A/N: I'm really surprised that I would receive this many positive feedback for the first chapter. The amount of response had totally exceeded my expectation! Thank you so much to those who had given this story a chance. Without further ado, here is the second chapter! Again, remember to leave me a review at the end! Pardon me for the errors you may spot below; this chapter will be revised again when I find the time. And by the way, in case you didn't know, I have changed to the chronology of this story. Instead of two years, this story takes place three years after the anime.
Disclaimer (applies to all chapters): I do not own Blue Exorcist or the cover page, but only the OCs and the plot.
Devil Beside Me
#02
Night Encounter
The school bell rang the moment the hand of the wall clock struck one, signalling the end of their History lesson and the start of the next lesson. Tsubaki moved her bored gaze away from the teacher in the front and to Kaoru who had taken up her rightful duty as the class representative by standing up, prompting the class to greet the leaving teacher.
Getting up from her chair, Tsubaki mirrored her classmates around her, bowing at the waist and joining the lazy, sleepy chorus of greeting. Everyone dropped their stance as soon as the teacher exited the room. Groggily groans that filled the room were quickly turned to idle chats as her classmates turned to each other.
Tsubaki let out a weary sigh. Lethargy could be seen from her slumped shoulders and her incessant yawns. Raising her arms over her head for a stretch, Tsubaki twisted herself at her waist to the right, feeling a satisfying pull in the muscles at her side before twisting to the left to do the same for the other side.
Before she could finish her stretch, the empty seat at the back of the room caught her eyes.
With a frown, Tsubaki dropped her arms and was driven by curiosity to turn to look at the vacant table down the row, freshly recalling Rin asking their teacher to allow him to leave at the start of their fifth lesson for a toilet break in a demanding, urgent tone before dashing out of the room with the sword he always carried around on his back. The need to bring his sword with him to the toilet puzzled her as much as his absence for the entire hour and counting.
"Tsu-chan!"
"Huh?" Tsubaki snapped out of her pondering and turned back to find Mei whose seat was in front of her, looking at her impatiently. "What is it, Mei?" Tsubaki's eyebrows rose at the look she was receiving.
"I've been calling you for four times but you did not even turn!" The frown on Mei's mouth turned into a pout. "I was going to ask you whether you are interested in dropping by at the yogurt shop with me and Kaoru-chan after school since your patrol duty only starts tomorrow."
Tsubaki gave out a sheepish laugh. "My bad, I was thinking about something." The sheepish look on Tsubaki's face was quickly replaced by an apologetic frown. "Sorry, Mei, I promised my mom that I would go home straight after school. Plus, I'm training with my dad today."
"Aikido againnn…?"
"Yes, so next time alright?" Tsubaki shook her head at the sight of puppy eyes the redhead gave her, effortlessly dismissing the glittering rounded green eyes many had given in to. "Next timeeeeeee." She emphasised before reaching out to ruffle Mei's hair.
Mei harrumphed before sticking out her tongue childishly at Tsubaki. "Fine–"
Slam!
The sudden sound from the front of the classroom made them turn, alerting them to the arrival of their Biology teacher. "Alright, back to your seats! Enough chattering!" The loud chatters reduced to groans the moment the teacher said that. The clusters of students around the room dispersed as quickly as they had gathered.
The room was noisy again within seconds, this time with sound of chairs scraping against the floor, grumbles from her classmates and loud yawns filling it.
Their teacher wasted no time waiting for them to greet him. "Turn to Page 34 of your textbooks." He had already started writing on the blackboard, his white chalk producing thuds as it hit against the black surface at every stroke. "We're going to cover something really important today!"
Once Tsubaki had taken out her textbook and turned it to the 34th page for the lesson, she glanced up and watched Mei fumble for hers before looking away to watch others do the same. She caught the impatient look Kaoru wore as she stood waiting for everyone to stand for their usual greeting, glaring over her shoulders at their classmates who were still searching under their tables and in their bags for their textbooks.
Tsubaki who was about to turn her head back to the front, paused when the familiar squeaky sound the back door always made sounded from behind. From her peripheral vision, she dimly saw a few heads turn with hers.
She blinked in surprise at the door.
The boy she had wondered about minutes ago was now pushing the door open in a meek and careful manner, seemingly trying to sneak in from the back unnoticed. The way he was still acting despite the few pairs of eyes that were already on him, showed that he was still unaware of the weird looks on him.
Stepping within the room through the small gap he made, a startled look flashed past Rin's face when he finally looked up, taken back by the attention he received despite his sneaky entrance. With quick, nervous sweep of gaze across the surprised faces, his eyes stopped on a certain pair of golden eyes which was studying him like the others.
Tsubaki's eyebrows were raised as she took in the dishevelled state the dark-haired boy was in. His messy hair was messier than usual, way messier than when he left earlier. The tugged uniform she saw earlier was sticking out untidily over the brim of his black pants, looking like it was hastily shoved into the bottom piece. Her gaze moved up to his face to find a cut near the bridge of his nose and another under his left eye which was staring at…her.
A silent surprised gasp escaped her mouth as her golden eyes flickered up to meet his to find that he was indeed staring at her, unnerving her with child-like, curious blinks.
