Chapter Text
The high of winning and reuniting with her fellow hunters lasts for a while. The crowd cheers at their performance, unknowing of the full extent of their win and the amount of danger they were really in. Rumi’s smile, albeit a little tired, is not faked. With Zoey on one side and Mira on the other, each holding onto one of her hands, the world seems to slow down for just a moment and allow her to breathe.
So she breathes, patterns dancing on her skin in plain sight but not an ounce of shame because of them. Zoey and Mira know now. She should’ve told them earlier but it worked out. They’ll talk about it later. Right now, they still love her and that’s enough.
The power she received from their fans in the heat of the moment slowly bleeds out of her, sapping her energy as adrenaline fades. Little by little, Rumi is returned to her usual level of power and shivers a little at the lack of warmth it once provided. Zoey and Mira automatically press a little closer to compensate. They understand better than anyone what it feels like coming down from that high and are probably going through something very similar.
Rumi rests her head against Mira’s, fighting off the sleepiness. It’s going to be a long night but with the two of them, she can handle it. She can handle anything.
Bobby helps too. Broken out of the Saja Boy’s trance, he leaps into action as he’s always done to deal with the press. Cameras are flashing, people are asking questions and fawning over them all over again, and Rumi easily falls into the rhythm she knows as well as she knows how to fight. The new Honmoon has been formed and secured so there’s little else to do but return to being a Huntrix.
Their fans are confused, unsure of what happened to the Saja Boys or what exactly happened at the stadium in the first place, but with Bobby’s help, they weave a story. All of it was a planned ‘Storyline’ to give them the performance of a lifetime. They planned to work together with the Saja Boys for the show. Said boys are now enjoying a very long vacation. Eventually people will ask where they’ve gone when they don’t come back but that’s a future problem, and may not fully become their problem at all.
They’ll handle it in stride as they’ve always done.
Grief hits Rumi gradually. Once they’re out of the spotlight, the weight of her loss begins to press down on her. She thinks of Jinu’s face being consumed by Gwi-Ma’s flames, his soul circling her and giving her the first boost of power she needed to finish the battle. She remembers his words— “You gave me my soul back. And now, I give it to you.”— moments before he was gone.
She remembers how she was angry with him for betraying her, then how she painfully understood him in believing they were something rotten like she was taught to believe all were, then the regret after watching him disappear that she didn’t get to kiss him and tell him what he meant to her. That he was gone forever and she wouldn’t get to deal with any of those feelings properly.
The moment Rumi slips into her dressing room to get a little time alone to process, she all but collapses on the first chair she can reach. Her head falls into her hands as tears escape her. Because they have won and created a Honmoon to truly be proud of, but the cost was great. She had wanted him to enjoy their victory too— had wanted Jinu to be here— but he’s not. And he’s gone.
And she doesn’t think he’s coming back this time.
No matter how much she wipes her tears, more seem to take their place. She breathes shakily, a slight tremble in her shoulders, but the sudden and unexpected warmth that touches her shoulder makes her jolt up. Rumi looks, half expecting Mira or Zoey to have entered her dressing room without her realizing but instead she’s greeted by a small, blue soul.
Rumi almost immediately stops crying but more so out of confusion than anything else. Because this soul shouldn’t be here. When the crowd lent her the strength she needed, the rest of their power should’ve returned to them in the aftermath. She knows the rest of it did, she felt it. The relationship between demon hunters and those they protect is symbiotic. Hunters like her protect them and in return, those they protect give them the power to stand up to even the fiercest demons.
All power not used always returns to its owner. So why is this soul still—
Rumi’s thoughts come to a screeching halt, mouth parting in shock.
All power returns to its owner. Unless there isn’t anything to return to. Unless said owner doesn’t have a body to inhibit the soul anymore, such as if it gets burned in an inferno while trying to protect her.
Hesitantly, Rumi reaches out, cupping the soul in her hands. It’s smaller than before, weaker from the fight, but still shining. It warms the palms of her hands, flashing a brighter shade of blue for just a moment. Rumi studies it closely, trying to determine if her suspicions are correct. In the end, she takes a leap of faith, even if it’ll hurt if she’s wrong about this.
“Jinu..?”
Immediately, the soul flashes a brighter shade of blue again. Her breath catches in her throat before she leans closer, trying again. “Jinu? Is— is that you? Flash three times in a row if that’s you.”
