Chapter Text
For years, you were raised with many rules, principles and all that stiff stuff you were expected to respect and follow.
‘What do you mean? A huntress mustn't be swayed by cowardice or pain.”
“Stand up. How can you be Rumi’s shield if you're scared of getting hit. Demons won't show the same amount of mercy I do.”
“Good. Use this anger. Let it eclipse any other useless emotions. Use it to fulfill your duty.”
You disliked them from the very beginning.
“The Saja Boys will sit with us.” From the very moment those demons walked down that alleyway, your glare didn't lessen for a single moment. Celine’s teachings were constantly swimming around in your thoughts.
Especially after the girls showed momentary ‘weakness’ towards the demons’ deceptively, yet perfectly sculpted looks. It surely was all fake, and so was your own awe at that meeting.
They may have been good looking, but they were far from being displayed at a museum. You shouldn't even be contemplating such a thing. A demon is a demon, and the only good demon is a…
“Wai- Rumi what are you doing?!” The two girls opposed their bandmate’s decision while you hissed, as if in pain, pinching the bridge of your nose.
You knew this wasn't going well, not at all.
“We need every fan…” she justified her decision, pressing on how important it was.
It irked you even further when Bobby seemed very receptive to this idea.
Within seconds, the inhuman beings shoved themselves between you all. Great, you thought, the demons isolated you from the girls, wonderful. No, this was a truly vexing situation.
“I didn't think you liked sharing…” you overheard the whispered words of the demon group's leader, directed towards Rumi. You rolled your eyes at this odd, unfamiliar situation. Honestly, you stopped listening at that point; you had no interest in what a demon was trying to say, and Rumi is not so easily deceived.
Your nails sunk into the skin of your crossed arms as you glared ahead. At least no demon was bothering you. Although, if they did direct their, unreasonably attractive, faces towards you… you'd bite their nose off.
Some fans squealed as they thought you directed your glare at them. Why did the most feral part of the fandom end up on your side? Are they masochistic or something?
“Step on me!” Nothing new.
“Break my ribs!” Oh?
“Allow me to choke on my own blood.” Oh, my huntress...
Masochistic, huh?
Nah, surely not. They're just insane, you often justified.
Besides, are you allowed to call your fans crazy?
Your glare vanished, causing a few people to let out sounds of disappointment. You glanced to see how other girls were dealing with the temporary demonic annoyance.
Well, Mira was silently fuming while acting cordial towards the fans, Zoey was visibly simping, while Rumi…
She was having an interesting reaction between herself, that demon, and a fan.
“Your secret’s safe with me…” some young girl uttered, revealing her ship-tee. “Aw, so cute!”
You chuckled at Rumi’s awkward reaction; you were a ‘brute’ at heart, but the girls also shared a part of that heart. Still, it felt a bit bitter to know that the demons were here to sully the moment with their schemes.
“So, you can smile…” an unknown voice startled you from your overly complicated feelings and thoughts. Your attention immediately moved towards finding the culprit. There was a red flush on the tips of your ears, barely noticeable.
Unfortunately, no one was looking your way.
The baby-faced shortie next to you was busying himself with a lollipop, while Zoey next to him was… hitting the other barking Saja Boy with a pen?
Additionally, Mira was on the verge of breaking a fan’s leg, which was already in a cast, while shuffling it around with two other demons.
An inhuman thing, a demon managed to get a glimpse to a part of you that was only reserved for your chosen family. The most intimate, precious part. And it scared you.
You growled, yes, just like the men in Mira’s secret stash of forbidden romance books. Zoey has books like that too, but hers are… a bit odder. Who knew that some people were into Eldritch beings? It was just another odd, yet endearing part of that girl.
A sigh left you, going back to signing anything without a second thought.
In the back, past the fog of thoughts, you could hear how your other bandmates squabbled with the demons, as if they were just regular rivals.
You don't mind rivalry in the idol industry; it is what it is. It was just that, there was a bitter feeling. Perhaps your sense of duty couldn't allow you to even see them wearing human faces.
Too perfect, too charming. The idols were so pretty, but in such an uncanny way.
It was eerie and the fact that a demon could move you emotionally in any way… it made you scared, and then angry. It wasn’t anything new; Celine spent so much time teaching you to cover up fear with anger.
