Bloodless
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for this story and the OCs in it.
"I must not break."
I told myself that many times. So many times.
If I was to break, then the last chain that shackled us together would be shattered.
Shattered like glass.
Shattered like hope.
I would then be free. Happy. Broken.
My memories of you would then fade away. Along with the pain.
The pain—it was the pain that kept my sanity intact.
It has been a long and painful journey, tiring at most—and lonesome.
But I'm sure that by the end of it, I would see you once again.
By that time, even if it's for the briefest moment, I would call out your name.
I would hug you and shed the tears that may longer exist.
I would tell you the tales of the wars and tragedies I've wandered through.
And I would finally close my eyes from my own tales and fall into my long sought end.
Maybe then, I could stop my hand from closing and crushing the flower.
And maybe then, I could finally see the lighter shade of the crimson.
"U-zu-me, are you not sick of school yet?" I childishly asked with a pout.
Once again the two of us were sitting on the school roof-top for lunch, enjoying the gentle breeze spring offered. A full week of absolute torture has finally passed, yet it restarted again with a tiring Monday. With nothing better to do, I voiced out my displeasure to the Sekirei in front of me.
"Maa, cheer up, Rainy. It's not that bad," the brunette said with a slight mischievous look. She then reached out and gave my head a stroke.
Leaning in to her touch, I gave her another pout before sighing in defeat. "At this rate I'll die of boredom before this school year ends."
My statement speaks true. A full week of mind-numbing school has taught me nothing and I ended up napping through a good majority of them after only the second day. That being said, the teachers would actively seek me out to answer questions while Uzume, next to me, would peacefully doze off. Not sexist at all I tell you. Aside from the lessons, Uzume and I each got ourselves a fan club: a group of stalkers with too much time on their hands. They would show up the moment we walked through the school gates and follow us from a safe distance everywhere like lost puppies. Because of this, privacy at school soon became scarce.
The biggest cause of my boredom was the demons—they have yet to make any suspicious movements aside from observing us from afar. From past experiences, I was expecting some hostile reactions from them. I mean, we are intruding their hunting grounds. However, their actions so far have only shown their interest in blending in with the human society, which was rather odd, but only to a small degree. It was possible that these demons were ordered to do so by a higher figure to establish a base of some sort since demons are dependent on humans as a power source and humans, too, are dependent upon demons in some ways. A rather mutual relationship.
"If you're so bored then why don't get you rid of our stalkers?" the Sekirei asked. Though her expression did not show it, it was quite obvious that she was getting annoyed with the humans tailing after her everywhere.
I gave Uzume a lazy shrug. "That's impossible—those guys will come back ten times as worst if I was to use force. The main reason why they're so interested in us in the first place is because we're the new kids at school. They'll lose interest as time goes by."
'The other reason why you're so popular aside from being the new kid is because you're hot...'
"If you say so. Stalkers aside, did you get any information on those demons you warned me about?" Uzume asked with a concerned face that did not match her lax tone.
"Of course," I answered lethargically. "The students here are rather talkative when it comes to those demons. The woman sitting on my left in class is Souna Shitori. She's the school's current student-body president it seems. The redhead is Rias Gremory, the president of some club known as the Occult Club, and is one of the school's "Two Great Ladies." The both of them are two of the four top beauties in this school, meaning that they have a considerable amount of influence here."
"Ehhh…this means we have to be on guard at all times during school then."
"Only until we determine if they're an actual threat. Just remember that there are other demons aside from those two, like Tsubaki Shinra, the long haired woman that shows up at our classroom often and follows Souna Shitori around. They say she is the vice president of the student body and is also one of the top four beauties. There's also the other "Great Lady" and I believe her name is Akeno Himejima, and like the previous three, she is a top four ranker idolized by the majority. The "Prince of Kuoh" aka Kiba Yuuto and the school mascot, Koneko Toujou, are also idolized figures of this school."
'Although I have yet to catch a glimpse of the previous three mentioned, the possibility of them being demons is quite high for they are part of the so called Occult Club.'
Letting out a long whistle, Uzume leaned forward and met my eyes. "Did you pick this school on purpose knowing it's filled with demons?"
