Chapter 3- Suspicions
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At my words Yukio lowered the barrel of his gun to where it was now aimed at my chest. Rin on the other hand moved into an offensive stance, face contorted in confusion. He gripped the flaming katana tightly in one hand, blade pointed in my direction.
"What the hell are you talking about?! And how do you have the blue flames?"
I glared darkly, dropping the 'nice transfer student' act. With a sigh, I ran a hand through my messy locks, tired eyes narrowing.
"I told you already. I am a mimic demon. I can copy any power. Even Satan's flames." My voice was laced with confidence, though every muscle in my body was straining under the weight of the fire. Rin's power was equivalent to that of Satan's; the only difference was their experience. The same unbridled flames that were rumored to have created Gehenna were accessible by the dark-haired teen. He was just unable to tap into their full potential— currently.
When I was only a few centuries old, full of hubris and stupidity, I had made the mistake of trying to steal Satan's power as my own. Instead, the flames nearly burned me to death, their power and intensity too difficult a burden to bear. Fortunately, Rin's flames lacked the same intensity, and under my control (or for as long as I could keep the fire from consuming me) they only drained my power, not my life.
However, this was not something I could disclose to the twins; they needed to be under the impression that I had perfect control of the flames, that my blue fire was equal in power and intensity of Rin's. My gift of mimicry did have its flaws and no potential enemy could know. Any power I copied I could only tap into by roughly fifty percent and the demon I was absorbing the power from had to be in a certain range for me to feed off their energy. To steal the power entirely, however, was still possible.
I just needed to kill whoever I preyed on.
Returning my attention to the sons of Satan, it appeared that my explanation wasn't enough for either of them.
"That's bullshit!" Rin rebutted, taking another step towards me. I don't think he had any real intention of attacking me, however, as it seemed akin to a scare tactic. He was still only holding his katana with one hand; if he were planning to tear into me with the blade he'd use two hands.
I could not say the same about Yukio. He brought the gun back up to my face, not a sliver of compassion in his eyes. "Father Fujimoto told me that when Rin awakened demons would be after him. You say you're here to train him, but I've heard nothing of this from Sir Pheles, who supposedly let you into the Academy. I'm sorry, but I can't believe such a blatant lie."
I would not be surprised if he was wholly prepared to take my life. His intuition was unexpectedly sharp. To infer that my intentions were anything but benevolent, and to even pinpoint that it had something to do with Rin's power, was admirable. Yukio Okumura was definitely the person I'd have to be cautious around. If I wasn't careful, I'd have to kill him as well which would be such a hassle.
For a moment, I observed the disheveled classroom. I thought I had sensed something when Rin unsheathed his sword, but it quickly disappeared at my mental probing. Still, the situation at hand was almost laughable. Here I was, a centuries old demon, being accosted by a fifteen year old half-demon and his powerless exorcist brother. Surely there was some irony in having the sons of Satan pointing weapons at you for the sake of humanity.
Before I could even attempt to lie further, I heard a familiar bellowing laughter. At the sound we all turned our attention to pinpointing where it came from, thoughts on attacking each other shoved aside. Though, I already knew who was waiting in the rafters.
A flash of pink and white fell from the ceiling, landing perfectly on Rin's back. The unlucky teen let out a wail of surprise and pain as the demon teasingly rubbed the sole of his red boots into the boy's shoulder blades, stepping off a moment later.
"Oh, my apologies Okumura-kun. I didn't see you there."
Typical Samael— err, Mephisto.
The demon king moved just out of the angry half-demon's reach, sidestepping towards me. On reflex I extinguished my flames, knowing that the last thing I wanted to do was injure Mephisto— or reveal how weak my flames really were. He then proceeded to clasp me on the shoulder, other hand pointing to the flabbergasted twins.
"Now, now, Acacius is telling the truth. He is to be your private tutor— no one, especially anyone in the exorcist order, can know. We wouldn't want the Vatican getting any wrong ideas. It would be quite... problematic for our dear friend, no?"
His crooked grin did nothing to assuage the twins' worries.
Pushing the bridge of his glasses up, Yukio spoke, "That still doesn't explain everything. There is no record of a mimic demon existing— not even one under the domain of Time and Space. He," the exorcist shoved an accusatory finger towards me, "does not have a single page in any grimoire or demonology book."
