Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!
"In nomine Deus, et auferes malum de Assiah.
Bellum Fatum, Vita Mori.
Sic animae in manu forti et det vires;
Stare adversus Satanam, eiusque miseri deamones.
Nos ex Deus sumus.
Amen."
In God's holy name, I shall purge Assiah from evil.
War and Fate, Life and Death.
With this mighty hand and soul, let Him give me strength;
To stand against Satan, and his wretched demons.
We are one with God.
Amen.
不潔な火—Impure Fire
Prologue
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
— Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146 (1886)
Knights of the True Cross, Deep Keep. 1:20 P.M.
He couldn't stop thinking about his plan. His brilliant, master plan. The plan that took years to organize so perfectly and precisely for this moment. All these years he spent infiltrating the Knights of the True Cross will pay off as he executes the mission he was trained to accomplish since his teenage years. His emotions whirled furiously in his heart, intoxicating and euphoric, yet he remained calm and collected on the outside—and he was playing it very well. He was currently in the Knights' Japanese secret facility: a facility for storing, monitoring, and researching demonic substances and beings. The core of the facility, known as the Deep Keep, stores the most dangerous substance of all. A substance he was required to collect. He spent years gaining the trust of the Exorcists as their warden for the Deep Keep in order to get close enough to the substance.
He fixed his black square spectacles with his fingers for the hundredth time as he observed the tall stone pillar before him. It was preserving a sickly dark object stored in a smaller glass capsule. The dome was ingraved with multiple symbols of seals, with more etching the pillar that was holding the hazardous object. It was in the centre of a ambient, dark room the size of a large foyer. There were pillars arranged neatly in rows, with cascading metal stairwells and short pillars on the floor. Water submerged the floor and the short pillars had fluorescent green lamps illuminating the nearby walkways across the still water. The Keep was eerily dark and warm, displaying the appearance of a laboratory.
He approached the computer monitoring the black object and entered a command that shut off the security measures around the object.
He pulled out the dagger he hid in his boot, rolled up his sleeves, and sliced his arm clean. He bleeded heavily while a black shadow oozed out of his wound and reformed into a shadowing figure with a torn black cloak and gas mask. It envelopped the glass dome and was capable of removing the marks and seals on the glass. He wrapped his wound in a long bandage he had prepared. He observed in amazement when the seals cut into the glass refilled and disappeared. He gingerly removed the paper seals off the glass and lifted the dome off. There was a cold sweat on his forehead as he reached for the object, while still in its protective glass container, and observed it in astonishment. It was a circular, black orb with a white iris and black pupil, with smaller black dots encircling the pupil. It emitted a ghostly black mist from within the bulbous glass container.
He smiled in satisfaction and pulled out a replicated version of the black orb and container and placed it on the pedestal of the pillar. He locked up the object in the dome and quietly exited the Deep Keep.
He made his way through the building in a rushed pace. He bumped into multiple exorcists and researchers on the way out, and he was anxious due to the fact he was smuggling out a highly poisonous object in his pocket. He was surprised no one had dropped dead yet.
"Saburota Todo," a man called.
He turned his head to find one of the other wardens of the Deep Keep approaching him.
"What is it?" The man named Saburota Todo asked.
"I know this is on such short notice, but we will have to prepare the Deep Keep for a visitor who will be arriving shortly."
Todo's heart dropped slightly. "... What do you mean?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
"Since the incident a few hours ago with the Son of Satan becoming feral and burning down the True Cross Academy's forect district, and the revealed identity of the Archangels Raziel and Amitiel, there have been new regulations set as of right now. Were you not informed of this?" The warden asked.
Todo appeared clearly confused. "No, I wasn't. Who will be arriving here soon?"
The warden hesitated for a moment. He paused for a breath, and answered, "... the Archangel Raziel, sir."
Todo felt his mind was going to explode in frustration and anger. He could see himself grabbing the warden's neck and snap it like a twig, but all he could do was rub his temples with his fingers. "... I see. Prepare the Keep then."
"Yes, sir," the warden complied and walked away.