“You could lose anything and everything” , she used to say, “but that doesn't mean you should show weakness.”
It was as if you were presented with the apple, urging you to take a bite. Tempting, much like the demons are depicted in other cultures. Temptation, that’s what a demon dressed up as a human is, and you already knew that. Your fans were in danger, and they had no idea.
How does one react to something so odd, and new, and potentially dangerous?
Thankfully, the meeting soon came to a close, but Rumi's behavior completely switched, praising the other group’s leader. You didn't question it, as the other girls did it instead. It wasn't long before Bobby rushed to your side as well, eager to show the fruits of today's meeting.
“Your group is back up there with a lot of creative engagement from the fans!” He was near joyful, yet you couldn't focus on that in the slightest.
Going back, it was one of the demons, perhaps that barker or the personification of muscles, that saw you; the softness that you held for those three girls who brought it out from you. It felt as if embarrassing pictures of younger you got leaked onto the internet.
The biggest weakness of yours was noticed by one of them and it sent a spike of fear right between your ribs.
“Look, guys!” Bobby was still at it, showing fanarts, posts and other stuff that the fans posted right after this meeting. You nearly blew a vein from how loudly it was pulsing with each drawing that displayed any of the demons and your group together. It wasn't about romance, but about vulnerability…
Ugh, you knew full well that Celine would’ve been displeased with this. She's the one you most often answer to, she's the one who nurtured this group. You were fully trusting of her and her ways, so you knew - she wouldn't allow any of this to happen had she been here with you guys.
That woman would’ve dealt with them in seconds.
Back in her day, a demon group like that would've been crushed under her heel.
Those guys, demons, were just… succubi, incubi, or something. Whatever! Sent to infiltrate your group and steal away all your fans and their souls. Just thinking about… your glare returned, along with the squealing from the fans that looked back as they were leaving.
“Woah, there are fanarts with you as well,” Mira called out to you, while Zoey was swiping her finger down Bobby's phone, fully absorbed in the work of her fans.
You ignored it all, knowing it's not good for your blood pressure, even as you heard the oddest name imaginable, ‘Miromabby’ or something like that…
Rumi glanced at the screen while you were still glued to your spot at the table, completely uninterested.
You didn't care.
In fact, you couldn't care less.
“Oh! The fans wrote fanfic about you and Saja's Baby!” Zoey's surprised voice, or rather what she said, was like an asteroid hitting the earth for you.
“Wait, what?!” You snatched Bobby's phone from his hand, much to his alarm.
“Hey!” You ignored any sounds of protest to your actions and stared hard at the screen. Right, there it was; and the fanfic had a fanart piece of you and the demon as the cover.
Red. You saw red as you became a witness to a ‘beauty and the beast’ based fanfiction about you and that demon. Of course, you were the beast… he’s the demon, you thought before catching yourself, thinking that shouldn't be the main thing you're mad about here.
You then wondered - if the person who wrote this knew that this demon could so easily steal their soul, would they still put so much work into this? Why are fans so obsessed with romance among their idols to begin with? It's not like most will get into a relationship, not during their time as an idol anyway.
Back in reality, from which you were separated, you could vaguely hear Bobby worried about his phone, “Ah! Don't grip so tightly, you'll break the screen!”
You huffed, still not done exploring those new emotions.
It didn't make sense; you showed no ounce of interest towards a thing like that in your entire career. Additionally, your fans were satisfied with just yelling for you to impale them with heels, so why did they switch up like this?
Honestly, why are you thinking about this with such intensity now?
All of that - romantic relationships, love, and all that troublesome stuff is completely out of place for a truly devoted hunter.
You tried to ground yourself. Celine… she would disapprove, even if you looked at another, regular, person. She gave you so much, asking you to only purge the world of demons.
“I don't think anything can break her away from this state,” Mira stated. “don't worry, Bobby. We’ll buy you a new one,” she said as the device’s screen was lightly crushed in your hands.
“No! My pet photos!” The man was truly devastated, the girls trying to console him.
“A beast for a demon to ‘fix’ and romance…” you yourself were mere seconds away from becoming angry, as you caught a few lines from the fanfic presented on the screen. It felt as if a new door was slowly becoming visible, it wasn't open at all, but it was there… and you were heavily opposed to that.
“Don't worry,” Rumi joined the other girls, “we can retrieve the SD card or something…” her attempt at calming the manager did little as the phone looked like crumpled up paper after you snapped out of it.