At his words I stepped forward, folding my arms. This brat was annoying; I really didn't want to rattle off an explanation, but I definitely didn't want Mephisto to intervene. I sighed to myself. Half-demon or not, they were both still children. And children, regardless of their species, were prone to questions.
"If you must know, there aren't many mimic demons alive. Once our powers develop we are normally killed by our parents who fear that we will one day devour their power entirely. We are constant targets because of our potential. That's why you won't find a page about us— for all intents and purposes, we do not exist. Those that know we are more than legends persecute us. We hide, we struggle, and the strong survive in secret."
My explanation brought an uncomfortable silence to the classroom. Rin sheathed his sword, still glaring at Mephisto while Yukio reluctantly holstered his gun. Seeing that the situation had diffused (as my words must have struck a chord for the twins— being the bastard sons of Satan, after all), the jester-like demon clapped his hands, sneering.
"I'm glad to see we've come to an understanding! I'll let Acacius decide on a training schedule. Now, I think it's about time you call in the rest of the students, Okumura-sensei. You're wasting valuable class time~!"
And with those final parting words the demon disappeared, waltzing happily out of the classroom.
Composing himself, Yukio asked us to take our seats before ushering the cram school students back inside.
Ryuuji was the first to speak, eyes locked to mine. "We saw Headmaster Faust walk out of the classroom. So he's really related to you, huh? Even though you look nothing alike."
I gave a short laugh. "We are very distant cousins, but he was kind enough to support me when I asked to study at his school. Our personalities are different as well, I'm afraid. I'm not too fond of theatrics and most jokes are wasted on me."
The boy grunted in affirmation. "Good. I hate people who just leisurely live their lives. The threat of demons is real, and serious." The way he glared at Rin afterwards made me almost positive that he held some sort of grudge against the half-demon.
"I-is there any particular reason you decided to study here, Faust-san? I mean other than the fact your cousin runs the school?" The shy blonde spoke up, immediately apologizing for her outburst afterwards with a flurry of hand movements.
I waved off her apology, settling more comfortably in my seat as the cram students swarmed me. Apparently, class really was over for the day, as Yukio did nothing to stop the barrage of question. Inwardly, I think he enjoyed seeing me come up with believable lies, and perhaps subconsciously, thought that my words would reveal my true nature. Unfortunately for him, when needed, I was quite the skilled liar, even if I was fond of being blunt and honest.
Clearing my throat, I spoke, "Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say Faust was partly responsible for me coming to study at the Academy. But, True Cross has one of the best exorcist programs in the world— it would be foolish not to go here."
"Is there a reason you want to be an exorcist?" Kamiki questioned, flicking back her pigtails. There was a sort of calculating look in her eyes; unlike the blonde earth-tamer, she still had doubts about my sudden arrival at True Cross. Arguably, she had every right to be weary of me.
Here I was, some distant 'relative' of the principal of one of the greatest exorcist academies, who looked nothing like him. I even had an unnatural appearance and my acceptance into the Academy was not documented anywhere— Yukio had been sure to blow my cover of being a regular new student. And it didn't help that the bespectacled youth made the entire class vacate the room just to talk privately to a 'transfer' student.
I gave a polite grin, speaking warmly to the violet-haired girl in an attempt to rid her of her skepticism. "My bloodline is tied to water demons. They were my great ancestors and gave my family power as a result. However, I need more strength to... prove myself. I want to become an exorcist to be stronger, so no one will think I'm useless ever again."
The best of lies are laced with half-truths, after all. I did want power. But I wasn't going to get it by becoming an exorcist; it would require the death of Rin Okumura.
Eventually, cram school was over. I had answered a few more standard questions (my favorite color, types of music I listened to, what subjects I was good at, if I had a meister planned, etc.) before Yukio dismissed us. I waited until the entire class (minus the twins) was gone, giving one final wave to my classmates before my smile slipped away. My jaw hurt; I wasn't used to smiling this much.
Rubbing my chin sourly, I turned to the Okumura twins.
"Training starts tomorrow. It will take place every other day. I'll secure a training room from Mephisto later." My tone left no room for argument. Although it looked as if Yukio were planning a rebuttal, Rin dragged him away, muttering something about needing help with the homework he assigned.