Todo looked away and observed his feet on the floor. He could feel his shaky hand touch the glass container in his pocket, and he couldn't stop biting his lip and nails out of anxiety and desperation. His plan was going accordingly well until this minor incident. If the archangel is here to see the Left Eye, it would be idiotic to assume that the Archangel Raziel would not figure out the decoy Eye Todo had replaced for the real one.
There was only one thing left to do. He had to create a distraction somehow and still manage to have the Left Eye.
Once all the preparations were set: bolstering security and seal enhancement, a small group of exorcists followed a tall man dressed in the usual exorcist uniform. A long, elegant sword in a beautifully designed scabbard hung beside the exorcist's hip. He had sharp, chiseled features of a man in his mid-forties with Balbo-style facial hair. His dark chestnut hair was slightly combed back in a messy fashion with noticeable grey areas around his ears. His vivid forest green eyes looked naturally threatening along with the constant frowning of his thick eyebrows.
So this was the Archangel Raziel.
Raziel approached Todo with his hands clasped behind his back. "You are Saburota Todo, executive warden of the Deep Keep, correct?" Raziel spoke, his voice sounded majestic and low in a way, while seemingly intimidating.
"Archangel Raziel," Todo spoke and bowed to him. "It is truly an honor to be in your holy presence." A part of Todo wanted to laugh at such irony. He was not fond of angels whatsoever, so when he found out they were real, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically when he did.
"I mean not to be rude, but I must see to the Left Eye of the Impure King at once," Raziel jumped to the point of his arrival.
"May I ask why you need to see it?" Todo asked with a tinge of curiosity in his voice. "This is part of the security process."
"I have had visions of tremendous catastrophe to come. The existence of the Son of Satan has confirmed the end of Assiah, but there are other, lesser threats that can contribute to your kind's demise. I must investigate the Eye to see if it is deemed dangerous," Raziel spoke plainly.
Todo gave an understanding nod. "I see. Right this way, please." He gestured Raziel to the way and he followed.
When Todo and Raziel, along with security guards and exorcists, arrived at the Deep Keep. Todo unlocked the glass dome covering the Eye and allowed Raziel to step forth. At this point Todo's heart was thumping uncomfortably. It was only a matter of time before Raziel discovered the truth.
Raziel observed the object with a keen eye. He raised his hand and the Eye floated up and hovered over Raziel's hand. He narrowed his eyes annd focused on the details of the Eye and the horrendous black mist it was releasing within the glass container. Everyone, especially Todo, were tensed up and cautious.
After a long pause of inspecting the Eye, Raziel sighed and turned around to Todo. "I will have to bolster your security protocols, Mr. Saburota," Raziel spoke.
Todo's heart stopped. "What do you mean?"
"I am afraid this Eye," Raziel clenched his fist and the glass container floating above his fist shattered and he caught the Eye in his naked hand, "is a counterfeit."
The exorcists and security team all gasped.
Todo began to shout in protest, "that's impossible! We have inspected the Eye before your arrival and no person without consent has entered the Deep Keep!" His screaming was genuine, yet his emotions were fixated on the fact his plan had been foiled.
"Humans cannot percieve even the biggest changes. I did not sense the presence of the Impure King in this object." Raziel tossed the Eye to Todo and he caught it. It was only a rubber ball.
"Secure the facility, no person shall enter or leave until the culprit is found along with the Eye," Raziel spoke quickly and effectively, and the exorcists and security personel proceeded to put the bulding into lock down. The emergency sirens sounded and the red lights of a security breach turned on.
"Oh, you mean this thing?"
Raziel, Todo, and the others turned to the pillar that stored the Left Eye. There was the shadow figure clad in a black robe and gas mask. It held up a glass container with the real Left Eye in it.
The exorcists shouted and those who were Dragoons pointed their assault rifles at the intruder. Raziel unsheathed his long, ethereal blade and went into a standard fighting position. Todo acted nervous and panicked, though it was just a cover as he knew the plan all along.
"Who are you?" Raziel barked.
