A/N: Thank you Hartanna, FD, AnimeKpopKawaii, AoWoSora, DebbiKun3, and MyStrawberrry Death for your comments!
Hartanna: Hi! Glad to have you back! Lol sorry about all the cliffhangers, I always have to make everything so dramatic..^^;
FD: Indeed… devilish he is…
AnimeKpopKawaii: Lol I can tell that Rin's your favorite character! It's refreshing to have someone who is secure in his morals, especially when everyone else is struggling with them. Though I do like characters that are crazy… XD
AoWoSora: You don't know how happy you've just made me with your comments! You can see it as a movie?..! Your so nice, THANKYOU! I'm really glad you saw the parts that I was trying to make funny and the ones of I was trying to make dark. And I appreciate you saying that my prologue was poetic! I really wanted it to be! Lol I'm not as good of a writer as my sister so sometimes I feel like I try to hard to make something sound good...
DebbieKun3: Thanks, I hope you like it!
MyStrawberryDeath: Lol yeah the prologue is kinda weird. XD Will Rin ever over come his grocery store failure? Probably not.. But he's lovable all the same! Ah Aidyn… the boy's got some secrets… I'm glad you're curious about him!
Anyway, this chapter took while to write... It's pretty long (the longest so far, I think…)
There is a point in the chapter where Father Fujimoto's place of death is mentioned. I noticed that in the anime he died in the church area, while in the manga it was Rin's bedroom. In the story I make it the bedroom. My fic is sorta a mix between the anime and the manga..so there's some elements from both. I know this is kinda random… I just didn't want to confuse people.
Once when he was young, Yukio stumbled into an abandoned building during a game of hide-and-seek with his elder brother.
Inevitably, he became lost.
Which was both ironic and pathetic seeing how it was Rin's turn to hide. The structure was an apartment, and little naïve Yukio wandered endlessly about the long, gray hallways that seemed to last forever. They were dark – and he cried – of course, as expected from such a feeble creature.
However, the corridors were the least of the child's problems.
What truly bothered him…were the shadows that followed…
The boy could hear them, creeping up from behind – watching…laughing…. Oh, how he was cursed. Oh, how the child wished he couldn't see such scary things. Where was brother? Where was Father Fujimoto? He was alone in this old place with crumbling walls and shattered glass.
Nine years later and Yukio Okumura trained himself to befriend the dark and push out all fears.
After all, such negative emotions were not conducive to his mission, seeking out Arisu L'Écarlate, who, by the way, was most likely infected or dead. Even so, Yukio didn't understand why such memories came back to him, skewing his concentration. They were trite, meaningless – the past had nothing to do with the current situation.
Plus, that insecure boy died the day Yukio was licensed as an exorcist.
But was that the truth?
The young man and his group had been searching the empty streets of True Cross Academy Town for hours on end – still…nothing. The only source of life he felt was the pounding organ in his chest. Why was he so nervous? He had the situation completely under control.
But that was a lie, and Yukio knew it.
The hour of day didn't help him concentrate either, it was pitch black outside and all the streetlights were dead. The exorcists had no choice but to use flashlights. It was all so frustrating, the dark – everything around Yukio felt like a dream. He didn't feel lucid – the world was spinning and his vision occasionally blurred. NO – that wasn't right – all he needed to do was keep moving. The young man wasn't tired, he wasn't…
"Hey, Yukio!" Shura called, "Where do ya think you're goin'?"
He couldn't make out what the woman was saying…. But he wished she would SHUT-UP.
"I'm fine," the young man stated sharply.
"Oh really? Then why are you going the wrong way? We agreed to head south, remember?"
Once again, young man couldn't make out what she said.
"I said I'm fine. I…," Yukio had no idea what he was saying.
"Um, uh, nnno you're not. This way, Wimpy."
Shura grabbed the young man's arm in order to lead him in the proper direction. However, when she did this, he snapped.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
There was a long silence after that, one that could not be explained. This was because Yukio had no clue why he just acted in such an uncouth manner. In a state of desperation, he stared dumbly at Shura and tried to focus:
Let me think….
Name: Shura Kirigakure
Ranking: Senior Exorcist First Class
Meister: Tamer, Doctor, Aria, Knight
Yes, that was sensible – it was logical. Pure. Solid. Fact. He couldn't go wrong with this…he couldn't.
