Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!
天使の火—Angel Fire
Chapter 13: Aureola Febris
This can't be happening...
Sweat was forming on his pale forehead, threatening to drip down his paralyzed face. It was moments like these that Rin couldn't handle. His mind only flooded with flashbacks of his father, his death before his own tender eyes. He began to feel that familiar fear; the fear of someone dying; someone he—
Rin shook his head and breathed out a shuddering sigh, shaking off those feelings. He didn't want to remind himself of those feelings. The half-demon leaned his back against the wall and he rested his head on it, with his black-blue hair laying limp over his eyes, shadowing the fear in them.
Rin, instead, tried to convince himself of what had happened wasn't real, but it felt just as real as a kick in the face, throbbing and bleeding red.
Rin wrapped himself in his arms. The hairs on his arms were on end and goosebumps had formed and showed no sign of going away. His back felt so stiff it hurt, even just breathing was difficult for him. He had been like this the past hour and he did nothing but stare in the emptiness of the dorm hallway. His face was frozen in shock. Rin's ears rang whenever he heard doctors shouting, even just a noise caused his whole body to jolt. Rin squeezed his eyes shut and the images of Hana flashed in his mind. Her wound. The blood. That demon. Hana's body collapsing on him. It all replayed in his mind, and he didn't know how to shake off those images, except to pull at his dark, messy blue hair hoping they would go away.
Every single thing, it's all my fault—!
Rin's head jerked to where a sound was heard. The door to Hana's room opened and Yukio walked out. His walking was slow and his balance seemed offset. Most importantly, Yukio looked exhausted. He had been called to help due to his uncanny skills as a doctor.
Rin saw the look on his brother's face—it was just as shocked as his. Yukio closed the door in a hurry and walked in Rin's direction in the hallway.
"Yukio! Is she okay?!" Rin yelled and stopped him in his tracks.
Yukio's eyes were wide and he was unresponsive. The only thing Rin could understand was his brother's body shuddering.
"Yukio! I'm talking to you dammit!" Rin pushed Yukio back when he attempted to cut past him.
"Nii-san..." Yukio answered weakly, his glasses had a bright glare on the lenses, preventing Rin from seeing his distraught eyes.
"What is it? Answer me!" Rin shook him back and forth.
"...I don't know how," Yukio sighed.
"What do you mean you don't know!?" Rin stopped and his eyes widened.
"I don't even know because I haven't seen anything like it before!" Yukio slapped his older brother's hands away from him and he shoved past him.
"Huh?!" Rin's eyes remained wide and his fear for Hana's health only got stronger. Yukio knew everything when it comes to school and his career as an exorcist specializing in medicine. It was expected from Rin that Yukio knew everything about the subject. But... seeing him clueless really scared Rin. What terrifies Rin is that there is something wrong with Hana that even Yukio couldn't understand.
Just for a moment, a loud terrifying scream roared across the hallway, and Rin immediately recognized that scream.
"Hana!" Rin ran towards Hana's dorm, ignoring his brother's pleas to come back.
Rin burst the door open and he gasped in pure horror. Before him was Hana, surrounded by exorcists. What he witnessed as Hana was no longer the girl he once knew. She was entirely different. Her hair was so messy and knotty he could barely see her face. Rin backed away and hit his back against the wall as he watched as Amitiel clawed at the exorcists. Some even had sharp gashes on their faces. Most were busy holding her down as an exorcist prepared a sleeping agent with a needle. That exorcist was Hiroshi Tanaka. His face was bland, unworried—as if nothing unusual was happening to his daughter.
It was as if he knew what to do.
Raziel raised the needle before him and pointed the tip at the ceiling. He walked briskly over to Amitiel. "Hold her down!" The doctors held her arms and legs down as Raziel began to inject the needle through her arm. Amitiel's eyes snapped open when she felt a pinch in her arm and she squealed helplessly. She jerked her body and recoiled her back, wiggling herself free from the doctors' grip. Rin's ears hurt from the angel's terrifying roars as she broke free. One by one the doctors were punched and kicked out of her way, and the angel also grabbed one by the neck and threw him at the wall towards Rin. He dived aside just in time for the exorcist to smash in the wall in Rin's previous place. Raziel held her down as he pushed the pump of the needle down and the medicine flowed into her body. Amitiel roared violently and tried to break free from Raziel's burly arm that was held over her chest. Amitiel screamed and jerked her head side to side, kicking her legs. Her cry was unlike anything Rin had ever heard. It was deep and demonic—it didn't sound much like a girl's cry.
"Hana—!" Rin ran towards the bed, unaware of how much of a threat the angel really was.
Raziel recognized Rin's presence but didn't allow that to distract him.
However, Rin pushed his way past the exorcists and tried to pull Raziel away from Hana, yet he had no success. His strength was outmatched to the archangel, who had strength he never felt. "Let her go, you're hurting her!" Rin pleaded and began punching Raziel in the arm with his fists.
"Okumura, stay back," Raziel spoke sincerely.
