Content Notes: I previously posted a story, Puncture Wounds, that went into some of Isla's backstory. While I used some ideas from that fic, most of it has become non-canon to this story. Please don't rely on that for backstory into what Isla or Arnold have been through.

Previously on "On Dating a Demon": Isla visited Ashley in Japan about a month and a half ago where it was made clear by Isla that she believed demons to be lesser and obviously had prejudice against them. She left and Heathrow airport was attacked. Isla called Ashley to apologize and tell her she was trying to keep Ashley safe, but Ashley heard the line disconnect at the same time that she saw on the television that a terminal of Heathrow collapsed. Isla was presumed dead until Ashley thought she recognized her friend wearing a Guardian uniform and helping Mako escape from prison.

Hiei previously went through Mako's memories where he saw that Mako was previously in a relationship with a demon named Takeshi. Takeshi ended the relationship to find his brother who was taken by the Legion.

Ashley is being hunted by Guardians since her brother, Oliver, is high in the ranks of the Guardians. However, all psychics and demons are being rounded up by Guardians as they are presumed dangerous in this uncertain situation after fourteen of the most populous cities on earth were destroyed by Oblivion demons. Guardians have also infiltrated the governments.

Hiei has kept information from Ashley in order to "protect" her, like the fact that Nobuyuki turned back time to prevent Ashley's death. Ashley knows that time went back, but Hiei never filled her in on the precise details since she had enough to deal with after her abduction by Legion demons. Nobuyuki used Ashley's and Hiei's combined power as well as his own to turn back Time 8 years.

After the battle against the Legion, Hiei and the rest of the resistance's forces were attacked after fleeing back to Tokyo. Hiei was severely injured and lost consciousness.


Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ghosts of Our Past

There was a harshness to her that was unfamiliar, but her eyes were the same: still the same brown Ashley knew so well. She was still the same build and chaotic energy and stance, but there was a tension in her body that highlighted every line. The way she moved was different but more confident. Like she was prepared to strike with every small gesture. Her gaze was like stone as Isla turned back toward Ashley, her hands fists at her side. The energy that spilled out from her had been powerful, but she'd hidden it as soon as she finished the attack.

"This is no time for reunions," Isla replied evenly, like a general addressing troops. As soon as the words were out, though, her lips quirked into a small smile. "But it's good to see you too. I'll explain everything once we reach safety."

There was no question about whether Ashley would follow Isla. She would, without a doubt. Even after believing for two months that her friend was dead, there was no hesitation. Isla took off, knowing exactly where she was headed, and so Ashley took off behind her, and Mako behind her.

They ran for what felt like hours. The moon rose and traced its path across the sky and the three made their way through the alleys and streets across the city of London, slowing only when Guardians passed. By the time the moon was overhead, Isla finally slowed. They sat crouched in rosebushes on the other side of a brick wall. The house the bushes belonged to was completely dark through the windows, but Isla still watched it anxiously. A bead of sweat trailed down her cheek even though the chill in the air bit at exposed skin. Without moving and rushing, the chill quickly returned, reminding them that winter was around the corner.

Several minutes passed, and Ashley strained to hear anything. A bird called; one short whistle, then long. Ashley was about to ask what they were waiting on when Isla whistled, once short, then long, twice in a row, mimicking the bird's call.

Another whistle returned her own in the same pattern, and immediately Isla took off without turning to see if Ashley and Mako followed. They wasted no time in crossing the yard and entering the home, Isla standing at the door until both were through before shutting it behind herself. The latched clicked shut and Ashley breathed.

A large demon stood in the foyer. He was barrel-chested, and his clothing stretched to make room for his bulging muscles. Skin a dark shade of blue, scars littered his arms were his sleeves were rolled up. Small canines peeked out from his lower lip, and his black hair was gathered in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. "Welcome, both of you," he greeted them, gaze moving from Ashley to behind her. "Hello again, Mako."

Turning, Ashley was about to ask if Mako knew the demon, but his expression said it all. His face showed a twisted pain, cycling between relief and hurt and anguish and wonder and anger.

"Takeshi." The name was uttered with such barely concealed contempt, Ashley turned back to the demon, immediately on guard. Isla stood close to him, biting her bottom lip, hands on her hips and staring at the floor. Feeling Ashley's gaze, however, her eyes snapped back up and she grimaced.

