When the morning bell rang to wake us, Kurama and I both sat up groggily. Over the intercom we heard Shikei's voice say; "After breakfast, all students are to report to the auditorium for play rehearsal." When her voice clicked off, the two of us silently got dressed and headed towards the cafeteria. Along the way, Katai joined us. She approached so silently that it was a full minute before I realized that she was at my side. This thoroughly shocked me, but I was able to hide my emotions and greet her calmly.
"Katai."
"Hiei," she responded in kind. "Don't eat the food this morning," she whispered to the two of us. Neither of us asked questions. Although we got in line for food, we merely sat with it in front of us, slowly tearing it to pieces to give the impression we had at least tasted it. Then, as everyone was finishing up, we dumped our trays calmly.
"We will need to eat eventually," Kurama said quietly as we accompanied the rest of the student body towards the auditorium.
"Don't worry, Mugen san will give us food," Katai promised.
"Hiei, Kurama!" A cheery voice suddenly interrupted. The three of us turned to find Tanoshii bouncing towards us. Her long black hair was up in a bun. Although she looked outwardly happy, I could see that her golden eyes were dull. The girl wrapped her arms around both of us and I inwardly cringed.
"Hello, Tanoshii chan," Kurama greeted politely.
"Kura kun, are you excited for the play? You and Hiei are the leads, after all," she reminded us. This made me cringe outwardly.
"In all honesty, we're a bit nervous," Kurama lied with a smile.
"Oooh?" Tanoshii immediately turned all her attention to Kurama, clinging to him tightly. I made a mental note to thank the fox later. "Shall I help you settle down?" She asked seductively.
"That's quite all right. Now that I have food in my stomach, I feel a little better. Say, have you heard anything about Mageru kun?" Kurama asked curiously. Tanoshii's face immediately fell.
"He's still sick, is what I heard. Apparently others have started to get the same symptoms. I'm worried that it will spread throughout the school. Shikei has quarantined the sick students in a separate wing. I hope they're all right." After a long pause, Tanoshii looked up at Kurama helplessly. "Kurama… have you heard anything about Kenryoku kun?"
Kurama shook his head slowly and Tanoshii's face immediately fell. Before anymore could be said, we arrived in the auditorium where Kanashimi was giving out scripts and directions. When her deep blue eyes finally locked on us she made a b-line in our direction. The scripts she handed us were thick.
"About time you two got here! Start practicing. Today, everyone is looking over their scripts. Tomorrow we'll actually begin acting," she said. Not giving us any time to protest, the teacher immediately went on to greet another group of students who were walking in. Tanoshii melded into the crowd and was lost, but Katai stayed silently by our sides. Kurama and I both began to quietly read. I knew after the first page that I would hate the story, but for the sake of keeping our plans under wraps I would be forced to go along with the drama teacher's games.
When we had finished reading through the scripts together, the lunch bell rang. Katai turned to us and said, "I will go to meet up with Mugen san. Wait for me in the cafeteria." We proceeded to do as she had asked. We sat at our table in the lunch room without saying a word to each other. Now that we had found out the truth behind the change in the boarding school's faculty, it felt as if a dark cloud perpetually hovered overhead. Things seemed to brighten when Katai returned. She sat down across from us and we both automatically leaned in to hear what she had to say.
Her breathing was short as if she had been running, yet she still maintained her composure. "I spoke with Mugen san. He said that he was able to barter for Kenryoku's pardon with the Detention Facility. Apparently he has a friend there. His friend was able to convince Shikei that there wasn't enough room for him so Kenryoku will be held in the dungeon until a spot opens up." A strange feeling surged through me when I heard the news. It was as if my body had gotten lighter. Perhaps it was just my imagination? "Also, Mugen san said that we're right not to eat the food they serve. Apparently something was put in it by Dokueki to sap our energy," Katai warned. Kurama and I both nodded. That much was to be expected.
"It's good to hear that Kenryoku will be in Mugen's care. That's one more person we can depend on," Kurama noted.
"And what of Mageru and the other students who have been quarantined?" I wondered. Katai shook her head, sending her dark curls flying.
