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Chapter Text

Rumi just couldn’t sleep. 

Staring out her windows at the dark night sky, Rumi thought she would have fallen asleep as soon as she fell face-first into her bed a few hours ago. It had been a long day for HUNTR/X. Between several TV interviews, an autograph signing event and a recording session for the group’s new album, the day had been packed.

And then a horde of demons decided to launch an attack in a local mall. Just because that’s how their day seemed to be going.

As a result, Rumi, Mira and Zoey were completely exhausted by the time they returned to their penthouse late in the evening. Rumi was pretty sure Zoey had been sleepwalking at one point during the trip home.

After a relatively quiet dinner where Zoey regaled Rumi and Mira with just two stories about turtles, Rumi had let out a huge yawn, wished her bandmates a good night’s sleep and then headed to her room.

Rumi hadn’t missed how her friends glanced at one another when she said she was going to bed, but Rumi had decided to ignore it. She was too tired to deal with anything else today. 

Or at least she thought she was tired.

But here Rumi was, lying under her comfy bedsheets in the middle of the night and unable to fall asleep. Though Rumi had a pretty good idea as to why she couldn’t sleep.

Grumbling, Rumi pulled back the left sleeve of the baggy gray hoodie she had worn to bed, exposing the bare skin underneath. Though bare probably wasn’t the best way to describe her arms, Rumi thought as she gazed at the iridescent patterns that ran along her body.

Her demon patterns had been flaring up recently. As the horrendous marks slowly increased their coverage across Rumi’s body, they had started to feel as though they were burning, causing Rumi to feel quite a bit of discomfort. Rumi wasn’t sure why they were acting up like this, but it was making it a bit harder to sleep.

Originally, her patterns had started forming around her arms and around her core, making it pretty easy to hide her patterns under her clothes. But as her patterns grew in size, Rumi was getting more and more nervous about the growing possibility of being unable to effectively hide her patterns for much longer.

And that got Rumi more and more nervous about the growing possibility of Mira and Zoey discovering her half-demon heritage.

Rumi really didn’t want to imagine how her fellow demon hunters would react when they discovered that she had been lying to them since their first meeting. 

But Rumi already knew deep down they would despise her for it.

Rumi sighed and climbed out from under her covers. She swung her legs off the bed and stepped onto the floor. Rumi sighed at the feeling of the soft carpet underneath her bare toes.

“Maybe some water will help.” Rumi groggily mumbled before letting out another yawn.

After throwing on a pair of gray sweatpants over her black boy shorts and putting on some comfy slippers (it did take her a few tries to successfully place her feet in her slippers while she stumbled around in the dark), Rumi quietly stepped out her room.

Rubbing her eyes with one hand as she made her way into the penthouse’s well-furnished kitchen, Rumi opened the refrigerator door with her other hand. At once, bright fluorescent lights from the inside of the fridge illuminated the entre kitchen. Rumi squinted her eyes and hissed in response to the sudden burst of light blinding her vision. She slammed the door closed, returning the kitchen to darkness.

Realizing how much noise she was making this late at night, Rumi facepalmed as she felt her face burn in embarrassment. After glancing down the hallway to make sure she hadn’t disrupted Mira or Zoey, Rumi turned back towards the fridge and furrowed her brow.

This time, she gently opened the door and, with her eyes still squinted, Rumi grabbed the pitcher of water out of the fridge and filled a nearby glass.

After slugging down the cup of water as though she were in the desert and dying of thirst, Rumi refilled the glass with more water.  Once satisfied, Rumi slowly crept out of the kitchen and back towards her room.  Just as she was about to enter her room, however, Rumi noticed a light shining from down the hallway.

Rumi turned in the direction of the light. She hadn’t noticed it before, but the door to Mira’s room was partly open. A gentle light streamed from the crack in the door into the hallway.

Rumi slumped her shoulders and sighed. She should probably go check on Mira and apologize for waking her up.  Rumi knew from years of living with her bandmate that Mira was not a fan of being disrupted from her beauty sleep. Rumi would probably need to make a grandiose apology to avoid incurring Mira’s wrath.

As she slowly walked down the hall, Rumi heard Mira’s voice come from the bedroom. 

“Oh, you feel so good, Zoey.”

Rumi froze in place.

Rumi knew Zoey tended to seek out her or Mira for comfort whenever she had a nightmare, usually resulting in an impromptu sleepover.  It sounded like Zoey had apparently gone to Mira’s room this evening.

But this certainly didn’t sound like just a sleepover.

Feeling her pulse quicken, Rumi hurried her pace down the hall and then leaned up against the wall just outside of Mira’s room. She peered through the crack in the door and felt her mouth drop open in shock.

There, with only the bedside lamp illuminating the room, Mira and Zoey were on Mira’s bed. A smiling Mira hovered over a currently moaning Zoey.

Rumi’s eyes widened. Her two friends were naked.

Rumi had never seen her bandmates undressed before. Her hesitance to show any sign of her patterns meant that she usually changed in separate rooms from Mira and Zoey. Additionally, Rumi always refused their invitations to visit a bathhouse together, usually by citing her preference to bathe in private. So there really wasn’t an obvious time when Rumi would have naturally seen her friends unclothed.

Therefore, as she gazed into Mira’s room, Rumi committed to memory every inch of their exposed bodies. Tall and lean, Mira had a svelte figure while Zoey, ever so lovely and adorable, had a gentle bust and wonderfully wide hips.

Rumi felt her core twist in agony at the sight of how beautiful her friends were. How beautiful they were undressed without shameful, iridescent patterns running along every inch of their skin. She nervously tugged at her hoodie and sweatpants. It was a shame she was ugly as sin underneath all of her layers.

She wished she could be like her friends. She tended to make that wish quite often.

With her vision shaking, Rumi leaned against the wall and continued staring through the crack in the door. She watched a moaning Zoey arch her back as a grinning Mira pumped several fingers into her entrance. Mira gently pinched her left nipple with her free hand as she continuing thrusting into Zoey.

Though she had no experience of her own, Rumi knew what sex was. When a teenage Rumi had approached Celine and eagerly asked the older woman if babies were conceived by lovers holding hands, an aghast Celine realized proper sex education was desperately needed.

But this moment between Mira and Zoey looked way more passionate than the almost clinical way Celine described the intimate act.

“M-miraaaahhhh! I…I’m gonna…gonna…ohhhhh…”

Using the hand currently not holding a glass of water to cover her mouth and muffle her gasps, Rumi watched in awe as Zoey let out a loud scream as she orgasmed on Mira’s hand.

Rumi then felt her throat dry as Mira withdrew her hand from Zoey and daintily licked her wet fingers. As the pink-haired woman licked herself clean, Mira chuckled. “Who knew you were so tasty, Zoey?”

Sweaty and disheveled, Zoey could only groan in response. A beaming Mira laid down on the bed next to Zoey and pulled her into a warm embrace.

And then they kissed. Over and over. Passionately. Fervently.

Peeking through her fingers, a wide-eyed Rumi could even see that there was quite a bit of tongue involved.

Despite feeling her face burst into flames in embarrassment at the sight of her two friends locking lips, Rumi just couldn’t stop watching. The two of them looked so happy.

She knew Mira and Zoey were close, but Rumi genuinely had no idea the two of them were this close.

Then again, with Rumi basically refusing any invitation for all three of them to hang out together outside of work, Mira and Zoey usually only had each other to turn to for companionship.

It was her fault that her only friends no longer needed her presence to be happy.

As a pit formed in her stomach, Rumi frowned. She shouldn’t be watching this private moment. She needed to leave. Now.

As she abruptly turned away from Mira’s bedroom door. Rumi bumped her right elbow on the wall, causing some water to spill from her cup onto the floor below. Wincing in pain, Rumi did everything she could to keep a steady grip on her glass as she scurried back to her room.

When Rumi got back in her room, she placed her glass of water on her bedside table and then dove back into bed. As she felt her patterns burn brightly underneath her clothes, Rumi squeezed her eyes shut.

How long had this been happening?

Why didn’t Mira and Zoey tell her that they were together?

Was there something wrong with her that led them to decide to not inform her about this at all?

Feeling her eyes beginning to tear up as her mind spiraled, Rumi whimpered.

She wanted to be loved like that so badly. She wanted them to love her like that.

But no one would love a girl with demonic patterns like hers. No one would care for a monster like her. At this rate, Rumi was going to be alone forever.

Rumi clenched her fists when that thought drifted in from a dark corner of her mind. She wasn’t going to let that happen. She was going to do everything in her power to make things right.

She just needed to endure this pain and frustration for a bit longer. And then, everything would be golden. Rumi would be able to get everything she ever wanted.

Even if the two people she wanted most of all were well out of reach.

As Rumi scampered back to her room, Mira’s gaze flickered towards her partly open door.

Mira knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Was…was that Rumi?” Zoey whispered as she loosened her grip on Mira’s bare hips.

Still staring at the door, a frowning Mira nodded.

Zoey tugged on Mira’s forearm. “We really should have told her about us, Mira.” Zoey looked at Mira with teary eyes.  “D-do you think Rumi will be mad?”

With a sad smile, Mira turned back towards Zoey and sighed. “I don’t know, Zoey.”

Zoey frowned. “But…but this could be good, right? We can clear the air and then we can tell Rumi how we feel about her and then maybe she’ll want to be with us too and-!”

Cutting off Zoey’s tearful rambling by gently stroking the side of the black-haired girl’s face with her hand, Mira firmly shook her head. “I wish I could say that would be the case, Zoey, but…”

Mira turned her gaze back towards the door to her bedroom and sighed.

“We both know how skittish Rumi can be. A direct approach like that could scare her away. We don’t even know if she likes girls.”

“She likes us though, right?” Zoey whispered. “Right, Mira?

After turning off her bedside lamp, Mira pulled Zoey into a tight embrace and laid her chin atop her head. Zoey snuggled into her chest.

“I love Rumi as much as you do, Zoey, but all we can do right now is be patient with her.” She kissed the top of Zoey’s head. “It’s going to be okay.”

Mira felt Zoey shift uncomfortably in her arms.

“I hope so, Mira.” Zoey whimpered. “I really, really do.”

They both struggled to fall asleep after that.

The next morning was awkward.

After their hectic schedule the day prior, Bobby had energetically guaranteed that HUNTR/X would have no events on the itinerary for the day. Their wonderful manager urged the trio to use the day for some well-earned rest and relaxation.

And so, wearing her most comfy pajamas, Rumi found herself eating breakfast with Mira and Zoey. As she munched on a bowl of cereal, Rumi pretty quickly realized that something was up.

Between making their own breakfasts and sitting next to Rumi on their comfy sofa, Mira and Zoey kept exchanging looks with one another.

When Zoey shot Mira a worried look before their group’s maknae glanced over at her, Rumi smiled. “Is something the matter, Zoey?” Rumi gave her a teasing grin. “Not enough blueberries for your pancakes?”

