the wooden tables. He didn’t think about it, he just told it to move and it obeyed him, lifting off the ground and slamming into three of them at his command. “That’s him!” the thin man shouted, pointing a finger. Sly shifted his gun so that it was pointed at him and then he was pulling the trigger. The bullet struck him in the chest, knocking him backwards against the table with a sharp cry. He should have used his bullets on the one eyed man. He was already marching across the bar at the words, pistol held tightly in his hand and Sly moved his gun hurriedly to point at him. He yanked back on the trigger but the one eyed man jerked to the right and the shot just grazed by his elbow. His hand curled around a chair and he threw it hard at the bar. Sly ducked behind it, the wood cracking and shattering off the countertop in thick chunks. He pushed himself back to his feet and his eyes widened when he saw the man right in front of him with his pistol held tightly in his hands and pointed at his face. He lifted his gaze to his single eye and he saw a smile stretch across his lips. He only had a second to wonder why he wasn’t getting shot before the bottle smashed down over his head. He pitched forward, jaw cracking off the counter before he fell to the ground. Pain lanced through his head and his vision going blurry and unfocused. For a moment he focused on Emi and she was just lying there next to him, her head tipped to the side and her eyes closed. There was a distant dull pain in his chest and it was disappointment. He’d let her down. She’d only had him to count on and he’d let her down. Boots hit the wooden floor next to his head and then one was crushing down hard on his hand, forcing his fingers to open around his gun. A hand reached down and pulled it from his grasp, shoving it into the man’s belt before rough fingers tangled in his hair and yanked his head back. Rank, whiskey breath moved by his cheek and he heard the man snarling into his ear. “I should shoot you down like the dog you are right now,” he said. “But you don’t deserve a quick death for what you done, boy. Not you, and not your woman.” He’d been scared right up until the man said that. It had been making his blood run cold but it was replaced by a sudden burning anger because no one touched Emi. He twisted his head to the side, focusing on the man’s face. There was blood trickling down the back of his skull and his lip but he told himself it was just like a bar fight. “You keep your fucking hands off her,” he snarled. The man laughed and it was angry and bitter and mean. “Wasn’t going to touch her with my hands,” he said. Then he was slamming Sly’s head down against the floor. Wenston The world was fuzzy and distorted around her. Every inch of her felt like it was on fire and when she opened her eyes, they would only open part way before they decided they were too heavy to lift. She could hear shaky, short gasps of breath and it took a while for her brain to put two and two together and realize it was her own breathing she was hearing. Trickles of sweat made their way down the back of her neck and her cheeks and her lips felt dry and chapped and sore. She tried everything she could to remember what had happened, but she couldn’t. She could only lay there and try to figure out what was happening now. The landscape was moving by slowly. Above the beating of her own heart and her short, rapid gasps of air, she could hear other voices, deep and rowdy. They kept laughing at something and it made Emi nervous because she didn’t recognize any of them and she didn’t like waking up surrounded by people she didn’t know. There were smells too. The most prominent being horse. The second thing she could smell was something that stank like the beer Sly had tried to get her to drink. At the thought of him, she wondered where he was because whatever she was smelling was dirty and sweaty and she realized her face was pressed against it so she tried to tip her head back to look. It wasn’t who she expected. It was a man with an eye-patch and a large hat like the one Sly had stolen from the shop. She recognized him only slightly but when she did, she remembered what had happened. This man and a few others had burst into the whorehouse looking for Sly and her. She felt dread and loathing build up in her chest because he’d been lead there by the man she’d let live and she should have known better. She should have killed the man where he’d sat cowering against the cabin instead of letting him go. If Sly were hurt or dead because of her, she would never forgive herself. But she had to find him first. Her eyes sought out the other voices and she realized she was on top of a horse. She tried to keep the fright from that knowledge back because there were several other horses walking next to the one she was on. The other men on top of the horses kept turning back and laughing at something behind them, but Emi couldn’t see what it was because there was a one-eyed man blocking her view. She didn’t like that his arms where around her or that she was sitting sideways on his horse with her head pressed against his shoulder and she didn’t know where Sly was. “Sly,” she tried to murmur his name and push herself away from the man, but she became aware of two things at once. The first being that her hands were tied in front of her with thick, coarse rope. The second was that her body was weak and limp and heavy. She felt like she had after fighting that spine shooting plant when they’d gone after Senshutokage. Only this was worse and she was managing to make the world clearer around her, but she wasn’t feeling any stronger. Whatever Baishun-fu had done to her was still coursing through her system. It made her feel like her blood was boiling beneath her skin. The one-eyed man snorted and she felt him shift and then laugh beneath her. “Slow down, boys. My pet’s wakin’ up.” From somewhere behind the man who held her, she could hear a familiar muffled cry and it made her heart race in her chest because it sounded like Sly and it sounded like he was angry or hurt or a combination of the two. The horse slowed down to a crawl and the man let go of the reins, his hand instead grabbing Emi’s chin to tip her head back. When he grinned, he was missing two teeth and his breath was warm and stank on her skin. She didn’t like him touching her. “Hello, darlin’,” he drawled, grinning ear to ear. “You finally decide to join us?” Emi was having trouble focusing on his face and she whispered again, “Sly,” because she wanted to see him and make sure he was okay and if he wasn’t, she was going to figure out a way to get them out of this because it was her job to protect him and beyond that, she cared for him more than she’d ever cared for another person before in her life and she wasn’t going to lose him to the likes of these creeps. The man laughed. “You callin’ for your man?” he turned the horse and Emi’s eyes widened when she finally spotted Sly. There was rope tied around his wrists and a bit in his mouth like he was an animal or something. The rope was tied to one of the other men’s horses. Sly was red and dirty and sweaty, his wrists bloody from where the rope dug into his skin. He had blood on his face and the back of his head and down his chin, but his eyes were wide and alert as he looked over at her. “Hey boy,” the one-eyed man called. “Your Chinawoman wants to know what you want for supper. Rice or…rice,” he laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world and his friends all started laughing too. Emi tried to keep her eyes on Sly, but she felt her eyelids slipping shut, her head too heavy to keep up herself. She could hear Sly yell something from behind the bit in his mouth, but she couldn’t make out what he was trying to say. Turning his horse back around, the man spurred them on and Emi felt her chest constrict because Sly was being forced to walk behind them and she was afraid if he tripped or fell, they wouldn’t stop, they’d just drag him. She looked again at the other men and she felt anger pulse its way into her gut when she saw Kaidokusuru strapped to one of their horses. She had failed. Again. She had failed Sly and it was possible he was going to die here and that wasn’t acceptable. That wasn’t one of the possible endings they’d discussed. It was supposed to be about whether she would stay or go, not whether Sly would live or die. That wasn’t supposed to be a possibility. Emi must have drifted out again as she thought about it, because next she knew the one-eyed man was pulling his horse to a sudden stop, whistling to his friends. Emi started awake and she felt the man’s hands gripping her harshly around her arms. “We’ll stop here, boys,” he called. “The sun’s unrelentin’ today and I’m parched,” he laughed and turned to look over his shoulder. “How you holdin’ up back there, boy?” Emi didn’t hear an answer from Sly and that terrified her. But then the man laughed and he was sliding off his horse. The world tipped and tilted around her as he pulled her after him, throwing her roughly over his shoulder, one hand high on her leg to hold her in place and she didn’t like him touching her. She tried to grab onto him or to fight against him, but whatever was in her veins was making her weak and dizzy and limp still. She barely held onto consciousness as the man carried her towards his friends. She closed her eyes and tried to stay awake, but she was disoriented and sick and she felt herself sinking further and further away. “We goin’ swimmin’, Boss?” one of the other men asked. “Sure, let’s take a dip,” he said and Emi felt him slap her leg, his fingers trailing up her thigh. “And we wouldn’t want her to get her pretty dress dirty, now would we boys?” Her heart skipped a beat as the others answered in a chorus of no’s and laughs. Someone in there she thought she could hear something muffled and angry from Sly, but then the one-eyed man was flipping her forward off his shoulder and lying her face down in the sand. Her hands grasped at the ground, sand slipping between her fingers and the rope cut into her wrists as she tried to pull herself away from the hands on her. She gave a soft cry as she felt the strings on the back of her dress being pulled apart and as it exposed her back, the fingers paused and someone gave a low whistle. “Someone’s been at her already,” the one-eyed man said. She crushed her eyes shut as she felt rough hands move along the scars on her back. She heard him laugh and then he was leaning over her, arms braced on either side and his head near hers. Her breathing was coming in short gasps and she felt unquenchable fear clutching at her chest. “You been naughty, Chinawoman?” They laughed and Emi pushed weakly at the ground to try and get away from him, but her body still wasn’t obeying her. She collapsed , her hands tied and her back exposed and all she could think about was she hoped Sly was okay. .Wolfie. There was a rough hand wrapped around Sly’s arm, another gripping the back of his neck with bruising strength. His hands were tied in front of him with rope and there was blood trickling from the end of his fingertips from where it had rubbed raw. There was a bit in his mouth and it had made the corners of his mouth chafe and scab until they felt like bleeding too. His face and his arms were sunburned and his legs felt like they were made of lead from trying to stay upright behind the man’s horse.He didn’t know how long he’d been stumbling behind them like an animal. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d been slapped brutally awake outside of the whorehouse and then tied up and dragged through the desert. Time blurred together into one long wretched nightmare, the only proof of time’s passage was the sweat and dirt caked onto his skin in thick layers. He was aware of these things in only the dullest sense, because the rest of him was just screaming out for Emi. Her face was pressed down into the sand, her hands bound in front of her and digging uselessly into the ground. There were panicked noises leaving her lips and he felt himself screaming behind the bit because that was Emi and she was hurt and scared and she should never be either of those things. The man with one eye was leaned over her, hands running over her back before they yanked at the dress and peeled it down to her waist. He was smiling as he looked at her, sitting up with a gruesome grin on his face. One of his hands slid up between her shoulders before he gripped the back of her neck and pushed her harder into the ground. Sly tried to scream. He bucked against the hands holding him and there were howls of anger and pain leaving his lips because the man’s other hand was going to his belt buckle and this was why Emi didn’t like anyone touching her. This was why she used to flinch when he put his arm around her or tried to give her a hug. She’d been hurt in the past and now she was getting hurt right in front of him and he couldn’t take it because that was his Emi. That was his girl and no one was allowed to hurt his girl. The hand tightened on the back of his neck and he smelled rank whiskey breath run by his cheek. “Just settle in and watch, boy,” the man behind him said. Rotten yellow teeth grinned at him as he made sure Sly’s head was pointed in the right direction so that he didn’t miss a second of it. “He might be at it for hours. Maybe when he’s done you can watch me take a turn.” A snarl left Sly’s lips and his head lifted to focus on the man holding him. There was a nasty smile on his face and even though Sly’s hands were bound in front of him there was his girl’s voice in the back of his head telling him he had other things to fight with. The man was watching Emi and that was probably the only reason he caught him by surprise but then Sly’s hands were gripping his hair, yanking his head down roughly towards the ground. He cried out as he lost his balance, pitching forward against the sand. Sly didn’t let him go, drawing his head back and smashing it against the dirt before he pushed himself to his feet. Dirt sprayed out behind his boots as he forced his legs to work and there was an angry howl leaving his throat as he slammed hard into the one eyed man. He hit him hard in the side, knocking them both over and into the water. There was an angry shout and he was vaguely aware of the sound of guns being drawn and clicking back but all he cared about was that this man had his fucking hands all over his Emi and no one got to touch her like that. Especially not some bastard in a fucking cowboy hat that had tied him up like a dog. He was still screaming as he brought his hands back, his fingers laced together as he used his fists like a club. There was a crunch as his knuckles met the man’s nose and he spluttered and shouted as the water splashed over his face and into his mouth. He managed to get two more good hits in before the man’s fist came up and hit him hard across the face, pain lancing through his cheekbone. He rocked back with the force of the blow, his vision blurring and stars in his eyes but he forced them to stay open because if he closed them then he couldn’t protect Emi and she needed someone to protect her. She couldn’t do everything by herself and even if she could then she shouldn’t have to. He should be able to save her when she really needed it. He should be that kind of man for her because that was what she deserved and he brought his head forward in a quick blow. It cracked off the other man’s forehead and he splashed back into the water with a snarled curse. Sly brought his fists forward again, fingers curling around his throat and forcing his mouth beneath the surface. He’d never hated someone this much before. He’d never wanted to see someone get hurt or die as much as he suddenly wanted it for this man because he’d had his filthy hands on his girl. He didn’t see which one of them hit him. All he felt was the sudden pain of something hard and metal striking the back of his head and his fingers loosened around the one eyed man’s neck. His head felt like it was splitting open and for a minute his vision went black. Rough hands grabbed his arms and then he was being dragged off the man, his boots dragging through the water and the mud. “You son of a bitch,” someone snarled, and then the man who’d been holding him before drew back his fist and hit him in the eye. He pitched back, the only thing holding him upright the other hands grabbing him roughly. His head lolled to the side and through his blurry gaze he could see Emi still lying by the shore, her eyes blinking and unfocused. Then she fixated on him and he saw her eyes widen, her fingers curling into the dirt. “Sly,” she mouthed. He tried to smile at her because he loved her and he thought she should know that if they were about to die, but the bit in his mouth kept it from doing anything but hurting. He felt the world moving around him