Hey, ya guys! For today's chapter, it's gonna be another filler and it's gonna be focused around Kuroko (Fem!Kuro) I watched the OVA of where Kuro went off to find Shiro's grave when he got mad at Rin a while ago and I definitely thought of this idea. It's a little similar to the OVA, but I added my own touch to it. There's going to be a really emotional chapter so please have your tissues ready ^_^ Well, I', gonna stop chatting now. Let's get this chapter rolling!
Chapter Eight: Till the Clock Strikes Twelve
Kuroko the Match-Maker
"Dinner's ready!" A moist pink nose twitched and silted, dark green eyes opened tiredly, a sand paper-rough tongue licked furry lips. Raising her rear in the air, Kuroko yawned and arched her body forward, stretching her leg behind her. "Yuki! Kuroko! Get your asses in here! Dinner's gonna get cold!"
"Food!" Ecstatically, the Cat Sith scampered down the hallway of the Okumura's dorm, claws scratching against the tiled-floors, and she raced into the kitchen island, jumping onto a stool and wagging her twin tails. "Rin! Give me the first bowl! Please? Please, please, please?" She begged, eyeing the huge steaming pot that simmered on the stove.
Laughing, Rin nodded as she gathered some bowls and utensils from the cupboards.
"Yeah, yeah, Kuroko. Let's just wait for Yuki, alright?" The teacher in questioned walked in, dressed as comfortably as her sister for the pre-Summer evening. "Well there ya are. Why were you in the bathroom so long?" Asked Rin, placing three bowls down and opening the pot.
"Nee-chan. . ." Biting her lip, Yukiko rested her elbows on the island of the kitchen and looked at her lap. "Is there. . . More than usual then there was yesterday?"
Dark blue eyes blinked. "What?"
"Uh. . . My face," The brunette looked up, pointing to beauty marks open her face. "Are there. . . Well, do you think there's one more than there were yesterday?" She asked nervously.
"What? You mean you think you got an extra mole?" At her sister's squeak, Rin gave a quiet laugh. "Yuki, please. I still see the three you had ever since you were a baby. And if anything, you make moles work. You a. . . Hm. . . Oh!" Rin snapped her fingers with a grin. "A man-killer! Yeah, that works!" Yukiko blushed, worrying on her lip more.
"Man-killer?" Kuroko sighed, waving her tails agitatedly.
"Riiiinnn, I'm hungry!"
"Alright, alright," Rin poured the mix of meat, curry, and rice into everyone's respected bowls while Ukobach passed the bowls around, along with glasses of milk for the twins and a bowl of milk for Kuroko. The possessed cat smiled and thanked for her meal before gobbling the meal, all the while listening to Rin and Yukiko talk.
"What's with you worrying about your looks anyway, Yuki?"
"Sir Pheles wants me to attend the school's Summer Solstice dance as a chaperone tomorrow night," Yukiko gave thanks for her meal and picked at her servings for a while. "I guess I'm just being a little paranoid about my appearance. I've never been to a school dance before."
"You didn't even go to the one in middle school?"
"Absolutely not. Too many people asked me to go with them that I got fed up with it. Remember when we just stayed home with father and stayed up all night watching old horror films?"
"Oh yeah! Damn, that night was awesome!"
"Exactly. I wanted to do the same thing tomorrow night, to get away from the dance, but Sir Pheles needs me to be a chaperone for the evening. I need to dress for the event as well. And the only dresses I own are too small for me and the only one that does fit me is the black dress I wore at father's funeral."
"So? That's an easing thing to solve. Head over to True Cross Galleria and buy yourself a new dress. You got the money for a Summer one at least, right?"
"B-But I don't even know what will look good! Nee-san, I'll be a laughing stock to the order if I don't pick the right sort of ware. . . Unless-"
"Oh no! I know where you're getting at! Yuki, this is where your big sis puts her foot down. I am not going to that damn dance!"
Kuroko's ears twitched, interested.
"PLEASE, Rin! I'm only asking you just this once-"
"No! I'm not going dress shopping with you and I am not going to that dance either! You can find some other bimbo to do that cheesy stuff 'cause it ain't gonna be me!"
"RIN!"
"YUKI!"
As they squabbled on, Kuroko looked up from her bowl and tilted her head.
"Can I go with you to the dance, Yukiko?" She asked, gaining the attention of the siblings. "It sounds like fun! I wanna see the other humans and I really wanna go outside, too!" She explained with a twinkle in her eyes. Kuroko had spent most of her time in the abandon dorm, unable to go outside besides the rooftop due to the twins unable to watch her. But maybe this was her chance to see how much the world changed outside of the South Gate of True Cross.
"Huh? What did she say?" Asked Yukiko.
"She wants to know if she can go to the dress shopping with you. And she wants to go to the dance," Taking her seat on the counter top's corner, Rin plucked her chopsticks and threw her head back, a piece of sukiyaki disappearing from the wooden sticks. "By all means, I say yeah. Go ahead for me, Kuroko."
"Well, I'm sorry to say that she can't," Yukiko gave a thoughtful smile to the surprised demon feline. "I'm sorry, Kuroko. Familiars aren't allowed to be active during school events due to the recent activity that's been occurring with demons now-a-days. I'm sorry," She reached and petted Kuroko behind the ears. "Maybe we can all go out together some other time."
