A/N:
Hails: Ba-da-da, they're dead.
Kidding~
I disregard any claims to the characters, setting, or plot of Blue Exorcist/青の祓魔師, which are a property of the mangaka Kazue Kato. I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it."
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Koneko trudged through the thick jungle, wiping away sweat. The hot, humid air coursed his entire frame, a slick layer of sweat worked its way down his neck and back, soaking his clothes. It made him feel sticky and sick and he began to suspect that if he didn't find a freshwater source, he might dehydrate himself. Nothing was ever mentioned about if he would survive or die during this test.
Huffing and puffing, he persisted, pushing past the thick foliage. However, as he continued, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, like something was crawling down his back, something slithering and scaly, like a snake, almost. He catered to his paranoia for a moment, checking to see if there was a serpentine on his back but there was none. Quite, fortunately.
Could he possibly prevent himself from being paranoid, though? Didn't he have a right to be? Maybe, maybe not. But having witnessed both Dragoons and Doctors up close, he didn't want to back off his suspicion but Rin was tougher than nails and refused to let up when it concerned Yukio. Dammit, why'd he have to witness his teacher's bad side? This shouldn't be happening!
Rustle-rustle! Rustle-rustle-rustle!
Konekomaru froze in place, head turning slowly to a bunch of trembling bushes. A wave of terror overtook him and his mouth dropped slightly. His mind raced at unimaginable speeds, what on Assiah could be behind those bushes? He waited, held his breath, and pop! An itty bitty tiger cub tumbled out of the thickets. It blinked its large round eyes, sitting on its haunches as it sniffed the air and stared wonderingly.
Koneko felt a relief flood him and he allowed himself a soft sigh. Thank goodness he was a cat lover. He crouched down, observing the baby from a distance and smiling as it sneezed cutely. He stayed like that for merely a moment when something else clicked.
Baby kitty = mamma kitty nearby.
He stood ramrod straight, exactly like a soldier, and took a few steps backward. He held his hands up as he backed away, noting a more intense rustling as a fully grown tiger emerged from the jungle shrubbery. She chuffed, pleased to see her cub unharmed and licked the back of its head lovingly. Then her wild gaze turned to a fearful Konekomaru who swallowed anxiously.
"Okay, nice kitty, good kitty," He spoke softly, careful of where his boots went as the mother stared him down threateningly. "Oh, big kitty. You're a very big kitty-" She growled softly. "Not that that's a bad thing. Big looks good on you, big, nice kitty. Don't maim me, pretty please?"
He continued backing down the hill, waiting until he was sure the mother wouldn't turn on him and she suddenly walked away. With that, he sprinted through the foliage. Now was as good as a time as ever to figure what the hell the Spirit World was testing him on anyway.
Konekomaru's feet and thighs ached after a while and he lost count of how many times branches and leaves had smacked him in the face. It was a wonder he hadn't lost his glasses in that time frame, even as he nearly tripped over himself into a mud bank. Actually, he did fall but was back on his feet in a second. He jerked his arms down to whip the mud off as best he could and readjusted his specs (he didn't lose them? Issa miracle!) He scanned his surroundings, watching as the mud bank fell into a weirdly crystal blue lake. It should have been muddy and disgusting but somehow... it wasn't.
'A lake's a lake,' Koneko thought. 'Where there's water there's bound to be a way to get clean water.'
Suddenly, a deafening roar resonated echoed over the humidity and thick forestry. Konekomaru whirled around to search for the source and barely had enough time to hurry over to a tree he could reach, leap for the lowest branch, and flip himself up onto the limb before the orange claws of the massive predator could even graze him. Hey, exorcist training paid off. With a reach and a few steps, he climbed higher until he found a sturdy, stable branch that he could lie his full wait on and not have to worry about it snapping.
He flinched as the tiger leaped with its powerful hind legs and secured itself on the first branch. But much to Koneko's mixed joy and exhaustion, the branch snapped and the tiger was left to pace the forest floor beneath him.
'Looks like it's gonna be a long day.' Koneko sighed, resting his head in hands in resignation.
∞§•§•§∞
Shima was throwing a fit now. He could have sworn there was a centipede back there, he could have sworn. There's no way there wasn't, he's not stupid like Bon and Koneko like to make him out to be and NO! HE WAS NOT PARANOID.
God, why wasn't he out of this stupid cave yet?