"Stop it! You'll kill her—!" Rin gasped and felt a sharp pain hit his face. Rin was blown away and he fell down on the floor. Something hot and painful dripped from his cheek. He touched his cheek and his fingers were stained with red blood. Rin's eyes widened and he looked back at Hana's bed from the ground, her hand was stained with his blood. Raziel was holding her down so hard Rin thought Hana was reacting because she was in pain. Rin screamed and tried to break Raziel up from Hana, until he felt an enormous pressure around his neck. He looked at his neck and saw a hand grasping his sensitive throat. He immediately recognized that hand.
"H-Ha...na..." Rin coughed and wheezed. The doctors all stopped in shock and fear. Raziel stood as he stared at Amitiel. He took a step back and watched. No one was aware that Raziel was reaching over his coat for his long dagger.
Rin's eyes met hers. He felt her breathing, it was hoarse and... Cold. Rin reached for her hand around his neck and pulled it away, but it was useless. Even when he tried to break himself free, she still stared at him, as if deciding whether or not to kill him. Her eyes looked murderous, bloodshot and black with red vessels flowing around her eyes. What shocked Rin was those glowing eyes—her pupils were glowing.
Rin remained silent as he stared at Amitiel, her grip slowly squeezed the life out of him. It was unlike any strength he had ever felt. It was just like his.
Rin relaxed as his deep blue eyes showed deep concern. "H-Hana...it's—" Rin coughed and wheezed. "It's me...Rin..."
Amitiel stared for a few moments when suddenly Rin felt her grip weaken. Her face slowly relaxed and her eyes became big, as if, somehow, she recognized him.
"Hana..." Rin whispered hoarsely.
The two continued to stare, then Raziel held Amitiel just in time before her eyes rolled back and she passed out.
Rin stood in the centre of the room. He observed the doctors as they treated Amitiel. Everything around him seemed to move so slow, the doctors looked blurry as they passed by Rin's sight. Here he was, standing like stone, useless. He only watched as everyone made every contribution they can to help the poor girl, yet here he was frozen, his feet were stuck to the ground as if they were glued to the floor. Amid the chaos, the only thought running through the demon's head sent shivers down his spine.
Is it possible Hana could be like him?
Yukio's boots clicked onto the empty, glossy floors. It was dawn, the end of the day was nigh as the sun sunk slowly into the water on the horizon, slowly swallowed by the black-blue depths of the ocean. The academy was quiet and empty, with no living soul in sight. Through the high, crystal clean windows, the last rays of hot sunlight poured into the hallway and foyer, painting the walls with warm hues of oranges and reds.
Yukio kept his head straight ahead, confident and in control. But deep down inside, he was skeptical and cautious. Yukio recollected in his mind the number of odd traits he had witnessed from Hana. Her abnormal behaviour, first of all, was what triggered his suspicions towards her. What confirmed them was her abnormal healing and now...this. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, the students have said that they saw one of the demons injure Hana, but... her behaviour was not a sign of a Naberius' miasma. Did a demon really do this? She didn't even act human anymore.
She didn't even look human.
Yukio never doubted his senses.
It all makes sense: Hana is not human. But what is she? She could be a demon, possessing a teenage girl, but he will have to test his hypothesis in order to prove so. If he can uncover the truth, the evidence, the proof—that she is a demon—he would exorcise her. He must find out if she's after his brother. For what his brother is, Yukio knew demons will be coming after him—and they could be in disguise. They could mask into the form of a sweet, innocent human girl in front of the eyes of the public, but they cannot hide their true forms from the eyes of the exorcists.
Yukio will find the answers; he will find the truth.
Yukio came back into reality when he heard footsteps echoing nearby. Yukio stopped at the top of a staircase and gazed down. He noticed Mr. Neuhaus made his way down the wide stairs to the main floor of the foyer. Yukio narrowed his eyes, remembering the clear look of terror on his brother's face—a look signifying a threat before him. Yukio changed courses and followed the older teacher down the stairs. His grip glided tightly on the smooth, gold rim as he called, "Mr. Neuhaus."
The teacher from below stopped his walking and turned back.
"May I have a word with you?" Yukio asked from atop.
Mr. Neuhaus replied, "what is it?"
Yukio continued walking down the stairs as he answered, "the actions you committed yesterday clearly overstepped the boundaries of the exam. May I ask what you were doing?"
Mr. Neuhaus remained silent as Yukio continued, "even if it was for the sake of the evaluation, you've exposed the students to too much danger, and one of them has been severely hurt because of your recklessness. The exam itself nearly turned into a disaster."
Yukio stood before Mr. Neuhaus. The teacher remained silent as Yukio added in low tone, "—and one more thing: you've almost revealed my brother's "power" in front of the other students. Only a handful of our comrades know of my brother's "power". You have sworn your loyalty to Sir Pheles of keeping this confidential, correct?"
Mr. Neuhaus looked blankly at Yukio with his one eye. "I have sworn loyalty to Pheles and only followed his orders."
