Chapter 3

"Hayami!" Miyuki sat up quickly as she felt someone shaking her. She whipped her face and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm up..." she said as she yawned. She had been sleeping...The raven-haired girl looked to Yukio Okumura who was staring her down.

"Sorry," she said with little to no emotion as she got up and grabbed her paper. When she sat down, she tucked the paper into her bag without even looking at it. Suguro, another one of her classmates, noticed and gazed at her for a second. They had gotten back their tests from the other day and Miyuki already knew she did well. According to her studies, she was a fast learner and retained knowledge incredibly. It was as if she had a photographic memory. She sighed as she laid her head back down.

"You really shouldn't be sleeping," Yukio Okumura said before he called his brother up.

"Worry less about me and more about what you're going to do with your brother," the Yuki-Onna said after watching Rin's face lose color when he saw his score. Miyuki's blood-red eyes rested once again.

"At least try to stay awake, Hayami," Yukio said. Miyuki huffed as she pouted.

"It'd be easier to do that if the class was more interesting, Yukio," She said, sitting up and folding her arms.

"Suguro," Miyuki heard Yukio say as he handed the two-tone-haired boy his paper. Rin growled at him. Suguro and the spawn of Satan didn't seem to be on the best of terms.

"All your hard work paid off, Suguro," Yukio said as Suguro turned his paper to Rin and chuckled.

"What the hell?! How did a punk reject like you get a ninety-eight?!" Rin yelled in shock. Miyuki would have laughed, but her coldness prevented her from doing so.

"Whatdid'ja say?! Listen, loser, I came to this school so I could become an exorcist! Everyone here is studying hard because they wanna be exorcists too!" Suguro retorted. Miyuki shook her head. She just thought the class would be fun. She honestly had no idea that the son of Satan would be in the class but it did make her job easier.

"You're not serious about it, so drop out! Get lost!" the teen with the Mohawk said.

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are telling me to get lost?! Believe it or not I'm here because I wanna be an exorcist too!" Rin yelled, crumpling his paper a bit. Miyuki stood up when they got in each other's faces.

"You two need to shut up," she said. Mere moments later, the bell rang.

"As if on cue...That's it for today, class," Yukio said. Miyuki grabbed her bag as someone tugged on her sleeve.

"Mika, do you want to sit with me?" Shiemi asked. Miyuki's eyes widened a bit. 'Mika'...

"Don't call me that," Miyuki snapped, startling Shiemi a bit.

"O-Oh...Sorry..." Shiemi turned back around. Miyuki sighed, settling down.

"Sorry, Shiemi...I just knew someone who had that name," she said, reassuring the blonde.

"Well, Yukio's nickname is Yuki, so that one's taken..." she said. Miyuki blushed lightly.

"Uh...how about 'Miu'?" she asked. Shiemi smiled then nodded. The girls then left the classroom.

In the Courtyard...

Miyuki, Rin, Yukio, and Shiemi sat on the water fountain. Shiemi and Yukio on the lower level, Miyuki on the upper level with Rin. She swirled her finger in the water as she watched the ripples dance. She lowered the temperature enough to make the water cold, but not frozen. She listened into Rin's conversation with the others.

"How are you doing? Have you gotten used to school yet?" Yukio asked Shiemi.

"O-Oh not really..." the blonde said, a slight hint of disappointment in her voice.

"If you ask me, you look like you've gotten more confident now. You're like a completely different person. Just take it easy and do your best," Yukio encouraged the girl.

"Thank you for the tip Yuki!" Shiemi said with gleaming eyes. Yukio smiled as he got up from the fountain.

"Well, I better go...I've got another class to teach," the boy said as he ran off. Shiemi said goodbye as Miyuki let a little bit of ice form on the top of the water, playing around with her powers. She got bored and began reading Rin's mind.

"Uh-oh...I'm alone with them...Can't just sit here...what do I talk about...?" he asked himself. Miyuki sighed as she closed the link and Rin started talking.

"Miyuki, I know you're in Yukio's class... which classes are you in again, Shiemi? Not Cram school, but the regular classes," he asked. Shiemi shook her head.

"I only asked to be in the Cram school," she said. Miyuki stared at the water in front of her, pretending to not be interested. She did find that learning more about people was an easy way to cure boredom.

"What about high school?" Rin asked. Once again, Shiemi shook her head.

