Chapter 5: The Black Demons
{Imperial Demon Army Spellcraft Classroom: June 10th 2020, 3:45pm}
"Seriously? Again?!"
The thought went through the mind of one Hyakuya Mikaela as the blonde sighed while once again watching Kimizuki and Yuuichiro go at each other. After the black-haired fifteen-year-old had recovered the two of them hadn't been capable of getting along, let alone being in the same room as one another. If anything, Mika was beginning to believe that the two of they were more likely to turn their Cursed Gear on one another than a Vampire. However, he also had noted that his brother had been rather calm until Tuesday when he returned to class and ended up encountering a spectacle wearing telephone poll. That had been four days ago and now Mika was certain that the two boys were destined to never get along. The blonde groaned in defeat while he watched Sayuri make a valiant effort to placate the two teenagers, but failed.
Knowing that nobody could stop the duo, Mika ducked his head into a book and tried to ignore them until he received a tap on the shoulder from Yoichi and looked to see the two glaring at each other whilst Kimizuki was leaning over the top of the boy with their heads pressed together at the sides – or in Yuu's case on top of his head due to his smaller stature – Mika huffed through his nose and closed his book with a snap while Shinoa smirked, waiting to see what he would do while Yoichi gave the blonde an anxious look.
"Can you stop harassing my brother? If you leave him alone he'll not bother you anymore…." Kimizuki narrowed his eyes.
"I would if this damn midget would stop pissing me off!" he said as emerald eyes set a cold glare in his direction.
"What the hell did I do? And how am I a midget? Your only a few inches taller than I am!" the black-haired boy made his point and was more than prepared to step away; however, Kimizuki had other plans.
"In my eyes, you're still an idiotic Moyashi with a serious attitude problem who keeps wasting everyone's time," he stated. Mika stood when Yuu glowered at him and made a move towards the pink-haired teenager.
"Separate now! Before something bad happens." Yuu stepped back, not wanting to get on Mika's bad side. As the black-haired teen moved away, Kimizuki shot the blonde a glare.
"Don't act like you can tell me what to do Hyakuya! I'm not your little brother. I don't answer to you," he said stubbornly.
"What did you just say?" a sharp glare came from Mika as he looked to Yuu.
"Sit down! If he wants to give people trouble that's his deal: I don't need you doing it too," he said. The boy frowned, not liking the statement.
"Mika, do you really think I'm going to let him get away with that kind of crap? He doesn't have the right to talk to you that way!" sapphire eyes looked to emerald.
"Yuuichiro! Just listen okay?" he pleaded. Yuu sighed, shaking his head as he started to take a seat while Kimizuki huffed.
"I guess we know who has your leash…" Mika turned a glare on Kimizuki.
"You really need to learn when to keep your trap shut! It'll get you into trouble one of these days," he stated.
"Whatever, you don't have the right to tell me anything. You're not my superior."
"But I am…." Mika and the others turned to see Guren standing in the doorway with an annoyed expression upon his face.
"Um….Lieutenant Colonel…." Yuu huffed.
"Wow, you actually emerged from your office. This must have really pissed you off," he said with a smirk as he folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them.
"You're as snarky as ever I see. Now, can a mature person please explain this one to me? I was under the impression that Kimizuki and Yuuichiro had at the very least come to a mutual understanding…" Shinoa smiled.
"It'll be a little hard to explain this in a mature way to someone who can be so childish," she said with a smirk.
"Can it small-fry…Mika, what are they doing?" the blonde sighed.
"Kimizuki seems to think that Yuu and I are just wasting people's time…" Guren looked between the three of them.
"Really, that's interesting. Please, tell me how it is that their wasting people's time when you're the one disrupting the class?" Kimizuki sputtered.
"Do you know how much of a pain this kid is? He doesn't ever seem to focus and he doesn't even bother taking notes or anything like that!" he stated sharply. Guren sighed at the words.
"Yea, of course I know what a pain in the ass he is: I raised him. I've got the bite marks to prove it too….but seriously, can't you two just get along for a little while?" he asked. Yuu glanced at Kimizuki who frowned.
"No…" the two of them stated. He sighed.
"I can see why Mika and Yuu don't find this class very informative…they were taught this stuff by my unit when we put them through training during these last four years….their bored…." Guren looked at his two brats with a huff before glancing towards Kimizuki.
"Well, if the two of you can't work together then there's only one thing to be done: tomorrow, the two of you will be working together during the combat trials against the Cursed Puppets," Guren stated. Mika gawked at the man as Kimizuki stared at him in utter shock while Yuuichiro groaned in dismay before putting his face in his arms with a growl.
"You can't be serious!" the man sighed.
"As a heart attack. If the two of you are so insistent on not working together then I'll whip the two of you into shape," he said.
"This is going to go about as well as that enchantment training when we were fourteen…."Mika glanced to his brother, agreeing with him about that fiasco – it had resulted in a series of rather troublesome explosions and an errant puppet or two chasing them around the training grounds for a few hours before Guren had given up. However, now-a-days, the two of them could handle enchantments rather well.
"No spells and enchantments on your partner," Guren said in a scolding manner to his youngest.
