Moonlight Demon

Keiko

By the time they were done, the night had already come. 

That wasn't the only thing that came, of course. Keiko's legs could barely hold her at this point. So, instead of heading back, for a few moments, she and Ash simply sat on the same boulder that the half-demon had just spent a while eating her out on. Ash had nearly transformed, but as she hadn't had an orgasm herself though, she didn't. 

Right now, Keiko and Ash were sitting together, looking up at the night sky. Keiko's head was resting on Ash's left shoulder, their hands held together. 

"... We should probably head back soon," Keiko said. 

"Yeah. Probably." 

Despite that though, neither of them made an effort to move. 

Instead, Ash continued. 

"... I need to do more," Ash muttered suddenly and Keiko raised a brow at her. 

"Hm? What do you mean?" 

"... I'm training, and I'm leveling, but, by now, I could have learned a ton of different spells. Instead, the only ones I've picked up are the ones we got from Vermia's house. I don't know, it sort of feels like I'm wasting my time." 

"Are you worried about Kaori?" Keiko asked and Ash nodded. "Don't worry. Lumina said you could take a few months to prepare for whatever she's got in mind, right?" 

"... Yeah, but..." Ash muttered. "I dunno. I still feel like I'm just..." She trailed off and hunched over a bit, her frustration so visible that Keiko basically recoiled. 

Seeing her down like this was rare, so Keiko had no real clue what she needed to do in moments like these. However, as the area around them got just a little colder, Keiko went with her gut and simply gave the half-demon a soft embrace. 

"We've got plenty of time. Don't worry about it," Keiko told her and Ash sighed. 

"Yeah... I guess." 

With that moment done, finally, they began heading back to the camp. Ash kept her eyes peeled for any potential creatures scurrying towards them from the darkness, but their walk was ultimately an uninterrupted one. When they arrived back where their group was, Ash saw that most of them had already gone to sleep. 

Yumi was the only one awake as she was still meditating with her legs crossed. Satsuhiro and Metsumi were in their tent, and Luvine and Opah were sharing a mat. 

"Damn..." Ash muttered. "Guess we were gone for longer than I thought." 

Keiko felt as tired as ever, so, while Ash walked over to Yumi and sat down next to her, she went to the same tent where Kaori was. Here, she laid down next to her and sighed, looking up. 

And, as she heard Ash and Yumi start talking to each other, her thoughts drifted. 

There has to be a way,  Keiko thought.  I mean... With magic being capable of so much, surely there's some sort of option that can help me get rid of this. 

She hadn't told Ash, but admittedly, she was feeling a very similar way to the half-demon. 

While the Savior was out there, fighting and training, Keiko had spent the last three or so weeks doing nothing but "resting", or as she liked to call it, "wasting away". 

I am a fighter. Maybe, someday, I could be something else, but that is not who I am today. She thought as she closed her eyes, her resolve strengthening inside of her. 

One way or another, she hoped she'd find a way to get her life back. 

---

Ash

The next morning, Ash was up early, training with her teacher. Currently, Yumi was teaching her how to use the naginata. Ash's proficiency on the weapon was at a 3, and, sadly, that meant that it was simply an uncomfortable tool to wield. 

As their blades crossed, Yumi's regular naginata against Ash's golden, divine one, they stopped. 

"Remember," Yumi explained, "the naginata's strength lies in its adaptability." 

She raised her own as she stepped back, holding it by the end of the wooden shaft. 

"In one fluid moment, you can turn it from a long-range, distance-controlling weapon, to a short range one," she said as she let it drop and then held the weapon again close to the blade. "This game of handling can win you fights if you master it." 

"Yeah, gotcha."

Ash had the Dexterity to do these precise movements with ease, but her weapon proficiency made it feel unnatural. That was eased however as, in the very next exchange, Ash's proficiency went up to 4. 

The number appeared over her head and Ash stopped, catching her breath. Yumi stopped to look at that as well. 

"..." Yumi chuckled. "It is rather disturbing to see you progress this quickly, I must say." 

"Really?" Ash asked. "Thought you'd be happy about it, since you said you wanted to fight people on your own level, way back." 

"... Perhaps disturbing is the wrong word. Regardless, let's continue." 