The figure didn't respond and it lauched a large ball of shadow at the ceiling. It exploded, creating a large, open hole in the ceiling. The figure flew out and Raziel quickly followed after it while the exorcists immediately began to secure the facility while others followed after Raziel. Todo followed as well and he pursued the masked figure.
It was all going according to plan now.
The figure jumped into the streets of Tokyo, pushing through floods of people, while Raziel and Todo and their teams followed. People scurried and some dodged out of the way as Raziel shouted for them to move away. The black figure was deeper and deeper into the crowd of people to the point Raziel almost lost sight of it, and had to rely on his angelic senses to track it down. While the masked figure ran through the people, it passed the Eye to one of the people that was running by it so effectively it couldn't have been seen by anyone. Todo smiled at the runner and they exchanged nods. The man who had the real Eye followed the crowd and disappeared in it.
Raziel suddenly appeared in front of the masked figure and he swung his sword at it. The figure stopped his attack with his black cloak, but Raziel kicked the figure off a great distance and it hit through the wall of a nearby building. People screamed and panicked and pooled out of the streets, attracting emergency services and vehicles. Raziel slashed his holy sword so effectively it sliced through the cloaked figure. Black smoke shot out of the cut, forcing Raziel to cover his eyes with his sword. The figure escaped into the building while Raziel was distracted. Raziel and Todo and some exorcists followed the figure through. While they chased the thief, the Knights of the True Cross succeeded in isolating the region and evacuated all civilians.
Todo, Raziel and some dragoons and tamers were able to corner the masked figure on an empty street on Block 5 of True Cross Town. It was a very low-income neighborhood and garbage laid everywhere. The buildings looked as if they were going to collapse or haven't been repaired in decades and were left to rot.
"There he is! Corner him!" An exorcist shouted when he spotted the masked figure on the street. Around the block, exorcists blocked off any access with yellow caution tape and some stood on guard for any curious civilians.
A young woman holding hands with her young son witnessed the exorcists standing on guard and asked, "exorcists? Has something happened?"
"This area is too dangerous, miss. Please return to your home at once," the exorcist commanded.
"Oh, y-yes...!" The woman appeared frightened and pulled her son with her to the opposite direction. "Come on, Satoru!"
"An exorcist?" The boy smiled in excitement. "I wanna see the exorcists fight!"
The boy broke free from his mother's grip and went under the yellow tape towards the continuing fight.
"Satoru!" The mother screamed.
The figure spotted the runaway boy and proceeded to kidnap him. The boy screamed in horror while the masked man held him tight around his sensitive throat.
The mother screamed in tears and ran for her boy, but an exorcist restrained her.
"S-Stop!" Todo screamed.
Raziel grit his teeth while an exorcist shouted, "damn! Now he has a hostage!"
"Release the boy this instant!" Raziel barked, threatening to launch an attack on the figure, but the figure seemed unthreatened.
"L-Let the boy go! Y-You're cornered! Killing him w-won't help you!" Todo pleaded desperately.
The masked man remained silent and brought the glass container up and proceeded to open it. Suddenly, the exorcists panicked.
"S-STOP!" Todo screamed even louder, but the figure opened the container, releasing the potent black mist into the air around him and the boy.
An hour later
Yukio, Shura, Rin, and Amitiel managed to arrive on the scene they had been summoned to. Crowds of curious civilians were attracted to the crime scene and the exorcists blocking the way were struggling in directing the people away. The four pushed their ways through the heavy, chattering crowd and reached the end.
"Man, what a crowd!" Rin remarked. "Something really bad must've happened!"
Shura, on the other hand, was not so excited, as she had been complaining about the arid heat since they left the training room. She began to regret wearing her exorcist jacket, which was starting to soak up the sweat under her armpits. "Ugh... it's too hot for this... let's go home already!" She complained.
"All right! Time for some action!" Rin smiled and smacked his fist against his palm.
Yukio and Amitiel weren't very amused by Rin's enthusiastic behaviour.
An exorcist blew a whistle and shouted for everyone to return to their homes, yet most ignored.
"Okumura Yukio, intermediate exorcist first class," Yukio spoke as he showed the exorcist his I.D. card, Shura showed hers and the exorcist allowed the four of them to pass.
