Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 40
As dawn broke over the netherworld, Victoria was carefully inspecting her figure in her mirror. She wasn't looking forward to losing her trim waistline, but the child growing inside of her would ensure that happened. Still, it was a valuable bargaining chip.
She sighed, mildly irritated as the sunlight poured into her window. The day before, she had felt several curses break. Balam and Sabnock were now free of her influence.
Sabro was likely unaware his life had even been linked to another's, but Baal knew. Ai grinned to herself, knowing he was clueless that her curse had been purged. It was the one thing ensuring her life against his wrath. He didn't need to know that his nephew was now safe.
Meanwhile, at Babylus, Dali silently clutched Suzie's hand as she slept. He was overcome with grief and regret. He wasn't the one that perpetrated the brutal attack, but he'd let it happen, having foolishly trusted Victoria to keep her word.
That was why Suzie had looked so afraid when she tried to point him out. Victoria made sure to tell her who was to blame as she savagely tortured her. "I'm so sorry", he uttered, barely a whisper, holding her hand close to his lowered forehead in penance.
Looking up at a sound, he smiled faintly as Persephone returned with coffee. He was truly grateful to the healer for saving his comrade's life. She grinned in return, pleased with her patient's recovery. If she only knew the truth...
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? Kalego and others are fine", she offered. Dali knew that wouldn't be true for much longer, but he couldn't tell her that. Besides, she was scheduled to die that day, another person he'd failed in the name of his daughter. He only hoped her demise would be quick and painless, unlike Suzie's.
"She looks much better thanks to you. I'm sure Robin-kun, Barbatos-san, and I will be sufficient to guard her until wakes up", he replied. Persephone conceded with a nod and put her hand over Suzie's eyes, casting another deep sleep spell. It would keep her out of pain and help speed her recovery.
"In that case, I'd better attend to Mum before she traumatizes the brats too much", she teased. Dali smiled at her meaning. He had heard of Nene's legendary wicked cycles. Undoubtedly, Kalego's team had their hands full.
After promising to come back that night for another healing session, Persephone called Valiant for passage back to the estate. Naturally, he was all too happy to do anything she asked. Dali waved them off with a wan grin. He knew she'd never return and deeply hoped Suzie would pull through without her.
Moments later, the duo stepped out from Vincente's portal inside Sullivan's mansion. Persephone could hear the misfits having breakfast in the dining hall, but the rest of the estate was otherwise eerily quiet. Valiant had made sure to pass along the message and told to her to seek out her master upon arrival. Opera's patience was wearing thin and Sullivan was running out of hiding places.
Persephone thanked Valiant and sent him to help supervise the abnormal class before she made her way to Opera's room. Once outside their door, she could hear Nene talking pleasantly inside. She surprisingly sounded rather happy.
As she entered the room, Persephone had to cover her mouth to hold in her abrupt laughter, almost doubling over with the effort. She held her ribs as she stifled herself.
Nene had dragged Opera, Balam, and Kalego into a children's style tea party, complete with hats and fun decorations. It looked like something out of 'Wonderland'. Kalego glowered at his lover's barely contained laughing fit, a paper party hat on his head and a colorful ribbon tied in a fluffy bow around his neck.
"Not. One. Word.", he said tensely, stressing each syllable. He had a dark look on his face and his arms crossed in misery. He obviously hated being there, but was unable to deny Sullivan's order to participate. Meanwhile, Balam was simply keeping the peace while Opera actually looked to be enjoying their kouhai's torment.
"Per-chan! Come join us! You can sit next to my favorite child!...no offense", smiled Nene, still lost in her wicked cycle. She was all too pleased to have another guest. Knowing it was useless to argue, Persephone took her seat beside Opera. She sent a sneaky grin and amused look to Kalego, asking, "So, this is what you do when I'm not around?".
He stiffened in irritation. She was clearly teasing him. Shichiro quickly tried to calm him before he exploded. Opera simply grinned mischievously. "The ribbon was my idea", they admitted. Persephone tried to hold it together under Kalego's menacing aura. His expression warned her not to worsen the situation.
Sipping her freshly poured tea, she said, "I'm surprised you're here, too, Shichiro. Where is Lord Sullivan?". Nene stared keenly at her adopted child in interest. She wanted to know that, too. Opera quietly served themself some cake and innocently replied, "I don't know for certain, but he definitely wasn't hiding under Iruma-sama's bed this morning."