and he didn’t realize at first that he was being dragged across the ground. Someone spit next to his head and it was bloody as it hit the dirt. “You just couldn’t wait your turn, could you?” the man snarled. Sly tipped his head back and he felt a cruel hand gripping him by his hair and yanking it backwards. He shot the man over him his best winning grin but it lost something and the man seemed to realize it, jerking his head at whoever was behind him holding him steady. “Take the fucking bit off,” he snapped. There was blood on his nose and his lips and he lifted his sleeve to his face, wiping it away before glaring at it bitterly. Anger was starting to turn his face red and mostly Sly was just proud that he’d done that to him. Fingers pulled at the leather straps around his head and he couldn’t help the small gasp of relief when he felt the metal bit pull from between his lips. They felt sore and raw, his jaw aching from having it jammed between his teeth. For the first time in his life he was happy to shut his mouth. It would have made him laugh, if anything about this was funny. The man stomped forward and then he was grabbing him by the collar and yanking him to his feet. “You’re gonna wish you’d never done that,” he snarled. “You know what we do to animals that don’t know their place? We break ‘em.” He shoved him forward and Sly stumbled, falling to his knees and feeling them scrape over the rocks and the dirt. Whatever strength he’d had left was gone now, his head swimming and the world tilting around him. His vision was blurry and he kept getting dark patches interrupting his gaze and that couldn’t have been a good sign. He wondered distantly if maybe he had heatstroke and that was almost enough to get him to laugh because that would be too fucking funny if that was what he died of. Not the giant spider or Bowser or even the killer parrot. No, he died of heatstroke kidnapped by cowboys in the middle of the fucking desert. At least they were paying attention to him and not Emi. He wanted to turn his head over his shoulder to make sure she was okay, but he didn’t want to draw attention back to her. He wanted their fucking hands off her and if that meant they were manhandling Sly instead then he would take that. He would do anything to make her happy and if that meant staying sober or getting his ass kicked by cowboys then he would do it with a smile on his face. The man gripped him by the arms and dragged him forward to the post they’d tied their horses to. He didn’t have time to wonder what they were doing because then he was yanking his hands forward and lashing them to the post, tying him securely to it. Sly snorted, head lolling back over his shoulder and he focused on the one eyed man as he started to walk towards one of his horses. His hands were clumsy with anger as he yanked his pack open and he felt his stomach lurch when he pulled out a whip, the ends of it dangling from the handle with jagged bits of metal knotted into their strands. He licked his lips nervously and lifted his head. “Sorry asshole,” he said. “Not even that can make me call you big papa.” The man stomped forward with quick angry motions and slammed Sly’s head down against the post. He struggled weakly when he felt his hand grip the end of his shirt and yank it up but he didn’t expect it to do any good. His muscles were weak and tired and all he earned himself was a swift kick in the ribs before they gathered his shirt up around his neck and shoulders. “I bet you’re a screamer,” the one eyed man said. Then he chuckled and looked over his shoulder. “Any of you boys want to take bets on it?” “Ten lashes until he screams,” one of them said. Sly followed his gaze but he moved past it to the water’s edge. Emi was slowly trying to push herself to her knees but he could see her arms trembling from here and in the back of his mind he was willing her desperately to just run. He didn’t care what they did to him but he didn’t want anything happening to her. Then it didn’t matter, because the man who had been holding onto Sly moved and tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her upright. “You don’t want to miss the show, do you sweetheart? What do you think, is your man a screamer?” He was grinning, arms wrapping around Emi from behind her and holding her firmly against his chest. Sly snarled and yanked at the ropes holding him because he didn’t like how intimately that man was touching her and he didn’t like that she didn’t look like she could stand up without his help. Her hands were held tightly to her chest, trying to keep the dress from falling down around her hips but her eyes were focused only on Sly and he wanted to tell her he loved her then too, but he didn’t. Then the one eyed man was hauling back on his whip and it was cracking through the air. The lashes fell across his back in burning lines and it was all he could do to keep from screaming. His teeth closed down so hard on his lower lip that he felt blood burst in his mouth and there was a wretched cry trying to pull its way up from his chest but he didn’t let it escape. His head fell against the wooden post and his eyes slammed closed because it hurt so much fucking worse than he thought it would. When his arm yanked back he could feel it ripping out chunks of his skin, shredding and flaying him alive and then someone was saying “two” and the second blow was ripping him apart. Fire ripped over his ribs and his back and howled behind his teeth. But he didn’t scream. Wenston By the time they got to ten, Sly hung limply and stopped flinching when the lashes struck his back. His eyes were closed and blood was dripping from the lashes in his back to the ground in heavy crimson droplets and it made Emi sick to her stomach. She hoped he was only unconscious and not dead. He wasn’t moving and she couldn’t tell from where she was being held and through the haze still in her eyes if his chest was rising and falling, but she prayed it was. She prayed to whatever god was willing to listen that Sly wasn’t dead. It would kill her if he was. Not just because she would have failed in her duties as the Guardian, but because that was Sly. She’d told him she was his and he’d told her he was hers in return and no matter if he meant that or not, she did. She didn’t say things like that to just anyone and she hoped he knew that. She hoped Sly knew how much he meant to her and that her taking away his drugs wasn’t something she enjoyed or did just to harass him. She wanted him to survive and be happy and healthy and be hers. After ten lashes, the one eyed man sighed and pulled his whip up, rolling it up and shaking his head. “Well ain’t that a crock,” he said. “He ain’t a screamer.” Blood dripped from the ends of the whip and it made Emi’s heart lurch because that was Sly’s blood. He needed help in a bad way and she wondered if there was a healer in this world or one in his she could get him to. Of course, that would require her to get them out of this in the first place. The one-eyed man turned around, his whip held down at his side and there was an evil smirk on his face as his eyes came back to Emi. She tensed, but she wasn’t scared. She didn’t care what they did to her now, so long as they left Sly alone and were done hurting him. The man holding her moved one of his arms to her neck and pulled her head back so it was resting on his shoulder. She felt him run his tongue up her neck and she jammed her eyes shut but didn’t make a noise. She felt a rough hand come to her head and when she opened her eyes, the one-eyed man was standing in front of her. She was still weak and shaky and if the man hadn’t been holding her, she wouldn’t be standing. But she was getting better and in a few more hours, whatever Baishun-fu had done to her would probably be out of her system. “You enjoy the show, sweetheart?” the one-eyed man asked, grinning and running his hand down the side of her face. His fingers trailed further and gripped one of her tied wrists. He shoved her hands down and without them holding it up, her dress fell down around her waist and she sucked in a harsh breath at being exposed and bare in front of these men. The one-eyed man was looking down at her chest, tilting his head side to side as he took her in. She tensed as his hand came up but instead of touching her, he grabbed the amulet around her neck. “Now that’s a pretty shiny thing,” he said. Before she could protest, he yanked it, breaking the chain and pulling it from around her neck. She gave a cry and struggled against the arms holding her again, her tied hands coming out weakly to try and take it back from him because that was her key. That was her ticket to staying with Sly and no matter what she’d been trying to make him feel, her want to stay hadn’t changed. She needed to stay and this man was taking that away from her. “No,” she cried when the man swatted her hands away all too easily. He grabbed her chin roughly, fingers bruising as they gripped her. “Now you listen to me, Chinawoman,” he snarled. “Ruddy Baker was a good friend a’ mine. Well, that ain’t exactly true, but did owe me a pretty hefty poker debt. And I don’t take kindly to people killing fellas who owe me money. You shoulda stayed overseas, darlin’, because your kind ain’t nothing but a slave or a fuck here.” Emi swallowed thickly and her voice was quiet and hoarse as she told him, “I will kill you for what you’ve done.” The man laughed outright in her face. His friends laughed with him and the man holding Emi tightened his grip, his hands moving to places she didn’t want them going. But the one-eyed man stopped laughing abruptly and his face contorted into a wicked snarl. He backhanded her suddenly and it was so hard and forceful that he actually knocked her from the man’s arms who was holding her. She hit the sand hard and saw stars for a moment before she tried to curl her arms up to cover herself. A fist clenched tightly in her hair and yanked her head back. She gave a cry and tried to reach up to hold his wrist as he dragged her along the ground. The dress threatened to be dragged right off of her so she tried to kick her legs to keep up with him. He dragged her towards the pole where Sly was tied and she struggled in vain against his hands as he tied her wrists at the same height Sly’s were tied. Her dress was still about her hips and she felt ashamed and awful at the treatment. Her eyes went to Sly and up close, she could see and hear his breath coming in ragged gasps. His back looked awful and he was so badly hurt she felt her chest constrict with failure and pain. She tried to scoot close to him, but the man grabbed a fistful of her hair again and yanked her head back. She gave a cry at the sudden pain, but looked up into his face. “I was gonna treat ya nice,” he told her. “I was gonna make ya feel like a lady.” Somehow she doubted that. “But now you can stay out here with your man while me and my boys find a nice place to hole up for the night. And we’ll be back in the morning to see how you’re doing and maybe then, I’ll let me and my boys have a little fun with you. All day long.” He laughed and Emi shivered beneath his touch, her teeth chattering as he let go of her hair and stood straighter. The man who’d been holding her scratched at his head. “We ain’t gonna have fun now?” he asked. “No,” the one-eyed man snapped. “Tomorrow. Now let’s go.” Emi was trembling as she watched the bandits climb on their horses. Her eyes went to Kaidokusuru still strapped to one of the horses and she could see Sly’s pack on another. Then the bandits took off and Emi watched them until they were just small specks on the horizon. Turning back towards Sly, she tried scooting closer to him again, but she was still weak and tied awkwardly. “Sly,” she whispered to him. “Please wake up,” she coaxed. When he didn’t stir, her face fell and she felt tears settling into her eyes and one slipped down her cheek. He was hurt so badly and she couldn’t get herself or him out of this for at least another couple hours while her body dispelled the last of Baishun-fu’s effects. “Please,” she cried softly, letting her head rest against the pole. She shivered again and realized it was getting cooler out, the sun slowly sinking in the sky. She reigned in her emotions and her fear and that meant forgetting the man’s hands on her. She closed her eyes and focused only on her body and pushing away her aches and pains. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Sly and told him seriously, “I will get us out of this.” She didn’t think he heard her. .Wolfie. At first Sly thought he was dreaming. It felt like a dream because the first and only thing he could see at first was blood. It was splattered all around him and sinking into the sand by his knees. He could feel it running down his arms and off the tips of his fingers and the end of his nose. There was cold sinking into his bones and his teeth, stinging harshly at the open wounds on his skin. He knew it was a dream, because he was in so much pain that if he were awake he would be dead from it. His back felt like it had been flayed open and maybe that wasn’t so far off. Every flinch hurt, every breath sent agony down his spine with sharp, burning fingers.His eyes were gritty and sore and he let them close because as soon as the dream was over then he could wake back up. Then the pain would be gone and the blood would be gone and it would be just another nightmare for him to forget about and toss aside. He could wake up in his apartment and in his bed and maybe when he opened his eyes he would see Emi lying curled in his arms. She was beautiful when she slept. She was beautiful all the time but it was one of the few times she looked completely relaxed and at ease. It was one of the only times he saw her without that cold mask on, the one that said all that mattered was duty. It had been slipping more and more lately but when she slept there was no trace of it. There was nothing to compare to that first moment where her eyes slid open and met his and a warm smile made its way across her lips. If he believed in things like heaven, that would be it. Something shifted next to him and he forced his eyes to open because he thought this was the part where he woke up in his bed. At first he didn’t understand what he was looking at because when he blinked there was still blood underneath him and in his eyes. There was something rasping and rattling and it was a moment before he realized it was his breath moving in and out of his lungs. It billowed into the air in warm clouds because the temperature had dropped and he could feel it crawling down his throat and freezing him from the inside out. He was already shivering, the sweat and the blood cooling on his skin. Every time he trembled he could feel it. His back was on fire and he bit down on his lip because the more awake he became the more he was aware of just that. Every inch of skin from the back of his neck to his hip felt like it had been sliced open and he gulped in sharp gasps of air, ducking his head and forcing his eyes closed. The cold air slid across his skin and it was like nails ripping open each and every cut over and over again. A whimper left his lips and as soon as he made a sound he heard a hiss of breath. “Sly?” Emi said. He felt movement next to him and he forced his eyes to stay open because he would give her anything she wanted. He caught a glimpse of hands tied next to his, wrists bloodied and raw and he frowned because he didn’t like her getting hurt. His head rolled to the side as he tried to focus on her face. Her eyes were wide and scared as they met his and he didn’t like that but he couldn’t get his lips to cooperate. He swallowed hard and he felt himself drifting off again, his eyes fluttering shut and his head swimming. The world was tilting and blurring around him and it was better that way because it made the pain distant and foreign. He didn’t know how long he was out the second time. His sense of time had been destroyed a while ago and he stopped trying to figure it out. It didn’t matter anymore. When his eyes opened his head was pressed against the wooden post, his body hanging limply from it. He couldn’t feel his hands anymore. He could feel the blood cooling as it ran from his wrists but he couldn’t feel his fingers and he wished that he could say the same thing for his back. Fire raced along his ribcage and his spine and it wasn’t easing any. Soft fingers brushed his face and his eyes fluttered open for them. His head rolled to the side but he couldn’t get his lids to stay open. “Sly?” Emi asked again. He felt her fingers slide along his skin, wiping the blood from his cheeks as she tried to lift his head to look at her. “Please,” she said, and he was surprised at how sad and desperate and pleading her voice was. “Please stay with me.” Her hands brushed the hair out of his eyes, smoothing it back