"Not at all," I replied. "The last time I came to this town was three years ago, and I don't remember it being overrun by demons. The reasons why I picked this school are because it's quite close to our base compared to the other schools and it's good for my eyes."
"Good for your eyes?" Uzume playfully arched a suspicious eyebrow.
"It used to be an all-girls school and became co-ed around last year or the year before if you can't already tell. Majority of the school population is still made up of girls given that only a handful of males took the entrance exam and passed it. Since Miya forced me to finish school, I decided that I would rather look at girls than guys, thus we transferred here."
"So, we're really here so you can look at girls all day?" she asked in a teasing tone.
"Yep. Remember that I am a healthy male, so it's perfectly normal," I responded to her question with an untroubled smile.
Uzume let out a joyful laugh at my honest answer before narrowing her eyes at me. "Rainy is a perv."
"That I am."
She laughed at my simple response as she stood up. My eyes trailed after her as she walked towards the railing. As she leaned onto the metal, a gentle waft of spring was brought forth, causing her long, chocolate brown hair to gently flutter about. The ponytail that hung loosely from the left danced in the wind. With the golden rays of sunlight shining on her from above, mixed together with the deep blue sky filled with heavenly clouds casting light shadows on her body, it was like the Sekirei before me was standing in the center of the world.
It was a rather beautiful sight, a peaceful sight to her smile so brightly with ease, yet a small part of me felt started. I was not used to this calm atmosphere nor was I used to the idea of attending school. I was used to wandering, to action, to killing, to massacring, to breaking anything and everything that got in my way. Now, the object in my hand was no longer a gun, but a pen. The bullets became the annoying students, the blood became the ink, the swords I carried became a school bag. The screams of war and death became the voices of teachers and their questions. The killer became a high school student. Strange was the only word to describe my current situation.
The peace right now felt too surreal. I felt imprisoned by it, suffocated.
I wanted to raze the school to the ground, but I can't. Not yet.
For Uzume's sake I was willing to hold back my destructive urge.
Lost in my thoughts, I returned to reality when Uzume said my name. "Oi, Rain-chan, your victims are here," she called to me with a beckoning hand.
Clearing my mind, I stood up with a slight grunt and made my way towards her, a questioning look marred my face. "They're here already?"
"Yup, look," she pointed towards the ground.
Sure enough, three male figures emerged from the main building, dashing across the school field with unusual stamina. The first running figure was a bald, sporty looking teen holding a camera tightly in his hands. The second was another teen with a scrawny figure wearing glasses that gave an unnatural glare, and the last was an average looking teen with short brown hair. Every single one of them had a lecherous grin splattered across their face along with lustful eyes. It was the school's top three perverts, the Perverted Trio—my newest toys.
"Looks like they're going for the Kendo Club this time. It has only been three days since they got their asses handed to them by the Kendo girls and they're up and running to them again for more. Their level of perversity is truly something to fear," I chuckled as a black magician spell seal floated above my right palm.
A giggle escaped Uzume's lips as her light brown eyes sparkled with excitement and mischief. "So what are you doing this time? If I remember correctly, you sling shot one of them out of school ground last time while the other two were chased by bees until the girls caught them."
"I was thinking of keeping it classical today; pits filled with frogs," I decided with a smirk.
'The same prank I pulled on the girls during their field trip in Kyoto...how nostalgic.'
With a flick of my wrist, the seal in my hand glowed and in the far distance, multiple seals appeared on the ground behind the preoccupied perverts. Each seal was four feet apart and varied in size, but their objective remained the same; to activate once stepped on and trap the target in a hole filled with frogs. With a dim glow, the magic seals silently faded into the ground without a trace, hidden away from the human eye.
From afar, the Perverted Trio continued on their business of peeking through a hole behind the dojo with their asses sticking up in the air, moving back and forth. A gross sight for my poor eyes.
"Uwaa! Urayama's boobs are huge!" said the baldy in a heated tone.
"80-70-81" that came from the scrawny glassed one.
"Ohhhh! This is oppai heaven!" said the third.
"Look at those fine legs!"
"Tits!"
As they swarm over the peeping hole, I looked up into the sky, grinning wickedly. "Murasame, do it."
With my words, Murasame shot down from the sky at an astonishing speed towards the three unwary perverts.
