I don't have an intro for this chapter, so here's chapter three.
Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Exorcist or any ideas that sound like Night World or Charmed. All I own are my OCs.
After their encounter in the woods, the group managed to get Bon back to the temple. Aki set him up in the infirmary so one of the doctors could keep an eye on him. After getting him settled, everyone else met back up with the others and briefed them on current events.
"Is Bon alright?!" Miwa asked, worried for his friend.
"What happened out there?" Shima added.
"Honestly, we have no idea," Shura answered, still mystified from earlier.
"Suguro's going to be fine, Miwa," Yukio reassured the young monk. "According to the doctors, he had a fainting spell, but he's not hurt."
"Still, does anyone have any idea what all that was about?!" Rin asked, feeling frustrated. "One minute, we're staring down a witch waiting for a fight, the next thing we know, we're in the middle of a typhoon, and he runs off!"
"Yes, what was that anomaly you described?" Aki pondered, thinking over the report. "It doesn't sound like regular wind patterns."
"Believe me, Aki, I wish I knew," Shura responded.
"How are things back here?" Yukio asked, talking to the evidence team.
"Well, we couldn't really get anything done," Shima explained, looking confused. "Because we didn't know what was important."
"The thing is, we don't know enough about witches to know what to look for," Kamiki added.
"Which makes me question again why Mephisto sent you kids," Akiyama said before adding, "No offense."
"None taken."
"What do you think, Tsubaki?" Shura asked the older exorcist. "You're the expert."
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert…."
"But you know more than the rest of us."
"Very well, let me take a look." Tsubaki went over to the table and examined the evidence with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Well, Mr. Tsubaki?" Ami asked.
"From what I'm seeing, these are definitely symbols associated with witches, the dahlias painted black, the moon and three stars," He analyzed. "However, that's all these are, symbols; they have no actual power."
"Then why leave it to be found?" Yukio asked.
"Maybe it's a calling card," Shima suggested.
"Shima…" Miwa groaned.
"No, really!"
"A calling card?" Rin blinked, not getting it.
"Yeah, you know those slasher movies where the killer leaves something behind? It's called a calling card," Shima explained. "Maybe whoever did it left those things behind to say they did it, to taunt us."
"Shima, this isn't a movie." Miwa reminded him.
"Actually, Miwa, Shima might be on to something," Aki said, thinking about it. "I had been wondering for a while why they would leave such obvious clues behind."
"I have a couple theories of my own," Tsubaki added. "They may seem outlandish, but they might hold some merit as well."
"Go on."
"The first theory is that perhaps this wasn't a witch at all. Perhaps it is someone who wants us to think it was the witches, to frame them."
"Why would they do that?" Shiemi asked.
"Relations between witches and the Knights have never been the most peaceful. Things have been tense ever since the witch hunts centuries ago."
"That's a long time to stay mad at people," Rin stated, but he did see the problem.
"So, you're saying someone may be framing the witches to start a fight?" Kamiki summed up.
"Not just a fight. We could be looking at a full-scale war," Tsubaki clarified. "That's how deep the tensions go."
"You said you had another theory?" Akiyama asked Tsubaki, wanting to know.
"Yes, the other theory is that it is a witch doing this, but they left those symbols behind on purpose to get our attention."
"I'm lost on this one," Rin said, confused.
"You see, the witch community puts secrecy high on their list of priorities, especially where we're concerned. If they feel that there are too many exorcists around, the Inner Circle will request all witches in that region go into hiding."
"'The Inner Circle?'" Miwa questioned.
"The Inner Circle is the governing body of the witch community, similar to our Grigori and the Vatican. They make all the rules and regulations that witches must follow, and if anyone breaks those laws, they are tried by the Inner Circle."
"Okay, so what would our perp gain from them calling a lockdown?" Shura asked.
"Well, if our suspect is in trouble with the Inner Circle, our presence would force them to fall back and give them time to relocate or go into hiding themselves."
"So, they're using us as a decoy to escape," Yukio said.
"And continue their dirty work without interference," Ami added, eyes narrowing at the thought of being manipulated.
"As I said, these are only theories and may not have any real merit." Tsubaki reminded them since they still had so few actual clues.
"Actually, Tsubaki, you've given us some things to think about."
"Even so, we only have theories and no real answers." Shura reminded them.
"We also don't know what happened to Bon out there," Miwa added.
Just then, Rin's face lit up. "I just had an idea!"