The soul dutifully flashes three times in a row. Rumi feels like crying again— scratch that, she is crying again. But this time her mouth is curved into a shaky smile and the soul seems to press against her hands, as if trying to comfort her. She briefly shifts to hold him in one hand so she can wipe her face, a little laugh leaving her.
“You— you—” she struggles to find the words after such a long day of trying to find all the right ones. Maybe she’s projecting considering the little soul doesn’t have any facial expressions but she swears he seems apologetic. Rumi bows her head, taking in deep breaths. The soul softly brushes against her forehead. If she closes her eyes, she can pretend the tickle of warmth she feels from it is from his lips.
“You jerk…” She sniffs, rubbing her eyes again. “Why’d you have to burn yourself up like that? Why couldn’t… Fuck. How dare you? You’re making me cry. Again.”
The soul flickers in a way that distinctly feels like laughter. He’s laughing at her. Probably because he wants to say something cheesy like, “Rumi, I didn’t know you cared so much!” or something. Just thinking about it makes her laugh again.
She really misses his voice right now.
“I, um.” She clears her throat before admitting, “I don’t know what to do here. But— stay with me, okay? I don’t know how to fix this but I can at least try to make sure you don’t get any worse.”
The soul glows brightly again. She can imagine him smiling and saying something like, “Stay with you? Well, if you insist.”
She really misses his dumb voice and dumb jokes and dumb, big, dark eyes that can never quite mask a layer of sadness.
She really misses him. All of him. But if all that remains of him is his soul right now then she’ll make sure it lasts for as long as she can make it last.
It takes a few minutes for Rumi to find the strength to stand again. She sets the soul down on her chair and points firmly. “I need to change real quick. I expect full 1900s gentlemanly behavior from you so close your… Soul eyes? Your whatever. Just give me a little privacy, okay?”
The soul flashes once and stays in place. Rumi quickly gets dressed into her usual civilian wear, including her favorite hoodie. Once finished, she returns to scoop him up and put him in the hoodie pocket. She pulls back the fabric of the pocket a little to peek at him inside to ask, “This okay? Mira and Zoey can see you later but I don’t want to broadcast you to everyone.”
Another flash. He’s content enough so Rumi lets him settle in and branches off to find the other girls.
Mira and Zoey are both in their own civilian clothes, looking more than a little exhausted. Both of them smile upon seeing her, Zoey clapping her hands excitedly. “Ohhh, Rumi, your new patterns look so cute on you!”
Rumi pulls up one of her sleeves since she can’t see the ones lingering on her neck and face. They’re subtler but still there. They’ve just… Changed. No longer a shameful shade of purple or an angry shade of magenta, but iridescent. Something to get used to for certain but… She likes them. She can’t remember ever liking them before.
“Thank you, Zoey.” Rumi smiles softly. She’s then met with uncertainty. What should she say to them? Where does she even begin with how to explain herself and apologize?
Mira catches the shift in her mood and rises from her seat. “Let’s go home.” She says, not leaving room for an argument. Her eyes carefully meet Rumi’s, a little cautious but still a solid foundation she would crumble without. “We need to talk and I’d really like it if we could do it from the comforts of our couch.”
“Couch!” Zoey shoots up at the word. “Please, I need to sit down and rot for a week.”
“Couch.” Rumi agrees with a smile. “Sounds good to me.”
Mira nods, though not as confident as she usually does. There’s a small crack in the tough exterior she displays but Rumi knows they’ll handle it tonight. They’ll air it all out and heal any rift between them and they’ll be the Huntrix again, as they’ve always been.
It takes around twenty minutes to get out of the building and into their limousine. Bobby calls over to them that they should take it easy and let him handle the press. They thank him and tell him to take some time off soon. His eyes sparkle as he nods back.
There’s a divider between them and the driver. Rumi knows from experience that it gives them privacy to talk about their hunter things. If they’ve ever been overheard, their driver hasn’t said a word to anyone.
“Hey uh…” Rumi chews on her lip. Zoey immediately looks up, paying attention. Mira frowns, arms crossed but not interrupting. They let her find her words. “I know we’re gonna talk once we’re on the couch but— I should probably tell you guys about this as soon as possible.”
“Tell us about what?” Zoey nods encouragingly. It gives her the strength to pull the soul out of her hoodie pocket, cupping it in her hands again. Both Zoey and Mira lock on to it, shocked.