"Awh….and I was hoping I could at least put a jinx or two on him….." Kimizuki glared.
"Half-pint demon!" Yuuichiro grinned in an impish manner.
"Can I curse him?" the Lieutenant Colonel sighed.
"No, you can't jinx him, enchant him, use a spell or curse him….now play nice Yuu," he said as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"Fine…." Mika shook his head.
"Honestly….what was that supposed to accomplish?" he asked his brother as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Hmm….don't know….I just thought it might be entertaining…." Kimizuki glared at them.
"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" he said.
"What? Sorry, didn't see you there…." The pink-haired teen glowered.
"Why don't I do the world a favor and end your existence right here? Huh?" Mika shook his head.
"I'd like to see you try it four-eyes!" the black-haired boy grabbed a book.
"Really, come on Yuu! Don't throw books in the class room!" Mika started to try and stop his brother from bludgeoning the pink-haired teen while the other continued to throw insults at the black-haired boy.
"I'm not throwing anything! I'm planning on just bashing his skull in and sending him to meet his maker….see, that plan doesn't involve throwing anything…" the boy stated in a serious tone.
Guren sighed as he rubbed his temples. Ever since the boys had started working with the Army, Guren had experienced a few statements from people about Yuuichiro's knack for doing some rather brash things and even causing a bit of chaos – not that he hadn't gotten a few stories on Mikaela as well during that first year – Kimizuki though, seemed to be pressing the wrong buttons at the right times. For that, he could only hope there was a remedy for it before the day came where he sent his two boys out into the fray with Cursed Gear. The man huffed as he considered the prospect of that moment coming closer. Without question, he knew that both of his boys were perfectly capable of fighting; however, it was a different story when it came to Cursed Gear.
"This is a bad idea Lieutenant Colonel," Shinoa said gleefully. He groaned and looked to her.
"Shut up peanut gallery." She stuck her tongue out at him.
{Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose's office: 6:31pm}
The sound of soft jazz music played in the background as Guren read over a few documents Sayuri had left for him to sign. The day had been stressful, but not as much as previous ones. His biggest concern was getting Yuuichiro and Mikaela to work well with a team. As the head of the Moon Demon Company, it was his job to assign Cursers to each team. In total, six people were placed within each unit and while he was aware of what each team needed – strengths and weaknesses – and he had every intention of building a team around his two brats. Between them and four others, they would be almost unbeatable so long as he could get everyone to work together.
"That'll be the hard part…"
Guren's internal musings were interrupted by the door opening – the peace of his record player being cut off – as he looked up and saw a certain pink-haired teenager standing before him. He sighed, knowing that there was a reason that Kimizuki was standing in his office right then. If it had nothing to do with Hyakuya Yuuichiro and Hyakuya Mikaela – or at least the youngest one – he was going to have a heart attack only because he was roughly ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure that his presence had something to do with the two brothers. Guren leaned back in his chair and sighed before looking at him.
"What are you doing here Kimizuki? You aren't supposed to come in without permission," he said with frustration clear in his tone.
"With all due respect Sir, I need to speak with you…"
"If this has anything to do with the Hyakuya brothers I swear…." Kimizuki nodded.
"It has to do specifically with Hyakuya Yuuichiro." Guren let out a groan in annoyance before looking to the teenager.
"I figured as much. Alright, out with it….what's got you so wired about him?" Kimizuki glanced down a bit.
"I wanted to ask about them. I know you've said that you've raised them since they were twelve, but how do you mean that exactly?" Guren turned a picture frame on his desk to face Kimizuki.
"Take a look…."
Kimizuki picked up the picture frame and looked at the image of the Lieutenant Colonel in a pair of black pants and a plain white-button up shirt. Standing with him outside in the early summer-time was a twelve-year-old Mikaela with bandages on him and his arm wrapped in gauze still on his left while on his right was Yuuichiro at roughly the same age with a slightly anxious gaze, yet a calm expression – though he seemed to be a bit shy which dumbfounded him - Guren's hands were on their heads and he had his usual smirk on his face. Both the boys were wearing loose fitting black pants with white t-shirts and were barefoot in the image. The sky was blue and the grass a bright green. It was an image of relative peace and while the two boys were smiling ever so slightly, Kimizuki got the distinct sensation that they were still heavily wounded.
"How many years ago was this?" he asked.
"Four, as I've said before; I've raised them after their four years in captivity and they've both suffered a lot. Mika if you notice is the more lax between the two while Yuu doesn't talk about the past much and tends to be on guard around others that haven't earned his trust." Kimizuki frowned.
"And how did you earn his trust?" Guren sighed as he removed his gloves and slid his sleeves up to show Kimizuki something.
"It wasn't what you would call easy. Like I said earlier: I have the bite marks to prove it…"
As the Lieutenant Colonel said this he held out his arms to show the pink-haired teen a series of scratches and bite marks on his arms and a severe one to his hand that startled him as Guren sighed and looked the scars over. It had taken months, but by summer, Guren had earned Yuuichiro's trust to the point that the boy wouldn't attack him if he came to close, but that had been quite the task in order to come to that point.
"What are these from?" asked the pink-haired teen.
