-KAIYO'S P.O.V-

"Please, Rin? I won't be a bother, I swear! I just wanna see what it's like is all," I pester whilst Rin takes his place in the kitchen, cooking up some kind of delight to begin our morning with whilst I drape my body through the serving hatch, my tail waggling eagerly behind me as I try to convince him to allow me to do what I refuse to stop begging for. I don't see the issue with it, so why not just say 'yes'?

"No, Kaiyo. You still have some healing to do so you're not coming to school with us! You can stay here with Kuro and read some of my manga to pass the time." Though he's trying to make it seem as though staying behind will be the best idea as opposed to tagging along with them to attend a casual school day, he won't be able to shift my resolve to witness what a school in Assiah is like; in Gehenna, there's only one thing you really need to learn to get by: how to inflict pain upon others. Know that, and you're pretty much golden. Giving a dissatisfied snort, my tail going limp from the disappointment, I release a huff of air to get his attention, though it doesn't do a thing and he remains absorbed in his cooking.

"Like I'd want to read your manga; it's probably all hentai," I murmur under my breath with a dissatisfied pout resting upon my lips as I do, however, it soon moulds into a smile when Rin's entire body goes rigid, making mechanical movements as he flips the pancakes to fully emphasize that I've hit a nerve. Now, with mischief filling me from head to toe, I prowl into the kitchen and advance towards Rin, who's refusing to make eye contact after that light joke that I threw his way, only to find out that it's probably the truth.

"I-it's not hentai, Kaiyo! Wh-what makes you say that?!" He exclaims, suddenly turning to face me, which is a huge mistake as I'm easily able to make out the scarlet hue that's beginning to crawl over the skin of his cheeks. Noticing that I've witnessed his embarrassed state, he whirls back to force his attention upon our breakfast, the cosmic-blue hair that adorns his head falling down past his face to cover it completely.

"Then why did you stutter? We both know it's the truth, Okumura, no need to hide it. Still, I wonder if your dear brother, Yukio, has seen any of it." I can feel the growing of the grin upon my face, my mouth curling at the edges more and more as I unearth the truth about Rin's obviously secret porn stash, the answer to my question being immediately given when Rin once again throws his glance in my direction, his entire face swamped in terror.

"You wouldn't," he threatens, raising the spatula that rests in his right hand as if to ward me off as I close the distance between us with each second, just so that he's able to see the willingness to break this news to his brother clear within my expression.

"Oh, but I would," I reply sweetly, both of us so close together now, our chests are touching as I look at him from under my choppy, ebony bangs, my lips now folded into a simple smirk that drills into him to unearth the fear of Yukio finding out about his twin's collection of manga. His eyes merely connect with mine, his azure irises quivering with utter panic since he's already figured out that I won't hesitate in pursuing my goals, no matter what I have to resort to to accomplish them. For a brief second, that thought casts my mind back to the inevitable moment of their deaths that will be brought about by my hand, before I shove it away to focus of the current task that I'm carrying out; I think I'm doing a pretty good job at becoming their friends, though I should really begin working on Yukio as well sooner rather than later. I just want to get this over with before I let my friendship with them alter my mind.

"Rin? Are you done with breakfast yet; we need to get going soon!" I hear Yukio exclaim from the kitchen, his head soon poking through the serving hatch to be met with the sight of Rin and I pressed against each other, chest to chest, in his direct line of vision, Rin's face already completely crimson whilst his cobalt eyes try to think of an excuse for the image that Yukio's witnessing at this moment in time. I can't deny, my own cheeks flush a slight sakura colour, before I allow a grin to once again melt over my face, Rin's eyes meeting with my menacing look before he realizes what I'm about to do.

"Yukio! I think you should know about a little secret that Rin's keeping from you." Not letting that smirk falter, Rin's desperate irises plead for me to stop before I reveal his perverted choice in manga to his sibling, who'll most likely tease him about it for the rest of his life if I say something here and now. Cocking his head to the side in confusion, Yukio awaits the second half of my statement with eager ears, his own tail bobbing side-to-side as the curiosity takes over his limbs. However, just as I go to open my mouth, Rin clamps his hand over it to prevent me from speaking, not even shifting it when I glide my tongue over the creases of his palm. Wow, he'll really endure anything to keep this a secret, won't he?

"Fine! If you're so bothered about it, you can hang around until lessons end, and then come to Cram School. It's not exactly normal school, but it's as good as it'll get until we get you enrolled in True Cross. Now, sit down; breakfast is ready," Rin finally grumbles, encouraging a squeal of glee to sound from me since I finally forced him to cave in, even if I had to resort to blackmail in order to do it. And, by the glare that he flashes at me when I whirl around to leave the kitchen, I can tell that I've pissed him off, though I'm sure that he'll get over it soon enough! And, even though I'm not being permitted to spend an entire day in classes with both of them, I'm still free to roam about the school and get a feel for the area in case I need to find myself around at any time during my stay in Assiah. Unlikely, but it could happen.

