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Chapter 9

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"Listen up! You're gonna tell me what I want to know and you're gonna tell me now!" a girl with brown hair yelled as she flipped a table over. She was in a bar. The man before her let out a chuckle.

"Aren't you a little young to be in here?" he asked with a grin. His fedora covered his face and most of his red hair. The girl narrowed her eyes as she glared at the man.

"I'm not joking around, Stephan," she said. "I want to know where she is or else I'll beat it out of you," the girl glared threateningly. The man paused to take a shot. He slammed his glass down as he gasped from the sting of the drink. He looked over to the girl who was sitting next to him at the bar.

"Mika, hon, you don't gotta threaten people to get what you want," Stephan grinned. The brunette growled.

"But it is the most effective way," he said as he spun his chair towards her. She rolled her eyes.

"What'cha need?" Stephan asked.

"I need to find someone," the girl, named Mika, said. Stephan grinned.

"Well finding people is my specialty," he said. Mika wrote down a description of someone on a notepad. Stephan raised an eyebrow.

"An old friend of yours?" he asked. The brunette beside him paused.

"Once...a long time ago..." she said as she got up, grabbing a bag that was at her feet."Just tell me if you see her," she turned towards the door.

"What's her name?" Stephan asked before she made it to the door. She stopped, looking back at him from over her shoulder.

"Miyuki," she said as she opened the door.

"You'll find that she's very, very...interesting," She said once she left. She opened the bag she had taken earlier.

"Let's see what you could do for me, Stephan," Mika said as she took out a katana. It was black with a red edge pattern. The handle was black with a red ribbon around it. The scabbard was also black with a red dragon drawn on it, it's body wrapping around it. Mika smiled as she took out a note attached to it.

"Here it is, Mika. Kusanagi, the sword that represents Valor. Figured it would fit you. You'd better take care of it because it took a lot of god damned work to get it," she read. She put the sword back in the bag then put it around her back.

"Even with your demonic powers, you won't be able to stop me now, Miyuki," she grinned.

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"It's so hot!" Shima exclaimed. Everyone from the Cram Class had their stuff packed into bags and were making their way to their camping spot. Everyone was sweating from the sweltering heat. Miyuki sighed as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulders, once again lowering her body temperature and expelling a bit of cool air.

"At day, the forest becomes peaceful. But at night, it becomes a hotbed for lower-level demon activity. We have to set up base camp before the sun goes down," Yukio eplained. "Pick up the pace," he demanded.

"Look at that guy. Isn't he hot in that coat?" Suguro asked no one.

"You heard him. Get a move on," Shura ushered. Suguro and the others looked back.

"Uh, Ma'am? Where's your backpack?" Shima asked. Te swordswoman simply smiled.

"Over there," she points. The attention was drawn towards Rin who was cupping his hands under a tiny waterfall.

"It's so cold! Is it safe to drink?!" he laughed. Miyuki sighed through her nose.

"You're a child," she scoffed.

"Well, excuse me, Ice Queen! It's hot out here!" Rin snapped as he stuck his head under the water. Miyuki's vein popped out of her forehead. She gave him a swift chop to the head, making him jump.

"Ow!" Rin rubbed his forehead. Miyuki huffed as she walked off, staying behind Yukio. After a good ten minutes of walking, they made it to a clearing in the forest. All the students exhaustedly dropped down on the dirt.

"The boys and I will start setting up the tents and a fire. While that's happening, Kirigakure-sama and the girls are going to draw a magic circle around the perimeter and get dinner started," Yukio ordered. He took his jacket off and stood tall before the students. "Right, let's get started." The sun reflected off his glasses.

"He finally took his coat off," Suguro shook his head.

"Uh-oh, someone's come to party," Shima joked. Miyuki sighed as she went with the other females of the group to make a magic circle. They used white paint to draw protective symbols and whatnot on the grass. She consequently wondered if she could sneak off and return when the work was done.

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"Ow!"

Miyuki peeped open one eye as she lay under a tent that the boys pitched up. Kamiki had once again cut herself with a knife while trying to peel a vegetable. She heard Rin groan.

