“Have you ever delivered a child?”

Ivy shook her head. “No. Is it hard?”

“It depends.” Akiko placed the box of stardust beetle wings in front of the girl. “Grind those in the mortar with the pestle,” she instructed. “Sometimes they come quick and effortless. Sometimes both mother and child die. Most births are somewhere in the middle. There is a woman who is due at any time now. I may ask for your assistance if you’re still here when that time comes.”

The girl looked at her in wide-eyed horror as she crushed the wings. “How often do they die?”

“Not often, but more often than I’d like.” The woman peered into the girl’s eyes sternly. “If you wish to be a healer, you need to learn to deal with death. It happens to all of us. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later. You have to accept it. You also need to learn how to bring life into this world as the two go hand-in-hand.”

Ivy nodded, thinking of the boy who sat next to her at the table, quietly separating the petals from various flowers that Akiko had had them pick that morning.

Not everyone died.

Or at least stayed dead.

“That is true,” she said softly as she looked down at her work. “I’d like to help if I can.”

Ivy didn’t like death, not that most people really do, but it seemed to be harder for her than others. She couldn’t stand to see others’ suffering and pain. It didn’t matter if it was a person or animal or fish or insect. She even pitied the pests that everyone had no problem exterminating or wanting exterminated. Even just hearing of someone’s misery filled her entire being with a dread and ache that was difficult to contain. Though she had learned over the years to better keep those emotions from spilling from her eyes as much, she still struggled greatly with it.

But Akiko was right. Death was a part of life. Just as birth was.

And what was more beautiful than a new life?

The woman set a ceramic bottle on the table. “That’s the rice wine. You want the consistency to be almost like a syrup. Not too thick, not too thin.”

The girl nodded, grabbing and slowly pouring the wine while stirring. She carefully observed the concoction, vigilant to not allow too much wine. After all, it was much easier to add than to take away. Once satisfied, she lifted the spoon, allowing the analgesic to pour from it.

“Very good.” Akiko took the bowl and began pouring the syrup evenly into six different vials. She corked them all and handed one to Ivy. “Take this. You may need it sooner or later.”

Ivy held the glass in her hand, the liquid within a light gray. “Thank you.” She looked down at herself, her white dress lacking appropriate storage. Fingers plucked it from her palm and she turned with a grateful smile to watch Zero wordlessly slipped it into his pocket before resuming his work.

“I should be thanking you. You two are the ones who did all the work.” The woman picked up the remaining five vials and organized them away in a bamboo cabinet, chuckling lightly. “And I’m the one who reaps all the benefits.” She pulled out several silk pouches and placed them by the deconstructed flowers. “You may separate each flower into a different bag, and be on your way. I have some other things to attend to today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They finished the job and cleaned up the space before departing from Akiko’s home. The woman lived on the opposite end of the village from Sakura’s home, and Ivy held onto Zero’s hand as they passed through, cheerfully guiding him along the path. The devil hung his head, staring at his feet as he took one step in front of the other, making sure his eyes were hidden from sight from those passing by.

The pair had woken that morning and were preparing to leave when Sakura had called them back as she laid in bed, her hair a sopping wet mess on the floor above her and Ren sleeping sideways on his stomach, his cheek pressed against her belly.

“Keep your head down,” she had warned, her eyes barely open. “There’s already enough talk without everyone realizing you’re a devil and freaking out about it. And Ren’s starting enough shit on his own without you accidentally adding on to it. I know it’s a hassle, but it’s just for now, just to keep you safe.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

So Zero had heeded her warning, keeping his eyes downcast as Ivy merrily led the way. It wasn’t exactly what the boy wanted to do, but he could understand Sakura’s concerns, and he would comply to the simple request. However, he wasn’t sure if there was much point in it at all. If Ren was already itching for trouble, it wouldn’t be long before he created it. None of it really mattered to Zero though. He had been told to stay with Ivy, and as long as he was with her, the man would be the woman’s problem and not his.

As it should be.