"The kid you keep getting into fights with. When we brought Mikaela and Yuuichiro to Shibuya they were pretty banged up as I'm sure you've heard; however, Yuuichiro when we found them outside of Sanguinem was feral….his behavior was unnaturally wild, but over time he calmed down and became as he is now….which is better than the child I brought in that made us believe that he would never be capable of existing in normal society…" Kimizuki sighed.
"Feral huh….I can still see that in him when he glares at me…like I'm staring down a wild animal," he said.
"Yep, that's my youngest brat….but I'm sure you're not here for the heartwarming tale of how I rescued two battered and beaten children from the snow….so, what do you want to really ask?" a frown graced the teen's face.
"I want to know if I'm going to be able to try out for the Black Demon Series," he questioned as he put the picture frame back on Guren's desk. The man sighed.
"Why do you want it? For power? To prove some point?" Kimizuki frowned again.
"The Army does a thorough background check on all of the candidates so I know that you're aware of why I want to join the Moon Demon Company," he said.
"Yes, I do. Your little sister was infected with the virus despite being under the age of thirteen and you want a cure. Naturally, joining the Moon Demon Company has multiple perks and that includes unlimited medical care that is unavailable to a majority of the general public….that's understandable." Kimizuki sighed.
"Why do I get there's a however in there somewhere?" he asked.
"However, your need for power will devour you alive." The pink-haired teen huffed.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" he inquired in frustration.
"If I were to let you lay a hand on a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear it would swallow you whole…" Kimizuki narrowed his eyes.
"And I'll bet that you'll let Hyakuya Mikaela and Hyakuya Yuuichiro try for it though….won't you? Lieutenant Colonel?" he probed as the man laughed.
"Why do you think that? Because I found them? Because I adopted them and then took care of them and became their parental figure? Spare me the theatrics…" Kimizuki stared at the man.
"What will you do then?" he asked. Guren smirked a bit.
"Both Yuuichiro and Mikaela can handle more than people tend to give them credit for….not to mention they were trained around Black Demon Series Cursed Gear. If anyone can honestly hold their ground against one of the Demon Kings, it'll be those two," Guren stated.
"Please! I can handle a demon especially if those two brats can do it!" the Lieutenant Colonel stood and grabbed the hilt of his sword as the words left the teenager and he looked to him.
"Oh? Are you certain Kimizuki? Because, let me assure you of one thing…." He unsheathed the katana and black tendrils filled the room; coiling around every surface like a tangle of ink-black hair that threatened to choke the oxygen from the place.
Kimizuki stared onward in awe before the sensation of ice flooded him and his breathing seemed to still. A cold sweat broke out on his body as his heart raced to a point that he felt as if it was about to burst. Guren stood at the center of it all as if nothing was happening and the teenager wasn't directly before him in a great deal of pain. The Lieutenant Colonel as perfectly capable of handling his demon without even flinching; however, it was evident that the boy before him had never once been around a demon, let alone a Demon King – or Queen in the case of his weapon – which became even more evident when the boy started to grow pale.
"Kimizuki Shioh, your greed for power and a cure may be very well be of good intentions; however, those desires run deep and will devour you. Mikaela and Yuuichiro have surpassed that a long time ago. Yes, they do indeed want revenge, but their need for it is being outweighed by something far greater and that is their friends. You need support, comradery, and trust in others or the demon will both overpower you and possess you or it will crush your soul," he said as he sheathed his sword.
"But….they…." he felt his body slowly relax and Guren crossed his arms over his chest.
"Sorry, but you'll have to train harder Kimizuki before I even consider letting you or Mikaela and Yuuichiro even so much as touch a Black Demon Series Cursed Gear," the Lieutenant Colonel stated sharply. Kimizuki swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I see….thank you for your time, Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose." Kimizuki bowed and left as Guren sat down with a groan.
"What am I going to do with these kids Mahiru? They're killing me with how stubborn and impatient they are….hmmm…." Guren glanced towards the image of himself, Mika, and Yuu roughly three weeks after Yuuichiro had finally gotten used to him.
"Even with all that though….I honestly couldn't ever think of things being different….and even if I could go back, I would never change my decision from that day four years ago…."
{Training Center: June 11th 2020, 4:15pm}
Shinoa Hiragi was many things, and she prided herself on most of those qualities; however, she also was a rather patient person and she found it to be a good quality to have – unlike most in her family – and while she had a snarky attitude and was known for her sharp comebacks the complications she had been witnessing thus far was nothing short of dumbfounding. Yoichi had paired up with her, and Mika had been snagged by a brown-haired girl who needed a partner but Yuuichiro and Kimizuki had been pared together on orders from Guren just as he had planned. At first, it seemed as if it was going to pan out fairly well, and then the Cursed Dolls came out and the groups started panicking.
Mika had remained calm in the face of danger and his partner followed him, Yoichi followed her lead and worked well with her. As for Kimizuki and Yuuichiro? Not so much. They argued, were tossed painfully into a pillar and were now unable to work together period. The girl sighed as she watched Yuu who was doing his best not to blow up at the pink-haired teenager who refused to listen to even his basic suggestions. Her heart went out to the black-haired boy only because she knew it was Guren who did this to train the two to not be so stubborn, but to also mess with Yuuichiro's psyche.
