Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 4
The next two days passed in relative quiet. Kalego awoke from dreaming of the past time and again. The aching mark over his heart proved it was clearly Victoria messing with his mind, but he still held the memories dear. He smirked to himself as he finished dressing for school. The last dream was of the weeks leading up to the third year dance. Shichiro and Pandora were so oblivious to what he saw as obvious. It had taken time to wear them down.
Balam residence, the past.
Kalego and Shichiro were sitting across a table from one another, quietly studying for an upcoming exam, but one was acting a little odd. "What is it?", sighed Kalego after the fifth glance. He closed his book and stared flatly at his friend. "It's nothing", replied Shichiro, pretending to be reading. Kalego stood and tapped him over the head with the spine of his book. "Spit it out", he grumbled. He had an idea what the issue was, but played along.
Sighing in defeat, Shichiro gave in. "Has Pandora-chan been avoiding me?", he asked shyly. "What?", said Kalego, annoyed, resuming his seat. "You've been spending a lot of time together alone lately", muttered Shichiro. Kalego smirked. "You idiot. We've been practicing the music for the concert", he said, slightly amused. Shichiro tried to hide his embarrassment. He'd forgotten all about the pending recital. Now it made sense why she wasn't spending as much time with him, discussing imaginary creatures and such like they usually did.
Kalego sighed, "Just ask her to the ball already." His friend somehow seemed to shrink in awkward frustration as he fidgeted. Kalego offered a kind grin. "There's no reason she would refuse you", he said. Shichiro looked up with wide eyes. "But I thought maybe you - …", he trailed. Kalego dropped his head into his hand. "You really are an idiot", he stated. Balam seemed confused while he grumbled internally. This conversation was awfully familiar, but Kalego knew it wasn't his place to tell a girl's secrets. After all, he'd promised Pandora and he always kept his word.
Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Think about it. What does she do with you that she doesn't do with me?", he asked. Shichiro scratched his head nervously. "Well, we draw, and sometimes she holds my hand, but you don't really like to be touched that much", he rationalized. "And?", said Kalego, getting exasperated. Shichiro squirmed under his intense gaze. "We study together in the courtyard", he replied coyly. Kalego smirked, knowing what he was referring to. "How many other demons have you seen her treat like that?", he inquired. His friend thought it over and slowly put it together.
"You don't think - ?", he uttered, suddenly aware. His friend smiled back at him as if to say, "You really are dumb". "You won't know if you don't ask", said Kalego, calmly returning to his studies. Quiet ticked by until a nervous voice uttered, "What if she says no?", followed by a sudden panic. "What if she says yes?!" Balam dropped his face into the open pages of his notes. His heart couldn't take much more of this. Kalego fought off an eye twitch. This was going to be a long study session.
Babylus, the present.
Kalego made sure to arrive earlier than normal, ensuring he had plenty of time to complete his tasks in case of a wave of weakness. He felt mostly back to normal, though he wondered why Victoria had suddenly dropped off the face of the netherworld. Just what was she up to?
He was catching up on his paperwork in the staff area when his kouhai entered the room. He was clearly glad to see Kalego back to work. "Senpai, welcome back!", beamed Robin. "Thanks for covering", replied Kalego, not looking up from his notes. It was sincere and lacked the harsh tone he usually spoke to him in. Robin smiled, glad for the light praise. Lowering his voice, he said, "Everyone thinks you were out of town, so just play along", with a wink.
Kalego smirked to himself, happy for the cover up, but he still had a lot to talk about with Robin and he really wasn't looking forward to it. "How are the students?", he asked stoically. Robin reported everything he had missed and other staff welcomed him back. It almost seemed like things were going back to normal.
Later that day, Balam was in the library, carefully searching for new books on a way to undo Victoria's curse. As if on cue, a perfume filled the air. Glancing across his shoulder, he saw her sitting on the desk beside the tomes he had already set aside. She grinned to herself as she flipped through one. "You won't get very far with these, Balam-kun", she teased. He took a moment to survey their surroundings. It was during class hours, so there was no one to interrupt.
"I could help you if the price is right", she stated, staring him in the eye. "How do you think Kalego-kun would feel if you took his place?", she ventured, amused by the imagined expression he would make. "That's not going to happen. He would never forgive me if I sacrificed myself", he said, calmly putting away another book. She squinted, irritated. In the next moment, she was mere inches from her target with vines tightly holding her clawed fingers at bay. They stared into each other's eyes, sizing up the situation.
"Afraid to touch me?", she taunted. In almost all of their encounters, he generally refrained from touching her directly. One reason was to avoid another mark, but the main reason was that he couldn't promise himself that he could control his massive strength. He'd mastered controlling it in his daily life, but deep down, he really wanted to snap this woman's neck. She'd hurt too many demons, including his best friend, and even taken away a cherished piece of his heart.
She smirked to herself, a new devious ploy in her mind. "Would you like to know how I steal bloodlines?", she grinned, referring to clan traits. Balam watched her carefully. He'd spoken with Kalego after her last visit. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "What did you do with Purson-san?". She smiled wickedly. "The same thing I did to the others", she casually replied. "Isn't it obvious?", she said softly, beckoning him closer with her tone. She leaned toward his ear as he drew near and whispered, "I ate them." Balam froze in shock. Amused, she added, "I devoured his heart. It was rather bland and tasteless, but I imagine one that has known pain like you or Kalego would taste much better, don't you think?"
