Unrelenting, They Fall

The rain fell softer as the wolf demon lay bleeding in the street, no longer the torrential downpour which had soaked them to the bones during their death struggle with Fenrir. Now it seemed somewhat grateful, like applause for a good show as the drops hit the ground. Harry could scarcely hear it over his heavy breathing, looking between Reo on the street saluting his sister and Hinata on the building, nine tails dissolving back into two and most of her fox features melting away. Harry stood, his legs like jelly, his injured one in particular, and walked over to Reo, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“What the hell did I miss these last few years?” Harry asked.

“Foxes have good eyes,” Reo said, a small and proud smile creasing his face.

“Clearly,” Harry said, looking at the damage her expert shot did. Right into the eye, blasting into the demon’s brain. A disabling shot which even the most skilled marksman would have trouble with. Fenrir would eventually heal from it, but not before they pulled him from Smiler and contained them both.

“Hinata couldn’t stand being useless. Especially since our parents died,” Reo said, his face turned up and letting the rain wash the memories away. “When the demon contacted her about bonding, Hinata was terrified of the idea. She knew what demons could do. But Harry…you should have seen her joy at being able to run, to fight, to shoot.”

Harry grunted out a reply, hands deep in his pockets. Wanting to be a hero wasn’t nearly a good enough reason to trade in your humanity.

“She isn’t happy because she’s healthy,” Reo said, noticing Harry’s face and leaning forward, forcing Harry’s eyes to meet his. “She can finally be…”

“You?” Harry said cynically.

“No. You,” Reo said, unblinking.

“Me? Why would she want to…” Harry trailed off, looking up at Hinata on the roof again. The girl. The demon. The…admirer?

Harry’s mind wandered back to eight years prior, to a night which was far quieter but still filled with blood. Hinata had spent the day being stabbed with needles and having fluids drawn from her, and as the night grew dark she laid on the couch, exhausted in both mind and body. He watched her all night, staying up with her until dawn, keeping her happy when she was awake and protected when she was asleep, letting Reo get some much earned sleep. It felt good for Harry to be able to take care of someone again. When she looked at him the following morning he saw gratitude, yes, but admiration? If anything, he admired her for hanging onto her life, despite how horrible it must feel to be constantly in pain, with no hope of…

And then Harry saw Hinata on the roof. He fully, truly saw her.

“We all want to confess our love to Harry. But containing demons comes first,” Gaku said, walking up to Harry and interrupting his revelations while bouncing a small red containment stone in his hand. He casually tossed it to him, giving him the honor of yanking Fenrir from Smiler.

Harry closed his fist around the stone, feeling the heat coming from it. They had always reminded him of rock candy, bumpy and crystal like, barely translucent enough to allow an observer to see the demon trapped inside. This one was about to have a hell of a demon in it, Harry thought as he knelt before Fenrir.

Harry held out his arm as the stone began to glow.

The rain picked up again briefly, now falling like tears instead of applause.

Harry’s arm fell. The stone tumbled from his hand.

Fenrir gazed into Harry’s eyes with his one in tact eye, the vicious smile on his face no longer playful in any way.

Blood dripped from Fenrir’s claws onto the pavement, mixing with the rain water. With a speed as fast as the attack had been, he pulled his claws from Harry’s chest.

Harry Vickers fell to the ground. As the light left his eyes, his hammer vanished.

“Demons are immortal,” Fenrir snarled, pointing to the ruined hole where his eye once was. “Shooting them still hurts!”

Reo and Gaku moved like lightning, their weapons flying through the air. There were no screams of rage or curses thrown. It wasn’t the time for those things. Their brains only thought two things. Take the monster down. Avenge our friend.

“My brains are like scrambled eggs! Seriously, ow!” Fenrir growled as he fought the two exorcists off. Their grief made them clumsy and aggressive. His wound made him sluggish and hesitant. They were three beings fighting for their survival, and their tanks were all past empty.

“Monster!” a voice suddenly cried out, echoing through the rain soaked city streets and surrounding them all with her grief. Hinata stood on the rooftop, her rifle ready to fire again, her nine tails all displayed and roiling in her rage. “I’ll kill you!”

The shot cracked. The bullet rocketed towards Fenrir. Through her grief, Hinata had performed another perfect shot.

“Not this time!” Fenrir yelled, grabbing Gaku and holding him up as a shield. The bullet tore into his back, and Gaku coughed up a fountain of blood as Fenrir threw him at Reo, knocking them both down. The wolf demon looked up at the fox demon on the roof, his smile widening on his ruined face. “Hey! Wanna see who can take more damage?”

Fenrir leapt at the building Hinata was on, scrambling up the side of it as his claws dug into the brick. “You and me, fox girl! Both taking demons as a last resort! The poor sick little girl and the slave of the yakuza! Hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic!” He dodged to the side as Hinata fired down the building, laughing as he continued his climb, finally reaching the top with a great leap. He landed before Hinata, his arms wide, like a showman from Hell.

“I’m nothing like you!” Hinata screamed, the tears melting into the fur on her face.

“You are. Someone told you if you don’t take the demon, you die,” Fenrir said. Then he casually crossed his arms, looking at her like they were talking about the weather. “Now, what should we discuss?”

Fenrir lunged at her. Hinata dodged, her fox spirit reflexes saving her as she pulled out a pistol. Bullets hammered into Fenrir, staggering him slightly but not stopping him.

“Give me the damn book Gouki traded my humanity for! It’s incredibly simple!” Fenrir roared as he swiped at her. Hinata kicked high at his ruined face while sinking her claws into his sides.

“Never!” she screamed.

“Fine! Fun time is over! I’ll kill you and then the cops!” Fenrir snarled, clawing at Hinata as she leapt away again. He caught her with the swipe, drawing blood from her arm. She tumbled on the ground, crashing into the stairway door on the far end of the roof. Laughing, he began stomping on her viciously. “Someone will eventually bring me the book! I’ll have purpose! I’ll have…”

A brick flew through the air, crashing into Fenrir’s skull. He stopped crushing Hinata into the ground, going still for a moment before slowly turning to where the brick came from. There was a large pallet of construction supplies loaded at the far corner of the roof. The tarp covering them was removed. A man stood there, blood pooling underneath him. He clutched his chest as he threw another brick. It smashed into Fenrir’s face again. The demon didn’t move. He was too stunned, too impressed, and maybe…too afraid to move.

“Hey…fuzzy…” the man said, each word a struggle. He bent over and picked up another brick. He shouldn’t be alive. He couldn’t be alive.

But he wasn’t dying yet.

“Leave…my Hinata…alone…asshole…” Harry Vickers said.

Fenrir blinked. This he certainly wasn’t expecting.

But he never expected to be a yakuza demon after the apocalypse either.

He leaned over, urging Harry forward with his claws and one word spit out through a bloody smile.

“No.”