DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blue Exorcist

hey everyone! i'm updating faster! you should praise me!...uh...

anyways, thank you for reviewing and reading! it's fun reading your comments

this chapter has a special somone appearsing -winks- NO MORE SPOILERS!

read on and enjoy~! I know you will!

CHAPTER 10: Hidden Shadow

"Man! It's hot!"

"I'm dying…from heat…cursed fox instincts...I'm practically melting…"

Rin nodded as we walked along a bridge leading away from the student shop. We had just returned from our glorious journey to the place to pick up some cold refreshments and some Vitamin Water for Yukio.

"Stupid Sundays…and why did I summon you anyways?" I grumbled, looking at Kumo who was casually wrapped around my neck. He didn't even respond, just covered his head with his wing. "Lucky frikin lazy piece of sh-…."

"And you tell me not to use that language."

"Well, it's hot! He has no right to do that!" I complained, dragging the bag I had in my hand on the ground. Inside was some apple juice and Yukio's drink. Rin had forgotten to buy one so I thought I might as well get it before tempers flare.

With all this warm weather even our regular clothing is becoming a drag. Now I'm wearing a black and red checkered skirt with a short sleeved white t-shirt. I changed my blue bandana into a red one with black stripes. I was wearing sandals, same with Rin. He was actually wearing blue shorts with white collared top that buttoned up. It had a green stripe going across the front. He had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows…trust him to wear long sleeved on a day like this.

I'm not sure I'm blushing cause of the heat or because he looked REALLY cut-…

NO! BAD KIT! QUIT THAT! I can't be falling for-…

…actually…I vaguely remember saying that I'll only ever fall for Rin if I go on a date with Shima…

My eyes widened. Oh. My. Goodness. I 'am SO SCREWED!

"Are you okay? You look ready to faint?" I blushed as Rin put his hand on my forehead, "You don't have a fever…"

I gulped and answered shakily, "I-I had some tuna earlier and it was really spicy…"

He raised an eyebrow but shook it off, "The heat must me messing with my head…"

I sighed in relief as he continued to walk on (at a safe distance). There's no way I'd fall for Rin…but if I did…NO! NO FANTASIES! BAD GIRL!

STUPID SUN! DIE IN A HOLE! It's causing me problems…

The warm temperatures might also start something unnecessary. It doesn't help Yukio is forcing not only Rin to study and do homework but apparently Katsu and him are working together to make me some prodigy. Just. My. Luck.

"We just became Esquire, the least he could do is say 'Congratulations. I moaned, and Rin nodded.

"Yukio/Katsu is such a jerk."

. . .

"At least we aren't technically agreeing with each other." Rin pointed out and I just hissed, "Stupid heat is making us in sync!"

He groaned, "You have to remind me?...Gah! It's no use! This is killing me…I've got to eat it before it melts!" He quickly pulled out a Popsicle and stuffed it in his mouth.

I stared at him as his face turned blue for a moment before he let out a breath and smiled, "Nothing beats this in the summertime!"

"You're going to get a brain freeze if you-…"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"…told you so."

Back at Dorm…

We slowly walked into the twin's dorm room, where Yukio turned from his seat to greet us. Moe was sitting on Rin's window sill, with a pair of sunglasses that were not fitting over his eyes.

I quickly planted myself in front of the fan that sat in the middle of the room, Kumo perking his head up to enjoy the breeze, "Thhhhhhaaaat feeeeeeels goooooooood…"

"Everything was sold out at that shop there, so I had to go to the other side!" Rin grumbled and sat down at his desk next to Yukio's.

He set his bag down and let his tail show, "Jeez, I can't believe how hot this room is. It's a school for rich kids- at least give us an AC."

I momentarily turned my head from the fan, "Mephisto is a cheapskate Rin, and he would never do that. Plus, this is an abandoned boy's dorm. Why put an Ac into something that's uninhabited?" Yukio raised an eyebrow, "Haven't you been here for three years though? I would have thought…"

I shook my head, "It's been like this every summer…though I usually just hang out with Katsu-kun and his older sister." A sly grin appeared on Rin's face, "Ne, we haven't met the girl have we? Is she hot?"