"Yeah," Rin noticed Kuroko pulling her ears back, a disappointed look in her eyes. "Hey, cheer up, Kuroko. School dances are the pits, anyway. You're either dancing with people you hardly know or you're a wallflower waiting watching the girls dance together while the guys stand around and try to ask a girl to dance." Rin crossed her arms and looked at her sister. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. I'll go shopping with you tomorrow and go to the dance if you don't give me homework for a week." She smirked in victory.
"Fine," Yukiko shrugged without a care, turning her attention to her steamed rice. "Let's head to the galleria before noon and get ready for the dance by seven."
Rin's smirk fell, her eyes looking at her little sister confusedly. "Wow, just like that?"
"Nee-san, I would have not given you homework for a year as long as you agreed to this."
"Really? Freakin' Hell, I should have put up a better barging!"
The twins didn't notice that Kuroko had snuck away, her dinner left cold.
"It's not fair!" Batting her paw at the toy mouse Rin had given her a few days ago, Kuroko wallowed in her displeasure, trying to please herself with no avail. Both Rin and Yukiko had tucked in and went to bed early that evening, both needing the extra sleep for tomorrow. "I never get to go outside because Rin or Yukiko have to watch me if I do! And that dance sounds like so much fun, too," She pushed the toy aside and walked to the dimly lit kitchen, her shadow striking against the pale-green walls. "If I could, I would go to the dance and have a good time. Rin makes it sound likes it's boring, but I bet it's going to be amazing. I wish I could go. . ."
She heard the sink being drained, the sound provoking her to leap onto the counter top and spot Ukobach cleaning the dishes. "That's it. . . Ukobach! Hey!"
Jumping at the exclaim, the demon of the kitchen dropped the plate he was washing and looked at all directions, hissing when he saw it was Kuroko.
"Never do that! You almost made me break a plate, Kuroko!"
"Sorry," Not entirely sincere with her apology, the demon perched next to the seat as Ukoback returned to his nightly chores. "Say, Ukobach? Your master is Sir Pheles, right?"
"Hmmm." The small minotaur hummed, scrunching his brows as he tried to scrub a tough stain of curry off a bowl.
"He's an exorcist, right? And someone as strong as him probably has different kinds of demon mixtures that can do anything to demons, right?"
"Huh, you wouldn't believe it," Ukobach whipped out a sponge as a tirade of milky cups laid before him. "I've seen him pull stunts out of his hat, from the stuff he knows and the stuff he can make. He makes all this weird stuff and can make a medicine strong enough to cure a hundred sick people. He has stuff that can do anything!"
"Anything?"
"Anything." The purple beige demon nodded, satisfied with his handy work and flushing down the remains of leftovers. Nodding, he walked to a breadbox he kept and pulled it open, plucking out takoyaki he had made a while back, stuffed with a lot of octopus meat. "Say, Kuroko. I know you were a little bummed out about not going to that dance thing or whatever. So, I made you this to cheer you up! I even added some tuna fish while-" He looked aware, schocked to see that he was talking to himself. Kuroko had disappeared. "Kuroko?. . . Something tells me this is not a good sign."
The next morning, Kuroko waited in silence, watching as Rin and Yukiko left the dorm with whatever money they put together held in their pockets and their sights set for the dress stores in the galleria. As soon as she was sure they had left and we're nearing the school gate, the Cat Sith wasted no time climbing out an open window and leaping onto a tree, crawling herself to the crowd and sneaking her way to the main offices of the academy. She carefully hid herself in the shadows of the bushes and trees whenever students walked by.
Nearing the doors, she waited until a teacher opened the door to step in and snuck past his legs while he wasn't looking, hiding behind the nearest potted plant and plotting her next move.
"His office should be around here somewhere." Kuroko said to herself, prowling to the staircases and quietly walking down the long and red-carpeted hallways. When she reached a large set of double doors, she peeked through the crack of the door and spotted Metphisto, who was talking with a green-haired girl Kuroko had never seen. Walking on the soft pads of her paws, the demon silently snuck in and pushed herself under an arm chair, barely hearing the muffled words going between the two.
"It's really a shame. I really wanted to dance with you, Anima."
"And I really wanted to try the sweets they would have been serving there, Aniue."
"You're breaking my heart, Anima."
"What heart?"
"Oh, you are a delight!"
Kuroko rolled her eyes briefly, still holding to her doubts when Rin told her that this man was her older brother, when she heard a scuffling noise. Eyes dilating, she looked up and held back a shriek when slobbering gums and beady eyes spotted her from her hiding spot.
"No! No! Go away! Stay back!" She whispered harshly, chomping her fangs shut as the pudgy demon tried to claw at her with its tongue wiggling.
"Anima, control your goblin." Groaned Metphisto.
"No, Behemoth. Bad boy." Though the command wasn't harsh, the hobgoblin complied, crawling back to Anima and hopping into her arms just as she and her brother stood.
"Regardless, maybe we should buy a dress for you, Anima. Maybe something that shows off your lovely legs."