"Let's get you two some dinner and we'll explain."

As Isla and Arnold led Ashley and Mako deeper into the house, Mako grabbed Ashley by the arm, pulling her close so he could whisper in her ear, "We were in a relationship, once." It was a simple enough explanation, and without further details, it filled in a lot of the gaps that Ashley doubted she would get from Takeshi.

The house was simple. It was small, and cots and backpacks were strewn out across the living room. A single couch was pushed toward the fireplace where a fire was lit, and a grate had been placed over the fireplace, as well as a pot to warm food. The windows were all blacked out, and great care had been taken to make sure absolutely no light escaped, which was why the house had looked so completely deserted from outside.

Isla pointed them toward a bathroom where they could relieve themselves and clean up, and then Ashley and Mako joined Isla and Arnold in front of the fire.

Dinner happened to be some canned soup that was in the house. As food heated, Takeshi introduced himself as Arnold, a name he had taken once he made a home for himself in Human World five years previously. It established roots, he explained, and made him feel more like he belonged in his new home. As he said that, Ashley glanced next to her where Mako sat on the couch; he looked sick to his stomach. And from the way Isla watched Takeshi retell his story, it was clear that he'd put down many roots during his time in Human World.

And something in the back of her mind stirred as she watched Isla. Some recollection that she'd heard once, but she couldn't quite remember.

"I originally left Demon World, Mako, after learning that my brother could not be convinced to leave the Legion. I tried for three years, but he wouldn't leave, and I couldn't waste any more time on him." Arnold addressed Mako directly, and Mako looked like he was holding back from running out the door.

"So, you must have been close to the Legion in that time," Ashley spoke, re-directing his attention to her. "How did they not kill you?" Arnold didn't speak for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and Ashley explained. "They kill everyone who doesn't join."

"That was not the Legion members that I knew," Arnold replied. "They respected that I did not wish to join."

Well. That was a first.

Ashley let him continue his story. He met Isla at a coffee shop, not far from her work. They started dating and seeing each other casually, and then about eight months ago they started seriously seeing each other.

"We're bonded," Isla announced as Arnold ended his story, which caught Ashley's attention immediately. But it was obvious. Isla was overflowing with love and trust in her gaze as she watched the demon next to her.

Her best friend - who had cursed and put down demons so thoroughly barely two months ago was bonded to a demon?

A very acute anger swelled in her chest as Isla ladled out the soup and passed around the paper bowls. But Ashley didn't touch hers. It was warm and held a weight in her hands, but she was more interested to hear another story.

The others began eating, and Isla pointedly ignored Ashley until Ashley cleared her throat expectedly.

When Isla didn't pause, Ashley said her name. Finally, Isla caught Ashley's eye. "Your turn." Her words were precise and cutting. Emotions warred and mixed and danced within Ashley. Joy and celebration that her best friend was alive were at direct odds at the very precise frustration she felt, too.

Isla had died on that television set. Ashley had witnessed it. She had heard the fear in her voice when Isla had called. She'd heard the gunshots and the building collapse. She had heard the line click dead. As dead as Isla had been.

Or as dead as Isla had allowed Ashley to believe her to be.

Isla had led Ashley on, for all intents and purposes. She'd allowed Ashley's heart to break, and she'd done nothing to assuage the situation. It had been total radio silence. She'd been a wreck for days.

And to top it all off, she'd lied to Ashley for months. Beyond the time when Isla visited, there were times that she and Isla had spoken on the phone and Isla had made off-color comments about demons. About Hiei, and about how he was different as a demon.

It had all been a lie. All of it.

"Do you remember that dream job I got, right after university?" Isla asked, beginning slowly. Ashley nodded. "The Guardians controlled it. Almost as soon as I was hired, I was scouted by the Guardians and pushed to join. I never did, but that was around the time that Arnold and I started dating and his power pulled mine out - as strong demons tend to do." She spared a glance at Ashley, who kept a straight face. "It didn't take long for the Guardians to figure out that I was one of the four most connected to the Event because of my Potential. I was being watched by them constantly-"

Ashley had to cut her off. "I'm sorry, your potential?"