I smirked and reached into my pant pocket, taking out my wallet and holding a picture for the twin's to see. Instantly, they looked horrified, "Yup, she's not so right around the face."

"And you said she kisses him!"

"It's not her fault half her face was burned off during an exorcism."

"T-that's horrible…at least Katsu-senpai loves his sister enough not to care…" There was an awkward silence and we all shivered, "You know, I'm suddenly not so hot anymore."

"Ditto."

"Never mind that- Rin, where's my mineral water?" Moment of silence. "Oh, I forgot."

"I diiiiiiiiiiiiidn't~!" I called into the fan, before reaching into my bag and pulling out the bottle, "Here you are."

"At least Kit-chan remembered." Yukio sighed and took the bottle of transparent liquid from me. Rin scoffed, "Is that supposed to mean something?"

. . .

"Are you two ignoring me!"

"Get to work on your studies Rin." Yukio calmly reminded and Rin grumbled before turning to his work. I continued to talk to myself in the mirror, ignoring Kumo who glared at me for doing so.

Serves him right…using his wings for shade…I should beat the crap out of him…

"What a drag, have to spend a Sunday afternoon on assignments and homework." Rin complained, leaning back in his chair. "Didn't I remind you before we left that we had work to do?" I glared and he rolled his eyes, "I don't see you doing any work."

"I finished it already, dunce."

"WHAT?"

"When you were busy reading Yukio's manga while he was out on an exorcism I was in my room doing the work." I calmly responded. He huffed and turned back to Yukio.

"After all that work we went through to become an Esquire it's no different from a Page…" He was obviously trying to get Yukio's attention, and failing. "Actually, Esquire's get more hands on job then Page's. It's pretty much going from paper work to practice work." I corrected and his eyes lit up, "Really? Yes! This is gonna be awesome!"

He turned to his desk and frowned when he picked up a piece of paper, "But according to this, Esquire's are bottom feeders." He showed the sheets, revealing it to be a list of exorcist ranks.

"Well duh. We still have a lot to go before we become an actual exorcist." I sighed, getting kind of irritated with his complaining. Seriously, can't he go five minutes without it. "So, where are you on this thing?" Rin asked his brother.

"Middle First class…" Yukio answered, not taking his eyes off his work. "Ha! So you're not a hot shot either!"

I rolled my eyes, "Katsu-kun is eighteen years old and only Middle Second class. Yukio is doing well for his age." Rin's eyes widened and Yukio smirked slightly at the complement, enjoying his victory.

"Jeez…what does it take to get to this Paladin thing at the top?..." When he wasn't going to get an answer ha just stretched, "Man, I can't wait to go on missions and get some hands on experience!"

That was when Yukio dropped his pen, "The rank of Paladin is only given to a single exorcist. They don't just give it to anyone, you know. And were not sending you on any missions for the time being."

"Huh?"

"You're always disregarding orders and acting like a loose cannon. Not to mention you can't even run a simple errand without help." Rin cringed, "What? I said I was sorry!"

"No you didn't. You said you forgot it." I smirked and he growled, "Traitor!"

"It's not just that. The way you fight- you rely too much on Satan's power." I snickered a bit; noticing Yukio was on a roll. Joining him, however, would only make Ruin blow a fuse. The heat would happily light it, too.

"You shouldn't be so quick to draw your sword…and never mind how fast you heal, you need to stop using yourself as a shield when you're out of options." I remembered a few nights ago, the Neuhaus attack.

"I have to agree with Yukio on this, find some other way to take out enemies other than using your sword. Maybe your fist will do?" I pondered, oblivious to the exasperated look both twins gave me.

"Rin, if you don't stop with these antics…Satan's power will completely consume you." I sat up and away from the fan, staring at the two in their silence. Having your flames consume you…I have never awoken my demonic side so I wouldn't know, but having them out for too long could cause issues, rage is another one, and using too much is also a problem.

Unfortunately, Rin suffers a lot in all three. No wonder Yukio is worried…and maybe I 'am…just a little.

I ignored the two arguing for a few moments, turning back to the fan and staring into it. Kumo just lazily turned his head to gaze at me with half-lidded eyes. I sighed, knowing that was the best I would get for a worried look from him.