Mira sighed, pulling the piece, or pieces, of the device out of your hand. “I'm signing you up for anger management classes,” she said, patting you on the head to pacify you.
“Oh! Let's get a therapy pet! Like a chubby guinea pig we can dress in tiny suits,” Zoey pitched her own idea… one of many, anyway. “Or... a turtle?”
“A therapy turtle? Really?” The tall huntress raised a brow.
“Yep!”
“Do those even exist?”
“I mean, if you can have a therapy alpaca…”
Rumi joined them at that, “Wait, they allow alpacas to be therapy animals?”
Then, you banged your forehead on the table.
You delved into a rant motivated by attraction, confusion, puberty, anger, fear... Truly, it was a lot of stuff mashing into each other. “This is the worst… Why can't those demons let us be? Why now? What if someone I know sees all that stuff? Why did those fans even do that in the first place? 15k words?! A full minute after the meeting ended, how? Are their fingers made of steel or something?” The girls exchanged glances as they noticed you began to ramble.
“Oh wow, this… I've never seen you like this,” Rumi approached, sitting right by you.
Zoey kneeled in front of the table, while Mira decided to finally ask, “Is this about the rivalry with the demons or something else?”
“I feel… like such a teenager.”
“You are one,” your embarrassment was answer by no words of comfort.
Zoey, the nice soul, decided to answer a couple of your questions, the ones from the rant, but then hesitated midway “Demons are demons, and were hunters, so they’ll want to get in our heads, right? And well, the photos taken during this meeting are… what caused the fanfic…”
“What photos?” You raised your head up to look at the two girls in front of you.
“That demon kept staring at you,” Mira showed you the screen of her own phone but kept it out of reach, for its safety.
“Huh?” It felt as if you were transported into a black hole, fully confused at what was going on, almost transformed into a noodle-like state.
In one of the many, many photos, Baby, the silent femboy, was clearly looking straight at you. Even worse, the photo captured your very rare smile. It was obviously directed at Rumi, but it didn’t seem like it in the pictures.
“Oh. Oh no. ” You realized the gravity of the situation.
“And she's back…” Mira hid her phone away, while Rumi raised an important question, “Are there puberty blockers for emotions only?”
“Don't worry, stuff like this disappears within few days!” Zoey responded jauntily.
“Except for the small part of the fandom that became utterly fixated on a specific ship. Remember when Rumi shook hands with Jihyo at the awards? Both fandoms went feral.” Mira added, flustering her violet friend.
Rumi’s cheeks were tinged in pink. “Hey!”
“Hah,” you let out a sigh, “okay…” While you were usually intense, this was a new ‘high score’ of yours, you noticed with a clearer head.
“Phew!”
“Sorry, Bobby. I'll personally hire someone to get those photos back to you…” It's like a demon’s gotten into you. There wasn't anything that serious going on, right? Just a band of demons messing with you guys.
The manager didn't take long considering your offer.
“Well, usually I'd say ‘don’t worry about it’, but they really meant the world to me,” the man looked into the distance, lips pursed as he mourned the loss of so many great memes and pictures, a tear making its dramatic appearance. Both Mira and Rumi deadpanned as they noticed that your own expression became determined, as if you just set a new life goal for yourself.
“Alright! There's only one thing that can wash that demonically awful experience away!” Zoey cheered. “Bathhouse!”
“Then, we'll get those demons,” Mira decided.
“You go on without me, I got an urge to write some lyrics down” as usual, Rumi passed on the offer, shrivelling up at the possibility of disappointing her bandmates.
“Ugh, fine…” Mira easily accepted the refusal, while Zoey was more vocal about her disappointment.
“Can I skip out as well?” For the first time, you didn't feel in the mood for a warm soak.
“What? No way. You too?!”
Despite all the objections, you stayed with Rumi today, writing out all your anger instead of bottling it up. You sat on the floor, leaning on her bed as you incessantly scribbled on the paper.
Every time you were done with one page, you passed it to the other girl who read it out before simplifying these heated thoughts into a single line. Normally, Zoey would be the one to write out the songs. Truly, at times, you felt as if you were too intense for this group… too hateful. Even the weapon you summon is overwhelmingly violent.