"From the Event," Isla replied, but it didn't make sense. Isla paused for a beat too long, slowly working something out. "…How much do you know about the Time stuff?"

"Hiei filled me in."

Isla was obviously skeptical, though over what Ashley couldn't say. "And that we went back?"

"Yeah." What part of this was she not getting?

"And that none of this was supposed to happen?" Isla gestured widely, exchanging a glance with Arnold.

"Yeah," Ashley insisted. Was she missing something?

Isla didn't take her eyes off Ashley. Neither did Arnold. "You seem incredibly adjusted to this information."

"What do you mean?" What more was there to understand? "Time went back eight years by Nobuyuki."

A beat passed. Ashley glanced at Mako who looked as lost as she was.

"Ashley," Isla began slowly. "Do you understand the reason that time went back?" The reason? "You were supposed to die, Ashley," Isla leveled. "We were both supposed to die."

It took a moment for her to fully grasp what she said. It was like it didn't quite compute. You were supposed to die.

"You and Isla were at the center of the Event," Arnold supplied carefully, still watching Ashley's expression. "You were both supposed to die. Nobuyuki drew on your power and Hiei's to send Time back."

"But we went to the Edge," Isla continued. Both of them sounded unsure, like they were waiting for Ashley to exclaim that she knew exactly what they were talking about, but she didn't. And while Ashley heard what they were saying, she was still stuck on what Isla had said before.

She was supposed to be dead.

We went to the Edge. "I don't know what that means," Ashley asked. It was like her brain was hearing things and processing them two steps too slow. "About the Edge."

Isla opened her mouth to reply, but Arnold beat her to it. "How familiar are you with the laws surrounding energy physics?"

"Like, the laws of the Universe?" If they were about to get into the physics side of things, yes, she knew that like the back of her hand. "Energy cannot be created or destroyed?"

Arnold nodded the barest amount. "Similar, yes. Every being, whether spirit, demon, or human is born with the Potential for how much energy they have the ability to develop over the course of their life. The date you are determined to die by Spirit World is linked to how much power you are supposed to accrue over the course of your life."

Ashley tried to focus on what he was saying and not the revelation that Isla had exposed her to not two minutes previously.

"So," Arnold continued. "Every being has the Ultimate Potential to reach S class - do you know about classes?"

It was vaguely familiar, but before she could think too hard on it, Mako spoke up for the first time next to her. "I told you about them that day at the piano." It seemed like decades ago, but as soon as he said that the memory resurfaced, clear as day. She nodded - she remembered.

Arnold picked up from where he left off. "So, every being has the Ultimate Potential to reach S class, but several factors come into play: genetics, predisposition, health, and how much energy a being's body can hold. Based on these factors, a being may have the Potential to reach S class, or they may only reach C or D class in their lifetime. Other factors can stretch the power and ability that a being can utilize at one time such as training and experience, but generally speaking no being can surpass what their body is predetermined to utilize as their Potential."

Ashley was following so far. "So, there's Potential and Ultimate Potential?" She'd definitely never learned this when getting her physics degree.

Arnold nodded. "That's correct. The Ultimate Potential is the highest that a being can attain - the highest that anyone has ever been able to observe or record. Without the variables of each being's genetic makeup and predetermined factors, every being can reach S class in theory. Potential is the maximum that a being can attain once the predetermined factors are included. Think of it like a tap. The tap is turned on when a being is born, and once they reach their Potential, it's turned off. It's also turned off when a being dies. A being cannot feel it being turned off; it happens subconsciously."

He took a breath and continued. "Now, energy attracts energy. As a being gets more powerful, that power will compound on itself - which is why through training of the body and mind as well as experience energy levels grow. A being may notice that their energy levels are changing over a short period of time, or a longer period, depending on how much they are using their energy and how much they are training. But, no matter how much a being trains, and no matter how much experience they accrue, a being cannot reach energy levels beyond their Potential."

Ashley was nodding. She followed.

Arnold switched gears. "The Edge is the precipice between life and death. Think of it as a line in the sand and a person has to jump from life into death. For you and Isla, the moment your feet left the ground on the life side, and before you could land in death, time went backward and you were taken back in Time. The tap for your Potential never turned off and Time has effectively lost you. Your death date - which is one of the biggest factors that determines your Potential, is a giant question mark. Death was supposed to claim you, but you're alive."

