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Chapter 23
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"Who did you say you are again?"
"We're friends of Miyuki, Ma'am. We're looking for her so we can bring her home."
The Cram Class had finally found Kaiya after nearly a day or so of looking. Yukio had demanded that everyone let him do the talking but he was mainly trying to reign in his brother.
"I know what you are," the redheaded guardian snapped, "If you hurt a hair on that girl's head, I'll cast every one of you to the lowest circle of Hell." Her expression was stern and frightening, making the kids rethink their approach.
"We're just trying to bring her home..." Rin stepped forward, tired of running everywhere but still getting nowhere. Kaiya paused for a minute as she eyed the azure-eyed lad. When her eyes glanced over all of the teens, she found concluded that he knew Miyuki the closest and wondered if they were following in the footsteps of Arai and Ichiro.
Amidst the silence, she noticed his sharp teeth and pointed ears. No doubt about it, they both had a bit of demon blood in them. For whatever reason, that calmed Kaiya. Miyuki found someone who understands her and wants to be around her. These people—this boy in particular—care about her…
"Alright…" she sighed, "Come on in."
"Thank you," Rin nodded as he stepped inside the orphanage that once housed the girl he was so infatuated with.
Kaiya explained that the orphan children were upstairs studying so they could talk freely. She even started off the conversation by subtly stating the obvious.
"I'm glad little Yuki found someone like her," she smiled while pouring some water into a tea kettle.
"You mean a demon?" Kamiki asked blatantly. Kaiya only chuckled at that.
"Yes. I'm even more so delighted to see she was able to live a somewhat normal life as well. Being an exorcist isn't exactly easy, believe me, I know; however, it's good she got to experience being a teenager in high school," she explained, placing tea bags into the kettle. The teens watched her for a few seconds while exchanging looks of confusion.
"Miss Kaiya, do you know where Hayami Miyuki is?" Yukio asked with a diplomatic tone. This earned him a tsk from the woman as she finally turned her attention away from the teapot.
"Not Hayami, my dear. It's Toshiko—Toshiko Miyuki. Named after her mother, Toshiko Arai; the loveliest woman to ever walk the face of the Earth," she smiled. The students went quiet as the name settled into a few of their brains.
"Toshiko Arai…?" Konekomaru widened his eyes.
"The demonic killer who infiltrated the Vatican with the help of Satan?" Suguro furrowed his eyebrows. Kaiya shook her head, smile disappearing.
"That's the lie the Grigori decided to tell others so they wouldn't seem like a bunch of squandering fools. It didn't matter that a beautiful couple was stripped away from this world. What would people think if they found out that a demoness just snuck in without detection?" she spoke calmly but her words held a hidden bitterness in them.
"Was she good to her?" Rin asked in a hushed voice that only Kaiya could hear. She nodded with no hesitation.
"Always. Arai adored her daughter, and when she came to me and begged for me to take her in...It was the most heartbreaking thing ever. It was the safest option, unfortunately," she clarified. Rin internally sighed at that. She had always been treated nicely until Satan came around...
"Where is she now?" he followed up sternly. The woman thought to herself for a minute, wondering where the young Yuki-Onna she raised would go.
"I suppose she's out looking for Arai. By now, she must have found where to search first. I can't say if she's already left Hinode or not," she knits her brows together in uncertainty. Yukio pulled out his map and a pen as soon as she began to talk.
"Any idea where she would look?" He offered the pen to Kaiya. She took it hesitantly and circled a few spots, narrowing her eyes at one location in particular.
"Any of these could be her stop. This one, however, could mean trouble, so do be careful," the redhead nodded sharply. Yukio glanced at the map then raised an eyebrow.
"A brothel?"
"An old friend of Arai's works there. She might have found her name in one of the letters I gave her."
"Okay...Let's get moving. She's already got a head start," the eldest Okumura brother adjusted his glasses then started walking out the orphanage doors. The others followed him while saying their thank you's and goodbyes to Kaiya.
"My dear boy," she called to Rin, making him turn back around and hesitantly separate from the group. "I can see it in your aura...You care for Miyuki more than the others."
"M-My aura?! What do you mean?" the boy's cheeks turned a light shade of rosy red.
"You have that air about you. I felt it all the same whenever Arai and Ichiro first met. The commitment of one's heart~!" she looked down at his hands. Taking one of his in her own, she traced his palm lines with her index finger. When Rin simply gave her a confused look, she smiled a reminiscent smile.
"Love, my sweet, nïeve boy. I'm talking about love."
"You can feel that?!" his entire face was now pink as he nearly dropped to the ground in shock. Kaiya nodded slowly as she flipped his hand back around and held it tightly in both of hers.
"Cherish her. She needs someone who won't abandon her like so many others have before. She needs stability."