Yukio was surprised, "what?"
Mr. Neuhaus continued calmly, "I am commanded to confront Rin Okumura with offensive force. I dare say if you were chosen to act as the brakes of his "power", then mine is his "accelerator". It's all to gauge Rin Okumura's capabilities, in a more direct and physical manner, that is all."
Yukio was taken aback by his words, "what do you mean by that?"
"I don't mean anything—those are my orders. We will test Rin Okumura to confirm whether or not he can be used as the Order's "weapon"."
Yukio fell silent and his gaze rested on the floor.
"I guess it would make sense that you and I can share our demon babysitting duties. A clever exorcist such as yourself would surely have their hands full," Mr. Neuhaus said then began walking away.
"... If what you said is valid, then you must know something," Yukio's glasses glared, covering his serious blue eyes.
Yukio remained silent for a second then broke it, raising his aqua blue eyes to the teacher. "...My brother is capable of controlling his "power" and emotions. You must have seen that with your own eye. I warn you—do not underestimate my brother's abilities." Yukio looked away from Neuhaus' stern gaze. Deep inside, Yukio knew all he said was a lie. He had seen his brother, in those blue flames, and how much he...changed. Ever since his own twin brother was responsible for his father's death, Yukio didn't know if he could trust Rin anymore, because he cannot trust the flames.
But he still wants to protect Rin, because he is still his brother. The only blood-relative he always had. Without him, Yukio had no purpose.
Mr. Neuhaus stopped and cocked his head, "I'm no enemy here. I wouldn't really kill him, so rest assured."
Raziel watched her chest rise and fall steadily. Amitiel slept heavily. He knew the moment he saw her when he ran in the recovery room, she was in deep trouble. She had summoned him through a prayer when she had collapsed. If she hadn't done that—she would be dead. Raziel sat on a chair, facing himself to Amitiel's bed. Amitiel's hand wrapped around his. He knew this was not a usual stab, sure, it left severe injuries behind, but the demon injured something else—a part of Amitiel. Whatever the demon hit, it only grazed it, resulting in Amitiel's collapse and not death, but still—she's fighting to stay alive.
Raziel ran his hand down his face as he continued watching the angel sleep. Angels are constantly aware of how to protect their weaknesses, how to protect their life force—demons are always after it, it is the angel's weakness.
Raziel stood up and checked the IV bag connected to the angel. He moved to the counter beside the bed and pulled out a drawer. Inside the drawer were many needles. He picked one up and rested it against the counter. Raziel removed the cap of the shaft and moved the needle to the sink. He pressed on the plunger and the liquid medicine squirted out into the sink. Human drugs will have no effect for Amitiel's case, she needed something simpler. When the needle was emptied, Raziel reached into the cabinets under the sink and pulled out a large jug of what looked like saline water. Inside the jug was a silver rosary.
Raziel unscrewed the cap of the jug and withdrew some of the holy water into the barrel of the needle—where it contained the water.
Raziel walked over to the angel's IV and injected the needle into the plug of the hose on the IV. He pressed and the liquid flowed out of the needle and into the tube, then inside Amitiel.
After a few moments, Raziel noticed some movement coming from the angel. He saw her head jerk around, as if she was a having a nightmare. Her hands clenched and unclenched and the angel panted. Her eyes were shut so hard the lids wrinkled. Raziel sat down and rested his hand onto Amitiel's.
Amitiel relaxed and her eyes no longer wrinkled. Raziel used his thumb and stroked her forehand.
Raziel slowly let go and sat back onto the chair. He leaned back and rubbed his fingers against his forehead.
By the time Yukio entered the dormitory, it was dark. He checked the kitchen to see if Rin had prepared supper, but the kitchen was just as dead and dark as the night, unused and cold. Yukio sighed in worry and made his way up the staircase towards his own dorm. Yukio approached his dorm and was reaching for the knob, but he only stopped. Yukio's cold hand laid suspended around the knob, then he raised it and gently knocked on the door.
"Nii-san?"
No reply.
Yukio sighed and walked in, then he realized his brother was sleeping in his bed. The covers looked like a big lump, except there were feet sticking out from the end. As usual, that was how Rin slept.
Yukio gently closed the door without making a click and he set his bag down on the chair beside his study desk. He turned on the small lamp on his desk and looked over at Rin's bedside. Yukio tried his best to fetch some paperwork in his bag without making a noise.
"I can't take it any more..."
Yukio lifted his head up and looked at the lump on Rin's bed. Yukio realized Rin was turned over facing the wall.
"You're still awake?" Yukio asked, but Rin ignored.
"This... all of this," Rin clenched the blanket in his fists. "That demon... It was after me! And now..." Rin grit his teeth in frustration. "People are dying because of me!"
"Nii-san, relax—" Yukio reassured.
"I-I can't live with myself if she's dead," Rin said shakily, but there was a hint of anger in his voice. "Not after the Old Man's— I promised I wouldn't allow anyone else to die because of me!"