"Yukio…"
Even with heavy exhaustion, the young man noticed the concerned expression on Shura's face – there was a dread in her eyes…a fear… as though she could see something inside of Yukio that he, himself, could not…
But what….?
…What…?
The moment seemed to have a sobering effect on the doctor. His faced hardened from confusion to rationality, eyes going from wide to slant. Yes…. it's true… there were plenty of things out there that Yukio could not reach… inside his soul or out in the cruel world. But Rin… his brother's life…
...wouldn't ever be one of those things.
Isaac began to storm away, catching the young man's attention.
"Send 'im 'ome! I do not 'ave time for zis!"
The doctor stiffened, straightening his posture.
He was capable.
He was prepared for this virus and the worst.
The young man wanted every one else to know that as well.
"Isaac, I am an exorcist too."
The man stopped, but refused turn around.
"Tch… you're a child."
"No."
"….?"
"No, I'm not a child… not since the day I put on this uniform."
"Heh?" Shura placed hands on her hips, and twisted her head from Yukio to Isaac, confused, "What are ya talking about…? Where the hell did this come from?"
The man turned around and stormed up to Yukio. He grabbed the doctor firmly by the collar of his suit.
"Reelly now," he hissed, "Why do I find zat hard to believe?"
It was almost unnerving – Yukio's cold, emotionless face. Was it though? After all, he trained himself to smile gently and mask unnecessary feelings –any which showed weakness. The young man needed to tell himself time and time again to be strong. So it had been that way for eight years… yet it felt like his entire life… Yukio kept it all in… jealousy, rage, anguish… because the young man knew the truth –
He knew a cliché hero who wears a heart on his sleeve always failed…Only logic, evidence, fact could save a life.
That's why Rin was going to die if the Yukio didn't do anything.
"You're pretty young yourself, Mr. L'Écarlate. Surely you trained though adolescence?"
"Zat was training. Preparation."
"Then tell me Isaac, does it bother you that I'm here, meant to be a comrade, equal footing as you?"
"What?"
"What do you have against a so-called 'child' being an exorcist? You don't strike me as the type to be envious or threatened by another's intelligence. So why?"
Isaac gripped tighter onto Yukio's collar, his arm shaking with rage.
"HEY!" Shura yelled.
But the man ignored her…Instead he spat venomously at Yukio.
"Children… can be such fools, running into trouble wizout even batting an eye – I can't stand it! Who reminisces about the purity of a young one's imagination – ANOZER FOOL! Imagination – BAH – ignorance! Take zat girl for example, Arisu… when she was little…. she and… and zat zing 'ad zis bright idea to go out looking for démons, and why? 'Because zey are different' iz what she 'ad said! 'Because zay attack only sometimes and not all ze time, like people!' Needless to say she came home every night with gashes and bruises all over, muttering stupid sentences from ze corners of 'er mouth! Now look Meister Okumura, she iz gone due to zat foolishness."
"….."
"Fools die…meester Okumura. Immaturity iz ze greatest poison of all – even greater zen 'Noire Du Sang' itself."
How strange…wasn't that how Yukio felt to an extent?
"I know."
Isaac did not expect this response. Even so, his hand remained clenched on the doctor.
"I am aware of the existence of fools and their candy-coded morals."
Of Rin and his ideals…
"But Mr. L'Écarlate… do not mistake me as one of them. The world is filled with risks and sacrifice, and despite my age, I know that all too well. It's how I've gotten this far as an exorcist."
The man said nothing – what could be said after that? Too much was said already. It was clear the two had no desire to confide in each other… It was merely anger, pride, and perhaps worry that exposed these revelations. The young man's collar was released and Isaac slowly walked away. Shura yelled after him –
"Hey – hey – hey – where are you going?...! We're supposed to be in a group!"
"It iz best if we separate."
"NO friggin' WAY! Are you stupid – "
Yukio cut her off.
"I'm an exorcist too," he repeated, "Accept it."
The man stopped for a second, then continued to walk on until his silhouette faded in the distance. The young man knew grabbing him was no use; Isaac would never change his mind.
"Pst! That dumbass," Shura complained, "Don't blame me if you wind up dead."
With the group narrowed by one, they pushed on with the search. They spent three more hours walking – everything was silent, as expected from an uninhabited town in ruin. However, the lack of sound was troublesome to Yukio; he needed to keep his guard up at all times. One of the infected could ambush them at anytime.