Why the hell is he…? A frown appeared Tsubaki's face as her sluggish mind suddenly racing with panic at her realization. Had enough of the strange stare-down, Tsubaki finally turned away to face the front, as calmly as she could like nothing weird just happened between them.
With eyes boring into the back of Mei's red head, Tsubaki breathed carefully. The light shuffling of foot which followed after a soft thump told her, even without the need to turn back, that the boy had closed the door and was now moving back to his seat.
"Good afternoon, Watanabe-sensei."
In the two years of her high school life, Tsubaki had never been this enthusiastic to join her classmates in greeting her teachers.
In one fluid movement, Tsubaki sidestepped to the right, folding the arm held firmly in her hands in an odd angle as she brought it over her head to finish the move by delivering a twist enough to hurt but not enough to break the wrist. Satisfied with the offensive form she had created before her, Tsubaki's eyes flickered up to the man which the arm belonged to. The wince on his face told her that she had got the technique right.
"Dad, is this right?" Tsubaki allowed herself a small smirk as she asked with eyes glistening in confidence.
Takahiro managed a smile despite the uncomfortable twist in his arm and nodded. "Better." The sides of his eyes crinkled as he let out a strained chuckle. "How about releasing the poor old man now?"
"Sorry, got carried away." Tsubaki stepped back and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, inwardly scolding herself for forgetting to hold back on her aging father. Times like this always occurred when she becomes too focused on her footwork and the way she executed techniques.
"Not too bad, Tsubaki. But it could be better." Takahiro straightened his crumbled hakama. "I saw your foot wobble just now. Work on your footwork and you will be on your way to getting this belt." Tsubaki's eyes drifted down to the black belt at his waist which the man gave a proud tug to.
Looking down at her own blue one around her waist, Tsubaki sighed and made a face. "It's gonna take me a long time to get that, Dad. A long time."
Takahiro blinked once at her and burst into chuckles. "All in good time, Tsubaki! It took me only two years and two years isn't as long as you think." He ran a hand through his short black hair thoughtfully. "Maybe you'll take even shorter? Who knows?"
"Takahiro, Tsubaki dear! You can stop the session now!"
"Excellent, looks like your mother has finish making dinner!" Tsubaki watched her father clap his hands delightfully and couldn't help but snicker in amusement at his obvious display of excitement. Age clearly did not change the child-like spirit her father carried.
"You two should tuck in first."
Takahiro paused his clapping and glanced over at his daughter with a puzzled look to find her walking over to the stand holding wooden practice swords they called 'bokken'.
Tsubaki pulled one out and turned around. "I'll be practicing some more." She raised the bokken.
"Alright, but don't take too long!" Tsubaki watched her father pad across the tatami floor and stop before the sliding doors. "Oh right, pay a visit to Kino-chan before coming back in." The man threw an apologetic look over his shoulder. "Your old man haven't had time to clean her grave."
"Okay, Dad!" Tsubaki called out after him as he pushed the doors apart and walked out of the gap he made, practically skipping down the open-aired hallway linking to their house. Shaking her head amusingly at the retreating figure down the hallway, Tsubaki made her way to the center of the small dojo with the bokken in hand.
The setting sun painted the darkening sky orange and casted long, dark shadows on the compound of the Ishigumi Shrine, across the statues and between shrine halls. Under the shade of the shrine's resident tree which was not spared by the shadows, stood a girl and a grave marked with a piece of wood.
Tsubaki kneeled before the wood, gazing at the bowl of bone-shaped dog food, a bunch of squeaky toys and a stalk of yellow flowers she had placed as offerings. "Kino-chan," Tsubaki looked up at the name she had personally engraved into the wood ten years ago. "Have you been a good girl?"
Her question was met with silence. The response she received was the sound of rustling leaves when a light breeze blew past.
Tsubaki chuckled softly to herself.
"What am I saying? You are always a good girl." Tugging a loose strand of her hazel brown hair behind her ear, Tsubaki placed a hand on the wood with a forlorn smile. "I have cleaned your home and brought you your favourite toys in case my good girl is lonely." She could almost see Kino, her late snow-furred eskimo dog wagging her fluffy tail happily back at her.
Tsubaki felt her heart clench in pain and sadness.
"And…And, thank you for saving me back then."
Kino was the family dog which was fiercely protective of her since she was a baby, following her almost anywhere and everywhere. But on the day of Tsubaki's tenth birthday, Kino was ran over by a truck and died an instant death while it was dragging her unconscious young self out of the harm's way. Or at least that was what her parents had told her. Her mind always seemed to hit a blank whenever she tried to think back like now.
"Sorry, Kino-chan. I should be ashamed of myself as your owner…" Tsubaki gazed sadly at the engraved name before her. "…I-I can never seem to remember what happened no matter how hard I try." Her voice jumped with a crack.
"Tsubaaaaaki!" A voice which belonged to no other but her father rang out from across the compound. "Come back in now!"
A silent sigh escaped her mouth.
Tsubaki shouted back an 'Okay' in the direction of her house before turning back to the burial ground. "I have to head back home now, Kino-chan. I will visit again soon, I promise." She touched the wood fondly and climbed to her feet, brushing dirt off her hakama.
