.Chapter 20.

"What's up with Okumura?" Suguro asked his classmates, a serious look of worry on his face. Everyone except Rin and Yukio sat around one table in the Cram classroom. All of them had seen the youngest Okumura sulking around the campus but no one had explained.

Konekomaru narrowed his eyes sympathetically, "I don't know all the facts but apparently he and Hayami had some sort of falling out. That's all I could find out."

"Even Yuki doesn't know what happened? Wow..." Shiemi gnawed on the inside of her cheek. Kamiki scoffed.

"Oh, please. We all saw the marks on his neck. They were totally making out and when things got too serious, Ice Queen bounced," she put rather bluntly. Nearly every face in the room had turned pink.

"Th-That would explain why he was so out of breath...but why was there blood?" Konekomaru asked reservedly. Kamiki rolled her eyes.

"They're demons, remember? They have fangs," she pointed out. Shima paused for a moment then shivered at the thought of Miyuki biting someone.

"So she just up and left? Unbelievable!" Suguro snapped, arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you guys remember that Mika girl that came to the party? Do you think it had something to do with her?" Shiemi asked with a brow furrowed in worry.

"Frankly, that's none of your concern."

The five teens nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard the sound of their teacher's voice reprimanding them. They turned to find Yukio standing in the doorway with Mephisto at his side. Shima laughed awkwardly.

"S-Sorry, Sir," he apologized. Yukio glared at each of them with narrowed eyes. When he noticed how tense they were he let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his chocolate-coloured hair.

"While I am worried about my brother, right now is not the time. We have more important matters to deal with," he adjusted his glasses so that the glare of the lenses hid his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Shiemi asked, uncertainty her words. Mephisto cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"He means a witch-hunt, of course!" the demon smiled mischievously. The room fell ominously silent as the Headmaster's words set in. More specifically, the word "witch-hunt".

"You want us to find Hayami?" Konekomaru widened his eyes in shock. Mephisto grinned.

"Ding, ding, ding! It seems we have a winner," he tipped his hat to his student. "The Vatican isn't exactly happy that I let their little weapon run away so I'm sending you all to fetch my dear sister for me."

"S-Seriously?! She could freeze us all in a second if she wanted to!" Kamiki hissed in surprise. Mephisto tilted his hat forward, hiding his eyes from the teens but keeping his devilish smile in clear view.

"If Miyuki resists or fights back in any way, you have been given the authority to eliminate the threat."

Once again, the room was completely silent. The jaws of the Exwire's fell to the floor, looks of horror and bewilderment on their faces. Despite his indifferent expression, a bead of sweat formed on his temple. He knew that this mission also included Rin and the elimination part wouldn't go over well with his brother. Despite that, he would execute the Yuki-Onna if his higher-ups asked it of him.

"You want us...to kill Hayami?" Suguro snapped, hands curled up tightly into fists. Mephisto knocked his hat back into place and gave him a closed-eyed smile.

"If it comes down to that. You do have that fiery little number you can use to gain the upper hand. Honestly, I'd much rather prefer to have her brought back alive but I doubt she'd be very willing. She's a spitfire when challenged," he shrugged and shook his head.

"I understand this won't be pleasant...but like it or not, Hayami is now considered a threat and we have to deal with her whether we like it or not," Yukio explained, eyes narrowed sternly. He looked like an old man trapped in the body of a one enjoyed what he had to say but it was the truth...

"So..." Shima paused to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. "Who's telling Okumura?"

.


.

"Achoo!"

"Hey, hold still!" Mika smacked her childhood friend in the back of the head. She was currently trying to cut Miyuki's hair with some scissors she bought at a general store.

"Sorry..." the Yuki-Onna mumbled, receiving a huff in response.

"I still don't think haircuts will be enough to fool the Vatican or Stephen. I mean, do we even know what we're doing?" Mika's emerald eyes glistened with worry. As she finished off Miyuki's new haircut, she watched the noirette stand up; evergreen irises met burning scarlet.

"It's a bit late to be having doubts, don't you think?"

"It's a bit late to learn how to love, don't you think?"

Miyuki's stare turned cold, "What does that mean?"

"Everyone saw the marks left on his neck—marks you left, Yuki. That boy...You love him, don't you?" Mika crossed her arms over her chest and threw a questioning look in the direction of her partner in crime. She received no answer, as expected. "Called it. The Frozen-Hearted Ice Queen from Hell has been bested by a teenaged boy who likes to play with swords."

"It's not like that," Miyuki snapped instantly, "Okay, Maybe I do like Rin. That doesn't change the fact that it's wrong. I won't pull him into my world and have him end up like my parents or Isaki or anyone else I've ever opened up to."

Mika sighed, exhaustion peaking through. "I'm just saying, you shouldn't avoid a good destination just because of a bumpy road." Miyuki rolled her scarlet eyes.

"I almost miss you trying to kill me..."

Mika punched her in the shoulder while laughing. "What are we doing in this shithole of a town, anyway?"

"I was thinking we could try and find Kaia. She knew my mother well and maybe she can help me learn more about her. I need to train my powers, too. Controlling this mist transformation and talking to the dead should be my main focus," Miyuki rambled while her rival half-listened. She poked her head out of the alley they stood in then began walking.