“Rumi… am I becoming more intense with each day? I just feel so…” you stopped writing, and so did the other girl.
She clenched her hands into fists. Hearing someone face something like this…
The half demon girl lowered herself from her bed to sit next to you. She held your hand, supporting you as you spoke.
“... hateful. I hate this, simply put.” To think that a single fan meeting with another group would make you so uncomfortable, having you question your duty for a single moment.
Still, purging the world of demons will happen sooner or later, and only then your duty will be fulfilled and your freedom achieved.
Would… your emotions really to be a distraction at a time like this? Ugh, you felt like such a teenager, while still being one; you're never picking up any of Zoey or Mira’s books again.
Rumi frowned at your self-frustration. Usually, you were the guarding wall of the group, constantly keeping the girls fighting on against the demons, no matter any distraction.
The girl wondered at that time, if Jinu’s heart could be shaken by a pure drawing of a child, then… could your inner values be questioned at a mention of something so human as love or romance?
She knew. Rumi knew it wasn't just the fanfictions or fanart that did this. From the very beginning, you were the witness to your other bandmates showing clear attraction to other people.
“I… well, all of that will go away as soon as we manage to drive the demons away,” she reassured you.
“Really? Doesn't feel like it.”
“Those emotions you're feeling are because of demons. They became more intense with the appearance of Saja Boys, right?” She gently approached the subject.
“Yeah. Or maybe not...”
“Then, those feelings will disappear with the demons, especially after we manage a golden Honmoon,” she mimicked the tone she knew all too well.
“Heh, you sound just like Celine,” you knew that tone as well, perhaps even more so than Rumi.
Seeing your family attracted to the thing they were supposed to be fighting against, it must've shaken you up, even if it was subconsciously at best.
“Oh? Is that… a bad thing?” It's been a while since she thought about that woman, despite thinking of Celine whenever her gaze met the markings on her skin.
‘Not sure yet.” That- that sentence caused Rumi to fully let go of your hand and discreetly look at you in surprise. She was fully aware that your loyalty to the woman was deeper than tree roots, she was the closest person to a mother figure, to both of you.
Rumi knew that if there was one person you never questioned, it was Celine. So, it felt as if something in you was changing, and it filled the other girl with an unknown flavor of anxiety but also hope.
Without any clear discomfort, you switched topics just like that, “Is your voice getting better?”
“I'm not sure, but I think so.”
“I'm glad, you really looked anxious back there.” Rumi looked at you, the panicked expression from back then returning.
“I-I did? Did the others…”
“Know? Not fully, but they're just as worried for you, Ru-” you were cut off by a sudden vibration coming from your phone. Zoey was texting you to tell both you and Rumi to turn on the idol channel on the TV right now.
A live game show with Saja Boys competing in the oddest game on this show yet, acting out a theatre play written by children.
“Hah?!” This immediately destroyed the bittersweet mood as you glared at the screen. Rumi wasn't ecstatic with this either.
And so, it was the time to begin the hunt.
The other girls joined you two shortly as they ran back home. Unfortunately, the two were dying on the floor out of exhaustion after all that running. You did your best to get them back to working shape.
“Our bathhouse break…”
“This is the worst…”
You put moist towels on their foreheads, unintentionally silencing the whining as they flinched from the sudden change in temperature.
“Ack!”
Rumi came back in, carrying four leather outfits, “the time to act is now or never.” She exaggerated for the sake of motivating the girls. You certainly felt the determination set in and so did the other girls who entered their ‘serious’ changing montage.
But as you've arrived on set… the filming was already done. The entire studio was wrapping up, no demons in sight. Rumi looked around, barely hiding herself from the staff. “What? It should've gone on for another few minutes!”
“Ugh, knew something like that could happen…”
“Maybe they're still on their way out, C'mon!’
“Time for hide’n’seek with demons, wonderful…” and you led this search, as the girls decided to cover you, ready to summon their weapons at a moment’s notice.
Between sneaking around the hallways of the studio and peeking into any staff rooms, you've wasted so much time.
Then, the universe decided to grant you guys mercy, sending a holy messenger.
“Excuse me,” a single staff member noticed your group, recognizing you immediately.
“Em!” Rumi ran to come up with any excuses for trespassing, “we were told we have an appointment with the show’s… manager?” She sweated bullets, so obviously lying.
