"GIVE MY WOMEN BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND EDUCATION..."
"DON'T YOU DARE HARM MY WOMEN..."
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I do care.
DEVIL's Lullaby: Chapter 21
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If I remember correctly... When I was sealed in the depths of hell, I would often hear a lullaby... A slow, calm lullaby which would make me feel a little bit at ease. But whenever I tried to look for who hummed it for me, I'd be lost. I couldn't move, respond to the lullaby, instead all that I could really do... was slowly perish.
"It's a lullaby... Singing you to death Frost."
Who sang it for me? Who took out time to make me feel at peace. I knew I was abandoned, sealed and unprotected, awaiting my end, as a finishing arc to my torture.
"But if you were alone... My child... Know that I'll be by your side..."
The woman would sing to me, a lullaby I found so deadly, yet so peaceful...
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"Y/n? Y/n..." a gentle shake on her shoulder awoke her as she gasped lightly, while looking at the tall male if front of her. He held a can of hot coffee, one for her and one for himself.
"Yoshida... Sorry, I dozed off..."
"It's fine, I got you some coffee if that helps." Yoshida said while sitting down beside her, "Well, I guess two hours are enough for one day, given how fast you learn... Lets head out, Mr. Kishibe must be waiting." Yoshida said while opening his can and sipping his coffee.
"And of course after the training, I need to take you to a date too." he winked with a wide smile as Frost lightly stared at her coffee.
'I've heard that devils sometimes grow attached to those wandering in the mortal realm...'
Frost thought to herself, processing the weird dreams she'd been seeing, the dreams of the anonymous lullaby and of the dreams Denji would tell her about.
"There's always a door... And someone keeps telling me not to open it."
And in her dreams, was someone telling her about the lullaby, which would sing her to death.
'The devils go visit their dreams at night... Doing all they can to protect them... But...'
"Frost?" Yoshida snapped her out of her thoughts, "Are you still sleepy?" he placed an arm over her forehead, checking if she'd caught a fever or something. His warm hand, and his deep gaze, it felt somehow reassuring as she closed her eyes while feeling his touch.
"I'm fine, was just thinking of something."
"Hmm... what's on your mind? If you'd like, I can listen. After all, I did promise you some stuff..." He leaned closer, his usual gesture to try and intimidate her, but with a usual trend of a sweet failure too. Frost was never intimidated by his moves, she'd even find them strange at occasions. She's wonder why he liked to come close often, maybe he was just lonely.
But moments passed in a blink when the two reached Kishibe's training round, the graveyard. "Your training will begin now, starting now, you'll have a lot of enemies... it is necessary you stay alert... and strong. All you need to do, is manage to control your overflowing power in a week." Kishibe also gave her a polearm, sealed with devil vitality, which would help her draw out most of her power, in a controlled manner. Yoshida and his octopus devil trained her with martial arts and speed, while Kishibe trained her with agility and tactics. And, at the end of it, frost had to go toe to toe with the two of them, as the final spar before she was left to go home.
-Time skip, after the training session; brought to you by the eyepatch cavalry captain of Mondstadt (guess who)-
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"You're good-" Frost said huffing as she lay beside Yoshida on the ground, worn out from the training session. "You're good too- in ways more than one." He said with a smug smile on his face as he turned his face towards her. She took a deep breath, and sitting up with a jolt. She smiled at him for the first time, "Let's go for the date thing, if, of course you're not tired." She smirked, as if to taunt him into stepping up. 'Did she just- tease me...?' He looked dazed, yet soon switched to his usual grin.
"I'd ask you the same."
The boy smirked and kicked off from the floor, "I know a wonderful festival nearby, you can come along." He smiled, offering her a hand to get up. "Sounds good." She said standing up. The two walked around the festival, lit up by red lamps, scented by sugary sweets, tainted by the moonlight of fresh blood. The way the moon shined, right before the death of many.
The two roamed the festival, trying out new games and sweets, some takoyaki and some apple candy, some sweet-sour chewy candies, some meaty street food. Every dish lit up a different expression on Frost's face, fascinating Yoshida in return. "I'll bring Power and Denji here too... they'd like it for sure." She lightly smiled, a genuine one. A smile that carved up her lips the moment she thought of the two people she held close.
"You really do love them huh. Guess you do have a heart for them."
"I'm a devil... I don't have a heart."
"Oh? Again with the same thing~" The boy chuckled, looking at the time, "Oh- it's this late already... I need to catch up with Mr. Kishibe... wanna come along?" He said while walking a bit further, reluctant to leave his date, but perhaps he had something important coming up. "Oh... you ca go ahead, I'll head home after I but a few sweets for Power and Denji." Frost said as Yoshida, a bit disappointed, came closer to her and leaned down to her eye level.