The impact came seconds later when one of them let out a girly squeal followed by screams of shock and pain.
"Ack! What the hell is this crow doing?!" the brown haired teen yelped.
"Stooop! Not the camera! The treasure of every man is stored in there!" the owner of the camera screamed in despair as Murasame flung it away with its beak.
"Oi, Matsuda this thing is attacking us because that damn bald head of yours is getting too shiny! Grow back some damn hair!" screeched the scrawny one.
"Like hell! It's attacking us because of your fuckin' glasses, take them off!" the one called Matsuda yelled back.
"Never! Without them I cannot measure their three sizes!"
"Don't claw my ass!"
From their ruckus, a new wave of shrieks erupted from inside the dojo.
"Eeek! It's a peeping tom!" a girl screamed.
"It must be those three damn perverts again!"
"Hurry, we need to catch them and teach them a lesson!" said another girl.
Outside, the three pervs heard the commotion inside and their face turned pale white.
"Shit, they heard us!" one of them realized.
"Run for it!" screamed the bald one as he quickly turned around to escape.
As the other two turned to follow, a dozen girls in kendo uniforms poured out of the dojo with expressions of pure anger. Each and every one of them held a shinai at hand as they dashed towards the three fleeing males.
Seeing the main show beginning, I grinned like a madman and whispered a new order, "Murasame, come back."
With one final peck and squawk, Murasame launched itself back into the air and landed onto my outreached arm. Giving the crow's head a light pat, I return my attention back to the show below with absolute glee.
The first victim that fell into a pit was the first runner, in other words the bald one.
"What the hell?! Where did this hole come from—ahhh frogs?!" the bald teen shouted, his tone filled with shock and fear. "Guys, help me! Frogs, there are frogs in here!"
Hearing his fellow comrade's plea for help, the brown haired teen ran forward with an outreached hand, except, he too fell into a pit. "Wahh! There's a pit here too?!"
"Guys, hurry up and get out of there, the girls are right behind us!" said the only unfallen one in a frantic tone as he turned his head back and forth between the two.
"Can't you see we're tryin'—noooo, don't lick me!" screamed the bald teen as countless frogs began jumping onto him, mercilessly whipping out their tongues to attack the giant that unintentionally tried to squash them.
In the next pit, the brown haired perv too, was being jumped by waves of amphibians trying to escape. A few of the amphibians made their way inside his clothing, causing him to scream out in panicking horror, "Get out dammit! Don't go in my pants! A girl hasn't even touched it yet, so get your slimy ass out of there! Don't touch the maker!"
'...Did he just refer to his sex organ as the maker?'
Next to me, Uzume answered my unanswered question. "He called his penis the maker, ha."
"There they are!" came a girl's yell as she raised her shinai to attack one of the trapped teens.
Desperation or maybe it was instincts or a mix of both must've kicked in because the two trapped teen managed to scramble their way out of the pit to dodge the oncoming slashes of countless shinais only to fall into another.
""Again!?""
"Ah! One of the perverts is here! Attack!"
The chaos continued. Every member the Pervert Trio got a taste of pits and frogs, their shrieks of agony echoed throughout the field. Members of the Kendo Club were not spared either as girls frightened by the small amphibians ran into each other in a mass of confusion, resulting in more traps activating. All of them let out erotic screams and moans as slimy, croaking creatures invaded their clothes. It was rather a pleasing view if you subtract the guys.
Back at the roof-top I was shaking with constrained laughter as I sat back down, leaning against the railing. Uzume was holding her stomach in pain as she gasped for air. Her body trembled as she tried to stop laughing, but the snorts and giggles continued to be heard. She was enjoying this way more than I was.
"If you laugh so hard, the food from earlier will come out," I said softly, ignoring the light cries and croaks in the background.
Taking several deep breaths, Uzume signed weakly before wiping a tear from her eye. "T-that was almost too much."
"Please, this is nothing yet. I still have many, many more ideas to try out," I said darkly, feeling a smirk on my face. Countless pranks were already forming inside my mind. This school will be my playground until my objective is fulfilled. When I finish with this place, I will hunt down a shitty black haired brat that dared to question me about school in front of Miya. Because of him, I was lectured/harassed by Miya for months before I soundly caved in to her request; graduate school like a "normal" person.