"I can do that," Rin grinned his usual, toothy grin. Kaiya giggled at that. Letting go of his hand, she gave him a hug that she had been holding back since he walked through the door. She knew he would come eventually. Miyuki foretold it.
"Take care of Miyuki and please help her find her mother," she uttered into his ear, receiving an affirmative hum in response.
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Mika, Miyuki and Aliza had walked to the south lot of Hinode, not speaking one word to another until they got there. Miyuki was at the head of the pack and walking at a speed that forced Aliza to cling to her leg instead of run.
"Yuki," Mika finally stopped her with a harsh tug on the noirette's wrist. "Slow down. We have time."
"I don't know that. This demon could've killed my mother or at least knows where she is…" Miyuki hissed while glaring straight ahead at the brothel's sign. This was a shady part of town and it always had been; evident by the way nothing shifty was being hidden. It was all out in the open.
"Besides, Rin and the others are probably already here or on their way."
"What makes you say that…?"
Miyuki paused. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Because he's reckless...No matter what I say, his ridiculous determination won't let him leave me alone."
"You think he's that crazy about you?" Mika raised an eyebrow, a cheeky smirk crossing her features. Miyuki shot her a chilling look.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. He's just like that for everyone; I'm not special," she roughly reclaimed her hand from the brunette's grasp. Mike could only sigh at that. It was strange to see her friend so serious.
Her gaze turned back towards the doors of the brothel. She'd never go in here if it wasn't for the sake of finding her mom…
"I'm going in. Are you coming or not?"
Mika waited until the Yuki-Onna had already walked inside to mockingly repeat what she said. Aliza looked up at her and snickered.
"M'Lady's a handful, isn't she?" the imp asked. Mika nodded sluggishly while following her friend inside.
The interior of the brothel was decorated with the idea of modernity clearly in mind. The outside and the old village surrounding it didn't match at all. At the front desk was a woman who was scrolling through online clothes catalogues with a bored expression and her bubblegum-pink hair pulled into a messy bun.
"Excuse me," Miyuki approached her calmly, "We need to speak to Zanevni."
The secretary looked her up and down with her chocolate-coloured eyes, "Miss Z isn't taking appointments right now."
"I told you. Succubi are useless," Miyuki mumbled after turning back to gaze at Mika. The brunette tutted and rolled her eyes.
"Listen, we just need to talk to your boss for like ten minutes so just go back to maxing out your credit cards on online shopping centres," she hissed while approached the woman's desk
"Have the Yuki-Onna fallen so far as to let humans fight their battles for them? Your kind and ours used to kill each other for territory, ya know?" the succubus looked up through her thick eyelashes. Her snarky smile let Mika take notice of her sharp fangs.
"My body count is much higher than yours, love," Miyuki crossed her arms over her chest; a frown forming on her face.
"Cold ones don't count, Sweets," the woman smirked cheekily. "You don't look like you've got any kind of experience at all…"
Miyuki flushed heavily at that, "I'm sixteen!"
"You poor thing," the pink-haired succubus pouted tauntingly, round glasses almost adding a strange sense of innocence to her look. Her chocolate-coloured eyes shifted onto Mika merely seconds after poking fun at her best friend.
"You look like you need someone to teach you a thing or two."
"I don't think you should sign up for something you can't handle, Lady."
The succubus smiled at that. A brisk chuckle escaped her cherry chapstick-covered lips, brightening up her slightly tanned face. Mika simply raised an eyebrow as Miyuki rolled her scarlet eyes.
"Listen here, Succu-bitch, we need to speak with Zanevni. I will break down every door if I have to. Hell, I could cut off your food supply with one wave of my hand so don't make me ask again," the noirette slammed her hand on the counter and froze the top of it slightly.
"Oi, Marnie, what the hell is going on in here?!"
Miyuki, still fuming, turned towards the salacious woman who had just entered the room. No doubt about it, this was the queen of this Succubi nest. Zanevni's golden eyes scanned the room, piecing together what had happened and who she was dealing with.
She gave the Yuki-Onna a half-smile, "I knew you'd come." Her heels click against the wooden floor rhythmically as she strides up to Miyuki.
"You tracked down the Queen of the Succubi in order to find your mother? I applaud your efforts, young one," the sensual woman circled her prey like a vulture. She scanned the girl's hardened face then reached out and traced her jawline with her index finger. Miyuki simply narrowed her eyes.
"Your tricks don't scare me. I just want to know where she is and why you had her necklace on," she explained with a nasty tone. Her knuckles were
wrapped so tightly around the armrests of her seat that they turned a ghostly shade of white.
Zanevni wrapped her hands around the girl's throat but didn't apply any pressure yet, choosing to make her wait for an answer. For an undetermined amount of time, the only sound that filled the room was the ticking of the secretary's clock on the wall.
