Chapter Text
Zoey had sat to the side by herself, knees to her chest, eyes glazed and staring numbly at the sea, while the others sang song after song in an effort to repair the damage Mystery had done to the honmoon. It worked -- after the Saja Boys joined in with Mira and Rumi, the iridescent light was shimmering once more.
And that wasn't all.
"The blue light we saw in your patterns," Rumi said cautiously, glancing from one Saja Boy to the other. "I mean, it sort of looked like. . ." She trailed off, not wanting to jinx it. She'd seen their patterns change as they tried to stop Mystery. It was nighttime now, and the group were sitting in a circle around a fire on the beach.
Romance made a scoffing sound. "This better mean the sun stops making us itch," he muttered.
"Is it true, then?" Mira asked.
"Do you feel any different?" Rumi added.
The Saja Boys looked at each other and shrugged, continuing to eat. Nobody wanted to answer. The girls scowled.
"How can you be so dismissive about a subject this important?" Mira asked irritably, elbowing Abby in the side, but it was little more than a gentle tap and she was careful to avoid his injuries. He looked up and held her gaze for a moment longer than expected, causing Mira to look away. Abby continued to eat.
"Getting back one's soul is a pretty important subject," Zoey said suddenly, voice rough and quiet.
There was an awkward pause. Jinu sighed inwardly, wondering if she would understand if he tried to explain. "Mystery would have known this could happen, Zoey."
She shook her head. "He didn't think there was anything he could do to get his soul back, or prevent it, I don't think." She stared dazedly at the fire.
"He knew," Jinu stated.
"I should have tried harder."
Rumi put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He wanted to keep you safe. He must have been nearby, keeping an eye out for trouble."
"Like we should have," Abby muttered, taking a swig of his drink.
"Exactly like Gwi-ma wanted?" Zoey asked sharply. She closed her eyes. "The whole thing was a trap. I killed him again," she murmured.
"How did you guys know what was happening?" Rumi asked curiously.
Baby, Romance and Jinu all stared at Abby, who made a scoffing sound and looked away. Beside Rumi, Mira played with the food at the bottom of her bowl with her chopsticks.
Zoey tuned her friends out and continued to stare into the fire, remembering the terrible look on Mystery's face as he'd transformed himself to save her. She reached down absently to rub her sore legs, which Mira had provided aloe for. Her skin burned. She wondered if that's how Mystery always felt in the sun. She wondered if that's how he felt in the underworld.
Everyone seemed to think he was complicated because he was quiet, but Zoey knew better. It was simple. Mystery wanted his soul back just as badly as everyone else. When he sang, he was as close to human as he could be. The sun hurt his skin, but he subjected himself to it anyway, hoping it might do something to help.
I guess he must have believed there was something he could do after all, Zoey mused, but it doesn't matter now. Gwi-ma has him, and he's never coming back.
And it's all because of me.
--------
"Holy shit," Baby said bluntly.
"Zoey," Rumi said quickly, looking back through the door way to her friend. "Get in here. Quick."
Alarmed, Zoey pushed through the Saja Boys and entered the penthouse. She was not prepared for the sight that awaited her.
There, in the middle of the living room floor, was Mystery. His clothes were singed and tattered, face covered in dirt. And his skin. . .
Zoey knelt down beside him and ran her hands over his face, pushing back his hair gently. His skin was warm and soft. His chest was rising. Cautiously, she lifted his upper lip. No fangs.
"Should we be leaving you two alone?" Romance asked.
"Shut up, idiot."
"Jinu, he looks like you," Rumi said excitedly. She grabbed his arm, beaming up at him. "Does this mean...?"
Jinu nodded. "He can't hold a glamour in this condition. If he looks like this, then. . ." he trailed off, and smiled. "Looks like someone got his soul."
_______
Mystery was moved to his room, which was where Zoey now spent every waking (and often sleeping) moment. She sat by his side for days, running her fingers through his hair, tracing the faded patterns on his skin, staring at his eyelashes.
Often she sang to him, and smiled when a faint light blue glow occasionally seeped through his patterns.
He could hear her.
A knock on the door caught her attention. "Come in," Zoey called. Rumi and Mira entered, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, you guys didn't have to do that. I can come out," Zoey said cheerfully.
"Right, like you didn't come out yesterday," Mira said pointedly, setting the tray down.
"Or the day before," Rumi added.
Zoey shrugged sheepishly, and looked back down at Mystery's face.
