Chapter: 27- With Me
[DEVIL's Lullaby: Arc- 4]
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"AT THE END OF IT ALL, EVEN AFTER YOU WIN...
...WILL IT BE WORTH ANYTHING?"
"Shh..."
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[ DEVIL's Lullaby- Arc 4 ]
CONTROL DEVIL
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"A corpse is talking."
A familiar voice threw Frost off guard. Her heart clenched, and her chest felt so heavy it could explode. No words but quivering, inaudible moans of loss escaped her mouth as she saw Quanxi's lifeless body plop to the ground along with the other two fiends. Her head rolled to the side as she looked down at her hands. The hand Quanxi had taken into hers. Her corpse still held onto Frost's hand, ever so lightly, lifelessly.
"I'd ask you to refrain from touching Frost." Makima said as she walked closer to Frost, kneeled down and stared right into her eyes. But this time, she couldn't look up from Quanxi, to Makima. "Why'd you have to do that? Makima...?"
Something was stirring up inside Frost, rage, anger, sorrow, pity... above all these emotions, all she wanted to do right now was... kill Makima.
Frost lightly tilted her head, her eyes wide, radiating anger in its purest and utmost form, "She said she'd never kill anyone again." The devilish gravity took over again, overwhelming and cruel, like the pressure of a thousand souls, staring right into your eyes. Whispering why you'd kill them.
"Why...?"
Makima said as she slowly began caressing Frost's cheek, lightly moving closer to her face staring down at her lips as her gentle fingers glided through her skin.
"Because she touched you... and besides, she was our foe... are you insisting we'd rather have kept her alive?"
The utter audacity of Makima's words were enough to send Frost off into the abyss of rage. Clouds of anger would take over mind, and her eyes would go dark as she'd massacre Makima to death. Yet her final ounces of intelligence stopped her.
She was too weak right now to do anything, Makima was a very strong foe and Frost had much to lose. "Promise me you won't overexert yourself!" Yoshida's words rang in her mind as she forced herself to calm down.
'That's right, for now... I need not think about Makima... Aki and Denji... Power and Yoshida... I need to have them all taken to safety...'
She thought to herself and slapped Makima's hand aside, "I'm not your property." Frost said and stood up, giving Quanxi a last glance, and walking past Makima, "I'm going back home, and you owe me a few answers." Frost said and walked away, towards the mall, trying to find Aki and Power. Makima chuckled behind her, "Of course." She said and soon left.
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She limped down the hall of the broken mall, looking for Aki and Power. Through the corpses she saw, she just hoped not to recognize any. She hoped nobody she knew was dead, but to her dismay, she did see any of those. The familiar childish and cheerful fiend who would always greet her as she she were some royalty, lay down lifeless on the floor, cut to pieces.
"Beam! No..." She gathered her strength to run towards him, but he'd never respond. She gave him a final hug and continued her search, mindlessly looking for someone alive─ no, she wanted that familiar hug she'd always craved, from those she loved. She wanted someone to comfort her when she suddenly heard footsteps, that sounded in a hurry. Running towards her she heard Yoshida, "Y/n! Stop!" He said as she turned towards him.
The sight of him was so reassuring and relaxing that she instantly lowered her guard, letting out a tired smile. As she spread out her hands, as if inviting him to hug her.
"..Y/n!"
He shouted and ran towards her, holding her as she almost fell. Fainting to the ground, she breathed heavily. Tired and vulnerable. Yoshida carefully picked her up as she held onto his shirt, "A-aki... Denji... and... Power?"
"They're alright, Kishibe had them taken to safety."
"...you?"
"I'm without a scratch, as you can see..."
"...That's... most reassuring..."
She said and closed her eyes, giving in to her body's urge for rest. Yoshida sighed and proceeded to walk outside, towards Kishibe who stood in front of Quanxi's corpse, with a blindfold on. "Captain Kishibe... won't you take off your blindfold?" Yosida asked.
"I don't wanna see a thing." Kishibe said, then turned his head towards Yoshida who held Frost in his arms. "Where are you taking her? I'll take her to safety."
"There's no need, I'll treat her to full recovery under my care... you devil hunters only ever knew how to use her." And with those words, Yoshida took Frost back with him. Somewhere she could be at ease.
