Hello guys, and welcome to chapter three of Inner Demons! Your reviews and faves made me feel all fuzzy and warm, like hot chocolate on a winter night! So thank you, for the lovely review/fave goodness!
To HikaruWinter: Ants are okay, but spiders CREEP. ME. OUT.
Sanddrake 111 : Juubi was absorbed into the Earth, coming back from whence it came from. By the way, for me, Demonic Energy is mostly Natural Chakra: it exists everywhere, and demons are sentient masses of Natural Chakra.
Majischan: She'll probably flip out. Like, Flip Out with capital letters.
Tetra Tortoise: The story is alive! Mwahahahahaha! And it's okay. It took me along time to churn the second chapter out due to its massiveness.
Anxiety was a feeling Naruko had not felt in a very long time. In a few minutes, she would be starting her Exorcist Training, and her infiltration of the true Cross Exorcist Order.
She needed to be inconspicuous, but still move through the ranks. Most probably, she would find out the truth about Yuri in a few years, if she played her cards right. Problem was, if she showed too much promise, it would gain the attention of the higher ups: they would pester her, and she would be found out. If she slacked off, she'd get kicked out. She had to be in the upper tier of the class: good but not the first.
Also, she had to put up a front to hide her personality: jaded teenagers who talked like they were four hundred years old were strange and unusual, and drew unwanted attention.
She could channel her old irritating self, but that wouldn't attract friends, which were good attention diverters. She definitely couldn't be like Shika, a lazy genius, or Chōji, a food-lover. Gai and Lee were eccentric, to say the least, so they were out. Sasuke was balanced, but the aloof genius act would grate on her nerves in the end, so he was out. Same with Sakura or Ino. Hinata was on the complete opposite of her spectrum, character wise, and it would be annoying to mimic stuttering all the time. Asuma…
Hmm, Asuma would be perfect, with a few traits from the old Naruko to add authenticity: she could be easy to anger, but mostly friendly, making friends easily and be an above-average student.
Yes, that would do fine.
Earlier, she had found a note from Mephisto on her desk. Ignoring the perfume that pervaded the paper and made her nose burn, she read it.
Dear Naruko-chan,
How are you settling in? Well, I hope. Attached to the back of the note is a key. It will open every door, and transform it into a portal leading directly to your classroom. Don't be late for your first class,
Your dearest Mephy-chan.
PS: The lily lives on.
A small drawing depicting a chibi Mephisto blowing a kiss was drawn at the bottom of the page.
The abomination was quickly dispatched via a small Katon Jutsu, while Naruko thought over the cryptic hint left by Mephisto. "Yuri" meant lily in Japanese, so that part was obvious: Mephisto was talking about Yuri. "Lives on" could mean she continued to live through her father, Ernest Frederic Egin, or in Naruko's memories. It could even mean that her ideals were passed on. But she already knew that. Why did Mephisto feel the need to bring up the fact that Ernest Egin was still alive?
She'd think about it later, when she would have time. Now though, she had her first class.
When Naruko opened the door with the magical skeleton key, she expected something that ranged from an orderly, ancient-styled dojo, to a modern training room, complete with pool, workout machines and the like. The students? They'd be serious teenagers, with hard-faces, and a few battle scars, sitting in orderly rows before the sensei, a fit middle-aged man… with a beard.
What she saw was severely disappointing to say the least. Naruko had half a mind to say she was sorry, and that she had come into the wrong class, because goddamnit, the future Exorcists were not taught in an abandoned classroom with a teenager for a sensei, and she was quite certain that kimonos weren't adapted to Exorcist schoolwork. At all. And was this guy napping during the lesson? And was that one of Sakura's long lost relatives, sitting next to a punk?
"Ahh! You must be the new student. Come in! We were waiting for you."
Damn it. This was the Exorcist Cram Class.