As Yukio and I take our seats, he raises an eyebrow at me in questioning, obviously still wishing to discover the little secret stash of hentai that Rin possesses, though, now that Rin's allowing me to tag along with him to school, I'm obligated to keep my mouth shut in return. Dammit; I really want to see how Yukio'd react if he ever did find out. Who knows, maybe he'll 'accidentally' stumble upon some of it one day without me being involved whatsoever. Note the obvious sarcasm; as I've learned today, it's extremely funny putting Rin in an awkward position.

"So, you're tagging along today, huh, Kaiyo? I must warn you, True Cross is a huge school and it's easy to get lost. Also..." Though I really should be paying attention to Yukio as he informs me on vital tips that will prevent me from losing my bearings in the labyrinth that is the school, I can't draw my attention away from Rin as he exits from the kitchen with three plates balanced on his body, one in each hand and the other teetering on his forearm, all piled high with steaming mounds of pancakes which seem to be drizzled with a glistening glaze of golden syrup that melts into all of the crevices between each pancake. Admittedly, I feel my jaw slacken until it hangs open, Rin beaming a grin of pride towards my completely stunned reaction; this may possibly be the best breakfast that I've ever had, and I've not even tried it yet!

"Dig in; you're gonna need the energy for today!" Rin says with a giggle as he slips my own plate in front of me, before delicately setting down the ones belonging to him and Yukio, my eyes instantly picking out that Rin's plate seems to lack a couple of pancakes, whereas I bear an extra two or three in opposition. Giving him a questioning look, he merely tugs his mouth into a sheepish grin that causes a smirk to flutter onto my lips, before I allow it to fade in order to follow Rin's commands.

As soon as my teeth sink into the first pancake and the taste is able to come into contact with my senses, I have to take a moment to bask in the glorious sweetness that dances inside my mouth from the luscious essence of the syrup, the flavours hugging at the taste-buds that adorn my tongue and allowing me to appreciate this utter work of art. Judging by Rin's sudden eruption of laughter, I can tell that I not only had a mental reaction to this divine food, but also a physical one, only noticing how wide my eyes have gotten when I eventually focus back in on the world around me to find Rin and Yukio stifling giggles between their mouthfuls. How?! How can someone be this amazing at cooking, even if it's merely breakfast?!

"Cooking's pretty much Rin's only asset," Yukio mutters from his place beside me, whereas Rin sits opposite with his delighted features slowly moulding into ones that hold a tone of hurt that's produced from his brother's harsh words, ones that I know to be false; I've never met someone so willing to help a complete stranger, as well as befriend them without so much as a second doubt, even after the way I treated him the night prior to this morning. Kindness is an asset in itself, after all, right?

"Morning, guys," a sweet chime of a voice suddenly echoes through the air, though I barely hear it over the sound of me stuffing my face with as much of this food as I possibly can, the hunger that I never even felt building up suddenly manipulating me into a ravenous beast that will eat anything in its path. However, I spare myself a second to face Shiemi, who has that signature smile presented on her face as if the mornings are what she lives for. How can someone be this cheerful this early on in the day? Though I may be a demon, it doesn't mean that I don't repulse mornings as much as the next person.

"Hey, Shiemi," Rin replies, his own mouth still half-full, yet he doesn't hesitate in replying in the slightest. How unbelievably charming he is. Giggling at his expected lack of table manners, Shiemi takes her seat on the other side of me whilst she holds out something in my general direction, though I can't tell exactly what it is due to the fact that I'm still in the process of shoveling these pancakes into my mouth as quickly as possible. However, once I've consumed the final once, I gingerly take the fabric in my hands and allow it to fall from its neat fold, a simple black dress being presented in front of me with a pair of thick straps to cling to the shoulders and a neckline that would dip just below the collarbone.

"I thought you might need something to wear so I made this from what I could salvage of your dress from last night. I hope you don't mind, but the thread that I used was soaked in lavender essence so you won't get too stressed out during the day; lavender has such a relaxing scent," Shiemi murmurs wistfully, as if remembering a pleasant memory as she portrays her opinion of one of my favourite smells; though you may not choose to believe it, we have lavender in Gehenna, and it was truly the most calming plant essence around. Those rich enough would stuff bundles of it into their pillows so that they could sleep at night, and you were lucky enough to find just a sprig since the demand was so high.

"Thank you, Shiemi. I'll go change right now. I'll be back in a minute, you guys," I state, directing my eyes towards Rin and Yukio, only to find them completely unaware of what's going on, both of them too absorbed in their food to even care about feminine things such as clothes and lavender. With a huff from me and a giggle from Shiemi, I make my way out of the kitchen so that I can change in private and away from the perv with the hentai collection. Seriously, I'm never letting that one go!