And so, they fought for a little while longer, until Opah and Luvine woke up and Metsumi proceeded to make breakfast for everyone. By that time, Ash was sweating intensely, but she was still slightly annoyed that she'd be stopping her training, even momentarily. 

As everyone sat down around the burnt-out campfire from last night, Ash spoke up. 

"So, Satsu, figured out how we're gonna head into the city? I need to try to find more spells there." 

"... I've thought of something," Satsuhiro nodded.

"Alright, shoot." 

"It might not be too dangerous if we go in small groups. Take turns, basically, going with you. "You go in with Keiko, one day, then you go in with Yumi, then with Metsumi, so on so forth." 

"... I guess," Ash shrugged. "But, I'm telling you, I really don't think anyone there could cause us real problems as a group." 

"Maybe, maybe not. Better safe than sorry." 

"Oh, in that case," Metsumi said, "how about I go first then? I could use the time to shop for some more supplies for us." 

"Makes sense," Satsuhiro nodded. "Just..." 

"I know, I know," Metsumi laughed, cutting him off. "Don't talk to anyone shady, don't buy anything weird. Satsu, this isn't my first time walking around dangerous places, you know?" 

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, curious. 

"Well, before the portals started opening up, every city had its fair share of good and bad spots. Jade, most of all. I'm sure you know about them. Now though, well, most people are too busy worrying about whether their city's going to get sacked tomorrow to really care about robbing people in the night and stuff. Not in Amber, apparently, but I'll be fine. I'm capable," she said, flexing her arms and Satsuhiro sighed. 

"I know, dear, I know." 

"So, when can we head out?" Ash asked. 

"Whenever you want to," Satsuhiro shrugged. "Let Metsumi do the talking though, she's better with people." 

As blunt as that was, Ash agreed. 

"So, it's settled then," Metsumi clapped her hands together. "May as well get ready, Ash. No reason to wait around." 

"Yeah." 

So, Ash walked away with a spare change of clothes and took off her black dress, as it was already quite messy from all the dirt she'd been walking through since they'd arrived. Putting on a regular long-sleeved white shirt and some baggy black pants, Ash returned to the group to find Metsumi crouched in front of Opah and Luvine, explaining to them why they couldn't go. 

"There are some mean people out there," Metsumi told them. "You could get hurt, okay? So, stay here for us, and wait till we get back." 

"But I wanna go with you!" Opah said, while Luvine simply looked over at Ash with worry, but remained silent. 

"Sorry, sweetie," Metsumi hugged Opah tightly. "I'll take you in one of these days, don't you worry." 

Grumpy, Opah huffed and walked away, over to her mat where she took her sheet and wrapped herself up. Luvine, seeing this, jogged over to her, remaining by her side. 

Ash looked over at Yumi and Keiko, who were standing nearby. 

"So, anything you want me to look for?" She asked. 

Interestingly, Keiko's lips parted like she was going to ask for something, but then she closed her mouth and simply smiled. 

"No, no. Have fun." 

"Hm..." Yumi tilted her head. "I suppose it would be fun to find new weapons. Maybe you could bring something back for me?" 

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out then. See you later," Ash said, waving her hand at them but Keiko walked over and stopped her. 

"Hahaha," she laughed. "That's a little cold, don't you think?" 

"What do you-" Ash didn't get to finish her question though as Keiko kissed her, her soft lips pressing against Ash's own lightly. 

"... Oh," Ash said, blinking. 

Keiko laughed again, as Ash put two fingers up to her own lips.  Right. This sort of thing is normal, isn't it?  She wondered. She didn't have too many references for relationships, after all, besides for Satsuhiro and Metsumi. 

"Eh, don't worry about it... I just figured..." Keiko said, but now Ash cut her off. 

Ash took Keiko by the waist and pulled her in, locking their lips in a far more passionate moment than what had just happened. When they separated, Ash took a deep breath. 

"I..." Ash looked away. "I don't know how much is too much, when it comes to this sort of thing, if that makes sense." 

"... How about you test your limits and I'll let you know?" Keiko told her with a smile and Ash had to look away to prevent her heart from getting melted. 

"Sure." 

And, with that, Ash finally began to head into the city, with Metsumi as her only bit of company.