"See you, Kino-chan."
Tsubaki smiled a small smile at the silent grave and turned away to walk to the lighted house ahead.
Rin bounded down the row, swinging concealed Kurikara over a shoulder. Startled gasps could be heard from his classmates as he ran past their desks, muttering apologies under his breath. In the chaos he had caused, he failed to notice the curious gaze following him from the center row.
The teacher whose attention was on the blackboard jumped back in surprise when she turned around in time to see the dark-haired boy sprinting past her. "Okumura-san, where do you think you're going?!" She watched Rin threw open the door with eyes wide in bewilderment.
"Toilet! A-Ah...stomach hurts real bad!" Rin made a brief pause at the doorway and threw a grimace over his shoulders, clutching onto his stomach. "Be back soon!" With that said, the boy dashed through the door and disappeared into the hallway, leaving a dumbfounded teacher and a class of puzzled students staring at the vacant spot he once stood.
Tsubaki, however, did not share the same look as her classmates. What's with that guy? Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Carrying a sword with him to the toilet? She cast a sweeping glance over the back row and stopped on the other transfer student, Izumo, who she noticed looked completely bored despite what happened.
"Class, finish Exercise 5 and hand it up before I leave!"
Snapping out of her stupor, Tsubaki turned back to the front with a shrug. Hmm, whatever.
Tsubaki gave her shoelaces a tug and pushed herself up to her feet, striding to the full length mirror by the door. Checking that the prefects' armband was still securely pinned to the left sleeve of her uniform and her hair was neatly bounded in the reflection, she let out a deep breath, inwardly wishing herself good luck for her first evening patrol in school.
Haruko emerged from the kitchen and walked over to her daughter with a worried frown "Tsubaki dear, do you have everything you need?"
"Yeap." Tsubaki nodded, picking up the bokken she had decided to bring along.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mummmm."
"Torchlight? Water bottle? Umbrella?"
"All in this bag." Tsubaki patted the sling bag which was currently hanging from her right shoulder.
"Handphone? Your wallet?"
Tsubaki rolled her eyes playfully at her mother. "Yesssss, Mum, I've checked a couple of times already." She stepped forward to pull her mother into a reassuring hug. "I'll be fineeeee and will be back before you know it." Pulling away, Tsubaki flashed the woman a grin. "You worry too much!"
"You heard her, Haruko." Tsubaki turned to see her father walking toward them with an amused look on his face. "I'm sure Tsubaki is capable enough to take care of herself out there."
A torn look appeared on Haruki's face. "But..."
Tsubaki shot her father a grateful look when she was sure her mother wasn't looking before glancing down at her watch. "I'd better get going to school now or I'll be late!" Panic filled her when she saw the time. Giving her parents a quick hug, Tsubaki threw open the door and ran.
"Take care!"
South of Eastern Kyoto – The Grand Oriental Suites
The tiny rectangular box on the door lock blinked green as soon as the silver plastic card in Rin's hand came in contact with it. Pressing down on the grey, sleek handle when a curt beep emitted from the device, Rin strolled into the spacious suite with a weary sigh, kicking the door close behind. The dark-haired boy's mouth opened wide with a lazy yawn as he toed off his shoes and socks.
The familiar shot of coolness from the pastel white marble floor greeted his sore feet as he made his way down the short hallway and into the small living room which was quiet like always.
Coming back to a silent, empty suite was something he had gotten used ever since they arrived here in Kyoto for the mission. While he appreciated the freedom and privacy that came with having the whole 65-square meter suite to himself, it was sometimes little lonely here.
Dropping his helmet, Kurikara and the key card on the dinky, round dining table by the wall, Rin entered the kitchen to the right of the living room with the purchase he bought from a convenience store he swung by after he gave Shiemi a ride back to her hotel on his motorbike.
On the day he arrived in Kyoto with his four-man team consisting of Shiemi, Izumo and Konekomaru, they were surprised to find out that they had to stay in four different hotels ran by the Order itself. He knew the Order was wealthy, but to him, owning chains of hotels brought 'wealthy' to a whole new level. The accommodation arrangement for his team was odd, but this was later explained over the phone by Yukio, one of the mission organisers, that since they were the only team assigned to Eastern Kyoto, the fastest way to deal with the abnormal occurrence in demonic activity was stationing them in North, South, East and West of the region to cover more ground while they were on the mission. It was also a strategic arrangement that surrounded their mission ground, Seiko High, which was located near the heart of the region, Yukio had very proudly added in his explanation.
Rin understood why, but the inconvenience the strategy brought frustrated him.
The plastic bag in his hand rustled noisily as Rin dug out its content, namely a carton of milk and a pre-made bento box he had decided was the best choice of dinner since he was much too tired to cook himself a meal.
The boy popped the bento box into the microwave and stabbed a button before re-entering the living room. Padding into the one and only bedroom of the suite after he had stripped and tossed his hoodie jacket on the couch, he tiredly ran a hand through his messy hair before reaching to the back to yank his shirt over his head. The shudder that had instantly ran through his body when a cold breeze of the air-conditioner hit him, made his muscles clench and his hair stand on its end.
