"Come on, Izumo. You could at least just give him a chance?" Paku chided lightly, stirring the green straw through her thick, pink strawberry smoothie. Her request sounded more like a plea than anything else and Izumo had to wonder just why her best friend cared about this so much.
"Hmph. Why should I?" She responded coldly, looking out the window with a bored and slightly annoyed expression, her chin resting on her hand. "Shima's nothing more than a creepy womanizer. I don't need someone like him trailing after me."
"But he really seems to like you!"
The red eyed Exwire shifted her attention from the window to her friend, a frown marring her stoic features. "If I wanted a lovesick puppy stalking me, I'd go to a pet store."
She frowned. "Really, Izumo, you really should start opening up to people more. I know that it's hard for you, but it'd really do you some good, trust me."
Izumo flinched back, memories whirling around in her head. The temple, her mother, Tsukumo, the fire, Nine Tails, the reason why Uke and Mike seemed to have such a heavy dislike for her.
She shivered. "Can't."
Paku sighed, eyes casting downwards as she absentmindedly took a sip from her smoothie. Her fingers tapped repeatedly against the wooden table in an almost thoughtful manner and Izumo followed the movements with wary, but curious eyes. Something was on her mind. She could tell.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the soft-spoken brunette reached for her bag, rummaging through it until she found what she was looking for; a neatly wrapped present with a shiny blue bow tied messily on top of it. "Shima gave me this," she stated simply, and Izumo's eyes widened.
"What?! Paku, I told you he's no good for you-"
"Relax, silly! It's for you!" She chuckled, holding the hand with the box out for her to take, smile never fading.
Izumo blinked thrice, expression filled with bewilderment as she stared down at the present. "What-?"
"Come on, take it," Paku nudged her lightly, and only then did the Tamer have the mind to take the package- albeit hesitantly. She carefully peeled back the wrapping paper, revealing a simple box of chocolates with a messily written yellow note stuck on top of it.
Paku watched with a soft smile as her best friend scanned the note with surprised eyes, forcing back the giggle that was just dying to come out. "He wanted to give it to you himself, since it's Valentines tomorrow and all, but kinda lost the courage to do so after you sent Mike after him. So I offered to do it for him." She explained, watching her face closely with curious, almost calculating eyes for any kind of positive reaction.
But Izumo only scoffed, placing the partially unwrapped gift down on the table. "As if he's ever had any courage to begin with."
"Come on, don't tell me you don't find this just a little sweet," she teased, tone light and playful.
Izumo looked away, refusing to acknowledge the sudden racing of her heart and brushing it off as adrenaline from the mission earlier today.
Because that's what it was. Adrenaline. Nothing more, and nothing less.
-mini linebreak-
"D-damn it, it's f-f-freezing out h-here!" Shima complained, arms wrapped tightly around himself as an effort to protect himself from the cold. He was wearing at least three pairs of socks and a simple winter coat (which he suspected didn't really do anything to warm him in the slightest) but he was still shivering and shaking so much it was getting hard for him to focus.
Rin glanced over, hands stuffed lazily in his pockets and not seeming to be bothered by the cold and snow at all. He was wearing just his school uniform, Kurikara safely tucked away in its red bag and swung over the half-demon's shoulder, black strap tucked in between his arm and his side. His tail was flicking around freely, since no one other than the people aware of his little secret were present anyway. As many times as Mephisto kept telling him that he should keep the extra part of him tucked away, Rin just didn't seem to care. "Want me to heat you up? I can't guarantee your clothes will survive though." He offered, trying to sound helpful but only succeeding in sounding sheepish after having murmured that last part.
Shima almost jumped, the image of his clothes getting burned off by Rin's slightly uncontrollable flames not sitting very well with him. To the half-demon's credit, he had really been trying his best and had almost full control of Satan's blue flames, he only had some little mishaps here and there. None lethal, thankfully, but certainly embarrassing. "N-no thanks, man. W-wouldn't want M-Moriyama and I-Izumo t-to see me i-in my b-birthday s-suit."
As Shiemi's face reddened comically and Izumo only huffed, Rin just simply shrugged. "I guess so."