She'd kept up until then, but now she was confused. Arnold must have seen it translated in her expression.

"Spirit World keeps records for each being," Arnold continued, back tracking a little. "If you were to look at yours you would no longer have an applicable death date because you're not supposed to exist. And because your tap was never shut off, yours and Isla's have been running at the same level as it was when you reached the Edge. Your tap has been running at the same level as it was eight years ago." He clarified, "When the tap is shut off is determined by either Potential or date of death. Only one can trigger it. If your date of death was supposed to trigger your tap being shut off, it's not going to recognize when you reach your Potential, since your Potential wasn't supposed to be reached in your lifetime."

Things were starting to click together, but one thing still nagged at Ashley. "But I only showed psychic powers a few months ago."

"That might have been the first time it surfaced in this timeline, but you have certainly been compounding your energy for eight years. There's no way you wouldn't. Without having the death date, and having your tap effectively broken to recognize your Potential, there's no shut off valve on your power."

Ashley glanced between Arnold and Isla. "But I feel fine. I feel normal. It's not like my power is spiraling out of control."

"You were already a powerful psychic to begin with," Isla stepped in, having stayed out up until then to let Arnold take the reins. "Your body may not have reached your Potential when you were supposed to die. But with how energy attracts energy and your tap being broken to shut off once you reach your Potential, eventually your body won't be able to handle it. Eventually…" She trailed off, glancing down to the side before sitting a little straighter. "Think of it like a sink overflowing, or a vat splitting at the seams."

Ashley really didn't want to think of that, actually. "And there's no way to turn it off? Turn the tap off?"

"There is one way," Isla began, and the way she looked at Ashley - like she was pleading for her to understand rather than having to say it herself - forced the pieces to finally settle.

"I have to die?"

"Time has to remember that you exist," Arnold rephrased, but it was still clear. She had to die.

"To force the tap to shut off, you have to die. Even if you're resuscitated, your tap will be off, and you will maintain the Potential you had when the tap was shut off."

She said it so surely. Like she had firsthand experience, but it was so completely out there Ashley couldn't even focus on it. "That's absolute crazy talk."

"But it isn't." Isla glanced down at her hands in her lap, mouth gaping like she wanted to continue, but the silence stretched on. "I-"

"You've done it, haven't you?" It was Mako who spoke. It was the first time he'd spoken directly to Isla, and Ashley turned to face him. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but he was paying attention.

Turning back to Isla, Ashley could see the truth written on her face. "I had to," she began slowly. "I was in the most pain of my life. It was either die and cap off my Potential or die and not come back at all. I had to try something."

She sucked in a shaky breath, calming herself and starting her story again. "The Guardians had realized I was one of the four most connected to the Event and they were trying to figure out a way to manipulate my excess Potential. I tried switching to LTX to gain distance from them, but they were constantly hounding me. I started training with Arnold secretly, but a few times we nearly slipped up and the Guardians nearly found him. Nearly realized we were a couple. That was endangering to his life, so we maintained distance. I took on a strict act and attitude against demons to convince the Guardians that I wasn't aligned to them in any way. That's why I maintained it when I visited you, Ashley. I had to keep them off your scent. Not only because you were so tied to Hiei, but because you were also connected to the Event. I couldn't let them find you, too."

Isla looked down, thinking, trying to find her words. "The Guardians kept saying they wanted to use my Potential, and I knew they were planning Heathrow. Planning on taking me out of the public eye. The "call" I made to you was a recording, Ashley."

While that pierced straight through her heart, Ashley pushed aside those emotions for the moment. "Heathrow was orchestrated by the Legion," she said.

"No, it wasn't." Isla was firm. "It was one hundred percent orchestrated by the Guardians. A way to remove people from the public eye. Fake their death. It's easier to create fake identities for people than try to distance them from their families and friends and create excuses. At least for the people who needed to disappear."

"No," Ashley insisted. She remembered the news from that day perfectly. "The Legion took responsibility for the attack on Heathrow. Demons attacked Heathrow."

"Are you certain that the Guardians hadn't infiltrated the news sources? They've infiltrated the governments." Isla was sharp.