Once he had completely rid the clothes on him, the dark-haired boy paced into the bathroom, stretching a little before stepping into the shower stall. A long, contented sigh emitted from Rin when a gush of warm water hit him from the shower head above.
"More demons and I may go crazy…!" A loud groan escaped Rin as he felt his tense muscles unwound, exhaustion accumulated from a busy day settling heavily on his senses. "Lucky Kuro." At times like that, he wished he could trade places with the black Cat Sidhe which had to stay behind in True Cross Academy for a mission of its own as an entrance guard to tighten security.
Rin was really surprised when he was asked to leave his familiar behind, but he eventually understood over the time while he was on this mission. He didn't need boring, complicated statistics he could never understand or someone to tell him that demonic activity had increased as he, himself had experienced the unusual rise in demons' appearance from the number of times he had to dash out in the middle of lessons with crappy excuses to deal with them himself.
Lathering soap on his skin once he was done with his hair, Rin worked his fingers on his shoulders and down, elaborately massaging the aches away, especially his biceps which he had excessively used to cut down countless demons with Kurikara. "Damn those demons, don't they ever take a break?"
A miserable moan from the boy bounced off the walls of the stall as he stepped under the shower to rinse.
Eastern Kyoto – Seiko High School, 6:37pm
Tsubaki glanced at the nervous looks on the faces of the three other prefects beside her before sweeping a gaze across the school buildings surrounding the compound they reported in. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't find the school scary at night. The way the dark, silent buildings loomed over them was unsettling. Most of the club activities had already ended and majority of the students were already home, but she was sure they were going to find some, most likely the sports members, going at it in the clubrooms and sports hall.
But it was going to be up to the four of them to seek out those students in this school which was obviously too large for them to cover. The thought of walking in the dark, quiet hallways made Tsubaki gulp thickly and let out a shudder.
Tsubaki let out a deep breath.
"Alright, let's pair up!" Tsubaki suddenly turned to them with a determined look on her face. "There may only be four of us here, but if we do it real quickly, we'll be able to go home. So who's coming with me?" Her ponytail fluttered to the light breeze that blew past as she glanced at each of their faces.
"I'm going with Yuki-chan." Matsuno Kana, the ebony haired second year across Tsubaki immediately hooked her arms around, Akiyama Yuki the caramel haired girl who was also a second year.
"Can we?" Yuki nodded. "We're sparring partners in karate so we work best together."
"If that's so, go ahead." Tsubaki cracked a smile of approval and turned to the boy beside her. "Hiro-kun, I guess you're with me then." Yoshikawa Hiro was a third year student like her and was a blue-belt holder like her but in Judo. She had known him since they were freshmen. "Hope you wouldn't mind." She flashed the boy a small teasing smile.
"Not at all." Hiro quirked an amused smile at her and nodded before turning to all with a serious look. "By the way, do all of you have a torchlight?"
"Yup." Tsubaki turned to the two other girls to see them nod in unison once she had given her answer before taking another brief glance at the buildings around. Something about the buildings made her uneasy, but she was sure it was just her being scared.
"Like Tsubaki-chan had said, let's get this over with." The mention of her made her turn back to find Hiro glancing over at her with a meaningful nod.
Grins broke across the second years' faces.
"Yes, can't wait to get this dumb patrol done!"
"Definitely, I'm damn tired. I'd kill to get home to my bed right now!"
Tsubaki leaned into Hiro with a whisper, a skeptical look on her face. "Do you think it's wise to let two juniors go on their own?"
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine as long as they got each other." Hiro shrugged.
"I guess…" Tsubaki nodded reluctantly and turned back to the girls. "Okay, you two will cover these two like assigned." She gestured to the buildings to the right. "Report back to here with students you've found, understand?" The long briefing during the prefects' meeting they had to attend yesterday covered details about their patrols and she still could remember them clearly.
"Understood!"
Having a whole room to himself wasn't always a bad thing because he could move around with just a towel wrapped around his waist or even naked without someone yelling at him to put on some clothes. His tail was also free to swish around without people staring at it like it was some new museum artefact or tugging it hard just to see him yell in pain like that sadistic bastard Ryuji Suguro.
Securing the towel around his torso, Rin padded into the kitchen with a tiny relaxed smile, ruffling his drying hair with the towel around his neck. Grabbing the warmed bento box from the microwave, he shuffled over to the mini-bar and pulled out a can of chilled coffee which is of course, free of charge like every other facilities in the hotel. Everything in this building under the name of the Order was provided to him free, from the food in mini-bar to the gym he woke up with effort to visit every morning to maintain the lean muscles across his broad shoulders and down his arms. This privilege helped fill the dull, lonely times he had from staying alone.
"Welcome to Kyoto's Kyoko Cooking Show!" A purple haired TV host popped into view with a wide smile as soon as the black, plain screen of the LCD television lit into life. Wincing at the loud applause that followed after the TV host's appearance, Rin quickly cranked the volume down in a panic to a bearable level and with a relieved sigh, tossed it aside before picking up his phone.
A voicemail notification on the tiny screen of the device greeted him when he flipped it open. Yukio.
