23 Chapter 22

The night sky was exceptionally beautiful tonight. You could clearly see each star and the hand of the galaxy. Now, the only thing that I was missing was the sound of the ocean waves washing up the shore.

I was going to miss all of it. I closed my eyes and laid back onto the grass. After the Director concluded the secret meeting, I was told to find my own place to meditate. Mimiku sulked off somewhere, Fitzy went his own way, and I had no idea where Emma went off to.

What was I expecting? A warm welcome?

"Yes, kind of," I answered.

Who am I kidding, though it was nice seeing everyone?

A rustle of grass cam from behind me. I shot up and spun around; Emma was standing there in her combat armor from earlier.

"Hey." She waved.

"Hey."

There was an awkward pause between us.

"Long time no see, how have you been? You look great considering the circumstances," I blabbered.

"Oh, yeah, thank, uh, you too," she replied with her eyes aiming at the ground.

"You wanna talk? Promise I won't bite, and…"

I sat on the grass and offered to come to sit down. Emma, finally looking up from the ground, took up the offer, and sat next to me. There was a little more distance than I'd like, but I took it.

"And I will tell you everything about me, the whole story, truthfully," I finished.

"Where you ever going to tell me?" she whispered.

I took a moment to think about the response.

"Maybe, eventually," I said.

"I found the ring," Emma spoke up.

That was out of nowhere, and I was a bit confused with what she was saying.

"What ring?"

"The ring that was inside your backpack," she said, looking at me.

I was blank.

"The ring with my name inscribed on the underside of the ring?"

My mouth dropped, ears went red hot, as did my face, and that ring came to mind. Emma raised her head and eyebrows, and I swore I thought I say the very tip of her lips curl upwards. She lowered her gaze again.

"Tell me about that ring."

"I…well…"

I didn't know how to start explaining that ring. I didn't think that she would ever know about the ring.

"Um, it was for a possible later time," I replied, folding my hands and twirling my thumbs together.

"A possible later time? Could you care to elaborate?" she asked.

The tone in her voice was light, genuine. I took a big breath and let it out.

"When I was young, there was this energetic girl that came up to me and introduced herself. She saw that I had been crying for reasons she didn't know," I began to tell.

"I couldn't stop crying and wouldn't stop hiding behind my kitsunes tail. This little girl finally asked me to come to play with her. Without really giving me a choice, she took my hand and pulled me from my stoop."

"We played this weird game called house, she was the wife, and I was the husband. Later on, this little girl told me that he wanted to marry someone that cared about her, challenged her, could protect her, and be her best friend. Her name was Selene," I told.

"I told myself that, if I ever got the chance to be that person, that I was going to be that someone. Years later, I finally made a ring, inscribed that little girl's name on it, and kept it hidden until, maybe, one day, I would earn the right to ask her if I could be that someone."

I was looking absently out. A smile was on my face while I regaled my childhood memory. I blinked a few times, setting the memory back into its little place and turning to Emma.

I had never seen her so red in the face before.

"Are you okay," I asked, scooting closer

Emma immediately scooted away, shoving her hands against me to keep me away.

"No, no, no, no, no, I'm fine. I just didn't, I," she stammered.

Once she was at the same distance previously, she calmed down and cleared her throat.

"You made a ring because of that?"

I nodded my head, "There are a few other things, but that's the baseline."

Emma had incoherently begun to rub her ring finger. That got me thinking.

"Emma?"

She looked at me.

"Did you try on the ring?"

Her face that had started to return to normal changed to a scarlet red.

"I…"

"You're rubbing your finger." I pointed at her.

She opened her mouth to speak, she turned away with embarrassment. I chuckled softly, just enough to hide it with my hand, but then, it grew into an uncontrollable laugh.

"Stop laughing!" Emma warned.

"I don't mean to, but it's just; I have never seen you this red in my life, and it's adorable and funny."

Emma threw a punch at my arm. Out of instinct, my body blew into smoke and reassembled on the other side of Emma with the distance closed. I wasn't laughing, but I did have a smile.

"Did it fit nicely?"

Emma opened her mouth, said nothing, and shook her head.

"I'm glad to hear it," I replied.

From my peripheral, I noticed a faint grin come across her face.

"Um, there was one thing that did happen. I wanted to ask about," Emma inquired.

"What's that?"

"When I put the ring on, um, there came a pain like it was cutting into me, and then, there was your name on my finger," she said.

"Oh, I wouldn't think too heavily on that. It was a counter if someone was stealing it." I took her hand and examined it. "There's nothing to worry about, no scaring, and you put it back."

"Oh, good, um sorry." She smiled.

"You know, out of everything that could have been asked, you wanted to ask about the ring," I scolded with a smile.

I bumped her elbow with mine.

"Were you ever going to ask me out at some point?"

She was serious, not in a bad way, but more so curious.

"I have been trying to gather the courage to do so," I admitted.