The word "normal" never existed in my dictionary.
'Just you wait Minato...I'll make sure to feed you to the wolves the next time I see you again. Even your Sekirei will not be able to save your sorry ass.'
My plot for revenge against that idiot of an Ashikabi was put to a halt when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the beginning of the next class.
I did not feel like going, thus I was not going.
"Uzume, you can go to class if you want, I'll stay here," I told the brunette as she grabbed her school bag off the floor.
I was expecting some kind of surprised or angry reaction, but instead, she gave me a small pout. "If you aren't there, the teacher would definitely pick on me and disturb my nap."
"Ha, now you will know how I feel whenever they harass me for answers," I said with a smirk. "The next class is English, right?"
As she nodded to the question, I tossed a notebook from my bag at her. Uzume easily caught it with a hand and gave me a questioning look.
"The answer key. Today the annoying teacher will start lesson 12 so if you get picked, just read off page 14," I lazily explain as I patted my bag down to use as a pillow. "I believe our demon neighbor and some humans are beginning to catch on to our message tapping in class. They will expose use sooner or later. Also, if the teacher asks why I'm not in class, tell her I'm taking a nap outside."
Uzume smirked as she walked off, swinging her back in a wide arc. "How heartless of you to leave me in a room filled with stalkers and demons."
I playfully scoffed at her statement, "Just mingle with the humans and enjoy what little they offer. Murasame will watch over you from afar, if anything was to happen I will know immediately.
"In that case sweet dreams, Rainy," she whispered softly as she closed the door behind. The sound of her fading footsteps was slowly lost as the second bell rang, indicating the start of class.
Looking back at the closed door I smiled to myself. "I leave her in your care, Murasame."
"Roger!" the crow squawked as he launched into the air again, leaving behind a single black feather to drift in the wind.
'Sweet dreams, huh...'
Letting out a small breath, I stared blankly into the white clouded sky, like always; it gave off a calming presence that could sooth my very soul. After a full minute, drowsiness took over and my mind succumbed to the world of nightmares.
I stirred from the world of dreams when the door suddenly swung open, followed by the sound of footsteps belonging to two people—no, two demons.
"Ara, I was not expecting to see someone up here," said a feminine voice.
"Is something wrong, Buchou?" asked another feminine voice from behind her.
Opening my eyes, I gradually sat up and turned towards the now opened door, giving the two intruders a lazy impassive stare.
My hunch was right, it was two demons. Rias Gremory, the redhead from my class stood before me in an elegant manner, her blue eyes showed hints of surprise, but it was soon replaced by interest and curiosity. She offered a sweet smile as she took a step forward; her demon aura became even further suppressed. Behind her, a woman I've never seen before followed the redhead after gently closing the door. She had long black hair that was tied in a neat pony tail with an orange ribbon, violet eyes that held a glint of mischief, and a rather buxom figure that could rival the redhead's. But something felt off about her though. She had an aura of a demon yes, but there was something else mixed within that aura, like there was two different beings mixed in one.
'She definitely gives off a strange aura for a demon; I ought to look into this later. Not to mention, her innocent and lady-like posture reminds me of someone...'
They were both staring at me now, and I stared back impassively until a small smile made way to my face. "The springs in Japan are certainly great, here; I can see blossoming beauties that can rival Venus herself. Tell me beautiful ladies, what brings you here to this lonesome roof-top?" I asked with a curious tone.
"Ara ara, he certainly knows how to praise a girl," said the black haired woman as she smiled and place a hand on her cheek, covering a light blush. I felt a chill mentally running down my body when I saw the glint in her eyes along with her smile.
Suddenly, I knew who she reminds me of now. There was only one person—spirit that goes 'ara ara' and fake an innocent face that I know of, and that was Kurumi. There was little doubt that the smiling demon here is hiding her true personality behind that innocent act.
Before I could further analyze the black haired demon, the other demon stepped in. "You are Karino-san, am I right? May I ask why you are up here? Normally students are not allowed to be up here since it's against school regulations," the redhead asked, her tone filled with interest.
"I'm ditching," I answered bluntly, causing both females to widen their eyes in slight shock.