"Alert the news media!" Shima joked.
"Hey!"
"Not now, you two!" Yukio broke in.
"What's your idea, Rin?" Shiemi asked.
"What if we look into the victims?" The half-demon explained. "Maybe they have something in common!"
Yukio stared at his twin for a minute before smiling. "That's the smartest thing you've ever thought of, Rin; I'm proud of you!"
"I'm just going to lap up the praise and not say anything," Rin responded, smiling proudly.
"Again, I'm thinking he's not as dumb as we thought," Kamiki said.
"Can't I just enjoy the moment?!"
"No."
"Alright, kids, you've had your comedy," Akiyama chuckled, getting them back on track. "I'll have Yamazaki compile information on our victims and see if anything lines up."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Shura asked.
Ami sighed, exhaustion leaking through. "Honestly, there's nothing else to do. It's a waiting game now while we try to pin down any useful information."
"Uh, Ms. Akiyama?" Miwa spoke up hesitantly. "May Shima and I go check on Bon?"
"Of course, Miwa," The chief nodded. "I'll leave what you do next up to you. However, stay in contact in case something changes."
"Right!" Everyone agreed.
(With Suguro)
It was utterly dark wherever Suguro was. He had been there for a while, he was sure of that, but he didn't know how long.
"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing in the void. "Where am I?"
As if answering him, a light appeared a few feet from him. Thinking it was a way out, Ryuji ran towards it. When he got close enough, the light grew brighter and seemed to surround him, forcing him to shield his eyes.
Once the light finally died, Suguro slowly opened his eyes. After they adjusted, he was surprised by his new surroundings.
He was outside on the streets of Kyoto, recognizing the shopping area on his left and Kyoto Tower in the distance. The roads were utterly deserted, and the sky was an eerie purple twilight.
"How'd I get back here?" Suguro asked himself, looking around. "Hello?! Koneko?! Shima?! Where are you guys?!"
As he was calling for his friends, he had the eerie instinct to look behind him. Slowly, ignoring the fear creeping over him, he turned around…
To find that his shadow was elongated in an unnatural shape.
"What the–?!" Suguro gasped, stumbling backward.
His reaction triggered another, causing his shadow to expand under his feet. While distracted by that, Ryuji got another surprise when white-colored flames shot up behind him, causing him to stumble again.
Spinning around, Suguro stared wide-eyed as the flames shifted into a figure. It was slender, and he couldn't determine if it was male or female, but he felt it was looking at him in a sizing-up way.
"What's going on?" He whispered, fear making him tremble.
Suddenly, the figure morphed into a phoenix-esque shape, fanning its wings. Before Ryuji could react, it circled its wings around him…
Suguro gasped, sitting up. Breathing heavily, he looked around and realized he was in an infirmary. Getting his scrambled thoughts back in order, he remembered what had happened in the clearing.
"It was a dream…." He sighed, feeling drained on every level.
Falling back onto the bed, he closed his eyes, wanting to sleep but scared of what his subconscious will conjure next.
As he rested, he didn't see Daisuke off to the side, out of his line of vision. He lingered, watching Bon a little longer before sensing people coming their way. Shutting his own eyes, Daisuke took a centering breath, his image fading from the room until he disappeared.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room, where he had initiated the astral projection. Sitting up from his bed, he pinched the bridge of his nose, messaging the tension he was feeling.
After his encounter with the exorcists, Daisuke hung around the park for about half an hour before heading home. He had just barely dodged seeing his grandfather, who would've easily been able to tell something was up. Making himself comfortable, he projected himself to Suguro's location, keeping an eye on him to ensure that burst of magical energy hadn't shocked his systems too severely.
Thinking back on that, Daisuke couldn't wrap his mind around it. Premonitions were Yamato's thing, not his.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his cell phone vibrate. Taking a look, he saw he got a text message from Ayumi.
Ayumi: We need to talk. It's important.
Daisuke sighed reluctantly but knew this was coming. He replied, suggesting they meet at Yamato's since his parents were going to be out.
Putting his phone down, Daisuke fell back into bed, feeling just as exhausted as Suguro.
"What does it all mean?" They asked themselves at the same time, hating how lost they felt.
Finally, I got this chapter done. Hopefully, the ending scene makes sense. If not, picture a split-screen with both of them saying the same thing simultaneously.
Anyway, I want to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully, everyone stayed safe, and no one killed each other on Black Friday.
Until next time, read, review, and stay tuned!