Chapter Text
Mira and Zoey were over the moon. Again!
Every day, they would wake up and Rumi would be in the kitchen, waiting with breakfast ready (or lunch depending on when Celine decided to wake them up). They got to have meals with her, train alongside her, see her outside of their (apparently not so) secret nighttime meetings.
Zoey was ecstatic every time she woke up to find Rumi waiting for them in the kitchen, her usual small smile on her lips. The youngest trainee rushed her and, no matter if she had just woken up or just finished training, Rumi would catch her the second Zoey leaped at her. She had grown accustomed to the greeting, and to Mira's subsequent attempt to pounce on her in a surprise attack.
The first morning, Rumi hadn't been expecting it, but her instincts had kicked in anyway. She spun herself and Zoey out of the way, depositing their youngest on a chair as Mira leaped at her again, trying to land a hit. Zoey had snorted and begun filling their plates with food while she waited.
Celine had watched curiously, taking note of Rumi's maneuvers while also observing the areas Mira needed improvement in. When Mira had tired herself out, Celine had cleared her throat, causing all three of her students to stiffen. "If you're so eager to train, we can always skip breakfast-."
No amount of breathlessness stopped Mira from getting to her seat in a flash. Rumi had also been in her seat on Zoey's free side in the blink of an eye. From then on, once Celine stepped into the kitchen, Mira would call a truce so they could eat without being threatened.
With the ability to see Rumi more often also came the dread of sleeping, though. Sleep was necessary for them to remain in top shape and alert. However, it also meant they wouldn't be able to see Rumi training with Celine. It meant they wouldn't get the chance to see her dancing or get to hear her sing whenever Celine deemed that part of her practice. As much as they had grown to appreciate sleep since beginning their patrols, they also didn't like having to sacrifice their time with Rumi.
"We see each other at breakfast," Rumi pointed out one morning when Zoey voiced her discontent with the situation. "And when we train at the same time."
"Yeah, but after breakfast, it's right to training!" Zoey whined dramatically. "And it's not like we train together. You're always doing something different." She laid her head on the table with a pout. "We don't get to just... hang out with each other, like we used to."
Rumi hummed, understanding what the younger Hunter was getting at. Glancing about to be sure her mother figure was nowhere to be found—off in her office, no doubt either planning their debut, or planning more training exercises—Rumi leaned closer to Zoey's seat conspiratorially. "Why don't you come by tonight after patrol?" she suggested quietly. "Celine told me not to keep you two up too late, but... she shouldn't mind it happening every once in a while. Hopefully."
Zoey's eyes lit up and Mira snorted into her rice. "Celine's gonna flip if she finds out how much of a bad influence we are on you," the rosette chuckled. "But sure, I'm down. Would be nice not having to cut our matches short."
"Will you even have the energy after a Hunt?" Rumi inquired with a playful tilt of her head.
"Only one way to find out," Mira shot back, her words dry without a single bit of bite.
Zoey chuckled at them and the trio finished their food quickly, knowing the routine by now. If Celine caught them when she returned, training would be twice as hard for all three of them. Just like always, they had just finished cleanup when they heard the office door open, and it was a subsequent mad dash for the door to not be caught in the house when their mentor arrived.
Training flew by for Mira and Zoey. It was practicing one of their routines, keeping them in shape for being idols. As they sang, the Honmoon thrummed and pulsed around them, glowing brighter with the addition of Mira's choreography. Rumi, meanwhile, did sword drills, sharpening her skills with the weapon so she could help on Hunts. Celine watched all three like a hawk, mentally taking notes on her internal timeline for their debut. As far as any of them could tell, they were still on track, though it was hard to tell considering she hadn't told them anything yet.
The afternoon came entirely too quickly for Mira and Zoey's liking. They wanted to watch Rumi practice, they wanted to talk with her and hug her, and spend time with her. Being away from her was getting harder and harder by the day. The only thing placating them today was the promise of seeing Rumi when they returned from patrolling. The excitement of it almost kept them awake, but with tremendous effort, they managed to get themselves to sleep.
It didn't stay that way for long.