Despite his concentration, the young man still had time to think about that dream of his…. The one where Rin killed him… It was stress, that was all…nothing more. Yukio decided to not press into it further. Even so, he couldn't suppress those disturbed images… and that voice – Satan's voice, borrowed from Father Fujimoto, out of his head. Deep down inside, Yukio was grateful that Shura convinced him to leave his desk and go on this mission.
At that moment, the young man stopped moving, remembering the words she had said –
'You know the rules, in order for AN exorcist to GO outside, HE OR SHE must be AT LEAST in a group of TWO and of SENIOR ranking.'
"What gives, Wimpy?"
But why?
In a group of two? But if that was the case, why did Yukio have to come in the first place? Both Shura and Isaac were of Senior ranking and together, they made a group of two…
'Mephisto SPECIFICALLY told me to tell YOU to get YOUR ass out THERE.'
So that was it, Mr. Pheles was trying to give the young man a clue about Father Fujimoto… But what could it possibly be? Yukio was outside like the headmaster wanted – now what? True Cross Academy Town was a fairly large place. How could he possibly find something if he didn't even know what that something could be?
Think…think…
Shura grabbed Yukio from the back of the collar and began to drag him forward.
"W-wha – Shura?...! Shura, what are you - ?"
"I'm SICK of bein' ignored! Go stare off into space on your own time – FOUR-EYES!"
"Aaargg, Shura!" Yukio turned, "Why did Mephisto want me on this mission?"
The woman stopped.
"Heh? How should I know? He just told me to bring you along at all costs."
"Let go of me," he ripped away, "And you have no idea why?"
"Uuuuhhh nope."
"Useless…," the young man mumbled under his breath.
"I HEARD THAT!" She flung Yukio forward. He barely kept his balance.
"LETS not forget, Wimpy – you're the weak-link right now! Do you really think you can win a battle at this moment? You don't even know what friggin' direction we're goin' in! I'm the one who's gonna have to cover your ass when danger comes!"
Bitter rage and embarrassment filled the young man's core. She was right – DAMMIT, she was right! Even before the Paladin's threat, Yukio was losing. He recalled, at the beginning of the year, Isaac having to save him from an infected in the sewers. If it wasn't for Rin's interference, he wouldn't have found those scriptures… Discovering Arata Hajime… was all Shura's doing…
All this time…. Yukio was riding on the accomplishments of others!
Well no more.
"Then don't bother trying to protect me. I know how much you hate to work."
The young man turned and began striding forward.
"Uh-huh," the woman responded nonchalantly.
I could kill her!... No, you're not a wreck. Calm down… Calm down…
W-wait…. What's that?
In the distance, Yukio saw a glow of yellow light…or was that his imagination?
"Whoa – wait a minute…," Shura noticed it too. Good, the light was real.
But where did it come from? The two followed the luminosity until they reached its source…the young man's home, the monastery. It couldn't be that this was the clue he was thinking about earlier…
"H-how could that be?" Yukio thought aloud, "I told the priests to evacuate."
His colleague moved ahead, "Guess there's only one way to find out – c'mon Scared-y!"
As they moved along, the young man noticed detailed scriptures written on the gates. They encircled the church in curls of dusty white chalk. He hypothesized that the writings were meant to keep out intruders, in other words, the infected. It was sensible; this area may have been the last place untouched by the illness.
Yukio, however, couldn't help but be on edge. Something… just didn't feel right. He was positive not every civilian in the town made it out safely. Meaning, infected victims must've been lurking around. So, the young man was shocked that he and Shura hadn't run into any yet.
They're lurking in the background…
Waiting until you are most vulnerable…
They are the shadows –
NO – not that again – it was pointless, that memory was useless to Yukio, a residue of his former self.
Go on… Go on and cry for your brother and Dad.
The inside of the Monastery was almost exactly how the young man remembered it.
The only difference was the clusters of mattresses and crowds of people. Once again, his head was spinning. The atmosphere completely shifted from silent to loud and energetic.
"Y-YUKIO?...!"
Shura elbowed the young man and he jumped. Looking up, he saw one of the priests standing right in from of him.
"Y-Yukio?...! How did you get here – are you alright?"
Taking a deep breath, he found the correct words to say.
"Yes, Nagatomo, I'm alright. But why are you and the others still here? I sent you a notice to evacuate."