Persephone grinned wryly. It was so obvious. Next she sent her friends a look that inquired about her cousin. "Pan-chan took over breakfast duty for senpai today, so she's with the kids", explained Balam. She sent him a mischievous grin, prompting him to avert his pink face. She clearly knew about Pandora's nocturnal endeavors. She was enjoying watching him squirm.
After finishing her tea, she sighed, sad to see the amusement end so soon, but she knew Kalego couldn't stand much more. "Mum, how long do you plan on rampaging?", she asked plainly. The others froze at her lack of fear as Nene stared at her in mild surprise.
Nene chuckled in a broken tone. "We're just having some fun! You're just like Kalego-kun; Such a buzzkill", she grumbled. Persephone smirked, not arguing the point, but someone had to rein in the high ranking demoness and it seemed like Sullivan had chickened out.
"Opera, why hasn't Sullivan-sama done anything about this?", she asked, almost accusingly. All eyes settled over the feline demon, wondering the same thing. They had heard that the chair demon had previously snapped Nene out of her wicked phase, but neither knew how.
Opera quietly set down their cup and saucer. "Lord Sullivan was hoping you would take care of Nene-sama this time. It took several years to talk himself out of the last mess", they stated. Kalego narrowed his eyes. Now he was curious. Thankfully, Nene's antics would clear up the mystery quickly.
She blushed, smiling to herself, as she cupped her hands over her cheeks like a schoolgirl. "Sa-chan was too cute back then! He was so nervous." Her happy tone shifted drastically as a dark aura surrounded her body. She even snapped the handle of her teacup in anger as she said, "That no good lout. He never did fulfill his promise to marry me...I'll kill him…"
Balam stared wide eyed as he realized what had happened. During Nene's last wicked cycle, Sullivan had been so desperate to bring her energy back down to normal, he'd thrown out the concept of marriage just to save his skin. The sheer elation and shock snapped Nene back from the brink. He could picture the chair demon being crushed in an excited hug as she accepted.
Of course, after that, it took almost three years to get out of it. Still, Opera knew the truth. Sullivan hadn't actually proposed, but he did bring up the idea out of desperation when cornered under an evil glare and imminent threat of her katana. Not being focused at the time, Nene heard what she wanted to hear and had interpreted the suggestion to discuss the possibility as the real question.
Kalego stared blankly, trying to imagine it. The frivolous principal was playing with fire. It was no wonder the two old friends hadn't seen one another in person in so long. "What an idiot", he thought.
Taking control of the situation, Persephone went to her master. Standing behind Nene, she ran her fingers along the edges of her blackened wings. The others watched in interest as bits of ambient darkness shifted into concentrated clumps, leaving lighter areas behind, and several black feathers drifted to the floor. It wasn't quite enough to cancel Nene's evil phase, but it did lessen her stress and help clear her mind.
The deranged look in her eyes faded and she stared at her party guests in confusion. After a moment, she started laughing hysterically at Kalego's face. "What are you wearing?! Opera-chan, get Mummy's camera!", she cackled.
"Don't you dare!", spat Kalego, jolting from his seat and slamming his hands on the table. He glared in overwhelming annoyance at Nene. She was clearly unaware the whole thing was her doing. Opera hid a grin at his outburst. They had already sneaked a photo on their phone when he wasn't looking.
Balam hurriedly got up, too, trying to calm his friend before Cerberus materialized. "Deep breaths, Kalego-kun. She doesn't remember", he uttered, carefully patting his back. Kalego twitched in irritation, pushed well beyond his patience limit. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to relax. He eagerly discarded his decorations, glad that the farce was over.
Taking a deep breath, he sent the room a warning glance. Any mention of this incident ever again would be dealt with harshly. Looking toward Persephone, he reminded her that she had something to do. Eager to get out of lion's den, he volunteered to go with her.
As they walked the halls to retrieve Iruma for his final healing session, he filled her in on what she had missed. Pandora's rose tint had been exceptionally helpful, but it was only a temporary fix. It seemed Persephone's assistance may have the same downfall, but he hoped she had something else up her sleeve to deal with Nene. Neither he or Sullivan could take much more.