Yukio and the others were led to Saburota Todo, who was being treated for an injury to his face.
"I'm sorry for being late," Yukio introduced himself and flashed his I.D. card again.
"... And I'm Kirigakure.. first class... senior... whatever..." She spoke in a daze and wobbled with her I.D. card in her hand.
"Oh, I-I'm... uh—who's that?" Todo pointed at Rin.
Rin chuckled in confidence and asked, "who? Me? I'm Rin Okumura, an Exwire! Here to kick some demon ass!" He pointed his thumb at himself.
Todo jolted in fear. It was quite obvious when he backed away. "The Son of S-Satan?! But isn't he dangerous!?" Todo shouted. His uneasiness silenced Rin right up.
"Well, while yer concern is appreciated, the higher ups approved it," Shura huffed, clearly not in the mood like Rin was.
"I'm still against it," Amitiel added. "It would be better if the Son of Satan were not alive at this moment."
"Hana, that's rude..." Rin puffed out his cheeks.
"Stop calling me that," Amitiel almost snapped, which made Rin recoil in defense.
"Anyways, Amitiel an' I are supposed to keep him in check," Shura added. "Don't worry too much."
"What's the situation?" Yukio asked. "Are you in charge?"
"Y-Yes. Let me e-explain," Todo said, though he was still clearly in shock.
"But sir, in your condition—!" The female doctor protested.
"N-No... I need to explain. I'm Saburota Todo, senior exorcist second class and warden of the Deep Keep," Todo's voice shook. "R-Raziel and I were in charge, but Raziel was s-summoned to an emergency meeting with the Vatican c-concerning the recent incident. W-What started this incident was w-when the Left Eye of the Impure King h-had been s-stolen from the D-Deep Keep!"
Shura, Yukio, and Amitiel were shocked. "How did that happen?!" Shura gasped. "The Deep Keep is protected by the strongest, most secure barriers!"
Rin was the only one who didn't understand the severity of the situation.
"W-We still don't know how it happened!" Todo panicked. "I pursued the thief with an elite team of exorcists, but it managed to grab a child as a hostage. He used the Eye to spread its poisonous gas across the neighbourhood, injuring 31 people, including civilians, and we are short-staffed on doctors."
Todo pointed at a nearby building. "N-Now he's escaped into that building with the child."
Todo's face became pale. "T-The child was severely exposed to the poison. It o-only takes a few minutes for the gas to kill anyone. H-He's probably dead... a-and it's all because of my poor leadership! T-This is the worst failure in all of the Knights' history!"
"It's true that because of your inability to control the situation that a child had been killed," Amitiel spoke bluntly.
Todo gasped and tried to fight back tears.
"Whoa, Amitiel! Ya don't need to be so friggin' rude about it!" Shura gasped.
"W-Who are you...?" Todo spoke nervously.
"My name is Amitiel, the angel of Truth."
Todo's heart felt like it dropped a thousand storeys. Why is the angel of Truth here? She is the only one who can see through his lies, after all.
Amitiel bent on her knees and looked deep into his dark, citrine eyes. He felt a sense of fear in him when he stared into her deep amber eyes. There was a white glowing speck in her pupils.
"Do you know who the masked man could be?" Amitiel asked.
Todo's heart hammered so hard against his chest it was painful. If he lied, he could give away his position and Amitiel would be suspicious of him. He had to answer in a way that was true but not enough for her to be suspicious of him.
"I-I don't know. But I'm positive i-it could be a member of the facility. T-There have been cases of spies trying to get a-ahold of any information about the Left Eye. M-Mostly for biological warfare," Todo spoke, this time his uneasiness was true.
Amitiel stared for a moment longer and retreated from looking into his eyes. "Thank you for your honesty."
Amitiel turned around and frowned as she looked up at the building the thief was currently in. She could feel it's presence, and she began to question the genuinety in Todo's response. He did know the culprit, yet it wasn't human. It was a demon, so it would be a lie for him to say that it were a member of the Deep Keep.