While Shinoa that Guren had good intentions, she was starting to notice that there was a certain swell of insanity that not even she could stand. Tangerine eyes looked to see Mikaela looking at the black-haired boy and the pink-haired one with annoyance that made her certain that he was more than prepared to snap the shackle on his wrist and go help his brother while Yoichi appeared torn between obeying the rules and helping his friend. Shinoa huffed as she turned her direction towards the Dolls and was nearly set to going back to work when they suddenly froze.
"Kimizuki Shioh! Please head to the medical ward! Your sister Mirai has taken a turn for the worse!" Sayuri called from the stands, causing everyone to turn towards her while the rest of them – including Yuuichiro – looked to the pink-haired teenager.
"You have a sister?" the words from Mika had Kimizuki frowning.
"Shut up…." Shinoa frowned as she took in a deep breath and tucked the details away for later.
"Kimi…." The pink-haired teen shook his head.
"No, I want to keep going. I apologize to everyone for delaying the drill. Please, keep going," Kimizuki stated. Emerald eyes narrowed.
"But, your sister is…." The older teenager waved Yuu off.
"I didn't ask for your opinion! Please continue the…."
This time, Kimizuki wasn't cut off by a statement, but by a direct punch to the face. Emerald eyes glinted brightly – almost an electric green had flared around his pupils which had slitted – as he glared at his partner. Anger overtook and he grabbed the other teenager by his shirt before narrowing his eyes as Shinoa, Mika, and Yoichi watched while Kimizuki stared back at Yuuichiro in shock at being hit and then he looked into the boy's green eyes.
"She's your sister dammit! She needs you! If something were to happen to her and you weren't there because of something as stupid as this then I can assure you that you would hate yourself for the rest of your life! Family isn't something you throw away for your own goals!" he snapped.
Shinoa, was decidedly impressed by the boy's statement. His resolve and dedication was something that she always admired; however, seeing his loyalty and compassion for those he cared for was something to be reckoned with. Kimizuki looked decidedly cowed at his statement and submitted to him almost instantly. The periwinkle-haired girl glanced to Mikaela who nodded to his brother while Yoichi kept his calm expression about him. She watched as the black-haired, emerald-eyed boy dragged Kimizuki off to get directions to the medical ward while the pink-haired teen walked quietly behind him in submission.
"Seems that Yuu has a way with words," stated Yoichi.
"Yea, he most certainly does…" Shinoa giggled.
"Not that a sock to the face doesn't get things across as well…." Mika smiled.
"True, let's just hope that they get to Kimizuki's sister fast," he stated.
"Yea, I agree with you there."
{Medical Ward: 5:02pm}
After arriving at the medical ward only ten or so minutes after having received the call about his sister – how they got there so quickly, the pink-haired teen would never quite understand – Kimizuki was finally given some news. Mirai had stabilized and how, an hour later he couldn't be more relieved. However, his gaze that had stayed trained on his little sister for what seemed like days, now turned towards the black-haired, emerald-eyed boy sitting on the ground next to him. The boy had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, seemingly in a trance-like state as he took in the words and environment around him.
Kimizuki frowned, now that he was walking towards the outside of the hospital listening to the growing silence of the evening hours close in. What was causing him to seem so dazed? Why was he so quiet? The pink-haired teen sighed as he considered that he felt something akin to gratitude towards the boy walking beside him. If Yuuichiro hadn't quite literally knocked some sense into him; there was a possibility that he would have missed his chance to say his farewells to his little sister.
Thankfully, that hadn't been the case; however, after having thanked the doctor, Kimizuki continued to notice the glassy-eyed stare that the boy beside him kept up as he looked to the ground while they continued to walk and finally made it to the outside. It was when the slightly cool air of the evening greeted them that Kimizuki glanced to the boy once again and noted that the look in his eyes had changed from the one that he'd seen in the hospital room. For a moment, it seemed as if the boy desired something and couldn't bring himself to follow through with that feeling despite his wish to do so.
"What's up?" he asked off-handedly. The question roused the boy from his seemingly internal debate and caused him to glance his way.
"Nothing….I just….your sister, she's been infected with the apocalypse virus and she's just now thirteen? To be honest….it seems like a really unjust hand for a child that young to be facing death." Kimizuki looked at him fully.
"You know….I don't think I've ever met someone as weird as you before Hyakuya," he said as he sat down on the right side of a bench facing away from the emerald-eyed teen while he settled on the left side, leaving them back-to-back.
"Yea, you're not the first to tell me that I'm strange…but, you know? It's still nice that you got to see her." Kimizuki smiled a bit.
"Well, I guess I can forgive you for socking me earlier, and I'll thank you for getting me to see my sister," he stated. The boy hummed.
"Should I say you're welcome?" Kimizuki shrugged.
"Might as well…..I guess it's justified that you're getting a bad mark on the test as well. I'll probably fail….and without the right scores I won't make it into the Moon Demon Company," he mentioned in a defeated tone.
"Hey! You can't just give up like that! Your sister needs you to get into the Moon Demon Company so that she can get better! Hell, maybe she'll even join you on the field one day…" Kimizuki blinked as he heard the words and a sense of realization came over him.
