DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Everything except my imagination belongs to Kazue Kato and the rightful owners.
Hush
Her fist slammed on the top of her alarm clock again, having well put up with enough shit for the past several hours.
She was slightly surprised it didn't combust and explode in a million pieces, but she flipped over on her stomach and yanked her blankets further over her hooded head. Her body temperature was high and the stuffiness was hard to breathe in, but she refused to submerge, fighting some sort of battle with herself to test the limits of her stubbornness and so far she was not giving way.
Why did I even set the damn alarm? She scolded herself. It's Sunday. The girl remembered then that she'd set it on Friday so that she wouldn't sleep in until two in the afternoon, and it went off at eleven. Regardless she was not ready to leave her haven of self-deprecation and shame stirred together with an irreplaceable dose of regret.
Her sleeping face flashed in her mind and she attempted to let the mattress swallow her body whole. She would've been happier that way anyway.
Why didn't I do it? She asked herself, even though she knew perfectly well of the reason why. That demon was a mother now. It had children who would love it, grow to love it, and a husband. And perhaps she just pitied the husband and kids too much to kill something important to it, but even so she would never admit it. Every time the question appeared in her head, she pushed it away, refusing to face it head-on. But there was no avoiding it:
Would I really kill someone who has love for my sake? My selfishness? My empty wants and needs?
Then she concluded with an answer:
I don't know.
She forced the lump in her throat back down. And if that freak show of a principal was serious, today's the last day I'll be allowed at the Academy. Dammit… Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! She bounced up from her lying position to punch her pillow right through the middle again when her head banged against the bunk bed.
Angry white flashed before her not-quite-there eyes and she threw herself back down into the mattress, trying to control herself before she made the whole dorm catch on fire in her rage. Her chest heaved out furious breaths as she willed herself not to explode. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.
How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! The devil sitting on her shoulder shrieked. I lost my only chance and I can't be angry about it?
At that horrible moment, the door clicked and latched open. She didn't raise her head at the intruder since it was obvious who it would be, but rather cursed herself for forgetting to lock the door last night. She risked getting caught if she'd changed into her pajamas, though.
"Morning."
A pillow slammed right into the door and slid down to the ground with a soft thump. "Whoa!"
"Geez, what the hell was that for?" Rin stormed inside, much to her dismay.
Another fat cushion launched through the air, and he moved his head to the side just in time to dodge the attack. Leave me alone!
"Oi! What's gotten into you?"
Ugh, just go the hell away! She realized then that she was out of pillows and resorted to curling herself up into a ball of humiliation under the covers, willing him to leave with as much effort as she could muster. What little pride she had left quickly crumbled. Just go!
"You're acting weird, you know." He sighed, and she cringed when she felt a bounce of weight on the edge of the mattress. There you go again, always throwing around that word like it's nothing. You would never know what it's like to be so different and incomplete.
"Yukio told me to check on you 'cause someone broke into the Academy last night or something. The giant gates at the front of the school were unlocked so all the teachers started freaking out." Rin told her balled-up form. "You still seem to have enough energy to go mauling people with pillows, though."
Don't tempt me.
Her mouth fell slightly ajar under the covers and she somewhat meekly poked her head out, holding down the top of her hood so it wouldn't fall back. Yukio sent him? Don't tell me this is one of his stupid attempts to get us to get along. More importantly, why is he still in his pajamas? Dark blue and green plaid, a light blue sweater with a red skull on the front with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Were those slippers? Oh, yup. Red house slippers, not too much on the ridiculous fluffy side. Thank the Lord. Something about Santa just was not right, especially owning his slippers.
"You're fine, right?" He said nonchalantly as he laced his fingers behind his head, ruffling the raven-coloured locks and she suddenly had the urge to tie little pigtails in them or just mess them up. His eyelids fell but rose again to look at her shameful position, not looking pitying in the least. "You promised you wouldn't die before dinner."
She silently scoffed. 'Course I do. Wait. Since when did I agree to that?
"Well, you can't miss breakfast either!" He grinned. "I bought pancake mix yesterday, so we're totally gonna feast!"
