The Guardian Spirit (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #2)

Chapter 38: More Mysteries of the Past

Blackness covered her consciousness, and then she began to come back to her senses. She groaned and slowly raised her heavy eyelids, looking around. Her whole memories flowed in. Her soul's, bunny spirit Lutecia's remembrances were followed by her current incarnation's, Lucy Caldwell's ones, so now she perfectly knew what was happening to her, and what the reasons were. She saw Incubus who had just taken his hand off her forehead. It was apparently he, the demon prince of dreams and illusions, who gave her the memories back... She then looked aside and saw her cousin Lily and her husband Samael. Lily stared at her with concern, her hands clutched together, while Samael had a stern gaze, as usual. Then, when she glanced at the edge of her bed, she saw him, in his white Yin form, worriedly watching her with his lovely red eyes which always gave her not the association of blood like it gave to others, but rather, two dazzling rubies... 

"Hong-hong..." a faint smile covered her face as she weakly stretched her hand out to the big fluffy fox.

Hearing this nickname he had never heard her call him for so many millennia, Yuehong's eyes brightened. He dashed at her, embraced her in his arms, and cuddled with her with all of his five tails he showed.

"Ah, Lutecia, you're back!" tears gushed from his red eyes. "Lutecia! Oh, it worked, it truly worked! You're back!"

"Hong-hong..." Lucy beamed and hugged him tightly. Now, more than ever, she felt deeply connected to this big fox man...

"Mom!" Mei-chan, this one time a toddler, and now a woman nine-tailed red fox, dashed at her and Yuehong and cuddled with them tightly, pressing all of her fluffy nine tails upon them, so joyful she was, shedding happy tears. "Mom, you're back!"

"Mei..." Lucy mumbled weakly and hugged her tightly with another hand, while with one hand she was hugging Yuehong. It was a sweet family reunion, truly heart-touching to watch.

"Aww, they're so lovely!" Lily almost burst into tears from her overwhelming emotions and cuddled with Samael, who instead just kindly chuckled and embraced his emotional wife. Incubus felt proud he had committed a grandiose deed and returned the bunny spirit's memories to her so that she could properly reunite with her family.

After the first wave of happy emotions passed, the friends sat and began discussing their current situation. At that time, Zefiro and his younger brother Hoshiro entered the room too, and bowed to Lucy now, as they knew it was not a simple human, but instead the long-lost-and-now-returned Huli Queen and De Lapin Princess, Lutecia. 

"I am deeply sorry for being unable to protect you and your daughter, Gracious Lutecia," Zefiro spoke with sincere sorrow as he bowed down to surprised Lucy, "Since the terrible incident and your loss, I made a vow to always protect your daughter so very precious to me with my life. I never go back on my word as it is against our, Kujaku, honour. Therefore, I swear that whatever may come, I shall never again flee from the battlefields, unlike my cowardly childhood self". 

Hoshiro, watching his elder brother talk so passionately and highly, just yawned with annoyance instead. He apparently was the type of person who hated 'rules' and 'traditions'... A very weird Kujaku peacock, it was for sure. Yet still, it was he who was a king... It seemed that the world constantly changed and transformed during these millennia so that even the Kujaku had acquired a king who didn't care much about traditions.

Lucy smiled at Zefiro and weakly rubbed his long-nailed palm:

"Do not worry, Lord Zefiro. I don't hold a grudge against any of you. You were only a child back then. It was not demanded of you to commit courageous deeds. It was only natural you got afraid. It was not only the matter of childhood but also because humans were still unknown creatures for us back then, still newly arrived on the Earth... It is not your fault. I am eternally grateful to you for supporting little Mei for so long... I thank you all with my whole heart. I'm glad I regained my past memories, but just like my cousin Lily," she smilingly looked at Lily who had returned her beam, "I identify myself as both entities now - not just Lutecia De Lapin, but as my current self, Lucy Caldwell... So you don't really need to bow to me or anything. Since my bunny spirit dwells in this human body now, I'm still a human".

"Not precisely".

"Huh?" everyone looked at Samael. He instead significantly glanced at Yuehong. This latter sighed and looked down at his precious little wife:

"You know, Lulu, a human body cannot sustain a nature spirit soul. That said - you are not entirely human... You, just like Lady Lilith is a demon in a human body, thus a supreme creature than a human, you too are a bunny spirit in a human body, thus, you are superior to humans".

"Huh?" Lucy blinked in stupefaction - was it really true? But how could she be superior? She looked exactly the same as before!

"Yes, Lucy, they're right - you can now use your bunny spirit powers, just like I can use my demon ones," Lily winked at her.

"Eh?"

"To make you understand it better, I think it would be good to show you some of my memories now," Yuehong sighed and put a hand on her forehead.

"Huh? Y... Your memories? What memories?"

"The memories of how Samael and I made a pact, for me to get you back..."

Lucy gasped - he had actually made a pact with the devil in order to get her back?!

"Y... You made it through hell because of... me?" tears filled her eyes - he was so caring, even more than she could imagine!

Yuehong sighed and caressed her:

"I'd do anything for you..."

He sent his white energy into her body through her forehead. Lucy first widened eyes and then instantly closed them, diving back into the world of memories, but this time, it was Yuehong's one...