Yukio could do nothing but look sympathetically at him.
"I-I... I heard her screams... I-I saw her die…" Rin shuddered.
"Nii-san, listen to me," Yukio said.
Rin's face softened at Yukio's tone. He heard... hope, reassurance. Rin threw the covers off his face and looked back at his twin. There was a bandage on his cheek.
"Tanaka-san is okay," Yukio sighed.
"Really?!" Rin's heart palpated.
"I got an update on her condition, and apparently she's been stabilized. She's just sleeping, so if you really need to see her as reassurance, then you can do so tomorrow," Yukio said then pulled out some important paperwork from his binder.
Rin felt as if a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, almost as if he was holding a large boulder of his burdens on his back—because he was weak. But now, it felt nothing but light as a feather, and he was strong again as he lifted that massless weight like a strong-willed individual.
"Now, I have to go," Yukio said as he held the papers in his hand and looked at his brother directly in the eyes. "I came back solely to have supper but I guess you just got really lazy since your exam, huh?"
Rin puffed his cheeks and shouted, "hey, I spent a year's worth of my energy on that friggin' exam, give me a damn break!"
Days went by as regular, boring ones. Nothing had happened since the exam, but what really bothered all the students was the awfully intense anticipation for the exam results.
There was no cram school today—that was a benefit for performing the Exwire Certification Exam, which left most students with wounds. This was a day given to allow the students to rest and recover—it would be quite suspicious if they had attended school with burns, cuts, and scars all over their bodies. The existence of the cram school and its students must be strictly confidential. Shima referred to the fact that they were "secret agents in the secret 'trying-to-save-the-world-from-murderous-horny-monsters' society,' known as the Knights of the True Cross". It felt as if he was part of some greater cause to the world, like Shima was an important figure.
"Well, were all doing what the rest couldn't," Suguro said as he rested his body onto the warm, freshly cut green grass. The smell of it lingered in the wind, and the sun radiated so bright and hot the grass felt warm against Suguro's skin. He raised his arms and clasped his hands at the back of his head on the grass.
"Or maybe they just don't want to believe demons are real," Konekomaru said as he sat down and crossed his legs.
"Well, they're a bunch of cowardly idiots, then," Suguro sneered.
"I wonder if we passed..." Shima trailed away, remembering about the exam.
"Since when do you care?" Suguro lifted his head off the grass. "You're the one who didn't even wanna come here in the first place!"
"Well, you and Koneko wanted to go. I only came because you wanted to," Shima smiled coolly and shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, were all buddies, huh? It'd be boring around here without me, right?"
Konekomaru smiled warmly and picked at the grass. "Yah, I guess no matter what, we all need each other."
"Hey! It was my idea to go in the first place! You guys just dragged your asses with me because you felt you had to babysit me!" Suguro said, almost shouting.
"Well, that's what friends are for, right?" Konekomaru said with a pleased smile.
Suguro dropped his head on the fluffy grass and smirked with his eyes closed delicately. The warm rays of sun gracing his face put him at peace. "Yah, that's right...unfortunately."
"Hey! You're lucky to even know me," Shima cooed. "I'm a big deal around here, y'know!"
Konekomaru chuckled.
Silence followed after the conversation. The trio looked around themselves, observing the students coming in and out of the buildings, sitting and talking at the benches, eating lunches, studying—just doing normal things for normal teenagers.
"Man," Shima spoke suddenly. "I feel so special that we have no school today. I mean, I kinda wanna go now, y'know, to talk to the ladies and all." Shima made a perverted smirk as he daydreamed about some girls he observed during his classes.
"What the hell? You wanna go to school?"
The trio looked beside Shima to find Rin standing beside him. He wore a desaturated-green plaid long-sleeved shirt and faded jeans with rips in them from the fights he got into.
"Okumura-kun!" Konekomaru exclaimed.
"'Sup!" Shima said with a wave of his hand.
"Hey, do you know what's up with Hana?" Suguro asked. The mere sight of Rin reminded him of the girl. "I mean... She passed out. You must know through your brother, right?" Suguro sat up and put his arms over his bent legs.
Rin jerked a little at the name. "Oh! Uh... s-she's gonna be fine, I guess..."
"You 'guess'?" Suguro raised an eyebrow.
"Well, she's sleeping... A lot." Rin put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.
"God, I hope she's okay..." Konekomaru said in worry.
"Hey, what's up with your cheek?" Suguro raised both his eyebrows as he pointed at Rin. He noticed something red.
Rin touched his cheek, trailing his fingers over the gashes Hana left behind. They were already beginning to heal, thankfully.
"I-It's nothing... I got it from that demon." Rin looked away.
Suguro remained silent, even though he knew he hadn't seen that until today. He didn't see Rin's face all patched up with cuts before Hana's collapse.
"Oh, well that makes sense. I thought someone kicked your ass or somethin'," Suguro jeered.
Rin shot an angry stare at him. "I'd kick yours so hard it falls off and you cry!"