along his head. He leaned into the touch because it was comforting and gentle and a sharp contrast to the horror that still felt like it had its claws in his back. Agony couldn’t begin to describe it. He felt her hands leave his face and his head fell back against the post without her help. Then fingers were pulling at the ropes around his wrist and he groaned because they were dug in tight and it peeled back the scabs when she yanked on them. She was saying something in Japanese and by the sound of it she was probably cursing. It made him smile and then the ropes were coming loose and he was falling. His hands fell to either side and hit the dust hard and then his body was following, tipping over and striking the ground hard. Emi yelled, fingers trying to catch up but he was nothing but dead weight as his shoulder struck sand. As soon as it did he felt a scream try and pull its way up out of his lungs but he bit down hard on his lip because he hadn’t screamed for those fucking bastards and he wasn’t going to scream now. He just focused on sucking air in and out of his lungs and his head was feeling dizzy and clouded again, the world spinning and tipping wildly around him. He could see his hands lying limply next to his head and it was harder than he thought it would be just to curl his fingers into the sand. “Come on,” Emi said. He didn’t know where they were going but then she was crouching in front of him, pulling an arm around her shoulders and trying to drag him somewhere. His legs didn’t work. None of his muscles obeyed him and he felt himself falling again. Emi made a noise when he tipped forward, following him to the ground and trying to keep him upright. He was surprised when he felt her hand suddenly striking him on the chest but he could barely keep his eyes open. “Please,” she was begging. The sound of her voice was scaring him because she sounded so desperate and scared and he wasn’t used to her being scared. “Just stay with me, Sly.” He tried to open his mouth to tell her he was going to be okay but only a pained groan left his lips. She made a noise that sounded almost like a sob or a whimper and then she was pulling at his arms again. She dragged his arm back around his shoulder, the other going around his waist and he sucked in a harsh breath when her fingers met the stinging lash marks. He turned his head, burying his face in her hair and just trying to breath as he let her drag him away from the post. He didn’t know where they were going. He barely knew where they were or who he was anymore. He could barely even feel his feet. She didn’t make him go far, dropping him down by the watering hole and he couldn’t help but cry out as it jarred the mess that his back had become. He felt her hand on his shoulder as she moved around him, pulling his head into her lap as she made sure he lay on his stomach. There was a ripping sound as she tore a long strip out of the bottom of her dress and then she was wetting it and starting to clean the long jagged wounds across his skin. A whimper left his lips and his fingers dug compulsively into her thighs, holding her tightly as she tried to wash them clean. “Shh,” she whispered. “It is alright Baka. The pain will pass. I promise, it will pass.” Something like a laugh and a sob left his lips and he pressed his face harder against her leg. “Don’t you ever get tired of taking care of me?” he said. The words came out broken and harsh, his lungs struggling to pull in harsh pants of air through his teeth. It was cold and froze his lungs and he was shivering as he held onto her. She couldn’t be faring much better and he forced one eye to open. The shoulders of her dress were torn and it was barely staying on. Normally he wouldn’t mind but he felt his stomach lurch because he didn’t know if they’d done anything to her. He didn’t know why they were out here by themselves or where the one eyed man had gone. Maybe she had killed them all when he wasn’t looking or maybe she’d given them what they wanted so they would let them both go. That thought sent fear and anger through him and he twisted his head to the side as he looked for any sign of them. “They will be back in the morning,” she said, and he wondered if she’d read his mind. Then he let out a hiss of pain as she pressed down hard on the lashes, trying to clear them out. Even through the cold he felt sweat break out on his forehead. He wanted to ask her if she had a plan. He wanted to ask where her sword was or his gun or if they could just take the Grimoire and go home for now. He’d let her down. She’d needed help and instead he’d gotten himself shredded and he was even more useless than he had been before. His breath was coming in harsh pants and he whimpered, holding onto her tightly as his vision blurred. At some point he blacked out again and he didn’t even remember losing consciousness. The world was blurry and confusing and he didn’t know where he was and there was the ever prominent thought in the front of his head that said if he had his drugs then it would make this all better. It would numb the pain so that he could function and he pushed that thought away because it didn’t lead anywhere good. When he woke up again, Emi was moving him. “I need you to stay put,” she said. “Do you understand me?” He frowned and blinked because he didn’t know how long she’d been talking to him. Her fingers were wrapped around his jaw and she was pulling his face towards hers, eyes gazing into his. “Sly?” she pushed. “Can you hear me? Do you understand?” He shook his head and he felt himself tipping to the side. Her other hand caught his shoulder and held him steady. Behind her the sun was rising and it was casting gold across her face and her hair. She was beautiful. She was amazing and fearless and his hand came up to cup her cheek. His fingers were numb and useless and they slid clumsily against her skin. “You’re beautiful,” he told her. Her face fell and he didn’t understand why because it was the truth. Her eyes were filling with tears and for a moment she looked away, focusing on the horizon. He wanted to look where she was but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. Then she was looking back at him, both hands cupping his face and pulling it towards her. “Listen to me,” she said. “I need you to stay here. Do not move. Do not speak. Do you understand? You must stay silent and you must not draw their attention to you. I will kill them as fast as I can but I do not want you getting shot in the meantime. Do you understand me, Baka?” The words didn’t make any sense to him but he nodded his head anyway and she smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. He closed his eyes at the touch and then she was guiding him back down onto his stomach. A whimper left his lips as she stepped away from him and then she was moving hurriedly, shifting brush so that it was in front of him. He tried to tell his hand to move and catch hers but his fingers didn’t listen to him and she was already moving away from him. She grabbed the length of rope still hanging from around a post and beneath it he could see a puddle of blood. It was only with the dullest of senses that he realized most of it was his and he wondered how anything was left in his veins. She slid her wrists loosely into hoops and then wrapped her hands around it, gaze turning into the sunset. When the light hit her face he didn’t see fear there. He didn’t see anything but determination so he was scared for her because she was over there by herself and he was lying on his stomach with his back in tatters. His eyes tried to close again but he forced them to stay open. He blacked out anyway. He didn’t mean to but when his vision cleared again there were already horses in the clearing and there was a man with one eye dismounting his beast. Sly bit his lip to keep from screaming or yelling or just whimpering because he was walking towards Emi and he didn’t like the man that close to her. He didn’t like that he crouched down by her or that he was smiling and gripping her hair. “Well boys,” he said. “At least the pretty one’s still here. Did the wolves come and claim your man’s body?” “No,” she said, her voice calm and steady as she tipped her head back. “I promised to give them you instead.” Then she was moving, lifting the rope off the post and swinging it around his neck. She twisted it in her grasp, forming a noose around the man’s neck and choking off the air to his lungs. Wenston Emi’s hands were tight around the rope as she choked the one-eyed man who’d hurt Sly. There would be no mercy for any of them, that much she knew. But him especially. Because Sly’s blood was still beneath his fingernails and Sly was in bad shape and it was this man’s fault. This man’s wrath had done that to him and he wasn’t even one of the Thirteen. He was just one of their creations. She heard the clicking of guns behind her and she whirled, bringing the one-eyed man with her and as gunshots blasted, she felt the man jerk in her grasp, but she still didn’t let go of the rope. An anguished cry came from one of the bandits and Emi sneered because they’d just shot their leader, doing her work for her, but she wasn’t letting him go because he was still standing, not dead yet. As soon as his legs gave out, she let go of the rope and was hurrying across the sand towards the horses. Kaidokusuru was still hanging from one of the saddles and she didn’t see Sly’s backpack, but it had to be there. She moved fast and ignored the burning of her muscles or the throbbing of her wrists and a bruise across her cheek from where he’d backhanded her. The dress nearly falling off was a pain, but she worked through it and around it because she couldn’t be slow and she couldn’t be caught. Sly needed help. He needed a healer. The moment her hand curled around her sword, she felt a million times stronger. She felt a million times more confident and she already knew the outcome of this fight. She already knew that the bandits would not walk away from this. They would not breathe another breath beyond this day and once they were dead, she would find Baishun-fu and kill her and take Sly home. She would get him healed and she would join him in his bed and she would show him how much he meant to her. She would let him know that almost dying on her wasn’t okay. That getting so hurt while under her care wasn’t something he was allowed to do ever again. The guns blasted again and Emi ducked and rolled along the sand. She grit her teeth as the horse next to her bucked up, two bloody holes in its hind legs and the bandits were desperate if they were shooting their own horses to try and get to her. Emi used her momentum to roll herself to her feet and then she was charging. The two closest to her didn’t really have time to say their prayers or cherish their last moments because within seconds she had their heads severed from their bodies. She was fast and she was agile and nevermind she was hurt and sore – Sly was worse and that made her forget about her own hurts. That made her next to invincible to the pain. The last two bandits had started running away and Emi growled as she saw them taking off across the sand. She pushed herself off the ground and chased after them. She’d made the mistake of letting one of them go in the past and she wasn’t about to let that happen again. Not ever. Mercy was something she couldn’t afford while she was trying to protect Sly. It made her want to go and visit Sly’s Russians when they got home because they’d hurt him once too. They’d threatened him and she shouldn’t have let them live after it. Emi didn’t get a chance to take out the last two bandits. She was almost upon them when a flash of light shone into Emi’s eyes and the intensity of it all made her jerk her head away, her vision burned with colors for a moment and she scrubbed her hand vigorously across her face because she couldn’t see and it was dangerous when she couldn’t see. She heard screams that sounded an awful lot like bandit screams and that made her force her eyes open and look in front of her. The two escaping bandits lay dead at her feet and her hand tightened around her sword. She crouched and looked all around her for the source and there was only one thing powerful enough to kill the bandits like that. Baishun-fu was here. She wondered what new trick the demon had in store and whatever she was going to throw at Emi, she’d be prepared for. She’d be ready to take it on because she needed to get Sly out of here. “Kōken'nin,” came a sultry voice and Emi whirled. The blonde woman from the day before was standing near the brush where she’d hid Sly behind and Emi felt her heart skip a beat because she hadn’t heard her come. “Baishun-fu,” Emi snarled, pointing her sword at the demon. “My patience is gone. You die now.” The demon tipped her head back and laughed, golden locks falling about her shoulders. “You will need more than words and a blade to kill me, silly Guardian.” Then she brought her hands up and Emi frowned when she saw what she was holding. It looked like a mirror. Pearly ivory framed the thing and Baishun-fu was holding it with two gloved hands, one on top and one on bottom. “I have a toy, dear,” the demon said, a wide smile breaking out across her face. Emi smirked and grabbed one of the sigils around her wrist. She didn’t know what the mirror did, or how the demon was going to use it, but she wasn’t going to wait around and find out. “As do I,” she told her and pulled the sigil to her lips, whispering into it before she slammed her palm down onto Kaidokusuru. The blade light up and cracks started forming along Emi’s skin, her flesh hardening and solidifying. An Earthen coat of armor forming along her skin. If Baishun-fu was surprised, she didn’t show it. If anything, she looked pleased that Emi was making it difficult. “Your musuhi is no match for the will of a god.” At the words, Emi’s face faltered for a moment. She glanced at the mirror and wondered what the demon meant by that and she didn’t thinks he was going to like the answer. “Who gave you such a gift?” Emi asked, tipping her head to the side. The demon just smirked. “You will find out soon,” she said and then tipped the mirror towards Emi. A brilliant flash of light shot out towards her and Emi held an arm up to shield herself. She was surprised when the light hit her and sent her flying back. She rolled along the ground and the breath was knocked out of her. She blinked sand away from her eyes and she didn’t want to think about what would have happened had she not had the earthen armor sigil in place. She wouldn’t be getting back up, that was for sure. Baishun-fu laughed and took a few steps towards Emi. “Relinquish your weapon and your life and I will kill the sealbreaker painlessly,” she said. Emi’s face curled into a snarl and she spat, “Never,” to the demon before she was rushing across the ground towards her again. Baishun-fu held up the mirror again, but Emi flipped to the side, ignoring the ache and scream of her muscles as she did. The light went past her and Emi changed directions quickly, rushing the demon. Baishun-fu looked surprised, but she brought the mirror around to intercept Emi, who ducked beneath another flash of light and brought her fist up to smash the mirror. As soon as her knuckles met the glass, she knew she’d made a mistake. It wasn’t the glass that broke. The coat of earthen armor along Emi’s skin cracked and shattered like it were brittle and nothing. Emi gave a cry as a flash of light emitted from the mirror again, sending her backwards. She managed to keep hold of her sword, but her hand she’d used to try and smash the mirror felt as though it were on fire. She landed on her back and laid there for a moment, mouth open as she fought through the pain in her hand. Rolling to her side, she looked at her aching hand and it wouldn’t listen when she tried to curl her fingers. Bruises were breaking out everywhere along her fingers and she wondered if she’d just rendered the limb useless. She crushed her eyes shut against the pain and bit her lip to hold back a whimper. Behind her, Baishun-fu was laughing as she made her way over to her. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” she asked, crouching down beside Emi and brushing some of her hair out of her face. Emi brought her injured hand to her chest and she couldn’t move it at all. It shook and bruised but she couldn’t get it to work. “It will be alright,” the demon cooed and it wasn’t comforting at all. “It will be over soon.” “Yes,” Emi agreed, turning her head to look at the demon. “It will,” she said, her voice shaky. Then she brought her sword up and Baishun-fu’s eyes widened only slightly as Emi’s sword cut through her neck, spraying blood across Emi’s face. The body fell limply on her while the head rolled into the sand. Emi pushed it off of her and didn’t even give it a second glance because she realized something rather quickly. Sly hadn’t made a sound. Pushing herself to her feet, she ran towards the brush and rounded it. Sly was still lying on his stomach. His eyes were closed. Emi dropped her sword to the ground, her good hand coming to Sly’s head. “Sly?” she asked, terrified that he was gone and left her. “Sly, please,” she begged him. She shook him slightly and gave a cry when he didn’t stir. Not even a little. .Wolfie. “What are we playing?” she asked.Sly was slumped back on the couch, red strings stretched between his fingers and a cigarette dangling between his lips. He was high, but that was nothing new, a Batman band aid slapped over the holes in his arms. She’d bought them for him at the pharmacy after he told her he used to watch the cartoon as a kid and it had been the highlight of his week. The foster parents he’d had at the time reserved Saturday mornings for sleeping off their hangovers, and that meant they left him alone to eat his Lucky Charms and watch his cartoons. That meant he had a few hours before the screaming and yelling started and by then he would already be out the door. Nancy settled on the coffee table in front of him, hands resting lightly on his knees and he lifted his head to grin at her. She had a glazed look on her face, dark hair tangled above her head and her makeup smudged around her eyes. She was smiling as she watched his hands, head lowering to kiss his knee for a moment. “Cat’s cradle,” he said. “Come on, can’t play it without you.” He pushed himself forward, boots braced against the carpet as he held it out to her. She laughed at him but did as he said, slim fingers grasping the Xs in the middle and pulling them to either side. “Why do you love me?” she asked, and the question startled him. There was a grin on his face as she slipped the strings around her own fingers, holding them up to him to make the next move. For a moment his hand came up to brush the hair from her eyes and he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I don’t know,” he said, and she laughed quietly at the answer because it was kind of a shitty one. Then he shrugged, moving his hands to take the strings back between his own fingers. Then he glanced up and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Because you give good head.” She laughed, shoving him back with the palm of her hand and he let her push him back against the couch. “You’re an asshole, Sly,” she told him, crawling forward into his lap. Her fingers pulled the strings from his, pulling it loose and letting it dangle in front of his face. He frowned until she put the string around his neck, tugging him forward to kiss him. “Now go get me dinner.” He laughed, gripping the back of her head and hauling her down into a kiss. She kissed him back, hands resting against his chest an tangling in his shirt. “What am I, your bitch?” he demanded, grinning up at her. The answering smile was bright and honest and a little drugged but he loved it when she smiled. “Yes,” she told him. “Now go.” He snorted, rolling her over onto her back against the couch. She squeaked at the motion, a brilliant, lazy smile on her face as he leaned over her. “You owe me for this,” he said, lowering his head to kiss her lips and then trail his mouth across her cheek and down her neck. His lips lingered over her collarbone, a grin on his face. “And I fully expect you to pay me in sexual favors.” He expected her to laugh at that. He expected her to giggle and push him away but she didn’t. She just lay there underneath him and he finally lifted his head to look at her. The smile stayed on his lips until he saw her and then it slipped to the carpet and shattered. She wasn’t moving. Her chest wasn’t rising and falling anymore, her eyes open as she stared at the ceiling and he felt a whimper claw up his throat and scramble out his lips. “Baby?” he said, his voice small and scared and broken. Blood was flecked across her cheeks, bruises on her skin and one of her lips split open. He pushed himself up over her and he felt something sticky against his chest. When he looked down there was blood all over her, a jagged wound through her heart where it all pulsed out of her skin. He grasped her by the back of her neck, pulling her up off the couch. “Baby?” he asked again, his other hand grasping her arm as he shook her. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t breathing and she wasn’t blinking her eyes. She was just staring off into nothingness, her fingers still tangled in the red string around his neck. In the back of his mind he knew this was a dream. It wasn’t Nancy anymore. It didn’t dull the horror in his chest as he pulled her up against him, fingers tangling in her dark hair. “Emi?” he whimpered, shaking her hard. She slumped forward against his chest and she was nothing but a bloody, dead weight in his arms. Sly wasn’t sure at first if he was awake. It was dark where he was and he was slow to realize it was because his eyes were closed. There was a beeping noise somewhere close to his head and it made him nervous just listening to it. He wondered if it was the fire alarm or the microwave but he couldn’t get his eyes open to see. There was a dull throbbing pain in his muscles and the back of his head. The only part of him that didn’t hurt was his back, and that just felt numb all the way around. He was numb from the back of his neck to his hips and it spread its fingers around to his ribcage and his shoulders. It was the rest of him that hurt. There were voices coming from somewhere behind him and he tried to focus on them because he wanted to know who was in his apartment. He thought it was supposed to be Emi but maybe he’d just dreamed her. His brain felt foggy and numb and there was that little voice in the back of his head that said maybe he’d just gotten fucked up and imagined the whole thing. Maybe she didn’t exist and he was surprised at how much that made him panic. He was surprised at the sudden crushing weight on his chest. It got his eyes to open. They fluttered weakly and he found himself staring at a cream colored wall. There was a picture of Jesus hanging on it with a halo of light around his head and Sly snorted when he saw that because this sure as fuck wasn’t his apartment. His gaze focused on a machine next to his head. There was a black screen with little green and red lines rising and falling steadily and it took him longer than it should have to realize that it was a heart monitor and he was in a hospital. There was a clear bag of something hanging from a metal pole and when he traced it with his eyes he realized it was running into his veins. A smirk pulled at his lips and he wondered if they had him on morphine. If they didn’t, maybe he could convince them to. It was a shitty substitute for heroin but he would take what he could get because he was a fucking junkie and that’s what he did. As soon as he thought that he felt vaguely guilty for it and he couldn’t help but think that Emi would be disappointed in him for it. His head was starting to clear and he was suddenly afraid for her because he didn’t see her and he was in a hospital, so where was she? “Does he have any history of medical problems, any major illnesses or prior surgeries?” A woman’s voice finally sunk through the fog in his head, but he didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t anyone he knew and he couldn’t tell if she was asking him or not. “I’m not sure,” Emi answered. “He gets beat up a lot.” There was a snort of laughter at the words from someone else but all he focused on was that he could hear her voice. As soon as he heard her voice he felt relief crash down over him and his eyes slipped shut, a heavy breath leaving his lips. She was alive and she existed and he felt better knowing she was in the room with him. He didn’t think beyond that for a moment because that meant she was alright. He was having a hard time remembering why she wouldn’t be, but she was okay and safe and he felt himself start to drift as soon as he realized that. “Any family history of disease? Diabetes, heart failure, cancer? Anything like that?” the woman asked. “I don’t know,” Emi answered again. “He doesn’t have any family.” She sounded frustrated and that brought his eyes open again. He licked his lips and they felt dry and split and hurt as soon as he touched them. There was a cut in his bottom one and it was in the shape of his teeth. His tongue slid along the piercing and the skin around it felt scabbed and painful. “What about medications? Is he currently taking anything or allergic to anything?” He heard shuffling and the quiet sound of a pen scratching over paper. It struck him as abruptly funny when he realized they were trying to get his medical history out of Emi. “I don’t know,” she said again. “I don’t think so.” He heard the chair shift but he didn’t hear any footsteps. The only sign that she’d moved was when the bed sunk down under her weight. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder but stayed away from his back and he was slowly remembering why. He remembered the demon and the cowboy’s and the sensation of a whip ripping the skin off of his back and suddenly it was really frightening that he couldn’t feel anything back there. He wondered if there was anything left of the muscle. “Okay,” the other woman drawled. She sounded a little annoyed and he heard her papers flipping but he was having a hard time concentrating on that. Emi’s hand moved to his hair and he felt her soothing fingers moving across the back of his head. “Now be honest with me. Does he have any history of drug use, legal or otherwise? I won’t call the police, but I need to know.” Two voices answered at once and he was surprised at the second one. Emi answered quietly and honest with a “yes” and it made him wonder if she even knew that pretty much everything he did was illegal. He’d never mentioned that part. The second voice was a man’s and he hadn’t even realized he was in the room until he answered with a quick “no.” He frowned because it sounded like Bones but he didn’t have any clue why he’d be here. It was almost enough to make him want to open his eyes so that he could find out but Emi’s hand was moving over the back of his head in slow comforting motions and he just wanted to stay here for a while. He felt better with her here. It eased the pain in his head and the fear in his gut just having her next to him. “What does he take?” the woman asked, ignoring Bones’ answer. Emi didn’t answer her at first and he almost opened his eyes to tell her not to say anything because even if they weren’t supposed to call the cops, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t do it anyway. Last thing he needed now was to spend a night in jail, but he couldn’t get his lips to move because he was warm and numb. Emi’s hands were on his skin and it was easy for him to forget that she’d spent the last few days hating him. Over his head the woman sighed. “Does he drink? Does he smoke anything, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine? If he’s on heroin then I can’t administer morphine.” “That one,” Emi said quietly. “The last one.” He heard her shift on the bed and he was sad when her hand left his skin. His eyes fluttered and he tipped his chin down to try and focus on her. A frown creased his face because there was a cast on her other hand and he didn’t know how that had gotten there. His memory was still fuzzy and hazy. “But he doesn’t do that anymore.” Bones let out a laugh that turned into a choked off cough as he tried to stop himself. “Seriously?” he asked. Emi nodded her head and then he felt her fingers start to run through his hair again. “Yes,” she said, turning back around to look at him. He saw her eyes focus on his back for a moment and he wondered what it looked like because she looked sad and scared. “Alright,” the woman said, and she had a dark tone to her voice that sounded familiar. It sounded like disdain. It sounded like disgust because she had a fucking junkie on her hands and he didn’t think she was buying that he didn’t do that anymore. He wondered if he did either. “I just have a few more questions. Is he sexually active? Does he have any sexually transmitted diseases?” He heard Bones let out another choked off laugh, covering his mouth with a fist. He felt Emi’s hand still in his hair and then her eyes were looking down and meeting his. They widened for a moment and she dropped down next to the bed, her fingers running along his cheek and smoothing the hair from his eyes. Her fingers were gentle and soft and he leaned into the touch as they wandered across his cheek and cupped the side of his head. “Sly?” she said, her voice coming out in a sharp breath. “Hey babe,” he said. He was surprised at how rough and hoarse the words came out but she smiled when they did and her smile could light up the room. He turned his head to kiss her palm and then he lifted his head, glancing at the doctor. “No,” he said. “I’m clean.” The doctor was sitting in a chair by the door, one leg crossed over the other and her eyes cold as she watched him. She forced a smile across her face, ducking her head to write something before she pushed herself to her feet. “I’ll go get a nurse to check your vitals,” she said, dropping the chart on the outside of the door before she left. He smirked and his eyes moved to Bones. The man was standing by the end of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. He looked tired and Sly wondered how long he’d been here and why he was here at all. He was his boss, but they’d never been exactly friends, mostly thanks to Krystal, but partly because Sly didn’t really have close friends. “Look who finally decides to come around,” he said, slapping the bottom of his foot with his hand. “I hope you’re all done scaring beautiful women and taking all the attention for yourself.” Sly snorted and managed a small laugh before he turned his gaze back to Emi. “Me too. Well, not the attention part.” He moved his hand so that he could touch the side of her face where a dark bruise was sitting. “What happened?” he asked her quietly. Her head tipped to the side, letting his fingers wander down her cheek. “The book dropped us out in your shop,” she said. “Well, that’s convenient,” he said. She was watching him carefully, hands lingering on his face before they went to his back again. He almost asked just how many stitches they had to use and if there had even been enough skin there to hold it together, but he didn’t. It wasn’t important. His gaze wandered over her and all the little cuts and bruises lining her skin and he hated that they were there. “Are you okay?” he asked her quietly, moving to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. He’d forgotten that she was supposed to be mad at him and cold to him because the look she was giving him was anything but. It was soft and caring and almost loving. “I am better now,” she said, and he was surprised at the answer. Her hands moved over his head and he closed his eyes against the touch. He almost told her that he loved her. He didn’t know if it was true yet, but it felt true and if it was then it was the kind of thing he should say. It had never been hard for him to tell a girl that. If he thought he felt it then he said it, but this time he kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to scare her away. He just wanted to keep her and never let her go. The bed shifted next to him and he was surprised when he opened his eyes and found her crawling in next to him. She snuggled down underneath him, hands pulling his head against her chest as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Rest now, Baka,” she told him. He was happy to listen to her. He should have been worried about a thousand other things but right now she was soft and warm and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly as his eyes shut. He wanted to ask her if she was his girl still because he was hers and that wasn’t changing. He wanted to ask if she still wanted to stay and his eyes opened with a frown when he thought that. His fingers moved over her neck and he felt panic sinking into his chest because it was bare. “Where is it?” he asked. Her hands kept up their slow motion against the top of his head, soothing and gentle as she held him in her arms. Her eyes didn’t open. “The chain broke,” she told him. “But I have it. When you are better we will go after the rest.” A sigh of relief left his lips and he felt himself smiling at the answer. She wanted to stay. She still had the amulet and she wanted to stay with him and that meant everything to him. She’d told him she wanted to know when he was thinking about his drugs but he wasn’t thinking about them now. He was just thinking about her. “Good,” he answered, letting his eyes close again. At the end of the bed he heard Bones clear his throat. “So uh, I’ll