Wolves of Babylon
Chapter One
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Blue Exorcist franchise. I do not own any of the characters depicted apart from my own original characters, nor do I share any of the beliefs the characters in this story express. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.
"Alright then, we only have a month to go before summer vacation starts. Before that though, all of you have to take the Esquire Authorization exams first" Yukio Okumura pronounced in the middle of class, his glasses reflecting the light and hiding his eyes. Hoshiko Ookami with her dirty combat boots atop her desk lent her chair back even further, balancing on two feet as she scowled at her Sensei of Anti-Demon Pharmacology, accidently biting through her pocky in annoyance which was haphazardly hanging out of her mouth before. In contrast, her graceful elder twin sister Maya sat impassive, her long moonlight coloured hair tumbling down her shoulders in gentle waves while she blankly nibbled on her own pocky. Hoshiko continued to twirl her fingers into her sister's hair, curling it around her finger so it fell back onto Maya's back in soft ringlets.
"Esk-wire? What's that?" Rin Okumura in the front seat mumbled, growling as Hoshiko continued to kick his chair from behind. "It's 'Esquire'," The blonde Shiemi Moriyama said from besides him, her eyes kind but more than a little blank "It's a rank we obtain before becoming Exorcists". Hoshiko crackled loudly from behind them, patently obnoxious "you're such an idiot Rin-Kun. Don't you know nothing at all?". Okumura turned around to hiss at her angrily, taking a jab at her bad English, while the bored looking Maya glanced at him before looking back at Yukio coolly.
The young Sensei continued "anyway, once you all manage to become Esquires, you'll start to receive more intense field and combat training. With that said, don't expect the exams to be easy. To prepare for that, we'll be holding a week long 'Special Training' camp starting next week". Rin leaned back a little in surprise, Hoshiko sniggering a little at his expression "training camp?". Yukio continued on like his brother had said nothing, like he normally does when Rin suddenly interrupts him in class "I'll need each of you to state here whether you're attending or not," he started distributing papers amongst his students "and also what Meister title you want to obtain. Please fill out the form completely then turn it in to me by Monday".
"Meister? Title?" Rin mumbled. Standing up he turned to the group of boys in the group of desks to his left "Say, what's a 'Meister' exactly?" the whole class face-palmed in disbelief while Maya nibbled at her Pocky impassively. "What?" Ryuji 'Bon' Suguro exclaimed. "Umm...I'd like you to explain it to me" Rin continued, a little embarrassed by the looks his cram school classmates were giving him, Rin brisling at Hoshiko's mocking expression. "You're aiming to be an Exorcist, but you don't know something that simple?! This is basic stuff!"
"You sure don't know a lot of stuff, Okumura-kun" the pinked haired Renzo Shima laughed, his eyes sparkling as the two silver haired twins approached them, his eyes soaking in the eldest's bare legs, Maya in her short white, gray and black plaid skirt while Hoshiko preferred black denim jeans tucked into her boots.
The two sisters were two sides of a coin.
Maya wore elegant high heeled leather boots that went to her knee's, her skirt short with a fashionable long black coat was buttoned tight just under her ample breasts and flared out behind her plaid skirt. Her white blouse was buttoned up just enough to tease with a modest cleavage, the hint of black lace only just showing. She was quiet, modest and eloquent when she spoke and never seemed to open up to anyone in the class despite her twin, despite Renzo Shima's advances. Her blue eyes seemed to shift in shades of blue, depending on light and whoever she was talking to. For her twin, emotion would sometimes penetrate her mask, however when she spoke to anyone else she was a blank, emotionless moonlit night.
If Maya was the delicate, Winter's Moon, Hoshiko was the masculine Night Sky and Stars.
Hoshiko wore a heavily buttoned, short black military jacket, buttoned right up with only a little of her neck being exposed. A hint of blue undershirt showed just under the hem of the jacket over her denim jeans. The combat boots were pulled over the jeans, and had scuff mark's along the front and sides. Her eyes were an uncommon combination of silver, gray and black. And Shima would always be in some sort of pain if he even tried to advance on her personal space. Hoshiko was loud, arrogant and obnoxious. She was often getting into fights with Rin and making fun of Ryuji Suguro.