She scoffed.

"How about this," I offered, "After all of this, and saying we all survive the storm, would you like to take a walk on the beach again?"

"Look at that, you finally asked!" she teased.

I busted out laughing.

"Here I am trying to have a tender moment, and finally asking you to be more than a friend, and you're acting like I just unlocked an achievement," I scolded flirtatiously.

Emma broke out laughing as well, pushing me a little. I pushed back playfully, and before I knew it, Emma's lips were centimeters from mine. I leaned in to seal the kiss when…

"Sorry to intrude," interrupted Mimiku.

Emma and I broke off our "almost kiss" and turned in different ways.

If Mimiku didn't already know, the tone in my voice would.

"Where have you been, and did you need to interrupt now?" I asked my fox.

She smiled timidly at me then at Emma for help.

"She asked me if she could try and mend things with Nekko. I gave her permission," Emma aided.

"And?" I asked Mimiku.

Mimiku gave a delightful chuckle.

"Things are mending for now, but you and I need to be getting back. We have been gone far too long that it'll have Jezebel questioning us," Mimiku explained.

I looked at my phone and cringed. Jezebel had texted me nearly an hour ago. Emma pulled my phone towards her to examine the picture of Jezebel. Emma was less than pleased with the picture and pushed the phone back to me.

"I, um, am getting a new phone after this and burning this one," I said.

Emma's eyebrows raised up.

"Uh-huh, sure, sure."

I got to my feet with Emma and looked into her eyes. They were more brilliant than ever before.

"You have the most beautiful eyes, you know that?" I complimented.

Emma's scarlet came back.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to take a reign check on this."

Emma quickly closed the distance between us and our lips. Her's were soft, warm, meaningful, and delicious. She pulled away.

"You can take a reign check, but you're definitely going to own me big time," she warned coquettishly.

I smiled and went over to Mimiku.

"Eugene James?"

I turned around.

"I will collect," Emma finished.

"I look forward to it," I chuckled.

Mimiku wrapped her tail around my body, and we vaporized into the black smoke, then disappeared.

~~~

We appeared in the middle of demons, forming rank and marching. It was an organized mess of chaos.

"Where have you been?!"

That wasn't a pleased devil asking the question.

"My apologies, my queen, but I was carried away with tormenting one of my souls," I excused.

The back of Jezebel's hands struck the side of my face. I skidded on the floor in front of the hordes.

"I called you an hour ago!" Jezebel screamed, a blood-red fire brewing in her throat.

"When I call you, answer, and get yourself to me immediately!"

I got to my feet, feeling four deep cuts on my face.

"I will do so, my queen," I replied.

Mimiku stood still waiting for me to give her orders. I started to heal my face when Jezebel grabbed my hand.

"Leave this to scar. Let it be a reminder of insubordination."

Jezebel threw my arm to the side. I didn't look her in the eye. She growled and stomped off.

"Way to piss her off," Mimiku stated.

"Yeah, no kidding," I remarked.

I healed my face then covered it with my black hood.

"Mimiku gather the dead, form ranks, our queen has made her orders," I commanded darkly.

Mimiku cackled and roared, her eye blazing purpled. The undead awoke and did as they were told. Once the full formation of the Jezebel's current army and mine were set, I created a throne of bones for me to sit upon. Jezebel stood at the front of her army, bellowing a speech of change and new world order. She would rule for centuries with no opposition.

"I wanted to ask you," Mimiku hushed to me.

"I did I find out how to get Death to kill Jezebel?"

Mimiku nodded her head.

"Yes, but for her to draw near, there has to be death," I responded.

"So, this time, the killing is going to be for real, or at least more real than when I thought last time," Mimiku scoffed.

"Sadly," I whispered.

"Are you going to take those unfortunate souls?"

"Yes, I'm going to have to force Death to meet with me and negotiate for her to kill Jezebel," I replied.

I actually didn't like the idea of people actually dying this time in larger quantities. Honestly, I didn't like this in any way shape for form, but for the greater good of the world, this was going to have to be the way.

To save the world.

"Forward to Victory!"

Jezebel roared her battle cry, and the hordes erupted for bloodlust. Then the formations began to move.

"And so, it begins," Mimiku stated.

"That's Captain Obvious," I chuckled.

"Oh, shut up," Mimiku growled.

I laughed, but Mimiku stuck her nose up into the air and walked ahead of me.

"What's she so mad about?"

Jezebel had weaseled her way back to me and acted all cute and innocent.

"She's just mad because she was too obvious about things, and I called her out on it, my queen," I answered, keeping my gaze forward.

"You're not mad still about the little cut I gave you, earlier are you?" Jezebel asked.

"Of course not, it was a necessary disciplining that I needed to correct my ways. Thank you, my queen."

Jezebel giggled and walked ahead back to the front of the formation. Her giggle turning into darker fits of laughter.