"Ashley," Arnold began, placing a large hand over Isla's knee. She took a breath and let him talk. "If the Guardians had control of the news outlets, they would be able to say exactly who took responsibility where. The Guardians had been secretly rounding up demons and psychics for years. Who's to say that they haven't forced them to act under orders?"

Frustration boiled, but they were at an impasse. Isla and Arnold swore Heathrow was the Guardians, but it had been broadcasted that it was the Legion. Whatever the case, it wouldn't be discovered then.

She waved a hand vaguely toward Isla. "Continue. So, the Guardians were planning on extracting you in Heathrow, and I'm guessing they succeeded?"

Isla nodded, as did Arnold. "They did, and I was almost immediately rescued by a rebel group. They were the ones who told me what my Potential meant and helped me stop my tap. They're the ones who put me in the prison facility with the goal to break out the demons within."

The boy from before - Aaron - must have been one of them, Ashley realized. It was a lot, everything that Isla had explained. And what was more, there was so much with the Potential and Ultimate Potential that she just didn't have the brainpower to unpack right then.

Isla sighed heavily, shaking her head in disdain. "I can't believe Hiei kept all of this from you."

Anger rose, hot and quick. "Are you implying that this is somehow Hiei's fault?" Ashley hissed.

Isla didn't falter. "He had the knowledge and chose not to give it to you, even though it directly involved you, which has left you completely in the dark. So yes, I am implying it's his fault." She barreled on, "Maybe he had his reasons, but that doesn't mean I can't blame him. Him and everyone else who knew about this and agreed that you didn't have the right to know the full extent of what happened to you. - You look like you have something to say."

Ashley simmered. "I don't like the person you've become." Maybe Hiei did keep this from her, and she would re-visit all of this again once she had a moment alone, but Isla had no right to comment on what Hiei did or didn't keep from her.

"That's fair. Neither do I." Isla softened nearly imperceptibly. "For what it's worth, I didn't get much of a choice in the matter. And I tried to make sure the same thing didn't happen to you."

She couldn't look at Isla right then. Instead, she watched the fire. The way the flames danced in the grate. Slowly, the tension dwindled.

"So, what now? You got Mako out and got us here. What's next?"

"I haven't thought that far," Isla admitted. "My task was to get the demons out of the facility. You're extra. I wasn't expecting to run into you, but now that you're here, we should probably find Hiei."

"Excuse me?" For all her blame on Hiei, Isla was actually suggesting they find him?

Isla continued. "Surely their team has bases, right? Places they would go during something like this? Places to re-convene? Meet up in the event of a catastrophe?"

Cappadocia. Ashley kept that knowledge to herself. "Why would we go there?"

Isla's brows shot up, a look of incredulity passing over her expression. "If you haven't noticed, the world has ended. The Guardians have infiltrated the governments. He," she motioned to Mako, "just got out of imprisonment. Arnold cannot blend in. And the Guardians are also rounding up psychics. We're all being hunted. Or do you have somewhere else you plan to go?"

Her thoughts immediately went to Oliver. If only he wasn't a Guardian. Her family had once meant safety, but that was no longer an option. The entire reason she'd stayed behind was to be with her family, and now that option was shot to hell.

"How about this: think on it," Isla said, re-directing. "You don't have to decide right now but start thinking about what you want to do. If you want Arnold and I to accompany you wherever you want to go, we will. Some countries are safer than others, but know it's not wise to stay here. England isn't safe anymore."


She could feel it.

The pressure in her chest was warm, like she was in front of the bonfire again at Genkai's. It had appeared gently every so often, always dull, but reminding her of when Hiei was near. Of the nights that he pulled her close and his energy enveloped her. It tugged at her attention, like a beacon, calling her to respond, but she kept her own energy down; it wasn't safe.

It was like a sphere of energy in her chest, and as she laid on her cot, letting it simmer there, her thoughts went back to earlier in the evening. Back to what Isla and Arnold had told her.

Hiei had told her that time had gone back. He had gone through Nobuyuki's memories, too, which meant that he had seen himself at the Event. He had seen Ashley nearly lifeless, and he had straight lied to her when he told her of what they found later.

Hiei had kept this from her.