“Rumi. Where did you get that?” Mira asks, voice hard. For a moment, Rumi tenses, but then Mira sees and sighs, shoulders slumping. “I didn’t— I wasn’t trying to accuse you of anything. I just don’t understand. All the power we borrowed left us. Why hasn’t that soul gone back to its owner?”
“Because he has nothing to go back to.” Rumi has to take in a breath before she reveals, “It’s Jinu’s.”
In the blink of an eye, Zoey has her blades out. Rumi jolts, immediately bringing the soul closer to her chest protectively. Mira barks out a sharp, “Zoey!” that has her turning pink and the blades disappearing.
“Sorry!” She squeaks. “Force of habit! We just fought the Saja Boys, I’m a little on edge!”
Rumi relaxes a little. “It’s okay.” She tells her, forcing herself not to hide the soul away again. “I get it. I don’t blame you, they were our enemies but… Jinu saved me. His sacrifice was the reason we won.”
There’s a pause in the conversation. The sounds of the city are distant but the gentle noise of tires on the road fills the room. Both Zoey and Mira have contemplative looks in their eyes. Mira is the first to look up and break the silence.
“I have a lot of questions about that. But I’m going to hold off until we get there.” Her eyes flicker down at the soul cupped in her hands. “You’re sure it’s his?”
Rumi nods. Mira nods back and the rest of the trip is silent.
They all but stumble into their living room, exhaustion starting to take its toll. Mira points to the couch and tells Rumi to take a seat while her and Zoey split off. It’s weird not to do anything but Rumi should probably be listening to them right now so she does. She watches from the couch as Zoey begins to raid their kitchen, nabbing a variety of snacks and a few drinks before bringing them all over to dump on the coffee table. Not long after, Mira returns with her arms full of pillows and blankets. All of them take what they need.
Soon enough, Rumi has a blanket around her shoulders and pulled close to her. Zoey is laying on her stomach, having grabbed a plethora of pillows to make herself comfortable, and Mira has a blanket hanging off her head and a pillow in her lap. They’ve all chosen a few snacks, the sound of crunching filling the room. The soul sticks close to her, currently hovering around her shoulder.
They settle in and eat in silence for a little while, an unspoken agreement that they all need this. They’ve had the longest day of their lives and god knows what will come tomorrow. Refuel and rest are their top priorities.
The words come to Rumi slowly, trickling in like the dam inside of her is going to break unless she relieves some of the pressure. It still feels taboo to speak about it at all after a lifetime of lying but… It feels good once she starts talking.
“My father was a demon.” Are the first words out of her mouth. It feels like a good place to start. The beginning always helps put things into perspective.
Mira puts down her drink to look at Rumi, examining her expressions. Zoey doesn’t stop eating, though she’s making a conscious effort to be quieter and has slowed down in pacing.
“I honestly don’t know anything else about him.” Rumi rubs circles into the fuzzy blanket. Suddenly it’s hard to look her fellow hunters in the eye and spill all her secrets at the same time. “That’s all Celine told me. She knew all along but always told me to hide my patterns. She told me I could get rid of them if we could make the Honmoon gold and banish all the demons. And for so long, I wanted that. I wanted nothing more than to get rid of these patterns forever.”
She has to pause when it feels like her throat is closing up on her. The warmth from the soul pressing closer to her cheek has her fighting a smile. Her nerves ease a little. Rumi reminds herself to keep breathing.
“She told me to never tell you two. That it was for the best that I cover my patterns forever until I could get rid of them. And I believed her. I— I wanted to tell you two some days and dreaded the idea completely on others. And I’m so sorry I didn’t sooner, I should’ve known if I had been honest—”
Rumi stops immediately when she hears a sob. Her head snaps up to see tears streaming down Zoey’s face, lip trembling. She waves her off hastily, shaking her head.
“Ig— ignore me! Just keep g-going!”
“Did I upset you?” Rumi asks, alarmed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—!”
Zoey sobs again, desperately trying to wipe her tears away. Mira growls under her breath, slapping her hands on her knees. “Zoey, just tell her whatever made you upset already! Staying silent makes it worse.”
“I just—!” She sniffs, breathing shakily. “I feel like we validated your fears! We— we drew our weapons on you! We didn’t trust you at first! And— and you were so afraid of that exact reaction for years and— I’m sorry! I should be the one apologizing! I— I wasn’t listening after we saw your patterns and I— I—!”