"Just thinking about…flames…" I muttered and he yawned, probably saying 'you haven't drawn yours so there's no issue. The idiot who has is on his own'. I shook my head, searching for another topic.

Shadow Blood…Kat…my best friend…killer…murderer…betrayer…when will I see her again? What will I do when I face her? I couldn't possibly fight her…could I? No…I'll find a way to bring her home…but…

Where on earth could she possibly be?

Mephisto's office…

"Y-you…can't be serious…" Mephisto never turned to face the shocked exorcist behind him. He remained facing the window, his gaze scanning the Academy. "Sh-she's here?"

He finally turned his head to the side to see Katsu Yakaru, Middle Second class exorcist and private tutor to Kit the kitsune. "I never lie about something as serious as this."

Katsu fell back onto the couch, eyes wide with shock, "B-but…how? The barriers should have-…"

"We are dealing with a skilled criminal Yakaru-san. Breaking past a demon-warding barrier should be easy for her." Katsu's gaze turned to the chairman, who still had his back to him, "We need to tell Kit…if she's in the Academy then you know she'll go after-…"

"I doubt Shadow Blood will go that far. She's merely…spying…" The room got deathly quiet, only the sound of the fan on Mephisto's desk creating any noise. "She's finally making her move…to gain her revenge…"

The young exorcist abruptly stood up, eyes still wide but with a bit of determination, "Sir Pheles…if she's here after revenge she'll go after…"

"Yes, I 'am very much aware of who her target is. I'm already putting Knight's on standby for precautions." A sigh of relief was heard behind the chairman as Katsu took his seat, "But…if she gets close to Kit…"

"Yakaru-san, I believe she has enough brain's to know that Kit-chan means business, and staying hidden is the best way for her." There was a moment of silence before Katsu sighed irritably, "Who would have thought that all along…he was Shadow Blood's target…"

Mephisto smirked, "It wasn't much of a surprise…I told you who the two demon kings are that weren't named a long time ago…a classified secret between you and me…"

Katsu rolled his eyes, remembering the missions that involved the underlings to the two demon kings, "Yes, and that one of the two demon kings is the one Shadow blood seeks revenge on…"

Mephisto's smirk got wider, "Yes…Belyal, King of Shadow…and Farosin, King of…" Katsu sighed and ran a hand through his hair before standing up, "…King of Blood."Mephisto chuckled, "How ironic…the girl knew all along who the last two demon kings were…she made an odd name for herself, don't you agree?..."

Katsu sent a silent glare at Mephisto, "What exactly do you plan on doing Sir Pheles…?" The chairmen gave a hearty laugh and sat in his chair, turning from the window to look at the young exorcist in front of him, "Why, protect her target of course."

Katsu stayed for a moment before turning and leaving the office. There was a moment of silence before a green haired boy jumped down from the ceiling, siting neatly on the chair Katsu was previously in, "He's an annoying little human. Why do you bother to keep him around?"

"Yakaru-san is the only survivor of many attacks made on exorcists by our friends Belyal and Farosin…I have to keep him around to keep things hush, hush." Mephisto sighed, feeling the days stress building up.

"They're daughters are the most troublesome though…to think Farosin would attack Belyal's youngest daughter…it's actually quite comical they're little dispute." The green haired boy tilted his head, "So…you're not going to protect Farosin?"

Mephisto shrugged, "It's his own fault for taking they're petty argument too far…those two are the youngest of the demon kings yet the most violent. They've been fighting in Gehenna since the dawn of time." The demon in front of him remained nonchalant, "Kat can't reach Gehenna and hurt Farosin, so I don't see the big deal here."

Mephisto's smile returned, "Yes I do wonder what Kat is planning by visiting the Academy…perhaps she's going after a different type of revenge, hm?"

The demons eyes narrowed, "So…you're saying…" The chairman nodded, and chuckled, "My my, Kit…how will you keep your promise when you learn the truth?"

Southern Rear Entrance to Cross Academy…

"Rin…why are we doing this?" I grumbled as he dragged me stealthily after Yukio, Kumo still wrapped around my neck like a scarf. He quietly shushed me as he pulled me along. After the twin's argument Yukio had gotten a call for an exorcism, therefore leaving us at the dorm…

Unfortunately, Rin got a brilliant idea to follow him and decided to have me tag along (unwillingly). "Rin, you do realize we left Moe at the dorm in YOUR room? Yukio is going to have a cow." He shushed me again, making my eye twitch.

