Hey, new chapter! And guess what? We have one Rin's POV! Seriously, I was killing myself about it, I mean, I had already put 2 Yukio' POV, but none from Rin udgisuegaebgkudjkgakuh I hate myself :_( And don't be mad at me if this one is not THAT cool, but it's better than nothing. Plus, it's not really interesting now, it still gets more interesting ( I swear ;D ). So, that's it, enjoy the chapter!
[Rin's POV]
"So today we're working on the hall of portraits mystery. The about a portrait that shows your face of death or something"
"So basically it's a portrait that changes the face it displays every time you look at it, right?"
"That's all great, but Okumura sensei is late", said Konekomaru. That morning Shura came to pick Yukio up to go to the Vatican, or something like that, and since than I didn't see him. Lately he have been acting weird, and when I asked what's happening, he lied. I wonder what he is hiding...
"GYAAAAAAAA"
"Izumo!? Are you okey? What's... Mephisto? Why are you here?"
"What happened to the puppy...?", eyebrows muttered, still in shock, but Mephisto just ignored her and said:
"Since Okumura sensei received urgent summons to the Vatican, I will be standing in for him to watch over you guys today. If I am not mistaken, this hall of portraits is the only remaining mystery left to be solved."
"Wait, if I'm not wrong, there's supposed to still be three left for us to trackle", said Mitsuko, who I hadn't noticed till now.
"My, really?... Ahh! The seventh mystery, 'the estate that can never be reached' is about the exorcism shop"
"What!?". I looked at Shiemi a bit astonished.
"...As it is harmless, we'll give that one a miss"
"Since when your house is one of the seven mysteries!?"
"I-I had no idea it had become a rumour... Although I have herd that it's impossible to physically approach the exorcism shop...", she said as her cheeks turned red.
"And the sixth mystery, the 'wunder-kammar", continued Mephisto, "Is a valued part of my prank -*cough cough wheeze* excuse me- collection, so we won't be investigating that one either"
Prank collection...!? I don't know what more to expect from this clown.
"Thus, the only remaining mystery to be tackled is indeed this one, the hall of portraits!", and then pointed to a portrait of a girl, "This portrait ia titled 'the family portrait', and was once part of my prank collection. However, recently the number of students who have looked at the portrait, and have, as result, become significantly traumatized, has drastically risen. As it has become such a dangerous presence, we have no other option left but to exorcise it. Well then, the sun has set and the students have all returned to their dormitories. You may begin"
And then, he disappeared in a explosion of pink smoke, just to reappear upstairs, sitting in the handrail with a DS in hands. "I will be watching over you all from up here~". Like hell he will be paying attention to us. He will play and just forget that we are even here... What would he's playing?
"First", started Suguro,"We gotta analyse our enemy... But that painting sure as hell don't look like a 'family portrait' to me"
"Neither for me"
"The same"
"Then what should we do?". And then, a idea popped up in my mind.
"Hey, don't you guys think that it'll all be solved if I just cut the painting in a half!?"
"What!? And what we just spoke today about you always cutting every damn thing?". Konekomaru was trying to say something, when Suguro said that, remarkably angry. Behind them, no one showed much reaction, except Mitsuko, who was hiding her face with one hand, as if she was disappointed, and Shima, who said:
"I'm all for Okumura-kun's idea~"
"Shima!"
I started running towards the portrait as unsheathed my katana, while said "Leave it to me...!"
"Ahh, wait-". But I had already slashed the portrait, which fell on the ground divided in two. Nothing happens. "Did that do it?". And then, something black jumped out from the destroyed portrait, and everything became dark.
"Wha... What the hell?"
I turn back and see everyone, and run towards them. "Are you guys oka...", but when I reach them, they backed away, looking frightened and desperate.
"D... Don't come near me!"
"The illegitimate son of Satan"
"H... Hey...", I tried to say.
"D-Demon...!"
"Everyone...", what's happening...?
"Okumura-kun!". And then, all was clear. In front of me, was Konrkumaru holding some kind of knife, which he used to stab a small demon.
"Konekomaru...!?"
"This way!", and he led me through a amount of small demons to a sort of circle, where the others were. "Quickly, get inside the barrier...!"
"W... What the hell is going on..."
"No, Don't look that way!", I immediately turned to face the others. "Everyone, only look at each other!".
We formed a circle and I sheathed my katana. "...Look, I'm sure you each saw something, but you gotta keep yourselves calm!". We all stared at him. It's not the first time that he takes a initiative as a leader, but we don't usually see him yelling this way to keep the order. "That was a shapeshifter possessing the painting"
"I see. Shapeshifters are demons that alter their appearance to mirror the viewer's fears... This one'll be a pain in the ass to fight against. How were you able to...!?", everyone turned to face Konekomaru, having the same question as Bon: how did he was the only one to not see things?