After a moment of silence, the clergyman finally spoke.
"…We didn't feel right leaving everyone behind."
"But this is dangerous."
The man from Yukio's childhood gave a warm, yet sad smile.
"I know…we know…but it seemed like the thing Father Fujimoto would've done."
Once again, a surge of exhausted rage swept over the young man.
"Father Fujimoto is dead."
The words escaped from his lips so fast that there was no time to think. After realizing what he had said, Yukio looked into the glassy eyes of the priest. This was the second – no – third time that night he lost control of himself… First refusing to go on the mission, then yelling at being touched, now this…
"Nagamoto…I didn't mean…"
The clergyman blinked a few tears back then stared at the young man with a bemused expression.
"Yukio… You don't look well…"
"W-what? No, I – "
"You look gaunt… and those shadows under your eyes… Why don't you lie down for a while? I'm sure your teammate will handle everything."
Shura looked up at the doctor.
"That sounds about right, I think you need a nap for once instead of being some creepy robot."
'I'm the one who's gonna have to cover your ass!'
"No, really, I'm fine… maybe… a bit over worked, but it's nothing I can't handle."
The woman snorted sarcastically, "Mmmhmm a bit, yeah sure…"
WILL YOU STOP BEING SO–
"Yes, a bit."
Yukio looked closely at Nagatome; there were bags under his eyes as well. The entire clergy must've gotten little rest while caring for all these people…. So why should he relax when everyone else was laboring?
"….I don't know…." The priest sighed, "Why are the two of you here?"
"We're looking for a girl named Arisu L'Écarlate. She went missing a few days ago," Shura stated matter-of-factly, "Did a French girl stop by here?"
"French…? No, I…wait – yes – yes, I think there was actually! But I never spoke to her, so I can't be sure. You should ask Kyoko or Izumi."
The woman began to walk towards the kitchen, "Kay, thanks, I'll do that!"
She left the two standing awkwardly by the doorway.
"Yukio," the priest started "What's going on? You're clearly neglecting your health."
"Nagatomo… did you attend cram school with Father Fujimoto?"
"Yukio, don't ignore my question!"
"I'm begging you – this is a matter of life and death!"
"…..No, I didn't. I'm younger than him…"
"Did any of the others?"
"Not that I know of."
"Alright, now answer me this. Did this same virus ever break out in the past?"
Before the priest could respond, another clergyman ran towards the two – it was Izumi.
"Y-Yukio! How did you get here? You look pale – "
"I'm fine really."
"….?" The man made eye-contact with Nagatome, then shrugged.
"Any way, I came here to tell you that the man who barged in before is clean… and he just started to calm down."
"What man?" Yukio asked.
Izumi gave him a concerned look, but still answered the question.
"A few hours ago a man ran into the monastery screaming about his abducted child…."
"Where is he?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"Please, Izumi… As an exorcist, I need to ask him what he saw…."
It was a stretch… But a child being kidnapped may have had some correlation to the 'Mother'.
"We're exorcists too, Yukio," Nagatomo stated calmly, "We'll ask him."
Yukio's voice further hardened; he leaned closer towards the two men.
"You don't understand… I'm searching for a cure."
The priests' eyes widened with realization. Suddenly everything about the young man, from his tone to his ill physique, made sense. Searching for vaccination for 'Noire Du Sang' was emotionally and physically draining.
"He's in Rin's bedroom…. We were running out of space…" Izumi said quietly.
There?...! But why?
Yukio nodded and walked in that direction. Later on, he would think about how rude he had been. Those men, along with Rin, were the last of his family. It has been month since they last saw each other and the young man didn't even grace them with a single 'hello'. The feeling of guilt was yet another emotion added to the crushing against his psyche.
The last time Yukio had entered that room, he found the lifeless body of his foster-father bleeding on the ground.
It was a sight that would forever remain in his memory….plague his thoughts until the day he died. The bunk beds were completely untouched, sheets folded neatly and tucked to the sides. The dresser was still there along with a spot of dried, copper-colored blood on the ground.
Repulsed, the young man wondered why it hadn't been cleaned yet. Had the priests no respect for Father Fujomoto's memory? Why would they keep such an evident sign of his murder? Almost a second after the thought, it occurred to him that none of the clergy had the heart to even look at the spot… So instead, they must've locked the area shut and refused to let anyone in… Not for the past year….