"Can we get ice cream later if we do?"
"Of course!"
Their voices left with them as they closed the door behind them. Safe and assured that she was alone, Kuroko crawled out of her hiding spot and sighed, glad she wasn't Behemoth's latest snack. With a vengeance of walking without a care in the world, the demon cat leaped on Mephisto's desk and began her searching, kicking a few papers off his desk as she did so.
"Now, where would he keep the concoctions Ukobach was talking about?" She wondered, clawing at the cupboards and finding nothing but locked openings and school-related things. Pouting, Kuroko whipped her head about some more until she spotted what looked like a glassed-wine case displaying different colored liquids in different bottles. Kuroko stepped off the desk and walked to the case, tilting her head. She stood and balanced herself on her hind paws, spotting a green liquid in a small flask that had the words Demon-Human.
"Perfect!"
The black cat used her horns to knock the flask off the third shelf and she caught it with her mouth. Placing the bottle on the ground, she carefully read the prescription label.
"Used for the transfiguration of demons into humans for the use of experiment and surveillance. User (demon) takes one tea-spoon full and takes the form and tongue of a human. Effects only last till midnight. Hey, this is like that American fairytale Rin read to me! What was it again? Fire. . . Ella-Something? Well, who cares!" Clamping her fangs carefully by the nozzle of the flask, Kuroko snuck herself through the window of the headmaster's office and crawled her way down, formulating her plan.
"Kuroko, you're gonna get exorcised if Rin and Yukiko find out about this! Hell, Metphisto will exorcise you and me if he finds out you stole from his office!" Whining, Ukobach shook his furry head in his hands as Kuroko moved around the Rin and Yukiko's room, revealing a small pink bag designed with flowers. "And now you stole from Moriyama?! Kuroko-!"
"I didn't steal from anyone!" Kuroko hissed, baring her fangs. "I'm just barrowing from Sir Pheles! I bet he won't even know this is gone. And Shiemi left her spare uniform here since Rin offered to wash it after that bad thunderstorm. Calm down, this is going to work!" Kuroko opened the bag and laid the uniform on the ground, eyeing the pink skirt, white blouse, pin, and tie. "Hey, you got the tea spoon, right?"
Sighing, the cooking demon handed her the needed item, gulping as she bit open the cork of the flask and drip the measured amount of green liquid onto the spoon.
"Just promise you'll be careful." He said, almost begging. Kuroko looked and gave him a sweet cat smile, lips pilled back with fangs gleaming like fresh snow.
"Promise," She swore, looking back at the liquid. "OK," She gulped, diving her tongue forward. "Here goes nothing!" All in one gulp, she took the green liquid. A burning sensation rushed into the pit of her stomach, the heat throwing her onto her feet. Yowling and flailing her paws in the air, Kuroko screaming as a light took over her and a puff of smoke blew out. Ukobach dived in behind a pile of Yukiko's textbooks and covered his horns. After a few more minutes of screaming, it all stopped.
"K-Kuroko?" Asked Ukobach nervously, peaking his from his hiding stop. Shocked, he squeaked and threw his paws over his eyes. "P-Put some clothes on!"
The person on the floor screamed and grabbed a bed sheet off Rin's bunk, throwing it over herself and panting. Eyes as narrowed and green as a feline's were wide and long, silky black hair fanned over her bare shoulders. She stood on knobby knees, losing her footing for a second before she regained her balance and locked her knees in place.
"Wh. . . What?" Rolling her tongue between her teeth, she blinked a few second before walking to the full-length mirror and gazing at herself. "It worked?. . . It-It worked!" Beaming, she looked at her new form in amazement, grinning at her rosy-red cheeks and running her fingers through her waist-length long hair. Timidly, she pulled up her sheet and gasped as her matching black tails weaved their way out of the sheet, the end meeting right at her tailbone. "My tail. . . My ears!?" She reached at her head and pulled back her long tendrils, watching as her cat ears popped up, her tiny horns barely visible.
"I guess no one will be able to see them as long as I hide my tail like Rin does and cover my ears with my hair, right, Ukobach?" She asked, looking at the shell-shocked minotaur. The demon himself made a serious of distressed squeaks and waved his arms. "What? I don't get what you're saying. Oh, hold on," She picked up the flask, marveling at her thumbs for a while, before re-reading the label. ". . . takes one tea-spoon full and takes the form and tongue of a human. Oh, no wonder I can't understand you." Nodding to herself, the girl picked up the clothes she found and changed into the uniform, having a few problems with the buttons, shoes, and school tie. "This should work. . ." She looked at herself again and smiled. "Yeah, this'll work! I can barrow one of Yukiko's dresses for tonight! I should be small enough for one! But first, I wanna walk around for a bit. I've missed over a hundred years of Assiah from standing at the gate."
Ukobach hollered and squeaked, trying to get her attention as she tested out her new set of legs. The girl turned just as she made it to the door and gave a peace sign.
"Wish me luck! Here goes Kuroko!"
As a human, everything seemed to had changed for Kuroko. Her six sense had changed to fine and they grew a little weaker. Her great senses of smell and sight were dimmed to that of simple smells and colors. Her new limbs gave her a chance to walk with a new abundance, sometimes running or walking with a little of a trip in her step. Kuroko was smiling the whole time, trying to keep her tails from slipping out of her barrowed blouse to wag with excitement.