Despite Mira managing to remain asleep, Zoey's restlessness over the coming night kept her tossing and turning until she couldn't take it anymore! She needed to move around, she needed to get rid of all the energy building inside her. It had been so long since they'd had Rumi time in Rumi's House, she couldn't contain herself. So sue her, she liked spending time with their hot, sweet housemate.
Slipping out of Mira's embrace, Zoey pressed a quick kiss to her girl's forehead before making her way toward the kitchen. Maybe a snack would help her sleep better. Going to bed on an empty stomach would probably lead to being hungry while on the Hunt, and Zoey didn't want to be out on patrol with a growling stomach. The embarrassment would kill her before the demons did.
As she passed a window heading to the kitchen, a flash of movement caught the young Hunter's eye. Pausing, Zoey backtracked to the window to peer out curiously. Large brown eyes widened further when she found Celine and Rumi out on the training pitch. They were practically blurs, moving at speeds Mira and Zoey hadn't even managed yet. Now that she was focused on them, Zoey could hear the clack of the wooden swords against each other through the window, the blows so quick yet so forceful, they almost sounded like one continuous sound rather than several smaller sounds.
As Zoey watched, Celine went in for a strike to Rumi's stomach, a move she used on Mira a lot to strengthen her defenses. Unlike Mira, who never guards well enough to block the blow and ends up getting knocked back, Rumi slid around behind Celine and attacked her from the back, forcing their mentor to swing her sword behind her to block the incoming blow. Rumi's sword had barely connected to Celine's before the violet-haired woman was swinging it in a new attack, one Celine easily spun away from, turning in order to properly assess her opponent once more.
Food? Forgotten.
Zoey streaked back to her bedroom, practically launching herself onto the bed, hands grasping at Mira's shoulders frantically. "Mira wake up real quick omg-!" she hissed, words smashing together as she roused her partner from slumber.
Sharp brown eyes flew open and Mira's axe materialized in hand before she even fully registered anything. "Zoey, what's going on? Danger?" Her eyes scanned the room, looking for any signs of an attack or threat.
"You have to see you have to see you have to see!" Zoey tugged Mira's arm, dragging her off the bed and toward the window.
"Dislocating my arm," Mira snorted when Zoey finally stopped in front of the window.
"I'll reset it later, look look look!"
Following her love's frantic motions, Mira peered out the window. Even without her glasses, she could tell the two figures moving outside were Rumi and Celine. And she knew the blurriness of their movements wasn't at all due to not being able to see well. "What...?" she whispered.
Zoey darted back to the room and grabbed her glasses, handing them over. Mira slid them on and her jaw dropped. Rumi blocked a blow from Celine and ducked under the next, going in for a shot at their mentor's chest. Celine leaped back, bringing her sword up to block Rumi's press. They traded blows quickly, swords never faltering, attacks never landing, before Celine's sword swung out to disarm Rumi. The force of the swing sent both swords flying off to the side.
Mira thought the fight would be over, but to her shock, Celine leaped at Rumi, fist raised. Rumi brought her arm up, blocking the blow and sending one back with her free hand, palm slamming against the older Hunter's stomach and knocking Celine back. Zoey's jaw hit the ground as Rumi pressed the attack, getting in another solid hit before Celine retaliated, a flurry of kicks forcing Rumi to put distance between them. Celine used the distance to rush her, only for Rumi to dodge the fists coming closer. She weaved through the attacks like a dancer, returning some of them, only to be blocked as Celine kept her guard up.
Slowly, the two younger Hunters turned to glance at each other, jaws still on the floor as they found the same awe reflected in each other's eyes. Rumi, the woman who, as far as they knew, hadn't fought anyone for over half a year, was holding her own against Celine, the woman who still managed to wipe the floor with her trainees despite the immense progress they'd made. Yeah, Rumi was still falling to some of the attacks, but she actually managed to land plenty of her own, and she wasn't being knocked back nearly as much as Zoey and Mira always were.