Did he know about her Potential, as well? That her energy was growing as it was? That she would have to die to shut it off or split apart from it?

What all had Hiei kept from her?

The energy within her was very distinctly Hiei, but as she focused on it, and felt it within her, it disappeared at once. Snuffed out like a candle.

She jerked, instinctively.

"Can't sleep?" came Isla's quiet voice from the fireside. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Her head had been resting on them as she stared at the dying embers, but as she heard Ashley shift, she'd lifted her head.

Ashley waved her off with a sigh, her hand traveling to her sternum. What had that been? His energy just… disappeared so immediately. It had always died down after a while, but it was like a light had been flicked off. It was sudden and immediate and left her reeling. "I haven't been able to since…" She didn't need to finish that sentence. Since all of this had started? Since the Fourteen Gone? Since she found out that the battle against the Legion had a set-in-stone date? Since the barrier had come down? Since she realized time had gone backwards? Since Isla had died?

No. Since Isla faked her own death.

Even if her death was orchestrated by the Guardians, the rebel group she'd mentioned had brought her back. And yet, she still hadn't reached out to Ashley.

"What a year, huh?" Isla asked with a humorless laugh. "2020 is definitely one for the history books."

"If we ever have school again." Ashley rolled off her cot, already sore despite only laying on it for a few hours. Whatever the energy she'd felt within her, she couldn't focus on it now; it'd only drive her crazy.

"There will be school. And there will be history, still. Humans always find a way to form a community again. Society always continues. It just may not be one we recognize right away."

Ashley didn't answer as she moved closer to the fire. Mako was on the couch and Arnold was on the cot that Isla leaned against. Sitting cross-legged across from Isla, she leaned against the couch watching the embers dance in the fire grate, her thoughts automatically wandering back to Hiei.

Back to that night that they hung out with Yusuke and Kuwabara and Kurama, and Keiko and Yukina, and Bjorn, Chu, Touya, and Jin. One of the last nights that had been happy. One of the last nights that didn't have the threat of war hanging over their heads like an axe. They had laughed and drank and been completely stupid for the hell of it. Hiei had held her against him for all to see. He'd told her everything.

Or so she'd thought.

Disquiet churned in her stomach, and she shifted, trying to lessen the feeling only to realize that Isla was watching her.

"I have a question for you," Ashley started to re-direct Isla's attention.

Isla nodded slowly like she was half asleep but sat up straighter anyway. "What can I answer for you?"

She was trying to lighten the air between them, but Ashley wasn't letting her off the hook quite so easily.

"Your power." Isla's lips formed a thin line and her attention shifted back to the flames as Ashley spoke. "What is it?"

"I have an affinity for sound. Specifically, sound waves," she said slowly. "Languages work too, however." When Ashley quirked a brow in curiosity, Isla gestured to the two men still sleeping. "None of us have had to translate for each other. And while I'm not doubting your teaching ability, Ashley, you've also only been teaching that class for less than a year. There's no way he knows English this well."

Now that she said it, Ashley realized it was true. All of their conversations that night had occurred and no one had had to stop to say it in a different language or provide clarification, or a different way of saying something. Arnold had even switched between English and Japanese a few times, Ashley realized, but she hadn't felt the need to try to keep up linguistically. Of course, she also realized that she hadn't been paying attention at all to Isla's energy levels. It hadn't even occurred to her to keep her guard up and monitoring her energy. But Isla would have had to use her energy in order to translate the conversations, if translate was even the right word.

"Your brother has a similar power," Ashley mused. "Daniel," she supplied, even though just the mention of her brother looked like it tore Isla to pieces. Ashley didn't feel any remorse. "He can kind of translate languages, too."

Isla caught her expression just as quickly as it appeared. "Must be family genetics or something."

"Or something," Ashley agreed, though she wasn't quite convinced. Maybe Isla knew about this, maybe she didn't; Ashley didn't particularly care and there was something else she wanted to know that was more important. "When did it appear? You never said anything. Not even when you -" she caught herself, stumbling over her words, "-when you visited."

"I was being watched, Ashley." She said like it should have been obvious at this point. And maybe it should have. They'd spent nearly an hour discussing the very topic only a few hours prior. "And beyond that, if they caught on that I was actually sympathetic toward demons or that you were in any way connected to all of this, they would have been after you, too. I was trying not to give away too much. Plus, you never would have let me out of Japan if I'd told you everything, and then that really would have tipped them off."