The noise of clashing steel and murmur of voices from the training grounds caught the girl’s attention, and she watched from afar the sparring and conversations taking place among the men there. There was already enough sparring going on in her own day-to-day life that the gathering was of little interest to her, and she faced forward, noticing a man walking the path towards them, his hair and ears a faded gray, similar to the syrup she had just procured, with a katana on his hip. She smiled politely as he approached, intending to walk by without incident.

But the man stopped before them, peering down at Zero’s katanas. “You two are the outsiders? The ones Haru’s child brought back with her?” He didn’t seem impressed or welcoming of the intruding pair.

“We are.” Ivy’s eyes darted away shyly. She had only planned on going back and forth between Sakura’s and Akiko’s home and hadn’t considered the possibility of being intercepted along the way. Normally, in such a case, Ren or Sakura would handle the man’s questions. But they weren’t here, and the girl was lost for what to do.

Zero continued staring at the ground, watching an ant pull a sliver of grass across the dirt. It was much larger than the insect, and he wondered how much heavier it was in comparison.

“Do you know how to use those?” the man questioned Zero.

Another ant crawled up to the other, pulling the blade from the first and continuing the journey.

Ivy’s breath began to quicken as her anxiety grew. If the man was asking then he probably wanted to spar against the devil, and that could only lead to the trouble that they were trying to avoid. She forced herself to look at him with a tight smile. “I’m sorry, but we have to go. Have a good day.”

“Quiet, girl. I’m not talking to you,” his voice dismissive and harsh. “I’m talking to him. He can answer for himself. What’s wrong with you, boy? Letting a little girl talk for you.”

Zero felt his eyelid twitch, an unfamiliar reaction. Sakura had told him to keep his head down, and he understood the issues that his eyes could cause in the den, issues that he also didn’t want to deal with. But he felt something building in him, an uncontrollable heat, starting out small but quickly raging out of control. Something unprecedented that made him clench his jaw to keep it from exploding from him.

He didn’t like the way the man spoke towards Ivy, and he knew of ways to make sure the fox never spoke that way to her again.

Sakura didn’t want him to cause trouble.

He didn’t care.

If trouble was going to come to Ivy…

Then Zero would get rid of it.

The devil’s head jerked up just as Ivy released his hand and stepped in front of him, glaring up at the larger man, her smaller fists clenched tightly.

“Leave him alone,” she hissed, her eyes like violet flames that tore through her entire body, burning brighter and hotter and ready to erupt.

The man went quiet, his own eyes glazing over as he stared into hers. “Yes,” he answered after a moment, his voice distant, obedient.

“You were very rude. You need to apologize.”

His head swayed slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. Please leave now and don’t ever talk to him again. Don’t talk to any of us outsiders or Haru’s child. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” He stepped to the side and continued on his way towards the training grounds as though he had never stopped in the first place. Ivy grabbed Zero’s hand without looking back, and quickly proceeded forward.

Sakura had told the devil to keep his head down.

But he watched the girl’s body storm ahead, tall and straight with a determined stride, dragging him along behind her. She was always so sweet, so gentle, so compassionate. Never could he have imagined that he would see her behave the way she just did.

Aggressive.

But although she was able to be that way in that moment, it wasn’t who she was.

“Ivy.” Zero squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Are you okay?”

The girl slowed to a stop and turned to the boy. She pulled her hand away from his, stepping up to him as she cupped his face and pulled it closer to hers. “Don’t listen to people like him. There’s nothing wrong with you, and I won’t let anyone talk to you like that.” She was strong, confident, so sure of herself. “Ever!”

He nodded and smiled softly at the girl as tears welled in her eyes and spilled over, every ounce of confidence going with them. Her hands fell from his cheeks and her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she buried her face into his neck and bawled, a plethora of emotion evacuating her being with every sob. Zero grabbed under her thighs and pulled her up, legs locking around his waist, and he continued on back to the house, head held high.

He was told not to look up.

But he’d deal with the consequences as they came.