She felt as if he was trying to play around and manipulate the truth to hide the real answer.
Amitiel looked back at Todo, who was being treated for his injuries. She then looked back at Yukio, Rin, and Shura.
"Pardon me, but—" The mother of the child approached everyone. "Will my son be alright?!" She was choking back tears. "You've got to save him!"
"Are you his mom?" Rin asked and she nodded. "Don't worry! I promise we'll save him!" Rin smiled confidently. Suddenly, Yukio pulled Rin's shirt and shoved him aside.
"What the hell, Four-Eyes?!"
"We cannot guarantee the safety of your son. You should expect the worse," Yukio spoke solemly and seriously.
"Oh, god, no!" The mother panicked and burst into tears.
"Oi! What the hell was that? You just killed her confidence in us!" Rin protested.
"You're leaving, Rin. Shura and Amitiel will be watching you," Yukio said as he walked away.
"That's bullshit! I said I was going to—"
Yukio grabbed Rin by the collar and yanked him, which silenced him right up. "Exorcists aren't omnipotent! It's impossible to save everyone, and sometimes we can't help. You shouldn't make any promises!"
"Don't ya dare make up shit like that before ya even tried! Ya coward!" Rin protested, his eyes scorched in anger, forcing Amitiel to draw a blade in preparation. Shura jumped in and dragged Rin away.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Shura spoke as she led Rin away.
"Leggo of me, Major Tits McGee!" Rin shouted.
"Why don't you just let me kill him, Yukio?" Amitiel asked as Yukio began to slip in a HAZMAT suit. "I see how much you despise your brother."
Yukio stopped dressing and looked up at Amitiel. She still had those empty, soulless eyes that could send someone into a sense of fear. "He's still my brother, Amitiel. Even if he can be very dangerous."
"You know he will destroy the world, just like he did to Shiro Fujimoto," Amitiel added.
Yukio fixed the suit and placed the large headset over his head. "He hasn't killed anyone—and he never will."
Yukio approached Amitiel, a little too close, and lowered his voice. "I need you to reconsider this: Is your mission 'elimination'? Or is it murder?"
Yukio and Amitiel stood staring at each other in hostility. Amitiel was first to break contact. "I'll be accompanying you," she added.
"I don't need your help. You have a job to do, right? So do it," Yukio spoke sharply.
"You said exorcists aren't omnipotent, yet you have an omnipotent being before you right now," Amitiel said in superiority. "I think the situation requires my presence. I can sense both Rin and the thief at this moment, and I could kill both of them in a blink of an eye."
Yukio knew he was in no position to doubt the angel of truth. Not even the Paladin can defy the angel's commands.
"... Fine," Yukio huffed and walked over to Todo, who was also in a HAZMAT suit.
"Mr. Saburota?" Yukio said.
"I sh-should go as well..." Todo spoke nervously.
"Your injuries are too severe and your exposure could kill you," Yukio tried to protest.
"I received an antidote. I'm responsible for this, so I want to go," Todo looked away to hide his agitated state.
Yukio remained silent. "I understand. Let's go."
Yukio, Todo, Amitiel, and some exorcists entered the building. Upon opening the door, a black fume pooled out and dissipated in the air.
"I'll lead this expedition. Todo and Amitiel, you cover the middle and the rest take up the rear. If you see anything suspicious, notify me," Yukio spoke and everyone nodded in aggreement. "This pseudocanary will notify us if the intruder is near." Yukio gestured to a cage holding a small yellow canary, it was constantly singing.
As the group cautiously walked into the darkened hallways of the run-down building, the concentration of the poisonous gas increased with every step, causing the place to be filled with black mist which made it difficult for the exorcists to see ahead of them.
"I've heard some great things from you, Mr. Okumura, despite your complicated background and age," Todo remarked in amazement.
"I've also heard the Todo family is a bloodline of noble exorcists that took on the burden of watching over the Deep Keep," Yukio said. "But I have very little knowledge on the Left Eye. What is it?"