Hey, whatever, if he wants to get his butt kicked by his younger brother later then so be it.

We approached the gate Yukio was in front of to see yellow tape crossing off the entrance with two exorcist's guarding, "Yukio Okumura, Middle first class." I quietly face palmed. Great, they're never going to let us through.

"Rin Okumura, Esquire." I looked up at the confused exorcist. Yes, I was being dragged on the ground, "Kit, momentarily grounded."

He blinked before letting us through after Yukio spotted us, "Kit-chan? Rin?" What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about your second pair of glasses." I grumbled and stood up from the ground. That's right; during their argument Rin broke Yukio's glasses. The idiot…

"I don't have time to play your games! Go home!"

"No way!"

REEEEEHHHHR!

I froze and looked around. Was that…a cat hiss? "This way!" The exorcist that let us in led us through the gate, obviously not caring we were Esquire's. If that's the case, the situation is more serious then I it should be.

"What's the situation?"

"Kuro, the Cat Sith guarding the South Rear Gate, has gone berserk." I narrowed my eyes. A Cat Sith? A high level, probably one of the highest level's, out there, demon that possess a cat. If it lives a long time then it's tail splits into two, but they usually move from house to house seen usually as normal house pet's.

We finally came out from under the gate to see…a rather comical sight. The Cat Sith (with two tails) stood atop a large highway sign in its large form. There was a circle of exorcists a few yards away with guns ready. The funniest part?

How would normal people react if this was on a highway in an actual city?

'Liars! Your all liars!' I looked at Rin to see him frozen, and I nodded, "You hear that?"

"Yeah…"

"We can hear fellow demons speak, isn't that great?" I spoke mockingly, though he didn't respond. Shrugging it off, I joined Yukio who was with a few exorcists circled around an injured guardsman. Rin followed.

"What happened?"

"Kuro suddenly blew up in size and attacked us. We accidently let it slip that Father Fujimoto had passed away…I think he overheard us."

My gaze returned to the growling demon. Kumo stirred around my neck, reminding me he was there. "What do you think?" I whispered, hoping nearby exorcists didn't hear and label me crazy. Kumo practically looked like a scarf.

He just snorted and turned his head, making me roll my eyes, "Why did I get stuck with a Jinkujaku? This sucks…" His tail flicked me in the head, making me snicker, "Hit a spot on your pride? Good…I might replace you…"

He rolled his eyes as if to say 'yeah right, liar'. I shrugged and turned back to the twins right as Rin was asking an important question, "What does this have to do with the old man's death?"

We turned to back to the Cat Sith, "That cat…that Cat Sith is dad's familiar." I cringed slightly and sighed. So, THAT'S why this is so serious.

The former paladin's familiar? I'm surprised we're all in one piece still…

I sighed quietly as Yukio began explaining the Cat Sith's and their past to Rin. Seriously, if he doesn't know this much how the heck does he expect to 'beat the crap out of Satan'?

The sound of gun firing brought me out of my stupor to see the circle of exorcists shooting tranquilizing darts at the Cat Sith, completely not affecting him. However, it did seem to tick him off more. He leapt down from the sign and rapidly shook the darts off. He was distracted for a moment, allowing an exorcist on the top of a nearby truck (how the heck did she get up there?) to throw a grenade of holy water at him.

The Cath Sith was completely unharmed by it and rammed into the truck. Luckily, the exorcist jumped away to the safety of the others before she got crushed.

'Liars! You're all liars! Liars!' Me and Rin shared a knowing glance before the Cat Sith charged. The exorcists open fired upon it, but it easily dodged by crushing a nearby car and leaping into the middle of them. With one swipe of its tail it wiped half away while the other half threw holy water grenades at it, once again not harming the demon.

They continued to open fire on the Cat Sith, who merely crouched down and hissed.

We approached the line of exorcists, Yukio asking who's harmed, "We're fine, but we've tried holy water, holy silver, holy wine (wtf?), holy pharmaceutics- all to no avail!" One answered.