"How long are you going to sit here staring at him?" Mira asked bluntly. Rumi gave her an elbow to the side.
That was a good question. Zoey reached down and held up her notebook with a smile. "Look, I'm not just sitting here. I'm being productive." Never mind that half of it was filled with sketches of him.
"I'm not worried about you being productive," Mira replied. "I'm just worried he's never going to wake up."
"Mira!" Rumi gasped, waving her hands 'no.'
Zoey smiled. "He'll wake up," she replied. "Whether he somehow brought himself here or the honmoon did it for him, it's for a reason." She put her hand on top of his, and sighed happily, before looking back up at her friends, eyes shining with hope. "He's going to wake up."
Rumi and Mira exchanged a look. Neither of them were sure if that was true, but they hoped it was. "Well, as long as you're going to sit here staring at him, we might as well bring you food," Mira said.
Zoey smiled. "Thanks, girls."
_____________
Mystery opened his eyes, and looked around.
Where was he?
Slowly, he pushed himself up to a seated position, recognizing his room at the Huntrix tower. How did he get here?
Memory returned to him. He clenched his fists in the blanket, heart pounding. He'd followed her to the resort, of course. There was never any question on that. Wanting to give her privacy, he camped out on a hill not far from where the hunters were staying, keeping his senses sharp for threats and enduring as much sun exposure as he could without feeling like he might pass out or rip his skin to shreds.
He'd felt it immediately when the thin place captured Zoey.
And that was the last lucid thought he had.
Fury. Fear. Hatred.
He'd torn the reaper's throat out and impaled him on his own swords, knowing she was watching but not caring. It was good that she see, he thought. See the monster he really was. He'd make sure she never wanted to see him again.
But when he called upon the fire of the underworld, opened himself up to Gwi-ma in a transaction he knew he could not undo, saw the terror in her eyes for that brief moment before he set her free. . .
He felt it then.
Regret.
No, he'd thought, seeing the terror in her eyes. But he couldn't reach her.
The Saja Boys appeared and pulled her away from him again, physically out of reach, while she screamed and cried. All he'd wanted in that moment was to kill them all. Kill them and their more-alive skin, their treacherous eyes that no longer glowed yellow, rip apart their hands that had dared to touch her body.
They fought back, but not to kill. The ancient one blocked him from demon vanishing.
The last thing he remembered was the little hunter's hands on his face, her panicked eyes staring at him, and then the terrible pull he hadn't felt in months.
Gwi-ma. He always collected on a debt.
Gwi-ma's power had pulled at him from within, like a thousand sharp hooks had lodged themselves into his body and were turning him inside out. He resisted as long as he could, wanting to see that the little hunter was okay, wanting to explain and apologize, wanting to keep anyone else from touching or harming her, but in the end the pull was too great and he felt himself pulled through.
He'd expected to land in front of Gwi-ma, freedom lost forever, but instead he slammed into the honmoon (or something like it?) with the force of a bolt of lightning. He remembered a flash of bright light, and then nothing.
Now he was here.
And he'd heard her voice.
Anxious and rattled, he climbed out of bed and looked around for something to change into. Not seeing anything in reach, he snapped his fingers impatiently, covering himself in a simple tracksuit. Mystery blinked in surprise, glancing at the hand he'd raised. He brought it closer to his face.
His skin was human, patterns faintly visible, more like scars than tattoos.
He looked like Jinu.
Not sure what to think, he ran over to the mirror and pulled back his hair.
_____
"It's been three weeks," Romance mused. "Do you think he's ever waking up?"
The Saja Boys and Huntrix were crowded around the dinner table as usual, the conversation far more companionable than it used to be.
"Better not let Zoey hear you ask that," Rumi replied.
"Hear him ask what?" Zoey asked, scowling theatrically. She wagged a finger in the air and tutted. "It better not be some nonsense about things that are never going to happen." She grinned. "You know how much I don't like that." Romance gave a little mock bow in response.
"If these guys can get their souls back, anything can happen," Mira said, grinning darkly.
Abby glanced at her sideways. "Everyone already knows, Mira. When are you doing to admit it?"
"Admit what?" she scoffed, though Rumi noticed it lacked any real venom. "That I can't stand the sight of you?"
"That you can hardly stand when you catch sight of me," he replied with a satisfied grin.
Mira glared, cheeks warming slightly.
"This really isn't fair," Romance complained, taking a sip of his tea. "I kind of hope Myst doesn't wake up. I need a hunter too." He sulked. "Can we be Zomeo?"