Was this why they still hadn't gotten to train with her? Did Celine not think they were on her level yet? Was she waiting for Rumi to get caught up to them with performing before she finally put the three of them together? Zoey stared as Rumi flipped over Celine's incoming punch, swinging her body to punch downward, only for Celine to roll out of the way. These were moves they had seen, even performed at times, but never with the amount of success Rumi displayed. Mira and Zoey had never kept Celine on her toes to this degree.
Mira's jaw clenched, not in jealousy, though. At least, not of Rumi. Mira was jealous of Celine. She got to see Rumi performing these stunts, she got to fight against her directly, watching the flow of her body, the swiftness of her attacks, feeling the force of her punches, getting knocked back by her kicks. Celine got to experience a side of Rumi Mira had dreamed about, more than just dodging, more than just lounging. Celine got to meet Rumi head-on. She got to feel the strength in the violette's body, the aches from a tough spar with the half-demon. Drool pooled in Mira's mouth as she envisioned how gorgeous Rumi must look up close while fighting.
"I wanna fight her," she whispered, voice tight, fists clenched and shaking at her sides. "Zo, I wanna fight her so bad."
"Me too," Zoey rasped. Light crept through her vision, her body humming in excitement, with the need to be the one fighting Rumi. "Mi, we gotta..."
"Tonight," Mira decided, receiving a nod from her companion. It wasn't up for discussion, after patrol, they needed to fight Rumi.
Neither slept after that. They couldn't, not with the image of Rumi's braid trailing behind her like a tail as she retaliated against the best fighter they knew, not with the sound of her sword hitting Celine's ringing in their ears. Not with the heat and awe still rampaging through their bodies, seeing just how skilled Rumi truly was, and the envy they now held for their mentor for being the only one to have experienced that skill firsthand.
Everything blurred after that. Not just the rest of the afternoon, but everything. Zoey didn't know what she wore to the Hunt, just that she grabbed whatever was closest in her closet, and she didn't even remember changing. Mira couldn't recall grabbing a quick pre-Hunt snack for herself and Zoey, she just vaguely recalled the feeling of chewing. She didn't even know if it was good. The ride to each destination felt like a single blink in time, silence engulfing them until they reached each tear. Even then, the most they could do was hum to close them, their voices catching every time they tried to sing. How could they, when every muscle, every nerve was gripped with the anticipation of seeing Rumi, of challenging her, of fighting her?
Celine cast frequent glances to her students, never having known either of them to be quite this quiet. The air around them was thick, overflowing with tension and she wondered if they'd had a fight. She hoped not; arguments among Hunters, even petty ones, tended to affect the Honmoon, weakening it. With so many tears forming each day, she couldn't have them fighting one another while the real enemy rampaged. If it wasn't fixed by the next day, she would step in.
The second they arrived back at the house, the pair made a beeline for their bedrooms. They knew Celine would be praying for an hour, which gave them time to think, to plan their moves. They already knew the role each of them would play in the unspoken plan they had created, but they needed to make sure it went off without a hitch. They needed her.
Mira spent the entire hour pacing her room, feeling like a caged animal, her body wired and ready for action. She couldn’t keep still, everything in her itching to go over to Rumi’s House and grab her, hold her close, feel the strength in her body, throw her against a wall or pin her to the ground, things she had yet to succeed in doing in their spars. But she wanted them, she wanted to finally feel Rumi against her, bested in battle, both of them having given it their all and Mira victorious.
Zoey wasn’t much better. Instead of pacing, she was actively jogging in circles. She couldn’t wait to get over to Rumi’s House. She hadn’t participated in Mira’s chases with Rumi, but she wished she had. She needed to feel Rumi slipping through her fingers, only for Zoey to grab on tighter, to hold her close, to pin Rumi to the ground or pounce on her and finally subdue her. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she wanted to, to have Rumi concede defeat after a full-on brawl, to feel the thrum of the violet-haired woman’s pulse beneath her hand as Zoey won.
The second Celine’s door clicked closed, Mira stepped from her bedroom, now uninterested in being sneaky since their mentor already knew about their nightly visits. Zoey joined her and the pair made their way toward Rumi’s House. Before they reached the division door, Mira broke off from Zoey, heading for the training grounds instead. Zoey let her, knowing they each had a role to play in the unspoken plan they had formulated.