A little later, Persephone removed the brace from Iruma's left arm. She had him move it in different ways to gauge his progress. It was still a little sore, but no worse than a post workout ache. She treated him one last time before his final dexterity test, a song on the piano. It would do well to test how well his hand and fingers had mended. Having another meeting to attend, she left Kalego in charge of that.
In Sullivan's office, the principal stared knowingly at Opera, who carefully closed the door and stood guard just outside.
"Thank you for coming. I know your position here has been precarious at best, but your work as my deep cover agent has apparently paid off since you've called this meeting. Tell me what you've learned, Valiant-kun."
Vincente smiled graciously. While he hadn't been in direct contact with Victoria, he had ears on the inside of her mansion via his network of underworld contacts. He was an unknown double agent, proof that he had truly mastered his trade as a spy. No one knew he was keeping such close tabs on Ai outside of Sullivan himself. He was honored to be trusted with such a mission.
"Forgive me for intruding on your busy schedule, my lord, but I've received some disturbing news from one of my contacts. It seems that Victoria is planning to launch her main attack this afternoon", he explained.
Sullivan's keen eyes sharpened in response. "Is that so? That is troublesome news, indeed."
"Yes, your grace, but there is one more factor in play. According to my mole, Victoria has one more fiendish thing to accomplish before the main volley… She intends to have Naberius kill Persephone", said Valiant grimly. He didn't like the idea of anyone hurting his beloved Lamya-sama, but for Ai to make Kalego do the deed was truly dastardly.
Sullivan's expression grew dark. He had an idea of how powerful Kalego's remaining curse was and he knew it would destroy the teacher if Victoria succeeded in her murder plan. Fortunately, there was a backup plan in place just for this situation.
Opera politely knocked before opening the door. Persephone stepped inside, silently taking her seat. She had discussed the matter with Sullivan in private after Kalego's intense nightmares of her foretold death. Honestly, she wasn't looking forward to enacting such a plan. She really didn't want to be responsible for such a grievous wound to his psyche, but thankfully, she'd come up with a fail safe since the plan's conception.
"Lamya-chan, have you decided? Vincente-kun's intelligence network suggests today is the day", said the principal. He left out several details for posterity, but she already had an idea that Valiant was doing something behind the scenes. Why else would Nene insist on bringing him in?
"Can you do it?", he asked carefully. Sullivan's tone was grave, knowing how difficult the task would be for her. Persephone stared at her tightly clenched hands upon her lap. She wasn't ready, but she didn't have a choice. Looking at her friend, she poured sadness from her eye. It struck a deep chord in him.
"Tell me the fail safe. I promise I will reverse the spell as soon as it's safe", stated Valiant. His dedication shone in his expression as he stared at her. Sighing in defeat, she told him the pass phrase. It sounded like something out of one of her books, but it wasn't anything that could be easily guessed or accidentally said.
The chair demon offered his sympathies as their eyes met once more. "I won't order you to do this, Persephone-chan… I know it's going to hurt. Are you certain you can bear this burden?", he inquired with care.
"If it were only my life on the line, no, I don't think I could. I know Kalego-kun would be furious to hear me say this...but I would gladly be the sacrificial lamb if I knew it would ensure his safety", she said. Valiant's chest rang tightened in pain at her words. She was being completely honest and it became ever clearer that he didn't stand a chance.
"However, I am not the only one at risk here. My phoenix won't be of any help for a while and if even one of those kids got killed because I was too worried about my own life to protect them, I couldn't forgive myself... You know the truth, Sullivan-sama. You taught it to me just as you've instilled it into every teacher at Babylus. Those kids are the future. It is our duty to protect them...To do that, I have to break Kalego's mind and wound his spirit… He may never forgive me for this, but I've made my peace with that... I only wish he'd have let me explain it all first."
She sounded so desolate just then. Valiant's heart ached for her. She was willing to go so far for both Kalego and the abnormal class yet the teens had no idea just how much she really cared, so much so that she would even push the love of her life away. He truly envied Kalego at that moment. Not only was Persephone choosing the misfits over herself, but she was doing so because she knew her lover would make the same choice.