"This is so cool!" She exclaimed, laughing at the tone of her voice. "Everything looks so bright and different when you're a human! Whoa. . ." She moved herself behind a wall as a group of students walked by. "I can't let them see me. They'll freak out if they see a fami- wait a second, I'm a human now! They won't freak out!" With that in mind, Kuroko walked past the students with a sway to her hips. People stared at her and she grinned to herself.
'Everyone's noticing me! Maybe this is what Rin meant when she said there's popular students at her school. I must be a popular student!' She thought with glee, unaware that most people were giving her looks with raised brows and pulled back lips.
"Everyone's goin' too crazy about this." Bon grumbled.
"It's a dance, Bon. Live a little!" Shima threw his arm around his old friend's shoulder and pocked at his cheek. "This is the time where we gotta find some dates! Hey, guess who I'm going to ask!" Even when Bon shoved him away, the young student still held his grin. "I'm asking Okumura-sensei!"
"Won't she be too busy chaperoning the dance?" Asked Konekomaru as the three of them were busily looking over the notes Bon had made for their last tests of the semester.
"Way to ruin my plan, Koneko." Shima sighed. The bald student scratched the back of his head.
"S-Sorry."
"The both of you are hopeless," Bon sighed, stacking his notes together. "I don't see the point. The girls'll just be dancin' with each other and every loser is just gonna be standin' 'round. Count me out."
"You're just saying that because you can't ask out a girl, huh, Bon?" Shima ducked away from the fist before it came and laughed, lying down on the steps they were sitting at. "Why don't ya ask Rin-chan, Bon? I'd bet she go if you ask her real nicely." He suggested.
"Okumura?! The Hell, no way!" Bon cursed, curling his fingers in and out of his palms. "I'd look like a complete moron if I do that! I'm barely fightin' with her now, the last thing I want is her to laugh in my face for asking her to a stupid dance!" He shouted. Konekomaru inclined his head.
"Rin-san wouldn't do something like that. Bon, you might be thinking the worst case-scenario." He stated.
"Koneko's right," Shima agreed. "I mean, c'mon, Bon. The worst thing she could do is say no."
"Have you met Okumura? Trust me, she could do worst." Despite himself saying that, a voice in the back of his head told him that he really did want to take Rin to the dance. To have her at his side, his arm around her waist while she was dressed cutely and smiling at him with something close to affection. It would be an interesting and a fun time, dancing with Rin and even cracking a few jokes here and there, just to hear her laugh. It would be nice to be with Rin.
'Asking her would be like going against a hundred Leapers, and that sounds easy,' Huffing, He switched back to his notes and paged through them.". . . I still dunno."
"So you are thinking about asking her!"
"Shut the Hell up, Shima!"
From the underside of the staircase, Kuroko giggled, her green eyes shinning mischievously.
"Rin is so going to owe me this for later!"
Yukiko looked out through the crack of the dressing room door, shyly stepping out and biting her bottom lip.
"H-How about this one?"
"Oh! It's really pretty on you, Okumura-sensei!" Cried Shiemi, pulling the shy, glasses-wearing girl out further and placing her in front of the three-walled mirrors and showing how she looked in the light green, off-the-shoulder dress without her glasses. "You're going to look amazing at the dance tonight. Right, Rin-chan?" Asked the blonde, casting a innocent smile.
"Uh. . . Yeah. I still don't see why we didn't take this one first and skip the hundreds of others." A heap of colorful dresses twitched and a head of blue-black hair poked from the top. "Shiemi-chan, thanks for your help, really. But did we had to search through all those other stores? I why was it so easy to find yours and mine so quickly?" She asked, coughing up a few feathers that caught in her throat accidentally.
"Our dresses were really easy, Rin-chan. Pink for me, light-blue for you. It works, right?" Shiemi turned back to Yukiko and helped fixed the skirt of the green dress. "Besides, helping sensei pick out her dress is a dream come true! You've inspired me so much, Yukiko-sensei! This is the least I could do."
Flushing, Yukiko smiled humbly and inclined her head.
"Thank you, then, Shiemi-san," She turned to Rin and cocked her head. "So, do you think this dress works, nee-chan?" She asked. Rin would have told her that she looked as she did in the hundreds of dresses before but then she got a good look at her little sister. Her brown hair was bought out by the simple color of light green and her skin was sent a glow, her blue eyes popping out more. No one would even pay attention to her birthmarks.
"Yeah, really pretty, nii-chi." She smiled, earning an earnest color of red from Yukiko. She waved her hand as she climbed herself out of the dress pile, stretching her arms over her head. "Alright, let's get you that dress and head on out, yeah? I- Oh," She stopped when a girl stepped in front of her, Rin unable to recognize her. "Um. . . Hi-"
"Go outside, now."
". . . Excuse me, what-"
"Now, now, now!"
Abruptly and with strength Rin never thought was possible, the girl ran behind her and shoved her directly out of the store, running into another person.
"Crap!"
"Shit. . . Okumura?"