"The Left Eye belonged to an ancient demon known as the Impure King. It killed over 40 000 people through pestilence 150 years ago during the late Edo period. The exorcist Fukaku defeated it by plucking out its eyes and sealed them. It was a desasterous catastrophe. I'm still indignant the history books do not highlight this incident to the public," Todo spoke.
"Is there a Right Eye?" Yukio asked.
Todo continued, "yes, but only a few know of its location, including me."
"The masked man has started moving again," Amitiel spoke, closing her eyes and sensing his presence.
"I'm confused. You're an angel, and yet you're in a HAZMAT. You said you were omnipotent," Yukio said.
"My vessel isn't," Amitiel replied. "Hana would still suffer from the poisonous gas if exposed."
"Did you kill Hana for her body?" Yukio frowned.
Amitiel shot him a disdainful look. "No, she died of a brain tumor."
Yukio remained silent and irate, though he knew she would tell only the truth.
Amitiel suddenly grabbed her blade and threw it at Yukio, he gasped and it flew right passed him and hit the wall. At the same time, someone yelped behind Yukio. Yukio turned around to find Rin, traumatized and scarred out of his mind, as the blade had wedged itself centimetres away from his head.
"H-Holy shit, I almost died again!" Rin shuddered heavily. His tail curled underneath him like a startled puppy.
"NII-SAN?! What are you doing here?!" Yukio shouted. "Where's Shura?!"
"Oh? I just knocked her out," Rin smiled in a goofy manner. "In case you didn't catch my sarcasm—I'm just kidding."
Amitiel gave him the most threatening look it actually gave him ants in his pants.
"What? It's fine as long as I'm with you, right...?"
Yukio facepalmed.
"I promised I'd save that boy! I can't break my promise to his mom!" Rin spoke seriously. Rin pointed at the bird. "Can I just... hold the bird then?"
"Absolutely not," Amitiel approached him. He threw his arms up and covered his eyes, expecting to be punched or something, though she just collected the blade beside his head and slipped it back in her sheath. "You will compromise this mission. I'm taking you back to Shura." Amitiel grabbed Rin and began to drag him away.
"Wait," Yukio said. He looked at the bird in the cage he was holding. It stopped chirping. "The masked man is near."
"How do you know?" Rin asked.
"It's a pseudocanary. It sings constantly, but stops in the presence of a demon," Yukio explained.
"Perhaps it reacted to you, since you are the Son of Satan," Amitiel crossed her arms.
"Hey, I'm human too, y'know!" Rin protested.
"I'm afraid Nii-san will have to stay with us," Yukio said. "I can't to waste any more time."
Yukio, Amitiel, Todo, Rin, and the other exorcists delved deeper into the building, until they came face to face with the masked man in a corner.
"There he is!" Rin shouted.
The masked man stood beside the boy, who was on the ground panting heavily. He was covered in large boils on his face and body. Yukio and Todo were surprised he was still alive.
"The boy's alive, but he's in critical condition! We have to hurry!" Yukio shouted.
The black figure began to move forward, provoking Yukio to point his pistol at it. Amitiel unsheathed her blades while the exorcists behind her pulled out their weapons.
"You stop right there!" Yukio shouted and cocked his gun.
The figure took another step forward.
"Stop!" Yukio ordered. "One more step and I'll shoot!"
The figure took another step and Yukio shot. As soon as the bullet hit the figure, it exploded in shadow, releasing a powerful force that sent everyone falling back. Yukio gasped when the container with the Left Eye fell and smashed onto the cracked concrete. Everyone regained their balance and looked around. The man was no where to be seen.
"He's gone...!" Rin gasped and he charged for the boy on the ground.
Amitiel looked frantically around, using her senses to track any sort of presence in the building.
Yukio approached the broken container. The Eye laid on the ground, yet there was no putrid black gas being produced. He picked it up and noticed it was made of rubber.
"This is a fake..." Yukio noted.
Rin looked at Yukio, who was in shock and confusion as he observed the object. Rin looked behind Yukio and noticed an exorcist was approaching Amitiel from behind.