"Mugen san isn't sure, but he suspects that it was Itami's doing. Apparently, many of the students who may have been potential threats have ended up sick. You two should be careful as well," she warned.
"Hiei, Kurama," a sharp voice interjected. We both turned slowly to see Itami herself standing at the end of the table. Her beady eyes were already narrowed in annoyance. "Come with me, I have something to discuss with you," she ordered. Slowly, we rose to our feet to follow. We didn't look at Katai lest we should give anything away, but I could feel her eyes following us as we left the room and wandered down the quiet hall.
"Sensei, where are we going?" Kurama asked.
"Mageru has been asking for you two," she said. Her answer surprised me. Why would she show any sympathy towards Mageru by letting him see us? Was this a trick of some sort? The three of us walked in awkward silence to the special hall reserved for the students who had fallen ill. Itami pushed open the first door and stepped aside to let us walk in first. Once we did, we immediately caught sight of Mageru's withered form.
He was as white as the sheets he laid under, but that was normal. What was strange was the fact that his long silver hair had turned black. There was an IV hooked to his arm, which I assumed was what was keeping him alive. In my opinion he was only a pile of skin and bones now. It was amazing how thin he had grown in a couple days. Kurama knelt by Mageru's bedside while I remained standing a few feet back. At the sound of Kurama's knees hitting the ground, Mageru opened his eyes. They were bloodshot and dilated. Even though he was bedridden, it was obvious that he hadn't been getting much sleep.
"Kurama—Hiei!" He rasped. "Thank the gods…" His eyes immediately filled with tears and I felt something within myself quiver. Such a strong demon had been reduced to this in only a matter of days and it was all Shikei's doing! Kurama gently took Mageru's hand as he reached out for the fox youkai. "Is Kenryoku…?" Mageru couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"He's fine," Kurama assured him. The demon closed his eyes in relief.
"Please, don't worry about me," Mageru murmured. He said nothing after that and his eyes remained closed. Kurama stood and turned to me. In unison we both looked at Itami. She smiled in a way that made my skin crawl.
"This is what happens to those who oppose Shikei sama. I'm assuming she still has your full cooperation?" Itami said icily.
"Of course," Kurama responded without emotion. Itami took allowed some of her aura to squeeze the air around us, making it harder to breathe.
"Shikei knows that Mugen negotiated with the Dean of the Detention Facility for Petenshi's release. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from that man," the teacher hissed. Although I was shocked, I kept my face blank.
"Thank you for the advice," I answered just as coolly.
"Get out," Itami ordered. We didn't need to be told twice. Kurama and I immediately left the quarantined hallway to return to our room. After shutting the door, we both let out relieved sighs.
"How did she find out about Mugen?" Kurama whispered.
"I'm not sure. The only one who knew about it was…" We both turned to each other in horror, but before either of us could speak, a knock sounded on our door.
"Kurama kun? Hiei?"
"Come in," Kurama muttered. Seconds later, Katai opened the door. When she smiled, I managed to find something sinister in her expression. Could she have betrayed us to Shikei? But what could her motive be?
"What happened with Itami sensei?" She asked curiously.
"She showed us Mageru. He's on the verge of death," I snapped. Katai blinked, looking between Kurama and I slowly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. At least Kenryoku kun will be coming back—
"How does Shikei know that Mugen arranged that?" I interrupted her angrily. "Was it you?"
A stifling aura descended upon the room. It took me a minute to realize that it belonged to Katai. "No, it wasn't me, Hiei. And I'd appreciate it if you would think things through before blaming an ally!" Katai stormed out of the room as Kurama sighed in dismay.
"Hiei, you really must learn to control your temper," my friend chided.
"Hn." Ally, she said? Didn't they realize that other than Kurama I trusted no one? Why should Katai be any different? But if what she said was true, someone else knew about our meetings with Mugen. From now on we would have to be more careful.
"I'm going to see Mugen," I announced. "He should know that Shikei suspects him," I added. Kurama simply nodded in understanding.
"Be careful," he warned. I gave him one last glance before leaving the room.