just go then.” Wenston Eight : Kōzō Emi decided that she didn’t like hospitals. She didn’t like the smell or the sounds or the cranky healers in their white outfits and short attitudes. They hadn’t let her bring Kaidokusuru into the hospital and it had taken a lot of effort on her part to be able to leave it behind. They’d tried to make her go home the first night, but she’d promptly told them why that wasn’t a good idea and what she’d do to them if they didn’t let her stay with Sly. They’d given in, but probably just because they were tired of dealing with her. Sly was in and out the first day. He drifted between consciousness and slumber and Emi didn’t like that he was so badly hurt. She didn’t like the way the doctors looked at him like he was scum because he wasn’t and she told them that once when they came into his room and sneered at him. Bones had left a pink teddy bear holding a heart at on the table at the end of Sly’s bed. When she’d asked Sly what it said, he’d laughed and told her, “It’s a girl.” She didn’t understand what it meant. Her left hand was in a cast that travelled half way up her forearm. She couldn’t bend the wrist or even wiggle her fingers and she decided that along with her hatred for hospital, she also hated casts. It was purple and itched and smelled like the hospital and she hated all of those things. She hadn’t known she’d hated purple until she’d gotten a cast in that color. The second day found Emi sitting at the foot of Sly’s bed with the remote for the magic box in her hand. She sat cross legged and kept pressing buttons she thought would turn the thing on, but none of them seemed to work. Sly had been sleeping quietly and the only sound in the room was coming from the annoying machine next to his head that beeped all the time. When she’d asked Bones what it was, he’d told her it was a heart monitor and at her blank look, he’d chuckled and told her it meant Sly was alive. So she couldn’t find it in her to be too mad at it. Even if it was annoying. Bones had been extremely understanding. She wasn’t sure if it was luck or fate that the Grimoire had chosen to open the door back into Sly’s tattoo shop. But they’d fallen right out of the supply closet at Bones’ feet and she wouldn’t soon forget the look on the man’s face. He’d called for help immediately and Emi had been scared and hurt and exhausted, but she’s answered all their questions the best she could. It was Bones’ questions that were the toughest. Now he knew. She wasn’t a liar and even if she was, she didn’t think she’d be able to compose a lie so great he’d believe any reason they were in the supply closet. So she’d told him the truth. She’d told him about the Grimoire and about the demons and about herself. She’d told him about Izanagi and Sly’s role in the whole thing and he’d sat there and listened quietly and she’d thought he wouldn’t believe her, but it was kind of hard to argue the fact that they’d magically appeared in his closet. So now he knew and she thought they had an understanding between them that if Sly missed work, it would be because of that and not because of drugs. Bones had seemed surprised and pleased at that. Emi growled and slapped the remote against her knee because it wasn’t turning the magic box on. From behind her, she heard a low chuckle and her eyes widened as she snapped her head around to look at Sly’s battered face. He was smirking, his eyes still half lidded, but he was watching her and she couldn’t help the smile that tore its way across his face. “You are awake,” she said, the joy evident in her voice. Sly licked his lips and his voice was still hoarse when he spoke, but at least he was more alert and awake today. “Yeah,” he answered and lifted a hand gingerly to point at the remote. “Need help?” Emi made a face and looked down at the remote in her hand. She sighed and then turned to crawl up the bed towards him. She handed him the remote as she sat next to him and Sly flicked one button and the magic box popped to life. She glared at it, because she’d pressed that button and it hadn’t worked. She snatched the remote from his hand and pressed the same button. The magic box flicked off and when she pressed it again, it flicked back on. She narrowed her eyes and she thought this magic box was deceitful. Sly chuckled and she felt his hand move along her arm. He had bandages around his wrists and she reached out to take his arm because she hated that he was so hurt. She looked at his face, but his gaze had gone to the cast on her arm and he was frowning, his fingers moving over the edge of the purple thing and she really didn’t like that it was there. It was heavy and a burden and she didn’t know how it was going to affect her ability to fight yet. “What happened?” he asked and Emi’s eyes dropped. “Baishun-fu came,” she said quietly and she was surprised when he reached up to grab her chin, tilting her head back up so she was looking at him. She sighed. “She had a new weapon.” Then she lifted her gaze to his face and there were tears stinging at her eyes. “I am sorry I let you get hurt.” Sly’s face contorted into something like confusion and then he was holding his arm out to the side, inviting her to lay down next to him, which she did quickly, her arm wrapping around his waist and she was careful of his wounds. “It’s not your fault, babe,” he said, his hand on her shoulder, thumbs brushing over her skin comfortingly. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself when things go wrong.” “I am supposed to keep them from going wrong,” she said, nuzzling her face into his shoulder and she felt him brush her hair back away from her face. She looked up into his eyes and he had a nervous, pained look on his face. She frowned and didn’t know why it was there until he opened his mouth. “That guy, he didn’t…I mean, while I was out he didn’t…” he floundered a little with what he was trying to ask. “No,” Emi said quickly and Sly’s eyes widened at the force behind her words. “Baby, if he did…” he started. Emi shook her head. “He didn’t,” she told him and tightened her grip around his waist, her head on his chest again. “You stopped him.” She felt Sly’s fingers tighten fractionally around her shoulder and then his lips were pressing to the top of her head. She closed her eyes against it and was content just to have him close and have him awake and getting better. He was going to be fine, but next time maybe he wouldn’t and she buried her face in his chest again because she didn’t like thinking like that. She didn’t like thinking that anything would happen to him and that one day she could fail him. She wasn’t going to. No matter what she had to do, she wasn’t going to fail him. “Are you still my girl?” Sly asked quietly and it made her lips curl into a slight smile because he kept asking that and she thought he should know that by now. “Yes,” she told him. .Wolfie. The doctors and the nurses were all very careful around him. They watched him cautiously when they brought him any kind of medication and all of them faked their smiles when they walked in the room. His favorite was a blonde nurse built like a linebacker and she was the one who came in to do his blood work. She sneered at him and said she was surprised she found a useable vein left.At first he’d thought it was funny but when feeling started returning to his back it wasn’t quite so amusing anymore. They couldn’t give him any of the really good painkillers because Emi had told them flat out that he was a heroin addict and that meant he was stuck with all the non-narcotic stuff. He wasn’t mad at her for it, because even if she had lied they probably would have noticed the old track marks on his arm and drawn their own conclusions from it. It was just kind of a pain in the ass when his back was shredded all to hell. What they could give him kept it down to a dull throb but it still hurt and that meant he wanted his drugs. Emi never left him. He told her towards the end of the second day that she could go home and get some sleep if she wanted to, but she just glared at him and said she wasn’t leaving his side. It made him smile and he didn’t push any harder. The truth was that he didn’t really want her to leave but it felt like something he should say. He didn’t like hospitals. There were a lot of reasons, mostly thanks to memories of stomach pumps and overdoses, even if all the memories weren’t of him. Emi stayed with him and it made him smile every time he opened his eyes and she was still there. At one point he opened his eyes and she was sitting next to him near the head of the bed, nails scratching around her cast with a look of concentration on her face. “You okay?” he asked her. She stopped when he spoke, head lifting to focus on him and he loved the bright smile that lit up her face. His fingers came out to curl around hers, pulling them to her lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. He was lying on his stomach because the numbness had faded and it hurt less that way. He still hadn’t looked at his back. He was scared of what he’d see. “I don’t like it,” she said. He frowned because at first he didn’t know what she was talking about and then she held out her arm. He bit back a smile because he knew she was grumpy but she was just too cute. She was pouting and he wondered if she even knew she was doing it. His hands went to her arm and he pulled it down so that he could press a kiss to her cast but it didn’t seem to make her feel better. “It’s clunky and awkward and it smells funny and I don’t like the color,” she said. “I’m sorry babe,” he told her, giving her a smile. His fingers ran over the side of the cast and he looked up at her face. He apologized because maybe if he’d paid attention more when she was trying to teach him to fight then she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. If he’d been strong enough to kill that guy or used magic or something than maybe he could have gotten them out of that mess. She wouldn’t have a broken arm and he wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed. Though to be fair, it didn’t bother him that he was hurt. Well, it bothered him. It hurt like a bitch and it would hurt more tomorrow when they sent him home with whatever weak excuse for a prescription they gave him. But if it stopped those bastards from doing terrible things to Emi he would gladly take the pain. She made a face at him, pulling her arm back and glaring down at the cast. He watched her for a moment and he failed miserably at keeping the smile off his face. One hand came out to tuck the hair behind her ear and then he was stretching over her lap and reaching for the side table. He ignored the way it pulled the stitches and the cuts in his back, pawing for the marker he’d seen left there. “Give me your arm,” he said, settling back on the bed. She reached out a hand to rest it on his shoulder as he readjusted himself and he tried not to think about the stinging pain that was making itself known to him every time he moved too much. When she didn’t move to do as he said he pulled her arm in front of him, resting on his elbows as he popped the cap off the marker. His fingers were surprisingly steady as he started to draw flowers across her wrist in black Sharpie. After a moment she settled down next to him, her other arm brushing his as she watched him work. He felt her lips press against his shoulder and she was quiet for a moment before he felt a smile against his skin. “What else can you draw?” she asked. He laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Anything you want me to, babe,” he told her. “Here, I’ll sign it for you. Maybe we can get Bones to sign it too. Though knowing him he’d probably want to draw you the Sistine chapel while he’s at it, but hey, you’ll have something to show off.” He grinned as he drew her a few hearts on her forearm and then scribbled his name beneath them. She tilted her head to the side, studying it for a moment. She smiled when her fingers traced the flowers and then the moved to the hearts, studying them for a while. Then her fingers finally ran over the word and she glanced up at him, chewing on her lip. She looked nervous and he didn’t understand why until she ducked her head again, thumb brushing over the ‘S.’ “This is your name?” she asked quietly. She looked up at him through lidded eyes and he watched her curiously for a moment before he looked at her arm. “Yeah,” he said, nodding his head. Then he smiled, drawing another heart next to his name and then writing hers. “And this is yours.” She moved closer, her chin resting on his shoulder before she reached out to take the marker from his hand. “This is what your name looks like in Japanese,” she told him. She drew three symbols above the English version and then moved to hers. “And this is mine.” He was smiling as he watched her and he waited until she’d stopped writing to speak. “You don’t know how to read English, do you?” he asked. She looked up at him with a startled expression on her face and then she ducked her head, the tips of her ears turning red. He wondered if she was embarrassed and he still thought she was adorable as he leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Well if you’re going to be sticking around I better start teaching you, yeah?” She lifted her head to look at him and there was an honest smile pulling at her lips. He thought about her telling him that she was still his girl and he didn’t think she would lie to him but a part of him was suddenly hesitant. He’d fucked up and she’d never said he was forgiven. She’d never said that she wasn’t still disappointed in him and it made him kiss her temple instead of her lips like he wanted. “Emi?” he whispered, his lips still pressed against her hair. She shifted and tried to look up at her face but he didn’t want to meet her eyes so he tilted his head to the side, resting it on her shoulder as he stared at the walls. “I want my drugs.” “You don’t need them anymore,” she told him quietly. He just closed his eyes and tried to let himself believe that. They said he was cleared to go home on day three. He wasn’t sure he agreed with that because his back throbbed painfully and he was still working on keeping his eyes open for more than a few hours at a time. The numbness had long since past and just breathing hurt more than it should. He still hadn’t looked at the mess left behind but they’d told him they put stitches in. He didn’t ask how many. He wasn’t going to argue it though. He wanted to be out of this place and away from heart monitors and bitchy nurses. He wanted to be back in his own home and his own bed and take a fucking shower because he could still smell dirt and sweat and horse. He wasn’t sure how that was going to work yet because it was going to be a pain in the ass trying to wash his own back, but he would figure something out. As long as he was clean and wearing his clothes instead of a hospital gown he’d be in better shape. Mostly he just wanted to kick back, drink a beer, and watch a movie with Emi because he was getting tired of daytime soap operas. Bones stopped by to help him get home and he wouldn’t say it, but he was grateful for all he’d done. He didn’t know how much Emi had told him and he didn’t ask, but she must have told him something because so far Bones hadn’t asked any awkward questions. He showed up with his battered old car to drive the two of them home and Sly tried not to feel anything when Krystal followed him into the room. He didn’t let himself get angry or hurt or annoyed because that was Bones’ woman and he could bring her if he wanted. “You kids ready to go?” he asked. There was a smile on his face and he waited at the end of the bed for him. Emi was by Sly’s side, helping him into a sitting position before she crouched to help get his boots on. “Fucking A right I am,” Sly snorted. He smiled, keeping his eyes on Emi as she went to grab the little pink bear off the end of the bed before she came back to him. She was already pulling one of his arms around her shoulders before Bones stepped up to get his other arm and he hated that he still needed so much help just to get out of this stupid fucking hospital bed. Krystal was holding the door open but she eyed him up as he got closer and he was surprised by how intensely she was examining him. He was surprised she hadn’t said anything nasty yet and she even plastered that lazy smile on her face as she watched him. “Sylvester Waite, you just cannot keep yourself out of trouble, can you?” she said. He lifted an eyebrow and didn’t know what to say to that but then her eyes were moving past him to Emi and he saw the bitterness flash across her face. “Hey China,” she said. “Here you got him sober.” Emi’s gaze darkened and he heard Bones sigh, something like annoyance on his face. It looked unnatural and wrong because Sly never saw him get annoyed or pissed off. And he’d given him