Beauty and the demon LuciferXRin

Epilogue part 1

It's been six months since we established our little town here in Gehenna...

Six months that have felt so impossibly long and yet so impossibly short at the same time. But I know why. The reason is rather quite simple, irritatingly simple. Six months of planning, sitting at a desk, and dealing with the remnants of the Illuminati command was longer than that amount of time could ever be. The logistics while mind-numbing could be dealt with, but the brewing threat of Homare staging a rebellion and risking the lives of everyone in a foolish attempt to prove something was often the worst part of any day.

Thankfully Lucifer was there by his side most days, and he was more suited to deal with the politics of this new town. His former followers although no longer sworn to him still ate out of the palm of his hand, and with his new host, his long flowing hair and his stupidly perfect face his grip on them was far stronger than it had ever been. Yet for all the power he held none of it fell into my hands, no matter what I tried or how badly I wished, they never seemed to want to listen.

So when I find myself at my wit's end, like today, I go seek out those who came to this town just for me. My time with Yuki, and the girls during this past few months have seemed far too short. A few hours scattered over months are like specs of sea glass on the beach, it's all the same thing but it seems entirely different...

And here I am wasting this limited time being stuck in my own head. Drowning in my useless thoughts

Until a fist slammed into my side, hitting me perfectly between two ribs, leaving small cracks in both for a fraction of time before they snapped back into place. I nearly fell out of my small chair, stumbling as I clung to the side of the table to stabilize myself.

"See I told you he wasn't paying attention," Shura grinned, rubbing her knuckles on her chest, distracting the nerves from their bruising signals.

"Rin are you alright?" Yukio put his hand on mine.

"No, I'm- I'm good. I just got lost in my thoughts. It's been a long day."

"It's been a long few months." Izumo sighed, rubbing her head.

"But not long enough," Shura said.

"Cheers to that," Izumo raised her glass of water with a grin.

"I really should spend more time with you guys," I take my hand away from Yukio's as I adjust in my chair, my tail hanging uselessly off the chair. "I'm sorry that I let myself get so distracted."

"We can hardly blame you. In the four months you have transformed this place from barely livable to practically a paradise," Izumo said.

"It's impressive to see what you have done over the past six months," Yukio cleared his throat. "Six."

Izumo's eyes shot open. "No, it hasn't been that long."

"In a week and a half, we will have been here for seven months."

"Already? I feel like I got here last week."

"You did arrive later than Rin and I."

"Yeah, a few days later Yukio, not a month... Seven months-and how many times have we met up?"

"Ah screw the numbers," Shura spoke over the conversation drawing the pair into silence as she adjusted the conversation back to me. "You have been working hard kid, and achieved a lot. I'm proud of you."

I would be lying if those words didn't hit me hard. It started as a flush of warmth pooling in my gut, stealing the air from my lungs and sparking a tear in my eyes. My heartbeat slowed as for a moment time seemed to slow with it, and perhaps it did. I have been working on expanding my abilities, it's the least I can do to continue to support this place and my friends.