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore! Give me that!" he took the knife. Miyuki pushed herself up until she was sitting so that she could watch Rin cook. He worked swiftly as he cut various food items and dropped them into the pot. She observed closely, almost mesmerized by his actions.

"Oh, that's right, you cook," she muttered almost dazedly.

"Yup," the younger Okumura brother slid some diced onions into the curry.

"Do you ever do desserts?" Miyuki asked, a hopeful light in her eyes. Rin smirked.

"Yes, Miyuki, I'll bake you something," he shook his head and laughed. She couldn't help but smile. She saw a bead of sweat roll down his face and quirked her eyebrow.

"Are you still hot?" she asked, tilting her head to the side a small amount. Rin nodded feverishly.

"Hell, yeah, I'm boiling myself!" he frowned. Miyuki looked around to check for anyone who would see what she was about to do.

"Here," she got up and walked behind Rin. He watched her quietly. Her cheeks heated ever so slightly as she lowered the temperature of her body and sat down behind the boy. Her arms wrapped around his torso as she leaned against him, her cool touch seeming almost heavenly to the overheated Rin. Her head sat in the crook of his shoulder, watching him as he cooked.

"Thanks," he sighed, body cooling slowly. Miyuki closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his back.

"Don't make this weird," she hissed.

A few minutes passed until Rin had finished cooking. Miyuki left his side once the food was done and everyone walked over to grab a plate.

"Curry and rice...?" Shima poked it with his spoon before taking a bite. Miyuki's eyes grew wide as she also began to eat.

"This is...amazing!" She scarfed down the food receiving some stares from the others. They didn't bother her.

"Slow down, Hayami..." Suguro said as he sweatdropped. She glared at him for a second before she continued eating, but slightly slower.

"Thanks, Rin," she smiled after swallowing another bite. Yukio laughed.

"Cooking is the only skill my poor brother has," he explained with a disappointed look on his face.

"Shut it you four-eyed mole face!" Rin retorted.

"It's so good, I could eat plate after plate!" Konekomaru smiled. Miyuki nodded. She was already on her second plate.

"Geez, that girl can eat," Suguro's sweat dropped.

"Buzz off," Miyuki spat.

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Everyone had finished eating and they all were sitting around a campfire. Yukio stood up in front of them with a face that said he was about to give them some long detailed explainantion.

"Okay, listen up. I'm going to explain the drill," he spoke sternly.

"Yeah! It's a test of courage! I dare ya!" Shura slurred drunkenly. Miyuki groaned as she sat up from her sleeping position on the ground.

"You shouldn't be drinking on the job," Yukio advised.

"Okay, hold on a sec, didn't she say she was eighteen? That makes her a minor!" Suguro knit his eyebrows together in confusion. Yukio paused.

"Eighteen? Don't be ridiculous. This year she'll be turning twenty-s-" he was cut off by Shura throwing a can at him.

"Uh-oh, my hand slipped," the redhead slurred. Yukio adjusted his glasses with a deadly glare.

"Cut the shit and get to work already," he spat. Shura rolled on the floor, laughing until tears spilled from her eyes.

"Look at me! I made him mad! Hahaha!" she laughed. Miyuki cleared her throat.

"Drill?" she reminded.

"Right. Here's the rundown," Yukio collected himself.

"We're going to have you spread out to find and light some lanterns that are hidden somewhere in the forest. The lanterns are located within a five hundred meter radius of camp. Whoever can keep their lantern lit and return it to base camp in the next three days will be eligible to go on actual combat missions," he explained. This piqued the class's interest. "However, there are only three lanterns out there. Therefore there are only three slots open to go on missions."

"But that means-" "Let's talk about the contents of your shoulder bags," he interrupted. Miyuki rolled her eyes.

"You'll find three days worth of food, water, and other necessities. You'll also find a compass, flashlight, one demon-repelling bottle rocket, and one match. By relying on your strengths and using your abilities to their fullest, you'll find the path to success," Yukio pulled said items from the bag.

"So all we do is find a lantern, light it, and bring it back. That's supposed to be a drill?" Rin asked. Shura laughed as she dropped onto Rin, putting her arm around his shoulder to hold him in place.