Pancakes? The girl sat straight up, nearly having her hood flipped back. Do we have bananas and Nutella?
"Yosh*," He pushed himself off the bed. "I'd better start cooking, then. You better be coming, or you don't get any." An amused smile etched itself onto his features.
Her jaw fell open. You-!
Satisfied with his work, he left the bedroom.
As she fell back to the bed with a soundless sigh, she stared at the sunshine once again seeping through the windows.
Why did she feel better?
I'll help you.
Give me your strength.
I'll return everything.
I promise.
"Dad! Dad, look!" Chiho cried, violet eyes sparkling. Stomping up the wooden stairs to her father's study, a little bottle around her neck bounced up and down. Pushing the door open, she twirled in a circle over to his desk where he was filling in some sort of document.
"What is it, Chiho?" He asked his daughter with a warm smile, that kind that made the skin by his eyes crinkle up in the best way possible. The hair on the top of his head was starting to thin out, but that didn't matter. The smile dissolved. "Didn't I tell you not to run up the stairs all the time? They might break and we can't afford to get them repaired if they-"
"Look!" The ten-year-old yanked the black string around her neck, revealing the clear bottle with a four-leaf clover inside. "I finally managed to make a necklace out of this thing. Isn't it great? Now I'll never lose it."
"That's smart of you." Her father chuckled. "You take good care of it, okay? That took a long time to find."
"Of course I will!" She laughed. "I wonder if that clover patch had any more four-leaf ones. We should go again someday."
"I'm sure we will."
A strange smell wafted into her nose, one that she hadn't smelled before.
The pen clattered to the floor and he nearly knocked over his desk standing up. Without a word he grabbed Chiho by the arm and yanked her out of the room.
"Dad, what are you-"
Mom's shriek filled the house.
"FIRE!"
"Takahiro-kun!"
Her body shot awake and she nearly fell out of the tree she had been sleeping in. That voice definitely wasn't Yukio's though. She glanced down to see a certain strawberry-haired boy standing at the foot of her makeshift bed, staring in strange interest that made her fidget.
"What are you doing up there?" He asked with a confused smile. "Couldn't find a place to sleep?"
That's not it… She rubbed her sore neck and tried not to appear embarrassed that she'd been woken up. Wait, this guy is… Shima, right?
With a shake of her head, she clutched her bag tight and slipped off the branch. That tree was nearly off school grounds. How did he find her, more or less decide to call out to her?
When he opened his mouth, she quickly shook her head again and pointed towards the fountain.
He caught onto the gesture, and they both walked over to the courtyard with her hands in her pockets, making her footsteps a little heavier to give off that image she was going for.
[How did you find me?] She handed him the sketchbook, opened up to a new page to hide the obscenities on the previous ones.
Shima looked somewhat surprised at her silence, but answered nonetheless: "Well, Bon said he was going to spend Sunday meditating and Koneko-san said he would help him clean his room. But honestly, who's got time for that? And I was hoping to pick up some cute girls today with them too…" He sighed and kicked his feet against the fountain. "They're way too serious, 'specially Bon. I wish they just knew how to relax sometimes, y'know?"
Guy's a mouthful, I'll give him that much. But something about the cheerful, lazy atmosphere around him was difficult to dislike.
"Oh, but I was just wandering around campus lookin' for someone to talk to since all the girls rejected me." He continued disdainfully. "But I don't get it at all! I know they're interested, so there's no point in denying it." Shima leaned back on his hands, still kicking his feet. "But anyway, what were you doing up there?" He gave her a cheerful grin.
Her fingers swished the pen back and forth.
[Sleeping.]
The strawberry-head chuckled. "Yeah, I could've guessed that much. What I meant was, did something happen in your dorm or something? Why were you sleeping in a tree?"
Because trees are comfy. She retorted childishly.
[Had a bad dream.] The rest was fairly self-explanatory.