“Rumi…” You wanted to disappear under the surface of the Earth, but that space was occupied by the demons.
“Ah! I think I might know what you mean, the previous group left a message for you.”
“They… did?”
“Here you go, Ma'am Rumi.”
“Oh! You don't have to call me… that.”
“Pft.” Mira couldn’t help herself.
“Hey!”
“So? What does it say?” You glanced over the violet girl’s shoulder.
“It's… ah invitation.”
An invitation to a duel of some sorts. Those demons must've thought that they were powerful enough to pierce through the Honmoon, and destroy the huntresses this time once and for all. Or they wanted to get in your head, once more.
You were willing to prove them wrong, all of your group did. No matter if it was a trap or not, you still headed to the building next to the bathhouse.
An abandoned building at that…
The ambience of the building wasn’t that awful. It was just shrouded in darkness, lit only by the flashlight on Rumi’s phone. The wooden floors creaked as you slowly stepped down the narrow, yet long hallways. You couldn’t see what was around a corner until you were right next to it. Your guard rose up, a silent panic settled itself at the back of your head as you heard your own heartbeat in the most silent of moments.
You often brushed against a wall or a door, bare skin of your hand once bumping against a metal doorknob.
Finally, the air became easier to breathe as you fully entered the main hall, the room much wider and the ceiling much higher.
Zoey looked around nervously while holding onto yours and Mira’s arms. With each simple scare caused by a sudden faraway noise or creak, she would jump and then look thrilled.
“Are you scared or excited? Pick one,” the other girl that was stuck to her side-eyed the shorter girl hard.
“Can’t help it! It’s exactly like that one game with the ghost husband and/or bride, y’know! It’s so terrifying, but so exhilarating. Totally like putting on VR headset and exploring that area,” the girl spoke in a hushed, but very sped up way, revealing just how excited she was.
There was a secret that you never shared with your chosen family, the girls - you were weak, deathly fearful against a specific type of demon. It isn’t a flashy one or the biggest. It’s much like a slender shadow, a mimicry of a human’s starved body. It doesn’t have a face. It may look like an empty space at first glance, but then you notice how the white skin is pulled over the bones and muscles underneath. There is a face underneath it all, and who knows what monstrous features are hidden away.
You’ve seen it here, or at least you thought you did. At the corner of your eye, multiple times as you guys went deeper and deeper inside this decrepit old building.
“Ah, and they arrive…” the tension that hung in the air was broken as a familiar voice slashed through. The demon boyband’s leader, Jinu.
He stood right in the middle of the room, arms spread as if he was welcoming you all. His lackeys right behind him in yet another practiced group pose. But they weren’t the only ones here.
From vents, cracks in the ceiling and broken floor boards emerged those despicable faceless demons, slowly moving their way out of hiding, the long limbs extending as much as they could, crawling forward. You gripped Zoey’s arm this time, your knees becoming weak and your calves shivering.
The girl didn’t notice as she was absorbed in the dramatic entrance.
You looked around before summoning your weapon.
With gritted teeth, you stepped forward. The fear, anxiety once more turned to anger, much like you were trained to do. You needed to leave this haunted place as soon as possible, and there was only one way to do so.
You swallowed the fear down, fighting against any stutter. “Revealing yourselves here… against four hunters. You really think you stand a chance? We’ve butchered legions of you demons,” your weapon’s edge glinted in the light of Rumi’s flashlight. “You’re not leaving this place alive. We’ll peel you apart, carve your screams into the walls of this place, wear your pretty hides as a cloaks, make it a warning to your kind…"
You thought you did a good job at intimidation, enough to spike even a droplet of fear. In fact, some of those lines you’ve heard from Celine’s stories, all of them from her huntress days.
Well, you did strike anxiety in those around you. Abby and Romance shared a glance, silently asking themselves, “Are we the demons here? Or her? Even Gwi-Ma didn’t threaten them like that.” While the others remained silent, shaken by the most violent words they’ve heard yet from you.
Your girls side-eyed you hard, as you seemed more hardcore than usual.
It was true, the more you were scared, the more you had to act out to cover that up.
There was one demon, a baby-faced demon who casually undid the wrapper of his lollipop, he was contemplating throwing his bandmates under the bus. Yes, Baby wanted to see if you’ll follow through with your threats.
This idol was the first to speak, leaning to the side and going, “Boohoo…” teasing, acting into his idol persona.