Eyes very wide in fear, Zoey looked like a frightened deer. “Who? Me? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me, Rumi!” Zoey started awkwardly laughing. “My pancakes are totally de-lish! Hahahaha!”

Rumi grimaced at Zoey’s absurdly enthusiastic tone. She was absolutely certain the two of them knew that she had been outside Mira’s room last night.

Still, Rumi thought as she sipped on her mug of coffee, she wasn’t going to pry about what happened last night. How Mira and Zoey chose to spend their free time together wasn’t her business, despite her mind’s fervent protests otherwise.

Even if Mira and Zoey had been cavorting behind Rumi’s back for who knows how long, the three of them had been making wonderful progress towards their ultimate goal of creating the Golden Honmoon despite all of that nonsense.

If the three of them were already so in sync despite all of this going on behind the scenes, then Rumi believed maintaining the status quo would keep things on track. She was so, so close to getting rid of these patterns, so she’d do whatever it took to achieve that goal. Even if that meant suffering in silence.

And so, the three of them fell silent as they finished eating their breakfast.

Afterwards, Rumi took on the responsibility of washing their dishes. As she fervently scrubbed Zoey’s syrup covered plate, she felt a hand gently rest on her right shoulder. Rumi jolted in place, but she thankfully didn’t drop the plate in the sink. After turning the water faucet off, she turned her head to see Mira standing behind her.

Rumi raised her eyebrows. “Mira? Is something wrong?”

Mira gave her a smirk. “That should be my line, Rumi. You’ve been scrubbing that plate for the past five minutes.” She looked over Rumi’s shoulder and into the sink. “Surely Zoey didn’t make that much of a mess?”

Face flushing, Rumi winced. “Oh, sorry, Mira! Just had some stuff on my mind.”

A concerned look cross Mira’s face.  “Oh? Did…did you want to talk about it? I’m happy to lend an ear if something’s bothering you.”

Blushing as the memory of watching her two friends make love flashed in her mind, Rumi rapidly shook her head. “Oh, it’s nothing really! Just thinking about our schedule next week, I guess.” She winked at Mira. “We’ve got quite a lot of big events coming up!”

Rumi couldn’t miss the deep frown that appeared on Mira’s face. “I see.” Mira then sighed and gently rubbed Rumi’s shoulder. Rumi tried her best not to lean into the warmth of Mira’s hand.

“Rumi, if something’s wrong, anything at all, you can always tell us, okay?

Trying her best not to frown, Rumi wordlessly nodded. Now smiling, Mira removed her hand from Rumi’s shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.

Turning her gaze back to the remaining dirty dishes in the sink, Rumi scowled.

Rumi was never going to tell them anything in a million years. Not if that would jeopardize their mission.

And wasn’t Mira such a hypocrite, saying that and then still hiding her own secrets from Rumi?

As she washed another plate, Rumi sighed. She had no room to complain, considering what she was hiding from Mira and Zoey. But maybe that’s how things were meant to be between her and them, just tenuous bonds of friendship built upon a foundation of secrets and lies.

When Rumi finished cleaning the dishes, she stepped out of the kitchen and saw Mira and Zoey quietly whispering. 

Rumi frowned. What were they conspiring about now?

When they heard Rumi approaching and turned towards her, Zoey’s face lit up. “Rumi! Perfect timing!” Zoey dashed over to her and gently grabbed both of her hands with her own. Rumi felt her heart soar at how warm and eager Zoey’s tone was.

When Zoey started rubbing the top of Rumi’s hands with her thumbs, Rumi frowned. “Uh, Zoey? What’s up?”

Zoey just giggled happily.

When Rumi shot Mira a bewildered look, Mira just smirked at her. 

Trying her best once more not to frown, Rumi just felt cold as she returned her gaze towards Zoey’s warm hands caressing her own.

As Mira stood next to Zoey with her arms on her hips, Zoey grinned up at Rumi. “So! Rumi! Since it’s our day off and all, Mira and I were thinking we could watch a few movies together!”

Rumi smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Zoey. We haven’t had a movie day in a while.”

Blushing, Zoey then looked over at Mira, who gently nodded back at her. When Rumi raised an eyebrow in confusion, Zoey turned back towards Rumi with a determined expression. Zoey tugged at her hands.

“And then, um, Mira and I talked and, uh, we should go to the bathhouse later tonight. All three of us!” She stammered.

Rumi immediately grimaced.

Feeling her frustration rise, Rumi sighed. “I’m really sorry, but I think that’s a terrible idea, Zoey.” 

When she saw Zoey shrink back in fear as though she had been struck, Rumi immediately wanted to slap herself for being so harsh. Zoey didn’t deserve that.

As she gently pulled her hands away from Zoey, Rumi tried her best to ignore the scowl that appeared on Mira’s face.

“Rumi, we completely understand if you’re uncomfortable, but we really think you’d enjoy it.  It’ll just be the three of us, chatting freely as we enjoy a nice bath.”

Rumi fought down another harsh retort and just gazed out the window of their penthouse. Chatting freely and bathing with others were the last two things she wanted to do right now.

When Rumi remained silent. Zoey clutched her hands together.  “It’s just…I know we’re together all the time, but we don’t know the first thing about you, Rumi.” Zoey frowned. “We just don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself around us. We’re your friends!”

Mira nodded. “We’re a team, you know. We should all be able to let our hair down and have some fun together, Rumi.”

That got Rumi incensed. 

Before she could stop herself, Rumi crossed her arms. “Oh, like last night?” She felt a vicious smile appear on her face. “It sure looked like you two were having quite a bit of fun, huh?”

Immediately, Mira’s eyes went wide. “Wait! Rumi, about last night, we-”

Rumi gave Mira a flat stare. “I honestly don’t really care about the intricate details of what you two get up to, just as long as your lovemaking doesn’t impede our mission.”

Mira glared at her and made to speak, but Rumi raised her hand up to cut her off. “What? Were you two just going to never tell me? Was I not important enough to be informed that my two best friends happened to be dating?”

Rumi felt a vicious grin cross her face. “That’s pretty low, Mira. Who knew you could be so cold?”

When Mira looked down at the floor after that, Rumi couldn’t see the exact expression on her bandmate’s face. But Rumi sure felt good, letting out the frustration that had built up since the night before.

With a hand raised to her chest, a trembling Zoey took a step forward. “Rumi, please, Mira and I have been talking and we were wondering if-“

Whipping her head back up from gazing at the floor, Mira shot Zoey a harsh glare. “Zoey! Not now!”

Zoey glared back at Mira. “Yes, now, Mira! We need to fix this!”

Crossing her arms, Mira scoffed. “Oh, you think getting this all out in the open will just fix everything? You heard what Rumi said!”

Zoey stomped her left foot. “Well, we have to try before she hates us forever!”

As Mira and Zoey bickered over whatever it was they were upset about, Rumi sighed and rubbed her brow with both hands. This is exactly what she was afraid was going to happen if she brought up the events of last night. But Rumi just couldn’t help herself.

But they ultimately needed to stay focused. So she needed to end this argument.

“Well, on second thought, I think I’ll be resting in my room today.”

Without sparing her friends another glance, Rumi darted back to her room, her long purple braid whipping behind her. “You two can enjoy the movies and the bathhouse by yourselves. I’m sure that’s what you’d prefer anyway.”

She heard Mira snarl behind her. “Hey! Rumi! Get back here!”

She heard Zoey sniffle. “Rumi! Please wait a minute! Please!”

Ignoring her bandmates’ cries, Rumi stepped into her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Then, trying to ignore Zoey and Mira tearfully knocking on the door, each knock feeling like a stab to the heart, Rumi climbed into her bed and laid down. She stared up at her ceiling, not looking at anything in particular.

When she heard a frustrated Mira gently lead a despondent Zoey away from her bedroom door, a frowning Rumi closed her eyes.

She just needed to keep things the same between them until their mission was complete. Even if treating her friends like this made her feel awful on the inside.

But they’d understand once she could get her patterns to disappear.

When she woke up again, the sky was dark. Grumbling, Rumi checked the time on her phone. It was late in the evening.

Rumi sighed when she felt her stomach rumble. With a grunt, Rumi climbed out of bed and opened her bedroom door to head over to the kitchen. When she opened the door to her room, however, she found a wrapped sandwich and a small thermos had been placed in front of her door.

When she saw a small piece of paper next to the sandwich, she knelt down and picked up the note.

The first thing she read was “We’re sorry.” It was in Zoey’s handwriting.

The second line was also short, but no less painful.  “We miss you.” That obviously was written by Mira.

Rumi felt her heart crumple.

After delicately folding the note and placing it in her pocket, Rumi picked up the gifts her friends had left her and walked towards the kitchen.

As she moved through the penthouse, Rumi realized that she was the only person around at the moment. Zoey and Mira were nowhere to be seen. Outside of the note left in front of her door, they hadn’t even messaged her or anything.

Rumi scowled. That was just how things were going to be now. She deserved to be left on her own anyways.

And so, Rumi ate her meal in silence.

When Rumi returned to her room, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. When she pulled out her phone and checked her notifications, Rumi’s eyes went wide.

It was a message from Celine. Typical of Celine, it was short and direct.

Demon at Art Museum. Directions to follow.

Celine didn’t message Rumi often about demon appearances, but when the former demon hunter did reach out, she usually sent the message directly to Rumi, relying on Rumi to relay that information to Mira and Zoey.

But Rumi was alone right now. Mira and Zoey were nowhere to be found.

They were probably spending time together somewhere, Rumi snidely thought. Rumi figured they must have gone to the bathhouse after all.

Rumi blushed. They were probably indulging in one another, passionately kissing and cuddling as they sat naked in a warm bath. Rumi’s blush intensified at the thought of her friends staring lovingly into each other’s eyes as their bosoms pressed up against one another.

Rumi shook her head and frowned. Maybe after they finished their bath, the two of them would go to a hotel to continue their romantic evening. That way, the prying eyes of a stupid, lonely monster that can’t stop herself from causing pain wouldn’t be able to spy on them.

Mira and Zoey didn’t need Rumi bothering them. Rumi could handle this on her own. She wanted to work out some stress anyways.

Rumi felt her phone buzz again. Celine had sent over the address of the museum. The demon's location was thankfully not too far away, at least for a huntress that could easily scale buildings and hop across rooftops.

Rumi tucked her phone away and turned towards her closet. As she took off her pajamas and began perusing her options for an outfit for tonight’s mission, Rumi grinned to herself.

It was time to take down some demons.

Chapter Text

Closing her eyes, Zoey let out a blissful moan.

“Oh, this feels so good, Mira!”

To her left, Mira stretched her arms above her head and happily sighed.

“Mhmm. I could just ride this wave of pleasure for hours.”

Zoey laid her head back against the wooden edge of the bath. “I’m super-duper glad we decided to go to this bathhouse! Especially getting this private room!”