"He's a hell of a lot more sincere than I thought he would be….."
"Hmm…." Yuuichiro sighed at the silence.
"Besides, the only person who's got any right to judge this fool is me," he said while leaning his head back a bit.
"You can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that? But….you are right about not giving up….thanks, I guess." The boy huffed.
"We're still going to butt-heads though, huh?" he asked as Kimizuki glanced to him.
"Well….I suppose I could lighten up on you and your brother a tad." The boy laughed a bit.
"Thinking of you lightening up is just insane! Just stick to your guns Kimizuki – don't change for people," he said. The pink-haired teen frowned.
"I am not changing for anyone! Especially someone like you!" Kimizuki stared at the boy as he laughed again.
"Then I guess we'll just have to get used to it!"
Kimizuki stared onward at the laughing boy who still astounded him as he watched. What was he to do with this person? Hyakuya Yuuichiro confused him at every turn – even more so than his brother, Mikaela did – and even with the details he had been given, he still was positive that he wasn't getting the fully story, and he still couldn't quite shake the unnerved sensation he got when he was around either one of them. They had a presence to them that made everything inside him shake in slight fear despite his best efforts; however, he knew he wasn't alone in his feeling. Saotome had mentioned to him that he often felt a similar sensation, but the purple-haired witch in their group who went by the name of Hiragi Shinoa, merely passed it off as nerves for the brunette and himself.
"But every time I see them….I get the feeling that their not like the rest of us. And because of that….I feel threatened….so I have to act stronger than them….even so…."
Brownish-pink eyes looked at the emerald-eyed boy who gave him a slight smile. Looking at the younger of the Hyakuya brothers, one wouldn't assume that the lithe, admittedly tiny fifteen-year-old was as strong as he was. The boy with his smaller stature, messy raven-black hair, startling, and wide emerald-eyes had an air of innocence to him that most took for weakness. However, Kimizuki had already seen this boy's capabilities in small bursts and knew that he had a certain strength to him that surpassed even his own. The abilities and powers had nothing to do with any of the boy's personal strength though.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose, it wasn't from just his training, or his will, nor his persistence to avenge his fallen family members alongside Mikaela. It was his comradery with his brother, his willingness to accept that some things couldn't be changed, and his newfound friends that made him stronger than him. It was simple: his bonds and ties to others, gave him strength. Kimizuki huffed and stood as he looked to the other.
"We better get home. The last thing I need is your brother clawing my eyes out and gutting me," Kimizuki said as Yuuichiro glanced his way while they started walking.
"Oh, I doubt that Mika would claw your eyes out or gut you…" the pink-haired teen sighed in slight relief.
"That's…." the boy stretched a bit – doing an odd one where he bent his arm behind his head and used his other hand to pull his elbow towards his other side- before taking in a deep breath.
"Now, maiming? Probably, he is kind of over protective…" the other frowned.
"So I've seen…he nearly killed me once already since you've gotten better," he stated. Yuu nodded a bit as they kept walking and he yawned a bit.
"It's typical of him to be that way. We lost our whole family at the hands of a Vampire and watched it happen….not to mention we nearly lost our own lives in the process….it was four years ago, but seeing those things made him that way. Now, he just wants to make sure I'm okay and vice-versa….we're really all each other has left." Kimizuki scratched the back of his head as they continued walking.
"I can admire that much about the two of you: you're both very loyal. Admittedly, I don't think that's something many people have now-a-days," he said.
"Do you think that all this happened for a reason?" the boy seemed to ask this half-heartedly and Kimizuki rose an eyebrow at the tone he used.
"Well, maybe….I mean, who knows for sure right?" the boy glanced down.
"Personally, I think that the world needed a do-over. There was so much utter bullshit that was going down that it decided it needed to flip a coin and choose either near annihilation of the world's population or to just let it continue to get worse. Of course, if you think about it….our world's pretty screwed up now too. With so much going on its pushed everyone and everything in this world into war….the Four Horseman of John, the Vampires, people coming out of the woodwork with strange abilities…" the boy paused and Kimizuki remained silent as the boy sighed and shook his head.
"If you think about it….all this stretches the limits of the imagination…it kind of feels like living in a nightmare that no matter how much you try, no matter how far you go or struggle…..deep down….you know you'll never wake up from it. That this is now your reality and everything else is a dream…" Kimizuki frowned at the boy's words.
"That was something else….who knew you could go so deep? Honestly though…." The boy looked to him.
"What?"
"That was kind of creepy, coming from someone who's typically so blunt and goes headlong into stuff without thinking," he said. The boy narrowed his eyes a bit.
"Please, people just assume I'm stupid because I tend to act brashly. I'm a lot smarter and much more observant than most seem to realize….but, seriously, seeing your sister today kind of let me see another thing that we're fighting for." The pink-haired teen looked to him.
"And what's that?" he asked. Sharp-green looked to him.
"It's not just for ourselves, the pain the Vamps brought us, or for something as petty as vengeance….it's for the ones who can't fight. For the ones who have family that still need something to look forward to, for the people who still need heroes, the ones who need we chose to fight for knowing that they could never bare the pain….we're kind of giving them hope," he mentioned this and Kimizuki sighed.