"Oh, I'm too shy to handle that," the girl said as she looked at her lap and blushed.

"I barely went to my Junior High," she said. Rin laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah...I barely went to Junior High either...I guess you could say I had a hard time fitting in..." he laughed awkwardly.

"Hey, Rin? Miyuki?" Shiemi suddenly said after a short moment of silence. Rin looked to her and Miyuki kept her finger moving in the water.

"Be honest...I don't really belong in this Cram school, do I?" She asked. Miyuki looked at her.

"Huh? Why?" Rin asked.

"Because I don't want to become an exorcist like everyone else. I'd have to be as smart as Suguro and I know I'll never be," Shiemi said with a tone of despair.

"It doesn't matter," Miyuki said, keeping her eyes focused on the water which began to crystallize slightly.

"You're fine the way you are," Rin said. "The world needs all kind of people anyway."

"Rin? Do you have any friends?" Shiemi asked, standing up and walking over to him. His face reddened slightly as she grabbed his hand.

"H-Huh?" Rin stuttered. Miyuki didn't know why but she felt something when Shiemi got close to Rin.

"U-Uh...Listen, I...Rin...Will you...?" Shiemi struggled to get her words out when suddenly...

"Well, well...Look at these two Love Birds making out," Suguro said as he walked over with two others. Miyuki stood up and watched them.

"Oh, her too? You're just surrounded by all the girls, aren't you?" Suguro taunted. Miyuki scoffed.

"Shut your trap, you little street rat," Miyuki said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Rin spun around.

"We're not making out!" he yelled.

"Well, she's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Suguro asked, grinning slyly.

"And getting her to the most elite school of exorcists, you must be a big shot," he added.

"You got the wrong idea about us, man!" Rin retorted.

"So, what are ya saying? You guys just friends?" the two-tone-haired boy asked.

"What? Are you kidding me...? No..." Rin said, looking down at the ground with his hands in his pockets. Miyuki saw Shiemi's face fall.

"Yeah? Oh, sure, yeah...Bet she isn't," Suguro said with a grin. Rin cursed at him.

"Yeah?! What about you?! You're always with your crew! What, you so scared of being alone?!" Rin asked. A boy with pink hair laughed.

"What's so funny, Shima?!" Suguro yelled at his friend.

"He's right! We're always together!" Shima laughed.

"Hey, man! Don't take his side!" Suguro turned back to Shima. Miyuki watched as both boys growled at each other. She couldn't help but think of her old friend Mika and her sister. They would fight like this sometimes...

"They're children..." Miyuki massaged her temples and sighed.

Later...

Miyuki and the other Cram school students were in their Physical Training class. The Ice Queen sat, legs dangling over the edge of the arena, as Suguro and Rin got chased by a frog-like demon.

"Bon's one of the fastest runners I know! That kid's keeping pace like a champ!" Shima said, watching them with a smile. A few seconds later, Rin was kicked in the back by Suguro who almost got eaten by the demon. When the instructor pulled the demon back, Miyuki sighed through her nostrils.

"I wish that instructor would just let someone get eaten...Would be the most interesting thing all day..." Miyuki thought out loud. She received multiple looks.

"What?" she shrugged. Both boys began yelling at each other before tackling one another to the ground. The teacher ran down and stopped them.

"That's enough! You're disrupting class! Get ahold of yourselves!" he said as he pulled Rin back. Shima, Miyuki, and another kid, named Konekomaru Miwa, ran down to the field. The two boys pulled Suguro back as Miyuki just watched, wishing the males would be let go so she could see some action.

"Suguro! I'd like to have a word with you," the teacher said as he pulled Suguro away.

"Man, what is up with him?" Rin huffed.

"Ehehehe...Yeah. Bon's a good guy but he's so serious that it's hard for him to cut people slack," Shima said.

"The whole reason he's here is because of his big ambitions," the pinkette said.

"Ambitions?" Rin asked.

"The thing is...Bon wants to be an exorcist because he says he wants to defeat Satan," Shima said. Miyuki scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"I know. Kind of funny, isn't it?" Shima asked, noticing Miyuki's actions.

"What's so funny about it?" Rin asked.

"It's not funny. The whole thing about Bon and why he's so intense is that he wants to restore our temple. It was all but ruined after the blue night," Konekomaru said. Miyuki and Rin's eyebrows raised.