The Aria (or Knight, as Konekomaru had so boldly stated) glanced over at the younger Okumura brother, who - like his twin - had kept his choice of clothing remotely the same, just with added felt gloves as an afterthought. Shima blamed their complete lack for the cold on their half-demon heritage. "H-hey, Teach! Why are w-we out h-here in the c-cold a-anyways?"
Yukio sighed, fingers reaching up to adjust his glasses. "I told you already, this demon only appears in the mountains, therefore it's bound to get cold."
"He has a point," Konekomaru cut in lightly. Shima only grumbled.
They continued walking up the mountains, most of the Exwires having learned to ignore Shima's pitiful complaints, while others (e.a. Bon) merely snapped at him to suck it up and stop complaining. That was, until he tripped, falling right into the snow and face reddening instantly from the freezing cold temperature. (And the fact that Rin wasn't making this any easier on him by bursting out laughing)
Shima shot up, still seated on the ground as he shrieked and quickly brushed off all of the soft snowflakes that he had fallen into. From the back of the group, Izumo sighed and rolled her eyes, walking up to him in long, quick and graceful strides as she dropped a fluffy, light blue scarf on top of his head while passing him. "Here."
The pink haired monk pulled the warm and soft fabric from his face, staring up at the cold-hearted girl in surprise. "I-Izumo?"
"Don't get the wrong idea," she snapped, crossing her arms and looking away from him. "I-It's not like I made that scarf just for you or anything!" Her cheeks were heating up and she almost cursed, praying that he was dense enough to think she was getting red-faced from the cold.
Because that's what it was, the cold.
"I-"
"Just wear it," she hissed, stomping away with a little too much force, as if she was hurrying to get away from him.
"You dumbass, how could you just fall like that?!" Bon grumbled, a hint of a joke in his voice as he pulled his childhood friend up. "You get distracted way too easily."
"Not very much of a surprise," Konekomaru added, joining the two friends. His perceptive eyes fell on the baby blue scarf laying in Shima's hands, a hint of surprise flashing in them as he realized just where they came from. "Oh, isn't that the scarf Kamiki was fiddling around with during class? I wondered why she was being so nervous all of a sudden."
Shima blinked. "Really?" His eyes went over to the girl in question, walking up front together with Yukio and very clearly trying to avoid his gaze, despite glancing back in his direction multiple times. With a smile, Shima swiftly threw the piece of fabric over his neck, quickly tying it and almost shining at the thought of having received a gift from Izumo. He tried not to think too much of the fact he instantly felt warmer.
Maybe there was some trace of 'dere' inside her after all.
Shima yelped loudly, cowering back as the demon's large fist was aimed straight for him. In the back, he could hear Rin cursing loudly while Konekomaru and Bon cried out his name in worry. Shiemi hastily called for Nee to put up a protective barrier around him, but they all could tell that she'd never make it in time.
The fist only came closer, and then-
A flash of white, rushing forwards and sharp, jagged teeth clamping down on the demon. Mike.
"Foolish human," the spirit growled bitterly.
Soon after, the second flash of white in the form of Uke came joining in, the two fox spirits moving so fast it was all a blur and Shima barely registered the duo's master standing in front of him; nothing but annoyance coating her face. "I honestly can't believe you," she muttered, tone condescending as she harshly pulled him up from the ground, nearly taking his arm with it. "You should start watching your back more."
Shima pulled his arm back, grip on his K'rik tightening just a little before he let loose and hurled the weapon over her shoulder, nearly grazing her cheek and she could feel the wind rushing past her as the weapon went straight for the demon sneaking up behind her; impaling itself into its skull. Her 'friend's' brown eyes locked back on hers, grin cheeky and playful and everlasting and what the hell, why was her heart beating so fast?!
"Maybe you should start watching yours more," he replied, throwing her earlier words right back at her and she blushed, looking away from him.
"Shut up," she grumbled.
"Aww~ Come on, Izumo, I was only teas-"
"I said shut up!" She snapped loudly and he reeled back with a 'yes ma'am' before hurriedly rushing to join his friends.
Izumo scoffed. "Idiot."
The upwards twitch of her lips had absolutely nothing to do with him.