"Yea, I guess you got a point there, and I agree with you on…." Emerald looked to pinkish-brown.
"Did we just…." Kimizuki frowned.
"Have a civil conversation?" the black-haired boy nodded.
"That was freaking weird! I'm hanging out with you to much four-eyes," he said.
"Shut up midget!" Yuu rolled his eyes.
"And suddenly, the world rights itself again…" he mentioned.
"We couldn't be that damn lucky you stupid brat!"
"Shut up four-eyes!"
"Make me!"
"Oh, I will you nonsensical megalomaniac!"
"Bring it on cherry boy!" the black-haired fifteen-year-old went dark-pink in the face and then nearly growled as Kimizuki watched him.
"GUREN! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME YOU SMARTASSED NUISANCE?!"
{Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose's Office: 11:23pm}
After a long day of work, Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose Guren was sitting in his office finishing up paperwork with Sayuri as he always did when a chill went up his spine and he sneezed. Sayuri had turned to him when he paused in his signing and reading of the papers and looked out towards the window with questioning on his face. Something deep inside told him that he would have to deal with some sort of unpleasantness soon and at current, he could only give two guesses as to who it was. With a sigh, Sayuri looked at the papers she had been working on and finished them up before turning her attention to Guren who was giving the clock and the window a series of wide sweeping looks before she laid the documents on his desk, causing him to jolt a bit while she frowned.
"Sir, is something the matter?" she asked.
"No, I just got this distinct feeling that someone has it out for me." The brunette-haired woman sighed while shaking her head as she considered who it could be.
"Well, you have been absent lately….but I'll give you two guesses: they have blonde-hair and black-hair and are around fifteen and sixteen years old," she said.
"I figured….they always seem to find me when I don't need them to…still….that was strange…I felt as if someone just vowed to take my life." A tick developed in her eyebrow.
"I'm about to take your life if you don't finish these papers up and let me get some sleep!" she stated sharply.
"Take it easy Sayuri, we'll get them done." She huffed.
"Sir, with all due respect….IT'S NEARLY MIDNIGHT!" the man looked to the clock.
"Oh, so it is. Well, we can finish these tomorrow," he said as he stood. Sayuri huffed in dismay.
"This would be Gurenese for: ten days from now…."
{Demon Army War Room Base: June 20th 2020, 4:03pm}
The current emotion of one Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose Guren was boredom. After making his escape from the meeting with the Hiragi family, the man had a throbbing headache, a desire for a nap, and perhaps a twelve-quart bottle of scotch or two. The group that led the entirety of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army was practically royalty; however, while most groveled, Guren wasn't one of them. The man rarely wasted time for formalities and while he had raised his two children to behave in high society – one never knew when the occasion could call for such a thing – none of them used those manners in front of those who merely demanded respect, besides, in their eyes: they had bigger issues. Guren mused his hair out of its combed back state and sighed as he started down the steps of the meeting hall only to find himself pausing when he heard footsteps.
"I think I lost a few brain cells…ahhh… there's the trouble I was looking for….."
"GUREN! THERE YOU ARE YOU BASTARD!" and then came a well-known flying kick.
Over the years, Guren and his team had perfected special techniques with Mikaela and Yuuichiro and had learned their strengths and weaknesses. Mikaela had swift, strong hits that could knock even the strongest hand-to-hand combatants for a bit of a loop while Yuuichiro with his slighter build and faster speed was known for precipitate, agile, and powerful kicks that Guren and Goshi both had been the victims of in the past.
Admittedly though, the kid that he was currently causing to hop around because of him holding his foot in the air had gotten rather good at his attacks, still, there was only so much a person as lithe as Yuuichiro could do to someone who was used to both his style of attack and his personality. Guren glanced to him as he continued to hop a bit before he laughed at him.
"Well, impressive. You're getting faster and stronger; I almost didn't catch it this time," he said as he let go, causing the boy to fall down upon the ground. He watched as the boy hopped back and then fell again before he tried to pull himself up by straining his arms and upper body but failed as he landed on his back again and slowly crawled up into a kneeled position.
"What are you waiting for? I told you I don't know how many times already: quit wasting me and Mika's time with these boring classes! We already know this stuff! We can handle the Demons and the Vampires!" he looked to him and Guren sighed.
"We need to get you a date – soon," he stated as he stared at the boy.
"Shut up! You jackass! I told you to stop wasting our time nine months ago! When are you just going to let us do what we've been trying to since you took us in?" Guren frowned.
"There's no beating around the bush with you, is there?" the black-haired boy narrowed his eyes.
"If anyone should know that it's you! Lieutenant Colonel Smartass!"
"Listen, I don't think I need to stand here and listen to you argue about this with me," he said.
"So what? You're just going to waste more of our time?"
"I need to keep him placated until I can actually do something. I don't need Yuu or Mika drawing the Hiragi's attention….and he does have a bit of a point…."
Guren looked at the boy as he stood and bright green eyes looked up to him from under black bangs that fell messily into his face. No matter what the situation, the kid had a way of making someone bend to his desires with just a few certain looks – the unintentional puppy dog look that he was getting was one of them – and this one in particular, always worked. Guren sighed in defeat as the boy waited for his verdict while the man internally mused at how soft these two children had made him over the last four years when it came to them.