Zoey then felt herself frown.  “I just wish Rumi could have joined us.”

Mira let out a quiet hum. “I do too, Zoey.” Mira then scooted closer to Zoey, causing the water in the bath to slightly jostle. 

Mira gently laid her head on Zoey’s bare left shoulder. “But I think giving her space today was the right call.” Mira sighed. “Rumi wasn’t happy with us.”

Zoey tried to ignore the feeling of the painful twist in her stomach when that cruel smile crossed Rumi’s face as she lambasted Zoey and Mira for not telling her about their relationship.

Zoey didn’t like that expression on Rumi’s face one bit.

Zoey sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just…seeing Rumi be so upset just really hurts.” Zoey gently drifted her fingers through the water, creating a series of tiny shapes. “I just want to give her a big hug to help her feel better, even though that would probably just make her freak out more.”

Mira chuckled. “Oh, believe me, I just want to pepper Rumi with a whole bunch of kisses whenever I see her get scared.”

With a smug grin, Mira nudged her elbow in Zoey’s side, causing Zoey to let out a small wince. “Remember that scary movie we watched together a few weeks ago? I almost went crazy with how tightly Rumi was clutching onto my arm while her eyes were shut!”

Zoey playfully rolled her eyes. “Sure, Mira. But tell me, who was it again that was tearfully knocking at my door when she had a nightmare that same night?”

Immediately, Mira flushed.

“W-well, that was because I just thought you were scared too! You come to my room all of the time!” Then, Mira grinned at Zoey. “Besides, I remember that night in your room being quite wonderful, don’t you?”

Zoey felt her face burn into flames, remembering how quickly the two of them had gone from sleepily cuddling in bed to gentle kissing to passionate intercourse.

Zoey still remembered the noises of a sweaty, naked Mira writhing in pleasure on the bed as an equally unclothed Zoey used her dexterous tongue to give extra special attention to Mira’s slit.

“M-mira! I-I mean! T-That’s-!”  As though steam was pouring out of her ears, Zoey let out an embarrassed whine and ducked her head under the water.

Eventually, the warmth of the water was too much and Zoey could only hold her breath for so long, causing Zoey to lift her head out of the water and gasp for air. As Zoey regained her breath, Mira just chuckled and pulled Zoey into an embrace.

“I love you, Zoey.”

As Zoey felt her face press up just above Mira’s chest, she wrapped her arms around Mira’s bare back and smiled.  “I love you too, Mira.”

They both fell silent after that. Besides their heartbeats, all they could hear in their private room in the bathhouse were the gentle waves of the water.

As she cuddled with her girlfriend, Zoey stared at the water of their bath. While the steam rising off of the water made the surroundings outside of their bath quite foggy, the water itself was crystal clear. Zoey admired the sight of her and Mira’s bare forms nestled close to one another underneath the water.

She liked being close to Mira like this. She wished she could do the same with Rumi. Preferably with both of her friends at the same time.

 Zoey heard Mira shift slightly next to her. “Hey Zoey?

Zoey looked up at Mira.  The visual of their group had a wistful expression on her face. “Yeah?”

“When…when did you know?  That you loved Rumi, I mean.”

Closing her eyes, Zoey hummed in thought. “Well, I guess it was during one of our first practices as a group.”

Leaning her head against Mira’s shoulder, Zoey laughed. “We were doing dance lessons together and I just couldn’t get one part of the routine down. I kept losing my balance and falling to the floor of the practice room, remember?”

Mira nodded. “Yes, I remember. It was a tough routine for us to learn, right off the bat.”

Zoey then frowned. “I…I had similar issues back when I was doing dance lessons in America. I was just super clumsy. The other girls would laugh at me for that.” Zoey opened her eyes and looked down at the water. “Among other things.”

Zoey felt quite small as she whispered that last bit.

Feeling long-buried emotions beginning to rise, Zoey sniffled, leading Mira to tighten her embrace as she kissed the top of Zoey’s head.

Zoey then felt a smile cross her face. “But Rumi, she was totally different! Whenever I fell, she was right there to pick with me up and encourage me. She was kind and supportive and sweet and caring and loving and-!”

Stopping her rambling, Zoey then wistfully sighed. “From then on, I just wanted to be with her. Always.”

Immediately, Zoey’s eyes went wide in realization and she turned her head up towards Mira’s amused smile. “Not that I feel any different about you, Mira! I mean obviously, heheheh!

Mira chuckled and kissed Zoey’s forehead.  “I know, Zoey.” Zoey let out an embarrassed whine and snuggled her face into Mira’s chest.

With her face smushed into Mira’s gentle bosom, Zoey tugged on Mira’s left arm. “What about you, Mira?” She mumbled. “When did you know?”

Mira smiled. “When I first laid eyes on her.”

Zoey felt her eyebrows rise. “Really?”

“Mhmm. When I saw Rumi for the first time, standing there with her long purple hair, I had never seen anyone like her before. I was smitten.”

Zoey couldn’t help but let out a snort. “That’s it?”

Cheeks flushing, Mira glared at Zoey. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Looking back up at Mira, Zoey had a teasing smile. “I mean, that’s sorta romantic, I guess.” Zoey then playfully tugged at a few strands of Mira’s pink hair with her right hand. “Does that mean you’d fall in love with anyone that had dyed hair, then?”

Immediately, Mira’s expression grew harsh. “Absolutely not. Rumi is special. As are you.”

Mira then sighed. “I know I can be….difficult sometimes. But you and Rumi, you accepted me for who I am. And that means the world to me.” Mira looked up at the ceiling of their room in the bathhouse. “I guess I love Rumi because of how much she cares.”

Zoey had a wide smile on her face. “See? That’s much better.”

Mira just scowled and splashed water into Zoey’s face, causing Zoey to let out a giggling shriek before she launched her own aquatic assault against Mira.

Their joyful screams echoed throughout the bathhouse.

When they both had calmed down, Zoey once more snuggled into Mira’s side while Mira brought a long, dainty arm around Zoey’s shoulders.

After letting out another relieved sigh, Mira then spoke. “I know you think we should confess to her, but Rumi might just bring her shields up even more if we just say we’re in love with her.”

Mira’s fingertips danced along Zoey’s right shoulder. “I think we should get her to feel like she can open up to us.”

Zoey closed her eyes and hummed. “Well, we both love how much she cares about us, right?” Zoey brought a hand out of the water and put it under her chin in thought.

“Sooooo maybe we should try to show her how much we care about her! Like the stuff we put in front of her room before we left, but even better. That way, we can help her realize what’s right in front of her face!”

Then, before Mira could respond, Zoey’s eyes shot wide open in excitement. “Oooh! Let’s get Rumi a cake! We could have a party when we get back home!” She threw a fist into the air, splashing drops of water everywhere. “All in the name of team bonding for HUNTR/X!”

Wiping stray water droplets from her face, Mira smiled at Zoey’s enthusiastic tone. “How about we get a golden buttercream cake from that one bakery she likes? The one where we got her birthday cake from last year. Should still be open at this hour.”

An exuberant Zoey kissed Mira’s cheek. “That’s perfect, Mira!” Zoey tilted her head in thought. “But we can’t just get a plain cake, though. Not for our Rumi.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mira nudged Zoey’s left shoulder. “Should we get some sprinkles for the cake?”

Grinning, Zoey vigorously nodded. “All of the sprinkles.”

Mira chuckled and pulled Zoey closer. Giggling, the two of them met in a gentle kiss.

When they pulled away, Zoey sighed. “Hopefully Rumi had a nice nap while we were gone.” She then frowned at Mira. “Do you think leaving her alone in the penthouse was okay?

Mira returned Zoey’s frown.

“Let’s just hope Rumi doesn’t do anything crazy.”

Rumi had never felt more excited.

“Woohoo!”

Rumi let out an overjoyed yell as she cartwheeled across a series of rooftops. She loved this, feeling the cool wind against her skin as she leapt through the air at night, her long purple braid drifting behind her.

With how cool it was outside, Rumi had dressed in plenty of layers. She was wearing her usual yellow jacket with a comfy black-colored athletic shirt underneath. She also thrown on a pair of black leggings and a set of gray running sneakers. All in all, Rumi aimed for her outfit to be both fashionable and easy to move in.

Rumi was currently on her way to the museum, just a few blocks away. According to the text messages from Celine, she had sensed a demon in the museum’s main gallery. Rumi had done a few online searches to see if there were any news stories about demon sightings in the area or people disappearing, but she found nothing relevant.

Regardless, if Celine sensed a demonic presence encroaching on their world, Rumi had to investigate.

Rumi knew that Celine, as a former huntress, could tap into the power of the Honmoon to identify when demonic presences surged through the barrier and into the human world.

And with how intense Celine could be when it came to purging demons, it was no wonder that the older woman would notice even the slightest shift in the Honmoon.

Rumi knew firsthand just how cruel Celine could be towards demons. She had years of experience being Celine’s most accessible target, after all.

Still, Celine had entrusted Rumi with the information about this demon, so it was Rumi’s responsibility to take care of it.

Fighting demons was all Rumi was probably good for these days anyways.

As Rumi leapt over to another roof, a memory of Mira and Zoey kissing swept to the forefront of her mind, causing her to nearly lose her balance when she landed on the next rooftop.

Resuming her trek towards the museum, Rumi frowned. She didn’t need her friends to resolve this matter. She could do this on her own.

Crossing another gap between buildings, Rumi felt a pit in her stomach. If she couldn’t do this by herself, then what was she even good for? It wasn’t like her friends paid her much thought these days, considering their relationship and all that.

Then, Rumi remembered the food and drink that Mira and Zoey had left out for her. Her face then flushed in embarrassment. And the note they had left for her.

She had tucked that note safely in her desk drawer before she left the HUNTR/X penthouse, but not before gazing sadly at the messages her friends wrote before stepping outside.

We miss you. We’re sorry.

Rumi sighed. Maybe Mira and Zoey did care, somewhat.

Then, Rumi scowled. That was obviously because the two of them felt bad for her in the moment. Wherever Mira and Zoey were right now, they were probably sniggering about how she, so lonely and pathetic, lashed out at them and then hid in her room like a child.

Rumi tried to ignore how small she felt at the thought of her beloved friends belittling her.

But Rumi knew things would go back to normal tomorrow. With this new relationship out in open (albeit on accident), the three of them could focus on what really mattered. They’d be back on schedule, performing and fighting to achieve their dream of a golden Honmoon.

Rumi just had to deal with this nefarious demon first.

Eventually, Rumi arrived at the art museum. With its worn brick facade and glass windows, the building that housed the museum was quite old. Thanks to the light of the pale moon in the sky above illuminating the plaza in front the museum, Rumi scanned the scene, her eyes narrowed like a hawk seeking its prey.