"Well the, good night Y/n." He said as he held her cheeks, bending down to very lightly kiss her lip. "Let's meet again tomorrow." He smiled as she stood there, lips agape and eyes wide in wonder. "Uh..." She found herself short of words. Shocked at her own reactions she placed a hand over her heart.
'It's... pounding? ...my heart...?'
She looked back at the boy who still gently held her cheeks. "At the end of a date... this is how you say good night." He smiled and lightly tapped her cheek as his dark bangs covered his eyes as they curved along with his cunning smile.
'You do have a heart.'
Yoshida's words repeated in her head. A heart that somehow pounded for this man's actions just now. She waved him goodnight too, only to be too late as he'd already disappeared. She sighed and walked a bit to look for good sweets for the trio back home. She knew she had to stay a week for her training at Kishibe's, but she thought of dropping by back home before that. The night was a bit chilly, the moon radiating the color of her snow and with all that, she spotted a figure shining just like her snow did.
The figure of a lady, wearing a black lower and a black sleeveless top. In total contrast to her snow-white hair. She didn't seem to be from around the country. She seemed to be trying to converse with the shopkeeper of the sweet shop.
Frost walked to the same shop to ask for some candies, but she waited until the tall woman had put across her words. She spoke a different tongue.
"我可以有四张纸吗?"
(May I have four sweet boxes?)
She was clearly having trouble speaking in Japanese to the shopkeeper. "Um... She's asking for four sweet boxes." Frost said to the shopkeeper as the lady looked at her with a non-expressing face, yet she seemed relieved. "Thank you." She said and bowed to Frost.
"It's no worries." Frost bowed back. "You know how to speak Chinese?" The woman asked, speaking English as Frost nodded. "I've learned many tongues, well then, good night." she bowed before the woman called out again, the same nonchalant face, expressionless, dead eyes and a mouth that seemed like a void. "Allow me to repay you for your kindness." The woman payed for Frost's sweets as well as she stepped closer. "I am Quanxi. And you are, sweetheart?"
Clearly unaware of who she was standing face-to-face with, Frost introduced herself, "Y/n, yet there's no need for such a heavy gratitude for a mere translation." She said as Quanxi bowed to take Frost's hand, "I insist." Quanxi said as Frost walked a bit further with her. "How about you come to my hotel? Let's have the sweets I bought." She spoke in a bold tone, an invitation that seemed so intoxicating.
"I'm sorry but I'll have to head home... I can walk you to the metro station though."
"Sounds fair enough." Quanxi walked alongside Frost in a weird silence. She gave an eerie feeling, a strong aura... a scent of souls. As if she was carrying many souls upon her shoulders, as if she was carrying both love and contracts of demise. Frost looked at her tall stature, her white bangs and pale lips, lips like a void.
"Are you a tourist miss Quanxi?"
"Hmm... I'm here for a job."
"Alone?"
"No, I have my women with me."
"Your... women?"
"I have four women in my care, they're my life." A faint smile may have carved up Quanxi's lips. Or maybe Frost imagined it. "I like to keep them with me. Always."
The same kind of smile that came upon Frost's face when she thought of those she loved... Yoshida, Denji, Power... Aki. The smile she never thought she'd smile. Frost lightly waved Quanxi goodbye as she went past the metro station.
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"We've got a new mission for you." A military soldier hovered over Quanxi as she lay surrounded with her female companions, the fiends. Quanxi looked at the guard, listening to the opportunity.
"What's my reward?"
"This is a big one, so anything you ask."
"Ladies... what do you want?" Quanxi asked as she looked towards her women.
"Blood." Said Lond, a similar blood fiend to power. With a rather calmer personality and dark hair.
"Awesome donuts!" Said Pingtsi, the snake hair fiend.
"Halloween!" Said Cosmo, the fiend who looked like a half-decayed corpse.
"..." Said Tsugihagi, the rag-doll fiend.
"Give my women basic human rights and education." She said as the guard turned around, "We'll look into it, if you succeed. Go assassinate the Frost devil and get the chainsaw's heart."
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"I'm back girls." Quanxi said as she entered her hotel room, to see her companions rush towards her in excitement.
"Welcome back~"
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Time:
- "I used to care for my pet devil, Pochita... he's gone now though."
- Frost powered up like crazy thanks to Kishibe's training.
Chapter secrets:
- Quanxi recognized Frost the moment she saw her. She didn't assassinate her on the spot? ;)
- Kishibe called Yoshida back just to make him clean the mess he's make back at his home.
A/N-
Here's a long chapter because I was gone for too long-
AND HOLY SHIT the chainsaw man anime is SO FINE!