The faceless demons were the first to move, jumping towards you in small groups, hoping to split up the huntresses. Meanwhile, the Saja Boys retreated, seemingly running away.
“What?!” Rumi fought back with her sword, slicing her way forward, “they’re leaving? Just like that? After an entrance like that?”
“It’s a taunt tactic. Don’t let it get to you, we’ll catch up to them,” Mira reassured you all, keeping the faceless at a distance as she got cornered against a wall. You were still with Zoey in this large room, but being back to back did limit your own weapon, so you consciously leapt into the crown of demons.
Each of you made it their goal to get to the boyband as soon as possible, before they vanished like the cowards they were.
You won’t let them leave like last time.
In a matter of seconds that felt like minutes, you were running down yet another narrow hallway, nearly smacking into each corner while evading more demons that appeared. You felt the other girls behind you, but at some point, you lost Zoey and Mira.
Rumi looked around, knowing that you’re keeping the front guarded. She knew that the other girls got to the other Saja Boys, who most likely stayed behind as a distraction.
That’s right. Zoey was the first one to notice one of those demons sitting in one of the rooms they’ve passed, the slightly ajar door giving her a split of a second to notice Mystery just standing there. With a whisper to Mira, she went back and barged into the room while the rest of the group ran forward.
The girl summoned more daggers into her other hand as she stepped through the doorway, facing the quiet demon.
Then, the other girl, Mira, left the group, led away much like the younger one did, but with a sound of a familiar chuckle. Before she knew it, she was stuck between the two, undeniably attractive, guys- demons!
She looked around the room before the door behind her closed shut, Romance’s blackened nails digging into the wooden surface. The huntress groaned as she realized that she fell into a trap that she had to fight her way out of.
“Great… stuck between a rock,” she sneakily glanced at the abs, “and a hard place,” at which Romance raises a very intrigued brow, the corner of his lips barely raising up at that interesting comment.
Her weapon was raised high against Abby as she kept looking back to see which one would attack first.
You kept on running, teeth clenched, as you slowly began to exhaust yourself.
“How big is this place?!” You finally let out, but there was no one to hear your call. Rumi was long gone from your side. This sudden disappearance caused you to stop dead in your tracks, right around a corner that led to two different paths forward.
“Is it the ability of a demon or something?” The way that the building was formed was unnatural, not of this world. It was too narrow, too wide at times, and definitely too long. Now, you were all alone in here.
The only light source came from your weapon as everything else drowned in darkness.
Perhaps, stopping in this part of the building was bad, as you heard unending creaking all around. Then, thumping sounds grew closer and closer behind you until you turned around to face the noise.
The faceless demons. They were crawling towards you, crawling on the floor and walls, and crawling on the ceiling. Only when you faced them did they stop moving.
A drop of sweat rolled down your neck. Prickles of fear digging into the skull. What kind of game were they playing?
Then, the exact same sound repeated from the way you turned your back to. The demons were toying with you, using a children’s game to freak you out. You wouldn’t let them, you ran to the only hallway that had no demons in sight.
Finally, you meet a dead end, but there were no hordes of demons that followed you here.
In this large room where plastic tarps covered the old furniture, there was only one person here - you, at least that’s what you thought before claws met your shoulder in a clean, painful swipe.
Meanwhile, the other girls were still seconds away from fighting their respective demons, caught in the moment of anticipation.
Zoey was already bouncing, eyes on her mysterious quiet demon, eager to show this demon who's boss!
While Rumi stepped forward wordlessly. Jinu grinned in a superior manner and asked, “Missed me?” She didn’t mean to leave you behind, but that demon called out to her as if they were old friends, standing right behind her.
Mira managed to move herself from between the two demons, thankful for her longer weapon.
The girl tried to keep it professional, but they were smirking too much, as if they weren’t the ones at a disadvantage here. They kept getting into her head, causing her to stumble as she swung forward.
Abby kept grabbing her weapon’s handle, right above her own hand, showing off, while dodging the blade directed at his very unremarkable face. Mira jumped back, tearing herself and her weapon away.
Romance complimented her form mid-swing, as he graceful dodged, brushing his arm against hers, “you’re so focused. It’s such a flattering look on you,” he whispered right against her ear before she slashed at him.