"About what?" He prompted, angling his head to her. She gripped her pen tight, fingers going deathly white against her already-pale hands. The girl knew she was pushing it, but she couldn't help it. She definitely couldn't fight the inner conflict alone; they were all but stacking up, one problem after another she could never let out.
[I had a dream I got expelled.] She tried to keep the sentences as short and to-the-point as possible to reduce the time spent writing.
"Really? What happened?" His brown eyes widened a bit, just as interested as when he found her sleeping.
She gulped and licked her dry lips.
[Can you wait for me to explain?] Surely he knew by now why she was asking.
He nodded. "Sure."
After a minute or two of quick, chicken-scratch like writing, she hesitantly pushed the book into his lap and watched his eyes scan over the page.
[Mephisto made a wager with me. He said if I got back something important, I won. But if I lost, I'd never be able to go to the Academy ever again. I woke up scared shitless that something like that would actually happen. It was noisy in the dorm so I needed to find someplace quieter, hence my sleeping in a tree. Satisfied?] Her hand ached by the time she finished the message, but it felt so good to get something off her chest, even to someone she barely knew. No- she barely knew anybody at all. But she couldn't keep quiet forever.
"So that's why." Shima mused after reading. "But you shouldn't be scared. After all, no one can ever tell what our Principal's thinking." Another friendly smile appeared. She didn't hate it, surprisingly.
That's true, but… She bit her lip nervously. That's only if it were just a dream.
"But still," He went on. "There's no point in feeling sorry for yourself, yeah? Just do the best you can till the end. At least that way you won't have wasted your time, considering how much it costs to get here." With a wince he scratched his cheek with a finger as if recalling a not-so-pleasant memory.
A little jerk of realization yanked at her body gently.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Damn, did that really just come from me?" The worried look was quickly covered by a sheepish smile. A small wave of unexpected relief covered her; the distressed appearance didn't suit his cheery, laid-back personality.
Yup.
Shima leaped off the fountain, tossing her a frantic look over his shoulder as his face began to go blue. "Come on, Takahiro-kun! We need to find some cute babes to hit on before I lose the rest of my dignity!"
She tucked away her sketchbook back into her bag and followed the strawberry-head, though his words never left her brain.
There's no point in feeling sorry for yourself.
The smallest of smiles graced her features.
Thanks, Shima.
Oh my gosh, I remember this part. Stupid Tanaka, don't put salt in the lemonade.
She rolled over on the top bunk, lying on her stomach now with her precious manga open. Her feet kicked lazily in the air as she happily read the beloved story on the pages. The volume was long worn out with a couple pages wrinkled, but loved it to pieces regardless.
Oh Sebastian, you're so dreamy. I so wish I could have some of that cake right about now. A silent sigh escaped her lips.
A series of raps at her door snapped her out of her trance, and she sat up, ripped her hoodie off the side of the bed, and pulled it over her head in a flash just in time to answer the door. Obviously it was the young teacher; Rin would just walk right in again or yell something stupid before threatening to tackle it over.
That polite smile was on his face once again. "I'm sorry to interrupt you at this time." He apologized. "But Sir Pheles has requested to see you. He said I should bring you there, since his office is quite far away from the dorms and a key is most efficient."
She gulped as her legs suddenly felt as if they had been injected with jelly. She mentally shook her head. Pull it together. Remember what Shima said. I can't regret anything. After this I'll write a letter to Auntie telling her I'm going home and to get the cake ready and-
"Takahiro-kun?"
She tried hard not to slap herself as she followed.
Yukio reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled out a ring that jingled with more than five golden and silver keys that were all distinctly styled when they approached a random door in the dorm.
"Most of these keys are given only to Exorcists, and are very precious to us. Sir Pheles has set up numerous mazes of amulets and barriers to ward off demons as well." Yukio explained as he searched for the proper key.
So the one he lifted last night was one he set up himself. She realized. Didn't think the clown had it in him.
"You can avoid those traps and visit the world outside of the Academy if you have the keys." He continued. "But for now you should take care of the keys you're given."