"Ufufu, this one is quite honest. If you don't mind me asking, why you are ditching class?" the black haired women questioned, this time covering her mouth to hold back a giggle.
Instead of answering, I pointed to the sky. "There is no reason to be sitting through a dull lecture when you can nap under the sky's shade and relax in spring's color. When spring ends and summer comes, the sky itself will change along with its seasons. Spring may come again next year, but it will never be the same as the previous, for time is a variable that brings change whether one wants it or not, it does not wait on anyone or anything. There is also no telling if this may be the last spring one may experience, so might as well enjoy it while it's within reach, am I right?"
A stunned silence followed after I finished my meaningless speech.
Rias was the first to recover as she gave me a stunning smile that would've caused any normal male to blush madly. "My, aren't you a philosophical one, Karino-san. And indeed, the little changes are always overlooked, and because of this regret linger in those who notice the changes too late."
The black haired demon did not say anything; instead she eyed me with interest with an unchanging smile.
"There is no need to be so formal Redhead-chan, please, call me Sang. We are in the same year after all, not to mention classmates. That applies to you too, Orange ribbon-chan," I casually told the demons.
"Ah, how rude of us to not properly introduce ourselves, my name is Rias Gremory, president of the Occult Club, it is a pleasure to meet you, Sang-san," said the redhead as she gracefully bowed, not minding the fact that I called her a redhead.
"Ufufu, and my name is Akeno Himejima, vice president of the Occult Club. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sang-san," said the demon as she too, bowed elegantly. Like Rias, she showed little negative reaction to the name I called her earlier.
'So she's the second "Great Lady" of the school...'
"The pleasure is mine," I replied as I got up to returned their bows. It was at that moment that I realized class was ending soon. Not wanting Uzume to deal with the hormonal humans alone, I decided to end my little chat with the demons and be on my way even though a part of me was reluctant to go without stirring up some trouble.
"Although I would love to continue chatting with you beautiful ladies, I must be on my way to pick up a friend. Goodbye for now," I said sweetly, giving the two a wink as I waltzed past them to the door.
Along the way to the classroom, the phone in my pocket abruptly went off.
"Sang Karino-san, please report to the Student Council Office. Again, Sang Karino-san, please report to the Student Council Office."
My dreams of a wonderful nap after lunch came crashing down when that announcement was made. It was only moments ago when the bell rang, signaling the end of Japanese History—35 seconds ago to be more precise when that announcement came through and foiled my godly plans on this not-so-fine-anymore Wednesday. What a pain. Monday the demons came to me, now Wednesday I go to the demons.
"Rain," Uzume called out from the side in a quiet tone, "What did you do to those demons for them to call you out like that?"
"Who knows," I replied, ignoring the murmurs from the nosey students in the classroom, "It doesn't look like I can ignore it."
'There are several possible reasons that I can come up with, but still, it's too soon to be called out because of it.'
"Should I go with you?" she asked, her features set in a frown and her eyes filled with unsettled worry. I never told Uzume about my encounter with the demons that Monday, but she somehow concluded the idea that they made a move. Her protective mode was turned on as a result.
"No," I instantly replied as I slowly stood up. "They wouldn't attack me on the first meeting, especially not on school grounds. There are too many humans here."
Uzume did not look convinced, but slowly she nodded.
To assure her worries, I gave her a laidback grin and reached over to pat her head. "I'll be fine. Go enjoy lunch with those girls over there. They invited you a few times, but you turned them down for me so you ought to make up for it. If anything was to happen, I'm already well prepared for it."
She caught my hint. The worry that clouded her eyes drifted away and her signature smirk surfaced. "I forgot the fact that you're a walking armory."
"That is a fact that you should never forget," I smirked back, silently reaching for my collar.
With my hands in my pockets, I casually strolled towards the Student Council room. Along the way, students from different classes would steal glances at me and whisper to their friends. The word 'recruitment' kept coming up and I had a good idea why. From what I've gathered in the last few days, students with the best performances are usually asked to join the Student Council which was logical since they are the leaders and role models of the school. As leaders, they must help teachers maintain order at school by solving issues caused by students and organize events for the rest of the students.
'I doubt the idea of them trying to recruit me. My grades may be good, but my attendance is quite the opposite.'