"Hana! Look out!" Rin shouted. Amitiel felt a cool breeze behind her and looked back, only to see one of the exorcists charging at her and throwing a punch, which she easily dodged. The exorcist managed to knock out every other member and charged for Yukio while he was distracted. Amitiel swung her blade and sent a wave of white light at the exorcist. A black shadow reformed in front of the exorcist and deflected her attack.
"Yukio!" Rin and Amitiel shouted, which snapped Yukio back to reality.
The exorcist swung his leg and kicked Yukio. He hit the wall and tumbled on the ground.
"Yukio!" Rin shouted again as Yukio struggled to stand back up. "What the—!" He looked up and saw Todo looming over him. The shadow envelopped Todo, surrounding him in a ghostly black haze.
"Mr. Saburota!?" Yukio shouted in utter shock.
"Oh darn..." Todo ripped the HAZMAT suit off him, exposing him. There were white horns protruding from his forehead and his ears elongated into furry wolf-like ears. "Now my identity's out. At least I can still buy some time for them."
He's... possessed...! Yukio gasped.
"Nii-san, take the boy and get out of here! Amitiel and I will handle him!" Yukio shouted.
"Okay, bro!" Rin nodded and picked up the unconscious boy and bolted for the end of the hallway.
"I can't let you go just yet," Todo spoke and the shadow zipped towards Rin, envelopping Rin.
"OI!" Rin looked at the shadow covering him. He hugged the boy and burst into blue flames. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
The blue flames erupting from Rin burned the boils on the boy, provoking him to scream in absolute pain. Rin gasped and dropped the boy onto the ground.
"Nii-san!" Yukio shouted, unaware Todo was about to kick him again. Amitiel managed to punch him before he could hurt Yukio anymore. He flew against the wall and hit it so hard it cracked.
"Get the child to safety!" Amitiel shouted at Rin. Yukio pointed his gun at Todo, who merely smirked and raised his hands up in surrender.
"I can't! It hurts him when I pick him up!" Rin shouted.
"There's no use in saving him," Todo spoke.
Yukio cocked his gun, though Todo seemed unthreatened by it.
"Yukio. I'm going to exorcise him. If I fail you'll have to shoot him," Amitiel spoke and Yukio nodded.
Amitiel charged at Todo. The shadow protecting him zipped at her and she dodged it by swinging herself in the air, using momentum to fling herself off the ground. She slid on the ground towards Todo and he grabbed her. He punched her and drove his knee in her stomach, though she wrapped her leg around his neck and rolled him over her and drove him into the ground. She grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to look in her eyes. Her hands and eyes began to glow as she chanted in an unknown language. Todo didn't seem fazed and only laughed at her. Amitiel looked at him in utter confusion as what she was doing was not working. The demon was not leaving. It was as if the demon was a part of Todo.
"What are you...?" Amitiel spoke.
"A more powerful being than you petty angels," Todo laughed. He kicked her off him and she landed right in a ring of lamb's blood he had prepared earlier, as part of the plan. Amitiel tried to run but was prevented from stepping out of the ring of blood.
"Hana!" Rin called.
"It's Amitiel!" She shouted, clearly annoyed.
"Todo, what is the meaning of this?!" Yukio shouted.
"Why don't you pay attention while I speak?" Todo spun and kicked him in the back, forcing Yukio to the ground. "You're a lot like I used to be!" Todo went on top of Yukio and latched on to his hands and bent them in an uncomfortable position, preventing Yukio from attempting to escape his grip.
"Let go of him, ya bastard!" Rin charged at Todo, but the black shadow stopped Rin in his tracks.
"My life and fate had been planned since the day I was born, and I never got to do anything for myself. I wasn't able to voice my own opinions, and when I did, I was shut down. I was like a slave that worked for the Order, and my family. I looked up to my older brother and father, but what did I get in return? Nothing. I felt they had taken my own free will." Todo adjusted his glasses as he looked at Amitiel. "That's when I decided to acknoledge my own feelings and emotions. I despised my father, my older brother, the organization, and this damned world!"
Yukio grit his teeth and Amitiel could only place her hands on the invisible barrier caused by the ring of lamb's blood around her.