═════ Days later ════
A DREAM, A MEMORY
"A devil born from the very essence of unconditional love... She's beautiful... isn't she? Our little angel?"
The woman caressed you, hugging you closer to herself. Her arms were gentle but weak as she held you. Supporting those weak arms were the strong arms of your father, the former Frost devil.
"She is, very beautiful."
The man looked at the woman holding you, he was crying, tears of happiness. "Thank you, Ahava... for showing me love." The woman holding you in her arms began smiling. She looked at the Frost devil and smiled, "You're kidding me. Why're you crying?" She chuckled, behaving like nothing was wrong. But to him, everything was. He was crying, crying too much. "Thank you... Thank you for giving me my little girl. My little angel..." Ahava, your mother slowly placed you into your father's arms. But all that man did was cry, holding both you and your mother close.
He cried, he wanted to tell Ahava everything he could. He wanted to convey every little feeling he had for her. He wanted to show her the ocean in his heart, that was filled with dewdrops of his love.
"I love you, Ahava... Love you so much... you've taught me to live, to love, to stay strong..." His tears didn't stop rolling down as she slowly, weakly placed one hand onto your cheek and the other on your father's. "Shimo... don't cry for me."
"How could I not?"
He hugged her even closer, crying bitter tears of loss as he held his beloved wife and his newfound daughter. "Don't go... Ahava..."
He couldn't bear it, that one person who had taught him every emotion, every beautiful thing and given him all the happiness he now knew, was slowly fading away. Ahava gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but that took a toll on her. Shimo, your father held your dying mother as she sang you a little lullaby. In faint words, as the newfound family cherished you in silence
"What should we name her?" Ahava said, looking at you with a smile. Tears rolled down her eyes as she wished to take all the memories with her. "Like the gentle reminder of the season of love..." Your father said and Ahava chuckled, "You've become poetic." She said and looked at him, smiling.
"The first Snowflake of winter. Yuki."
She said and took you into her arms. Then she moved and sat into Shimo's lap, taking his and Yuki's warmth as her own body became cold. She slowly passed away, her arms held you and Shimo's arms held hers. Her eyes slowly closed with smiling lips, reminiscing every memory and moment she lived. Grateful that she'd been given the gift of life and the gift of love.
As she passed away, she only left you with a few words.
"Yuki, always cherish what you have. Give those you love all you have. Don't let anyone destroy your happiness. And finally... live a life which makes you proud."
"Goodbye... Ahava."
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"...Mom..." Frost slowly opened her eyes tears rolled down her eyes, to the side of her face as she looked up. She could feel Yoshida's hand wiping the teardrop. His hand shook lightly as he watched her. Frost's vision was blurry due to the tears she'd just shed, so she couldn't see Yosida's face clearly. But she could tell his expression was that of a worried man.
"You're finally awake... you've been out for a week..."
He was relieved and shocked too, he's never seen her cry. Frost had never seen herself cry either, she traced her wet face with her fingers, "I... was crying...? Me?" She said in shock. "Did you have a nightmare?" Yoshida said as he helped Frost sit up. She was silent, recollecting the vivid dream she had. That recollection caused her to shed even more tears.
"Y-y/n! What's wrong?" He asked, panicking a bit. But just then, Frost hugged Yoshida, leaving him off guard.
"Give those you love all you have..." Her mother's words echoed through her mind.
"Y/n?" Yoshida hugged her back, confused. "I get you're happy to see me, but at least tell me what happened?" He chuckled but Frost hugged him even tighter, his broad chest and tall stature felt so warm and so comforting.
"Yuki... That's what my mother named me." She said to him. "I think.... she was the one who always visited me in hell..."
TO BE CONTINUED---
Next Time:
- "So then... what did your mother do to end up in hell?" Yoshida said as you explained everything. "I think we should visit my old home, the flower shop. I used to see my father write a journal every now and then." Frost says as Yoshida gives her food.
- "You'll soon have to return to Makima too... she called for you after your recovery." Yoshida said. "Then tell her I'm still asleep... we should go to investigate."
- Yoshida sighed, "I thought you'd pull something like that. So I made sure Makima wasn't listening."
Author's note:
- I'm back from hiatus two days early!
- Well, I did warn you guys that the next few chapters will be sad~