After a moment, Rumi frowned. There wasn’t a soul around. But there also wasn’t any sign of damage or any civilians being attacked. Rumi tilted her head in thought. Was there really a demon here?

Then, a glint of light caught her attention. One of the front doors of the museum was slightly ajar.  Rumi could see a small light flickering in the small gap between the door and the frame.

When she took a step forward, Rumi hissed in pain as she felt her skin burning. She pulled back the left sleeve of her jacket.  Her patterns, still ugly and horrid, were glowing brightly. Rumi harshly glared her patterns, trying to force them to disappear in submission.

Of course, her demon markings did no such thing.

Grumbling, Rumi pulled her sleeve back down and hurried towards the door. When she ducked inside the museum, Rumi immediately realized it was quite dark indoors. Apart from the faint light that was shining at the far end of the hallway, there were no other lights. Not even the lights of any security cameras.

Still, Rumi didn’t summon her weapon yet. With how dark it was, she didn’t want to alert the demon with the bright lights that her weapon emitted.

She crept down the dark hallway. With the small amount of light coming from the other end hallway, Rumi could faintly see the array of paintings that hung along both walls.

Rumi didn’t know all that much about art, but she did know enough that these paintings demonstrated a variety of different styles and themes. She could see self-portraits, landscapes and some very abstract images that she couldn’t even begin to understand.

Unfortunately, the limited light in the hallway made some of these paintings look absolutely terrifying, causing Rumi to squeeze her eyes shut in fear. Some of the people in these paintings looked quite menacing in this lighting. They reminded her of the characters in the scary movie that Mira and Zoey made her watch a few weeks ago. 

Rumi really hated that movie. She had tightly clutched onto Mira’s arms for comfort as she tried (and basically failed) to watch the movie.

When she felt herself flush at the memory of hiding her face in the crook of Mira’s shoulder, Rumi shook her head rapidly, causing her purple braid to swing behind her.  This wasn’t the time for that. Besides, it wasn’t appropriate for her to cuddle with Mira now that Mira was with Zoey.

As she moved down the hallway, Rumi idly wondered if there were good stuffed animals she could cuddle with instead. A big, fluffy tiger would be nice, she thought.

Rumi was then interrupted from her wandering thoughts when she heard someone humming.

Eyes narrowed and heart pounding, Rumi stealthily crept down the hallway. The sound of the humming increased in volume with each trepid step she took. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, Rumi stepped into the main atrium of the museum.

The atrium was quite large. There were several other hallways that led into a multitude of art exhibitions. The far side of the room was entirely comprised of glass windows, offering museum visitors a gorgeous view into the flower garden outside.

But that wasn’t what caught Rumi’s attention. 

Sitting idly in a chair at the center of the room was a person, still humming. The individual was facing away from Rumi, instead gazing upon a set of marble statues on display just in front of them. There was a small lantern next to them, likely the source of light that had caught Rumi’s attention when she was outside the museum.

Rumi looked closer. With the moonlight shining through the windows, Rumi could see that the person had long blonde hair.  There appeared to be two triangles on the top of their head.

Rumi’s eyebrows rose in confusion when she saw what this person was doing.

They were painting.

“Huh?” Rumi whispered.

As they hummed to themselves, this stranger was busy painting careful strokes on the canvas set up just next to them, every once in a while dipping their brush into a bowl of water or into a few different jars of paint set on the floor. The person kept turning their head back and forth between the canvas and the statues.

When Rumi took a step closer to get a better look, it was as though the sound of her sneakers squeaking on the tile floor reverberated throughout the room. When one of the yellow triangles on the mysterious figure’s head suddenly flicked in response to the noise, Rumi’s eyes narrowed. 

Even if it was just for a moment, Rumi saw demon markings on that triangle.

She summoned her sword and pointed it at them.

“Who are you?” Rumi hissed.

They paused their painting and turned slightly towards Rumi. When she got a glimpse of their face, Rumi realized that the person before her was a woman.

When Rumi made eye contact with the woman’s golden eyes, the woman huffed.

“Oh my, that’s not very nice, pointing such a dangerous weapon like that at a stranger.”

The blonde woman put down her painting tools and stood up from her chair. From what Rumi could tell, the demon was just a bit shorter than Rumi.

When Rumi stepped forward, still pointing her sword at the demon, the woman closed her eyes, sighed and stretched her arms above her head.

“I mean, honestly, what has little ol’ me even done to require your presence,”  Running a hand through her hair, the blonde opened her eyes and gave Rumi a devilish smile. “Huntress?”

As the woman fully turned towards Rumi, the light from the lantern at the women’s side helped Rumi get a good look at the demon.

Her face flushing, Rumi immediately noticed that the woman had quite a sizable bosom. Rumi’s gaze flickered down at herself for but a moment before she reset her gaze on the amused woman standing before her.

Rumi couldn’t even come close to sizing up to that.

Eventually tearing her eyes away from the woman’s chest, Rumi took in the woman’s bizarre outfit. The woman was wearing a black bodysuit that kept the woman’s bare shoulders exposed. On the front of the woman’s chest was a small metal clasp, shaped like a heart, that kept the thin white fabric cover covering her chest are securely in place. Completing the upper body ensemble was a black choker, secured around the woman’s thin neck.

Looking down, the woman wore long, sleek black thigh-high stockings and the woman’s stocking-covered feet were nestled securely in sharp gold heels. Rumi felt her throat dry at the sight of the slight indent in the woman’s skin where the end of her stockings met her milky thighs.

Rumi thought the woman’s attire did not appear to be suitable whatsoever for painting. 

Then again, Rumi and the other members of HUNTR/X wore a whole bunch of different outfits that most certainly didn’t seem appropriate for combat, so maybe Rumi wasn’t the best person to judge.

And then there were the triangles on the woman’s head. As one triangle flicked enthusiastically, Rumi realized those triangles were fluffy ears.

“What are you?” Rumi whispered.

The women smiled and crossed one of her heels in front of the other before leaning forward. As the blonde did so, Rumi saw the faint glimmer of rainbow-colored markings on the woman’s face.

Rumi’s eyes narrowed.

With a twitch of her ears, the woman winked. “I’m a demon, of course~”

With a snarl, Rumi sprang forward and slashed her sword at the demon. With narrowed eyes, the demon leapt back to dodge the strike and, with swift speed, threw one of her spare canvases at Rumi.

With trained precision, Rumi lifted up and brought down her sword in a vertical motion, cutting the projectile cleanly in half just before it hit her. The sound of the two halves of the canvas flying past Rumi and hitting the tile floor behind her echoed throughout the room.

Placing her hands on her hips, the woman tsked. “Really? Must you be such a brute, huntress?”

With a laugh, the woman then spread her arms wide. “I haven’t even done anything to warrant such a harsh response! I’ve just been enjoying this lovely evening by myself, painting!”

With a deadpan stare, Rumi leaned down and picked up two of the bottles of paint the demon had left on the floor. One bottle white and the other bottle red.

Before the woman could say anything, Rumi threw the paint bottles towards the woman like the bottles were fastballs. Her fluffy ears shooting up in alarm, the woman yelped and fell to the floor to dodge the projectiles.

The bottles sailed past the prone demon and hit the floor behind her, exploding into a brilliant mixture of glass shards and paint. The pools of white and red paint on the floor slowly began melding together into a very bright pink ooze.

After picking herself up from the floor, stumbling as she tried to stand upright on her heels, the woman was flabbergasted. “Seriously?! Those paints were super expensive, you know!” She started waving her hands wildly. “You’re causing more damage here than I ever was!”

Rumi raised her sword up towards the blonde once more. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, but you’re a demon. You must be eliminated.” Rumi frowned as her gaze flickered down. “That’s all that matters.” She whispered, as she stared at the bright glow of her weapon.

Now crossing her arms, the demon gave Rumi a flat stare. “You must be joking.”

When Rumi remained silent as she readjusted her sword stance, the blonde started giggling. “Just how single-minded are you, huntress? You’re going to jump into the fray and ask questions later?”

Rumi narrowed her eyes.

With a hand outreached towards her, the woman started walking towards Rumi. “How about we try this again, huntress? Surely, we can be friends, right?”

As the woman approached, her heels clicking against the floor, Rumi tried not to pay attention to the sway of the woman’s bodysuit-clad hips or the way the top of her chest lightly bounced with each step.

Rumi grit her teeth and adjusted her grip on her sword. “I’d never be friends with you, demon.”

Stopping in place at the sight of the sword held aloft towards her once more, the woman sighed and gave Rumi a sad look.

“Suit yourself.”

With a flick of her wrists, the woman’s hands turned into sharp, black claws. But that wasn’t what ultimately caught Rumi’s attention.

From behind the woman, nine fluffy tails appeared, each tail coursing with rainbow-colored energy.  Rumi couldn’t help but gaze in awe at the beautiful colors that ran along the woman’s tails.

Forget the stuffed tiger. Rumi thought those tails would be the perfect thing to cuddle with during a scary movie.

But Rumi knew that those tails were very deadly.

With a vicious smile, the woman raised a claw towards Rumi and beckoned towards her.

“Let us dance together in the pale moonlight, Miss Huntress.”

With a yell, Rumi clutched her sword and sprinted forward.

In the following minutes, chaos erupted inside the museum atrium.

When she then swung her sword at her target, the blonde quickly rolled away as Rumi’s sword hit one of the marble statues on display. As the statue exploded into rubble, Rumi winced in embarrassment. She really hoped the security cameras, if they were even on, weren’t catching any of this.

When the demon closed the gap, her razor-sharp claws poised to strike, Rumi used her sword to parry the woman’s desperate slashes. Once the demon was off balance, Rumi kicked the woman in the stomach with one of her sneaker-clad feet. Rumi grinned as the woman tumbled backwards with a cry.

When Rumi ran up and made to slice one of the woman’s tails, the tail nimbly dodged Rumi’s slash while two other furry appendages launched themselves at Rumi like vipers. Rumi rolled out of the way to avoid the incoming attack, but found herself tripped up by a different fluffy tail that wrapped around her ankle.

When the woman haughtily laughed at Rumi’s predicament, Rumi drove her elbow into the woman’s knee, causing the demon let out a pained yelp and inadvertently unfurl Rumi from the tail’s coil as the blonde collapsed to the floor.

After that, Rumi and the demon exchanged blow after blow, inadvertently damaging many pieces of art on exhibition in the museum. Exquisite paintings tumbled to the floor as Rumi and the woman hit each other into the walls. Antique vases toppled and shattered as both huntress and demon knocked each other into glass displays.

When she finally got a mortal wound by slicing the side of the woman’s bodysuit, causing the demon to scream in pain and bring a hand to her side, Rumi hissed when she felt the woman’s right claw cut through her jacket and graze her left shoulder.

Eventually, they both found themselves back in the middle of the main atrium, just a few feet away from each other. With debris everywhere, it looked like a tornado had swept right through the museum.

