September 14th, 2012
Yukio Okumura
Research Log: 2
I've recently examined the files involving my first encounter with the virus. Out of the twenty exorcists that attended that mission, only six bodies were found. The search has yet to end. Hundreds of Exorcists are looking for the missing party members. I too would've been among them, however, it is my sole duty to watch Rin Okumura.
From each of the autopsy reports, and my experience with "Noire Du Sang," I've noticed patterns in the illness. First, every infected victim I have come across have always resided in a significantly humid or moist area. Second, there's a high concentration of fluid not only in the environment, but in the patient's blood as well. This was proven true by each of the internal examination of the patients' corpses. (C.T.A.s, Coal Tar Analyses, are used for this very reason. Such demons are massively attracted to dampness.)
The pattern here is moisture. I have a theory that the illness is spread through infected water. It is for this very reason that I asked all water supplies in True Cross be surveyed.
I must point out that Rin Okumura's power has nothing to do with water or wetness. On the contrary, he has a flame. Therefore he has no connection with "Noire Du Sang."
Due to this supported theory of mine, I've come up with a suspect.
Astaroth, King of Rot.
Being a member of the Baal, Astaroth is considered to be an incredibly dangerous adversary. This makes him a probable suspect. Surely one of the eight demon kings of Gehenna would be powerful enough to cause an international epidemic. Another fact proving my theory are the coal tars (his kin) attraction to the virus. I've theorized that Astaroth must use his abilities to poison water supplies. His methods are still unknown.
The next issue is attempting to stop his actions.
That was all the information Yukio documented before he began his next autopsy. For the past weeks, his only companion was the rigor mortis of another corpse being sliced open. Though, the stiffness of bodies no longer bothered him. Perhaps Yukio was a child physically, but mentally…not at all. He could handle grim situations.
The Paladin was wrong. It wasn't Rin that began the sickness…It was Astaroth. This made perfect sense in the teenager's mind. After all, this demon had been known for causing illnesses in the past. Yukio recalled hearing about a kin of his in the late Edo Period, wiping out billions of lives with poisonous gases. Either way, Yukio knew he was to blame.
Despite this, the young doctor knew the Paladin was stubborn and would not give up his accusation on Rin so easily. To combat this Yukio wanted to make sure there was absolutely no margin for error in his report. Besides, the Grigori wanted a solid cure to ease the current hysteria. They desired a quick fix, an immediate restoration of peace – a vaccination. While suspecting the king of rot was a good start, the Vatican would still be dissatisfied.
Yukio had a long way to go before saving his brother.
And so, he began this long road in a secluded dark room. The doctor slowly eased his arms into long gloves connected to a glass wall. His covered limbs now protruded out to the other side of the glass. This was a safety precaution, while the body was sealed behind the glass, Yukio could operate without being touched by sickly fluids. The young man wasn't sure if it mattered though…He was exposed to the liquid before and did not contract the sickness…
Or at least did not show any symptoms.
The corpse prepared was none other than the one obtained during his mission with Isaac. It died merely three days after it's capture, and Yukio was particularly interested in this one. It seemed like on the day of the capture…the infected singled Yukio out as a target… It grabbed him and did nothing to capture Isaac. When he tried to defend himself…his bullets were reflected off the creature. Not only that but the teen was stuck to the wall by an unknown force. He also recalled his feet being trapped in sewage while Isaac's were completely fine.
Yukio concluded that it was the moisture. The water on the thing's skin acted as a form of shield and the wetness of the walls and floors kept Yukio in place. In this experiment the doctor wanted to see if there was anything different with this creature than the others….
And…and what was it that Issac said to me before the creature attacked?...
….' 'Ze water'…. He said 'water'….
Yes that's right the infected victim was hiding in the sewage…more proof…
Despite this scientific victory, Yukio's mind was caught between morality and structure. The doctor stared closely at his 'assignment'… The thing was stripped of clothing and laid sprawled out on the dissection table. The veins slinking through the body were blacker than sin; they appeared as though they were ready to burst at moment. The thing's mouth hung open with sordid despair. Yukio's thoughts told him that the creature lying before him wasn't human anymore.
It was no longer a victim.
It was a thoughtless sac of skin desiring nothing more than carnage.
Whatever man he was before the virus…he would want me to do this…
The doctor grabbed a scalpel from a table beside the body. Carefully he touched the edge of the blade to the chest. Slowly…slowly…he pushed the knife down. Instantaneously, black liquid oozed from the cut, Yukio pinned the skin back.
Now the ribs…
The next tool Yukio grabbed was a form of electric saw. Although he couldn't hear the loud hum from behind the glass, the young doctor could feel the tool's vibrations. The sensation sank through the gloves into his skin, running up the teen's arms and into his chest…breaking him slowly….
He'd never admit to this torture…
The saw was cutting through bone…
Its not human anymore…anymore…. anymore.