"Alright, if you say that the two of you can handle a demon, then I'll let you try some Cursed Gear," he said.
"Really? No joke?" again, he looked at him with a small glint of hopefulness in his eyes.
"Sure, I don't care if you don't finish your training. That way, if you die: it's your faults," he stated. The boy smirked in a slightly snarky manner.
"Unlikely, we can handle ourselves plus, we're kick-ass fighters because of your prior training and we have a few years-experience over some of the others." Guren shook his head with a sigh.
"Uhuh, you have a point there….but Yuuichiro? One more thing?" he asked.
"Hmmm?" Guren drop kicked the boy over the head.
"THAT'S FOR ATTEMPTING TO KICK A SUPERIOR OFFICER!"
The boy's eyes lolled back into his head and he hit the ground as Guren shook his head before he started to pull the boy into his arms and slowly positioned him onto his back. He hadn't meant to hit him that hard; apparently though, the boy wasn't given the time to brace for it and had been taken off guard. Sighing, the Lieutenant Colonel started to walk away from the area while he glanced at the child he was carrying whose head was rested against his shoulder. It brought back memories of the earlier years when he had carried the boy back to his home when the child had trained and worked until he'd passed out and Mikaela was still too weak to carry him back.
"Still…things are getting interesting, I suppose…."
{Academy Classroom: June 21st 2020, 4:55pm}
"Wow! I heard only super-humans could get a score like this! You must be so proud!"
Shinoa had set to what had become a favorite past time in these last eight-and-a-half months: teasing one of the Hyakuya brothers. Currently, she was running around the classroom with Yuuichiro's test in her hands, skipping and giggling as she went. Mikaela had known what the girl was up to the moment she appeared near his brother and had managed to hide the other two tests – which if he checked were on the higher end of the scores – while the one that the black-haired boy was chasing her around the room for was a little bit worse for wear.
Admittedly, the blonde had noticed that the boy had been slightly scatter-brained lately – which came to a surprise for most to learn that he normally wasn't like that – and it worried him when he noticed the boy couldn't focus or sleep well at night. However, right then seeing him running into objects and trying to catch Shinoa let him know in some peculiar manner that his brother was slowly coming out of whatever it was that had him so dazed lately.
"Shinoa! Give it back! I…." she held up her empty hands as he grasped her shoulders.
"Whoa, how did he get a zero?" the boy bristled as the blonde gaped momentarily.
"Really?! Does anyone here give two fucks about common courtesy?" Mika thought as he looked at the other students staring at his brother's Japanese Spellcraft Test. He had half a mind to detonate an explosion spell on them just to show them how outclassed they were because if he thought about it: there were at least two explosive spell sutras still in his jacket pocket.
"That takes a special kind of stupid," said a student while Mika winced, knowing that this was going to get ugly.
"Arrrr….ahhh!" the older of the two brothers was proven correct when he, Yoichi, and Shinoa watched as the boy hopped a bit in one spot and dove across the room and snatched the paper off the desk from the other students – going over the edge of the desk in the process – a few seconds later he was walking towards Shinoa who only smiled as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Why did you do that?" the girl smiled wider.
"I just wanted to help you fit in better. You know? Make more friends," she said.
"I don't need friends to kill Vampires! Why don't you and Guren get it? Can't you just drop this crap already!" the girl sighed.
"It wouldn't hurt, you know?" she told him with a bland expression.
"You need to stop! Are we clear?" Shinoa sighed and leaned back a bit in her chair while Mika shook his head.
"Yea, we're clear as crystal. Just don't come crying to me when you need someone to back you up and get yourself hurt," she told him.
"Please! I could kill fifty of those fangs with my eyes closed!" he crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at her.
"Said the childish fool," she stated. He slammed his hands on her desk with a frown.
"You're a childish fool!"
"Come on now….it makes sense that you failed," said Yoichi.
"Huh?" Mika felt a bit of tension in him as he looked at his brother whose voice held an edge to it while the blonde sighed as he looked at the three of them and then to Kimizuki who was looking a little bit smug right then.
"Sorry, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say is that because you spent four years as a captive of the Vampires; your Japanese writing and language skills aren't as good as your Latin and English are," he said. Yuuichiro glanced to the side, relaxing a bit.
"Yea….well….that goes without saying."
"Ha, that excuse is almost as lame as your test scores," Kimizuki interjected.
"Oh yea? And how would you…." The black-haired boy reached into his pocket and then looked to Kimizuki who was holding a piece of paper up.
"Problem?" Yuu marched over to him.
"Yuu, I really…." Mika was cut off.
"Your test scores better be epic as hell or I'll pop you one for being an arrogant ass!" he snapped.
"Here you go. English, Latin, and Japanese Spellcraft…." Emerald eyes looked at the one-hundreds on all three of the tests with a bit of shock before narrowing his eyes.
"Huh?"
"Foreign languages aren't even my strong suit. This should be easy for study-abroad posers like you and your brother, Hyakuya," Kimizuki said.