The room grew quiet as her determined words sank in. After a moment of silence, Sullivan gave his final approval of the plan to alter Kalego's memories in order to save Persephone's life. He would think she was dead and she would hide away until Victoria struck, then, when it was safe, they could undo the hypnosis, restoring his mind and spirit. Still, he would fully experience the pain of her loss as if it were true and he may never fully bounce back from that. He'd barely recovered from her near death in the past, an event that drove a wedge between them for a decade.
Another knock on the door interrupted their meeting. This time, it was unexpected and rather frantic. Opera burst in with a very serious expression, prompting the others to jump to their feet. Something was very wrong. They could see Iruma panicking at the end of the hall. He'd deslerately come running for help.
As they hurried toward the dining hall, a strange noise emanated from the piano where Persephone had left Kalego and Iruma. She froze solid at the scene, unable to believe her eyes.
Kalego had Victoria's crest burning brightly in both eyes and black blood oozing across his shoulder from his curse. He had Pandora's throat gripped tightly in his hands, choking her, and her body shoved against the piano keys in complete domination. Shichiro had him in a stiff headlock, trying to tear him away from his hapless victim and ready to knock him out.
The sudden intrusion turned Kalego's hollow eyes toward Persephone. He grinned wickedly as dropped Pandora to the floor. She had seen him there with Iruma and asked to join in. Then he suddenly snapped without warning.
"I knew that would draw you out", said Kalego, his voice unnaturally cold. It was as if Ai herself was puppeting his body. The icy stare of a killer looked at Persephone in amusement. Behind Kalego, Pandora coughed, gasping for air. Despite her own predicament, she wanted to save him from getting injured himself or hurting anyone else against his will. She tried to calm him with her magic, but it only proved his mind wasn't his own.
He laughed darkly as he taunted, "I told you years ago, sweet Pan-chan - That won't work on me." That sealed it. Victoria was playing with him like a doll. It was her chilling words escaping his lips. Kalego never called her that and the memories of her capture swiftly flooded her mind. She was frozen in fear.
Balam quickly retrieved Pandora from harm's way while Sullivan instructed Iruma to keep his peers in the dining hall at all costs. Nodding, the boy took off with determination. Valiant almost went with him, able to create a portal loop should the teens try to leave that room, but he hesitated. He was too worried for his love.
Realizing that, Persephone kept her glare fixed on Kalego. "Go!", she ordered. Opera nodded in assurance, signaling they wouldn't let anything happen to her. Finally, Valiant's sense of duty kicked in and he ran after Iruma despite his personal feelings. Sullivan and the others were counting on him to keep the abnormal class from getting swept into Victoria's attack.
"I know it's you in there, Victoria. Let him go", said Persephone, staring into Kalego's glazed eyes. He smirked in response. "Does it matter? It's his hands that will rip you apart", he taunted.
Shichiro was stealthily coming up behind him, ready to tackle him to the ground. A quick, unspoken plan formed between him and Opera as they exchanged glances. Both demons leapt into motion, pinning him from each side. Sullivan let out a breath of relief as they dragged him down onto his knees.
Holding onto him tightly, they stifled his squirming as Persephone came close. She stared sadly before placing her palm over his eyes. "I know you're still in there, my love….Forgive me. This is the only way."
Fighting the urge to cry, she cast her spell, "rewrite". Taking cues from the details of Kalego's nightmares and incorporating them into the scene that had just played out, she planted false memories deep in his mind.
As Victoria's control slipped away, severed by the foreign mana, Kalego slowly went limp. A single tear ran down his face as he dealt with the forced reality that he had killed Persephone, just as Ai wanted. Seeing her life slip away in his mind and her blood on his hands, all he could utter was, "Not like this...Not again."
As his mind went blank from the intrusive memories, he finally blacked out. His friends lowered him gently to the floor, relieved it was over. They would have to deal with the repercussions later.
Kalego would be out cold for a while. Persephone wasn't one to broadcast her emotions, but at that moment, she cried in front of the others as she slid to her knees, heart broken. "I'm so sorry."
On Victoria's end of things, she smirked at her scrying mirror. She had just watched Kalego tear Persephone's throat out with his own hands. She saw what he thought he had done, such was the link built into his curse. She could pick up his perceptions whether it be sight, sound, or even emotion.
She could feel his soul whither at the realization he'd murdered his lover. His heart had gone completely cold and dark. She loved every second of it.