Not until this man came along.
There he was, back turned, sitting on the ground, knees up to his chest. The man wore what seemed to originally be a white shirt and pants, except they became dirtied and grayed by the filth outside. Although Yukio could not see it, he could tell the man cradled a single candle, the only light source in the room. The object seemed to give him an inhuman glow, as though he was some kind of celestial creature that became impure and crashed to the earth.
"Are you an exorcist?" the stranger asked. The voice was much younger than Yukio had expected…. He sounded twenty – no – thirty, tops. His sentence came out soft, but ended in a raspy manner.
"Yes," the young man stated. "I am Yu – "
"Yukio Okumura… Intermediate First Class… I heard much about you."
"…..I…."
"You are….of genius caliber…. correct?"
Did the stranger intend to mock him? Was he accusing the young man of false glory… an undeserving praise that could not save his child? If it was, Yukio could not hear it in his tone…no sarcasm. As a matter of fact, he couldn't read any emotion from the man's speech. Perhaps he was in shock…?
"Sir," the doctor stepped forward, "I have a few questions about your son's abduction."
At the mention of his son, the man's posture straightened a bit.
"I thought you were already on that case," he droned.
"What?"
Something about this stranger made Yukio uncomfortable. He felt like there was a double meaning in his words… a meaning he could not understand.
"I thought you were on that case…"
"Sir, I do not know what you are talking about. I haven't heard of this incident until now."
The man turned his head, exposing tired, yellowed eyes hanging beneath wisps of red hair. The candle's glow casted a grim shadow that folded over the left side of his face.
The shadows…
"You are not acquainted with the spate of infections?"
"N-Noire Du Sang?...! Of course I am familiar with the disease. I am a doctor."
"Then what do you need to know?"
"About your son's disappearance," the young man snipped with frustration.
"My son…. my son…." The stranger turned his body round to face Yukio, but he remained on the ground, "He's gone….will… never see his….family again…"
"He won't if you don't cooperate. Did you see who took him?"
"Yes."
"Could you describe this person to me?"
"I cannot describe what's impossible to see."
"I don't understand."
"The world contains a lot more fatalities than one would wish…. If a child plunges herself into a lake, is she aware of the danger of drowning?"
"Sir, I don't see how this is going to help."
"Is a doll of flesh merely a doll of flesh, or something powerful?"
"What are you – "
"Is a bastard a slimed mistake, or a being of importance?"
"You – "
"Does a demon drip with BLOOD, or is he a friend?"
"ENOUGH!" the young man's patience ceased, fists balling in rage,"Do you WANT to help your son or not?...!"
The man stared blankly ahead, completely unaffected. Didn't Kyodo say this person was panicking before? What happened?
"Does an exorcist battle hell…or the hell that's wormed inside?"
Yukio whipped around and began to leave the room. This man was mentally unstable; there was not a sensible word that came out of his mouth. There was nothing he could do to help.
"How does one exorcise Satan if the great Demon God lives in your BLOOOD?"
The young man stopped in his tracks and turned.
"What are you saying about my brother? How do you know about him?"
The man shifted to his feet gracefully.
"I only pose a question of doubt in your heart."
"TCH – How do you know what I feel?" Yukio's shoulders shook, afraid…
'/hhA! hhA! hhAAAA! rEEAlY?..!/'
'/cOOcKy bAAstAArD, lOOk aT wHaaT yOOu'Re dEEaLiNg wIItH!/'
'/gOO oNN aNNd LoOOk aTT yOOuR eNNeMy!/'
"I KNOW WHAT I'M DEALING WITH!" he blurted out.
The stranger was silent…studying the young man with great intensity.
"I…," Yukio continued, "I am aware of what my brother is… b-but… that won't be enough to have him killed…"
"Ah… But he cannot be saved."
That was when the young man held the gun in front of him, pointing it at the demented man.
"Who are you?" he growled, "Do you even have a son?"
A slow, calmed smile formed on the stranger's face. His eyes remained soft… out of content with the words he'd said.
"Don't shoot, Yukio, and don't call for your teammate. The creatures outside are waiting to feed on those inside."
Dammit, a trap… He has the monastery surrounded. No wonder Shura and I didn't run into any of the infected… They were following us, waiting for me to get here….
In the depths of his heart, Yukio knew the truth…
The dark still haunted him.
The unknown.