(Because.)
Shima screamed girlishly as he felt something crawl across his feet. Something with lots of legs and antennae and mandibles and claws and sharp teeth and suckers and stingers, he was sure of it. (This is how you know he passed out whenever entomology ever came up in middle school.)
He could still recall, however, how this came to me. How the creature had taken him and threatened him and how so many of those creepy-crawlies came to him as quickly as possible. He still owed Yamantaka his life for that event and he would never dare remember it willingly.
God, could you blame him?
∞§•§•§∞
Call it a natural terrain, call it a godsend blessing, call it whatever you want that Ryūji's platform evened out. It was still steep, a tiring march, and slipping just to fall to his death wasn't an option. Yet he somehow found that hanging onto a root that may or may not had been embedded so deeply into the soil that nothing, not even a titan could yank it out while a heavy boulder rolled his way may be less favorable than falling. He cleared the area, digging his nails into the softer dirt to hold his ground. That monkey's gleeful chattering was beginning to get on his nerves.
He heaved himself forward, finally meeting the ledge where the monkey screeched in horror for Suguro's looming figure. It scrambled away, skittering up a mountain trail and only leaving a dust trail behind it. Suguro rolled his eyes, sweeping the area until he craned his neck upward to look at the peak. He had started at the base of the mountain where there had been nothing and nowhere to go so he climbed. Perhaps what he was searching for was at the top.
This hike was not one he couldn't handle, after months of hiking and mountain climbing with Mr. Tsubaki and Ms. Kirigakure, he was at the top of his physical education class. Well, second technically but only to Okumura because his demonic prowess and endurance made him a dirty, dirty cheater and despite what the teachers say, he shouldn't be allowed to defy gravity and crawl around on the ceiling like a deranged chipmunk.
Suguro shivered suddenly, now finally feeling the biting chilliness of the mountain air. Any other day he'd be all over marching up a mountainside for the sake of exorcism but now it was getting a little ridiculous. But part of him ached to know who Shirō Fujimoto was to his father and grandfather. The letter said friend and scoundrel, thief and pagan but the information from Section 13 screamed something else entirely. But history, regardless, was important to his bloodline. Why had Karura made a pact with his family twenty generations ago? What had attracted Karura and Uchusma to the Myōō Dharani?
He didn't know. But maybe what he was told would help him win a family familiar back.
A guttural babbling intruded his mental inquiries and his head shot up to find that stupid Capuchin monkey dancing back and forth again. This time more urgently while Suguro glared at the creature, which seemed to screech at the black look. Suguro continued marching, following the path and the primate up multiple steep ways until he inches away from the monkey, which leaped up onto a dead tree. It's roots implanted itself next to a dim cave, which the monkey scrambled into soon as he was sure he had Suguro's attention. It's chattering was echoey sounding from the darkness.
'From one cave to another, huh?' Suguro asked himself internally. There was a sense of irony in all of this.
He stepped forward, following the monkey noises until something else replaced the chattering. Suguro's eyes landed on the form of a bleeding, snarling white wolf. Its fur had been matted down by mud and blood and God knows what else. Something coppery and grimy was building up around its dull blue eyes (and Suguro thought that's not what a wolf should look like.) Its claws had been clipped, its teeth had been filed, and a tight collar was strung around its neck so the mutt had trouble breathing.
It was a domesticated and cornered dog that had finally lashed out at its owners.
The monkey curled up next the wolf, nuzzled the underside of its jaw, then climbed up on it's back and made some wild gestures towards the many injuries and infections that graced its body.
'Help him! Help him!' The monkey seemed to plead with Suguro. 'Help my friend!'
∞§•§•§∞
Rin tried not to kick up snow as he ran out into the thick powder, nearly tripping over himself but falling to his knees at the woman's side. He shook her shoulder gently, calling her repeatedly and desperately hoping for a response. When she didn't stir in the slightest, Rin cussed and flipped her over, hooking his arms underneath her frame so he could carry her.
He couldn't see her face, her hair was too long. She wore nothing more than a long-sleeved, silky smock that ran to her knees. It wasn't enough to protect her from the bitter cold.