The Succubus Queen smirked, "She knew you'd look for her." Her nails dug into Miyuki's ashen skin for a moment before they were brought back to their owner. "Come with me and we'll talk. I don't want an audience, though," she stated simply, eyes never leaving the young Yuki-Onna. Mika scoffed and plopped down into one of the chairs off to the side of the room.
"Leave me in here with her...Great."
"My name is Marnie, human. Be glad the boss hasn't ordered that I kill you," the secretary scoffed. Mika simply shook her head as Aliza curled up in her lap like a cat. Miyuki sighed then reluctantly followed Zanevni into a back room. The demons sat across from one another in fancy chairs surrounded by equally aesthetic decor.
"Care for a hit? It may look threatening but it's just aromatherapy," Zanevni asked, motioning to Miyuki with what the girl could only describe as some strange pipe. As far as smoking went, she was completely clueless and she'd like to stay that way for the time being.
"No, thank you. Just tell me about my mother then I'll leave," she narrowed her eyes daringly. Zanevni had nothing to say to that.
"Your little friend and my assistant seemed to get along well," she swiftly moved the subject along.
Miyuki shrugged, "Mika's always gotten along well with others. I'm not here to talk about her, though."
Zanevni pouted like a child who just dropped their ice cream. "Shame. My little Marnie seemed to take to her pretty well…"
"Let's get to the point. Why do you have my mother's necklace?" The noirette decided to finally start getting the answers she came here for. Zanevni paused for a moment before replying.
"Once I learned of Toshiko's capture, I had to see her. She and I had grown up together; we even rose up in the ranks at the same time. She became a powerful ice demon and I fought for my throne," she tapped her sharp claws against the couch she sat on. Crossing one leg over the other, she sighed. "By the time I snuck into Satan's castle and found her, she was already set to be moved. I managed to speak with her briefly."
"What did she say?" Miyuki asked almost impulsively. The Succubus clicked her tongue against the roof of the mouth and shook her head.
"Patience, young one," she smiled temptingly, taking another hit of her drug of choice. Miyuki couldn't help but notice that it smelled strongly of lavender.
So she wasn't kidding when she said it was just aromatherapeutic.
"She told me that she didn't want her child to come anywhere near Satan when searching for her. If you had already figured out the truth about her then that meant Satan would already be plotting to kill you, too. Since that was what she had been trying to avoid all along, she made me take the tracking necklace so you'd find me, instead," the Succubus Queen blew a ring into the girl's face. She simply narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"She really didn't make this easy, did she…?" Her thoughts came out unintentionally.
"Think of it as a scavenger hunt. Your first clue led you to the old exorcist woman who gave you the box. That box then taught you about the attraction powers of the necklace which, in turn, brought you to me," Zanevni explained with a little too much enthusiasm. It made sense why Arai had to make finding her difficult but it was starting to frustrate Miyuki.
"And where are you going to lead me?" she asked while raising a dark eyebrow. Zanevni smirked playfully, setting down her pipe.
"I'm your last stop, young one. I'm the one who gives you the key to unlock the metaphorical door to your future," her words came out smoother than the softly flowing water of a river. It was strange how alluring her voice was but Miyuki refused to be put under her spell.
"Drop the cryptic talk. Tell me where she is so I can leave," the noirette crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. Zanevni simply smiled at her for a moment, unknown thoughts running through her head as she sat there.
"There's a spring about six miles from here. Look for Toshiko there." Her muscles almost seemed to relax once she had revealed her secret. Miyuki felt sympathetic towards the woman for having to do so for so long.
Her scarlet eyes shone with a strange sense of compassion, "Sixteen years is a long time to keep a secret. Thank you, Zanevni. Really…" The Succubi Queen closed her eyes and reared her head back, laughing as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Sixteen years is nothing when you've lived as long as I have!" She bellowed with a roaring chuckle. "Just promise me you'll let that spunky friend of yours get to know my little Marnie."
"I can try," Miyuki groaned while rolling her scarlet eyes sarcastically. On her way out of the office, she could hear Zanevni's hiss-like laughter echoing until she had finally reached the lobby.
"Oh, thank God," Mika muttered under her breath once her raven-haired friend entered. Miyuki opened her mouth to question her but stopped when she saw Marnie sitting on the brunette's lap.
Dark wings lie still on her back, peeking out from under the shirt that was pulled down to look more revealing. The Succubus was promptly thrown off of Mika's legs by the swordswoman herself, earning her a childish pout in response.
"What a pity. You had to come and ruin our fun," Marnie practically growled at Miyuki. The noirette scoffed before making her way to the door.
"Let's go, Mika," she grabbed her childhood friend's wrist and pulled her along. Mika had no clue what to feel let alone what to say.
"Call me if you ever need someone to entertain you, human."
"Drop dead."