"Wanna test that theory?!" Ryuji raged and balled his fists. "C'mon, bring it on!"
"E-Easy, Bon..." Konekomaru tried to cool Ryuji's anger by patting him on the back. Renzo just shrugged his shoulders and watched the show.
Ryuji cooled down, "okay, fine." Ryuji sighed before he added something else along the line with a devilish smirk, "I don't wanna hurt a girl anyways."
"What!?"
He didn't know what to do any more, the moment he stood in front of that door, he froze. The tray with a delicious bowl of food trembled from his cold, sweating hands. He couldn't do this, this feeling of culpability plaguing his very soul whenever he even thought of Hana, it was terrorizing him. He was scared to touch the knob, enter the room, and cause more hurt to Hana. He was the reason she's in this state, along with Paku. That Naberius was after him, and yet because of him his friends are always hurt. He felt as if he was always engulfed in those cursed blue flames, and whenever he would take a step closer to them, even touched them, the flames would devour them—possibly kill his loved ones, unfortunately that happened to his father.
I'll just... drop this off and leave... Rin thought, then puffed up his chest, exhaled, and turned the knob. Yukio said it would be kind of Rin if he made Hana some noodles for when she wakes up from her recovery. Rin was against the idea, but then Yukio starting saying his lecture about Rin being a total train-wreck and how the teachers (adults in general) look down on him for his bad behaviour, which forced Rin to obey his orders in order to shut that Four-Eyes up.
God, why... Rin thought. He couldn't look at her any more, not since that Naberius almost killed her in his place.
Rin pushed the door open. The moment Rin could see the inside of the room he forced a smile. All he paid attention to was not Hana, but the small, bedside table that sat empty. It was almost dark in the room, despite the sun was an hour from setting. Rin approached her bedside without making eye contact with Hana. A small lamp was lit at her desk, slightly filling that area with a warm orange light.
She was asleep, but her breathing was more of a wheezing, and he could see the sweat build up in her hair, almost drenching it. Her eyes were tightly closed, many wrinkles piled up on her eyelids. She was shutting them so hard as if she was staring directly at the sun.
Rin took an unsteady inhale, opened his mouth, and whispered, "h-hey... Hana, I made you some..." Rin found himself trailing off when Hana's head looked away from him.
Suddenly, Rin almost dropped the tray after he saw something on her neck. All over it. He must be overreacting, but he could swear on his eyes that he saw what looked like glowing white veins running through her neck. Rin stood agape. This must not be real, it was impossible to believe. He had never seen this before, and it scared him. Could it be from the Naberius? Rin discarded the thought right away. The thought that the Naberius would cause glowing veins didn't quite fit together. Then what caused this mysterious, supernatural phenomena? Rin gasped when a deep, mature voice reached his ears. It was Raziel.
"Okumura Rin," was all Raziel said. Not a single sign of a welcoming tone was heard in his voice.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I-I'll come back another time." Rin immediately responded and set the tray down—a little too hard at that. How could he not see him? Rin felt this uneasiness as if the exorcist was judging him this very moment. Raziel stood beside the dark curtains, completely shadowing his figure in a blanket of darkness. Rin watched vigilantly as Raziel stepped out in front of the window, a halo of bright orange sunlight radiated from the perimeter of his body.
"No, it's alright, Okumura," he said as he crossed his arms firmly. Rin looked away and just stood there, his thumbs were tucked in his jean pockets, sweating from the nerve-wrecking air around him. Everything was silent, safe for Amitiel's weak, hoarse breathing. Rin never noticed that Raziel stared him down, like a hawk spotting its prey. Raziel traced Rin's fine features of his cheekbones and chin, then Raziel's eyes moved towards his lips, his sharp canines peeked out a bit. Rin bit his lip and Raziel's gaze climbed up towards the boy's eyes. His sharp blue eyes. Staring at that mass of blue seemed like staring into a memory. The colour blue always symbolized him, reminded Raziel of him.
Raziel blinked and gazed away, shaking off those thoughts when he spoke, "sit down, there is no need to feel like a bother. She is asleep." He held his hand out to the seat beside Rin.
Rin's eyes looked up, the sun's light glowed in his big sapphire eyes. Rin nodded slightly and took the seat by Amitiel's bedside.
"Is she gonna be alright?" Rin asked, then felt stupid at how obvious the answer was. Of course seeing freaky glowing veins on her neck was considered 'alright'. Rin wanted to punch himself in the face for that.
"I doubt that," Raziel said, catching Rin's attention by his answer. Rin did not anticipate that response.
"Huh?" Rin said.
Raziel leaned back against the window and observed the sleeping girl. "Aureola Febris is a severe condition, as you can see."
That response caught Rin off guard. Something about what he said confused him. "What? What's 'Aura hola fibre'? Is that an illness or something?" Rin inquired.
"No, more like a heart attack."