plenty of reason to be in the past. He couldn’t count how many times he’d missed work because he was getting loaded or getting laid. “Krys,” he said. “Just play nice for twenty minutes.” She snorted and kicked at the door. “I am playing nice,” she snapped, turning her glare towards her boyfriend. “I was just going to say that it’s good for her that she finally managed it. Even if he is just bullshitting her or taking a time out.” “Still more than you got though, isn’t it?” Sly said with a lazy grin. Wenston Emi was at war with the microwave. She thought she should know how to use it by now, but she didn’t and that bothered her. This world was so incredibly different from the last time she’d been in that it was taking her longer to get used to things. It seemed like the world had all of a sudden decided to grow up and change and she wondered what invention it was that had changed it all. It made her smile to think that maybe she’d met the person who had invented it and didn’t even know it. It was possible. She always wondered what had become of the other sealbreakers. She’d never tried to find out whenever she came back, but she thought maybe she would if she were allowed to stay this time. Maybe she could get Sly to help her find out. It was the day after Sly had gotten out of the hospital. The first day, he’d gotten home and she’d put him to bed and wouldn’t let him get back out again. It hadn’t seemed like he wanted to, but he’d demanded she’d come lay with him whenever he woke up. In all honesty, she’d hardly done anything else except get up to try and make food and once to watch the magic box because at 8:00 every night, there was a performance she liked to watch about a pair of warriors who fought evil things and she liked to think of her and Sly when she watched it. She wasn’t sure performance was the right word, Sly had called it something else, but she couldn’t remember what he’d said. The microwave kept beeping angrily at her whenever she tried to get it to work. She’d found some cans of soup in Sly’s cupboard and she’d tried to use the can opener like Sly had shown her to use a while ago, but she couldn’t get that to work either, so she’d taken Kaidokusuru to the cans and poured the contents in a bowl and added water and now she couldn’t get the microwave to work. She kept pressing buttons because one of them was supposed to turn it on, but it wasn’t working. She was starting to wonder if Sly wouldn’t mind eating his soup cold when he suddenly emerged from the bedroom. Her eyes widened because she hadn’t expected him to be up and moving and by the look on his face, it wasn’t the most pleasant thing in the world. “Sly!” she gasped and went to his side, moving beneath one of his arms and she felt him relax slightly against her, but he was still gritting his teeth. He tried to hide it behind a smile, but it looked wry and pained anyway. “You should not be up,” she told him, narrowing her eyes at him because he never listened to her. He grinned. “Well, I need to shower,” he said and she couldn’t help but agree. He nodded his head towards the magic box. “And then we need to watch a movie because I am going stir-crazy.” Emi scrunched her nose at him. “You should rest,” she told him. “I can rest on the couch. While we’re watching a movie,” he said and then he was moving towards the microwave and Emi watched what buttons he pressed carefully because she didn’t think he should have to show her as many times as he had already before she understood how to use it. He pressed a few buttons up top and then one near the bottom and the microwave sprung to life. She narrowed her eyes at it because it had won this round, but next time, she would be the victor. Sly was smiling at her as she turned to look at him and she tilted her head to the side because she didn’t know why. “I need to shower,” he repeated and she turned to look at the bathroom over her shoulder. “I will get you there,” she said and started to help him over. “I think I might need someone in there to make sure I don’t pass out,” he said and she frowned at the tone of his voice because it sounded playful and deceiving. She turned to look at his face, but he didn’t look at her, just held his chin up and behind the slight winces he was giving, she could see the playful look on his face. “Might need someone to hold me up too. And help me with the soap.” Emi narrowed her eyes because she thought he was trying to trick her. Then she shrugged a little and said, “I will call Bones.” Sly started laughing and it felt good to hear him do that. She felt his hand tighten on her shoulder like maybe it hurt him to do so, but it didn’t stop him from doing it and she smiled. She helped him all the way into the bathroom and leaned him against the sink. She was gentle as she pulled his shirt off, but he still grunted anyway and she knew he was hurting and would be hurting for a while. When she got his shirt off, she saw him turn to look over his shoulder at the mirror. A sharp breath left his lips and she looked at his back in the mirror as well before looking to his face. His eyes were wide as he looked at the mess the man had made of his skin. There were still stitches holding him together and it was red and shattered and puffy. It looked painful and Sly licked his lips, frowning as he looked at himself. Emi leaned against the sink next to him, resting her chin on his shoulder and she saw his eyes come up to meet hers in the mirror. She smiled understandingly at him. “It will heal,” she told him and he nodded. “But it will never go away.” That seemed to make his face fall further and Emi turned her head to kiss his neck before she reached for the hem of her own shirt and pulled it up over her head. Sly turned to look at her instead of watching her in the mirror, but she turned her back to him and leaned against the sink as well, looking at the both of them in the mirror. Sly turned back around to do the same and she met his gaze there again as he was sweeping his eyes along their scars. “I used to have many scars,” she said quietly and Sly turned back around to look at her, but she still looked in the mirror, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. She stared at his back and didn’t meet his eyes. “When the seal closed and I would go away, I do not know where I went. But when the seal was broken again and I came back, I only ever had these,” she said, bringing her hand up to rub at her shoulders, where the tips of the lashes curled along her skin. “I believe because they were meant to remind me.” She finally turned her head, resting it the other way so she could look up at Sly’s face. “What will yours remind you of?” she asked hesitantly. Sly looked sad for a moment and then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead before he pulled away and said, “You.” She felt pain spike through her chest and it must have reflected on her face because then he was reaching up to wrap an arm around her and he shook his head. “And the things I’d do to keep you from getting hurt.” He smiled. “Because you’re my girl.” She smiled up at him and then lifted her head from his shoulder, pushing herself away from the sink and turning around so she was facing him. His eyes moved along her chest and she didn’t mind because it was Sly and not one of those bandits. She pushed him back against the sink and he had to jump a little to sit up on the counter. She kept her hands on his knees and made her way between them before she leaned up and kissed his neck. She felt him relax beneath her and his hands came to her waist. “I am,” she told him. And she’d never meant words more than she meant those. .Wolfie. Emi’s lips moved over his throat before she stepped back from him. He was sad when her mouth left his skin but she didn’t go far, just to the shower. He watched her turn the water on and tested it with her hands before she came back to him, a soft smile on her face. His lips curled in response and he reached out a hand and pulled her back to him, resting his head on her chest for a moment.“Are you going to join me?” he asked, glancing up at her face with a sly grin. Her fingers were moving over his hair before sliding around his shoulders but they didn’t go lower than that. She had been very careful since they came back not to touch his back too much. It shouldn’t, but it made him feel good how hard she was trying to take care of him. “I think I need help washing my back, and I don’t want you getting your clothes all wet. I think the only solution is for you take them off.” She laughed and he didn’t expect the reaction. His head tipped up to look at her and she was biting her lip to try and quiet it but he’d heard her. She reached a hand up to cover her mouth but he pulled it away, pressing his lips to her fingers. “Is that a yes?” he asked. She didn’t answer him but she was still smiling as she stepped back between his legs. She ducked her head again, lips pressing against his neck and fingers resting on his knees. He sucked in a breath as her kisses moved over his throat and his hands settled back on her hips. He felt her thumbs moving across his skin and he didn’t know what had brought this on but he wouldn’t argue it. The air was quickening in his lungs as he felt her hands move up his legs to his belt, pulling it loose before she moved to the button of his jeans. Her lips were still pressed against his neck so he couldn’t see her face as she worked on getting him free of his pants. He licked his lips and shifted forward on the sink, letting her pull them free and drop them to the floor. “Is this an invitation for something else?” he asked, and he heard her sigh against his throat. “Not trying to kill the mood, but that’s what it feels like.” She stepped back and his hands felt empty and cold without her pressed against him. But she was smiling and she tipped her head towards the shower. “You smell, Sly,” she told him. “Get in the shower.” He laughed and then pushed himself gingerly to his feet. “Hey, you would smell too if you’d been dragged around by a horse for hours.” He pointed a finger at her but he did as she said, hands resting against the wall and trying to hold himself steady as he climbed into the shower. She was already taking her pants off as he stepped around the curtain and he couldn’t help but smile. His head ducked under the running water, feeling it wash the dirt and oil from his hair. He felt disgusting. He felt like there was still sweat and dirt under the cracks in his skin and there was blood caked on his back and his wrists. They were scabbed over and he didn’t need bandages on them anymore, but they still stung and throbbed when the water hit them. They would heal faster than the rest of them. His mouth was already mostly healed, just some raw skin left behind in the corners of his lips. He felt her hands against his skin as she stepped in the shower behind him and he smiled because he was surprised she’d said yes. “Lean forward,” she told him, hand resting on his shoulder. He glanced back to see her lathering soap on her hands. “I’m going to trust you because you’re my hot Asian chick, but just so you know I never want to hear those words again. Especially if they’re followed by ‘pick up the soap.’” He laughed quietly and shook his head but when he looked back she was just staring at him with a confused expression on her face. “Never mind,” he told her, still smiling as he did as she said. Her fingers were light and gentle on his back, washing the excess blood from his skin. He could see it swirling down the drain by his feet and he wondered again how he’d had any blood left in his body after that. His eyes were closed, his hands braced against the wall of the shower and his forehead pressed against the cool tiles. His teeth were clamped down on his lip and he tried to pretend he wasn’t shaking and in pain but he was both of those things. The air and the water both stung at his ragged flesh and the sorry excuse for painkillers he’d gotten from the pharmacy weren’t touching it. He felt dizzy and slightly sick with the pain but he bit it back. It was the worst he’d ever been hurt. He’d taken some beatings in his life but none of them had hurt as badly or torn him up as much as it had this time. He didn’t like feeling so weak. He didn’t like that he hadn’t done much but sleep and eat the last few days and he really didn’t like the constant pain. His back looked awful and it felt awful and he wanted it to be over with already. But he tried to think of it as the reminder he’d told Emi it was. He tried to think of it as reassurance that he was the one hurt and not her. He thought about the scars on Emi’s back and he wondered not for the first time how her father could have done that to her. It made it worse now because he knew how much it fucking hurt and he didn’t like that someone had done that to Emi. He didn’t like that she’d been in that kind of pain and now carried them around as a reminder of a lesson he didn’t think she ever should have learned. Her lips brushed over his shoulder and he felt her hands leave his back. They moved to his shoulders and squeezed gently and that was enough to get him to turn around. His legs were shaking but she slipped easily into his arms, hers wrapping around his waist. The cast rubbed against his skin but he kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything about it. He thought she was adjusting to it because he hadn’t heard her complain again, but that didn’t mean anything. Emi was stronger than him, in every sense of the word, and she wasn’t like him. She didn’t bitch and complain when she got hurt, she just dealt with it, and he wished he could be half as strong as her. He wanted to be the kind of man who could take care of her and that meant he needed to get better. His hands slid over her skin and it was slick and wet with the water pouring down around them. He could feel the scars beneath his fingertips and then they moved around to the ones the dog demon had left her on her stomach. She was amazing. She’d gotten hurt so many times but she managed to shake it off and keep going and she did it without the help of drugs. It seemed pathetic that in the back of his mind he was going crazy wanting his heroin and the relief it would bring and he tried to ignore it. He told himself that this time it was going to be different. He couldn’t afford to slip because he didn’t want to lose her or hurt her or disappoint her ever again. His fingers slid back up her sides and he smiled when he felt her lips brush over his neck. He tipped his head back against the tiles to give her more access and his hands ran up and down her spine as she pressed her mouth against his skin. He wondered if she knew what she was doing to him and if she didn’t then she would in a second. Her hair was slicked back with the water and she lifted her head to look back at him. A smile pulled at her lips and it made him grin, hand reaching out to cup her cheek and run his thumb over her lower lip. “You know,” he said. “You missed a spot.” She frowned at the words, tilting her head to the side. “What do you mean?” she asked. He didn’t quite manage to keep the wicked grin off his face. He shrugged it off, ducking his head and trying to look innocent but she made it hard when she was wet and naked in front of him. His hands moved back to her sides, running up and down her ribs before settling on her hips. “I thought you were going to help me shower,” he said. “You got my back, but you missed a few other spots.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied him and she had that look on her face when she thought he was lying to her or messing around and he almost told her how cute she looked when she made that face. “You can get those yourself,” she said. He laughed, leaning forward and letting his lips hover in front of hers. “I usually do,” he said. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. There was no hesitation as she kissed him back and he let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’d been worried. Maybe he shouldn’t have been because she said she was his girl and she wasn’t a liar, but he had been anyway. It all washed away down the drain when he felt her fingers tightening around his neck and her lips moving against his. His hands started to wander as they kissed, one staying on her back to hold her against him while the other followed the rivulets of water downwards. His hands slid over her stomach and then lower and he heard her let out a sharp hiss of breath as his fingers brushed against her. “This is what it means, by the way,” he said against her lips. “Getting into your pants.” “I’m not wearing pants,” she said. Her eyes fluttered shut and her head fell, lips pressed tightly against his neck. Her fingers were digging in tightly to his shoulders and it hurt a little bit but he didn’t mind. He was smiling as his hands slid over her skin. “I know,” he said. “That’s sort of the point.” Wenston Emi lay curled up on the couch in Sly’s arms. He lay behind her, his arms around her waist and the couch was barely big enough for the two of them to lay like this, but she was comfortable and Sly was doing as he said and resting while they watched a movie. She knew he wasn’t sleeping, because every so often she’d feel his lips press against her neck or his hand would come up and move her hair from her face and she thought he was watching her more than the movie but she wasn’t going to say anything because she liked it. She liked him and she liked his shower. She liked what he knew how to do in the shower. They were watching Star Wars, because it was her favorite of the movies Sly had shown her so far. She’d told Sly she liked the scruffy one in the movie and he’d laughed and called her a typical woman. She wasn’t sure what he’d meant by that, but it didn’t seem mean so she’d let it go because it was Sly. Sly’s arm tightened around her waist and he leaned forward, lips trailing up the back of her neck. She tipped her head so he had more to kiss and then he was speaking lowly, like he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be asking this or not. “So, the demons, the Thirteen or whatever – did they all used to just be people?” She wasn’t sure what brought the question on, but her eyes shot automatically towards his backpack in the corner of the room where the Grimoire was resting, hidden and safe. She swallowed thickly and she wasn’t sure Sly really wanted to know the answer. He may think he did, but she thought he was going to be sad. She rolled onto her back anyway and he loosened his arms to let her. She looked up at him and he was still laying on his side, but now he could look into her face. His hand came out to brush the hair from her face. “Yes,” she told him seriously and he nodded, like he’d expected that. He’d known about Tsuiseki-sha and Takeru, but he hadn’t really known about the others. She wondered if he was just thinking about it because Baishun-fu had looked human. She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him that she probably hadn’t looked like that when she was alive. She’d probably been Japanese. Licking her lips, she lifted her hand to playing with the markings on Sly’s shirt and she wasn’t sure what it said, but he’d promised to teach her how to read. It had made her smile when he’d said that, because he’d sounded so confident that she was going to stay. “The Thirteen and everyone in their worlds were alive once,” she said, looking up into his face. Sly’s eyes moved across hers and he looked pained for a moment. “Like Haemon?” he asked quietly and Emi felt her stomach drop because they hadn’t really talked about him. She wondered if Sly was sad the man had died or betrayed them. She wondered if he missed him, because he’d taught Sly a great deal. “Yes,” she said again, nodding. “It is said that when Izanagi went to the Dark Plains to retrieve his wife, he brought home an army of enslaved souls.” She watched his face and his brow furrowed a little in confusion. “When the seal was created, the souls he’d stolen were used to create it. Anyone we meet in the Thirteen’s worlds are one of those stolen souls.” Sly’s fingers ran over Emi’s stomach and she looked down at them as they lingered on the scars given to her by Tsuiseki-sha. “How did Takeru and Tsui-whatever get to be demons?” he asked. Emi shook her head. “They would have had to battle for the title. The Grimoire, it can siphon souls when it needs and it took Takeru and Tsuiseki-sha. They would have fought their predecessors for the title.” “Who made the seal?” he asked and Emi tipped her head back to look into his eyes. He was watching her closely, trying to understand what she was telling him. She frowned because the question had caught her off guard. “I do not know,” she told him honestly. She rolled her head back to look at the magic box and she pointed at the screen, her arm hanging off the edge of the couch because it was small and Sly’s arm around her was the only thing keeping her from tipping off. “I wish I were given a sigil of light, like they have,” she told him. Sly chuckled, but then reached up to guide her chin so she was looking at him again. He was watching her closely, studying her and she wished she knew what he was thinking. “Okay, so, say the seal is broken and this Izanagi character is free to do what he wants. Would those souls be free?” Emi frowned at him and sat up because she didn’t like thinking about Izanagi free. Sly pushed himself up too, though he grunted in pain and then scooted back, his hands coming out to grab hers before she could go anywhere else. “Emi?” he asked, like he was unsure of her reaction. “The only way Izanagi would rise is if the sealbreaker dies,” she said, looking him in the face. “And I will not let that happen.” Sly nodded, smiling a little. “I know, babe,” he said. “I wasn’t saying let that happen, because God knows I’m not a big fan of dying for this guy. I just wanted to know what would happen if he did get loose.” Emi looked back to the backpack and bit her lower lip. “He would open the gates to the Dark Plains,” she said quietly and Sly was watching her closely. She couldn’t look at his face because talking about this was making her second guess wanting to stay with him. She wondered again what the amulet would do and if it would break the seal and let Izanagi go free, then she wondered if she’d really do it. What was she willing to unleash upon the world to be with Sly? If it was Izanagi, she wasn’t sure there would be a world to be with him in anymore. “Any evil spirit that wanted to could come to your world and they would destroy it. They would shape it the same way the Thirteen shaped their worlds – however they wanted.” Sly leaned forward and winced as it pulled his back, but he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Can’t he just go down there, get his wife and come back up without letting anything else through?” “Izanagi lost his love for the world long ago,” she whispered. “He will not care if his actions see it destroyed.” Sly sighed and then his arms were wrapping around her waist and pulling her back into him. She turned and wrapped her arms around him, careful of his back, and rested her head on his chest, taking comfort that he was here and he was alive and they could worry about everything else later. Right now, it was this moment, not anything else. “We should find out where the rest of the amulet is,” he whispered to her and she closed her eyes, nodding her head against his chest. She pulled from his arms and he scooted back on the couch, gritting his teeth at the pain as she went to the backpack and pulled the Grimoire out. When she came back, she sat on the other side of the couch with the Grimoire between them. Sly glanced at her face and then looked down at the book. “Sup, book?” he asked. “You mind showing us where the rest of the amulet is so we can complete it and figure out how to work it?” The Grimoire flung open and the pages whirled. Emi glanced up at Sly’s face and he was looking solemnly at the book as it moved. She bit her lip and it pained her to think that she may have to make the decision between him and keeping Izanagi sealed away. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She hoped that her way out was something that didn’t mean the seal was broken. Maybe she could stay and only be the Guardian when someone broke it again. Maybe she wouldn’t have to go away in between. The pages stopped moving and Sly’s eyes widened a little. Emi glanced down at the pages and she felt her heart stop when she was the picture on the paper. It was a bird of flames. She knew the picture all too well and the sight of it brought tears to her eyes. She bit her lip and she tried not to let them fall, but that was the worst thing the Grimoire could have shown them. Sly snorted. “Is that a phoenix?” he asked, smiling until he looked up and saw her face. He frowned and reached over the Grimoire to take her hand. “Emi? Hey, baby what’s wrong?” Emi shook her head and she felt stupid, but all the hope and excitement she’d been feeling about being able to stay with Sly was slipping away and being replaced with dread. He’d already bested her twice this time around. He’d already proven he was better than her and she didn’t know if she could win against him if he held the key to finishing the amulet. “That is Takeru,” she whispered. Sly’s eyes widened a moment before he looked back down at the page. “Shit,” he spat. .Wolfie. Sly slumped back against the couch, wincing as soon as his back hit the cushions. He shifted a little lower to take pressure off it but it didn’t ease the pain any. His hands came up to scrub at his hair before they ran over his face and then he just let them fall. They draped over his knees and his eyes just stared at the book in front of him and the phoenix etched on the page.Takeru had the rest of the amulet. It was the only thing it could possibly mean and he chewed on his lip as he processed that. The guy was fast and he was mean and he was fucking scary when he fought. He was scary all the time but especially when he was fighting. Sly had only met him the once but he knew they were only alive because they’d run away. Emi had fought him before and she had said herself that he’d killed her just as many times as she’d killed him. And he was the one holding the rest of her amulet and he felt his heart sinking in his chest because somehow he’d thought the hard part was over with. “So what do we do?” he asked after a moment. He looked up at her face and she hadn’t moved, her legs crossed underneath her and her hands lying in her lap. She was staring at the book and he didn’t like the expression she wore. She looked stricken and lost and she barely blinked when he asked the question. Her head lifted slightly as she focused on his face but her eyes looked dull and sad and he wondered for a moment if she was even seeing him at all. “Should we go after him next?” There was an immediate change in her posture, her whole body stiffening and her face growing hard and cold. “No,” she said sharply. Her hands came out and snapped the book shut, moving to put it back in the backpack where she’d pulled it from. He frowned as he watched her, hands still lying loosely across his knees. “Okay,” he drawled, but she wasn’t looking at him anymore. She moved to put the backpack in the corner by the television and then she was starting to move past the couch back towards the bedroom. His hand came out to catch hers and she glanced down at him when he did. “Why not?” “Takeru is always last,” she told him. “He is the strongest of them all and we are not ready to face him. He would kill us both.” Sly’s eyes widened and he was surprised at the finality of the words. He was surprised at how coldly she said them but she wasn’t even looking at him. She was staring past him to the bedroom and he wondered what she was thinking about. It was a stupid thought. He knew what she was thinking about because he was probably thinking about it too. He was thinking that the odds were stacked against them making the amulet whole at all and even if they did get the missing piece they didn’t even know how it worked. They didn’t even know what it was supposed to do, only that the Grimoire said he would get to keep her. It felt weird blindly trusting a book, but it was the only thing he had to cling to because he didn’t want Emi to go. “Alright,” he drawled. He sat up on the couch, his other hand coming up to hold her hand and press his lips against her skin. She didn’t look down at him, her eyes still focused on the bed in his room and there were tears filling up her eyes. “So if we leave him until last, how much time do we have after you kill him to figure this thing out?” “None,” she said. She didn’t even blink, her voice cold and shaky as she spoke the word. He watched her duck her head and stare at the carpet for a moment and she still wasn’t even looking at his face. “There is no time. Once he is dead, I will be gone.” He hadn’t expected that answer. He didn’t know why, but somehow it hadn’t occurred to him that it could be done and over that fast. If everything else failed he thought he would at least get to say goodbye. He thought he would at least get to kiss her one last time and thinking that she would just be gone that swiftly sent pain lancing through his heart. It hurt worse than all the marks still left on his back because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. He looked down at the hand held tightly in his and he lowered his head until his lips were pressed tightly against her skin. “That fast?” he asked her quietly. He rolled his head to the side so he could look up at her face and he just caught the nod of her head. “Yes,” she told him. “That fast. Once the Thirteenth demon is slain then I am gone.” Her voice shook a little at the last part and her gaze was locked on the carpet and not on his face. He saw the tears start to fall and then she was dashing them away with the back of her hand. “Emi,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.” It got her to lift her head and focus on him but that just seemed to make it worse. Her eyes swept his face, her fingers coming out to brush down his jaw and over the hoop in his lip before she pulled her hand back. “I will be back in a moment,” she said, ignoring the words. She crossed her arms over her chest and headed into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her and closing him out. Sly stared at the wooden surface and he realized it was getting hard to breathe in here. One hand lifted and scrubbed over his mouth and he didn’t understand why she wasn’t out here talking to him. He closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head in his hands and feeling himself sink back against the couch again. For a second all he could think about was his heroin. It bothered him that it was his first thought but suddenly everything was harder and the pains on his back hurt so much worse. His back was shredded and his wrists were sore and if he had his drugs then it would numb the pain out and he wouldn’t have to feel it anymore. He wouldn’t be in pain every second of the day. If he had his drugs he wouldn’t have to think that maybe he just wasn’t good enough or strong enough to get her to stay. It would be the easy way out. It would be easy to use again and fix two problems with one stone. He would be high and free of pain and she wouldn’t want to stay with him anymore. It wouldn’t make it half so hard on either of them when it was over. He hated those thoughts. He hated them because they were the thoughts of a junkie and he didn’t want to be that man. That wasn’t good enough anymore. It wasn’t good enough to just hide in his hole and watch her leave because he cared about her more than he’d ever cared about another person in his life. He could still feel her skin under his hands and hear her laughter ringing in his ears and he wanted more. He wanted to wake up with her every morning and go to bed with her every night and he wasn’t ready to give up on her yet. He wasn’t ready to watch all of that get pissed away down the drain. He pushed himself to his feet, wavering a little as he stood and he made his way to the bedroom. “Emi?” he called, knocking softly and leaning his shoulder against the doorway. She didn’t answer and a sigh left his lips, one hand reaching up to scrub over his face and through his hair. Then he reached forward and opened the door, and it didn’t matter if it was locked or not because Sly had a gift with those things. It clicked open easily beneath his fingers. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and he thought she’d been crying but she wiped a hand hurriedly across her face. Her head turned so that she could look up at him and he hated how sad and lost she looked. “You shouldn’t be up,” she told him. He smirked, moving his way slowly across the bedroom. “No,” he admitted. “Probably not. I guess you’ll have to put me to bed then.” She didn’t return the smile and she didn’t tell him no. She just rose to her feet and crossed the room towards him, the expression on her face never changing. One hand slid around his waist as she guided him to the bed and he let her, one arm wrapping around her shoulder. Her fingers were firm and unyielding as she pushed him into a sitting position on the bed, before her hand moved to his chest and tried to make him lay down. He caught at her wrists as she did, pulling her down with him. “Are you going to stay with me?” he asked, and the question was a loaded one. His fingers wandered down her arms and he meant it in every way she could take it. He wanted to know if she would stay in his bed, he wanted to know if she would stay in his life. He wanted to know what they were going to do about the amulet but she didn’t look like she had an answer for him right now. Her eyes studied his face for a moment and then she nodded her head shortly, letting herself settle down next to him. Her chin rested on his shoulder, hand on his chest. “I will stay until you fall asleep,” she told him, ignoring the other, unspoken questions. “That’s not good enough,” he said. He said it with a playful tone but he felt her stiffen next to him anyway and he tightened his grip around her shoulder. His other hand came up to smooth the hair out of her face and it was still damp from the shower. She allowed it but she didn’t smile and she didn’t relax beneath the hand running soothingly across her shoulder. “How will I know you’ll still be here when I wake up? No, I think you’re just going to have to stay here with me.” “Sly,” she started, and then she paused, glancing up at his face. Her voice lowered and he heard it crack. “You ask too much.” He ran his hand through her hair again, easing her head back against his chest. “No I don’t,” he said. “I’m just asking you to sleep with me. I’ve been asking you that since I met you.” He grinned and she stared at his face for a moment before she settled in against him, eyes open and her face lost and sad. He let out a breath and shifted underneath her, ignoring the stinging pains on his back because he liked having her curled up against him and he wasn’t willing to let that go. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her again. “Look, it’s just a little setback, right? We can practice, kill a few more demons, and then we’ll go kick this guy’s ass and set you free.” “You must be prepared for the possibility that I cannot stay when this is over,” she said. He was surprised at how sharp and cold the words were, even though they were nothing she hadn’t told him before. She stayed wrapped around his side but she was stiff and he was scared because he couldn’t tell what she was thinking but he didn’t like the words. He’d found her a way out, they just had to finish getting all the pieces. He ignored the knot of fear in his gut because she was worth the pain he had to go through to get it. “Well I’m not,” he told her. She frowned and lifted her head to look at him and he smiled at her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “I want you, I need you, and I’m going to do everything I can to try and keep you. I’m selfish like that, remember?” “Wanting something so badly will not make it so,” she told him quietly. He hated how sad she sounded as she spoke the words and he hated how much they stung because she had said those to him before too. She’d said them when he’d practically begged for her forgiveness, and they hurt now because they were the truth. Maybe they couldn’t beat Takeru. Maybe they were both screwed. “Well, if it did then you would never leave my bed,” he told her, letting his eyes drift shut. Wenston She didn’t sleep. Sly did. He’d fallen right to sleep almost as soon as he’d laid down on the bed and she’d kept her word and stayed with him. He’d asked her to stay and she knew it was in more ways than one, but she couldn’t promise him anything beyond the moment. She couldn’t promise him she’d stay in the end or even make it pass the next demon. They only got harder from here on out and they’d both been injured fighting the last one. They were going to have to get better. They were going to have to get smarter and faster. Not just to take on the rest of the demons, but to take on Takeru. He had her amulet. He had the missing piece that would allow her to stay. She didn’t know the right words to express what she felt about that. Disappointment, but it was so much more than that. She’d started thinking it was possible she could stay. She’d given herself to Sly and she’d let herself fall for him hard. And now that might be taken away and she knew, she knew she’d made a mistake letting it get this far because she’d always had a rule that said she’d never get involved with a sealbreaker. It hurt badly in the end. Only it was too late to turn back. She couldn’t shut off her feelings for him and she couldn’t start pushing him away like she knew she should because she wasn’t strong enough to do that. She wasn’t strong enough to end this because she didn’t want it to end. She didn’t want to say goodbye to him. A part of her still thought it was possible to stay, but mostly she had given up the moment the Grimoire had shown them Takeru. He was too strong. He was too powerful this time around and she was still trying to figure out who was behind the demons’ freedom. She had a theory. But she wasn’t ready to admit that to herself just yet. Sly’s arm was around her waist as she lay next to him in his bed. She loved being here. She loved it when he held her and she loved listening to him breathe. But tonight it hurt. It hurt because maybe she wouldn’t be able to keep this. They lay on their side and Emi was facing the window. The view was nothing spectacular, mostly the other side of a building, but if she craned her neck, she could see clear night sky. She was gentle as she pulled Sly’s arm from around her waist. She sat up and watched his face as she settled him in and he didn’t wake up. She pulled the blankets up around him and looked down at him for a moment. He was peaceful when he slept and she tried to think of what he’d do if she wasn’t able to stay. She didn’t think she liked the answer so she reached her hand out and smoothed back some of his hair. He shifted in his sleep but still didn’t open his eyes and Emi turned around to look at the window. Walking to it, she sat on the windowsill and just looked out at the world, her head craned to the side so she could see the street below. There was so much about this world that she still didn’t know and she wanted to get to know it. She wanted to get to know everything about it and learn what had made it into the world it was. She wanted to see California because Sly wanted to show it to her. She wanted to know what Halloween was and watch more of his movies and ride on a motorcycle with him even if she didn’t think she’d like that. She just wanted to stay and she’d never wanted something so badly in her life before. Glancing down at the cast on her arm, she reached with her other fingers to trace over Sly’s name and she frowned because he’d promised to teach her to read and he still hadn’t done that. He’d promised and she knew he was a liar but he wasn’t a liar to her. She had to stay. They had to get better and she had to stay. Standing up quickly, she walked silently out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her so she wouldn’t wake him. Her eyes went to the backpack where the Grimoire was stashed and she couldn’t help the sneer that made its way onto her face. She knew it wasn’t the Grimoire’s fault and she knew it was no one’s fault really, it was just the way things had to be. She just didn’t like it and she didn’t like that maybe if she hadn’t been so stubborn, and they’d gone after the missing piece instead of Baishun-fu, maybe Takeru wouldn’t have it. Maybe she’d stalled for too long. She got to work quickly. She pulled out Kaidokusuru and went through battle routines. Routines her father had shown her and routines she’d learned along the way. She needed to be faster and stronger and she needed to be better if she was ever going to beat Takeru. She didn’t know what to expect when they went to Takeru’s world. They had to find the missing piece of the amulet before she killed him, otherwise it would be too late. Maybe she could wound him, or poison him, or maybe they could go to his world undetected. Maybe they could take someone else and have them pose as a spy. All these thoughts were running through her mind, but she knew most of them were in vain. Takeru was fast and strong and he wouldn’t never let them get close enough to take him unaware. He’d never let them have his piece of the amulet because he wanted the thing for himself. That’s why he’d been in Kan’ningu’s world. He’d been searching for the piece she had now. The more Emi thought about all these things, the harder she pushed herself through her routine. Her muscles started to burn and her arm was aching, but she kept pushing herself through it because she needed to figure out a way to stay. She needed to. She couldn’t do this again. Not with a new sealbreaker, not in a new world. She just couldn’t. Her movements got quick and frantic and the world was blurring around her because maybe there were tears in her eyes as she moved. Maybe she was already predicting the end and maybe she would tell Sly that if she left, he’d just have to find the Grimoire again and open in and she could be back with him. Maybe that was the best solution, but it was probably the hardest. The Grimoire didn’t stay in one place. Once the seal was closed, the Grimoire went where it wanted and Sly would have to search the world for it. There was a good chance he’d never find it. She hadn’t heard him come out of the bedroom. She only knew he was there when she whirled with Kaidokusuru and nearly took his head off. She stopped it before it hit his neck and he stood there, wide-eyed for a moment, but a smile spread across his face and he said, “I thought I told you to stay in bed with me.” It broke the dam. Whatever had been holding back her tears snapped as soon as he spoke and the sword fell from her hands as she broke into sobs. Sly seemed surprised at the reaction and then he was coming forward and wrapping his arms around her and she just buried her face into his chest, letting her tears soak into his shirt. “Whoa, hey, Emi,” he said, his hand running over her back and the other one holding the back of her head. “Baby, please, it’s gonna be okay.” She wished she could believe him but she didn’t. There was not a part of her that thought she could beat Takeru. She crumpled under the weight of that knowledge and her legs gave out, taking both her and Sly down. Sly grunted as he landed on his ass, but he didn’t swear or yell at her, he just pulled her tighter against him and she heard him sigh, pressing his lips to her head. She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop crying and she clung to him like he was her saving grace and maybe he was. She’d never had to put her faith completely into someone before, but she was now. She was putting her faith into Sly because she had nothing left to offer. She had nothing left to give when it came to Takeru. She couldn’t beat him. That was completely in Sly’s hands. .Wolfie. There were cards spread out in front of Sly on the coffee table and he was concentrating hard on them. He was concentrating on making them do what he asked and it was harder than he thought it would be. His old tricks worked the same as they always had, but he was surprised how much effort it took to get them to do any of the other things he’d learned. They didn’t want to float for him. They didn’t want to change their shape or burst into flames or any of the other things he thought he’d had under control.Maybe he was the problem. He didn’t count that out because both Haemon and Emi had told him that half of it was putting faith in himself and having the strength of will to bend the world to his whim. He wasn’t feeling it. He wasn’t feeling any of that and he wasn’t feeling confident or powerful. He just felt angry and sad and in way, way over his head. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. When he’d woken up the next day Emi had started making him do stretches and exercises again. She said that it would help him heal faster and he was all for that, but a part of him didn’t see the point. He couldn’t beat Takeru in a fight. If Emi could barely hold her own then he didn’t have any hope of it. He knew it and she knew it and he felt like they were both just going through the motions. She was quiet and withdrawn and she didn’t smile at him anymore. She still slept in his bed and let him hold her but there was a deep sadness that had settled in her and he didn’t know how to make it better. He didn’t know what words to say to convince her that they could pull this off because he wasn’t sure that even he believed it. It felt like she was resigning herself to leaving when this was over and there was panic settling in his gut at that thought. It made it hard for him to stay sober. He’d stopped telling Emi when he was thinking about his drugs or he’d be bothering her all the fucking time. He thought about them whenever he made a joke and she didn’t smile. He thought about them when he woke up and found her sitting by the window instead of lying in his arms. He fought about them just trying to breathe because his back still stung and itched painfully. It was healing but it felt like it was taking longer than he thought it should and it was pissing him off. He wanted her. He wanted her desperately and he felt angry and frustrated that the key to getting her to stay was in the hands of the nastiest demon of all Thirteen. The only weapon he had against him was a stolen Glock and a couple of magic tricks. So he was sitting at the coffee table and he was trying to work on his stupid fucking magic tricks because that was all he had. “I don’t think we should leave him until the end,” he said abruptly. He flicked his fingers at one of the cards and it scooted across the table. He frowned, making a twisting motion with his hand and trying to force it into the air. Emi sat on the other side of the table from him. There was a Little Golden Book opened in front of her and it made him smile when he’d bought it for her. He’d picked up a couple of them and she’d made a face at him but she hadn’t argued. He’d read the Poky Little Puppy with her and he thought she was adorable trying to make out the words. It was slow going because Sly wasn’t any good at teaching that kind of thing and apparently the English rules were all kinds of different from Japanese. “No,” she said, barely glancing up at him. “He is the strongest and that means we cannot risk that he will kill us before the other demons are dead. We still need to ensure that the seal stays closed. I cannot forget my duty.” The tone of her voice brooked no argument and he didn’t understand why. He frowned, the card in front of him wavering when he did. “So why can’t we just leave him until second to last or something?” he said. She sighed, looking up at him and she looked tired. She hadn’t been sleeping at night. He knew because he kept waking up from nightmares and seeing her awake. “It isn’t worth the risk,” she answered quietly. The words stung, even if she didn’t mean them to. Sly was still frowning as he flicked his fingers at the card and it burst into flames easily this time. It obeyed him because he was getting angry and he was getting hurt and he knew she didn’t mean for him to be but he felt it anyway. “I think it’s worth it,” he snapped. “I think fighting to keep you here is worth it. I think killing that asshole sooner rather than later is worth it.” She stiffened at the words and then turned her head aside. There were tears in her eyes as she slammed the book shut, tossing it on the table and pushing herself to her feet. “I do not want to leave you to face any more of the demons alone than I have to,” she said. The words struck him hard and his face fell as he watched her. She moved past him to the other side of the couch and she glanced over her shoulder when he didn’t follow. Her eyes were sad and tired and he didn’t like it. “Come,” she said. “We must practice.” “You think he’s going to kill you,” Sly snapped. He couldn’t keep the irritation and the fear out of his voice because he felt stupid for missing it. He felt like that was something he should have caught onto the first day and he hadn’t. Emi licked her lips and then she ducked her head, staring at the carpet. It was all the answer he needed and he felt the fear twist in his gut. He wanted his drugs. He wanted to stop hurting and stop feeling because suddenly his whole body felt like it was in pain and it wasn’t all physical. “I think it is a possibility you should be prepared for,” she told him quietly. “Well I’m not,” he snapped. “I told you I needed you, did you think I was lying?” She sighed, lifting her head to look at him. “No,” she said. Her voice stayed at that same quiet and resigned ton and he hated hearing it come from her lips. “I do not.” She looked away and he watched her stare at her hands for a moment before she lifted her head and looked back at his face. “I want you to promise me something Sly,” she said. He didn’t like the tone of her voice and he didn’t like the look on her face. He didn’t like anything about this. “I want you to promise me that if it turns out I cannot stay, you won’t go back to your drugs.” Her eyes filled with tears and then she sucked in breath and forced them away. “I want you to |
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