"Any idea where she could be?" the brunette asked. Miyuki thought for a moment.

"Is the orphanage still here?"

.


.

"This is it..." Miyuki sighed. She didn't want it to come to this but she wanted to find her mother. She always had a feeling that she wasn't dead and if she could just retrace her steps, she'd surely find her.

"Are you sure about this? Kaiya might not even be here anymore," Mika leaned against the wall while her companion hesitantly stood near the door.

"I need answers. Once I find my mother, I can figure out what to do with my life," Miyuki explained. She let out a heafty sigh before knocking on the door. Mika had already made it clear that she didn't want to go inside so the noirette would be alone.

"One moment! Tsuki, don't eat that!" a panicked voice called through the door. A few moments later, a familiar face opened the door. "Hi, how can I help—Arai?"

Miyuki's face fell for a moment. She had never been called by her mother's name before, mostly because no one knew who she was. It almost made her feel...honoured.

"N-No...Kaiya, it's me, Miyuki," the noirette smiled softly. After a few seconds of processing, the redheaded Kaiya wrapped her arms around Miyuki in a tight hug. She began to laugh and cry tears of joy.

"My, look at you! It feels like just yesterday you were a wee baby," she sniffled. When the corners of her eyes caught a glimpse of Mika, she also pulled her into the hug. "Mika! The duo's back together! Aw, I worried about you girls so much."

"We here on business, Ma'am," Mika explained while trying desperately to breathe through her crushed lungs.

"Oh?" Kaiya let them go. Her eyes grew wide and her smile doubled in size. "I assume you're here to learn about your mother?" Miyuki nodded.

"Then come on in."

"You go on ahead. I'll be out here so I can take care of some things," Mika waved half-heartedly. Miyuki gave her a smile.

"Be safe," she hugged her quickly then walked inside with Kaiya.

The orphanage looked just as she remembered yet it had a new air about it; Something happier than before. She almost couldn't look away from the orphan children. Kaiya knew how to make a bad situation look good.

"Come, dearie. Sit with me," the caretaker gave the chair next to her a little pat. Miyuki's smile turned sombre as she remembered a possessed Kaiya threatening her mother. She swallowed hard then sat. "Now, I know you have dozens of questions so ask away."

"What do you know about my mother, Arai?" she inquired. Kaiya chuckled.

"Arai always wanted to be a simple woman but she was much too special for that. Her intelligence was no joke and her ambitions were high. I met her and Ishiro while we were in the academy, training to become exorcists," she explained. Miyuki's eyes widened.

"You were an exorcist?" She couldn't imagine this woman trying to exterminate demons.

"I was! I have a certification to prove it but that's not necessary, right now. Arai was a beautiful woman and many of them men in our class fawned over her. She could have taken advantage of any of them but she never did. I don't know how, but her and I just clicked. We became best friends, partners even," Kaiya recollected her fondest memories with a grand smile.

"Your mother never had a mean bone in her body. That's why I was so surprised when she told me that she was a demon. I wasn't scared but I didn't want any harm to come to her, so I agreed to keep her secret. Years after we graduated, Arai got paired with your father for a few missions and they got to know each other. When the time came, he was also entrusted with the secret of Arai's lineage."

"Do I look like her?" Miyuki questioned quietly. Kaiya paused for a moment. Her expression turned soft as her hand came up to cup the scarlet-eyed girl's face.

"The spitting image," she giggled. Her face lit up when she remembered that she had something she wanted to show the young Yuki-Onna. She got up and left the room for a moment before coming back with a photo. "Here. This is the three of us during our last mission together," she handed the beautifully framed picture to Miyuki.

On the left was a younger version of Kaiya; still as vibrant and bubbly as ever. Next to her was Ishiro. He looked more boyish and reserved than he did when she saw him while on the precipice of death. Her heart nearly stopped beating when she saw her mother on the far right.

Her beautiful, midnight black hair was pulled into two space buns that sat on either side of her head. The warm, motherly smile on her face made Miyuki's chest ache. Loving eyes of scarlet peered through the glass. There was almost no flaw in the woman's complexion. She was beautiful but also looked the type to be very modest about it. Miyuki hadn't realized she was crying until her tears dropped onto the picture.

"D-Do you know if there's anything left of her? Belongings, papers, et cetera?" she whipped away her tears. Kaiya thought for a moment. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up and she ran into a back room. Miyuki raised an eyebrow when she came back and saw the woman carrying a chest. She placed it on the table with a huff.

"This is full of some of Arai's things. It's all I could snag before True Cross condemned her place and ransacked it," she explained, slightly out of breath. Miyuki hesitantly placed a hand on the wooden box, transfixed by it. Kaiya smiled fondly.

"Your mother would be so proud of you, this I know. You're a fine young woman, Toshiko Miyuki," she spoke earnestly. At the usage of her mother's surname, Miyuki lost hold on her strong façade. She began to cry harder than she ever had before. She missed her mother, her father, Isaki, Strix...and most of all, she missed Rin.

Despite her feelings, she would not change her decision and go crawling back to True Cross Academy. She was going to find her mother and get to have at least five minutes of knowing what it's like to have a mom. She wanted to feel normal for a moment, even if it kills her.