"You're such an idiot Rin-kun! Didn't I always say so Onee-chan?" Hoshiko laughed loudly; however her voice became unbelievably soft when directly talking to her sister. Maya nodded, her hands clasped behind her back, at ease while Hoshiko flicked her block fringe out of her gray eyes, the rest of her hair done up in a tight, high pony tail with a few longer wisps framing her face . "Damn...Cut me some slack here guys" Rin mumbled glaring at Hoshiko, his face twitching in annoyance.
"Meister refers to the title given to an Exorcist to classify their specialties, and more specifically, the skills required for a person to be qualified as an Exorcist. In order to become an Exorcist, you must master at least one of the five titles" the bald Konekomaru Miwa said helpfully. "Knight, Dragoon, Tamer, Aria and Doctor" Maya Ookami said quietly continuing on from Miwa.
"I see...I think I got most of it" Rin sat down with the boys looking over the sheet his brother Yukio handed out, while Hoshiko loomed over their table and Maya stood besides Bon, him blushing when some of her long moonlight coloured hair brushed his shoulder. "Why are you suddenly sitting with us?!" he shouted at Rin, trying to distract himself from the bare legs of the quiet girl standing besides him. "By the way, each type of Meister employs a fighting style that's unique to them" Konekomaru Miwa added ignoring his friend's outburst. "I see. Thanks for all the info Konekomaru, Maya-San" Rin grinned "What are you guys taking, by the way?"
"Me and Shima-san are aiming to become Arias" Konekomaru Miwa complied, Renzo Shima leaned his head on his palm grinning "Bon wants to become both an Aria and a Dragoon but I think he's just overdoing it again". Rin looked interested as he leant forwards "that's Bon for you". Ryuji Suguro exploded "don't call me Bon!"
Renzo Shima leant over the table, turning his head from Maya and Hoshiko rabidly "what about you two pretty ladies? If you two are going to train to become Doctor's I'm sure the superiors would let you dress up in little nurse uniforms!". Hoshiko wacked him over the head with a rolled up text book "I'm a pretty handy marksman, so you better watch your mouth when my gun is in my hand's Shima!" Hoshiko hissed, eyes glaring at the womanizer. "Maya-San has an affinity with swords right?! I've seen you some morning's practising!". Maya politely nodded at Miwa "yes, I plan to become a Knight. Shi-chan a Dragoon. My sister and I also have some skill in Taming; and I for one would like to also Master in this area" the boys exclaimed in surprise and interest at Maya's softly spoken words.
"Well then" Igor Neuhaus Sensei said drawing on the ground with chalk "I will now proceed to summon a demon" he raised his voice as Rin curiously stepped forwards towards the markings on the floor "If the magical array is disturbed, it'll lose its effectiveness! The summoning requires some of the summoner's blood, along with the appropriate chant for it". As he dropped his blood onto the markings, and summoned his demon familiar Naberius Maya and Hoshiko stood to one side distant from the others; the younger Hoshiko yawning while Maya emotionlessly watched on, their shoulder's occasionally brushing against each other. "Summoning demons and using them as familiars is an extremely rare skill. One needs an incredible amount of willpower to tame a demon. So this task is impossible if you lack the innate talent to do so" Neuhaus Sensei continued "I will now proceed to test those among you who possess that talent".
First, the arrogant Izumo Kamiki summoned two Shrine Foxes, and then the slightly dim Shiemi Moriyama summoned a Green Man Sapling. "Hi..hey! Kamiki-San! I-I managed to summon a familiar just like you!" she shouted across the circle the students had made around Neuhaus Sensei's chalk summoning array. Izumo turned her nose up at Shiemi mockingly "yeah, that's really impressive. It's pretty cute too, seeing how small it is". Of course, the naturally kind-hearted Shiemi took it the wrong way, happy at the 'cute' comment. All the while Maya watched the two girls, disapproving of the full-blooded miko's behaviour she folded her arms and lent more heavily on her back leg.
"Tamer's, who fight using familiars, are rare among Exorcists because of the circumstances they fight under. First of all, demon's don't like listening to anyone they think is inferior to themselves. They will turn on their masters the moment they sense weakness. Maya Ookami, Hoshiro Ookami, I didn't see either of you try to summon a familiar. Do so. I need to test you in an official setting".