Breathing heavily, Rumi knelt on her left leg and clutching her bloodied left shoulder with her right hand. Drops of red ichor fell from Rumi’s shoulder onto the tile floor. Rumi winced as soreness rocked through her body. She could barely hold her sword up.

As she laid on the ground nearby, the blond women let out a pained moan as she gingerly touched the wound along her side.

“My, my, you’re quite effective, Miss Huntress. Nearly cut right through me.”

When Rumi, gently carrying her sword in hand, got up and stumbled towards the woman in an effort to finally end this fight, Rumi saw a bright light appear along the woman’s bloodied side.

Rumi’s eyes widened when she realized the demon’s wound was slowly closing.

The demon grinned.

“But not quite effective enough, it seems.”

Taken aback, the purple-haired singer shrieked when the demon leapt up and tackled Rumi to the floor. Dazed as her head hit the floor, Rumi could only barely hear her sword clattering to the ground nearby.

Rumi tried to use her legs and feet to kick the woman away, but she quickly found her legs pinned down by the woman’s thighs. The woman pressed the flat edges of her claws against Rumi’s shoulders, causing Rumi to wince in pain.

Helpless, Rumi stared in fear into the woman’s golden eyes as the demon straddled her thighs and loomed over her. Their faces were just a few inches apart. She tried to wiggle out of the demon’s grip, but to no avail.

It was over.

“P-please… s-stop…”

Her ears wiggling in delight, the demon’s smile grew wide, exposing her sharp canines. She brought her right claw over the left side of Rumi’s chest, just over her heart.

“It’s too late for that.”

Panic overwhelming her, Rumi squeezed her eyes shut.

She had messed up. Like the demon said, she just wasn’t good enough. If Rumi wasn’t even good enough to fight demons, then what good was she for anything?

Rumi wanted to cry.

It was her fault in choosing to go here alone, so Rumi knew she deserved whatever she brought upon herself.

Would Celine even care that Rumi was dead? Or would she quickly find a replacement for her, both as a singer and as a demon hunter?

Would Zoey and Mira even be sad if she died? Would they cry when they eventually realized that Rumi was gone forever? Would they even know that she was dead? As a half-demon, Rumi wasn’t sure if she’d leave behind a corpse or if she’d just fade away into dust like the demons she had slain.

Or would the two of them be overjoyed, knowing that their third wheel had gotten herself killed? They wouldn’t have to bother with her anymore and could live happily together.

The words “We’re sorry” and “We miss you” echoed uncomfortably in Rumi’s mind.

Rumi wasn’t sure about anything anymore, but it didn’t matter.

She waited for the end.

…

...

But then nothing happened.

“…Huh?”

Weakly, Rumi opened her eyes. She felt her mouth part open in confusion. The blonde demon was still looming over Rumi with her claws poised to strike, but she wasn’t looking at Rumi’s face anymore. 

With an unreadable expression, the woman gazed at Rumi’s left shoulder.

Hesitantly, Rumi glanced to her left. Her eyes widened in realization.

When the demon had slashed Rumi’s jacket earlier, that attack had torn off the left sleeve and exposed Rumi’s bare arm to the open air.

And so, Rumi’s demon patterns were now shining brightly, visible for all to see.

Before Rumi could say anything, the demon brought her right claw to the side of Rumi’s head and gently tilted the huntress’s face back up towards her. The digits of the woman’s claw felt cool against Rumi’s skin.

The bright light of Rumi’s patterns illuminated the demon’s face. Rumi could once more faintly see similar markings flash on the demon’s face and neck.

With a flick of her furry ears, the woman leaned closer towards Rumi, pressing her large chest against Rumi’s smaller bust. Rumi’s eyes widened in fear.

Their faces were now centimeters apart. The woman’s blonde hair draped downward, obscuring their quite close faces from an outsider’s view like a silky curtain.

Rumi could feel the woman’s warm breath on her lips.

As she stared into the demon’s eyes, Rumi only saw gold.

“Who are you, huntress?”

Chapter Text

It had fallen deathly silent in the museum.

Rumi wasn’t sure how long the two of them were like this, with the blonde demon straddling Rumi’s legs. As the blonde stared down intently at the huntress. Rumi could see glimpses of the woman’s nine tails hovering behind the woman, as though each of the demon’s fluffy appendages were also watching Rumi, each one poised to strike if Rumi made any sudden moves.

As she glanced to her right and attempted to ignore the demon’s question, Rumi was becoming increasingly aware of how warm (and soft) the woman above her was.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Rumi watched the blonde’s golden eyes narrow. Rumi then felt one of the woman’s sharp claws run along the left side of her neck. The edges trailed along Rumi's neck, as though one false movement would pierce her skin.

“I asked you a question.” The woman hissed.

Rumi felt the blonde use her left claw to turn Rumi’s face back up towards her. Rumi then felt another claw press on the other side of her face, forcing Rumi to face up at the buxom woman looming over her.

The blonde’s gaze was heated. Her full, pink lips were almost grazing Rumi’s own lips.

“Who. Are. You?”

Rumi narrowed her eyes and smiled. “I’m a huntress.”

Rumi saw a flash of irritation in the woman’s eyes. “Not what I meant.” The woman hissed.

The demon tilted Rumi’s face to her left, forcing her to gaze at the iridescent patterns visible on her exposed left shoulder.

“Why do you have patterns, huntress?” The woman whispered. Rumi felt herself frown. The demon’s tone was strange. She wasn’t speaking as though Rumi’s patterns were disgusting.

It was almost as though the demon was in awe.

Rumi let out a huff. The demon was probably so used to seeing patterns being from the demon realm, so it was no wonder this woman probably admired colorful markings.

Even if those colorful patterns were found on an ugly soul like Rumi.

Staring at the ever-horrendous marks that signified her demonic heritage, Rumi sighed. “I have patterns because I’m a half-demon.”

Instantly, the demon turned Rumi’s face back up towards her. In comparison to Rumi’s unamused expression, the blonde was flabbergasted. “How?”

Rumi rolled her eyes. Why was this demon so focused on this? Weren’t they trying to kill each other just a few moments ago?

Still, talking seemed to be staving off her execution for the moment, so Rumi figured she might as well take every second she could.

Besides, Rumi figured she could be valuable to somebody in her last moments by satiating this woman’s curiosity before the demon killed her.

“My mom was a huntress and my dad was a demon. That’s all there is to it.” Rumi blankly stated. “Why do you even care?”

The demon made to say something, but she stopped herself, choosing instead to gaze silently at Rumi. 

Rumi hated how the demon seemed to be looking at her with such pity.

Agitation now rushing through her, Rumi felt a wicked smile cross her face. “Well? Have you satisfied your curiosity? What happened to ‘it’s too late for that’, huh?”. Rumi hoarsely laughed. “Aren’t you going to finish the job, demon?”

As Rumi taunted the blonde while lying helplessly on the floor, Rumi watched the woman’s tails slowly slump to the floor behind her.

After a moment, the woman sighed and slowly climbed off of Rumi. Confused, Rumi remained sprawled on the tile floor as she watched the demon stand up and dust herself off.  With a flick of her wrists, the woman transformed her claws back into regular, well-manicured, human hands. The tails disappeared as well, as though the nine appendages were just an illusion.

The fluffy ears remained atop the blonde’s head though.

Rumi felt her eyebrows rise when the woman turned around and smiled softly at Rumi.

“No. I don’t believe that’s necessary anymore.”

Seeing her opening, Rumi grit her teeth and used every remaining ounce of strength to get up from the floor. Her chest heaving as pain rocketed through her wounded shoulder, Rumi stumbled over to her sword, the weapon having fallen nearby when the demon knocked Rumi to the ground earlier.

When Rumi picked up her sword and pointed it at the demon, the demon just frowned and crossed her arms under her chest.

“There’s really no need for that, huntress.” The blonde then gave Rumi a bemused smile. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“As if I’d believe that, demon.” Rumi hissed. “Awful creatures like you always try to trick and deceive others.”

Rumi watched something flicker in the woman's eyes. Then, the woman let out a heavy sigh and pinched her brow.  “You just said that you’re part demon, right?” Rumi watched the woman tilt her head in thought. “Does that mean you're an awful creature too?”

Rumi snapped.

Incensed, Rumi let out a war cry and, with her sword aloft, ran towards the demon. Though it was less running and more shambling across the atrium floor.

The demon just stood there, with a sad smile on her face

As she stumbled towards the demon with her glowing sword raised high, Rumi felt her left foot hit a particularly large piece of rubble that was once part of an exquisite stone statue.

“Gah!”

Rumi faceplanted, scattering a cloud of dust around her.  She heard her sword clatter against the floor.

As she grumbled in pain, Rumi heard the demon lightly titter. When she tried to get up from the floor, Rumi felt her wounded shoulder flare up in pain, causing her to collapse back to the floor.

With her face smushed against the tile floor, Rumi groaned. She heard the demon’s heels clicking along the tile floor.

“Here. Let me help.”

Before Rumi could let out a retort, she heard the demon kneel down next to her and gently help Rumi sit upright on the floor. When Rumi let out a hiss as a sharp pain in her left shoulder reignited, the woman quickly pressed her right hand against the cut.

“Ow!”

Rumi jerked in place and tried to peel the woman’s hand off her shoulder, but the woman swiftly intervened and tugged Rumi’s hand away.

“Stop. Moving will just make it worse.”

Forced to remain in place, Rumi just watched as a small white light shone between her cut shoulder and the woman’s hand. 

Rumi felt a cool breeze come over her.  She rather liked this feeling. It reminded her of when she was running across the rooftops on her way to this museum. Back when she was feeling on top of the world.

Now, she just felt helpless.

Then, when the light disappeared, the woman pulled her hand away. Rumi’s eyes widened. There was no sign of the cuts or blood that had been there just moments ago. The cut in her jacket sleeve had been patched up as well.

Gingerly moving her left arm, Rumi shot the demon a suspicious glare. “W-what did you just do?”

With a flick of her ears, the woman smiled. “I healed you, of course. Just like I did to the rather nasty cut you gave me earlier.” She gently patted the side of her black body suit that Rumi had slashed earlier, now fully patched up. “You might feel some soreness for a bit though.”

As she gently stretched her left arm, still feeling some lingering soreness in her left shoulder, Rumi awkwardly glanced over at the woman sitting next to her.

“Well…um…t-thank you, I guess.”

The woman’s eyes softened. “Of course. I apologize for hurting you in the first place, huntress.”

Upon hearing the demon apologize, Rumi raised an eyebrow. “But why heal me? You’re a demon.” Rumi frowned. “I tried to kill you.” She whispered.

The blonde laughed. Rumi thought the woman’s laugh sounded like jingling bells.

She gave Rumi a bemused look. “I tried to do the same to you, you know.” She then sighed. “Well, if you really must know, I realized that we aren’t enemies, Miss Huntress.”