The too young sensei smiled warmly and beckoned her forwards to the middle of the class. He seemed too small for his clothes, as if the standard Exorcist coat was going to swallow him up. An Exorcist Coat that was buttoned up smartly and sharply, all the way to the top. Black trousers that fell exactly to the sensei's ankles, covering heavy-duty boots that shined, obviously well cared for. A clean, crisp white shirt with a properly tied official tie.
So, a stickler for the rules?
"Class, this is Naruko Uzumaki. The Chairman saw fit to let her enrol, and she will be attending the classes from now on. Would you like to introduce yourself?"
Naruko studied his face intensely. She had a nagging feeling she'd seen it somewhere before. The teenager was becoming uncomfortable with her intense staring so she stopped and faced the surprisingly half-empty class.
"Hello, as you know already, my name is Naruko Uzumaki. My likes are ramen, training, cooking, taking walks and gardening. I dislike arrogant people, those who abandon their dreams in the face of adversity, intolerance and prejudice. My dream for the future…" Naruko paused, before channelling Kakashi. "Is none of your business. My hobbies are training and gardening. I think that people who disobey orders are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Please take care of me," she finished with a small bow.
"Ahaha! Right. That was a pretty detailed introduction, Miss Uzumaki. My name is Okumura Yukio. You may call me "Okumura-sensei"," said the boy, who had yet to grow a single hair on his chin. "Now, let's get you settled down. You can sit next to Yamada-san. Yamada-san, could you please lift your hand so Uzumaki-san can see who you are?"
The person farthest away from the blackboard lifted their hand from dropping it back to the games consol he/she was playing with. Naruko padded over to the designated space and slid into her seat silently. 'Yamada' made no move to socialise with her.
Once he was sure she was settled down, Okumura-sensei started talking about the upcoming Exwire Exams. He talked about the position itself, and what their duties would be if they passed the Exam. Knowing all about it already through Yuri's ramblings about the Exorcists, Naruko drifted off, looking through the windows, outside.
She immediately snapped back to attention when she heard her name.
-are you specialized in, Naruko-san ?"
"Well, Okumura-sensei… I'm good in hand-to-hand combat. My aiming skills are pretty good, but I suck at memorizing long texts. I don't want to be a doctor, but I have basic medical knowledge. To be honest, I don't really know which fields I'm going to take."
"Have you taken any tests? Exams, maybe?" he ventured, eyes assessing her.
Naruko shrugged casually. "Can't say that I have."
"Well. That's about to change. I need to have a clear idea of your skills, so I'm gong to arrange a series of tests. Is that alright with you?" Okumura-sensei asked.
Naruko nodded, not really caring.
As long as it's not like the Chunin Exams…
Okumura-sensei took out a folder from the briefcase on his desk and thumbed through it quickly. "Your next class will be with Tsubaki-sensei. I will arrange it so that he will test you on the physical aspects… and that your next class with Neuhaus-sensei will test your summoning. And Mademoiselle Beaumont will test your Verses. Also, tomorrow, I will test you on your theoretical knowledge of Demonic Pharmaceuticals. That way, we will judge what ranking you are, since you have had training before, and what field you should head towards," he smiled warmly before going back to his desk and proclaiming, "Class is finished. Exceptionally, you have no homework, since Uzumaki-san doesn't have her books, and therefore can't do it. Dismissed."
Everyone stood up and started packing, all but the pink-haired boy she had noticed when entering in class. He sauntered towards her, deliberately puffing out his chest to make it seem bigger. Reluctantly, she faced the boy who was smiling cockily at her.
"Heeey, you must be Naruko-chan! I'm Shima Renzo. Want to go out with me?"
Naruko stared at him. Was he serious?
"I've only just met you. Why would I go out with you?" she deadpanned.
Renzo's smile faltered for a second but he continued on nevertheless.
"Well… Because I'm sexy," he boasted. "And you are too." He added as an afterthought.
He was serious. He was genuinely serious. He was totally, genuinely serious.
"I'm sorry but I'm already dating someone."
Damn right you are! If he so much as touches you, he's a dead over-evolved ape walking.
Touchy, touchy, Kurama-chan.