Rin blinked away the pain that stung her forehead and stared up to meet Bon's face, the both of them matching masks of surprise.
"Bon? What are you doing here?" She asked, looking over and seeing an equally confused Shima and Konekomaru.
"I could ask you the same thing," Replied Bon, grunting when Shima kicked him in the back of the shin and held back a snarl. "I mean, someone told me you would be here when I needed to ask you. . . Well, something important." He turned a light shade of pink and scratched at his fauxhawk, looking nervous. Rin gulped, almost scared of his words. She looked down at her lap and pondered at Bon's chosen words, surprised that it almost sounded like Bon was going to confess something big.
"Y-Yeah? Well. . . What is it?" She asked. Bon shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at the ground, letting out a long sigh.
"This is gonna sound a little stupid, alright? So, d-don't laugh or else, OK?" He asked, his mutters soft. Rin shrugged and bought her hands together.
"Will ya just tell me? Geez, you're making me nervous."
"And you're not doing that same thing to me?" Groaned Bon.
"Bon, get it over with!"
"Just say it, Bon."
"Will you two quit it so I could ask Okumura to the dance!?" Bon all but shouted, sporting a blush that ran all the way to his neck. Rin turned red just as hard, so shocked that her tail almost shot straight out of her blouse.
"F-For real!?" Rin shook her head, tempted to slap herself to make sure this wasn't a dream. "You want us. . . You want me to go to th-the dance with you?" She gave a warily glance and took a step back. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Suguro Ryuji?"
"I am the real Ryuji, damnit," Bon muttered, scratching at his bird-like hair cut again. "Look, I ain't good at asking stuff like this, alright? We can just go to hang out 'cause there's nothing better to do, right? Free food and everything. We don't even half to dance," He shrugged and crossed his arms, begrudged looking up and trying to look into Rin's eyes without falling into those dark blue jewels. "So. . . Okumura. . . You wanna go to the dance tomorrow night. . . You know, with me?" He finally asked, waiting for the rejection.
"Um. . . Y-Yeah, sure, Bon."
Brown eyes shot open and the young temple-troubled teen stared at her.
"You. . . Really want to?"
"Yeah," Rin smiled, so sweetly that Bon though his legs would melt under him. "We're friends now, right? Friends can go to dances together. Beats standing around in that dress I got for nothing, right?" She asked, noticing that Bon was blushing at the image of her in a dress. "So. . . Wanna meet at the dance at seven? Me and Yuki are gonna be there."
Bon took a second to register what she said. It sounded just like a date. He didn't even know he was smiling a little and nodding.
"Yeah. Meet ya then, Okumura."
From her perched tree, Kuroko giggled between the shadows of the leaves.
"I knew it! I knew that would work! Now Rin's so going to owe me!"
The next day came quickly and turned into nightfall. The field that was dedicated to allow sports teams or for the use of exorcist training was morphed into a summer evening's paradise. Torches were sent a lit and planted all over the field, a wooden platform set as a dance floor right in the middle with chairs and tables bordering the area. The long pine trees crowned the pinnacle of the makeshift dance hall and judging by the looks of the students' faces, tonight was going to be a hit.
"So. . . This is a dance," With a nervous gulp and a matching forced smile, Rin tried to enjoy herself as students flaunted all over the place, girls giggling and dancing in their small groups to the band that was bought in while the guys stood around. A few had ventured to get a girl as a partner. Some had succeeded, some had failed. That was the unfortunate luck of a school dance. "Told ya it was gonna turn out like this." Shrugged the daughter of Satan.
"Well, let's try to have some fun." Shiemi beseeched, dressed in a rose-pink dress with small sleeves that stopped at her elbows and a rose-made sash around her waist.
"I guess," Rin smiled, dressed in a light blue cocktail dress with a shimmering and transparent veil around the skirt of it and a white bow tied at one of the straps. She wore simple white flats and she let her long her flow to her back, her blue ribbon presently tied near her ear. She looked around for a bit and spotted her sister in her light green dress, the younger Okumura trying her best to shy away from boys who wanted to dance with her. Rin held back a laugh. 'She'll be fine.' She thought, looking around the area and suddenly frowning. 'I could have bough Kuroko hear in a bag or something. Man, she looked like she really wanted to go to this thing. I guess it sort of looks fun,' She shook her head with that thought. 'I'll bring her back some appetizers. Maybe she and Ukobach are doing that movie thing me and Yuki were talking about. That's why I didn't see her this morning,' She sighed. 'I hope I'm right.'
The dance's band switched from guitars and drums to violins, cellos, trumpets, and a little of percussion, boys finally working up the nerve to ask a girl to dance and couples sons swaying with one another. Isamu walked up to them, dressed in what looked like a pressed and dark tuxedo with a lilac-colored bow tie. He calmly held his hand to Shiemi.
"Want to dance, Moriyama?" He asked, before adding. "Just don't step on my feet, please."
The blonde looked at Rin for advice, to which the bluenette waved her hand with an easing smile. Agreeing, Shiemi nodded and took the young tamer's hand, following him into the sea of swaying bodies. Rin laughed quietly and looked around, watching with amazement. Spotting her sister by the band, she quickly made her way to the teacher.