Rumi poked her head from the kitchen the second she heard her door shut. “Zoey,” she called with a small grin. “Right on time. I have snacks.”
“The snacks will have to wait,” Zoey told her casually, hopping forward and gently taking Rumi’s hand.
Even with how often they hugged, Rumi still wasn’t used to the small touches Zoey initiated. Something buzzed from where their fingers connected all the way up to Rumi’s head and her fingers subconsciously wrapped around Zoey’s, keeping the youngest Hunter close as she asked, “Oh yeah?”
“Mi and I wanna talk to you,” Zoey affirmed with a nod. She began tugging Rumi gently toward the door. “Outside, if it’s okay with you?”
“Sure, I don’t mind,” Rumi replied, allowing herself to be guided out to the training grounds. “But we need to keep the noise low. I don’t want to wake Celine. She can get a little grumpy sometimes when she’s tired.”
“I don’t even know how she finds time to sleep half the time,” Zoey muttered, momentarily forgetting the energy rolling in her body as she contemplated their mentor. “Between training us, training you, and patrols, she can’t possibly get more than a few hours at most.”
“She’s really resilient,” her friend shrugged. “It probably comes with being a Hunter and an idol. You and Mira will likely learn it with time, too.”
Zoey winced. “Oof, not looking forward to that…”
Rumi only chuckled as they finally stepped out to the training grounds. Mira was waiting for them and Rumi lifted her free hand in greeting. “Hey, Mira,” she called with a slight wave. “What did you two want to talk about?”
“Fight us,” Mira ordered. No lead-in, no beating around the bush, no sugarcoating. She was too tightly wound for any of that slow and easy stuff. She needed this and she needed it now.
Rumi tilted her head as Zoey stepped to Mira’s side, both facing the half-demon. “Beg your pardon?”
“We want you to fight us,” Zoey told her, voice heavy with excitement. “We wanna fight you.”
“Not any of that evading and dodging crap, either,” Mira added, forcing herself to remain in control and not just launch herself at Rumi. “We want to have a real spar with you.”
“Are you… sure?” Rumi asked. Her eyes bounced between them carefully. “You just came back from a Hunt, don’t you want to rest-?”
“We don’t need to rest,” Mira cut her off, the older Hunter’s voice thick with anticipation.
Zoey gave a single nod, fighting the urge to bounce. “I couldn’t sleep if I tried. I really, really wanna fight you, Rumi. Please?”
“Did I… do something wrong?” Rumi tried slowly. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? “Did I upset you?”
“Not upset,” the youngest chirped. “But we probably will be if we keep standing here instead of brawlin’ it out.”
There was a short silence as Rumi tried to understand what was happening. She thought they were tired of only training and wanted to hang out. She even made some snacks, but if they were so certain…
“Okay,” she said calmly, hopping in place and shaking herself out.
Mira and Zoey perked up excitedly. “For real?” Mira tested, sharp eyes surveying her as Rumi stretched herself. “You’ll fight us?”
“If that’s what you want,” Rumi shrugged, cracking her neck and knuckles. “I’ll do it.”
Zoey squealed happily, jumping into the air like tigger on a good day. “Oh thank you thank you thank you!” she cheered. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Rumi and Mira shared a single look, a smirk flowing between them. Yeah. Fun.
Rumi dropped into her stance and the Hunters-in-training did the same. The three of them eyed each other carefully, waiting for the slightest signal to begin. After an internal countdown from five, Zoey leaped forward, Mira at her side. Rumi matched them, moving forward at the same speed, but instead of throwing a punch, she only blocked Zoey’s initial attack and ducked Mira’s incoming kick.
The fight started off tentative. Even with the excitement of fighting Rumi directly, Mira and Zoey were hesitant to properly attack. They weren’t familiar with Rumi’s fighting style, only the way she dodged, and that wasn’t much to go on. It was about ten minutes in, with Rumi having simply evaded them the entire time, smiling patiently as they found their rhythm, that Mira had enough. She didn’t want Rumi dodging. She didn’t want to just see Rumi evade her, she wanted the instinctual energy of a fight, the thrill of taking or blocking your opponent’s hits, the exhilaration of a real brawl.