My stroll came to an end when I reached a door with a plain, yet operative silver sign that said 'Student Council' hanging over it. Before I could reach out and knock, the door suddenly opened and a female demon with noticeable white hair and blue-green eyes stood before me with a rather startled look. The surprise did not last long as she gathered herself and bowed.
"My apologies senpai, I did not mean to do that," she said politely.
'A junior, huh.'
"It's fine, I should be the one apologizing for startling you," I said with a smile.
In response to my reply, the girl beamed a lovely smile and turned around. "Kaichou, he's here."
A two second silence filled the air before a cold, authoritative voice cut through from a distance, "Please let him in, Hanakai-san."
As the one called Hanakai moved aside for me to enter, I offered her another smile before walking through the door in a nonchalant manner.
The moment I stepped into the air-conditioned room, seven pairs of eyes watched me, one belonging to the bespectacled demon that sat next to me in class.
Souna Shitori, my dear left neighbor sat behind a large desk with a bearing of professionalism; back straight, hands clamped together with a serious expression that spoke business. The aura around her was as dignified as ever. Beside her stood Tsubaki Shinra, and like the former, she had on a stern, cold expression like an Ice Queen.
'You can so tell who's the demon boss here...if this was a video game, I wonder how much EXP I'll gain from defeating her.'
The other females that I have never seen before, aside from Hanakai were scattered throughout the room. Each and every one of them were doing different task from reading, to filing documents, to homework, to paperwork. Their attention at the moment however, was focused on me instead of the work sitting on their desk.
As I drew closer, the Shitori demon pointed to the chair in front of her, "Have a seat."
With a small nod, I took the seat and leaned back onto the chair with one of my arms on the armrest supporting the hand that my chin rested on. The two cold beauties before me did not look pleased with my informal posture of seating, but said nothing. And being the upstart I was, I decided to make the first move of adding more oil to the already igniting fire. "If you're here to talk to me about the sexist treatment the teachers are giving me, I'm all ears, yo."
A silence followed when I said that statement.
A deadly silence followed by a variety of reactions.
Souna Shitori merely arched an eyebrow.
Tsubaki Shinra narrowed her eyes and frowned.
As for the reactions of the others, I couldn't really tell since they were behind me, but I did hear a few gasps.
"No, that is not the case," Shitori replied as she stared straight into my eyes, her tone frosted with calmness, "The reasons why you are called here regards to your numerous unexcused absences and violation of the school rules."
'Ah, busted.'
"So we're not talking about the sexist teachers? Shame, it's a good topic to talk about," I playfully said with a slight grin, noticing a glint of annoyance in Shitori's eyes. I was so going to enjoy this.
Souna Shitori continued, completely ignoring my previous remarks, "Over the last few days, you've missed a total of six classes, all which are unexcused. The teachers have called you out for it, yet you continue to act as you please. There have also been several reports of you and another student actively going up to the roof-top which is against the school rules. Do you have anything to say about this, Karino-san?"
"Nothing, really; my grades in those classes are more than passable so I don't really see the issue here," I replied in a laidback tone, ignoring the rising tension in the room. "Also, the reason why I'm on the roof-top in the first place is to escape the persistent stalkers—if it's a big deal then I'll control myself to not go there. Maybe."
When I said that, both demons gave me a look that would make any average human flinch in utter fear. Their expressions were beyond cold as they narrowed their eyes once again in a calculative manner, but I did not waver; instead I stared right back—sending them an invitation to challenge me. After all, compared to Miya's hannya mask and Eva's satanic, bloodthirsty glare, this was hardly anything.
My bravery appeared to have impressed Shitori because a hint of respect flashed between her captivating violet eyes before the impassive stare returned.
She then cleared her throat. "Your grades may not be an issue in this case; however, as a student of Kuoh Academy, such behavior is improper. Not to mention, your poor attendance may begin to influence other students negatively."
Her words caught my attention, "Oh? Is that so? Do you have any evidence to back up that claim, Shitori-san?" I asked as I felt my own gaze narrowing into her violet orbs.
At that moment, the tension in the air skyrocketed. Gasps of unease echoed throughout the room. Quickening heartbeats thundered in my ears—beats of confusion, admiration, apprehension, and trepidation. It was a rich melody; a melody that spoke a truth, a truth of authority. That authority belonged to this violet eyed demon. And I, a human, was questioning her authority.