"And then they approached me, and gave me a chance to decide my own fate!" Todo smiled, as if basking in the light of Heaven.
"You're weak to let a demon seduce you..." Yukio growled.
"There is weakness and darkness in every heart. I chose to embrace it, and it made me stronger," Todo looked down at Yukio. "I wonder what hidden desires you keep, Yukio Okumura."
Todo stopped to check the time on his watch. "Oops, time's up. I better get back." Todo said as he lifted up off Yukio and cracked his back.
"You bastard.." Yukio tried to stand up.
"I'm thankful I had the chance to talk to you," Todo backed up to the dark corner of the hallway. "You may not understand what I said, but in time, you will. And when you break, I'll be welcoming you, Yukio Okumura."
"Wait a second!" Yukio shouted and Todo disappeared in the black shadows. The shadow preventing Rin from approaching Yukio disappeared as well. He looked around the corner but he was no where to be seen.
"He's gone, Yukio," Amitiel said. "Though I still don't understand. Todo is a demon, yet he isn't possessed."
Yukio was too fazed to listen to her.
"Yukio!" Rin shouted. "Are you all right?!"
Yukio snapped out of his trance and looked back at Rin, who was on his knees beside the boy.
Snap out of it, already! Yukio shook his head.
"I think we're losing him! My flames burnt the growths, but then they just got bigger and worse!" Rin yelled.
"There's no time! I'll treat him right here!" Yukio shouted and he dropped to his knees, threw off his helmet, and prepared the medicine from the supplies on his belt.
"Are you sure you can do this? Let me—"
"NO! just shut up and let me do this!" Yukio screamed in a panic, which took Rin aback. Normally he was always the calmer twin.
Okay... I just need to insert the antidote into the growths without rupturing them... concentrate! Yukio frowned and began injecting the needles into the boy's welts. Rin and Amitiel watched as Yukio worked his magic. The welts began to shrink and dry up as Yukio pumped the medicine in them. He pushed the needle into a welt, but it ruptured, spilling viscous yellow fluid over the adjacent welts. Yukio cursed and moved on to another.
Rin noticed Yukio was struggling. The welts he started working on burst, and it was becoming more frequent. Yukio stopped when he noticed his hand was shaking so much he couldn't effectively pierce the welts without popping them.
My hand... why am I shaking so much? I feel... just like when I was a kid. When I saw demons, all I could do was tremble and cry. Yukio grit his teeth. His heart was beating so hard and he was sweating profusely despite he was cold.
Yukio gasped when he recalled what Todo had said.
There is weakness and darkness in every heart. I chose to embrace it, and it made me stronger.
"YUKIO!" Rin screamed when Yukio drove one of the needles into his own arm, causing it to bleed.
I'M NOT LIKE YOU!
Yukio managed to cure the boy of his injuries afterwards, which brought sweet relief to both Rin and Amitiel.
"Huh...? Where am I?" Satoru asked meekly.
"You're safe with us. You had a little accident," Yukio smiled, which caused the boy to smile. "Mommy's gonna kill me."
Rin wiped the sweat off his forehead and Yukio picked up the boy in his arms.
"Good job, little bro," Rin patted his twin on the shoulder.
Yukio smiled in satisfaction and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Um..." Amitiel spoke. "Can someone get me out of this?" Amitiel pointed at the ring of lamb's blood on the floor.
"So much for being omnipotent," Yukio smirked.
A/N: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ.
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OMG ITS HAPPENING
ITS STARTED
Welcome back everyone! Thank you so much for all your support for Angel Fire. Since you have been so good to me, I decided to continue this story. As usual, please review as it will help me improve as a writer with your feedback! I've had such a busy year so IM SO SORRY FOR THE DREADFUL WAIT! orz
I warn you: my OC Amitiel will be pretty Mary-sueish, since she is pretty omnipotent as an angel, so please bear with me.
This chapter is still a little bit on the draft side, so I may edit it a little more in the future.
PS: That Japanese translation for the title is probably all wrong lol. And the Latin prayer is probably shit as well. Oh well. Anyone that can translate those languages could maybe give me a hand?