Chapter Text
He knew things were not correct. One moment he was before Rumi, the next moment he was not. The next he was in an expanse of blinding white. He wasn't sure where he was. He was in his demon form. Rumi wasn't in front of him. Not anymore. Things changed. There was no world. There was nothing around him. Just a plane expanse. Looking down at his hands, he rotated them back and forth. They were in human form, but they were in demon colors and patterns. He reached up, the gat was still upon his head.
Reaching up, he undone it and removed it from his head, studying it for a moment before it disappeared completely. Curious, he removed the top layer of his clothing, the black disappearing in a second. He looked around, nothing was there except the whiteness. Suddenly, the bright white vibrated, holographic purple and silver and the faintest of blues ignited all around him. He glanced down, his demon patterns had transformed into the new color.
Rumi did it. She defeated Gwi-Ma. But, the question was. Where is he? Where was he that was white and blinding and completely alone. He wasn't sure what was going on. Just that things were changing, and hopefully for the better. He was lost, that much was for sure.
Rumi looked before her at the new honmoon she and the girls created. The new honmoon that had brought Baby back from wherever he went after they defeated Gwi-Ma. He said that they would be coming back. That Jinu was still out there. That he wasn't gone. But how did he know? Did Rumi really trust him? Everything filtered through her head, confusion at the finger tips. Her fingers traced along the air, her weapon appearing in her hands.
Studying it, it was different than before. When Jinu gave her his soul, what Baby claimed to be tethering, it changed the design of her sword. She looked at it, tilting her head. Maybe Baby was wrong. Maybe Jinu wasn't tethered to this reality anymore, not like how he was tethered to Zoey. She brandished the sword, running through a few practice stances. If she looked, she thought she'd see the ghost of Jinu. An impression. Something, anything to show that he was still around.
She didn't realize she had an audience.
"He's in there." The deep now familiar voice spoke to her softly. She turned, watching Baby and pointing her sword at him. The light lit him up, his markings slowly coming to light closer she got to him. He didn't move as she placed the sword beneath his chin.
"You keep saying that, but there isn't any evidence."
"All of this is new to me to." He stated simply, looking at the sword then raising a hand, his markings becoming holographic like Rumi's. "You do know that's not normal, right?" He arched an eyebrow. "The patterns coming and going, they don't usually do that."
"How do you know so much if it's so new to you too?" She arched an eyebrow.
"I don't know. How do you know the honmoon's new?"
"Because I saw it created with my own eyes. The harmonies with me, Mira, and Zoey created it."
"Exactly." His voice was gruff and she lowered the sword some. "I've not seen my markings like this. I've not been able to shift so easily into human form where it doesn't physically exhaust me so much." He tapped the edge of the blade, the light brightening. "This has... energy in it that was not originally there. It has Jinu's soul in it, yeah?" He arched an eyebrow and she studied it.
"I think. I don't really know."
"It makes sense, cause it didn't look like this before." He pointed out.
"Okay, so where is he?" She asked and Baby looked at the sword.
"I don't know fully. But..." He tilted his head to the side, studying the sword then her. "He's connected to you. I can feel it. Like I can feel exactly where Zoey is inside right now." He gestured behind him. "I don't know if it's cause you guys created the new honmoon and me and Jinu were apart of the band, but I can sense his presence. Just like I somehow know the others will return."
"Why haven't they yet? Why hasn't Jinu?" Rumi asked, her voice shaking.
"I don't know." He states quietly, looking down before swerving out of her swords range and going to the balcony. He tapped the railing and the honmoon lit up the city before them. Rumi walked over, curious as to what Baby saw. "I want him back, maybe not as much as you," He waved at her. "Since you know, romantic feelings and all. But he was like a brother to me." His eyes were glowing in the light as he looked over at her. "I don't remember much of my life before being a demon, but the Sajas did become my family in the demon world." He spoke softly, eyes tracing the city before him. Rumi tilted her head slightly, studying him for a moment. He looked relax but his fingers tapped a rythem on the railing letting her know he wasn't so much relaxed as he was just presant in the moment.
"Thank you for telling me." She started, her voice low before her gaze drifted to the new honmoon and the city below them. "If it makes you feel better, Zoey definitely believes you are family to us now." Rumi explained. "And, for what it's worth." She glanced over at him same time he glanced at her. "I'm alright with you. I probably won't be as close to you as Zoey. But.. I'm open to being friends." She explained.