The clown must've used his own key to unlock the gate. She wedged her fingers into the pockets of her slacks and pulled out her own cram school key. I see. So this is the only key they're permitting us to use right now. Once I become an Exorcist, getting around should be so much easier.
She rubbed her temple, immediately regretting the thought. If I was gonna be one. Now it's over. But is that really so bad? Her teacher found the correct key and inserted it into the old lock. I know where it's hiding now. I could go over there anytime I like if I really do get expelled. Although I can't explain to Auntie that I want to go to an old spa town to kill my twin. Well, whatever. I'll figure something out. A loud clunk echoed in the hallways and he cast a sideways glance at her.
"Follow me."
She did.
Closing the door behind them, they were instantly transported to a long hallway with dark wooden walls and an expensive-looking red carpet that seemed to repel all dirt- even after grinding her shoe into the softness, not a mark was left, almost as if it had swallowed everything except for her foot. Although that wasn't even considered weird anymore, considering where she was. School photos from centuries back were hung up on both walls, stretching all the way down as if they never ended. It was like the cram school hall.
While she was busy drinking in the sight of such an exquisite-looking place, Yukio had already started walking.
"Takahiro-kun? Sir Pheles's office is this way."
After a light jog, she finally caught up with him, making sure her hands never left her pockets.
An almost eerie silence fell between them, and she involuntarily felt herself break into a cold sweat. What if he already knew what she was being called there for? And the fact that he wasn't saying anything, acting so much colder, seemed to make everything worse. She lifted a sticky hand out of her pocket to wipe it hastily against the front of her shoulder bag, though it did little to dry the perspiration.
Embarrassingly, this didn't go unnoticed by Yukio. "Are you nervous?"
When she met his eyes, he looked almost sympathetic.
"Don't worry. Sir Pheles can be unpredictable sometimes, but you can trust him." Despite the words it didn't seem like he trusted him either. She could see the hesitation in his eyes.
But she nodded anyway, not wanting to doubt someone she trusted so much. She would never say so, but she really admired her young teacher. Becoming an Exorcist at such a young age, being so smart and strong; she could only wonder what he would have went through to be so determined to train for the title. He said he started studying when he was seven, and finished his studies two years ago. She then remembered him and Rin fighting a couple days ago and wondered if their dead father had anything to do with it but she knew better than to ask.
"Alright, we're here. Sir Pheles has asked me to stay outside, and I'll take you back to the dorm after you're finished." As they arrived in front of a large pink door, he rolled up his sleeve a bit to inspect his black watch. "It shouldn't take long, so don't worry."
He said it twice. Am I really that obvious? She tried not to touch her cheek out of anxiety and resorted to biting the inside of it instead.
With a tentative nod, she sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door, already feeling vulnerable without her teacher next to her.
The violet-haired principal sat behind a giant desk filled with strangely bright otaku collectible items. She could've sworn that was a pink limited-edition Honey-Honey Girls yukata hanging on the wall over there but she got a hold of herself and turned her attention back to the person who was going to expel her from the only chance she probably had. Before she knew it she was already in front of the desk and she released the breath she had been holding, not realizing her legs had actually moved.
"Good evening, Miss. I trust everything's been going well?" He laced his gloved fingers together with a smirk she would rather die seeing than believe it.
Stop screwing with me. You know perfectly well of all the bullshit you put me through. She bared her teeth, gnashing them together as her blood began to boil. The girl fought back the rising urge to swipe all the little figurines off the desk.
"It's a shame, you know." The smirk wouldn't leave his face even though she knew he could see her anger. "I was looking forward to how this would all play out. I didn't think your emotions would get the best of you in such a crucial moment, especially in a headstrong young lady such as yourself."
I wonder if you can qualify me as a lady the second my fist connects with your face. But why is he stalling? If he wanted to get me expelled, couldn't he just say so?
"I suppose I win the bet." The rim of his hat cast a shadow over his emerald eyes that seemed to glow too brightly with amusement. "It's strange; even I was expecting myself to lose when I looked at your face that night. But surely you know what this means, yes? You are not allowed to attend classes at the Academy any longer. It was great having you- though this wasn't one of my more enjoyable games. You burned out much more quickly than I predicted."