"I don't think you understand the situation," she spoke in a suddenly serious tone. Miyuki's eye twitched when she saw the woman pushing her boobs up against his arm as she whispered something into his ear. She dragged him off to a corner while the others got their bags ready. Miyuki wasn't going to intrude on their conversation but she was interested. She sighed as she grabbed a sucker from her tailcoat pocket.

"You were all excited a minute ago, what happened?" Suguro asked as Rin walked back over. "Come on, you're not chickening out, are ya?" he taunted.

"Huh?!" Rin exclaimed, angered by the boy's words.

"Bon," Konekomaru spoke up. "I was thinking...This drill was actually designed to make us compete. But then if we start doing that-" "We are gonna be at each other's throats," Kamiki finished. It was silent for a while. After a few moments, everyone stood and faced a different direction—Hunger Games style.

"They're not giving us much of a choice," Suguro narrowed his eyes.

"It's every man for themselves," Miyuki nodded.

Suguro nodded as she slipped her backpack on, "We can't help each other."

"He's right. There's all of us and only three slots. I kind of like those odds," Kamiki smirked confidently.

"Then it's settled, guys. No hard feelings okay?" Shima spoke next. Miyuki closed her eyes and opened the link between her and Rin. His mind was running at a mile a minute and it must have scared him when she suddenly interrupted.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Rin's eyes opened to the size of dinner plates as his head snapped in her direction. She kept her eyes closed but smiled playfully.

"Sorry, but scaring you is so much fun," her giggle filled Rin's head. Rin closed his eyes, too.

"What do you think of this?" Rin asked via the link. Miyuki's smile faded as her face turned cold and serious.

"I don't know why but I have a bad feeling. So, just...be careful, okay?" she sighed.

"You don't have to worry about me!" Rin told her telepathically. Miyuki held back a chuckle.

"I feel like I've done that a lot recently..." she shook her head then heard Rin struggle for a moment.

"Hey!" he interjected. Miyuki took a deep breath before opening her eyes, a determined look on her face as she did so.

'Closing the link now,' she said before she cut off their communication.

"Take your positions," Yukio called from behind them. "Ready?"

Bang!

Yukio shot his exorcist gun, signalling that the kids could begin their test. Miyuki ran into the woods, focusing her supernatural hearing on the world around her.

"God damn bugs," she spat as an eclipse of moths swarmed her. She ran right through them, expelling cold air outwards so any nearby objects would freeze. Luckily, there weren't many so she could continue her search for the lantern with most of her energy still intact. Once all of the insects fell to the ground and shattered, Miyuki snickered.

"I love when they—" A piercing screech cut off the noirette. She skidded to a halt.

"Shiemi...!" she instantly recognized the voice. She turned back around, trying to trace the scream. She remembered that Shiemi was on the other side of Rin who was directly opposite of her.

"She's around here somewhere..." Miyuki mumbled to herself. She felt a familiar energy and stopped. Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to the left and ran until she came to Rin who, as expected, was using his flames. He scared and killed the moths around Shiemi. She saw the rest of his blue flames die down and stepped out of the dark. Rin nearly jumped fifty feet into the air.

"Don't do that!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice. Miyuki rolled her eyes before sitting down next to Siemi. She didn't bother looking up when Suguro approached.

"Okumura, Hayami. What the hell what that?" he asked, walking out of the bushes behind them. Rin gasped as his eyes grew wide. Miyuki said nothing. She narrowed her eyes as she checked on Shiemi.

"You gonna answer me or what?" Suguro asked. Miyuki sighed as she put her hands on Shiemi's neck.

"She's still alive," She said as she saw the blood on her forehead.

"Hey, turn off that light already," Suguro said. Rin grabbed the flashlight and turned it off.

"The Moths..." Miyuki mumbled.

"Yeah, so anyway, do you know what that blue light was just now?" Suguro asked. Rin and Miyuki's sweat fell.

"It happened so fast and was so bright I couldn't tell what it was," the two-tone-haired boy said.

"I-I don't know! I didn't get a good look either! Maybe it was one of those...uh...what do you call those things?" Rin laughed nervously. Miyuki sighed as she facepalmed.

'If he fell for that, he's an even bigger idiot...'

"So, uh, what are you doing here?" Rin asked the other two.

"What am I...? I came to help her, dork!" Suguro said. Miyuki nodded.