"Really? How about I use you for vamp killing practice?" he jumped again and put tensed his hands into fists, prepared to knock the other's teeth in.
"I'd like to see you try it, midget!"
"What'd you call me? You half-brained ogre?!"
"Remember, I haven't dismissed you yet!" the door opened as Sayuri watched the chaos unfold before her attention was turned to Guren who walked in as the door closed with a click.
"Morning, Sayuri…." He said.
"It's the afternoon Sir."
"What's with all the commotion?" he asked as he looked around the room and then spotted Kimizuki and Yuuichiro arguing again.
"I'm sure you can figure that out…." The Lieutenant Colonel sighed.
"Are they at it again?" he questioned.
"Yes, but I guess that's to be expected. They do seem to view one another as rivals." She smiled a bit while Guren looked them over and then turned his attention to her.
"So, any contenders this year?" Guren asked as she nodded.
"Yes, some of them could use more practice; however, just as I'm sure you assumed, both Hyakuya Mikaela and Hyakuya Yuuichiro are definitely on the top of the list as is Kimizuki Shioh and Saotome Yoichi, who has an extremely high resistance to Demons." The man smirked.
"And what do you think of them as contenders for the Black Demon Series?" Sayuri glanced to the teenagers with slight hesitation.
"Well, normally, I wouldn't say so without further training; but, both Yuuichiro and Mikaela are as they were two years ago: more than capable of handling it. Kimizuki and Saotome have a high chance as well. The four of them, they're much stronger than I was at sixteen," she said and as she finished speaking, sharp emerald-green locked onto Guren.
"Wait, let's put this on hold: Guren's come out of hiding. Hey! Where have you been, you…" Kimizuki shoved him aside.
"Let me do this, your too loud! With all due respect Sir, you've been absent without excuse for almost twelve days now. As students, I am certain you understand that we feel neglected. I think that giving us some Cursed Gear would make up for that," he stated.
"Do you honestly think that any of you can handle the rare Black Demon Series power?" he asked.
"We wouldn't be asking if we didn't think we could…." Guren glanced towards Mika as the boy stated this and smirked.
"Very well then. I'll just do this now and save us some time," Guren unsheathed his sword and rose it to strike the ground.
"Oh?! Are you going to attack?" Shinoa's voice came out in slight excitement and he frowned.
"Just don't blame me if you die. Blame it on you not training hard enough." He jabbed the sword into the stone floor and the room was flooded with darkness.
Strands like ever flowing black hair filled the room alongside its stagnant purple light. Most of the students instantly hit the ground in pure agony while Guren frowned, knowing that though they weren't dead: they were utterly drained of energy. His gaze went around the classroom before landing upon those standing up in the back. Shinoa, was standing with a smile upon her face with two other students who were struggling, but surviving. Meanwhile, his gaze went to the last four he saw. To his slight surprise, Kimizuki and Yoichi were standing; however, out of the seven still on their feet, only Shinoa, Yoichi, and – not to his surprise one bit – Yuu and Mika. His gaze remained on them longer and he finally took note that Yoichi was starting to behave anxiously while Kimizuki himself was hunched over, clutching his chest in evident pain.
"I think that's enough: I don't need to see anymore…."
He pulled the sword out of the floor and put it away. The damage was basic compared to what he was used to his sword doing – then again, he did only use moderate strength in the release of the Demon's power – and he was also rather pleased to see four of his favorites and two additions standing in the back. He sighed when he noted Shinoa was still standing before he looked them over once more and cleared his throat. Having someone unleash a Demon on you in a classroom wasn't what they'd expected; however, they had faired pretty well for a group of children. He smirked when he saw his two adopted brats holding up without an ounce of strain: they would fair very well indeed.
"If you're still conscious that means you're doing well; however, you've still got a long way to go, so keep training." He looked to the rest of them.
"Sir?" Guren nodded to Sayuri, letting her know what he was planning.
"If you're still standing, congratulations: you just got yourselves four stars. You get to try out for the rare Black Demon Series, the same style weapon as my own. There's six…" Guren paused when the extra boy and girl collapsed.
"Okay, four candidates: Yuuichiro, Mikaela, Kimizuki….and Yoichi…" he looked to Shinoa who smiled brightly.
"I wish you had passed out. Still, I shouldn't expect anything less from General Hiragi's daughter – I bet you didn't even use a ward! What a turn off!" the girl giggled.
"Oh, you just know I'm the cutest thing you've ever seen!" she said.
"Piss off!" the girl laughed.
"So…now what?" Guren looked to them.
"Follow me. You get to try out for the Black Demon Series. Hurry up before I change my mind."
With that, the group of students began their next step on their journey to becoming members of the Moon Demon Company. However, far greater challenges were lying in wait for them and more struggles than just the Demons that were awaiting for them within weapons in a basement.
{…..}
You make me more, You make me superhuman…
{…}
Author's Note: If anyone dares to tell me that this thing was too short I swear….this chapter was 37 pages long! I kid you not folks. Anyways, we're getting towards the bigger things now and I hope that everyone likes the added details if you read the original story. I look forward to reading about your thoughts and opinions. Once more, if there are any questions: feel free to PM me.
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94
Chapter 6: To Form a Contract