Rin pressed down on a button with a sigh.
"How's Kyoto, Nii-chan? And how is the school so far?" Yukio's voice emitted from the device. "Have you and Kamiki-san pick up anything about the demonic presence? Shiemi-san just contacted me earlier, she told me the only thing that struck her amaze was how especially active the demons are."
"And who is the one dealing with them the most?" Rin snorted loudly. "Poor tired me."
"By the way, I hope you haven't pick a fight with anyone, Nii-san. Remember, bring as little attention to yourself as possible. Low profile, understand? And spend the allowance the Order gave you wisely." A sneeze could be heard from the background. "I'll come over to help out…maybe in three weeks' time? I'll see you all then. Take care, Nii-san." The phone in his hand beeped, signalling the end of the voicemail.
"That four-eye…" Rin snapped his phone close with a loud annoyed sigh. "For god's sake, your older brother is eighteen, not eight! Stop talking to me like I'm some brat." He slammed the device down on the couch beside him before moving to stuff his mouth with another spoon of rice.
Eyes landing on the can of chilled coffee he placed on the coffee table, the dark-haired boy leaned forward, chewing noisily on his food, and snapped open the can singlehandedly with ease.
Caffeine was what he needed for the pile of homework waiting in his bag. Back in his real middle school, he was never the type of student who submitted his homework. But for this mission, he had to in order to keep low profile and stay away from detentions. He had no time or energy to waste on redundant things like detentions or be lectured by teachers for not submitting his homework.
Rin tilted his head back for a sip, lifting the coffee to his mouth. Don't tell me… The can in his hand stopped a few inches just before his lips.
Turning to his head to the window, Rin peered out into the night sky with a scowl. Shit. The familiar unpleasant tug was here again. Not another one..! Letting out a groan, he narrowed his eyes in concentration and focused on the tug at his chest, letting it lead him to the demonic presence. Finally, his blue eyes snapped open with surprise flashing in them. It's coming from the direction of…Seiko High!
Not again.
His face fell as he turned to look at his unfinished dinner. Was he going drop everything and rush over again? Like every damn time? Hell no, it had always been him doing the demon hunting and he was always still so exhausted no matter how much he slept.
Not this time, Rin thought with jaw set before snatching up his phone. Scrolling through his contact list, he quickly hit the call button as soon as he found who he was looking for.
"What is it, Okumura?"
"Hey Eyebrows," He said as soon as Izumo's voice entered the line. "Another one has appeared and it's in that school."
"School?" Her voice had a jump of impatience. "And why call me?"
A prick of annoyance came at him. "Well, to ask you to go get it!"
"Excuse me, which of us here owns a motorbike? YOU!"
"Me again?!"
"Seriously Okumura, with that bike of yours, you are the fastest among us to reach there, and while I hate to admit it, you also happen to deal with them the fastest!" Izumo's voice was high with exasperation. "Isn't that why the Order provided you lessons and a bike to come with them for this mission?"
"Yeah well…"
"Plus, not to forget…we are relying on your senses to detect those pests! You're the reason why they didn't see the need to give us those detectors, remember?"
Rin let out a frustrated groan.
Sometimes he just wished that he had no such ability to sense other demons.
In the three years after Yukio had awaken his demon side during the Satan's attack on True Cross Academy, the brothers had discovered that their demon side weren't just about having blue flames and tails. Being able to sense other demons even from miles away was something Rin couldn't do before the attack. Yukio theorised that the trigger of this new ability could be the awakening of his own demonic side and something about Rin's power not fully unlocked yet until then. Other than their gained ability, destroying the Gehenna Gate seemed to have proved their allegiance to Assiah and made the Order more accepting of the idea of having Satan's sons as part of them.
With the awareness of their newfound ability, the Order had made eliminating demons his side mission alongside with the main one. Yukio had emphasised to him that it was his mission, not his teammates. Though he did quietly added that Rin should share the responsibility with them and not let it tire him too much.
He had tried to take on as many demons as he could without getting the others involved, but he was reaching his limit.
"Eyebrows," Rin said through gritted teeth. "Since we came here, it has always been me. I'm beyond exhausted."
"Do this and I'll be the one to deal the rest that appears during school for the next five days!" A deep sigh came from the other side. "It'll be me running out of class instead. How 'bout that?"
"What-"
"Quit wasting time, people may be hurt while we're arguing over this!"
A pang of guilt and realization hit him. "Fine."
"Then get going, Okumura!"
"Alright, I'm holding you to your words then!"
With that, Rin ended the call and rushed into the bedroom to put on a blue shirt and jeans before throwing on a black leather jacket. Fitting his hands into his black fingerless gloves as he dashed to Kurikara, he swung it on a shoulder before grabbing his helmet and card key.
Cursing aloud, he made his way out of the room.
Tsubaki couldn't help but be astounded by the drastic contrast of the corridors in the day and now. In the day, the hallways always looked so lively, bustling with chattering students but at night, the corridors were eerily dark and gave her the feeling of being watched.
"Wow, school is really dark at night." Tsubaki waved her torchlight around the hallway, closing the door of a classroom they were done checking. The corridor was so quiet that she could hear the clock inside the room ticking away even through its closed door.