Rin felt his heart break through his ribcage. "What?! Why isn't she in the hospital?!" Rin responded, shouting. He was seconds away from jumping out of his chair. What the hell is he saying? He thought. A heart attack? That couldn't make sense. Rin then looked at Amitiel, the glowing veins could still be seen through her thin strands of blond hair. Her head was jerking now, as if she was experiencing a nightmare.
Rin looked at Amitiel, "how are glowing vessels considered a friggin' heart attack?" Rin looked back at Raziel with a glare. He could swear Raziel knew about the glowing veins, but why is he so calm as if it was normal? "What did you do?!" Rin shouted now. His fists were clenched. He realized he was standing now.
"Calm yourself. She can recover on her own, her angelic powers will heal her halo from Aureola Febris," Raziel responded, still calm and composed.
"Prayers and all that other religious crap won't do her any good! She needs a doctor, NOW—!" Rin stopped midway, recollecting what Raziel had said. Rin's eyes widened in confusion and shock as he carefully repeated odd words from Raziel's response, "angelic...powers...halo? What—"
"Her halo is in distress as it seems. It will take time to heal, but she will have to suffer through this illness." Raziel continued than walked towards her, his boots tapped deeply against the wooden floor. Each step Raziel took towards Hana felt like Rin was getting slapped, his mind screamed at him to just strangle him, for what he would do to her if he got any closer, but Rin's body had become unresponsive to his mind.
"Stop! What the hell did you do to her?! Tell me!" Rin shouted.
Raziel stopped and locked his hands behind his back, "I did nothing. It was none other than that Naberius. You have noticed the early symptoms of her condition, correct?" Rin said nothing. "That demon is clever for uncovering her weakness. Halos are quite difficult to expose as we keep them well hidden and protected, but somehow the girl had let her guard down, what I wonder though is how... and why," Raziel continued to speak for what seemed like a foreign language to Rin.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about..." Rin could only stay still, gritting his teeth. The exorcist hadn't move, just stood there staring at Rin.
Raziel lowered his head, his green eyes almost glowed in the darkness, "surely you would know, especially for your kind."
"...Mykind?" Rin said ill-disposedly. Deep down inside, he knew what Raziel was implying: his heritage—his true identity.
"… Who the hell are you?" Rin asked.
"My name is Hiroshi Tanaka," Raziel responded with a composed frown.
"No, I mean what the hell are you?" Rin frowned, his teeth grit together. Something about this guy was bothering Rin, is he actually a human? Or something else? If yes, is he a demon?
"I am surprised you have not realized it yet." The corner of Raziel's lip twitched up, but only for a mere second. "You used to believe in this... species whom mankind has so little information about. If I say it accurately, your foster father spoke to you of this species since your childhood, however I can see you've lost your faith in them since his... murder."
Rin was stunned speechless. His mouth opened, unable to close back up.
This can't be real, he thought.
How did he know all this? Surely he wasn't human. Rin had never had contact with this man his entire life, could he have a connection to his father? How can he possibly know what's going on in Rin's head?
But there was something else, something not even Yukio and Shiro Fujimoto would know.
"...H...How did you know that? You're talking about..." Rin tried to finish the sentence, and a part of him sank when he finished, "...angels."
Rin saw Raziel raise his chin up in superiority, and his eyes were sincere, and Rin knew he was telling the truth, but he didn't feel an inch of comfort in knowing the exorcist's— no—the angel's true identity. However, he must be lying. Angels don't exist. Rin denied their existence. If they did, his father would still be alive, many people would still be alive—the Blue Night and its victims would be spared. But... deep down inside, he felt relieved. Why was he relieved? Did he really just believe this guy?
"...Does that mean she's...?" Rin trailed off as he looked at Amitiel.
"Yes, she is one, too. But she might not be alive very long, if she is not lucky." Raziel paused to look at Rin, who just stood speechless.
Raziel turned his back on Rin as the boy responded sharply, "what?!" and faced the window.
The sun has set, leaving the city in pitch darkness. The lights off the buildings shone bright against Raziel's sharp face, illuminating it with a pale light. Raziel placed his palm on his chest and continued, "Our halos... they are so extremely powerful yet so extremely delicate, so delicate that a scratch to it—any form of damage—could cause the halo to collapse and die, resulting in the angel's death. It is our life force, but is also our weakness, as well as our heart. Any demon would be intelligent enough to aim for an angel's halo."
Raziel cocked his head back towards Rin, who stood still and stared between Amitiel, then Raziel. "When an angel survives through damage to her halo, their halo will engage in a defensive state to heal—Aureola Febris—that is why she attacked you." Raziel looked at Rin's gash on his cheek. "Don't take it too personally, it wasn't her from the start, it was her halo protecting itself." Rin stared at Raziel and slowly reached over to his cheek where the wound was, what she—no—her halo did to him.
Rin noticed his breath was becoming quicker, and he began to feel dizzy—overwhelmed by Raziel's words. Rin managed to take back control of his body and took an unsteady step back, almost falling back.
Angels...they're really real... He thought nervously.
Hana's a... And I'm a...