Rumi gapes slightly, not expecting her response. She doesn’t get to reply before Mira is suddenly adding, “I’m sorry too. We should’ve given you a chance to explain yourself properly, even if it did look bad. You’re important to us. You…” She looks away, fingers curling around the fabric of her pants. “You two are my family, you know?”
Rumi’s heart swells. She rubs her cheek when a few tears escape her but leans forward and takes one of Mira’s hands. She looks up, eyes full of hope and vulnerability. Rumi smiles and squeezes her hand, then offers the other to Zoey. Zoey sits up so she can complete the circle.
“You’re my family too. Both of you.” Rumi murmurs, just loud enough for all of them to hear. “I’m not mad about what happened. If the roles were reversed, I probably would’ve questioned everything too. I didn’t explain anything right anyways.”
“I don’t blame you.” Zoey smiles back shakily. “I don’t know what I would’ve said in your place either. I’m just… I’m really glad we’re all okay. And I’m glad we know now.” She then hesitates before leaning over to bump her shoulder with Rumi’s, a playful look in her eyes. “And I’m really glad you kept your patterns. I always knew there were good demons out there.”
Rumi chuckles to herself, not letting go of Zoey or Mira’s hands as she wipes her face on her sleeve. Since it’s as good of a place as any, she says, “Speaking of demons that aren’t evil…”
Mira narrows her eyes. “Jinu. Explain. You said something about… Tricking him onto your side?”
“I think we tricked each other.” Rumi admits. “And then tricked ourselves too. I uh… He saw my patterns. At the bathhouse. And he saved me from accidentally revealing it to you two and wanted to talk to me about it later. I ended up meeting up with him because I wanted the chance to get one over on him but,” she glances over at the soul on her shoulder, chuckling at the memory in hindsight, “He expected that. He’s a pretty hard guy to kill, believe it or not.”
“I believe it.” Mira replies instantly. “If you couldn’t kill him, I believe it. You’re a good huntress.”
“Thank you.” Once again, her heart is warmed. The more she talks, the easier it is to keep talking. Mira and Zoey make everything so much easier. “But uh, since I couldn’t kill him, he was able to talk to me. At first asking about me being part demon but then he told me about himself.” At this, she shoots a pointed look at the soul on her shoulder, wondering if she’s imagining that he seems a bit sheepish now. “Granted, he lied about some of it and only came clean later but… I could tell he lived with great regret and shame. So I kept thinking about him. And we met up alone a few more times.”
“How many?” Mira prods.
“Three I think. Unless I’m forgetting one. And I know how it sounds but… I saw good in him. And I thought maybe if I could prove one demon could be good, then I could be good too. I know,” she says when Mira and Zoey both look at her with sympathy, “I wasn’t in a great headspace. And I know he betrayed me but I feel like something happened because he was so… Hopeful when I last saw him. I thought I could help him.” When the soul begins to circle her, catching her attention again, she adds, “He said I did. Right before Gwi-Ma burned him away, he told me I saved his soul, so he was giving it to me.”
The soul settles on her shoulder again, flashing once. Rumi once again finds herself missing his dumb, gorgeous face. She can only imagine the kind of look he would have, resting his chin on her shoulder as she talks about how they met. Interjecting with his own points, like wanting to specify the pajamas she was wearing or… Telling her what he was thinking when they met up. What was going on in his head. What happened between promising to make the Saja Boys lose and betraying her and nearly dooming the world to Gwi-Ma’s flames.
Answers she may now never get.
“Did you kiss him?” Mira squints at her. Rumi is ripped out of her thoughts, mouth gaping.
“What?”
She squints harder. “That’s a no. But you wanted to, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t— how did you—!”
“Wait…” Zoey lets go of their hands to cross her arms, glaring at Rumi now. “So while you were shaming me and Mira for finding some of the Saja Boys hot, you were having secret dates with their lead singer?”
“They weren’t dates!” Rumi finds herself shouting, flustered. “Not— not officially. We were just talking. It’s like Mira said, I never even kissed him.”
“But you wanted to.”
Rumi flounders for an answer. It might be true but she doesn’t want to admit it right now— especially not with the now brightly glowing soul on her shoulder, no doubt delighted with this information.
“He— he’s four-hundred years old!”