"Izumo! Watch out!"
She only had a second to process the warning before he was on her, tackling her to the ground just in the nick of time as the demon's attack came crashing down where she had been standing just a second earlier. Izumo looked up at her 'savior' in a mixture of surprise and shock, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that she probably should be thanking him. Should.
But he had her pinned to the ground, hovering right above her and face just a little too close for comfort and Izumo panicked.
"What is your problem?"
Shima didn't react for a second, just stared at her with an unreadable expression and frankly, it was starting to freak her out.
His brows furrowed, her name escaping him in a simple whisper and she could feel the atmosphere change. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. She could see it in the way his features changed, could hear it in the way his breathing hitched, could see it in the way his expression morphed into one of unbearable sadness and she just didn't know what to do. Shima was known for being careless about everything, was known for taking everything too lightly. Was known for being an annoying, and perverted little bastard. This was not how she knew him.
"Shima?"
Shima bit down on the inside of his cheek harshly, the metallic taste of blood doing nothing to distract him from his all too troubling thoughts like he had initially hoped it would. Being so close to this girl...it reminded him of what was soon to come, of what he would be forced to do, of the betrayal he would hold. He knew he had to do it, that he himself had agreed to it despite everyone's protests, but still, just the mere thought of it was so painful.
He needed to say something, anything. But all he could think of would either confuse her or give her too much information; so he opted with the first thing that he could think of.
"Love you."
He himself was surprised at the words leaving his mouth, a hint of relief washing over him as his tone remained playful and could easily be brushed off as one of his jokes or flirting tactics.
"What?!" Izumo's eyes widened, entire face reddening instantly and he didn't have enough time to think as she suddenly leaped up and kicked him off her a bit too harshly. "D-don't say something so inappropriate, you idiot!"
He groaned, holding his bruised stomach from where her leg had collided with it in pain. "Noted," was all he said, wincing slightly.
Jeez, just how strong was this girl?!
The purple haired Tamer placed her hand on her face, muttering inaudible things as she hurried away from him to go and help their friends, and, as he watched her retreating form, he wondered just why those two particular words had left him as opposed to anything else. Anything better.
His mind flashed back to what would happen in just a mere weeks time, and he flinched.
Shima had to wonder if his earlier words had held some truth in them after all.
She was struggling, kicking and screaming against her captors, against the limbs of multiple Illuminati members forcefully restraining her. She yelled out curses and insults, each one more fierce than the last, each one intended to sting.
Each one directed at him.
Izumo flinched just barely as one of the members punched her in the gut to get her to still, the pain biting at her flesh and nerves but she still kept on fighting. Izumo refused to back down, to give in, to give them what they wanted. She didn't need anyone other than her sister, so there was no way that she was going in there to take her mother's place because, as much as it hurt to admit it, her mother had given up on them a long time ago. And in return, Izumo had done the same.
Still, why did his betrayal hurt so much then?
It was unexpected, for one, and she liked to think that the shock of it all had gotten her in this fragile, broken, and utterly disgusting state. She liked to think that once the shock had wore off, she'd be back to normal, she'd ignore him as if he never even had existed. She liked to believe that she'd forget all about him.
But he was watching her, she knew he was. Standing somewhere in one of the corners of the room, Renzo Shima could be found, watching the scene and ongoing struggle with an impassive face and expression that just didn't suit him. He was clutching the K'rik tightly, the weapon swung over his shoulder in an entirely different manner from Rin's but still nostalgic, in a way. His grip on it was firm enough for his knuckles to turn white at the sheer force of it, and Izumo faintly wondered if he regretted anything that he had done up 'till now. She discarded the thought immediately though, around the same time a woman wearing the Illuminati uniform nearly knocked the wind out of her. She had asked him before if he wasn't being forced to do this, practically begged for him to tell her he wasn't doing this out of his own free will.
His response had been less than favorable.
She couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't hear. Izumo Kamiki only saw red in pure, unadulterated fury that would very well make both Rin in demon form and Suguro cower back in submission. She lashed out, kicking her feet high as one of the men slightly lifted her from the ground, her leg making contact with someone's crotch and she could faintly recognize the sound of pained groaning before the unfortunate man went down. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shima flinch.