She was right about that. If Ashley had known, she would have made sure Isla didn't get on that plane.

Every word. Every snide remark. Every thought that felt so wrong and foreign that came out of Isla's mouth didn't express her true feelings on the topic.

It was a small comfort, knowing that Isla wasn't actually a hateful person. But they way she had explained her story earlier felt too vague. It felt like she was still keeping information tucked away. As much as she had railed on Hiei for not being entirely truthful, Ashley would bet that Isla wasn't being truthful either.

It felt like a vast ocean stretched out between them, separating them from each other. It felt as close as Isla's death had, even though she was living and breathing across from her.

"Have you given any thought to it?" Isla asked, jolting Ashley from her thoughts.

"Thought to…?"

"Well, we can't stay here." When Ashley still didn't make to respond, Isla continued. "We can't survive here for long. They'll find us eventually."

Oh. That.

The choice was simple, just as Isla had said it was. They could stay in England and try to survive. But Mako was fresh out of imprisonment and the Guardians were rounding up the psychics, too. Or, they could go to Cappadocia. To Hiei and the others.

But would Hiei even want to see her? He'd been pretty insistent two days prior, and he'd all but cast her aside. More than that, did she want to go to him?

Because as much as he'd tossed her aside like she was nothing as soon as she stood her ground, he'd also kept information from her. Information that affected her. Maybe it was just indirectly, but it still affected her.

Really, she was the reason that Nobuyuki had taken time back at all. All of this mess was brought on because she'd nearly died.

And Hiei hadn't thought to bring that up. In all the opportunities he'd had, he'd never volunteered that information.

And it hurt, more than anything. Ashley knew she ought to feel anger at him and at his lack of communication, but more than anything she was just hurt that he didn't tell her.

Did she want to cross Europe all the way to Cappadocia, Turkey, chasing her boyfriend - if that was even what they were - when he cast her aside so easily and had treated her like he had?

She didn't have an answer. And it must have shown on her face because Isla eventually said, "Keep thinking on it. We don't have to-"

She cut off suddenly, head snapping up. Eyes wide, she lifted a hand to hold Ashley from saying anything.

Ashley froze, heart hammering and adrenaline pumping, but all she could hear was the blood in her ears.

Across from her, Arnold was sitting up in his cot, eyes trained on the front of the house. He rose to his feet, all senses on high alert. The bottom of Ashley's stomach dropped out, but as she sat on high alert for what felt like several minutes in tense silence and nothing happened, the anticipation dissipated.

Before Isla could shush her, Ashley whispered, "Isla? What-?"

An explosion blew apart the front of the house.


NOTES:

If I ever needed you guys to comment on a chapter, this is it. Please, please, please let me know if the Potential/Ultimate Potential stuff makes sense. If not, I'll explain it better in an upcoming chapter. Some of you have been asking where we're going, and this is it. This is one of the Endgames. This is what I've been working toward for over 200,000 words.

Thank you for being patient with me as I worked to get this chapter written. I participated in NaNoWriMo last month and have several chapters written, so I'm going to start posting bi-weekly. Chapter 38 will be released on December 20 at the latest. I'm moving that weekend so it may be earlier, but we'll see how things look as I get closer. In the meantime, if you're part of the My Hero Academia fandom, I've started writing a League of Villains vs Shie Hassaikai fic called, Kintsukuroi. Check it out!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mediocre Dunces, rsaenz18, musicnutftw, and one Guest who left reviews since chapter 36 was posted! To the Guest, if you are still reading: I was using a British English to American English translator guide and have since realized it was wrong on some of the words. I haven't been able to go back and edit yet, but one day I will. Also, please forgive some of the smaller details. I was just beginning to get my toes wet in the world of fanfic again after a break of seven years and ODAD wasn't as serious a story in the beginning as it is now. However, I do consider Yukina to have made a home-cooked meal for Kuwabara. A home-cooked Japanese meal.

I do not own, in any way, the characters, places, or ideas of the Yu Yu Hakusho universe created by Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my own characters and plot. No money or income is generated from this story.