"Huh? Blue night?" Rin asked.

"Explain," Miyuki crossed her arms.

"Huh? You don't know? You're like the only two that doesn't..." Shima said. Miyuki wouldn't know because she was in Gehenna.

"Here's what happened...About sixteen years ago, Satan crossed the barrier to our world and massacred the top clergymen. We've called it the Blue Night ever since," Konekomaru explained.

'Sixteen years ago...That's when I became an orphan...' Miyuki thought to herself.

"What do you mean 'massacred'?" Rin asked.

"We heard it from Bon's father. He was the head Monk of our temple...Sixteen years ago, the most powerful exorcists started bleeding all over, blue flames shot from their heads and then...they all died," Konekomaru said.

"Blue flames are a sure sign of Satan's work," Shima said. Miyuki stopped listening there. She remembered hearing about her parents from Mother Kaiya. They had been very powerful exorcists. That may or may not have been part of why Miyuki was interested in joining the Cram classes to become an exorcist. She knew if her mother, a Yuki-Onna, could do it...then she could.

"Shima and I are apprentice Monks at Bon's temple. We followed him to the academy thinking we could become exorcists and help him restore it to its former glory," Konekomaru said.

'That explains why he wasn't affected by my stare...'

"Bon's got a full plate, that's why he's so serious. But he's a good guy once you get to know him," Shima smiled.

"The boy from the cursed temple, huh?" Rin asked, turning back to Bon. Miyuki glanced over for a second.

"Damn it..." She sighed.

"What?" Shima asked.

"It's nothing," Miyuki said, climbing back up to where the other kids were. Shiemi noticed how the raven-haired girl had changed in attitude. Well...slightly...She just seemed to be spacing out.

"Are you ok, Miu?" Shiemi asked. Miyuki nodded, not even paying attention to what the girl had asked. She was caught up in her own thoughts. Why hadn't Satan told her that he killed her parents? She didn't exactly like secrets...

"Whose freaking phone is going off?" Suguro asked, annoyed. The teacher pulled out his phone and answered it as Suguro fell to the ground and sweatdropped.

"Hello, Tsubaki...What? I'm teaching a class right now, Honey...Right now? You're insatiable...I'm on my way, my little Kitty Kat," he said.

"Ugh..." Miyuki rolled her eyes.

"Ok class, we're going to take a break! For now, you are to stay clear of the Reaper's chains. The Reaper is normally a peaceful demon but it can read people's minds and attack when least expected. Scratch that, you're not to enter the arena! Are we clear? Good! Then I'm out of here! I'm on my way, Kitty Kat!" The teacher ran away. The class was left confused.

"You hear that? The teacher just called someone 'Kitty Kat'," Shima said, walking over to where the other students were.

"We're taking a break for a booty call..." a purple-haired girl said.

"Are teachers even allowed to do that?" A brunette asked.

"Unbelievable..." Suguro said.

"True Cross Academy is supposed to be this amazing place where only the highly motivated gather...Even the students suck here!" he turned back to Rin.

"Seriously guy, can you just drop it?! I got my reasons for being here too so how do you know I'm not motivated?!" the dark-haired boy gritted his teeth.

"I can tell by the way you act in class!" Suguro said.

"Here they go again..." Shima sighed. Miyuki, who was leaning against the wall closest to the boys, also sighed.

"You're just a spoiled rich kid getting a free ride," Suguro said, narrowing his eyes.

"C'mon Bon, you're being immature," Shima said.

"Please, just leave him alone," Konekomaru pleaded. Miyuki folded her arms as Suguro dismissed his friends.

"Shut up, both of you! I know what I'm doing...You say you're motivated? Ok, fine! Here's your chance to prove it," Suguro said.

"Oh, yeah? How am I gonna prove it?" Rin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"With that," Suguro pointed to the Reaper Demon. Miyuki suddenly remembered the fun times she had with Amaimon killing off demons that were weaker than them, occasionally Reapers.

"If you can touch it and get back here without getting attacked, you win," Suguro said. He explained how the Reaper demon's powers work.

"The deal is, if you are really serious about becoming an exorcist, you won't lose your cool over a little ol' Reaper. And if you make it back here in one piece then it'll prove you're not messing around and I'll leave you alone. I'll give it a shot too. There's no way I'm losing! Well, are you gonna do it or what?!" Suguro asked. Rin stood there for a moment.