With a grunt and a heave, he began hauling her weight back to the cabin as quickly as the snow and the frigidness would let him. The door slammed into the wall as he opened it. He couldn't think too hard. If he thought too hard he'd only mess up. He only following the elusive cat that has mysteriously appeared at the foot of the stairs. His feet pounded against the rickety boards until he found a spare room with a proper bed. He pulled her hair up and out of her face and immediately, trying to remember all his training from the Field First-Aid unit of Cram School. His hands hovered over her and his whole body trembled.
"Okay, cool down, cool down, Rin," He muttered, almost failing to keep the stutter out of his voice. "Just remember your basic training. Deep brea- deep breath."
The smell of blood was stronger now that he could see her up close but his vision was quickly blurring. He berated himself repeatedly, smacking the sides of his head until he could focus long enough to actually think properly. "Calm down. You're not gonna get your doctor's license if you can't get over your squeamishness."
Quietly, carefully, he rolled the woman's dress skirt up until he could properly see her body and politely opting to keep her chest covered. He nearly gagged as he noted the massive gash running from over her ribcage's side. There was a multitude of other injuries, a colorful array of bruises and cuts littering her stomach, waist, hips, and thighs. One of her shoulders had a very obvious bullet wound. It was like she had taken in glass and had then had an attempt on her life via firearm.
With a deep inhale and taking a few minutes for himself to ease out his fear into confidence, Rin got to work. He scrambled around the room, eventually ending up burrowed halfway under the bed for a first-aid kit. He yanked it out, slamming it on the bedside dresser harshly. Puffs of dust clouds arose, making Rin go into a coughing fit and drive it all away by fanning his arm. He unclipped the kit, throwing it open as he went through each of the labeled objects.
"Okay, okay, the first rule of open wounds and intense harm," Rin said quickly, ripping open the wrapping of the gauze pads and sanitary wipes with his teeth. God, this was so much easier when Yukio was there to guide him. "Clean the area around the injury and staunch the bleeding."
If there was one thing Rin was endlessly grateful for, it was his immunity to the stench of antiseptic sterilizers. He had grown so accustomed to them in his preteen years, where Shirō would scold him and Yukio would beg him to stop getting into fights, where if concentrated hard enough he could still remember the sting of the needle that one time he fought a gangster with a knife and needed stitches on his shoulder or that time he skinned the back of his calves when he slid across the pavement. Where in a room, Shirō would make wily wisecracks about women with huge breasts and Yukio would smack him upside the head with a rolled-up newspaper. When life was simple and Yukio was gonna become a doctor and Rin was restlessly human.
Ah, nostalgia, Rin's old friend. Why have you come to visit again? And so soon?
Rin worked for hours, forcing his focus on wiping down her body and tying gauze and cloth hard enough around each area so she would hopefully quit bleeding. He couldn't be sure if he should be satisfied with the end results however he couldn't seem to spot a trace of red over an inch of her, not even when he, feeling uncomfortable, went over her midriff and sternum. He couldn't recall how many times he'd double checked his work, how many times he'd flipped her over to check her back and neck and her head which had too much hair.
She overall could be deemed safe from death's clutches.
The jolt of adrenaline and fear began to leave Rin's body and he sank onto the floor, the top half of his body hanging off the springy, spongy mattress. What a dream, it was so comfortable and warm. With his labored breathing easing out into something lethargic and steady, the last thing his eyes caught was the woman's rising and falling chest.
What a relief.
She would live.
∞§•§•§∞
Shiemi shivered as Rin pressed his lips against her right shoulder and Yukio rested his chin on her left. She wasn't sure how or when she'd managed to get seated between the twins. She wasn't sure when they'd gone from gentle and kind to dark, smooth voices, quietly temperamental, and beautifully compelling. She found their eyes hypnotizingly ravishing. She could barely resist their pull, it was almost as if tiny strings made of something thinner than spider silk so that she couldn't sense them had been tied around her body.
She felt like a puppet.
"Ah, Rin!" Shiemi yelped. Her face heated up, glowing as red as a rose in bloom when he kissed the joint between her shoulder and neck. His breath was hot against her jugular as he exhaled. Her reaction didn't fare much better when she felt Yukio kiss the space just beneath the soft pallets of her nape. "Yuki!"
"Mm, she's so pretty," Rin murmured, breath huffing beneath her chin. "Her voice is like how those big books describe. Like a little bell."
"Her hair smells like roses," Yukio whispered, tenderly brushing his fingers through the silky, blonde tresses. "And her skin is like satin."
"She's soooo beautiful," Rin trilled longingly.