“Vampire rules, doesn’t count.” Zoey cuts in. “Besides, you’re twenty-six, not freshly eighteen. No one says you have to date him but like, you can if you want. No judgment. Especially since he’s not with Gwi-Ma anymore.” She pauses, glancing at the soul on her shoulder. “Though maybe on second thought, you might wanna date someone more… Corporeal.”
The soul flashes a duller shade of blue, just for a moment. Rumi tells Zoey, “I think he took offense to that.”
“Sorry, Soul-Jinu!” Zoey smiles apologetically. “I just want what’s best for my girl!”
The soul flashes again, lighter this time. Rumi smiles. “I think he wants the same.”
“How are you translating any of this?” Mira raises an eyebrow. Rumi struggles to think of an answer.
“It just… Feels like the right answer. Plus I think he’d be getting my attention if I was wrong.”
“Mm.” Mira doesn’t look very convinced but drops it. “So you fell in love with him and he betrayed you but then he sacrificed himself for you and now he’s just a soul. Did I get all of that right?”
“…More or less.” Rumi quietly answers. “I’m pretty sure he fell in love with me too.” The soul shines brightly. “That’s a yes!”
“I can’t read souls.” Mira complains, shoulders slumping. “He could be lying and we wouldn’t even know. And how come you didn’t tell us about him sooner?”
“I’d have to explain why he wanted to meet me specifically so bad. Which would mean talking about my patterns.” She gestures to them again. “I did plan on explaining things once we banished all the bad demons and he was free to live on this side of the Honmoon but… Things went a bit differently than expected. So now we’re here.”
“Now we’re here.” Mira repeats. She rolls her shoulders before saying, “If we’re airing everything out, I just wanna say a few things. I hate that you kept secrets from us, even if I get why. I hate that I drew my weapon on you first. I hate that I let Gwi-Ma get into my head when both of you needed me.” She meets their eyes individually. “I’m sorry to both of you for that. I’m also sorry I said a bunch of shit about demons when I didn’t know you were one. Obviously all of that was wrong because clearly not all demons are bad if you’re one. Also I forgive you. For all of it. None of us are perfect so no use pretending to be.”
All of her anxieties seem to drain out of her, if only for a little while. “Exactly.” Rumi agrees. “We shouldn’t have to hide all the things that hurt.”
“I’m also sorry I drew my weapon on you! And I’m sorry if I ever got to be too much.” Zoey tugs on her hair as she speaks. “I’m just really passionate about the things I love and that includes you two. You’re both so so important to me.”
Rumi once again feels like her heart is going to burst. The amount of emotions she’s felt today just might kill her. But it hasn’t yet so she pulls Mira and Zoey in for a group hug so she can tell them both, “You’re not too much and I love you both so much. Nothing makes me happier than getting to be honest with you two.”
Having her two best friends at her side and the soul of the demon who changed her life hovering nearby has her relaxing in their arms. Then Rumi realizes she’s relaxing a little bit too much because suddenly she’s boneless and Mira and Zoey are shouting in surprise. Rumi quickly reorients herself as she pulls back, suddenly feeling like she's crashing.
“Whoa— sorry, didn’t realize I was that out of it.” No matter how much she tries to shake it off, this time it’s sticking.
Mira and Zoey share a look before Mira says, “We’ve all had a long day but you have had a long day. Let’s get you to bed, no arguments.”
Rumi does try to argue but between Mira steering her forward and Zoey running up ahead to open up the door and ushering them through, she doesn’t get a chance. In the blink of an eye, she’s tucked into bed, already feeling the pull of sleep trying to take her under, and grumbling.
“We weren’t done talking though…” She protests weakly.
“Then whatever else needs to be said can wait until you’ve gotten some proper sleep.” Mira informs her. “The sooner you sleep, the sooner we can resume. But we did pretty good today. We’ll book a time to go to the bathhouse and finally go as a group to celebrate.”
“Goodnight, Rumi! We love you and your patterns! Goodnight, Soul-Jinu! I don’t actually know if you sleep but watch over her, ‘kay?”
The door shuts at last. Blinking sleepily, Rumi rolls on her side to gaze at the soul now resting on her nightstand. She has a million things she wants to say to him but the idea of having a one-sided conversation right now makes her heart hurt.
“Goodnight, Jinu.” She manages to whisper, getting a gentle flash back. Her eyelids weigh down on her until they finally shut and Rumi doesn’t last another minute.