The boy fell to the ground, crushed by the rejection. It reminded her of herself when she asked that one guy out over and over again, only to be rejected every time.
"Hey..." she tentatively poked him with her finger as she crouched down to better study his twitching face. "Are you OK? Shima-san?"
Shima shook himself from his gloom-fest and jumped up suddenly, like a demented jack-in-a-box.
"Come on! I'll introduce you to the others!" he grabbed her hand and began dragging her, chatting animatedly all the while. It was like Renzo had completely forgotten about the earlier refusal.
Naruko could have used her strength to stay rooted on the spot, but she let the pink-haired boy drag her towards the guy with the blonde streak in his hair. She wasn't going to let Kurama's over protectiveness ruin her chance at making attention-diverters.
"Right, Naruko-chan! Do you mind if I call you Naruko-chan?" Renzo asked. She shook her head. "All right! Call me Renzo, then. Well, this is Suguro Ryuuji! We call him Bon though!" He leaned down to loudly whisper in her ear, "He may act tough but he's a real softie!"
Said Ryuuji face became red and bashed his fist against Shima's head, making the boy fall flat on his face. Again. Wow. What a softie.
"Tch. Name's Ryuuji if you wanna call me something. Not Bon." He extended his hand for a handshake and she shook it firmly, adding a bit more force than was necessary and silently relishing the look of pain on his face.
Kurama had not affected her personality in any way, shape or form. She just found pleasure in the fact that she could make people suffer is all. The fact that this is widely known as sadism, and that Kurama just happens to have a mile wide sadistic streak in his personality has no connection to that. No, no. None at all.
"Well, you already know my name."
A small boy, even smaller than her, stuttered out his name timidly. He was wearing glasses, and seemed pleasant enough, "I-I'm Miya Konekomaru. It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san." He bowed formally to her and she bowed back.
"Nice to meet you too, Konekomaru. Please: call me, Naruko."
The boy flushed at her use of his first name so early after their meeting but didn't seem to mind all that much. If Hinata was a boy, and had next to no hair, and wore glasses, this would be she. "O-okay, Naruko."
"You guys are an embarrassment," A haughty voice called out from behind her."Falling all over a girl like that. I bet she's nothing special, and she's just boasting. Aren't you, Foreigner?"
The voice belonged to a rather petite girl with plum hair, tied into pigtails. Her skin was abnormally pale, and she had dark red eyes, and strange eyebrows eerily reminiscent of those of the ladies in the Edo period. The girl's fair face was twisted into a demeaning scowl, and her arms were crossed over her chest: an aggressive position if she had ever seen one.
A long time ago, Naruko would have slugged the girl good in her face. But a good period of time had passes since her impulsive days, and Naruko simply raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I'm sorry. Did I offend you in some way?"
The girl narrowed her eyes, and took a step forward before spitting out her answer viciously, "You think you're so good, but you're not! You're just a little girl, who has no idea what's going on! You just enrolled in the middle of the term!" Oh dear. Was it possible that Inari had gotten reincarnated?
"I think I have a good grip on reality, if that's what you're implying. I enrolled here in the middle of the term because I had no other choice."
"Those who aren't serious in becoming an Exorcist, should just quit!"
And with that she stomped off, pigtails swinging behind her.
Naruko whistled. "Who is she? And why was she so angry?"
Ryuuji shook his head. "That's Kamiki Izumo. She's always been kinda high-and-mighty, but recently, her friend, Paku, left the class. I think she blames Paku for dropping the Exorcist Cram School. On another note, you haven't met Rin and Shiemi, right?" "Who?"
Suguro picked up his books, and stood up, imitated by Konekomaru. He jerked his chin towards the front of the class where a blond girl, the one in a kimono, was unsuccessfully attempting to gently wake up a boy who was snoring, face squished against the desk. Naruko approached the blond girl, whom she assumed was Shiemi.
"Hello, my name is-"
"SUKIYAKI!"