Balam pulled away with horror and disgust. He knew she was telling the truth. "You know, Shichiro, if you could convince our sweet Naberius to come willingly to my side, I could give you anything you wanted", she said, trying to reel him in. Keeping her occupied while his phone had already dialed Sullivan hidden from view, he let her own voice condemn her and pretended to indulge in her sadistic offer. "Such as?", he inquired. She grinned in victory.
"I have talented healers under my command. They could fix that frightful face of yours. Just picture it - your students would never run from you again", she stated. He glanced aside as if thinking it over. His vines slid free. He had her hooked. "And I can get you any beast you desire to play with. The possible experiments are endless...I can even get you humans", she ventured. Iruma's innocent smile appeared in his mind. Was it possible she knew? With a dark smile, she blushed and added, "They're delicious, you know."
Shaking the worry, he tried to focus. "What about our friends?", he asked, thinking of those she had stolen away. Victoria stepped close to him, placing her hand against his arm as she whispered, "Make good on this deal and you can have 'her' back." His eyes grew wide as his heart nearly stopped. "Her?", he asked nervously. Before he was acting, but now he was shaken.
Victoria took the moment to lean into him. "She's been my favorite toy for a long time, but I've grown bored with her. Give me Kalego and I'll return her to you", she said. Balam spun around, staring her down intensely. He'd grabbed her shoulders without thought. Focusing all of his mana, he waited for her to confirm his hopes, but she knew his blood ability and said no names. "Think it over", she winked and then vanished.
The library suddenly swarmed with staff. Sullivan himself stood in the middle of it. Holding up his phone, he hung up. "Are you all right, Shichiro-kun?", he asked. The demon before him was obviously rattled. Balam leaned onto the desk for support. Had she drained his strength or was he just that upset? The image of Pandora's smile flashed through his mind. Clenching his eyes, he gathered himself and reported on what had happened. He would have to ponder the possibility later.
Back in Royal One, Kalego had reasserted his dominance over the students of the abnormal class. While they may have whined, they were glad to see him return. His sudden departure was strange and he had nothing much to say about it, apart from that a relative had unexpectedly called in a favor. Not answering any of the questions that followed, he watched his class scrawling their notes. The mark over his chest started to burn. He knew Victoria was in the school, but he had to keep up appearances while guarding his wards. The last thing he wanted was for them to worry about yet another threat. After all, he was the watchdog of Babylus.
Elsewhere in the school, Robin-sensei walked the halls in thought during his planning period. Kalego had said so little that morning and his conversation with Balam replayed in his mind. He wondered how Kalego felt about Pandora, but he didn't feel it was his place to ask. Rounding a corner, his eye began pulsating pain throughout that side of his face. Instinctively placing a hand over it, he held onto the wall as he waited for it to pass.
Approaching footsteps stopped before him. "Are you all right, sensei?", asked Eiko in genuine concern. Straightening his posture, Robin tried to play it off to ease her worry. "Rogue eyelash. I'll be fine", he grinned. "You should wash it out", she ventured, trying to be helpful. Before he could respond, Eiko suddenly slouched where she stood. Her face hung limply toward the floor. As he grasped her arm, she slowly looked back up. Her eyes were dark and the usually innocent girl radiated a dark energy.
Meeting gazes, he could see Victoria's mark start to glow in the girl's eyes. He knew Eiko was no longer in control. He glared, steeling himself for whatever was to come next. Eiko's face contorted into an evil smirk. "Hello again, Robin-kun. We have much to discuss. Meet me tonight near the old lightning-split tree. I'll send someone to fetch you after dark. Come alone and don't be late." The words were no mere warning; They were an order. His eye burned as he stared. Then, as quickly as the possession had come on, it evaporated.
Managing to catch the collapsing student just in time, he set her down against the wall. She was out cold. He quickly looked around for witnesses, but they were alone. He squatted in front of her, looking for any lingering traces of his supposed new master, but she seemed fine. Gently shaking her shoulder, he managed to stir the girl. She looked as if she were waking from a dream. "Sensei?", she murmured, clearly confused. "You had a little fainting spell there. You're all right now", he offered with a comforting grin. "We should get you to the infirmary, though, just in case", he said.
Accepting his outstretched hand, she got to her feet. It was a good idea. Robin's smile faltered as Eiko looked at him with fear. Touching his face, he found blood, dripping from his marked eye. Unfortunately, the mark itself was glowing, too. He tried to think of a lie, but nothing sounded right. He was pulled by his thoughts by her kindness. She was pressing a handkerchief against his cheek. "Maybe we should both go", he ceded. She nodded in agreement and they headed for the school nurse.
To be continued...
Bonus scene -
Balam residence, the past.
"Pretend you're asking her", sighed Kalego, exasperated. "Uumm", fidgeted Shichiro, shying his gaze. "Just ask already!", spat Kalego. "Pan-chan wouldn't yell like that", said Shichiro flatly. Annoyed, his friend gained a smug grin. "Pan-chan, eh?", he taunted. Balam waved his hands innocently. "She said I could call her that!", he hastily explained. The evil grin now facing him was worrisome indeed.