Patience snapping like a twig, Mira’s next attempts to get at Rumi were more focused, centralized on getting a reaction. She wasn’t hindered by the hallway anymore; she had space to really use her long reach to her advantage. Rumi’s eyes widened, not having expected the next attack to come faster, and threw her arm up to block. Her eyes met Mira’s and the taller woman growled, “Fight us. Like you mean it.”
Rumi blinked, seeing the fire burning in Mira’s eyes, the determination in her gaze. Slowly, a small smile slid over the violette’s lips, eyes narrowed with focus. “Fine,” Rumi whispered in a husky growl. “You wanna get wild? Let’s go.”
Mira blinked as Rumi disappeared from in front of her. It was only through training that she managed to dodge the blow coming from behind, Rumi’s fist just barely missing her shoulder. Mira spun and threw out a punch, only for Rumi to block it and slam a fist into her stomach, eyes narrowed in challenge. Mira took the brunt of the hit, kicking out and forcing distance between them.
“Oh, we’ll show you wild,” Mira sneered. With a single nod to Zoey, the two of them darted for their opponent. Zoey fed from Mira’s energy, feeling a thrill skip down her spine as they stopped thinking so much and let their instincts and training finally take the lead. Instead of dodging the pair of them, Rumi rushed to meet them, ducking Mira’s initial blow to send a punch into Zoey’s stomach. The lyricist slid backward, only to launch herself forward again, fist colliding with Rumi’s block, only for Zoey to dart around to get a hit in from a different angle. Rumi jumped out of her way and dodged Mira’s next attack, cutting through the taller woman’s guard to land two punches to her stomach before Mira blocked and sent a punch for Rumi’s chest. The half-demon slid backward and pushed off, leaping back toward her opponents.
The atmosphere shifted, the air tinged with much more energy than before. Rumi blocked and attacked with methodical precision, keeping Mira on her toes and Zoey always moving. Blows were blocked more than they were traded, the Hunters working in tandem against the half-demon. Even with Mira’s strength and Zoey’s speed, Rumi still outmaneuvered them, keeping out of reach, keeping an impenetrable guard, lashing out and cutting through them with ease they had only ever seen in Celine. It was infuriating, it was agitating… it was divine.
The strength of her blows, the speed of her movements, the precision, the ferocity. It was everything they had been wanting from this fight and they could feel it now, feel Rumi’s power washing over them in the best way. It was a high they hadn’t known they needed until now.
The grin on Mira’s lips was borderline manic, Zoey sporting one to match, teeth on full display as they went at Rumi from both sides and barely even managed to touch her. Their bodies buzzed, the heat ramping up even in the coolness of the night, sweat slicking their clothes to their bodies as the two Hunters fought to get even one solid hit on their opponent. Zoey’s breath rasped down her throat as she used her speed to come at Rumi in sneak attacks, trying to catch her off guard by getting her from the side or from behind. Mira kept her usual straightforward approach, her moves relying more on her strength and grounded stance.
Rumi smiled, eyes shining in the moonlight as she ducked attacks and weaved through defenses, forced to go all out with how ferociously Zoey and Mira were fighting. They weren’t holding back, not even a little, pure primal strength and speed driving their movements. It was invigorating. Not even Celine fought Rumi with everything she had. No matter how hard her guardian tried, she still held back a small bit, not wanting to hurt Rumi. Not now, though. Not with these two. Rumi’s heart pounded in her ears, every sense alight as she kept on her toes against her friends.
The Honmoon danced and pulsed, weaving around them in a rhythm of its own, the fight stimulating it in a way none of the three had ever seen. Something they would take notice of if they were cognizant of it enough to notice, but the fight held all their focus. Nothing else mattered except the fists, the kicks, the tension and heat, the strength and speed, the skill and instinct of each other. The rest of the world completely fell away until it was just the three of them in their own special dance with each other.
It was the best night of their lives.