Another piped in, "Since we haven't figured out what the Cat Sith's Fatal Verse is we can't use an Aria. We dosed him with some tranquilizers, so he's weakened somewhat, but I'm sure he'll recover quickly."

"Did Father Fujimoto ever tell you anything about Kuro?" Another exorcist asked Yukio. "You were there that day, weren't you Yukio?" I listened intently as the girl exorcist who jumped off the truck told how Fujimoto made friends with Kuro.

Truthfully I think they should have left the dang shrine alone. Did they not see the cat statues or alter in the building they tore down? Idiots…

"Afterwards dad names him Kuro and put him to guard the south gate…" Yukio finished but another exorcist butted in, "But still, he's a demon. Once he loses his master, he reverts to his wild state."

"My father prepared for this contingency, and kept this on hand." Yukio held up a small box, probably containing a very lethal holy water grenade. "It appears to be a modified hand grenade, most likely filled with medicine that will kill Kuro. But since the nature of this device is incalculable, will you trust me to handle it alone?"

'Liars! Liars! Shiro is the most powerful one of them all!'

I looked at Rin, who was narrowing his eyes, probably thinking. Woah, wait, back the train up. Rin…thinking…? "You okay there?" he nodded his head, still not taking his eyes off the demon.

Uh…okay? "All I have to do is throw it and hit him with it, so I'll be fine alone." The exorcists started to retreat, "Okay, we'll evacuate the others just in case." Once they left it was silent all except the Cat Sith growling.

'Shiro would never die! Shiro will come back! He's coming back!' Rin;s eyes widened slightly and he smirked at me, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Rin, no one knows what you're thinking because half the time you AREN'T thinking…" he scoffed as Yukio turned to us, "You two should get back as well. This medicine might affect you both."

"Are you…gonna kill him?" I rolled my eyes, surprisingly in sync with my familiar. Great…he's rubbing off on me. "That's right. Right now, there's no exorcist in this school that can tame a demon of that class. Now that he's like that, our only option is to kill him."

'Shiro's coming back! And until he dies, I'm not dying, either!' I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped a fake tear, "So admirable…unlike someone I know." I glared at Kumo who smirked and looked away.

"Hold up…I think he's just sad." I sighed at Rin's explanation when Yukio gave him a 'what the heck are you talking about?' look. "He means he think's Kuro is sad over Fujimoto's death."

"How do you know?"

"Um…demon-to-demon telepathy?" I smacked my forehead, "Rin, some demons can't speak our language but WE can translate it."

Yukio sighed, "Even if he is sad, we can't leave him like this."

"Then let me talk some sense into him before you kill him!" Yukio turned to face his brother questioningly, "Don't worry, I won't use my sword. Just like you said, I won't rely on Satan, and will fight him using my head!" He walked past Yukio and stood up straight.

. . .

"OY!"RIN!" I quietly shook my head, "He has a strange way of getting people's attention."

"I'm Rin Okumura, Shiro's son!" Almost instantly the Cat Sith's ears perked up, 'Shiro's son?'

"Shiro's dead."Rin!" Poor Yukio, he obviously wanted to throttle his brother. I do too…but unfortunately… "You're heavy." I grumbled to the dragon demon around my neck. It didn't respond.

"He's dead." Rin repeated. Kuro's eyes narrowed, 'That's a lie! I don't believe you'

"He's dead!" Rin responded, a lot more harshly. 'Liar! Don't lie to me!' and with that the Cat Sith charged towards us, eyes closed. "Um…should we move?"

We didn't have too, because the Son of Satan in front of us used his head to headbutt Kuro and make the poor demon land on its side from the impact. "H-h-he actually used his head?"

"That can't be healthy…but it makes his brain useful for once." I smirked. He wiped some blood off his nose and walked up to the Cat Sith. "Listen, you…really loved my dad, didn't you?"

The cat's eyes widened as Rin continued, "You were just sad. That's all, right?" The cat stood up, actually passive as it stared at Rin, "I'm a lot like you…Let's make up, okay?"

The cat stared for a moment, before tears started to swell up in its big eyes, 'I'll never see you again then? Shiro…' and the next moment, it was back to the size of a normal cat, bawling.

I grabbed Kumo off my shoulders and wrapped him in a hug, "Oh that's so sad! Never leave me you lazy snake!" he grunted and slouched in my grip, too lazy to fight back.