"OK, you win," She sighed, surprising Yukiko. "This dance is pretty cool. I mean, everyone looks like they're having a good time." She admitted. Yukiko smiled back at her sister.
"Then that means you can do your homework for the remaining week."
"Hell no, Four-Eyes!"
"Geez, you think you sisters might not have a fight?" Groaned a certain blonde/redhead. Standing before the twins was Shuichiro, dressed in an un-button, orphan-blue shirt with baggy sleeves and dark blue pinstripes, along with black skinny jeans and black boots. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he wore a seductive smirk. "Nice party, huh? I like what I'm seeing." He purred, looking directly at Yukiko. "'Specially you, Yukiko. Got all dressed up for me?"
"Yeah-no," Yukiko deadpanned, earning a glare from the senior-exorcist and a laugh from Rin. "And it's really surprising to see you here, Shuichiro-san. Are you a chaperone as well?" She asked.
"Yeah, orders from Metphisto himself," Shuichiro shrugged. "Not my style, but Hell if I'm gonna miss seeing ya in a dress," He snickered, teasingly waving his hand as Yukiko failed to hold an eye roll. "Alright, alright. Onto why I'm really here," His face harden with seriousness. "According to the higher-ups, there could be some demons sneaking onto grounds due to some of our charms and summoning going haywire. All chaperones and exorcists here need to keep a sharp eye out."
"I see." Yukiko shook her head, pulling off her glasses to clean them. "Things are just suddenly becoming more and more chaotic. It's really starting to worry me." She said.
"Hey, let's not think about that. You should be having fun, Yukiko," With a charming smile, Shuichiro held his hand out. "May I have this dance, Okumura-sensei?"
"You're being serious, are you?" Yukiko asked with a sigh. Shuichiro grinned impishly.
"I'll take that as a yes!" He grabbed Yukiko's hand and dragged her onto the floor, the later silently crying to her older sister for help. Rin laughed and waved her way, calling out "Don't have too much fun now!" And watching as her sister blush up a storm a slow dance with her rival. Smiling, Rin swayed on her own feet, happy for her sister, before looking around. 'Huh, I haven't seen Bon or his friends yet. I wonder-'
"Damnit, Kirigakure-sensei! I wanted to dance with Okumura-sensei!" Rin dodged the pink blur that ran onto the dance floor, an angry Shima the perpetrator. She looked behind her back and smiled at a flustered Konekomaru and a busy-looking Bon.
"Glad you guys could show up." She said, greeting the too.
"We had some trouble with our clothing. Oh, you look really nice tonight, Rin-chan." Said Konekomaru, dressed in a light brown suit with a white dress shirt and a light blue bow tie.
"Thanks, Konekomaru. You look nice yourself," Rin returned, turning her gaze to Bon and dropping at when she saw him. "O-Oh. Hey, Bon." She said quietly, unable to look at him with his hair slicked back and with his piercings removed. Donned in a dark grey tuxedo with a forest-green dress shirt and an undone black tie, Bon looked incredibly handsome tonight. Rin looked up at him again, concluding that he looked so other-worldly and charming.
Bon caught her stare and could only nod, unable to speak as he saw Rin's creamy-white skin glow in the moonlight and torches, the skirt of her dress glittering with its pale shade of blue. He looked up, fascinated that two simple bows could bring out the feminine side of Rin. Her long, sea-blue hair ran to her back and framed her face, fierce features and hissing eyes rendering to hypnotically serpentine curves with elusive eyes, the combination innocents and mysterious hidden on the shadows of her face. Rin was breath-taking, stealing every word of Bon's tongue.
"Um. . . Bon?" Rin looked at his chest, tilting her head at his undone tie. "Do you need help with that?"
"Huh?" Before Bon knew it, Rin's small hands were on his chest and taking his tie in them, knotting and fixing until it looked good as knew. The space between them was now paper-thin and Bon felt his eyes almost drop when Rin's hair brushed near his nose. Such a sweet smell mingling with the earth, a hint of spice making his heart thunder. Rin stepped back and smiled, Bon taking the chance to speak. "Oh, yeah. Thank, Okumura." Rin smiled and Bon gave a slight one back. "Hey, you look good."
"You, too. Man, did it hurt to remove them?" She asked, pointing at her own face and indicating Bon's eyebrow, nose, and ear piercings. The older student shrugged.
"It's only gonna be a pain in the ass to put them back on," He looked around the scene, grimacing as he saw the dancing couples and realizing that Konekomaru had wandered off to get a drink while Shima was trying to cut in between Yukiko and Shuichiro. He looked back at Rin, who had a certain interest in the grass. "Hey, Okumura. . . You wanna. . . I dunno, dance or something?" He asked, blood crawling up his neck.
Rin tilted her head, mustering a pout and blush all in one.
"I-I thought you said we didn't have to."
"I did. But, it beats standing around like Bariyon, right?" Awkwardly, he held his hand out to Rin, not one single ounce of gentleman's grace, whatsoever. "Would you do me the honor of a dance, Oku. . . Rin-san?" He asked, his tongue rolling off Rin's first name. A shiver ran down Rin's spine, excitement and flattering rumbling her heart with the brave bearings of her name spoken in such a way. She took his hand and stepped closer to him, their bodies nearly molded.