As a doctor, it's my responsibility to research the virus…
All prices must be paid…
Rin's safety was the only thing that mattered to Yukio, and he'd gladly sell his soul to preserve it.
After all…Father Fujimoto sacrificed himself for the doctor's brother.
The black ooze gushed from the body's chest and onto Yukio's covered arms. He could feel the thick sticky consistency of the fluid. The visible organs gave the appearance of wet coal. This, however, was not significant. He had seen the same thing in many other autopsies. The teen was looking for something…. anything different.
"Yo – HO! Wimpy four – eyes!"
Yukio's gut tightened. His heart became an enflamed lump in his throat. SHE was the LAST thing he wanted to deal with at the moment. ANYTHING but her! ANYTHING AT ALL! –
"I'm busy, Shura. What do you want?"
The woman behind him was an immature – irresponsible – NON-SERIOUS – colleague of Yukio's…and he HATED her. He could barely stand watching as she'd stumble about relevant missions with a beer can in her hand and an outfit barely covering her –
THE IMPORTANT THING WAS – Shura made an absolute fool out of him and any other serious exorcist. She had the skill – she had the talent – she had the power – the woman could've been Paladin if she wanted! Instead, all Shura cared about was people believing she was eighteen when in reality she was twenty-six.
"Lighten up, wouldya! I just figured you were gettin' lonely being cramped up in some hot, sweaty, surgical room all day."
"Well I'm not. I don't have time for this Shura – just leave."
The woman was not bothered by his attitude in the least; her response did not contain a hint of irritation or shock – on the contrary…she teased him...
"Whoa, whoa somebody's on the snippy side today."
It's true, despite his abrasion towards Shura, Yukio would normally control his conduct. The teen would at least attempt to be formal and follow protocol. After all, she was above him in rank. However, at the moment, Yukio had too much to deal with. Rin was in danger, each day his life ticked away, a time bomb ready to explode. He couldn't – he COULDN'T!
"It doesn't matter what you think. I'm busy."
Shura ignored the doctor's statement and sat on the table behind him. Casually she crossed her legs and spoke.
"Have ya met that Isaac guy - A$$hole is what I say! He walks around like he owns the place."
"…"
Yukio's colleague stared at him with a keen eye. He could feel her look burning into the back of his head. She was testing him about something…what? The woman paused before asking a second question.
"What about…the younger one? You met him?"
"What about him?"
"Ah – ha! So you did! Let me tell you – when I first laid eyes on that kid I was like 'YOW – ZA! That's ugly!' "
"Your point is?"
"You know what my point is wimpy. That kid has a nasty temptaint. One that causes someone to feel revulsion and hatred towards him…..well?"
"Well what?..." Yukio spoke bitterly.
"Whatcha gonna do about it?"
The doctor whipped his head around.
"You mean what are YOU going to do about! Believe it not YOU'RE a doctor too Shura! You're the one that noticed it – be mature for once and handle it yourself!"
The colleague nodded and spoke to herself.
"Yep something's definitely weighing on your mind."
"Tch!"
Yukio turned back towards the corpse, his chest heavy with guilt. A temptaint. He should've known that was behind Aidyn L'Écarlate. And Rin, he was unaffected by the boy's condition. That's why he was able to communicate to him with a clear head. Indeed…Yukio should've known… His mind was just completely focused on the current situation…
The teen couldn't think straight. As wrong as it sounded, Yukio's brother came before anyone else. Did Shura really have to bring this up to him? Though, he wondered where the boy could've gotten such an injury…and…if it was connected to the epidemic. The doctor stared at the corpse until his eyes widened with shock.
"Breathing."
"Whaa?"
"The body…it's breathing…"
The next thing Yukio knew Shura was beside him staring down at the once-dead creature with anticipation. Its lungs swelled and deflated, the jaw twitched with pain. The doctor can tell it strained to breathe.
"Arrrrrrggggggg – "
"Yukio!"
The young man's arm was suddenly being sucked into the thing's chest. The creature's body was cold; he could feel its sickly blood pulsating throughout the cavity. Yukio was trapped between the lungs and stomach. The tips of the doctor's fingers reluctantly brushed over the spinal chord.
"Hey! Let go dammit!"
From behind, Shura wrapped her arms round Yukio's torso. She placed her foot on the glass and pushed off from it. With her arms, the woman attempted to yank the doctor free. After minutes of struggling the two managed to break free. They both crashed to the floor, Shura accidentally cushioning his fall.
Yukio stood up wearily, his eyes slowly made contact with the creature behind the glass. It was standing now, and its eyes locked directly on the adolescent. With the edge of its nail, the thing pricked its stomach. A stream of blackened blood flooded down. Slowly the creature raised its finger and dragged it across the glass, creating tarry, blackened streaks that spelled out the word – 'child.'
The thing tapped on the word three times before falling to the ground dead.
The two exorcists stared at the message, not knowing what to make out of it. After ten minutes of silence Shura turned towards Yukio.
"The hell was that?"