"Same here," she explained. Rin looked to Suguro.

"You said we couldn't help each other," he said.

"Shut up! After hearing that scream, who wouldn't come running?!" Suguro yelled. Rin laughed.

"Easy. Shiemi's gonna be fine, okay. Everything's cool. I can take care of her from here," he said. Miyuki stood up.

"What do you mean cool? What are you gonna do with her?" Suguro asked. Rin put Shiemi's arm over his shoulder and pulled her to her feet.

"What do you think? I'm gonna take her back to camp and then I'll come back," he said with a grin. Shiemi began to stir.

"Shiemi!" Rin exclaimed. Miyuki watched the girl, making sure she didn't faint again.

"Oh! Nee!" Shiemi reached for a piece of paper. She pulled up two halves of the ripped summoning paper. Tears flowed from her eyes.

"Hey, calm down. Don't worry. As long as you have your magic circle papers, you can summon him over and over," Suguro said. Shiemi's face lit up.

"That's right!" she said as she searched her bag for another paper.

"That's weird...They should be right here in my bag...I wonder if they fell out when I got attacked..." Shiemi said as she gave up looking. Her eyes grew wide as the rustling of nearby leaves caused her to panic. Miyuki spun around just as something jumped out from the bushes. If she hadn't caught a glimpse of the tuffts of punk hair, she would have frozen her classmate completely.

"Get down!" Rin yelled. The pink-haired boy flipped over and had skidded to a stop before Suguro pulled him up. Miyuki sighed.

"Shima..." Suguro growled.

"Hey, Bon," Shima said as he took the flashlight out of his mouth.

"What's everyone doing over here? Hanging out?" he asked.

"What the hell are you doing here? And turn that off!" Suguro demanded.

"Oh," Shima turned off the flashlight. "Well, this horde of moths covered me up, and after that, I sort of don't remember anything."

"Yeah, typical Shima," Suguro sighed as two phones beeped in unison. Miyuki folded her arms at her chest as Suguro and Shima pulled theirs out.

"It's Konekomaru," Suguro said. Miyuki turned back to them.

"He says he found a lantern!" Shiemi and Rin gasped.

"'I can't do this alone'...He's asking for help," Suguro said. Miyuki sighed as she shrugged.

"Then why are we standing around?" she received the other's attention.

"Let's get going," she said.

Elsewhere...

"P-Please! No-Ack!" A man screamed before having his throat sliced. Mika, who was standing above him, laughed.

"You really did help me out, didn't ya, Stephan?" she said as her phone buzzed. She looked at a sign, showing the name of the forest she was at. She flipped her phone open. There was a read message from Stephan.

'I found the girl.'

"Yep, this is the right place. I'm coming for you Miyuki!" Mika said as she walked deeper into the forest. She stopped when her phone rang again. She sighed as she opened it, answering the call.

"Hey," she said.

'You there?' Stephan asked from the other side.

'Yeah. Thanks for helping,' Mika said. Stephan laughed.

'Speaking of help-' "I know, I've worked with you enough to acknowledge the fact that you're only in it for the pay," Mika said slyly. She heard a laugh from Stephan on the other end.

"What do you want?" the brunette asked.

'You said this friend of yours is a demon, right?' Stephan asked.

"Mmhm. From what I've gathered, she's an ice-type demon called a Yuki-Onna. One of the higher-level ones too," Mika explained as she kept walking, cutting multiple branches with her new sword as she did so.

'Great! Then my new buyer will be very interested!' Stephan said with a chuckle. Mika narrowed her eyes.

"Interested in what?" Mika asked.

'The source of every demon's power! What keeps 'em going!' Stephan said with a lively tone.

"And what is that?" she asked, voice lowering.

'Her heart.'

The swordswoman stopped. Her eyes widened a second before she narrowed them and nodded.

"It'll be there soon, Stephan," she said.

'I'm counting on you, Mika. Don't forget that,' Stephan said with a stern aspect added to his voice. Mika hung up, shutting her phone. She sighed. After a few seconds of silence, she began laughing. She put her hand to her face as she leaned back, looking up to the sky.

"This'll be much more fun than I thought!" she said before she laughed some more then started walking again.