"If you go near her, I really will kill you next time."
Multiple sets of chopsticks fell to their plates in surprise. Mystery was standing in the doorway, hands casually in his pockets, hair slightly tousled but otherwise looking perfectly normal. Skin effortlessly warm, his patterns were even more faint than the others' now. He looked. . .great.
Everyone who wasn't looking at him was now looking at Zoey, who was frozen in place, staring at him.
He was still the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, even more so now. For her, the past few weeks had been achingly precious, giving her a chance to stare and adore and take care of him the way she'd often wished to; but the truth was that for him she was still a nuisance who'd caused him nothing but trouble. She'd nearly killed him twice. Just because he was a little protective, that didn't mean anything.
Zoey sulked.
"How are you feeling?" Rumi asked, breaking the silence.
He turned his head towards her and nodded. "Good."
The seated Saja Boys exchanged glances. It was unusual for him to respond to a question like that.
"Do you, um. . .care to join us?"
Mystery hesitated, and looked back towards Zoey. She was staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it wasn't that unreadable look. Was he wrong that he'd heard her voice in his sleep?
He frowned, considering. The last time she'd seen him awake he'd been fully demon, her eyes full of fear. She'd begged him to stop. He didn't stop. Was she afraid of him?
Suddenly remembering, he turned his head towards Abby.
"Sorry," he said simply, catching his eye. He gestured to his own chest by way of explanation.
Abby smirked. "Felt good to fight."
Mystery felt the corner of his lip lift, an unfamiliar warmth in his chest as he surveyed the occupants of the room. He turned his gaze back to the little hunter, and the warmth increased. In fact, his heart was pounding in his chest. Behind his hair, Mystery furrowed his brow. Is this how life would feel, now?
He still didn't remember anything of his life before Gwi-ma. He'd seen humans, all their complexities and connections, but couldn't remember what it felt like to be one. Now that he suspected he had his soul back, even though he was evidently still marked as a demon, was he going to feel like this?
A sudden noise caught his attention, and he jolted in surprise.
"Are you laughing?" Baby asked incredulously.
He was, he realized. It had come from that warmth in his chest. Unbeknownst to Mystery, he was also smiling a perfectly dazzling megawatt smile.
"The Saja Boys are so back," Jinu said with a grin. Rumi nodded her agreement.
"Agggggggggh," came a pained noise from the end of the table.
THWAP!
Mystery looked over in concern. Zoey had collapsed forward over her food. Alarmed, he rushed over to her side and knelt down, putting one hand gently on her back and reaching the other forward to cradle her cheek. "Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"
Zoey's breath caught in her chest when she felt his hand on her cheek. For once at a loss for words, she turned towards him, eyes brimming with tears, and put her hand on top of his, holding him closer. He tilted his head, hair parting to reveal a pair of perfectly beautiful dark brown eyes.
Zoey was sure she was going to die in that moment. Why was it so warm in here?
"Are you okay?" she asked nervously. Then, feeling herself turn a deeper shade of red she mumbled, "Your eyes."
Unbeknownst to her, Mystery was just as nervous and overwhelmed as she was. Not trusting himself to say the right thing, he simply nodded. "Yeah," he said.
"This is so cute I'm gonna throw up," Baby remarked. He pointed to the door with his chopsticks. "Leave. Both of you. Now. OUT."
Both embarrassed, Mystery offered Zoey a hand which she accepted, quietly getting to her feet and following him out of the room. Once they were out of earshot Rumi uncovered her face and made a strangled sound.
"I'M GONNA DIE!" she exclaimed.
"SO CUTE!" Mira agreed. The two girls hugged each other.
"Don't feel bad, you never stood a chance," Abby informed Romance unhelpfully. He took a moment to look over at Mira, who was uncharacteristically emotional and holding her friend's hands, the two gushing about how happy and relieved they were.
He shook his head, returning to his meal. The oldest and scariest of them was officially pathetic. He sure as hell wasn't following in his footsteps.
"Fine, he can keep her," Romance replied. But he was smiling.
_________________________
END PART I
FIN.
I'm so sorry I didn't post the rest of this for forever. That's what happens when you have a crazy job, the fun stuff gets neglected. Tbh this only got posted because I was suddenly inspired by watching Pursuit of Jade, and finished part three, and realized I'd never post part two OR three if I didn't get all of part one up here. oof. lol.
Thank you for joining my shenanigans!