"Sounds like fun. Sure, I'll do it," Rin shrugged. Suguro grinned and Miyuki pushed off from the wall, ready to intervene at any time.

"Yeah, like hell I am," Rin said, making Miyuki sigh and leaving the others slightly perplexed.

"You dumbass, you think I'm crazy? What if something happens and I get killed? Besides, If we're talking about ambition, I got the same as you. I'm not gonna risk my life just so I can prove it to you, though," he said.

"Wha-Did you guys tell him?!" Suguro turned to Shima and Miwa who backed away.

"Ambition my ass! You're using that as a way to chicken out!" he said.

"Say whatever you want, guy," Rin put his hands in his pockets. Suguro gritted his teeth before going down to the arena and standing right in front of the Reaper demon.

"I'm not a coward like you...I'm gonna be a real exorcist someday! And I'm gonna defeat Satan!" Suguro yelled. There was a slight moment of silence. Miyuki could sense Suguro's anger and felt pity for him. The purple-haired girl laughed with her brunette friend, making Suguro's eyes widen.

"Did you hear what he said? He said he's gonna defeat Satan!" she said. Miyuki pushed off the wall. Shima looked at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"He's about to die. I at least have to be up close and watch it," she said. She and Rin jumped from the platform as the Reaper roared. Suguro froze. Both demon hybrids had jumped an extreme length but Rin had jumped farther. He landed right in front of the Reaper. Miyuki tumbled for a few seconds before standing up and running to the chain attached to the demon.

"Get back," Miyuki said quickly and cooly as she grabbed Suguro by the collar and pulled him back, throwing him to the ground before going behind the demon. She then ran up next to Rin just before he was trapped in the Reaper's mouth. She flipped onto the demon's head, grabbing its chain.

"Let go," they said in unison. Miyuki's blue horns and scarlet eyes glowing with Rin's. Their fangs were bared and nails turned to claws as dust formed around them. Miyuki was sitting on the demon's head. As the dust cleared, she was seen holding the demon back and Rin had his hand on its face, calming it.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you insane?" Rin asked Suguro but didn't turn back to him. When he did turn around, he was mad, blue eyes burning with determination.

"Listen up! Here's the deal! I'm the one who's gonna beat Satan! You stay out of my way!" he yelled. Miyuki's sweat dropped.

'Does he not know that's his father?' she thought. Suguro stood up.

"You two are insane! You could have gotten killed! And don't copy my ambition!" he yelled.

"Huh? I didn't copy you! It was my ambition first!" Rin shrugged.

"No, it wasn't! I decided I was going to do it before you did!" Suguro argued, pointing to himself.

"When?! What year?! What month?! What day? Hour?! Minute?! Second?! How many times did the planet spin that day?!" Rin yelled.

"What are you a kid?!"

"Look who's talking!"

Both boys were head to head. Literally. Miyuki watched in silence for a second before letting out a short giggle. Both boys turned to her, faces white.

"You're both idiots!" she said as she sat, legs crossed, on the Reaper's head.

"Shut it, princess!" Suguro yelled. Miyuki's face turned cold and dark. She gave him a deadly stare, sliding off the demons back. She walked up to Suguro and gave him a swift karate-chop to the head.

"Street rat," she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Who you calling street rat?!" Suguro's vein popped.

"You!" Rin yelled. The boys got back to yelling at each other just as Miyuki heard a faint click. She turned around and made eye contact with Yukio Okumura. He had a gun pointed at his brother and a phone in his hand. Miyuki smiled and waved. His eyes widened slightly.

Miyuki was still riled up from the Reaper's attack. She was able to make her nails and horns small by willing them to do so, but couldn't retract or make them normal while she was still provoked. That was one downside to her powers. She had to wait until she calmed down to remove all traces of her demonic powers, other than her tail. That was always out. She could feel it's fuzziness against her back. She used a little more power to hear who was on the other end of the phone. Since Yukio had not yet hung up, Miyuki put a finger to her lips and told him to keep quiet. He paused before hanging up the phone.

'Good boy...Now leave,' the Yuki-Onna thought to herself. She turned back to the other two boys who were still fighting. She crossed her arms and watched. She never thought humans would be so amusing. She understood why Mephisto had wanted to stay...