The behavior was odd to say the least. Perhaps the dark-haired teen was more observant than I gave credit for. Could he sense the malicious aura around me? Or was my display of flames enough to scare him? Despite my pondering, the classroom soon became too quiet. It was as if I was in Gehenna again, all alone in an ocean of sand and demon skeletons.
And so I left shortly after the twins, humming to fill the silence. My steps pointed towards the run-down male dormitory where I imagined Rin and Yukio would be given quite a surprise.
I passed the dormitory threshold, shutting the door softly behind me. I didn't want the twins knowing of my arrival just yet. I had a mean streak, after all, to uphold as a demon. Instead, I slinked through the corridors, following my nose towards a delicious aroma. Ah, that's right. I forgot; the file Samael gave me mentioned that Rin was an exceptional cook.
I passed by the kitchen, finding the dark-haired son of Satan busy at the stove. He was chatting casually with Yukio, who sat at the dining table. He had his glasses off, lounging almost lazily in the wooden chair. It seemed even he grew tired every now and then.
I smiled wryly. It was time to have some fun.
"Good evening, Okumura twins~!" I said with my best Mephisto impression, voice light and cheerful. My sudden outburst caused Rin to burn his hand on the stove while Yukio reflexively felt to his side where his holster would normally have been, if he hadn't already retired into casual clothing. He slipped his glasses on a moment later, rubbing at his temples as Rin continued to yell in pain, a flurry of expletives rushing from his mouth.
"What are you doing here, Acacius?" Yukio asked, looking at me a bit wearily. Without his guns, the teen was defenseless and he knew it.
Rin on the other hand tried to divide his attention between me and the food he was preparing. I guess he really took his cooking seriously, because he continued to use the frying pan even though a potentially dangerous demon was standing in his kitchen.
"Mephisto forgot one crucial detail. As I am masquerading as a high school student, he gave me permission to live in the male dormitory with you two." I gave a fanged grin at the look of displeasure that crossed both of their faces.
"I'll be sleeping in the room beside yours. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I hope we can all live together happily!" I gave a cheery wave, my nice human act probably giving the twins emotional whiplash. Ah, it was so fun, toying with their emotions.
I couldn't wait to see Yukio's reacting when I killed his brother…
Disappearing up the stairs, I returned to my room, settling onto the bed with a warm sigh. Perhaps pretending to be human wouldn't be that bad after all. I mean, I got to be the perfect devil and steal Satan's flames. With these thoughts swirling through my head, I almost didn't hear the knock at my door a good twenty minutes later.
I sat up as Rin entered, carrying a plate of food. He looked away from me, a frown set on his youthful features. "…Just eat it, alright? I made too much and it would be a waste to throw it away."
With a laugh, I took the plate. "Thanks, Rin."
He muttered back a "whatever," before basically sprinting out of the room. I filed the boy's actions in my head. So he was truly a kind person under his delinquent persona. Interesting…
It would be that much easier to gain his trust, then. I could act in my usual trickster fashion around the twins, but with a sort of kindness that would eventually make them unwary of me. I could keep my base personality, thankfully, and still become 'friends' with them. Or Rin, at the very least. I'm sure he would accept an apology for my somewhat rude behavior and eventually convince Yukio that I wasn't that bad of a person.
I just needed time. And assuming I had an entire school year, it made the plan that much easier. Taking a bite of Rin's cooking, I realized immediately this would be another perk of masquerading as a human. The food really was astounding. Everything, from the sauce on the chicken to the vegetables, was made perfectly. A shame it would end after I killed him; I think I could really get used to his cooking.
After finishing my meal, I allowed myself a bit of a respite. I was tired from my trip to Assiah still, and sleep seemed like a necessity. As a demon, however, sleep did not come easy. It was around four in the morning that I found myself welcomed to the dark abyss of nothingness that sleep provided.
A/N: Sorry for the delay guys D: I meant for this chap to come out earlier, but I was out of town and where I was staying there was no wifi/computers. Needless to say, I typed up the majority of this chapter on my Ipod, so I apologize for any typos/grammatical errors ^^' Still, I hoped this chap was at least mildly entertaining :P
Poor twins, Acacius is such a tease XD I highlighted some of his motivation for power in this chap, but his past has not been completely revealed. So yay, you can expect some character development in the future; stay tuned~!
Review?
-Isis