The boy she assumed to be Rin, had stood up, eyes glittering and smiling like all his dreams had come true. He was the guy on the bridge. Crap.
When he realized that there wasn't any sukiyaki around, he quieted down immediately, and discreetly wiped at the drool that had pooled on his chin during his sleep. Rin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, chuckling nervously because of his embarrassing outburst.
"Aah! I was just thinking there was no sukiyaki around. That's why I shouted sukiyaki. Yeah, that's why," he played it off lamely. "It's totally not because I was dreaming of sukiyaki."
"Okay!" Shiemi chirped happily, believing the half-baked lie totally before she turned around and ending up eye-to-eye with Naruko. (Somewhere in the background, Ryuuji face palmed soundly.) Shiemi blinked owlishly then broke out into an enormous close-eyed smile, bowing quickly to Naruko, nearly head butting her.
"Oh! You're Naruko-chan! Welcome to the True Cross Academy! I'm Moriyama Shiemi. Do you want to be my friend?"
Naruko took a step back, a bit stunned by the onslaught of questions.
"Su-"
A shout interrupted her, "You!"
Rin finally recognized Naruko as the girl on the bridge. He was pointing his finger dramatically at her.
"Yes...? Me?" Naruko played the act of the girl who was completely innocent, complete with wide blue puppy eyes.
"You're the girl I met yesterday! On the road! You have the same whiskers!" Rin was still shouting loudly, slightly red in the face.
"No, I don't! They're birthmarks, idiot!" Naruko growled. This wasn't acting, she was truly angry. No one insulted her birthmarks like that and got away with it!
"They're weird!"
"No, they're not!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
"Are-"
"Hehehe… You guys should calm down…" Renzo put in, chuckling nervously, and putting his hands on their respective shoulders to prevent them from attacking each other. During the fight, they had unconsciously gravitated towards each other until they were face to face, each holding the other's collar. "You're gonna wreck the classroom, otherwise, and I'm not sure Okumura-sensei would like that…"
Naruko sighed, before letting go of Rin's collar and dusting invisible lint off of the school's official cardigan. Looking up in Rin's oh-so-familiar blue yes, she apologized. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's start this whole thing over again," she admitted. "My name is Naruko Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you, and I apologize for my rash behaviour. It was stupid of me to act this way."
Rin looked a tiny bit suspicious, but he returned the introduction and apology with a tiny grin. "No harm done. I'm Rin Okumura. I'm sorry for the bridge; I didn't mean to snap at you like that."
"You're forgiven. Okumura… Any relation to Okumura-sensei?"
The blue-eyed boy's grin only widened, and he exuded pride. "He's my twin brother! He's the youngest exorcist to ever graduate, but I swear I'll surpass him, someday!"
Konekomaru interrupted timidly from his place next to Ryuuji, "Hey, everyone…. I don't mean to interrupt… But if we don't hurry, we'll be late for next class…"
Ryuji checked his watch and confirmed it gruffly, "He's right. Let's go."
All the Exorcists left the room, Shiemi trailing after them a bit slower due to her impractical kimono. Noticing this, Naruko slowed down to let her catch up.
"Before Rin interrupted me, I wanted to say 'Sure'. I'll be your friend, Shiemi-chan. Question is, will you be mine, too?"
Shiemi, eyes misty, bobbed her head furiously up and down.
"That's great! What's your favourite colour? Mine's orange. But blue is nice, too... Hmm, I guess it's a tie. What about you?"
"It's green! Earlier, you said you liked gardening. What's your favorite flower..."
Shiemi walked next to Naruko as they left the classroom chatting happily, her smile more genuine and her head held a tiny bit higher, now that she had her first friend.
Thank you for reading. The story will be based on the anime, since the manga is very long, and has a lot more twists and turns. It's simpler to add crossover elements when the story isn't too complicated.
Question: If you could play prank on one character, from either Blue Exorcist or Naruto, which one would it be and what prank would you play on him? I would prank Amaimon, with candy dipped in chilli sauce ^^
Cheers, Tetris Remix