"Don't tell me you're scared of the dark, Tsubaki-chan?" Hiro asked teasingly in a sing-song voice.
"No, I'm not." Tsubaki swung her torchlight unthinkingly at him to find a grin on his face which quickly turned into a wince when the light from her torchlight hit him. "Sorry!" She moved it away when she caught his expression.
"It's okay. But I have to say that it's a good way to blind someone." Tsubaki could hear Hiro laughing at his own joke.
Quirking her own smirk at him, Tsubaki fired the question back at him. "Don't tell me you are scared of the dark, Hiro-kun?"
"Oh please," Hiro rolled his eyes at her question. "I loveee the dark."
Tsubaki laughed and turned to her torchlight to the side, as they round a corner.
"Why are we even checking the classrooms anyway?" Hiro suddenly asked, incredulous. "I mean… just look at them, the lights are off and they are so quiet! Who in this world would want to stay in the classrooms at this timing in the first place?" His voice was high with bewilderment.
Tsubaki couldn't agree more. "It's the protocol Hibari-san gave us so we might as well follow it," Tsubaki drawled, shrugging. "There could be some cray-cray students who thinks it's oh so cool to do that. Maybe those supernatural-obsessed idiots like Nakazawa Kenichi from my class?"
"Oh, you mean that guy?"
Tsubaki grinned when she heard Hiro let out a laughter with unflattering snorts between them.
"Yes, who else? Remember that guy when we are both in the same class with during the first year?" Tsubaki snickered in amusement. "That Nakazawa who pestered you to accompany him to the toilet and made you wait in the toilet stall he was in as he pooped?"
"I had to watch him shit! That was disgusting!" Another wave of laughter came from Hiro. "A-Alright, alright! Stop making m-m-e laugh! My stom-m-mach hurts so b-b-bad right now!"
Smiling from ear to ear as she watched the boy regained his composure, Tsubaki nudged him with a grin. "Let's finish this patrol, Hiro-kun."
"Roger!"
Turning their torchlights to the front again, they continued their patrol.
"It looks to me like there is nobody left in school." Tsubaki glanced over at Hiro, swinging her torchlight to the side. "Do you think Yuki-chan and Kana-chan have found anyone, Hiro-kun–"Her question hung in the silence as she tilted her head in puzzlement at the stunned look on his face. "What's with that look?" She asked when he finally looked at her.
"Didn't you see that just now?" Hiro started urgently. "The black thing that flew above us just now."
"Black thing?" Tsubaki raised an eyebrow and looked around before returning to him with an unimpressed look. "C'mon, we slacked off and now we really have to focus on our job, Hiro-kun. Didn't told you I'm not scared just now. Don't bother trying to frighten me because it's clearly not working."
Hiro had an exasperated look on his face. "I'm not! I swear I saw something and it went down this hall." He pointed his torchlight at the corridor ahead. "Really fast."
Tsubaki studied at his face and noticed how it had paled.
"Tsubaki-chan, did you bring a talisman with you? What if it is like what they said, a demon…" Hiro casted a nervous glance down the corridor and back to Tsubaki who he saw return him an incredulous scowl.
"You can't be serious, Hiro-kun, there are no such things as demons!" Tsubaki ran a hand down her face in frustration. "If you're afraid of the dark, you should have said so."
It was Hiro's turn to look frustrated. "I'm not and I mean what I said about loving the dark!"
"Then it must be your imagination playing tricks on you." Tsubaki took a step toward Hiro and clamped a hand down on the boy's shoulder firmly. "Look, if you're not up for this, just stay here or go back to the reporting venue. I'm not going to force you to go with me if you're uncomfortable with this."
"You're being ridiculous." Hiro tensed. "There is no way I'm going to leave you here alone."
Tsubaki sighed. "Alright, but I'll head down this hall myself. There are only four classrooms down it so it will be a quick check. Then we'll report." Tsubaki flashed the hallway a glance. "You stay here and wait. I'll be back fast." Patting Hiro's shoulder, Tsubaki turned and walked off without another word, disappearing into the dark.
"W-Wait…!" Blinking owlishly at the direction she went, Hiro shook his head and sighed. "Still the same girl from back then…Stubborn as always."
Parked by the gates of Seiko High, the vibration of the motorcycle under Rin reduced into a small tremble before the engine was completely cut off. The dark-haired boy swung himself off the vehicle and pulled off his helmet, glancing into the school with a scowl on his face. The tug he sensed back in his hotel was as intense as ever now.
Glancing down, surprise jolted through Rin when he saw that the gates were left ajar.
With a hand curled firmly around Kurikara, Rin strode over to the gates. "Who the hell left the gates open like this?" He studied the ajar gates curiously.
Rin's eyes brightened with realization when his conversation with Izumo he had in the day struck him. "Oh right, evening patrols by prefects!" He looked up at the buildings, alarmed and panicking. "Shit, it just had to appear here and now!" Pushing the gates apart, Rin sprinted toward the building with a growl, following the pulsing tug within him.