Hoshiko popped her grape gum arrogantly, bringing her arms down from where they were folded behind her head, she sighed in irritation while Maya simply nodded. The other student's watched on curiously as Maya started rolling up the long sleeve of the long black coat she always wears, Izumo Kamiki gasping in surprise at the large tattoo on her left hand all the way up to her elbow. Maya suddenly pulled a jewel studded dagger from the sheath on her thigh and cutting her left palm before handing it to her younger sister she said "We humbly pray to thee, merciful Goddess of Winter". Hoshiko pulled up the long sleeves on her military jacket, exhibiting the same tattoo as her elder sister just on her right arm she continued "And the merciless God of the Dead". Clasping their bloodied hand's the other Student's stepped back as a black fog started to dance around them as they said together "Answer our summons and come forth, Shadow of Babylon!".
The fog thickened until suddenly a large figure behind them started manifesting, growing larger and thicker until it took shape, dread suddenly filling the air as the other student's gasped. Everyone stiffened as the large, three-headed wolf growled at them all while it stood protectively over its Masters. The head with the silver eyes on the left snapping it's teeth at the pink haired Renzo Shima who was standing besides Hoshiko while the head on the right with frost blue eyes nuzzled against Maya as she stroked it lovingly, a light blush of delight on her face as the middle head with black eyes high above the two silver haired twins growled at the other familiar's and students. "A Direwolf?!" Ryuji Suguro shouted, only to have all three heads pin their icy eyes on him, silver, blue and black around their pupils in jiggered shards like broken glass.
Neuhaus Sensei nodded "It looks like this year's candidate pool has some promising Tamers. Maya, Hoshiko, if you're not going to send your Direwolf away make it go into a smaller form. This class room is too small for the likes of it". Maya rubbed one of the Direwolf's heads, the long tail wagging against the floor even though the other two heads were still keeping a hostile eye on everyone else in the room. "Scatter, Cerby-chan". Rin spluttered loudly as the wolf dissolved into fog, and formed again into three large wolves, the wolves standing diligently besides the moonlight haired twins. At Rin's expression Hoshiko snorted at him as she petted the silver and black eyed wolves, their fur a vivid mixture of long black and brown hair like a German Shepherd only almost twice the size.
"Direwolves are the Familiar's of our Family Bloodline. The Ookami of Babylon. Direwolves have the ability to change their shape and size, becoming the size of a regular dog or the size of a dragon, and even appearing as fog if they or their Master's wish. Direwolves are a distant relation to Naberius, however Direwolves are so rare only the Ookami have ever had them as Familiars, and every generation since the sixth millennium there has always been at least one person in our family to have a Direwolf as their Familiar. The three head's of a Direwolf can manifest their own bodies, but they are all the same demon. If one dies, however, the two other head's can still join together to become the same creature again" Maya said, Bon and Rin's eyebrows twitching at the longest speech ever heard from the eldest Ookami twin. Maya continued patting the Direwolf with frost blue coloured eyes, so similar to her own, while the silver eyed Direwolf beside's Hoshiko continued to snarl at the boys who were closest to them. The black eyed Direwolf between the twin's nuzzled against both the twin's side's before devolving into fog, then the fog suddenly disappearing.
"You call that the size of a regular dog?! And where did the other head disappear too?!" Rin shouted, Hoshiko grinning at him mockingly she just shrugged and said "he probably had something to do. That or he's gone to demolish your house in retaliation for showing him you're pathetic expression". Rin spluttered indignantly, Neuhaus sending him a sharp glare effectively shutting him up for once.
"As I said earlier, when a magical array is disturbed, it loses its effectiveness. If your familiar goes rogue, just destroy the array you summoned it with" Neuhaus Sensei continued, making his Naberius disappear as he disturbed the chalk markings on the ground with his foot. Rin rubbed the back of his neck "how do Maya-san and Hoshiko-san destroy their array? It's tattooed on their skin!". Hoshiko sneered at him in slight disgust "Cerby-chan would never turn on us! He's been with us longer than anyone, you idiotic moron!" Rin stiffened and growled at her, only to have both the frost blue and silver eyed Direwolves turn their head's to snarl at him.
Everyone released the breath they were holding as the bell sounded in the classroom "Class Dismissed, that'll be all for today"