I do not own Demon King Daimao

Chapter 4

Hattori, Korone, and Keena passed a very troubled looking Shinku on their way to report their findings to Akuto. "So did you guys happen to find anything...off about him?" Akuto asked, folding his arms on the table.

"We don't know much, but he's definitely not just a normal student." Hattori said, remembering last night.

"Something big is apparently about to go down and I do believe we are going to be involved." Korone chimed in.

"Yeah there was this shadowy looking girl in the hotsprings with Shinku and she said all kinds of crazy things." Keena looked uneasy.

"Well that interesting, considering Shinku just warned me to watch my back a few minutes earlier." Akuto looked down the hall where Shinku had skulked away, looking extremely apprehensive. "You guys better be ready for anything and I mean anything. I get the feeling that today will be especially...different."

Shinku knocked on Akemi's door. "Hey Akemi. I hate to make you do something while you're feeling bad but, you need to go hang out with your friends just for today okay, but be back here by sundown?"

"Don't wanna, still feeling nasty." A rough voice answered his call.

"Come on, don't make this any harder than it has to be." Shinku was prepared to use force if necessary.

"No way, I'm not leaving! Wait, no stop...I'll go." Shinku had knocked the door open and already was dragging Akemi halfway across the floor. Akemi got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Why is it so important anyways?" She noticed that Shinku seemed extremely on edge.

"The cycle is going to start soon, it's only a few days off." Shinku responded before briskly exiting from the room. "Don't have much time, it's getting close to sundown." He muttered as he went to his own room. He reached under his bed, searching for the duffelbag he kept there. He gingerly placed the bag on the bed before carefully unzipping it as his heart filled with both dread and excitement. He found himself staring at a featureless crimson mask, a matching crimson overcoat, and a wakizashi about one foot long. He took a moment to reflect on what he was about to do just before his senses kicked in. "Someone is watching me." He thought quietly, before scanning the room without moving. He found no evidence of an intruder but he was sure that he had felt another's eyes upon him. He shook it off as the world crept into the orange and pink glow of sunset, he was out of time. He donned the mask, coat, and stuck the wakizashi out of sight in his belt. He shuddered at the thought of having to use a blade by this was an emergency. He met Akemi inbetween the boy's and girl's respective dorms. She was dressed similarly except her mask had a small slit for the mouth and was a few shades lighter than his.

"Just how do you think the two of us will stop...whatever is going on tonight?" Akemi knew it was something big for Shinku to be dressed in their traditional war attire but still didn't know what.

"Can I fill you in later, right now we have bigger problems." He said as jet black and dark gray clouds began crackling overhead with energy. "They picked a stormy night, that's not usual. Something is definately" He stopped himself when he saw the rain. The tiny droplets of water were varying shades of light black and gray. "Akemi we're not going to be able to see a lot when the fighting starts, I trust you'll handle yourself. But yell and I will find you." Shinku warned as the peculiar rain began to coat the school grounds, only it seemed to evaporate immediately causing a thick dark mist to linger. Shinku had somehow forseen this, leaving a very confused Akemi alone in the rain and mist.

It was morning by the time the mysterious mist finally receded. Shinku and Akemi had stood out there all night and nothing happened. "Way to make me feel even worse." Akemi coughed out before heading back to the room.

"No that can't be, they were supposed..." Shinku looked extremely distrubed by this as he walked shamefully back to his room and put on his normal clothes. "Something just doesn't add up."

"I think something's wrong with him." Hattori told Akuto, looking at Shinku. He hadn't said a word all day and had a very contemplative look on his face.

"He's on edge about something, but I don't know what." Akemi interjected herself into the conversation. Her illness seemed to have left no traces after a good day of sleep.

"Well perhaps it's just a misunderstanding?" Akuto commented.

"Why would a misunderstanding have us out all" Akemi was interrupted by her brother.

"It's perfectly fine to be worried about me, but I won't just sit here and let you throw out ridiculous ideas. That's enough out of you Akemi." Shinku's words were like ice. He stepped out of the room.

"Geez that was kind of harsh. You all right?" Hattori looked to Akemi.

"Yeah it's just that...he's usually not like this. Something is really wrong. Akuto could you go talk to him?"

"Uhh sure, if you think it will help."

A short but important chapter that will *spoiler*