She had seen Opera and Shichiro fail to save anyone and she'd witnessed Kalego collapse in guilt, utterly shutting down in shock. As far as she knew, Persephone was dead, just as planned. Ai smirked evilly knowing that Lamya's phoenix was currently useless.
It was highly likely that Kalego would be bound after that stunt, taken into custody, or perhaps banished from the estate. Either way, his shattered spirit would make it easy to scoop him up during her coup.
She amusedly watched him scream in his mind, salivating at the thought of tasting his pain as she finally devoured his heart in the near future. She was genuinely excited.
Not long after, Opera watched over Kalego as he twitched in tormented sleep. They had to play their part as the angry jailer, thus he had been cuffed and tied to a chair in a small, barren room. The scene was set for when he awoke.
In another part of the house, Sullivan was putting on his own performance. According to him, the scuffle that morning was all part of the play for the training camp. He'd told the misfits that Kalego was playing the role of the second traitor and he'd been 'taken into custody', eliminating him from game. They would have to continue on without him.
Half of the class bought it, half thought something was off, and two lone students knew the truth. Iruma and Asmodeus were unusually quiet during Sullivan's speech despite their classmates' exclamations. Glancing at one another, it became obvious to each that the other knew. At least now they had each other to lean on again.
In Pandora's room, Persephone healed the bruising around her neck. Shichiro sat nearby, completely rattled. He didn't think Kalego would fall to Ai's schemes with only one curse. It proved just how powerful it really was.
The image of his best friend trying to kill the love of his life replayed in his mind on repeat. He couldn't believe it had really happened, but he knew how far Victoria was willing to go to claim her prize. Despite knowing all life was precious, his growing hatred questioned if hers was worth saving.
Having finished treatment, Persephone lowered her hands. "Good as new", she uttered, near hollow with emotion exhaustion. Pandora would normally expect her to make an inappropriate joke, but she was far too sullen. Taking her cousin's hand, she offered a supportive grin. Persephone avoided her gaze.
"Shichiro, you'll be expected to play your part out there. Don't let those kids worry. It's all part of their training, right?...I'll stay here, out of sight, with Pandora… Call me the minute that bitch shows up", she said. She was livid with Victoria, having been forced to harm those she loved. She was eager to seek retribution and free Kalego of his perceived guilt.
Pandora sent Balam a sad look. She wasn't at all angry with their friend. She understood it wasn't Kalego that attacked her, but she worried for his state of mind. When he woke up, he would certainly be crushed with intense guilt. Persephone told them both the pass phrase as well. That way, whoever could get to Kalego first after Ai showed herself would be able to save him from his own mind and ghee all hoped he would understand.
Persephone froze as both Pandora and Shichiro enveloped her in a silent, reassuring hug from each side, a sign of solidarity. They knew how badly she was hurting. Fighting back her tears as she trembled inside their arms, Persephone grinned lightly, thankful for their support. After a long embrace to ease her nerves, Balam finally let go and reported to his duties after a loving stare at Pandora. They each had difficult roles to play now.
As training resumed, Balam let his generals take over directing. He occasionally corrected them or gave notes, but otherwise supervised in silence. While he and the others would still support them, the misfits had to be ready to act on their own. They were out of time.
Sullivan had briefly addressed the class to explain Lamya-sensei's absence. She was a casualty in their faux war and thus sitting out. Her students imagined she was probably enjoying some quiet time with their sensei, but they couldn't be more wrong.
As the day went on, everyone was well aware of the thick intensity in the air. The abnormal class felt like something was very wrong, but had to continue their exercises. They had no proof aside from Iruma's and Azz's stern expressions.
Inside, Kalego finally came to. He slowly lifted his pounding head as his vision began to focus. At first, he was only aware of his throbbing headache, but his eyes quickly shot wide open in horror as his replaced memories flooded his mind.
"Finally awake, I see", said a cold, yet familiar voice. Kalego stared breathlessly at his senpai. Opera looked utterly disappointed and disgusted in him.
"Senpai, where is she?", asked Kalego desperately, the color draining from his face. Opera stared in silence as they thought. They needed to be convincing, but not cruel. Flattening their cat ears, they looked aside darkly. "Persephone is gone", they stated. A pained noise drew their attention as Kalego broke down into tears.