Rin's forehead broke out in a sweat. His skin looked clammy when the moonlight shone on it. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and shook his head. "...I-I can't deal with this. N-No. I... I-I have to go." Rin immediately turned around. His pace quickened when he was closer to the door. He had to get away, he wasn't safe around... angels. Rin breathed heavily and was about to reach the knob when suddenly he heard Raziel speak again.
"Siste." Raziel said after he raised his palm up towards the boy, who suddenly stood still, as if Raziel was tethering him. Rin stood still, frozen, his eyes were still without a sign of movement in his pupils, he was as still as stone, as if locked in ice. But yet he was still aware of what's happening around him. He didn't complain or even made a sound. He couldn't make a sound.
Raziel lowered his voice and spoke, "when you walk out this door, every memory of what you have witnessed will be permanently forgotten. Once out, you decided to go to your dorm to do homework. Begone." After that, Raziel lowered his hands and Rin suddenly moved again, at the same charging pace he had run before. Rin grabbed the knob, opened the door, and then slammed it shut. Rin's head suddenly drooped for a second and he tried to regain balance by stumbling against the door. He looked up and observed around him. He continuously furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head, showing a massive amount of confusion on his face. He didn't remember what he was doing here. He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt obligated to return to his dorm and grab a pencil and paper.
Raziel continued to stare at the door, then hummed softly, "Hmm... he's not quite a chip off the old block."
At last, she was alone to herself. It took a few days for Shiemi to readjust to regular school days ever since the exam, mainly because she was constantly anxious on how she succeeded. But the surprising comfort she received from those people, no, her comrades, on how brave actions are really sparked hope in her heart.
Maybe she could be an exorcist. Maybe she could be strong like Rin, like Yukio.
"That was a stressful day...wasn't it, Nee-chan?" Shiemi smiled as she raised the water can over a small basin of water. Droplets of cool, fresh water tickled Nee and it squeaked in glee.
"Nee!"
The young girl closed her eyes delicately as she recalled those moments of appreciation.
"Thank you, Moriyama-san," Paku whispered with a smile.
"—But you saved us. That's all, okay?" Izumo huffed.
"We would all be dead if it weren't for you, we owe you big time, thank you," Ryuji bowed sincerely.
Shiemi sighed, graceful.
Shiemi's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a gentle knock on the door. She straightened herself up as she called, "welcome to—"
Shiemi's eyes met with soft, familiar turquoise eyes.
"Yuki-chan!" Shiemi gasped. Her heart started to beat faster.
"Good evening, Shiemi," Yukio smiled.
Shiemi blushed intensely and found herself skimming her mother's desk with her wide eyes, moving aside books and papers, including Nee's washing basin aside.
"Is your mother around?" Yukio asked as he gently closed the door.
Shiemi couldn't resist her urge to blush intensely. "U-Uh, not right now. She's a-away to restock," Shiemi stuttered.
"Ah, I see," Yukio said to himself then managed to pull some papers out from his suitcase. "Then how about we talk about your future?"
Our future?! Shiemi mentally squealed in glee, misinterpreting his words. Her body shook tremendously and her mind felt like it went up to heaven. I'm alone with him at last!
'Huh?' Was all Shiemi was able to say.
"It's about your potential career as an exorcist," Yukio raised a sheet, revealing the form she received initially before the exam. She circled the tamer section, but her response for becoming an exorcist was left blank.
"—Oh!" Shiemi jutted out, mistaking Yukio's words.
"I see you left a few things blank, so I came to clear things up with you." Yukio smiled.
"I...see." Shiemi said, her cheerful and shy attitude became somber.
Yukio sat down across her from the desk, Shiemi stood up and went into the kitchen at the back. As Yukio organized his papers, Shiemi came back a few minutes later with a tea set and set it down. She poured Yukio a fresh cup of green tea into his cup and he thanked her.
"You see, my goal here wasn't really to become an exorcist..." Shiemi said, her head was downcast. Yukio sipped his tea as he listened. "I didn't know what to write but..."
Shiemi trailed away, her face looked gloomy. In all honesty, Shiemi didn't really understand why she even enrolled in the first place. She had no intention of fighting demons, however, at the same time, she felt she needed to become an exorcist, in order to redeem herself and become stronger. Strong like Yukio...and Rin.
Yukio smiled, his mind began to waver into the past. "Shiemi, do you remember that time we first met?"
"Huh?" Shiemi said, a little confused.
"Back then, I had just become an exorcist..."
Yukio tensed as he fixed his collar. His hands couldn't stop shaking and they felt frozen and cold. Sweat built up on his forehead as his mind raced through all the possible embarrassing moments he could make when he steps into—
"Loosen up, will ya?" A voice said and Yukio felt a tough pat on his back, which shocked him out of his trance. He looked up beside him at Shiro Fujimoto—his father.
"What's with the ants in the pants, man? It's just a supply shop!" Shiro said as he looked over at the house before the exorcists.
"O-oh...okay," Yukio stuttered.