When I'm fully dressed and satisfied with how I look, I flick my ebony hair over my shoulder so that it rests against my back, which is now covered by the material of my dress as I no longer have to worry about there being space for my wings to protrude. I can't prevent that fact from weighing down my mood, so I let it settle for a few seconds before composing myself; I don't really want to burst into tears all over again. Releasing a slow and shaky sigh, the nerves of actually journeying out into Assiah for the first time suddenly taking a firm grip on me, I make my way to the end of the corridor where an eager Rin, Yukio and Shiemi await, each of them smiling in a patronizing encouragement that would usually irritate me. However, I'm grateful; at least they can help to settle my nerves slightly.

Although, I don't miss slightly scarlet tint invading the areas around Rin's cheeks when he actually takes in my appearance, his hand not hesitating in finding the back of his head as he rubs it awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with me in any way whatsoever.

"You... er... You look n-nice, Kaiyo... Um... Shall we... Shall we go?" I have to contain my laughter as Rin managed to stumble over every single word that was held within that sentence, the crimson that's splattering his cheekbones now expanding to the entirety of his face until the entire thing is drenched in the colour. However, I know why it is that he's acting this way, and it makes my stomach collapse on itself; he finds me attractive.

"We shall," I reply, my voice filled with a gleeful tone as opposed to the nervous one that I expected to possess; I guess that, seeing Rin embarrass himself has made me a little more confident to face the world that my kind revile. If we're being honest here, I'm actually slightly excited because I know that, if I have Rin, Yukio and Shiemi by my side, I'll be able to stick with them to avoid getting lost in this realm of light and actually appreciate it for the first time in my life.

With no further hesitation, we make way for the school, meandering through complex routes, walking up this flight of stairs here, avoiding some random group of babbling students there, never faltering in our path to True Cross academy. However, we eventually get there, the journey filled with nothing but me trying to keep myself attached to the group; I even had Rin guide me by the hand a few times when I found myself stuck in a swamp of teenagers who'd barely woken themselves up in order to pay attention to their surroundings. Though I never thought I'd say this, Gehenna is much more orderly and, in a way, more polite; if you were to knock someone in Gehenna, they'd push you back and you'd make a joke out of it and possibly a new friend. Here, however, if you even try such a thing, abusive language will be thrown around like it's going out of fashion!

"Now, Kaiyo, we need to get to our first lesson, so why not hang around for a while and see what there is to do; you might surprise yourself!" Whilst Yukio relays his request for me to find something to do for the next 6 hours that they're going to be spending learning about Assiah's history, morals and lord knows what else, I'm instead more fascinated by a specific room that rests a few floors off of the ground, the window displaying an item that I've missed dearly ever since my father became king and threw it away, thinking that it would make me weak and soft if I spent too long on it.

"Sure, something to do. Got it! I'll see you after school, okay?" Just as I'm about to take off, excitement bristling through me like frost on the surface of a glass window, the feeling splintering through my nerves to take possession of my entire being, a hand suddenly grapples around my wrist, tugging me back before I'm even able to move forward. When my head turns to meet with who it is that's holding my wrist hostage, I find my eyes locked with Rin's cerulean ones, which are now swirling in the early-morning sunlight like sapphire pools. Man, I wish I had his eyes; they're so beautiful!

"Don't get into any trouble, alright? Just... Be careful; this place is crawling with Exorcists. I don't want you getting hurt." It amazes me how much variation Rin's voice can hold; so far, I've heard tones of seriousness, sympathy, glee, entertainment and comical rage. However, this one differs from them all; it's the one that strikes at my heart the most and makes pain occur within my very core; he actually cares about me. The person of whom I plan to kill is wishing for my well-being, a fact that sends ice shooting viciously through my spine, as well as plunges a dagger of guilt through my heart, which always starts to beat rapidly whenever Rin takes hold of my hand or wrist, as he's doing in this moment in time. Why is that?

"Alright," I murmur soothingly in reply, slipping my wrist free from his grip before he manages to crush it; I don't know if he's aware, but he has an extremely strong hold when it comes to grasping out for something urgently. I wonder if it's even deliberate; perhaps he still isn't used to his demonic strength, which wouldn't surprise me as my own sometimes takes me by shock as well! Powers like these are difficult to contain, no matter whether you've grown up in Assiah or Gehenna; they still function, as well as don't, in the same ways.

There are probably some things that I still don't know about myself, as well as the powers that reside within my form, constantly reminding me that I'm of demonic origin and can never seek a home in Assiah. If I want to get home, I have to do what has now become unthinkable to me; I still have to kill them, no matter what happens, though, as more and more time passes, the less I'm in favour of the idea of spilling their blood. I can only hope that, when the time does come, they'll die quickly so that I don't have to see Rin's eyes fill with the hurt towards my betrayal. As I'm fleeing from their side, I manage to catch the tear that slips from my right eye before anyone, no matter who it may be, sees it; I know that, if I don't halt myself before it's too late, then I won't be able to stop. Why do I lead such an unjust life?