Groaning, Rumi crossed her arms, stifling the wince that threatened to erupt from her throat as her sore muscles flexed. “Please don’t tell me that seeing my awful patterns is what changed your mind.”

With a twitch of her furry ears, the demon scowled. “Why do you treat your patterns with such disdain, huntress?”

When Rumi didn’t respond, the blonde woman gently ran her left index finger along her own left cheek, causing iridescent patterns to bloom on the demon’s pristine skin.

As Rumi examined the intricate lines of the woman’s markings, the blonde smiled. “I think my patterns look quite fabulous.”  

Then the demon’s nine fluffy tails reappeared behind her back. As the tails laid gently on the tile floor, Rumi could see each one coursed with similar colored markings. Gently stroking one of her luscious-looking tails, the woman fluttered her eyelashes at Rumi. “My beautiful tails also get more lovely with all of those colors, don’t you think?”

Rumi gave the woman a befuddled look. This woman did remember using her ‘beautiful tails’ to attack her, right?  “U-uh, sure. I-I guess?”

The woman giggled. Each one of the woman’s tails wagged happily.

Gazing at the rainbow-colored markings along each tail, Rumi sighed. The woman was right though. The tails were quite pretty.

Rumi really wanted to hug one of them

As she stared at the tails, Rumi noticed the demon’s eyes light up. As her tails swished from side to side, the woman clapped her hands together.

“Oh! Would you like to feel one of my tails?” I assure you, they’re quite soft!” She shot Rumi a wink. “Why, I cuddle with them every night!”

Feeling caught under the woman’s hawk-like gaze, Rumi felt her face burst into flames.

“Uh, no thanks! I’m totally good! I’m…uh…allergic to fur! Really really bad!” Rumi awkwardly rambled as she started scooting away from the demon.

The demon then shot a hand out and grabbed onto Rumi’s left wrist, preventing the purple-haired huntress from moving any further. Rumi froze.

The blonde gently smiled at Rumi. “There’s no need to be afraid of me.”

Rumi scowled and tried tugging her arm away from the demon, but to no avail . “What is your deal, lady!?”

Gritting her teeth, Rumi pulled hard and yanked her hand out of the woman’s grip.  Rumi clenched her hands together and slowly scooted way from her. “You had ample opportunity to kill me and you just suddenly decided to change your mind because you happened to see my awful patterns?”

The woman remained silent.

After clambering to her feet, Rumi walked over to her sword and picked it up. She smiled at the warmth of the sword handle in her grip before she dismissed her weapon.  “I…appreciate you healing me, so I’ll end it here for tonight, demon.”

Rumi shot the demon a vicious glare. “But if you try anything funny, I’ll be right back here to take you down.” Rumi felt her face flush. “For real this time.”

Then, without sparing the demon another glance, Rumi turned towards the main exit of the museum and starting walking. For a moment, nothing could except the sound of Rumi’s sneakers on the tile floor.

“I understand, you know.”

Rumi stopped in place. “Huh?”

With wide eyes, she turned her head back the demon. The blonde woman was now standing, cradling her left arm with her right. Rumi could see that the woman’s fluffy ears were pinned back.

“Your shame regarding your patterns, I mean.”

Incensed, Rumi fully turned around and started walking back towards the demon. When she got close, Rumi pulled at the black choker around the demon’s neck, tugging the woman closer to her.  “You? How could you possibly understand how I feel, demon?”

The blonde winced at Rumi’s harsh tone, but she kept her gaze on the huntress. “I…I know what it’s like to have to hide who you truly are. How awful it feels, keeping all of your pain inside.”

Rumi’s gaze grew intense. She released her hold on the woman’s choker.

“Explain.” Rumi pushed a finger into the woman’s bodysuit-clad abdomen. “Now.”

After readjusting her choker, the demon gestured towards her tails, still slumped on the floor behind her. “You know, it’s a bit unusual to have tails.” Her ears twitched. “Or fluffy ears.”

Rumi just stared at her, realization dawning in her eyes.

“It’s a bit difficult to fit in, being part human and part beast. The woman gently lifted up and caressed one of her tails. “But I’m proud of who I am. Even as a demon.”

Rumi clenched her fists.

Before Rumi could utter anything in response, the demon gently released her tail, allowing it to rejoin the others behind her, and grabbed onto Rumi’s left hand.

Rumi felt her vision shaking.

The demon cradled Rumi’s hand between her own, soft, warm hands. “And that’s why I have decided that I want to help you, huntress.” A small smile formed on her face. “I want you to be proud of yourself, patterns and all.”

Rumi started hyperventilating.

“I-I-I d-don’t…”

Before she could utter anything further, Rumi fainted.

“Hey Mira! When you’re done over there, help me out with this poster, will ya?”

As she finished setting the table, now adorned with a gold-colored table cloth, festive party hats, plates and a quite delectable-looking cake covered in rainbow sprinkles, Mira shot Zoey an amused grin. “What? Can’t reach that high by yourself?”

Spreading both of her arms wide to keep the large poster up on the wall, Zoey groaned as Mira walked over. “C’mon Mira, I’m being serious here!”

While Zoey was holding on for dear life, Mira looked up at the poster Zoey was trying to hang up in their penthouse’s living room.

In bright red, bubble-shaped letters, the poster read “Congrats on the Friendship!” Just under the very celebratory message was a trio of hand-drawn turtles, each with very familiar hairstyles, smiling as they stood around a big gold cake.

Smiling, Mira crossed her arms. “Very serious, Zoey.”

Wincing as she kept her arms stretched, Zoey laid her forehead against the wall. “Miraaaaah, please!” Chuckling, Mira stepped to Zoey’s side and secured the poster to the wall with some tape.

When they stepped back from the wall and admired their hard work, Zoey clapped her hands together. “Excellent! We’ve got the decorations out and the cake ready to go.”  Zoey turned towards Mira and pumped her fists in the air.  “All we’re missing is the girl of honor!”

Lowering her arms, Zoey frowned.  “Rumi is gonna like this, right?”

Mira gently ruffled Zoey’s head, causing Zoey to giggle. “I’m sure she will.”

Mira then turned towards Rumi’s bedroom. The door was still shut closed. “But honestly, is Rumi still sleeping? She’s been in there since breakfast.” Mira laughed. “Even I don’t need that much sleep.”

“Well then, let’s get Sleeping Beauty out of bed!” Grinning, Zoey scampered over to the door. Mira followed closely behind her.

Once they arrived in front of Rumi’s bedroom. Zoey gently rapped her knuckles against the door. “Rumi! We have an awesome surprise for you!”

Smirking, Mira pounded her fist against the door. “Sleepyhead! Wake up!”

They heard no response.

When she tried wiggling the brass doorknob, Zoey realized that the door was unlocked. “Huh?”

Cautiously, Zoey opened the door. None of the lights in Rumi’s bedroom were on. Outside of the evening skyline shining some light into the room through the windows, the room was dark.

Sharing an uneasy look, Zoey and Mira stepped inside Rumi’s bedroom.

“…Rumi?” Mira quietly whispered.

Rumi was nowhere to be found.

With fearful eyes, Mira and Zoey shared another wary look.  Then, each of them pulled out their phones and started typing.

They needed to find their beloved Rumi.

Rumi let out a sigh of relief. She currently felt like she was wrapped in a warm blanket.

As she felt a hand gently run through her hair, Rumi smiled. She didn’t need to be anywhere else.

Rumi faintly heard someone giggling. The voice was warm.

“It’s time to wake up, you know.”

“Just five more minutes.” Rumi mumbled as she tried to shift closer to that warmth.

“My, my, I didn’t know you loved my tails that much, huntress.”

Rumi’s blood ran cold.

Her eyes shot open.

As her eyes slowly readjusted to the dark surroundings of the empty museum atrium, Rumi realized she had been sleeping.

She realized she was also clutching tightly onto a very fluffy tail. She also happened to realize that she was lying on someone’s soft lap, with a few more bushy tails gently covering her like a knitted blanket.

Feeling her face burst into flames, Rumi hesitantly looked up.

Though Rumi could barely see the woman’s face past her hefty cleavage, Rumi could see the wiggling animal ears of the blonde-haired demon looming above her.

She heard the demon titter. “Did you have a good nap, huntress?”

“Ack!” Her eyes wide, Rumi let go of the tail and rolled off the demon’s lap. And then smushed her face against the tile floor for what felt like the tenth time that night.

Wincing in pain as she picked herself off the floor, Rumi heard the demon lightly chuckle.

“My, my, are you alright?”

Rumi ignored her and looked out the windows. It looked like the moon was just a little bit higher in the sky, so she probably had not been sleeping for too long.

Crossing her arms, Rumi turned back towards the demon, who still sitting on the floor with her legs underneath her.

“I’m fine.” Rumi then awkwardly sighed and looked away from the blonde. “T-thank you for watching over me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Rumi saw the blonde’s lips curl upwards.

“No problem.”

When she noticed the demon’s nine tails energetically swishing from side to side, Rumi tried to quash the memory of how soft the tails felt in her arms.

Finally remembering what the two of them had been discussing before she fainted, Rumi turned back towards the demon. “What did you mean earlier, about wanting to help me?”

Golden eyes lit up in excitement. The blonde leapt to her feet and grasped Rumi’s hands. Startled, Rumi couldn’t help but marvel at how warm the woman’s hands felt compared to hers.

The blonde chuckled and looked over the remains of her painting equipment, having been mostly ruined during the fight earlier. “Well, as you saw earlier, I do quite enjoy painting.” She sighed. “Painting is a way for me to express myself and my feelings. Any artist can bring their own unique perspective to the same subject, you know.”

Rumi suddenly felt awkward. “I…uh…don’t know a ton about painting, but, uh, sure?”

The demon winked at Rumi. “Just think of it like your singing! You write and perform songs to express yourself right?”

Rumi frowned. That was certainly what the core of Golden was all about.

She sure was glad Mira and Zoey had no idea what those lyrics were implying. Looking back, Rumi had made kind of obvious a lot of the song was about herself.

The blonde shook Rumi’s hands energetically. “Sooooo, to help you feel comfortable expressing yourself, I just the idea in mind!" The blonde grinned. “I’d like for you to be the model for my next art piece!”

Rumi’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”

“If you’re despise your patterns so much, then I want you to learn to embrace them!” Stepping back from Rumi, the beaming blonde spread her arms wide.  “And what better way than for you to get a new perspective than for your patterns to be on display in a work of art!”

Suddenly alarmed, Rumi waved her arms in front of her. “Woah, woah, woah, I’m not posing for an art piece that just anyone can see, especially not with my patterns out!

Placing her hands on her hips, the blonde sighed. “This piece isn’t going to displayed to the public, I swear.” She then smiled warmly at Rumi. “This will be between you and me. No one else.”

When Rumi grimaced, the demon woman’s face fell while her tails slumped to the floor. “Would you…would you be willing to at least give it a try?”