Feeble light from the moon barely lit the hallway Tsubaki was walking down and the silence that it carried was like a weight. She could see a dead end where the light from her torchlight shone on and noted that she had three more classrooms left.
A demon? Seriously? Tsubaki snorted incredulously. Looks like that ridiculous rumor has gotten into Hiro-kun's head…Whoever started that silly 'demon' rumor should really stop spreading that nonsense.
Rolling her eyes and a shake of head, Tsubaki stopped before the door and let out a sigh as she reached out to pull open it. Staring calmly into the quiet, empty classroom, Tsubaki waved her torchlight on the teacher's desk, the rows of desks and to the back before sliding the door close.
There's really no one here… Blinking pensively, Tsubaki turned and continued down the hall, swinging her bokken around boredly. Is this patrol even necessary? Pacing along the row of windows, she spared a brief look at the building across and slowed down once she reached the next classroom.
Doing the same for the classroom like the one before, Tsubaki pushed the door close once she searched the room and found it empty as well. This is getting really pointless…With a lazy groan, Tsubaki strolled unenthusiastically toward the next classroom with eyes locked on its door with dulled interest and drawled, "And finally, the last and only classroom…"
Without warning, a loud crash coming from the other side of the door tore through the silence like the sound of thunder.
Leaning fully into the wall behind him, Hiro casted another glance down the way Tsubaki and…that black oddly-shaped shadow went down, with a furrow forming between his eyebrows. He was never one to be afraid of the dark or much of a believer of the supernatural. But that sudden chill that tingled down his spine when that shadow past them earlier was telling him something. Or was it just him thinking too much?
A silent sigh escaped him.
Maybe Tsubaki was right? His mind was probably just playing tricks on him. He had to admit he was starting to feel pretty psyched about the supernatural possibility that surround the kidnapping case.
Pulling out his phone from his back pocket, the light from his phone illuminated the frown on his face when he flipped open the device to check the time and saw that it was almost eight. Fiddling with the phone absentmindedly, Hiro spared another glance down the corridor.
"Hey Tsubaki-chan, doing alright there?" His question echoed down and pierced through the still silence. "If you're suddenly scared or something, I'll come over! Just make some noise or somethin-"
A deafening crash sounded before he could finish his sentence.
"Whoa, that wasn't really what I meant by making some noise." Hiro pushed away from the wall, blinking dumbly at the path before him. "A-Alright, I'm coming!" Taking a step forward, Hiro raised his torchlight and shone its light down the corridor.
However, before he could set his other foot down…
"MOVE!"
Eyes sprang wide, Hiro let out a surprised yelp. Swinging his torch to the right, Hiro turned in time to see a dark-haired boy looking about his age brush past his shoulder.
It's a person…Is he even a student?
Hiro blinked in shock at the attire the teen was clad in, watching him striding away urgently. "Hey! You shouldn't be here!" Hiro rushed forward and grabbed his arm.
She could have sworn she saw a dark figure floating in the air before the lights of the classroom blinked rapidly to life. The image of the figure had managed to burn into her mind even though she only saw it within a matter of seconds. But still, she wasn't sure it was real or just a flicker of her imagination because she hadn't switched on the lights when she saw it.
Sweeping a weary look around the room, Tsubaki turned her attention to the fallen shelf by the teacher's desk, curiously looking at the books, papers, notebooks and a couple of files that were scattered across the floor. Whipping her head around, she searched the room once more, growing convinced of what she saw earlier.
Hiro-kun's right. There WAS something just now. Tsubaki approached the fallen shelf and heaved it back up against the wall with a groan. Maybe just a bat or some bird… Shrugging at her thoughts, she stepped back from the shelf and moved on to pick up the fallen items on the floor.
Rin felt himself being jerked back by the hand around his left arm and glanced over his shoulder at Hiro. "Didn't you hear that crash?" An eyebrow quirked up at him.
"Well, of course I did." Hiro mimicked his action. "But still, you shouldn't be here! Go home!"
Rin sighed impatiently. "Gladly, but after this!" Without another word, he ripped his arm out of Hiro's grasp and sprinted off.
"Damn it," Hiro cursed under his breath and took off after Rin. "What a weird guy…"
Rin gritted his teeth in concentration as the tug grew overwhelmingly intense, and reached over his shoulder for Kurikara but jerked to a pause at the sound of approaching footsteps behind him. His body went still with realization.
Shit, how could he forget? There was no way he could use Kurikara in front of that pesky prefect. He thought irritably and his arm dropped to his side. His blue flames would be seen as soon the demon sword was unsheathed. And he certainly didn't want to deal with questions about them.
"I said stop!"
The dark-haired teen rolled his eyes and sighed before spinning around with a growl in time to see the prefect slowing down to a stop.
"Quit following me, will ya?" He crossed his arms impatiently as Hiro shot him an incredulous look, and continued before the boy could interrupt. "Look, I'm here because I left my homework under my desk and ran over here when I heard that crash. I can't just ignore that right? What if someone fell and needed help?"
Hiro scowled at Rin. "Actually, you can. I'll deal with it and you will leave."