Her screams had gotten louder, cursing every single person present in the room to be damned to the deepest and darkest pits of hell. Cursing all of them to be brutally punished for their individual sins. The grips of the people holding her loosened slightly, enough for someone to take notice; enough for her to break free and slip away but Izumo was too far gone to recognize this opportunity. She was just so angry, the hurt and betrayal mixing into something even worse than the pure fury from earlier, her rage slowly reaching no bounds and then she felt the cool, cruel air brushing against her body as they let her go; all taking a step back and moving out of her space, so in sync that the movements almost seemed to be planned beforehand.
The Tamer took in a large, almost greedy breath of air, fully intend to make a run for it before they could make a move to grab her again. She stood straight, forcing her shaky legs to comply to her wishes.
And then the arms came around her waist, snaking around her and pulling her back. Izumo noticed the difference of this touch instantly, it was gentle, kind, sweet, almost loving and it absolutely disgusted her because she knew exactly just who this mystery person was who had finally decided to step up and do something after watching his comrades struggle so heavily against her.
She froze, senses becoming hyper-aware of everything, of her surroundings, of him. She could feel his warmth, acknowledged the way he pulled her closer until her back was flush against his chest and there was no way for her to move or make a run for it. She was aware of his arms around her waist, of his hands pressing gently against her abdomen where the hateful punch from before was still stinging. His thumb brushed over the concealed skin, touch almost apologetic and Izumo hated the fact that she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Tears she refused to let fall.
Shima leaned down, warm breath ghosting over her ear that sent chills down her spine as he gave another light, yet forceful tug to pull her back towards him when she shifted away from him slightly. "Just calm down, Izumo." He whispered lowly, voice almost too quiet and she figured that even he was aware of all the stares and eyes set on the two of them in that single moment. "If you relax then everything will be over much quicker, I promise."
Her body tensed up against his, fists balling and clenching at her sides and she was sure he could feel it as she growled low, spitting out the words as if it physically hurt her to talk to him. "Let go of me, you filthy traitor." Her words held nothing but hatred, filled only with pure malice and spite. Her voice was laced with ten times the amount of venom she usually used just to emphasize her distaste for him in that single moment, and Shima nearly flinched back. He didn't though, grip only tightening as he gifted her with a slow, sad smile that she couldn't even see from the position she was in.
"Only if you promise to behave," he said, before adding in a teasing, almost cheeky tone that had her heart racing for all of the wrong reasons at the familiarity of it. "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be getting this worked up."
He should've expected the elbow aimed at his nose, the force of the blow making him let go of her waist and sending him staggering back with a painful groan, palm nursing his abused nose in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding while making sure to keep his eyes set on her. Still, the smile remained.
And, as the other Illuminati members reattempted to circle around her and drag her off, Izumo didn't struggle as much as she knew she should have.
Shima wiped at his nose, reaching for his K'rik which he had left to lean alone and forgotten against the wall while he went to try and calm down the raging Exwire. He watched with a somewhat sad smile as they dragged her out of the room, little to none resistance coming from their prized subject.
The door opened, and she suddenly stopped walking, hissing when one of the members forcefully nudged her out into the hallway. Shima followed, curiosity gaining the best of him.
(That, and the fact that he wanted to make sure they didn't accidentally cause her brain damage)
As the group of guards pushed with more strength than necessary in an attempt to force her forwards, Izumo threw her head back, startling him since her red, hateful eyes were clearly set on him. She glared at him while kicking back someone who had come a little too close, opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and then-
"I HATE YOU, YOU FREAKING PINK HAIRED FREAK!"
Shima stayed frozen as she hissed at them to go easy since she wouldn't be struggling anymore, stayed frozen as she continued walking down the dark hallway out of her own volition. The spy remained frozen even when she had walked out of hearing range.
He only snapped out of it when she was barely out of sight, smiled when he could only see the outlines of her figure down the hallway. He leaned back against the wall, fingers absentmindedly playing with the weapon in his hands and voice nearing a whisper, sounding foreign even to himself.
"I know, beautiful. I know."