Souna Shitori did not answer my question. Instead I answered for her: "The answer is no, right?"
Without waiting for her response, I continued, "It is hard to believe that a transfer student that has only been here for eight days could sway a group's pattern. After all, humans are creatures of habit; any sudden changes would bring about discomfort. Furthermore, it's all a matter of choice. Anyone who chose to follow my example is simply making their own choice so the fault is not mine."
Another silence followed.
Still in a state of calm, Souna Shitori finally opened her mouth, "Agreeable as your logic may be, you are still a student here, what more a third-year. As a senior, the responsibility of leading the younger students still applies. Your current behavior will eventually cause trouble further down in the future unless it is fixed, and if continued the punishment will be severe."
My blood was racing with excitement now. This demon was actually making a threat to remove me from school. She believed that such a weak threat would make me give in to her control. She actually believed that I feared being kicked out of this shit place known as school. Oh, how wrong she was.
With a lazy grin splattered across my face, I attacked her words. "Your warning means nothing to me, Shitori-san."
I had angered her. Annoyance flashed in the demon's violet eyes again and this time her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at me coolly. Behind her, Tsubaki Shinra glared at me passively, but her hidden rage was easily seen. Once again, I did not falter and went on, "Unless evidence is presented to support the claim that I, Sang Karino, am leading students of Kuoh Academy astray by ditching class, the Student Council has no right to interfere with my actions."
I stood up, placing a hand on her desk slightly leaning forward. "If you're displeased with it, feel free to suspend me; I can always use another day off. But know this, if you were to make a move now, then you yourself are breaking the school regulations—regulations that I could care less about."
My words have baited a demon. Tsubaki Shinra, who was silently listening to our talk the entire time was about to open her mouth to contend, but a raised hand from Souna Shitori stopped her. The wintry violet eyes never left my eyes and a dead silence filled the tensioned air.
Finally, she spoke. "What do you mean by that, Karino-san?"
I smirked at her question before answering. "In paragraph seven, subsection four of the school rules, it states that unless a student has over ten unexcused absences action cannot be taken against the said student. Any further absences will need to be excused by either a guardian or doctor, if not; the student will be suspended for a certain period of time and depending on the circumstances, expelled." I paused briefly allowing the information to flow. "Earlier you said that I have a total of six unexcused absences. Six. This means that I still have four more absences before the regulation gets involved. So trying to "fix" my actions now would mean violating the regulations that you care so much about. Not to mention, it would also be your own undoing, President-san."
A staring contest was the reward I earned by smashing apart the demon's argument. Souna Shitori now eyed me carefully like a hawk seeking an opportunity to swoop in and attack its prey. Her look of concentration was quite cute as the gears inside her head failed to come up with a good counter. It was my win.
Giving the two demons one final look, I turned around and stride towards the door, ignoring the shocked gaze of the remaining demons. My eyes however, caught sight of a laptop sitting in front of a slim demon with long braided brown hair, and matching eyes.
The school did not provide students with laptops, only desktops. This laptop here was privately owned. It was then that Riko's text message came back to me. I was certain now. This demon here was the one that searched up Uzume and me on our first day—my so called stalker.
Stopping three feet from the exit, I shot a look at the browned haired demon. A startled looked filled with caution and confusion appeared on her features as she stared back at me quietly. I smirked inwardly at her cluelessness. "You know if you want to know about me, you can just come ask me directly. There is no need to search me up."
My words hit gold when her brown eyes widened in realization. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish caught on land, unable to speak. Without looking back, I closed the door behind me. I then gleefully strolled down the hallway with my hands in my pockets, my mood refreshed. Walking into a demon's lair has never been so enjoyable.
"Raven will be here tonight."
"Huh?" was Uzume's reply as she stared at me with a baffled gaze.
It was now Thursday evening 16:25 p.m. The tiresome school day has ended not long ago and the three of us are now returning to the base. Along the way I've decided to inform Uzume of our special guest tonight.
"Raven," I said once again, throwing a silvery coin in the air for Murasame to catch. "Karasuma Kurona, the raven yokai: drifter, information broker, and one of collaborators that helped us raid the MBI quarter. She called two days before, informing me of her visit. Most likely dropping by to check up on us and bring updated news on that idiot."