"I'd love to, Bo. . . Ryuji-san."
Kuroko stood off to the side, close to the dance floor, smiling behind her cup of punch as she spotted the demon twins dancing the night away, unknown to the love blooming between. Dressed in a small periwinkle dress with a small fur trim on the neck and hemline, the demon cat-turned human was glad to see the work she made today had paid off.
'It wasn't easy either. All of that nearly tired me out,' Her eyes lids dropped softly as she watched the night dance away into the Summer air of lit torches and fireflies. 'It was worth it, though. Yukiko and Rin look so happy. And I'm glad I got to be human for a whole day and see what happened to the world,' She took a sip of her drink. 'There's one last thing I wanna do. . .' She walked to a trash can and threw away her empty plastic cup, thoughts held in mind. 'I'm going to pay Shiro a visit.'
Sneaking away from the dance, Kuroko ventured into the forest in order to get to True Cross Campus. As long as she could navigate herself quickly, she would have no trouble.
Long and gangly trees constricted around the forest, forming a dome with large bushes and large boulders. Whacking away at a tree branch, Kuroko made a move to jump over a log when a tree branch snapped behind her. Stilling, the girl with raven-black hair looked back, waiting. Something pounced suddenly, a sort of beast that looked like a wolf with feathers that twined and stretched out behind its back like an eagle's. It growled at Kuroko, smelling the faint scent of her feline fur.
"No. . ." Whispering, the once-cat demon took a step to run but the other demon made a jump, making Kuroko act and begin to run away. Tried as she did, her long legs did not help her jump over rocks or fallen logs. She tripped on something- a tree root, a large branch near the ground- she didn't know, but she landed not-too gracefully on the ground. Her dress was slightly torn and now covered in dirt. Saving her worries of Yukiko's scolding for later, Kuroko turned and covered her face from the attack when something else growled and blowed right past the demon, prompting Kuroko to cover herself and wait.
There was a sound of a beat down, grunts and groans soon following with a sound of a neck breaking and a pain-intensified howl. Shocked, Kuroko hudh=led and cried out when a hand rested on her head.
"Are you OK?"
She looked up and froze, memorized by the amber-gold orbs grazing coolly into her own.
"W-Who?"
The man smiled, short and curly, bleach-blonde hair possessing a single stripe of royal-purple neatly reaching his shoulders. "Call me a friend," He said, holding his hand to her, his hand passing the dark green coat he wore. Softly, he looked into Kuroko's eyes and smiled. "Come with me." He asked, a bottom lip brushing against the green muffler he wore.
A servant to his voice, Kuroko took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, the "friend" leading her to a paved road through the thick trees. Though dark and still cold, the young man had led them safely to True Cross Campus without a problem. The closer to their destination they were, the more Kuroko began to recognize it.
"Shiro's monastery. . ." She realized. The young man in front of her smiled, their clasped hands squeezed slightly.
"Uh-huh."
"How did you know?"
"Just a feeling," The boy took her to the back of the monastery, helping her sneak over the fence and into the graveyard. Together, through the trippy steps and confusing corners of grave markers and shrines, they made it to Fujimoto's grave, a light rain slowly starting.
"Oh!" Kuroko ran to the grave, trying to keep the lit candles from drying out. She sighed as they died out to the rain and bowed her head. "Sorry for being late, Shiro."
"Late? I didn't even know when you were coming!"
A glow erupted from the grave and Kuroko gasped, the ghost of her dearest master before her. Shiro tipped his drink to her, brown eyes warm and welcoming from behind his orange shades.
"It's good to see you again, Kuroko," He offered his drink. "Want some Silver Vine Sake? Just made."
"Shiro!" Kuroko cried in glee, tears seeping past her eyes. "It's you!" She jumped and ran into his embrace, not caring that his drink could slosh and stain her dress. "Oh, it's really you! Shiro, I've missed you so much!"
"And I've missed you, Kuroko. I'm so glad to see you," Replied the spirit, stroking her hair with his somehow solid hand. His familiar nuzzled into his touch, her tears spilling when she could feel that nostalgic warmth. Her ears wiggled their way out of her hair and her tail lazily drew from the hem of her skirt, curling in content. "Man, I didn't realize you could become human. How did that happen?" Asked the ghost. Kuroko gave a sad smiled, tugging at her hair.
"I-I may have taken something from someone in order to do this. B-But it's only gonna last for a day!" Her panic worsened when Shiro gave a firm look. "I-I just wanted to know what it was like to be a human! Just for one day, Shiro! Rin and Yukiko were being so unfair! They wouldn't let me go-"
"Because they were worried about you. Kuroko, you could have gotten yourself hurt." Shiro scolded.
"I-I almost did." The once-black cat admitted. Shiro sighed and smiled slightly, patting the temporary human's head.
"At least you now know. So tell me; Do you like living with Rin and Yukiko? Is your life well?"