Of course. Everything's a fucking game to you.
Keeping her face perfectly blank, she used two fingers to pick up the head of one of the many anime figures and dropped it onto the carpeted floor.
"Do what you like." Mephisto gave a shrug, but never stopping smiling. "After all, you are no longer a student here. Oh, and if you break any of my collectibles you will be charged with twenty-five thousand yen in cash. If you change your mind, there is no reason to act so childish."
She struggled to keep down the rising lump in her throat, wanting to cry out of embarrassment and shame. If only I'd done it when I had the chance. If only I hadn't been such a dumbass and screwed up my only opportunity. The look on his face did nothing to compensate. His eyes were laughing at her as if she was a bug under his shoe and yet he said nothing. She hated it.
"You're dismissed. You may use the phone in the main office to notify your family that you will be arriving home at the end of this week."
She let her fingernails cut into her palm and her chest tightened as she stiffly turned her back and started walking out of the damned chamber that was Mephisto.
"Ein,"
She spun back around to see the principal tap a ridiculously pink umbrella against his hat once, emitting a clunk as if he were hitting a block of wood.
"Zwei,"
Her mouth automatically began chanting as she rolled up her sleeve.
"Drei!"
I should probably run, shouldn't I?
I should.
But between the span of thinking something and actually doing it, what appeared to be a yellow bird popping out of his hat like a cuckoo clock smacked her in the side of the head.
Needless to say she fell and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Sir Pheles, why would you do something like this?"
Darkness. Not even a sliver of light. Just darkness.
"Because she is a rare case indeed. I believe this is the first time even you have seen the work of such a demon, Okumura-kun."
A faint, thin almond shape appeared in the blackness, and she realized this was supposed to her eyelids opening, which she found strange since she didn't have any. But that was beside the point.
"However, exorcising the demon is an incredibly risky task. There is no Exorcist in this Academy capable of discovering its true intent at the level it's at. The Fatal Verse hasn't yet been clarified, and it's nearly impossible to locate it due to its ability to take the form of whatever it likes."
Her finger twitched on the desk she was lying on. No. They weren't talking about…
"Precisely my point." Mephisto pointed out, and she knew then she wouldn't have to pretend to be unconscious because nobody could tell if her eyes were open or not. Carefully she shifted her gaze to the two instructors, who were talking near the pink door she'd entered. "I do believe it will be entertaining."
"Why did you not inform me of this earlier?" Yukio asked, the harsh tone in his voice returning.
The green-eyed principal simply chuckled as the young teacher made his way over to where she was lying down. Her heart rate had noticeably risen, panic threatening to blow her out of the room right then. But she forced herself to stay still and eavesdrop; after all, she barely knew anything about the demon.
She noticed one other thing.
Her hood was off.
She began to grow light-headed from how long she hadn't been breathing.
She looked up at her teacher's face, which was now hovering above her with worry in the cerulean orbs behind the black frames.
Who are you? She hazily wondered, feeling as if she were in a daze. What do you know?
Arching his index finger, he slowly brought it down to brush it softly against her cheek. Shivers ran down her spine and she could feel her body temperature rising since her appearance wouldn't allow her a blush.
"I'm sorry." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear. His finger never left her face.
It's okay. She felt herself begin to slip away again, her grip on reality loosening. When was the last time someone had touched her so gently, so lovingly?The walls were melting at an alarming pace.
I don't want to be like this either.
A/N: GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I'm not intending to turn this into a Yukio/OC fic! I just had to include this for plot purposes. xD
I think this may actually be the fastest I've updated, but of course that means it's a shorter chapter. -.- But I want to thank all of you for the continuous support on this story! I can't believe this fic already has almost 30 follows. ; u ; I also appreciate any feedback on characterization, my OC, and even just a comment saying that you liked it. It's really inspiring, so I really appreciate that too! Feel free to R&R and tell me what you think! ❤
*A Japanese phrase meaning "Alright then" or "Let's get started". Anything along those lines. xD