"W-When Okumura-kun drew his sword, I took off my glasses just in case"
"Nice thinking as always, Konekomaru...! And I know five of the letal verses for shapeshifters, if I chant them all, it might be all right..."
"BON!"
"What!?"
"...This barrier won't hold for much longer... Everyone, please listen to what I am about to say!"
"Ahm..."Shieme shyly started speaking as she raised her hand, "Isn't we missing something?". The others looked around and their eyes widened.
"I can't believe that we didn't noticed this before..."
"Wait, what's happening?". Eyebrows hid her face with a hand and Shiemi answered me:
"Mitsuko-san isn't here..."
"Ahm, guys, I think Mephisto is also missing"
• • •
[Mitsuko's POV]
Everyone is looking at the destroyed portrait, not able to believe in the stupidity of Rin, or that nothing had apparently happened. Apparently. "Did that do it?".
We hadn't time even to relax, once just a couple of seconds after Rin had slashed the painting, a black demon rushed out of it. In this right moment, the room turned into darkness, and the air became colder.
I look around, but instead of seeing the others, I found myself facing a mirror. Well, it wasn't exactly a mirror, 'cause it wasn't really showing me. It was me, but different. In it, I looked like a demon. A real demon.
"It isn't real. I'm... I'm just hallucinating...". I quickly revised all the information that I had about the mystery, and got the conclusion that the demon was a shapeshifter. Good, it makes sense, now what I got to do is...
... I forgot what was thinking about in the exact moment that looked at my hands. They were covered by blue flames... No, my entire body was covered by blue flames.
...
Is that really me?
I mean, I already figured out that Rin is my brother, and he didn't hesitate not even once in releasing his powers by unsheathing his katana, but still there is the question: Is that really me?
"Mitsuko". I turn back and see Asako, her face expressionless.
"Asako...". I said while approaching her, but when reached near enough, she slapped me, and I fell over my knees. I began to feel a pressure increased gradually, reaching almost to choke me.
"Before you born, I was aiming to kill you and the other brats", she started, her voice sharp as blade."But when I saw your face, I just thought 'how could a little baby become a fearsome demon?'. And I wavered". My face was blank, silent tears streaming down. "That time, I thought that with sealing your powers the problem would be solved, but this was my biggest mistake. Look at you, a stupid thing..."
"SHUT UP! ". The flames increased in an explosion as I yelled, tears running freely through my face. "You're not real, it's just... It's just a illusion! You're..."
I immediately calmed down and slowly closed my eyes, the air suspended. The pressure I was feeling disappeared, and I allowed myself to enjoy the calm and remain still for undetermined time. How long was it? I don't know. It felt like the time had stopped, and I just wanted to keep it that way. But I can't, I have to back to reality.
I opened my eyes and found myself facing a raised hand a few centimetres from my face, ready to catch mine.
"Need some help?". I stared at the figure and took his hand without saying a word.
Mephisto helped me to stand up, and I finished being really near to him, more than what I wanted to. I'm a bit short, so he is quite taller then me, thus I wasn't seeing his face, and to do so I would need to look up, which don't dare to do.
Unfortunately, he held my chin and make me look up. His expression was somewhere between amusement and disgust. I gulped and started to get more desperate. With the corner of my eyes, I could see what was happening around. We were surrounded by small demons, and the main one was as high as the dome. Some meters away, were the others forming a circle inside of what seemed to be a barrier, which Konekomaru and Rin were running to.
Actually, nothing of this was happening. It had been happening. Now, it was all frozen. I almost laugh with the ironic, the time had really stopped.
"Since the moment you entered this building for the first time I was suspicious, but how your aura was so weak, I just ignored it. Seems it wasn't a good idea, but anyway, I would never expect something like this"
"W-What do you mean?"
"Don't you know? Oh. Well, let me tell you. While you were hallucinating, you burst into the holy flames"
I froze. So it was real? I was in a state of astonishment, and while I was staring at the nothing, Mephisto took off his hand of my chin and started walking around me in the clockwise, counting, every step he took the room seemed slowly back to move.
"Eins, Zwei, Drei, verändernden Umwelt"
With these last words, everything returned to move normally, and a second later I was standing in a room with just one light beam, which was right over me, the rest were shadows. It's deathly quiet, and the temperature dropped significantly.
"Which are your real intentions?", I heard Mephisto's voice echoing in the room, but can't tell where it was coming from exactly.
"I-I came to search for my brothers"
"And did you find them?". I gulped. Actually, I don't have to be scared of saying anything. Despite he looks like a clown, I'm sure he is pretty smart, and already figured out what is happening. He is just playing with me.
"Yes"
I was looking behind when felt a hand in my face, which turned my face to look direct into his eyes.