"You bet!" Kuroko nodded with her exclaim. "I've met so many people and seen so many things! It's fun living with Rin, and Yukiko, and Ukobach, and everything! I love it Shiro! But. . ." She sighed, resting her head on the phantom's chest. "I miss you, too. . . Shiro, why did you have to leave? Why'd you leave me?" She asked, her eyes becoming misty. A large hand bought her head up and her deceased master looked at her with a deep sense of compassion.
"I never left you, Kuroko. I'm still here, watching over you, Rin, and Yukiko. I could never leave any of you," He pulled her close, resting his chin on her shoulder and closing his eyes. "I'm always there. Never forget that, Kuroko." He opened his eyes and smiled. "Kuroko, can you promise me something?"
"M-M-hm." Kuroko couldn't trust her voice, afraid to cry, and nodded.
"Take good care of Rin and Yukiko, OK? They both need you to watch over them. Would you do that for me?"
"Of course, Shiro!" Kuroko sat up and nodded. "Y-Yeah! I'll make sure of it! You can count on me!" She promised. Shiro patted her head, smiling brightly.
"'Atta girl. I can always count on you Kuroko," His smiled turned bittersweet, his hand slowing as he stroked at Kuroko's ears. "Take care of yourself, too. I hope we can see each other again soon." He hugged her once more, his form fading away. "See you later, Kuroko." He whispered, fading into the dispersing smoke of the candles. Kuroko sat close to the grave, ignoring the rain fall. Her look was blank yet her eyes spoke a million words.
"See you later, Shiro." She whispered, suddenly feeling something over her shoulders. She turned around, flushing as she saw it was the odd blonde who saved her life.
"S-So you saw that." She stuttered.
"Yeah. He really meant a lot to you, huh, Kuroko?" He asked. Green eyes widened in surprise, Kuroko suddenly feeling cold in the man's coat.
"Y-You know who I am?" She asked. The man's muffler dropped as he pulled out a familiar flash, a light goatee that matched the streak in his hair planted on the tip of his chin.
"We've been living for a while together, haven't we?" He asked, suddenly pulling the surprised girl over.
"Uko-!"
Her were caught by a gentle kiss, warm and welcoming, and completely dizzying her. Caught off guard, Kuroko's legs fell under her, her hands clutching the front of Ukobach's shirt as he caught her waist, still kissing her. He pulled away and smiled, a distant clock suddenly striking at midnight.
"I hope you had a nice day as a human, Kuroko." He said, the two of them suddenly changing in size and shape, the warm light washing over them. Fur returned to their skin and their eyes returned to normal, Kuroko staring at the smiling cooking demon while the later smiled back.
"I hope you're not mad at me," He said, his fur becoming damp from the rain water. "I was just little worried so I took some of the flask myself and tried to find you. I'm glad I made it before that inugami got to you," He bowed his head. "I know this all could have gone better, but I hope you really did have a nice time, Kuroko." He said, yelping when Kuroko pressed her head to his chest. The little demon would have turned red if he wasn't furry. "K-Kuroko?"
"Thanks, Ukobach," Replied the Cat Sith, pressing her nose to his, an innocent Eskimo kiss. "Thanks so much."
"Kuroko! Ukobach! You guys out here?"
The familiars looked up, surprised to see Rin and Yukiko running up to them in their rain parkas, Yukiko holding a flashlight.
"There you guys are," Rin huffed. "We came back to the dorm after the rain hit the dance and you guys were missing! We couldn't believe it," She shook her head and smiled. "I'm glad to see you guys are alright, at least. C'mon," She offered her shoulders to the two. "Let's go home." She added with a smile.
"How did you know we would be here?" Asked Kuroko as she rested on Rin's head while Ukobach took her shoulder.
"Some sort of feeling," Rin shrugged but smiled suddenly. "Kind of like. . . Dad sending me a message, telling me to find you guys here," She sighed softly, her smile never falling. "I'm glad I listened."
'Me, too,' Kuroko thought, looking up at the sky as the clouds began to fade away. 'Thanks, Shiro.'
"Why were you guys together anyway?" Rin grinned teasingly with a thought. "Oh wait, you guys were on a date!"
"R-Rin!" The once goddess of the silkworms shook her head wildly. "Th-There's no way. . . Just shut up!" She yowled, making an attempt to claw at the demon princess's face.
"Ouch, quit it! That freakin' hurts!" Rin shouted, trying to pry off her kitten.
"You two and your fights," Yukiko sighed. "Can we settle this when we get home? Kuroko, Ukobach, I hope you two didn't make a mess out of the dorm."
Kuroko stopped herself, remembering the dress left behind and the flask.
"Uh. . . About that. . ."
Rin sighed and grumbled under her breath.
"You two had better enjoyed this night out, 'CAUSE IT'S THE LAST TIME YOU'RE EVER GONNA DO IT!"
The night did not end so peacefully. But truthfully, from Kuroko, it was the best day she ever had,
To Be Continued. . .
Yeah, I know this chapter wasn't much of what you expected it to be. To that, I am sorry. I promise all to ya, the next chapter is gonna be something else since it's going to be the camping episode next! That one is really funny and because of that, I already got started on it ^_^ Well, thanks again for reading! Please make sure to review and I'll get back to all of ya real soon! Happy Summer!
This is me saying, Peace!