Little did we know all the exorcist's behind us were gawking at the scene before them.

Later on…

I smiled as me and Rin sat next to each other next to a bridge, Kuro happily purring against Rin's leg, "He is the CUTEST thing ever!" I squealed, making Kumo grumble from his perch on my shoulder, "Oh, pipe down junior. If you were a bit more motivated you'd be getting love too but nooooooo."

He rolled his eyes as Yukio approached us from the gate, "Sorry for the wait."

"Hey." Me and Rin greated, making me blush, "Your right, the heat did make us in sync."

"Shut up…dunce…" he didn't get to respond as Yukio gestured to Kuro, "He's taken a liking to you."

"What's gonna happen to him?" Kuro stared at the hand grenade in Yukio's hand as Rin patted him on the head, "For now, I managed to find an excuse…I told them that he'd become your familiar."

I smiled and gave Rin a thumbs up, "Nice, man. A Tamer and a Knight? Looks like we're tied." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest "Not falling for me now, huh?"

I blushed again, "Q-Q-Quit stealing Suguro's lines!" Now he blushed, "From him? Why would I?"

That was when Kuro snatched the grenade out of Yukio's hands and rolled it over to Rin, "Hey! That's poison!"

'This smells like a present from Shiro!' I raised an eyebrow and sniffed the air a few times before quckly covering it as my eyes started to water, "HOLY MOTHER FU-…"

"Kit-chan!"

"G-gomen Yukio b-but that I-isn't poisoning…" He raised an eyebrow, "Then what is it?" He took off the lid and smelt it while I scotched away from the smell. It was…BAD!

"This is…silver vine sake!" I coughed, "That stuff smells horrible!"

'Silver vine! Shiro's silver vine sake! Let me have it! Let me have my present!' Yukio laughed as the Cat Sith danced around, "What's so funny?"

"Now that I think about it, there's no way dad would ever try to kill Kuro." Yukio put the bottle down, letting Kuro hungrily dig into it.

"Yeah but…that doesn't explain why Kit-chan is in the fetal position over there." Rin motioned to me as I held my nose, "It STINKS! How are you guys not affected?" they shrugged and I hissed in annoyance.

Our attention returned to the now drunken demon who was lying flat on his back. "How about a toast?" Rin suggested, holding up a cap. I was still a good yard away from them, ignoring Kumo's glares. "To Kuro…and to the old man."

"You better not Rin…it's not for humans to drink." Yukio warned. "Oh who cares? Just for show! You know, to mark this day." Yukio smiled, 'Well, you better not drink any." He poured some of the liquid into the cap.

"Alright, then! Cheers!" he held it up high and Yukio held up the bottle, "Cheers!" that was Rin decided to take a sip, making my mouth drop open- utterly horrified. "Ah! You dummy!"

"Rin slowly sat back, a look of disgust on his face, "That's….gross…" he stuck his tongue out as Kuro rolled around muttering about 'Shiro's silver vine sake'.

"Well…want some?" Rin smiled over to me deviously and my eyes got wide, "UH UH! NOPE! NO!" I cried, but he had already launched at me, tackling me. "GAAAAH!"

"Rin…" Yukio sighed but smiled as he chaced me around the group, avoiding the cap in his hand.

"Darn it!" I cried as I slipped in Kumo who I had dropped when I started to run. He smirked as I tumbled into the water just in front of the group. Rin and Yukio laughed as I resurfaced, but soon I joined in their laughter.

However, across the river on top of a building, a shadow moved. It stayed behind a pillar, violet eyes watching as Rin pulled me out of the water, only to get pushed in as well by Kuro.

"So…you've been here this whole time…" It stayed quiet for a moment before turning away from the laughing exorcists. "I've finally found you…" and with that, the shadow leapt away, barely revealing the hint of cat ears upon its head as it dashed away from the sunlight, once again disappearing into the shadows.

-squeals- okay, i had way too much fun typing this chapter

the earth king and shadow blood have appeared! things are heating up!...literally!

still wonder what the heck Mephisto is rambling about? too bad, you arn't gonna find out till later on

-cries- next chapter is a filler! noooooo!

reviews will bring shima back!