"Yeah?" He arched an eyebrow, studying her. "I mean." He looked back out. "I can help try understand the demon side of things. From what I know. But you're a different kind of demon than I am. You were born half demon." He shook his head slightly. "I've never known that to happen before."
"You say that like you are a different demon than Jinu?" She watched him fully now, resting her hip against the side of the wall and crossing her arms.
"Yeah." He looked back out at the city, templing his hands before resting his chin on them. "Cause I am." He shrugged. "They came from a different part of the demon world than I. Mystery also. Like I mentioned before, he's the newest demon of us all and I don't believe he was human, at least fully human, in his prior life." He explained. "And... The demon that created me, he... destroyed most of my memories."
"Jinu said shame was what made you demons."
"His side, yes." Baby tilted his head before sighing, closing his eyes. "I too feel shame. It's not the same as what they feel nor how they were created. What I have is... impressions?" He tried to explain and Rumi watched the gears turn in his head as he tried to figure out how to explain it to her. "Whereas they constantly hear He Who Won't Be Named, I on the other hand... Get intense emotions. And Like... Ugh." He ran a hand through his hair, claws sneaking out causing Rumi to be on alert a little. "I can't remember. Alright? Especially after becoming tethered to Zoey, I...." He looks at her, his teal eyes glowing brightly, his marking lighting across his skin. "I do not remember anything of my past. Not the way Jinu did. Not the way any of the others felt. So, that's difficult for me to answer."
"Do you think you could've been descended from a demon?" Rumi asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Baby bit his lip, hands clenching on the balcony railing and unclenching.
"I really don't know." He spoke honestly with a shrug. "Before my new life as a demon, I don't believe I had any demon characteristics like you did." She nodded at that.
"Okay, fair. I'm assuming that's just impressions that you remember as well?" She arched her eyebrow and he nodded.
"Yes." He sighed, going and resting his forehead on the cool metal. "I'm getting a headache from this. Sometimes that happens when I try to remember the past before the first death." He explains.
"First death... You mean full demon?"
"Yeah, sure." He shrugged and sighed, pushing himself up and looking over at her. "Look, we can talk about this later. I'm getting grumpier than normal. I know this is important to you," he held up his hand, gesturing towards her. "And I respect that. You're offering me a branch and I am taking it. However." He held up a finger. "I know how I am and I am getting to the point where I am certainly not going to be helpful. So, therefore, we shall continue this later and I'm going to recharge with Zoey." He stated and headed towards the door before she could reply. A soft laugh escaped her.
"I think you're going to fit right in, Baby." She said gently, he paused with his hand on the door as he glanced back over at her, his eyes casting a golden hue before returning to teal.
"I hope you're right. Suffering for one eternity has already been difficult. I hope... I hope this third chance will be worth it."
"Third times the charm is what they say nowadays." She smirked. "Something I got used to with Jinu is relating the current from your time." She explained and he nodded.
"Understood." He opened the door and gave her a salute before feeling the tug inside towards the room he now shared with Zoey. The tug was strong, warm, and embracing in a way that he now craved. He wasn't sure how he got from the balcony door to her room, but he didn't really care. She was lounging on the bed, a sucker in her mouth as she was in a nest of pillows, squishmellows, and stuffed animals, her brown eyes blinked like a doe at him causing his heart to melt. He felt the rush of affection through their bond she sent to him as he slugged across the room, collapsing one the bed on top of her legs.
"It's alright." She said, pausing her game to run her hand through his hair. "I'm here."
"Thank you." He mumbled, curling against her skin that was chilled. "You're cold."
"Warm me up then." She leaned down to peck his head causing him to grumble about stickiness causing her to giggle, resuming her game. His cheek was pressed against her knee, his fingers idly tracing shapes along her muscular calf as he stared at the wall before him, thinking about the conversation he had with Rumi. He really wondered why he was so different than the other Sajas but he also wasn't lying about the headache either. Curling up against her legs, he wrapped one arm around them more as he smooshed his cheek farther into her knee. The soothing sounds of Animal Crossing lulled him into a trance that allowed for his brain to shut off as Zoey would occasionally send warmth and love through their bond.
Yeah, being tethered to Zoey was the best thing that had ever happened to him.