Mira growled with a red face, “Are you two flirting or fighting? Get back!”
Romance shrugged, “Why not both?”
She kicked him in the stomach, creating distance, before dodging Abby’s claws.
You hit the wall as you tried to launch yourself at him once more, your shoulder burning lightly.
Baby doesn’t block - he dodges, almost lazily. Doesn't speak, as he taunts you by busying himself with his lollipop. This demon stopped attacking after the first strike, preferring to tire you out first, enjoying any sounds of frustration pulled out from you.
He tilts his head as your blade thrusted forward, barely grazing his ear.
“What nothing to say?” You bite out, grip tightening onto the weapon’s handle as the demon only left an infuriating smile at that, eyes glinting in the light of your blade.
You brought the weapon down, burying it into the ground as he dodged you once more, sidestepping as if he was dancing on an arcade machine.
“Uh oh… someone's angry, how scary…” Every time Baby used baby talk against you, you felt more and more determined to shut him up. You generally weren't a fan of demons, that was clear from the start, but this one was on a new level. How vexing…
Zoey struck first, lightning fast, her daggers leaving a trail of light.
She slashed them at the demon, but he just dodged, hair barely revealing his features as the girl threw all her blades at him, but one. The young huntress held that single weapon a bit tighter as, suddenly gasping at the near-reveal of his face.
She stabbed at him again, but this time he didn't dodge.
He catches the single blade with his mouth.
She squealed in both shock and awe, knees almost giving as she felt his cold breath tease her knuckles. The girl let go of the weapon as his demonic arms moved at her, claws moving faster than lighting.
The huntress quickly created some distance by jumping back.
Zoey slapped her cheeks lightly, “Focus, focus, fight now, crush later,” she chanted, calming herself down.
Then, Mystery vanished from view, and she giggled nervously. “I’m in danger…”
In another part of the building, Jinu kept teasing Rumi for her desperate attempts at harming him. “Your form’s even sloppier than from what other demons described. Is this really what a feared huntress is like?”
Rumi blushes and then frowns, angry at herself for letting a demon get to her like that. A very… not-attractive demon that constantly gets under her skin!
The guy parried her blade without any effort, as sparks flew between her sword and his dark claws. “Still, you’re lucky I’m so distracted. You’re not making it easy for me,” he says between a low laughs as the huntress caused yet another wound at his collarbone. She kept going for his head, and the infuriating face.
“And you’re distracting too!” She jumped back, pointing at him with her sword before jumping at the stunned demon to attack. “With you... face! And all that!” Rumi wasn’t the best at trash talking people she was totally not into.
He suddenly faltered after she scored a hit, and he stammered out of his controlled and composed character, “Did you- …wait, is this flirting?”
This time, she was so stunned she missed a beat. He caught her arm, then awkwardly let go as she looked into his eyes for a moment too long. Jinu was caught off guard by that, allowing the girl to slash at his arm, breaking the skin.
Mira pressed a blade to Romance’s throat. At that, his finger tapped the blade before he whispered, “Bet you’re not thinking about slashing me at all when I’m at your mercy.”
She kneed him instead, infuriated to the max. The girl managed to defeat the two demons, but before she could put a stop to them, finishing them off, they fell back as the faceless demons rushed into the room.
Zoey tripped and straddled her demon. Mystery just stared or seemed to stare as his eyes were still covered by his hair. She screamed into her hands, then headbutted him. The demon was thus knocked out by a very flustered huntress.
Two hands suddenly pulled her away by the shoulders, as Romance and Abby came to the rescue. The demons grab their unconscious bandmate, and the huntress has no way of following them as the hands holding her belong to a faceless demon, one of many that surrounded her. “Oh shoot, I’m really in danger now!”
Rumi stood over Jinu, her injured sleeve showing her marks to the demon once more.
“You really need to wear thicker clothes to battle. At this point, I won’t have the pleasure of revealing your identity to the other girls,” he laughed despite the pain from his injured state.
“You won’t do it either way,” she warned him, blade right over his face, the blue light illuminating his awed expression.
“Sure… see you soon.” Whether she liked it or not, he left. Perhaps, she let him leave.
Rumi had a feeling she wasn’t the only one that left today’s fight with a bitter taste in her mouth.
