I don't know if many people think of him like this, but I kind of see a bishounen-like quality in Hecadoth. He also reminds me of Ruki, the lead singer of the GazettE. Nah, don't mind me. This is just what I think of him. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.

Chapter 11- Controlling the Demon Powers

"Hah!" I shout as I deliver a punch at Hecadoth while holding my fan in the other hand. He blocks it effectively and retaliates by sending a punch at me, which I block as well. Right now, we're busy showing one of our sparring sessions to Laymia, Graphel, and Naga, who've wanted to see how much I know before I learn how to control my powers.

I finally end the fight by delivering a roundhouse kick at him through his blind spot. He realizes this too late and he's sent flying back onto the ground. I stare in surprise at this sudden strength.

Hecadoth looks stunned but it quickly turns into a small smile. "Impressive, Yumi," he praises. "You're becoming better at this."

I let out a rueful chuckle. "Sorry if I did any damage on you," I apologize.

"Oi, why the hell are you apologizing?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. "That was a good strike. And besides, you can't apologize to your opponents when in battle."

"S-Sorry…"

"There you go again!"

Naga nods approvingly. "She is pretty capable," he comments. "Her fighting skills are rather strong. I'd say that she's ready to learn how to control her powers."

Graphel nods. "Yeah, I guess," he agrees grudgingly.

"She has indeed gotten stronger," Laymia adds. "She seems even more determined than before."

Hecadoth turns to me. "Okay, Yumi. In order to use your powers properly, you need to calm your mind down. Only then, your powers can flow properly through your body." Suddenly, to my shock, he removes his shirt, revealing his bare, well-toned chest, and I feel my face starting to heat up as I look at his chest, which has various different scars and marks of his wounds from fighting. Not to mention, his muscles are very well-maintained and before I realize, my face turns at least five different shades of red. Oh my gosh… He looks so… wait, Yumi! Stop thinking like that!

"What the… What're you doing?!" I ask, my voice sounding flustered.

"Oi, Hecadoth!" Graphel calls out. "Put your shirt back on, dammit! You're distracting her!"

Hecadoth turns to me, frowning slightly. "Oi, Yumi. Snap out of it. You need to learn not to get so distracted," he orders, sounding slightly stern.

Is he serious?! Shirtless, well-toned, handsome guys are nearly every girl's weakness! Wait, did I just call Hecadoth handsome?! Gyaahh! Yumi, pull yourself together! I think to myself.

He lets out a sigh, running his fingers through his long black hair. "Listen up now," he says. "The reason why I took my shirt off is to show this." He places his index and middle fingers in the center of his abs. "Here is where you should feel the demonic energy. In order for it to flow through your body, you need to block all thoughts from your mind and focus only on this core of energy. Then, when it gets the signal, the energy will flow properly through your body." He gets into a stance to demonstrate. "Watch me."

I watch as he closes his eyes and takes deep breaths. Soon, I can sense the demonic energy rising, and the black tendrils slowly start forming around his fists and feet. "The reason why the energy comes out now is because your limbs are the main way it can be expelled. When it's properly controlled, it becomes lethal and dangerous."

I nod in understanding. "But wait, how are you able to have the energy surrounding your spear?" I ask.

"The spear is like an extension of my arm," he replies. "It surrounds the spear for that reason." He gets out of the stance and the energy slowly dissipates into the air.

I then try and clear my mind of all negative thoughts before I start practicing. However, the energy flow within me is weak and it's not as strong as I would've liked it. "Why's it not so strong?" I ask.

"There's something that's bothering you, that's why," he replies, putting his shirt back on. "You may not know it, but your mind is at war with some negative thought." He sits down. "Tell me, Yumi. What exactly is bothering you so much that you're at war with yourself? Is it the memory of your expulsion from your previous school that's still bothering you?"

I sigh. "Actually, it's not just that," I admit. "It's the mean girls who had mocked my mom. I had always been a favourite target of theirs right from middle school because I seemed... different to them. They soon realized that I'm not a normal human so they made it their job to make my life miserable. And some of their actions and words are still affecting me to this day."

"I see," Hecadoth says. "What kind of things did they do to you?"

"It started off with petty things like tripping me in class, stealing my pencils, just stuff like that," I start. "But then, when I got to high school, it soon escalated into some pretty hurtful things. They had started a petition to have me deported back to Japan just because I was an 'abnormal freak', they hid my clothes after Phys. Ed classes and forcing me to beg and plead in only a towel until I was on the verge of tears before giving my clothes back... one of the pushing incidents was that they had vandalized my house with racial slurs and profanities. My dad was furious and he even went to the school to talk to the principal about having them expelled and probably arrested. They only got away with it because of their daddies' money."

A look of disgust crosses Hecadoth's face. "How degrading," he remarks.

"Yeah. Despite all those incidents, I still scolded them. I had some good friends who never left me and no one really liked them, so that was reassuring. But it was over one remark about my mom that I completely snapped," I say, smiling wryly. "Right now, I just feel really angry."

A small smirk crosses his face. Right then, he goes to the weapons room and comes back with some training dummies. "Here. Pretend that these dummies are those girls and just punch out all your frustrations," he tells me, placing them in front of me. "I used to do that, except I pretended that I was punching the squadrons."

I grin. Right then, I start punching each and every training dummy with a lot of force, imagining that the dummies are those girls. As I do so, I see Hecadoth watching in amusement from the corner of my eye.

Eventually, after I've calmed down, we finish our training for the day. When I arrive at the watchtower after my session with Laymia, which is where I've started spending time, I see Hecadoth sitting on the window ledge. "What're you doing?" I ask, approaching him.

"Just thinking," he says. "How are things going with you and Laymia?" he asks.

I nod. "They're going good," I say.

He nods. "Laymia's very kind," he comments. "She's one of the motherly Pillar Barons and she's really good to talk to."

"You seem a bit bothered by something," I notice. "What's up?"

Hecadoth shakes his head. "I'm just so confused about the Kagirinai Kumori," he tells me. "When they were under the rule of Diabolos, the founder and former leader, they were nothing more than a group of assassins that did their duty. But something changed. What was it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Diabolos died sixteen years ago," he explains. "After his untimely death, someone else took over. But we don't know who. However, their morals changed and they became a group of bloodthirsty demons that kill for pleasure."

I nod. "Maybe we should get some rest for tonight," I tell him, staring at my Sailor Moon figurine. "We'll think about this tomorrow."

He notices the figurine in my hands. "What's that?" he asks.

"Hm? Oh, this is something that my mom had given me," I explain, showing him the figurine. "It's Tsukino Usagi, the main heroine of a magical girl anime called Sailor Moon, which I used to watch as a kid."

"Your mother gave it?" he asks.

"Yeah. It was the last thing she gave me," I say. "Since then, I've carried it with me as a way of remembering her."

As Hecadoth moves closer to get a better look at it, I can't help but be transfixed by how he looks right now. His long hair flows gently down his shoulders and the moonlight really enhances some of his features, giving him somewhat of a bishounen allure, enchanting me, enticing me into curiosity about him. Wow, I'm starting to sound like a heroine in a shoujo manga.

"We should go have dinner now," Hecadoth says, bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah, we should," I mumble softly. Yet even as I follow him to the mess hall, I can't help but feel… drawn to him, almost like a spell has been cast on me. I smile softly to myself. Hecadoth really is a charismatic man.