The boys had taken shelter in the shell of a relatively safe house. The walls groaned every time the wind hit, dust drifting from the cracked beams above. They’d kept their voices low, ears straining for the slightest sign of pursuit.
The last thing they expected was for a familiar voice to float in from the doorway.
“You lot are terrible at hiding.”
Four heads snapped toward the source.
Ruri stood there, shoulders slightly hunched, one hand braced on the doorframe. Her hair was a little mussed, a smear of dirt darkened her cheek, and she moved with the exaggerated stiffness of someone twice her age.
She let out a long, theatrical sigh as she stepped inside, like a man coming home from a long shift at the docks.
Jin was the first to react.
“Ruri!”
Then they all moved at once.
Mikhail reached her in three strides, grabbing her shoulder with obvious relief. Ash was close behind, his normally reserved expression split into a grin.
Even Elis’s stoic mask cracked, a sharp exhale leaving him as he reached out to check her for injuries.
Jin didn’t bother with subtlety, he threw both arms around her in a hug that nearly lifted her off the ground.
“Oi.” Ruri muttered, not returning the hug.
“Didn’t I just say you’re bad at hiding? And here you are being loud enough to wake the dead.”
“Nullborns don’t sleep.” Ash commented automatically.
“Exactly my point.” Ruri arched a brow, peeling Jin off her with deliberate care.
“Keep shouting my name and maybe the whole horde will drop by to say hello.”
They quieted immediately, though their joy at seeing her hadn’t dimmed.
Elis’s eyes lingered on her longer than the rest, scanning for wounds she might be hiding.
“You could’ve made it easier for yourself.” He said finally.
“If you didn’t shield your mind, I could’ve guided you right here. Saved you time and effort.”
Ruri smirked.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“Fun?” Elis repeated flatly, his eyes narrowing at her.
“It was easy enough.” She said, ignoring his tone.
“Your trail was a mess. Broken branches, uneven footprints… you might as well have left neon signs pointing the way.”
Mikhail bristled.
“We know anti-tracking.”
“Sure you do.” Ruri said dryly.
Ash frowned.
“We do.”
Jin, still hovering far too close for comfort, muttered, “You just cheat.”
“I don’t cheat,” Ruri replied, easing herself onto a chair that looked one strong breeze away from collapse. Okay, maybe she does.
“You’re just not as good at hiding as you think you are.” Their anti-tracking was indeed military-grade professional, unfortunately, she was the type to be able to see those tracks.
She ain't telling them though.
Their grumbling filled the cramped space, a low chorus of wounded pride. Ruri let it wash over her, crossing one leg over the other as she sipped from the canteen Ash passed her without asking.
In truth, she had taken the long way around on purpose.
Tracking them had been almost insultingly easy, but she’d used the time to clear her head after the chaos in the hospital. There were questions clawing at the edge of her mind, about that symbol, about the memories it had ripped loose, but she wasn’t ready to voice them yet.
Not here. Not while the scent of Nullborn still lingered faintly in the wind.
Elis crouched in front of her, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“You burned a lot of energy.” He observed.
Ruri shrugged.
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Jin snorted.
“She says, looking like she just fought off a hundred Nullborn.”
“Don’t exaggerate.” Ruri replied, a ghost of amusement in her tone.
“It wasn’t that many.”
Ash’s brow furrowed.
“Wait, how many was it?”
“Enough.”
They all exchanged looks at her non-answer, but none pressed further.
Outside, the wind shifted, carrying with it the distant creak of metal and something heavier, something moving. Ruri’s eyes flicked to the doorway, the faintest tension creeping into her posture.
“Rest time’s over.” Ruri said simply, pushing herself to her feet.
"Let's move and return to the ride we left. Quietly. And if anyone tries to use me as a pillow again, I’ll make you carry all the medicine bag yourself.”
Jin grinned like that was a challenge.
Ruri didn’t smile back as she put the bag's strap on her shoulder.
ESTÁS LEYENDO
The Professional Asset in the Apocalypse (Reverse Harem)
FantasíaIn her past life, she was an asset, a professional murder scene cleaner (or even the murderer if paid well) for underground syndicates. Blood didn't scare her, but a normal life? That was a luxury she never had time for. Then she died and reincarnat...