"What's up, madam?" Shiro called as he and Yukio entered the shop.
Shiemi's mother looked up and smiled warmly. "Fujimoto, glad to see you! I see you brought someone else—?"
"Ah! This here is Yukio. He just became and exorcist. And guess what? He's not even fourteen yet!" Shiro laughed, despite Yukio was still tense and nervous.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Yukio said then threw his head down in a sincere bow.
"My, my! What a well-mannered boy you have here, huh?" Shiemi's mother smiled, then took a puff of her cigarette. An idea popped in the woman's mind. "Oh! Shiemi!" Her mother called to the back of her desk.
"Shiemi, come here and meet these gentlemen!"
Yukio tensed even more when a small, soft hand touched around the door to the living room. And there revealed an angel before his eyes. Shiemi's head peeked out from the door and she stared, cautious and silent. Her green eyes only directed themselves to Yukio, who only tensed his shoulders and tried not to blush.
"That boy's name is Yukio, he's around the same age as you and he became an exorcist!" Her mother said. "She's my daughter, and she's too shy to even attend school. Perhaps you two could get along!" She said to Yukio, laughing.
"H-hello, my name's Yukio Okumura," Yukio bowed slowly.
Shiemi was startled when he spoke to her and she recoiled behind the door, until she peeked out again, whispering, "h-hello..."
Shiemi then bolted behind the door. Her little thumps of her feet could be heard.
"Well then!" Shiemi's mother huffed. "Sorry for her bashfulness, I though Yukio might draw her out, but I guess not."
Shiemi's mother turned to Shiro Fujimoto with a welcoming smile. "Anyways, what would you like to stock up on?"
After his father restocked on his supplies, Yukio and Shiro left the shop. Yukio took a few steps on the stairs when he heard a voice.
"Sensei!"
Yukio turned around and spotted Shiemi running out of the garden, through the black gate, and down the short stone stairs.
"Oh? Looks like she's calling for you," Shiro said as he observed the little girl approach Yukio.
"Huh?! Me?" Yukio pointed at himself, surprised.
Shiemi held out a small, green four-leaf clover in her small fingers. "It's a good luck charm, be careful at work!" Shiemi spoke fast.
"Oh? Uh..." Yukio held out his hand and gingerly accepted the charm. "T-thank you."
"Sensei..." Shiemi said and her eyes sparkled at Yukio.
"U-uh...you don't have to call me 'sensei'...how about something like..."
"Yuki-chan!"
"Huh?" Yukio's eyes widened.
"Y-Yuki-chan! How's that?" Shiemi stuttered.
"Huh?! I-It's..." Yukio saw her face glow as their eyes met. Shiro made a small whistle at the conversation between the two. "...It's...nice... I like that."
"Ah! I was so embarrassing at that time! Sorry..." Shiemi squealed as she tried to cover her deep red blush with her hands. "It's just...I admired you so much, Yuki-chan..."
Yukio blushed as he deflected her compliment. "I'm not that much an admirable person..." Yukio spoke softly. "I used to be a crybaby when I was little, and Nii-san always helped me out. He was the one I admired and depended on the most."
"Rin?" Shiemi asked.
"Yes...Nii-san... could always do what I couldn't." Yukio said as he recalled moments when Rin was his hero. Such as climbing the utility pole just to collect Yukio's hat that was blown off his head by the wind. Even amongst the danger of falling or even being electrocuted, Rin smiled proudly.
"I always looked up to him."
"Well, Rin is a nice guy!" Shiemi beamed.
"Right. But everyone needs to grow up at some point," Yukio became serious. "I had to depend on myself so that I could be strong."
Shiemi's smile drained away as Yukio continued. "That's why you need to work even harder than before, Shiemi-san, if you plan to become an exorcist. To become an exorcist comes with great sacrifice, so you must be prepared to risk your life." Yukio stood up and held his suitcase.
"Discuss that with your mother, and be prepared to make your decision tomorrow," Yukio said.
"I will..." Shiemi said, then raised the teapot. "Would you like more tea?"
Yukio stopped and hesitated, then decided to accept her offering. "Alright, one more." Yukio sat back down.
"I apologize that you need to worry about me. I know how busy you could become," Shiemi smiled sadly as she poured another cup of tea for Yukio.
"I can manage," Yukio smiled. Suddenly, Mr. Neuhaus' words echoed in his head.
A clever exorcist such as yourself would surely have their hands full.
I wouldn't really kill him, so rest assured.
Yukio gasped and his face became pale. His heart began to palpitate as he bolted up and made his way to the door. "I have to go, sorry."
Shiemi stood up confused as she called, "Yuki-chan?"
He can't be—
A/N: *dodges bricks* I'M SORRY FOR THIS HUGE DELAY! I had exams and then I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday but then WENT DOWN. I'm sorry peoples! Don't hate me!:'D I'll try to submit earlier and stick to the deadlines, I really will!
Anyway, sorry for the delay and here's what you've all been waiting for