He looked as if he were on the brink of madness. He couldn't breathe as intense guilt gripped his soul. "You didn't stop me…", he trailed, clenching his eyes tightly shut in anguish. "Why didn't you stop me?!", he shouted, desperate for a reason, any reason, to help alleviate the horrid pain and self betrayal searing through him, tearing his mind apart.
Opera looked at him with pity. Sighing, they said, "You don't remember?". Kalego's eyes shot open as he vividly recalled what he thought had happened.
He didn't register that he'd also hurt Pandora. In his mind, these memories were historical fact - Pandora and Shichiro had come across him as he menacingly gripped Persephone's throat over the piano. She was desperately trying to scratch out his eyes, but growing too weak from lack of oxygen.
Then Shichiro hit him hard, trying to knock some sense into him while Victoria laughed deep in his mind. Pandora hurriedly scrambled to help her cousin while Iruma and Opera stumbled onto the scene. Opera had quickly dispatched the boy to Henri to be taken to safety and a fight ensued.
At some point, Persephone had joined in, trying to drag him back into his right mind with a heartfelt plea. At first, it seemed to reach him. As the others slowly relaxed in relief, he went for the kill.
He remembered the feeling of his claws digging into her throat, the squish of her trachea as he grasped it, and the sickening sound of escaping air and gurgling blood splattering across him as he ripped it all to shreds.
Standing over her, he grinned as she desperately reached for him, staring in horror as if to ask why. Then Ai's nagging voice crept in again, "Finish it." Despite his growing panic, he pierced her heart with one, well aimed finger before being tackled and blacking out. The last thing he remembered was Victoria's smug grin floating in his mind.
He shuddered as it came rushing back to him. Tears flowed freely as he struggled to breathe, though he wondered why he was bothering to do so. He could simply hold his breath or bite through his tongue and end it all right then. Victoria had won. He had no desire to continue fighting her. He didn't care if she ate his heart anymore. It only caused him emotional anguish at his lover's loss.
A firm slap across the face snapped him out of his grim thoughts. He stared at Opera's piercing, angry eyes and shaking hand. "Don't you dare take the easy way out...It's written all over your face", they said darkly. Dropping his gaze, Kalego looked truly desolate. "What does it matter?", he uttered weakly.
Opera grabbed his collar and glared very near to his face as he lifted the entire chair off the floor. "Persephone deserves better. Earn her forgiveness", they said with feeling. Kalego stared breathlessly. Was his usually cruel senpai actually trying to help for some reason?
"I don't deserve it", said Kalego, grim yet serious. Opera narrowed their eyes as they let go of him. Kalego's entire body shook under his own wait as the chair legs struggled to stay upright as he landed. "No, you don't", they stated coldly and left the room.
Outside the door, Vincente sent them a complex yet supportive look. He leaned with his back against the wall across from the room and his arms crossed tightly in consolation for his self pity, knowing Kalego had it so much worse just beyond that door. Not wanting Kalego to hear them speak, he simply nodded as he looked Opera in the eye as if to say, "You're doing great."
Elsewhere, Pandora gently held her broken cousin. All of Persephone's wit, sass, and confidence were gone. Shattering Kalego's mind had taken a heavy toll on her emotionally. "I can't believe I really did that to him...He's going to hate me", she uttered meekly.
Her tone was so desolate. Pandora had never seen her like this; She wasn't sure how to help. She didn't think she could. If she used her magic, it would only be forcing her cousin to be happy and that wasn't fair. Persephone needed time to heal.
Softly stroking her hair, Pandora silently waited for her cousin to open up. Eventually, she did, and the ensuing conversation deepened their bond. They spoke of many things including Pandora's funeral. It had been the last time Persephone had felt so lost.
Even when Kalego had pushed her away in the past, it didn't hurt this badly. She knew she had betrayed his trust. She'd promised herself to never use 'rewrite' on those she loved. She didn't even use it to help Pandora cope with her twenty year trauma, trusting in her strength.
This, however, must be how Kalego felt in his nightmares. Persephone felt like she had literally ripped out his heart. She prayed for his forgiveness, though uncertain she deserved it. Mostly, though, she hoped he would be okay. If she had caused irreparable damage to his soul, she would never forgive herself.
to be continued...