Rin spared a glance down the hall and turned back to Hiro with an annoyed frown. Who knew this little mission could so frustrating and troublesome? His fists clenched with the desire to knock out the prefect, but he fought not to give in to his urge. "I will leave after this, alright?"
This time, without even a glance at Hiro, Rin sped down the dark corridor with arms hastily pumping at his sides. Echoes of his pounding footsteps rang out every time his feet met the ground and raspy breaths from him mingled with the cool air at every puff as he sprinted down the corridor.
I've gotta finish off that damn demon before that stupid prefect catch up with me! Rin's blue eyes shone with determination as he locked onto the classroom at the end of the corridor.
He could feel it so close. Right behind those doors.
Pushing his legs to move faster, Rin skidded to a stop before the door, pulling Kurikara off his shoulder. Still not taking it out of its red bag, Rin raised Kurikara before him as he dashed into the room. "Don't think you can escape me-"The dark-haired teen stopped short. "Huh?"
Instead of a demon he expected, before him stood a girl who looked as stunned as him. Where's…the demon? Rin blinked dumbly at the girl and turned away to sweep a look around the room. It must have sensed me and escaped…His face fell as he noted that the tug he had been following was gone.
Tsubaki was shocked to see Rin before her at a time like this. Her eyes lingered on the red object she knew was the sword he always carried around in his hands before flickering up to his face. "What in the world are you doing here, Okumura-san?"
Okumura..? How does she know my name…? Swinging Kurikara back onto his shoulder, Rin whipped around to face the girl. Surprise and realization jolted through him as he quickly recognized the familiar pair of golden eyes that stared back at him. It's that girl from class!
Rin relaxed and quickly answered the question when he saw her eyes narrow. "I-I just came back because I left my homework in class. Then I heard a loud crash from here-"
"And this guy insisted on being a busybody even when I told him to leave."
Hiro who had caught up and stopped by the door cut in, voice dripping with annoyance and glaring. Rin merely raised an eyebrow at the glare the prefect threw at him as he watched Hiro walk into the room.
"What's with that crash anyway?" Hiro's glare flattered into a puzzled look as he turned to Tsubaki for answers.
"Oh, this bookcase here fell." Tsubaki gestured at the shelf behind her with a shrug.
"How did it-"
"I don't know. Probably because it's old. I mean…look at the wood."
Rin turned his eyes away from the conversation and looked around once more. That damn demon! His face pensive despite frustrated as he walked over to the windows and peered out. All he saw a quiet school and a calm night sky. Where the hell did it go?
"What about that black thing I saw?"
"What black thing?" Rin spun around, eyes darting back and forth between Tsubaki and Hiro. "Where did you see it go?"
"It looked odd and dark," Rin turned his eyes to Hiro who suddenly looked excited. "I saw it flying down the corridor we were in just now. Really fast."
Glancing away from Hiro, Tsubaki looked strangely at the dark-haired teen who hurriedly strode away from the windows and back to them, but answered anyway.
"Actually, I think I saw it too." She could not help but shuddered inwardly as the image of the black shadow came back to her again. "It was in this room before I switched on the lights." Her voice was weak with hesitation like she wasn't sure herself. "Then…it disappeared."
"You saw it too?" Rin watched Hiro turn to Tsubaki with amazement. "See, I'm not scared and I wasn't trying to scare you." Hiro crossed his arms smugly.
"Whatever, but it was probably some animal or insects we saw." Tsubaki rolled her eyes at Hiro. "I'm sure it was not a demon like you or the rumor said!"
Rin flinched. If only they knew how close to the truth they were…
The dark-haired boy watched with mouth quirked ever slightly in amusement as the two argued. Poor kids…Better ease their fears…or their excitement. His eyes flickered over to Hiro.
"Actually," Rin finally spoke with a grin, voice raised to catch their attention. "That black flying thing was the bat I saw earlier."
Both turned to him, surprised.
"And you must have scared it away when you turned on the lights." Rin turned his eyes to Tsubaki.
Tsubaki nodded and turned to Hiro with chin raised. "Told you it was an animal, Hiro-kun."
"I guess…" Hiro shrugged and glanced down at his watch, "We'd better get going now. It's late and the girls are probably waiting to be dismissed." Without another word, Hiro started toward the door.
Rin turned to Tsubaki and gestured at the door. "After you."
The bike under Rin vibrated strongly as it carried him down the almost deserted road, zooming past the quiet buildings. Without the protection of his helmet he didn't bother to wear, the cold night wind was relentless to his hair and face. But he didn't have time to care.
"Like I said, Eyebrow, this one escaped before I could get it." He spoke into the Bluetooth headset attached to his ear, glaring at the road before him. "I'm not sure why but I have a feeling this one…isn't ordinary."
"Okumura!" Rin cringed at the loud gasp and the eager voice emitted from the other side of the line. "Do you think it's the one we're looking for?"
"Possible. We shall wait and see."
Ending the conversation with one click, Rin revved the engine and sped off on a highway.
A/N: And so this is the second chapter of DBM! This chapter turned out longer than I have expected, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review; feedbacks are crucial to me when it comes to my stories. Don't you think I deserve some reviews? Perhaps? Please tell me what you think; I'm dying from curiosity. Until the next chapter, see ya!