Uzume smiled brightly when she heard my words. "So Kuro-chin is visiting, huh. Are we going to have a feast tonight then?"
Up in the air Murasame squawked in delight when it heard the word 'feast'.
"Feast! Murasame wants a feast!" it went on as it dropped the silver coin into my palm.
'What a simple-minded crow...'
The fallen coin danced on my palm with small twirls. Different shades of silver could be seen as the evening lights and shadows reflect on it, but slowly it succumbed to the laws of gravity. Its dance died away, leaving behind a motionless piece of aluminum. Staring at it, I let out a small quiet laugh and closed my eyes. My senses tingled and a light shudder was felt.
'...Either my body is failing me or something is up.'
"Pick her up at the station first before going grocery shopping," I told Uzume and Murasame with a grin as I decided to ignore the unusual sensation for the time being. "That way she can help carry some of the bags and we can have a feast. I'm taking up a contract this evening so I will be late. Feel free to eat without me."
The both of them vigorously cheered after hearing my consent. Murasame even looped in the air with his klutzy balance.
We arrived at the base two minutes later and the moment we walked in, I hurled my school bag across the living room. The homework stuffed schoolbag landed on the leather sofa with a soft thud and bounced onto the floor with a louder thud. Ignoring my mess, I hurried upstairs to change out of the troublesome uniform and into something more casual: a black shirt with a pair of black slacks. I then lazily swept a hand through my hair and slid my bangs behind my ear allowing the seven piercings to be visible. Now this was comfort.
During my moment of calm, a light draining sensation starting from my left breast spread throughout my body. It was not painful, just tiring and like always, I ignored it. It was normal. I was dying. With a sigh, I reached for the small pendant around my neck and made sure it was fastened correctly. If anything was to happen during this job, then I would need a form of defense to secure victory. It was best to be prepared. Lack of preparation would result in death. I cannot die, not yet. Not until Uzume find another to sprout her wings for.
Finishing my preparations, I mentally went over my plan for the day. Uzume will pick up Raven while I contact the client about the job. The client was a middle aged mother that has been trying to find the whereabouts of her teenage son that has been missing approximately thirteen days ago. In spite of their efforts, the police has yet to find any leads, thus, the mother decided to hire outside help. The contract was simple; if I find her son—dead or alive, the contract was complete and she must pay the demanded price. I intended to bring Murasame along at first, but it was wiser to leave it with Uzume. Ling, my other partner has yet to wake from her coma so I was alone this time. It may take longer than usual but I was excited even though it's only a ranked D mission. This was way better than sitting in class and having a certain violet eyed demon glare at you for every little action. Hell, I'm all about action.
Running a hand through my hair one more time, I headed out after bidding a quick farewell to Uzume. The train Raven's on will not arrive until 16:55 p.m. so Uzume had time to spare before heading over to the station.
With a deep breath, I launched myself onto air. A sensation of freedom greeted me.
Mission start.
A/N: First, I would like to apologize to all my readers for having to wait so long. I've been rather busy during summer (still am) and didn't have the time to post new chapters, but it's here now! This chapter was suppose to be much longer, but I've decided to save the action for the next chapter that will be posted really soon so please be patient.
And now some answers to those questions!
Q: What's up with Uzume's situation?
A: Uzume is an unwinged Sekirei at the moment the reason being that Chiho never winged her before she died. She managed to become a free Sekirei after Rain got her out of the city.
Q: Will Uzume get winged by Rain?
A: Maybe, I'm still thinking it through _'
Q: Rain's a bit too OP yeah?
A: I admit that Rain's OP but please remember that his powers are has a time seal that's sucking away his life whenever he uses his powers so Rain's basically a sitting duck. Also, even with his seals removed Rain cannot utilize his magic/abilities fully because he is only a half Noble (the Noble race will be introduced in the later future). As someone has pointed out earlier, Rain has a war-like nature mixed in him so he can be a loose cannon at times which results in him losing control of his powers.
Q: Is six pawn pieces really enough?
A: I'll be changing that.
I hope this have answered some of your questions. If you more questions feel free to ask away! Please read/enjoy/review!