You finally managed to land a hit, an open wound appearing on Baby’s cheek as his eyes finally turn into a glare, but a glare full of twisted amusement. He bit through his lollipop with a thick fang, the candy shattering with ease, the stick pulled out and thrown to the side.
He swiped away the blood with his fingers and looked down to see the damage. It wasn’t that big of a wound, but it was quite deep, almost piercing through his entire cheek.
Baby looked back up at you, wiping the blood into his jacket as he fished out another candy from a pocket. “You're fun. Don’t die to another demon, ‘kay?” He finally graced you with his real voice, walking out of the room as the faceless demons passed by him, swarming you. “I like you,” he said with such ease that it felt no more than a simple and sweet lie, “so, see you soon.”
That day, you all returned home exhausted to near exhaustion.
Each of you didn’t even have the strength to even say a single word. You all just sat or laid down in the main room of your building. As you looked around, you could see that Zoey was already drifting off into sleep while Mira was using her lap as a pillow.
Rumi took half of the couch, face shoved between the cushions.
Meanwhile, you sat on the floor with your back resting against the couch. You pulled out your phone, searching up a very specific thing from earlier. That demon, you thought about him and then you thought about yourself, and so much more.
You stared hard at the fanart, and, for a split second, you admired how human, how soft, the artist made you look.
There was also a question of ‘why’ - Why would anyone draw you with someone so… so publicly soft? That demon is so innocent in their eyes, so why would they pair him up with an idol that is seemingly a guard dog or a brute in their eyes?
“Hey,” Mira spoke up, not stirring other girls awake, “what are you thinking about?”
“I'm not this… whatever version that the artist drew. I’ve never been like this.” You were still holding the phone with one of the fanart drawings showing.
Mira let out a sigh, “Yeah? You're not. Do you want to be?”
You cringed at your ‘dreamy’ expression from the fanart, “No…”
“Then?”
Your voice was quiet. “Maybe I just wanted to know if I could be…”
“Could be what?” The girl lowered herself to the ground, right next to you. The two of you were unaware that both Zoey and Rumi were still awake, listening to your anxieties and wants.
You looked at the screen again, at the softness drawn into your expression, the way your eyes in the art held something you didn’t recognize.
“Seen like that. Felt like that. Like I could be… something more than me.” At that Mira didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.
For once, silence didn’t feel like judgment.
Until it was broken.
“We do…” Both you and Mira were surprised when the two other girls, who were supposed to be sleeping, joined in.
“Oh!” Your cheeks burned bright, embarrassment hot as embers.
“Aw man, you don't even realize how cute you are, do you?” Zoey held your cheeks between her palm, squeezing them tightly. She kneeled right in front of you, reassuring you in the most honest way she could.
Rumi sat on the other side of you, her braid scratching your wounded shoulder. “You let them get in your head…” She wasn't just talking about you, as she felt that the bandmates were all experiencing similar dilemmas, just covered in different ways.
“What now?” You questioned her, letting all your uncertainty and vulnerability show.
She straightened up, letting out a sigh as she thought about it.
“We stick together. We'll be done with those demons in no time, but…,” she reached out to hold your hand, “we don't bury ourselves in work or fighting, okay?”
“Thank you.”
With a soft smile Zoey decided to add a little something, “Ooh! After we defeat those pesky, hot, no-good, attractive, troublesome demons, let's go on a group date or something!”
“Huh?!”
“C’mon, you've never been on one before, right? Didn't even have a crush before,” how did Zoey know that? Well, she is a peculiar one, isn't she?
“Well, that's not… entirely true.”
“FYI, fictional crushes don't count,” Mira chimed in, reaching her hand out to grab a couple pillows from the couch.
“Oh, they don't?” It looked like Rumi was in the same boat, sharing your revelation of fictional vs real crushes.
You exhaled, tension broken as you shook your head with a smile.
That night, all of you fell asleep at the foot of your couch, tangled up together as a family on the cool floor. Weirdly enough, you didn't feel the cold at all.
Meanwhile, far away from your home, a baby-faced demon was pressuring Jinu to send a letter.
While your girlhood, and huntresshood, troubles seemed to have been temporarily resolved by the bond with the other girls, there were still parts that have not been addressed.
Baby Saja was aware that a single chat with your family won't quench the fire, far from it. In a way, he wanted to push you for his own curiosity.
This a curiosity revolving all around you.
More troubles await you, but for now you can rest.