Scowling, Rumi looked down at the floor.

This evening had been crazy. This demon was definitely crazy.

But this woman seemed eager to try to help Rumi. She didn’t seem to be deceitful.

In fact, Rumi realized this woman didn’t seem to be like the other demons Rumi and the others had dealt with, considering how she had just been painting in this museum rather than cause any sort of ruckus that threatened the public.

Rumi glanced over at her left arm. She could feel her patterns burning underneath her layers. Though the demon had repaired her jacket sleeve, Rumi just knew that her patterns were shining brightly, as if they were mocking her.

Rumi fervently believed that her patterns would disappear when her, Mira and Zoey finally created the Golden Honmoon. She had to believe.

She didn’t want to imagine what would happen otherwise.

But what if her patterns didn’t disappear when they accomplished their goal?

Rumi sighed.  She wasn’t going to be able to hide her patterns forever, so she would have to learn to live with them. Dealing with the pain of living with her patterns forever and the pain of Zoey and Mira despising her for hiding her patterns would be a lot to handle. 

Rumi sighed. Maybe trying to embrace her patterns would be a way to mitigate at least some of that potential emotional turmoil.

Wringing her hands together, Rumi looked back up at the blonde woman. Rumi could see that the demon’s furry ears were pinned back. For all of her bravado, the demon woman was clearly nervous.

Rumi gave the woman her best attempt at an assuring smile, though she certainly didn’t feel assuring on the inside. “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

Immediately, the demon’s ears perked up. “Wonderful! Then let’s get started!”

Then, the blonde’s eyes grew wide.

“Wait! Now that we’re friends, we should start things right and introduce ourselves!” The blonde chuckled and shot Rumi a wry smile. “I mean, it’s hard to not already know the lead singer of the worldwide phenomenon HUNTR/X, but you get what I mean!”

Rumi’s eyebrows rose. “Friends, huh?”

Outside of Mira and Zoey, Rumi honestly didn’t have any friends. In truth, Rumi figured the only reason Mira and Zoey were even her friends in the first place was because Celine forced the three of them to work together.

After all, it was hard for Rumi to naturally get close to people when all she did was try and hide.

But maybe, just maybe this friendly demon was Rumi’s chance to start reaching out to others.

Hesitantly, Rumi held her right hand out towards the other woman. “Okay, uh, my name is Rumi.”

Beaming once more, the blonde woman shook Rumi’s hand energetically, her tails wagging happily behind her. “The name’s Miho! It’s wonderful to meet you, Rumi!”

Feeling flustered as she shook Miho’s soft hand, Rumi just awkwardly chuckled. How in the world had things become like this?

When they finished shaking hands, Miho pulled away and clapped her hands together. “Now! Just follow me over here, please!”

“Okay sur-Woah!” Before Rumi could finish, Miho grabbed her left wrist and led her towards the center of the room, where a set of statues had once been on display.  Before Rumi had destroyed them on accident.

Miho gestured towards the rectangular stone plinth that the statues had once stood on. The top of the platform appeared as though it was glowing, thanks to the moonlight shining through the windows. “What you’re going to do is stand on this spot and pose. I’ll paint you.” Miho glanced over at Rumi. “Sound good?”

Rumi looked at the plinth and nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Wonderful.” With a smile, Miho turned towards Rumi and placed her hands on her hips. “Clothes off.”

Her face igniting, Rumi whipped her head towards Miho with a flabbergasted expression across her face. “Bwuh?”

Leaning forward, Miho wagged a finger in Rumi’s face. “You heard me, Rumi. The whole point of this exercise is that your patterns need to be visible, remember?” She pointed a well-manicured finger at Rumi’s yellow jacket. “It’s a bit difficult to do that when you’ve got layers covering them.”

Now feeling quite embarrassed, Rumi slightly turned away from Miho before glancing back at her. “But…um…just the jacket right?”

Miho raised an eyebrow. “That depends. Do you happen to have patterns elsewhere on your body, Rumi?”

When a blushing Rumi refused to answer, Miho sighed. “Thought so.”

Miho stepped forward and gently rubbed Rumi’s right arm. Rumi fought every impulse to lean into that warmth. “This is to help you feel comfortable with your patterns, Rumi.  All of them.” Rumi felt a furry tail brush by her legs. “You don’t need to feel embarrassed in front of me. I’ll accept you for who you are. I promise.”

Hearing those dangerous, and quite unfamiliar words of kindness, Rumi felt like she was going to burst into flames.  She needed another excuse to get out of this. She found one in the security camera positioned over one corner of the room. “But, uh, what about the security cameras?”

Miho followed Rumi’s gaze and chortled. “Those old things? They don’t even work and the museum’s too cheap to get new cameras.” Miho then smiled wryly. “Besides, if they did work, museum security would have already shown up here considering, well, all the damage we caused.”

Recalling how much debris lay scattered around them, Rumi cringed. She couldn’t argue with that.

“Uh...okay…” Rumi heard herself mutter. She gently tugged at the left sleeve of her jacket. “But…um…could we please just do the jacket?”

Miho sighed, but gave Rumi an amused smile. “Sure, Rumi.” She patted Rumi’s shoulder. “We’ll call it a work in progress.”

Rumi let out a sigh of relief. And then immediately felt blood rush to her face.

“W-w-work in progress?” Rumi whispered.

Miho simply winked at her and then went over to her painting supplies to get set up.

And so, after much hesitation, Rumi peeled off her jacket and gently laid it on the floor next to her, careful to not let it get too dirty with all of the dust on the floor. As she looked down at her black long-sleeved shirt, safely covering up her pattern-covered arms, Rumi heard Miho let out a huff.  “That shirt’s gotta go too, Rumi.”

Rumi’s face fell.  Her trembling fingers gently played with the hem of her shirt.

Even just a few hours ago, this would have been absolutely unthinkable. Rumi had never exposed herself this much in front of anyone, especially not a stranger that she had nearly fought to the death with.

When images of Mira and Zoey, embracing one another while fully naked, flashed in her mind, Rumi’s face fell. No one would want to see her like that.

Except…

Still tightly gripping her shirt, Rumi worriedly glanced over at Miho. Muttering to herself, the blonde was setting up her easel and canvas. Miho let out a curse when the easel initially refused to stand in place, but she got it to stay upright. When she saw Rumi watching her, Miho shot Rumi a small smile. “It’s okay, Rumi. I promise.”

Rumi flushed, but wordlessly nodded. Despite what had happened between them this evening, Miho seemed to actually like who Rumi was underneath it all. That wasn’t exactly a common occurrence in Rumi’s pitifully small social circle, but that was still something precious that Rumi couldn’t help but latch onto.

Closing her eyes, Rumi took a deep breath. Listening to the fabric rustling, she slowly lifted her shirt up and over her head, exposing her purple zip-up sports bra underneath. Immediately, Rumi felt a slight chill as air met her bare skin.  Still, with how much her patterns felt like they were on fire, the cool air was a bit of blessing.

After placing her shirt atop her jacket, Rumi looked down at herself.  She could see quite familiar rainbow-colored patterns running along her abdomen, tracing bright lines around her toned midriff and up to her buff shoulders and lean arms.  Crossing her arms, Rumi then glanced over at Miho, who was now seated next to her canvas.

With a flick of her pointy ears, a brightly smiling Miho gave Rumi a thumbs up. “Attagirl.”

Feeling new warmth rush through her, Rumi gave Miho a soft smile in return. Rumi then glanced down at her bra-covered chest and furrowed her brow.

She…she could be a bit braver, right?

Before she could stop herself, Rumi tugged down the zipper of her sports bra. The sound of the fabric unzipping rang throughout the empty museum atrium. As the front of the bra opened up, Rumi could see the bright pink tips of her nipples, encircled by the iridescent patterns on her breasts. 

Rumi sighed. Did her patterns really need to be everywhere?

Quickly covering her exposed chest with her left arm, a blushing Rumi shrugged off her bra and tossed it on top of the pile of her other discarded layers.  Then, Rumi stepped onto the plinth where the marble statues once stood. She was standing in full view of the moonlight shining through the museum’s windows.

As she turned away from Miho, Rumi brought her purple braid over her right shoulder, giving Miho a full view of her bare back. Then, Rumi glanced over at the blonde with a raised eyebrow.  “Is this good, Miho?”

Miho’s eyes softened.  “Beautiful.” Then, she furrowed her brow. “Now, stay still. Just like that.”

And so, as Miho began fervently painting, Rumi stood there and modeled. 

Rumi supposed she was thankful for being comfortable with standing still for long periods period of time.  As a member of HUNTR/X, she had done a number of lengthy photoshoots for a number of events, including fashion magazines, album covers and even tour promo materials.

Though Rumi supposed none of those experiences were quite as risqué as posing topless.

Listening to Miho humming while she painted colorful strokes on her paint canvas, Rumi closed her eyes and smiled.

This was…nice.

It was nice hearing the sound of someone showing adoration for her patterns.

It was nice talking with someone that could understand her pain.

Even if it was just for a short while, Rumi didn’t feel embarrassed by her patterns.

The swell of some sort of warm emotion that Rumi couldn’t fully describe came over her, causing her to tremble in place. Pressing her arm cover closer to her chest, Rumi took a deep breath and maintained her position to minimize any disruptions to Miho’s painting.

When Miho let out a sigh and informed Rumi that she could stop finally stop posing, Rumi wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there, but the soreness forming in her legs indicated that it had at least been a little bit. 

After carefully stepping down from the podium and throwing her upper layers back on, Rumi walked over to Miho and the canvas. She could tell that Miho was watching for Rumi’s reaction.

When Rumi got a glimpse of the finished canvas, she felt her mouth part open in surprise.

The painting depicted Rumi standing on the plinth, her bare back on display as she gazed thoughtfully at something off canvas. The moonlight shining through the painted windows behind made the Rumi in the painting look ethereal.

Rumi’s eyes followed the vivid, colorful lines along her toned muscles, contrasting nicely with the deep purple of her long braid.  When painted like this, her patterns didn’t look offending, they…they looked…

Beautiful.

With wide eyes, Rumi turned towards the blonde. “Miho, this…this is amazing. You really did all this that quickly? You’re incredible!”

“Oh, this was nothing!” Rumi watched Miho’s face flush as the blonde awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. Though Miho appeared to be embarrassed by the sudden praise, Rumi could tell by the energetic swishing of the tails that Miho was quite happy. “I guess I was just really inspired by you, that’s all!”

Now feeling herself blush, Rumi crossed her arms and glanced away from Miho. “Well, I’m glad I could help inspire you, I guess.” She shot Miho a small smile. “I think this was helpful for me too, so thank you.”

Miho’s eyes went wide. “Truly?” She clapped her hands together. “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that, Rumi!” Miho then leapt to her feet and, before Rumi could react, gave Rumi a warm embrace.

Rumi went still.

“Bwuh?”