"And do you know who are your parents?"
"Not exactly..."
"Explain yourself"
"I don't know who the hell is my father". Mephisto raised an eyebrow.
"You really don't know?", I shook my head, "And you know about your mother?", I nodded.
"Then who is she?"
"Yuri"
His eyes kept expressionless as he stepped back, entering the darkness.
"I made a little research when stopped the time ( including yours ), and by looking in Asako's historic ( who is actually your adoptive mother ) as an exorcist, saw she had many missions with Yuri", Mephisto, whose voice was echoing again ( what was making me mad ), stopped for a sec, and then continued, but more than just for report something, there was a tone of amusement his voice, "Knowing who is your father, I quickly realised that Yuri was your mother, what I didn't expected you to know it, once it's like a small detail"
"Small detail? It's my mom you're talking about!"
His face appeared again right in front of me, where I could see, and there was a smirk in his face.
"Dear, would you expect someone to talk about your mother while you're nothing less than the daughter of Satan?~"
"..."
I would be surprised, but I seriously don't know what I'm feeling. My mind is full of questions, but in the same time isn't, and if I had a mirror, I would see an expressionless face.
So I'm daughter of the king of Gehenna.
…
Interesting, he is nuts. Alright, but if we take it as true, and even if consider that Mephisto didn't know about me until now, still having two, not one, but TWO FREAKING SONS' OF SATAN IN THIS DAMN ACADEMY.
Ok, I'm calm now.
"But do you know what more intrigues me?~"
"What?". There wasn't any sign of interesting in my voice, actually I was almost growling, but he just ignored me and continued with the same enthusiasm.
"Is the fact that you're around here for nothing more nothing less than fifteen years, and I didn't even suspected yours existence~"
...
"You're faking, right? I mean, all that enthusiasm, you must be really pissed off with me right now"
"Not exactly, I'm just fascinated. Your 'aunt' ( how you like to call her ), must had hide you really well~"
"..."
"How are you sealed?~"
"Ahm... with...", I was saying while trying to reach my katana, which should be behind me, but I couldn't find it. "What the...". The room had already cleared a bit, so I could see Mephisto in front of me holding my katana, while looking at it with curious eyes.
"Hey, whatcha doin...", I was running in his direction, but it was too late, he had already unsheathed the sword. And nothing happened.
I looked at him, at the katana and back to him, with an expression as saying 'seriously?', and he returned a confused look.
I took the katana of his hands and pointed its handle, "Seeing?", and then I bit my finger and passed my blood in the handle, where appeared some symbols. Mephisto looked to me impressed, and said:
"Amazing. But still nothing happened"
"That's because I didn't say the special word"
"And which word is this?~"
"It's secret~"
• • •
Ten minutes ago, Mephisto sent us back to the academy. He went back to the hall of portraits, different than me. Being finished or not the mission, I don't really want to give any kind of explanations. In this exact moment I'm wandering through the school, maybe heading my dorm, don't know. I turn the corridor and see Rin passing ahead. I immediately freeze in a kinda weird position, caused by my little outbreak. He stops walking and look in my direction, and I try to hide leaning against the wall, but doesn't works, so I try to make this looks less awkward saying a simple 'Hi'. Guess I don't have many ninja's skills.
"Hi... Are you ok? Mephisto told us that when those demons attacked, you got a bit over disturbed., and that's why he had to take you off the mission..."
"Y-Yes, I'm ok now..."
"..."
"..."
"So", I started, braking the awkward silence, "what about you, whatcha doing here? And where are the others?"
"Oh, Mephisto promised that he was going to give me an eyedrops that makes you stop seeing demons if we finish the missions. A guy of our class, Godaiin, he got a mashou, and he was just freaking out with all these demons..."
"Understand". This was the last thing that I said, and he didn't say anything more as well. We were walking when we saw the others.
""Understand". This was the last thing that I said, and he didn't say anything more as well. We were walking when we saw the others.
"So you finally showed up. Come on, let's go eat some monja"
"Everyone was worried about you two"
"Not me, I'm only here 'cause I didn't want to be left alone with sir Pheles and Takara Nemu"
"I'm here 'cause I thought it would be such if you'd forgotten about monja and gone straight home"
"You could have just sent a text for that..."
"I wonder what sir Pheles and Takara-kun were talking about..."
Yep, I didn't think about this before, but now I see... It's good to have some friends...
I know it end up being a bit confusing (Grammar doesn't help nether), but I tried :S
And seriously, this is the longest chapter I had written till now, yey! I was also plaining to put a short Yukio's POV in the end, but I would need to look at the manga, so curse the damn internet, which stopped working when I was going to write it.
P.S.: This chapter was a bitch to write! So sorry if it's not what you would expect, but I tried to do something reasonable.