I don't seem to notice the twisting routes and corridors that make up the grand interior of the school, every single angle reflecting elegance through its astounding appearance; my full focus is on two things: not crying, and finding the room that I saw when I was outside with everyone. By now, they're probably well into their first lesson as I've spent about thirty minutes merely tracing back my steps whenever I knew that I'd seen a certain vase or potted plant before. Just when I feel as if there's no hope of getting to where it is that I wish to go, being filled right away with crushing disappointment, my eyes find themselves falling upon an open door with the item that I've longed to come and play once again standing proud in my line of vision, its ebony surface dancing with the reflections of the light that floods through the vast, arched windows.

With a breath catching in my throat, I advance towards the grand piano that lies in wait, its ivory keys glinting in the sunlight whilst the contradicting ebony beckons me closer with its tantalizing beauty that leaves me completely and utterly entranced. For so long, I've wished to play a piano again, to feel at one with the music that I held so dearly to my heart back in Gehenna before Satan met his end and my father disposed of everything that he deemed possible to drive me to weakness. So, naturally, the one aspect of beauty that I held within my life was torn from me and I haven't heard music since. However, that's going to change today!

As soon as I take my seat in front of the keys that just beg to be played, I don't hesitate in allowing my soul to pour out as my fingers lace over the correct chords, tickling the notes to form the most beautiful melodies that I grew up playing to settle the most extreme rages and lull those who were unable to sleep into a soft slumber. No matter its origin, a lullaby always holds its peace. Even a demon like me knows this. Whilst I play, I can feel a part of me somewhat coming to life again, the music refreshing a part of my spirit which had died when my father took over Gehenna and made my life a living hell.

Because, now that I have the time to admit it, as soon as he became drunk with power, he decided that it was my turn to be like him, never being reluctant in going as far as to torture me to make me 'stronger'. However, in reality, he left my spirit broken and shattered with nothing left behind but the darkest pits of my soul. Now, listening to this gorgeous melody, I can feel everything rearranging and becoming one again, like it's fixing me just as I did with all of those demons years ago.

When I conclude my song, one that's managed to reconstruct my broken spirit and re-kindle the passion to be my own person once again, I am soon to realize two things that I was oblivious to previously. One of which, is that my tail has managed to come free from its place curled around my thigh to keep it concealed from the humans in this school, the pointed tip brushing against the flooring as it sways to the melody that's now flowing through my mind. However, the second is a figure, one that wears a smirk on his lips whilst his own tail wraps itself around his ankles, flames of cobalt flickering around his form as my lilac ones are now doing with myself as well.

"That was beautiful," Rin murmurs as he advances towards me, the fire that curls about the air surrounding him beginning to quell in unison with my own as the lack of music settles our powers down once more; I guess that I forgot about it drawing out the demonic forces if the individual that was listening possessed them. However, I can't help but wonder how it is that he's here; isn't he supposed to be in a lesson right about now?

"What is it? You should be learning, not listening to me play music," I mutter bluntly, trying to convey my distaste for him skipping out on school just so that he can enjoy the melodies that I form using this marvelous instrument. All of a sudden, he halts in his tracks and cocks his head to the side, his tail also going limp from the confusion that's obviously taking over him. Wow, he's not very bright, is he?

"Kaiyo, school's finished. If you came right here after the day started, you've been playing for hours! I only knew that you were here because I heard people saying that there was a girl that none of them had seen before playing the most beautiful music. It didn't take much to figure out that it was you they were talking about!" Whilst he tousles his own hair from the back whilst pulling a cheesy grin that showcases his ivory, pointed canines, I sit in place with my jaw slackening with each second, unable to believe what he's telling me. I've been in here for hours?! How did that happen? I was just playing one song; how could I have spent hours doing so? Huh, perhaps I got completely lost in my own music and the beauty that it holds.

"And now you're here because?" As I extend the word 'because', Rin snaps himself back to normality, throwing himself out of an attitude that I can't even begin to describe for fear that it'll put me into his head, which isn't a place that I really want to go after all of the hentai that he's probably read! In answer, he merely approaches me and slips his hand into my idle one, sending a flutter of blood to my cheeks whilst my stomach balls up. What's going on with me?! Snap out of it, Kaiyo! However, I can't when he begins dragging me across the room, pulling yet another wide grin in my direction as we tear through the hallways and past students, who insistently complain about our abrupt behaviour. I'm really glad that I had time to literally tuck my tail between my legs before we took off; if I hadn't, then our secret would be out of the window! Rin really doesn't think about these things, does he?

"Kaiyo... I'm taking you to Cram School."