Chapter Eight: Battle Plans:

August 12th, 1960.

"Are you alright?"

Emiko�s eyes yanked open. A baby doll-like woman stood over her. The butch demon sat up blushing when she saw her big green ones.

"What?" she asked. A confused expression shadowed over the other woman�s heart-shaped face.

"Are you alright?" she repeated.

"I guess�" Emiko said. "Who are you?"

"Sumire," the woman answered. "What's your name?"

"Emiko," the demon said. She looked around at the foggy empty space around them. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I don't know."

"What day is it?"

"The�" Sumire counted on her fingers as she tried to think. "The twelfth, I think�"

Emiko gave her a blank stare. "The twelfth?"

"That's right. I'm pretty sure."

Emiko looked down at the soft moss. "Wow�"

"Uh�" Sumire spoke up.

"Yeah?" the butch demon asked. The woman shuffled her feet as she looked at the ground.

"Do you need anything?" she asked, blushing. Her rosy cheeks made her that much cuter. "Can I get you something?" Emiko sat back, pondering her question.

"Well," she said. "I am a bit hungry."

"Okay, what would you like?"

"Anything, really."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Emiko watched Sumire run off in the wet summer grass.

January 8th, 2010.

"Emiko-sama!" a voice called to her. "Yoo-hoo! Are you still there?" Emiko returned to earth. Hotaru looked her in the face.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. The butch demon nodded at her girlfriend.

"Yeah," Emiko lied. "Of course! I'm fine. I'm fine!" She looked at her notes. "So where are we again?"

"You called us to the meeting,� Mike cut in at the table.

"Oh yeah!" Emiko said. Kazue rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked. "Why did you call us out of bed? How long will this take? And can I go back to bed afterwards?"

"Sure, sure," Emiko said. She pressed her hands together. "Okay. I want to restart the mission." All eyes fell on her. Hotaru's stomach dropped as the other two looked shocked.

"What?!" they asked.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"I have to," Emiko said with a sigh.

"But it failed," Kazue said.

"I know," the leader said. "But I have done better research."

"But why?" Mike asked.

"Why what?" Emiko asked back. The American man rose to his feet.

"Why start this mission again?" he asked. "Is it because you're having memories of her again?" The butch demon went quiet.

"Uh� well�" she said. Emiko looked down at her hand. Hotaru looked on at her girlfriend.

"Emiko-sama?" she asked. The butch demon shook her head.

"I have hooked up with some of the old contacts," she said.

"And?" Kazue asked.

"I'm still trying to talk to them," she said. "Excuse me." The butch demon stepped outside in the hallway. Hotaru looked at her housemates.

"What memories?" she asked.

"I'll let her tell you," Mike said. Hotaru sat back and bit her lower lip.