As Miho nuzzled against her, Rumi felt her furry ears tickle the underside of her chin. Rumi tried to ignore how much the woman’s pillowy chest was pressing into her.

Now looking up at Rumi, Miho beamed. “We simply must do this again! I’ve haven’t felt energized like this in ages!” Miho then let out a squeal. “Ooh! Let’s exchange numbers, Rumi! That way, we can find another time to meet!”

Blinking, Rumi just stared. “You want to exchange numbers?” She dumbly pointed at herself. “With me?”

Miho vigorously nodded. Her tails wagged with much enthusiasm.

Rumi pursed her lips for but a moment before she nodded.  “Okay, that sounds good.”

When Rumi pulled her phone out of her pocket, though, her face fell. She saw numerous missed phone calls, voicemails and text messages from Mira and Zoey. They had probably returned home and discovered that she was missing.

At a quick glance, the text messages had started as simple questions asking where she was before they devolved into complete panic, desperately asking if she was okay or if she was hurt.

Rumi sighed. So much for her belief that those two were going to spend the night elsewhere. Guess she’d have to deal with Zoey and Mira later.

After dismissing those notifications and sending them a quick text that she was fine, Rumi unlocked her phone and went to her contacts. After pressing the option to add a new contact, she held her phone out towards Miho, who eagerly swiped the phone and began tapping.

Rumi watched bemusedly as the sound of Miho’s nails tapping excitedly at the phone screen echoed throughout the room.  Once she was satisfied, Miho returned the phone to her.

Rumi took the phone back and felt her face burn when she saw the screen.  As expected, Miho had added her contact information, though it seemed like she had added her own flair to it.

Miho ❤️

Forcing her blush to subside, Rumi quickly sent “Hi, this is Rumi.” as a text message to her new contact and then pocketed her phone. She heard a buzzing sound come from Miho, presumably from her own phone.

Rumi’s eyes then went wide when Miho stuck a hand between her breasts and pulled out her phone. Rumi felt her mouth dry. That motion certainly did interesting things to the demon’s chest.

As she unlocked her phone, Miho shot Rumi an amused look. “What? Not exactly a lot of pockets in this outfit.” With a sultry smile, Miho coquettishly leaned forward, giving Rumi ample view of her bare shoulders and the top of her plush chest. “Is there a problem with that, Rumi?”

Rumi definitely believed she was going to spontaneously combust at this rate. With a jolt, Rumi shook her head rapidly from side to side. She gave Miho an awkward smile. “Nope! No problem at all!”

Miho just giggled.

Then, Miho collected the canvas and her painting tools before placing them into a large portfolio bag, taking extra care to keep everything organized. As she watched the blonde place her paint bottles in a small satchel, Rumi had a flabbergasted expression. Couldn’t Miho just put her phone in one of her bags instead?

Rumi was starting to think that Miho just liked teasing her.

Once she was all set, Miho slung the bags around her shoulders. She smiled at Rumi “Well, then. It is quite late, so we should probably conclude our fun for this evening, hmm?”

Rumi grimaced and gestured towards the debris around them, the lingering evidence of their earlier fight.  “Shouldn’t we…uh…do something about all the broken artwork?”

Humming, Miho looked out at the complete mess they had created. Then, Miho flicked her wrists. Rumi watched as Miho’s tails rose from behind her, each one emitted a bright color at the tip,

In an instant, all of the art pieces that the two of them had destroyed just a short while again began to be fixed. Paintings were lifted up from the floor and hung back on the wall. Stone statues that were once pulverized into dust reformed as though they had been carved just yesterday.  Ceramic vases that were once shattered were made brand new. Blood stains on the floor were wiped away.

Then, it was as if no hectic clash between hunter and demon had ever occurred in the museum atrium.

As the rainbow-colored energy disappeared from her tails, Miho smirked at Rumi. “See? All good as new, no?” Then, Rumi saw Miho's golden eyes widened.  “Well, besides that.” She pointed at Rumi’s feet.

Glancing down at herself, Rumi realized that there were a few drops of blood on her sneakers, likely from her once-bleeding shoulder.

Looking back up at Miho, Rumi sighed and shrugged.  “That’s fine. I’ve got a fresh pair at home.” Then, Rumi smiled gently at the blonde. “But thank you, Miho. For that and for, well, everything tonight.”

Miho smiled warmly at her.  “Any time, Rumi.”

Then Miho let out a big yawn. “Well then, good night, Rumi!” The blonde fluttered her lashes at her. “I hope you have pleasant dreams~”

“Um, yeah! You too!” Rumi felt quite flustered as she barely mumbled out that last one. “Good night, Miho!”

And with that, Rumi scampered away.

As she watched an embarrassed Rumi dash out of the museum, her long purple braid whipping behind her, Miho smiled. She felt her tails swish happily behind her.

She certainly wasn’t expecting the evening to turn out this way, but she couldn’t say that she was disappointed.  As she remembered the gorgeous sight of Rumi posing on the platform, the moonlight behind her illuminating her pattern-covered torso, Miho smiled.

Not disappointed in the slightest.

Turning away from that exit of the museum atrium, she gazed out of the windows at the moon shining in the skies above. “The human world sure has its fair share of surprises, huh?” She muttered.

She then sensed a dark presence pulling on her shoulders. Miho felt a pit form in her stomach.

In the next instant, Miho found herself in an entirely new space. She was now standing just at the stone edge of an enormous pit of purple flames. Miho idly thought that the color of Rumi’s hair was a much more pleasant shade of purple.

She glanced behind her. The skies were quite dark, but she could just barely see the hordes of people standing at the bottom of the stone steps behind her. Miho’s heart crumpled at the sight of all of the demons cowering in fear.

I SEE YOU’VE ENJOYED YOURSELF THIS EVENING, MIHO

Miho’s head whipped back towards the pit of purple fire before her. Pillars of fire erupted in front of her, baring their intensity at her like ferocious teeth.

Without hesitation, she placed her belongings on the ground next to her and kneeled.  “Indeed, Lord Gwi-Ma.”

SUCH HONESTY FROM SUCH A DEVIOUS BEAST

For just the briefest moment, a frown flickered on Miho’s face before the blonde assumed a blank expression.

I RECALL YOUR ORDERS BEING TO DESTROY THE HUNTERS

The flames intensified.

AND YET, YOU FAILED TO FINISH THE JOB AND INSTEAD DECIDED TO INDULGE IN YOUR PAINTING

The flames roared in Miho’s face, causing strands of her blonde hair to fly out of place. She felt her furry ears pin back in fear.

TELL ME WHY SHOULDN’T I EVISCERATE YOU WHERE YOU STAND, YOU PATHETIC WEAKLING

Miho furrowed her brow. “Simple. Because I can do so much more than just kill, Lord Gwi-Ma.” Miho stood up and flexed her nine fluffy tails behind her.

“As you so eloquently said, Lord Gwi-Ma, I am a master of manipulation.” She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. “With all that has happened tonight, I have the hunter’s heart in my hands. I can do so much more damage to the hunters than I could by simply killing her.”

As she opened her eyes, Miho felt a false smile cross her lying face. "I can control her. I can make her an asset for us.”

The flames quieted, as though they were in thought.

TRUE, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN QUITE SKILLED AT MANIPULATION, TEMPTRESS

Bowing her head, Miho clenched her fists and tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes. She felt her tails slump lifelessly behind her.

Memories of wearing extravagant clothing, indulging in lavish meals, eliciting guttural moans of pleasure, and wearing cruel, cruel smiles like masks echoed throughout her head.

Miho didn’t like remembering those days.

Gwi-Ma then fell silent. Miho felt her heart pounding.

VERY WELL, YOU MAY CONTINUE YOUR…DALLIANCE WITH THE HUNTER, FOX

The flames intensified once more, nearly brushing Miho’s face.

BUT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU FAIL ME, BEAST

In an instant, dark, purple flames consumed Miho’s belongings. Miho leapt out of the way to avoid the swirl of flames.

As the flames tore through her bags, ripping the fabrics to shreds, Miho felt as though her heart was being crushed into tiny, insignificant pieces. That feeling of helplessness only got worse when Miho watched her painting of Rumi, posing so serenely with her patterns on display, slowly disintegrate under the heat of the purple flames.

Miho, this…this is amazing. You’re incredible!

But Miho remained silent. Causing an outburst now would just lead to her death.

When the flames faded away, leaving nothing but a small pile of ash, Miho kneeled and bowed her head once more. “I understand, Gwi-Ma.”

THEN BEGONE, DEMON

In the next instant, Miho found herself back in the museum.

Trembling, Miho slowly sat down on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest.

In the dead of night, the only thing that one could hear in the art museum was someone crying.

After she leapt onto her balcony, Rumi scanned the scene around her. Looking through the glass windows into her room, Rumi saw that her room was dark. From what she could tell, it appeared that all of the lights inside the HUNTR/X penthouse were off.

She smiled. It seemed like Mira and Zoey had finally gone to bed. They had still been calling and texting her while she was running home from the museum, so Rumi had sent each of them a quick text saying she was indeed fine, just so they’d get off her back for the night.

She also sent Celine a quick message saying that the demon had been dealt with, though she didn’t explain the details to her maternal figure. 

As usual, Rumi received no response from her.

Now that all of that was settled, Rumi would just sneak into her room via her balcony, go to bed and then deal with Mira and Zoey in the morning.

She’d also have to figure out what to do with Miho. But that was a future problem. For right now, present Rumi just needed some R&R.

Taking her key out of her jacket’s left pocket, Rumi slowly unlocked the balcony door and crept into her room. After locking the door behind her, Rumi pressed her back against the door and let out a relieved sigh.

She was safe.

When she took a step forward, Rumi then immediately found herself being tackled onto her bed.

“What the!?”

As her head hit her mattress, Rumi looked up to see a dark figure holding onto her in a tight embrace. Then, she heard the sound of someone turning on the light switch to her room.

Rumi let out a hiss and squinted her eyes in response to the ceiling light now illuminating her entire room. When she could fully see again, Rumi realized exactly who had tackled her onto her bed.

It really should have been obvious to her who it was.

“…Zoey?” Rumi whispered.

As teardrops fell from her eyes onto Rumi’s yellow jacket, Zoey sniffled. “Where were you, Rumi?” Zoey hiccuped. “We were so worried!”

Trapped, Rumi dumbly stared up at Zoey. “I…uh…”

Then, Rumi heard a scoff to her left. When she looked over in that direction, she felt her heart sink. Standing over by the light switch to her room was Mira.

Mira looked like she was about to throttle Rumi.

As she walked towards Rumi and Zoey, Mira tilted her head up as she glared at Rumi, as though she were looking down on a petulant child.

“Yes, where were you, Rumi? I’m sure you must have quite an adequate explanation for leaving us in the dark.”

Trapped between Zoey's worried gaze and Mira's admonishing stare, Rumi went pale.