"Exquisite. She's not like other girls." Yukio mumbled.
Shiemi could hardly believe this. They were talking about her like she wasn't even there!
"Guys!" She exclaimed. She was both horrified and flattered.
Her eyes met Rin's soft blaze of irises, her breath caught in her throat. His expression was twisted into one of worry as though he were searching her face for discomfort. His eyebrows were turned upward, his lips were parted just slightly, and his eyelids slid down and came up in a lazy blink.
"Is something wrong, Shiemi?" He inquired.
She didn't answer, somehow she couldn't, didn't even breathe out as Rin gently cupped her cheek. She tensed further as she felt the strap of her dress slide down her upper arm. Why her face must have been more scarlet than the scarlet letter. Shiemi felt herself breaking, falling to pieces small and still fragile in all of it. She felt like a tiny flower that's petals were being plucked from the delicate center one by one.
I- I-" She stuttered, trying to find the words.
"Are you okay, Shiemi?" It was Yukio's turn to speak now. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She couldn't possibly express this unexplainable feeling bubbling inside her. Izumo had explained it to her once but she couldn't precisely remember the name of it.
"Guys, please, I-"
Rin snapped his fingers, interrupting her. "I got it. She must be hungry."
"Oh, peckish?" Yukio smiled, relaxing back against her frame. "We can get something for you." It was more of a statement than a suggestion. Shiemi didn't a get a chance to protest as Rin and Yukio put their fingers in their mouths and whistled a beckoning call. From the tree branches and leaves, what looked like light pink flowers placed on top of small green squares shimmied out, surrounded by glitter and stars. They floated by the trio's heads until each brother reached up and plucked one from the air. They placed them on their tongues, between their teeth, and chewed smoothly and slowly, savoring the taste.
Rin hummed in a mix of content and jubilee. "Woooow, it's so good." He stared Shiemi almost expectantly, taking another treat and holding it up to Shiemi's lips. "Go on, Shiemi. Eat it, you'll like it."
"He wouldn't lie to you," Yukio urged, gingerly nudging her shoulder.
Something hot flashed in her stomach, then settled and solidified, heavy like ice. She felt compelled to open her mouth and partake. She didn't know why but she obeyed like the little toy she felt like she was. But something else was buzzing at the back of her mind, something quiet and tinny but it was loud enough to break past her clouded barrier.
"Shiemi! Shiemi Moriyama! Don't you dare eat that! Stop it right now!"
The ethereal gardener paused, then reached up and pushed Rin's hand away. He did a doubletake, registering Shiemi's actions.
"No thank you," She whispered.
"Eh, eh?" Rin made a few noises of confusion before smiling and brushing her off. "Oh, come on, Shiemi. You must be starving after your long journey, you have to eat."
He made a move to place it against her lips again, making her clamp her mouth shut akin to a clam. Yukio nudged her even more, moving to brush his fingers against the corners of her mouth as if forcing her to open up.
"Rin, Yuki, please, I don't want-"
"Come on, come on, Shiemi," Rin cooed. The way he said her name made a tremor wrack her body.
"You must be hungry," Yukio chimed in. Shiemi thought she could feel her cheeks squish slightly in his hold.
Irritated and frustrated that her voice wasn't being heard, Shiemi growled, reached up, yanked Yukio's hand away from her face and smacked the delicacy from the tips of Rin's fingers. The twins froze, everything moved in slow motion; painfully, agonizingly sluggardly. The treat landed in the grass, uneaten and trashed carelessly as Shiemi stood her ground before the startled boys.
"NO!"
∞§•§•§∞
Yukio pounded against the glassy ice repeatedly, pushing and scratching as the gelid water bit his skin repeatedly, made his nerves feel numb. His urgency to escape embellished with every second that passed, his fear of drowning increasing even more so.
'I have to escape, I have to!' He told himself this over and over again. He had to, he had to, he had to. Because if he didn't, he would die. If he died, he'd never know. And that was truly the worst part of a fated death. The desire for knowledge was an overwhelming feeling that made him grit his teeth, clench his fists, and strike, strike, strike the unbreakable ice. It was hot and angry and desperate. It was clawing at things so thin they snapped from their source, leaving bits and pieces of what little there was, it was bitterness and determination and refusing to quit.
Those who resigned themselves never got the full truth.
Yukio would never resign. It wasn't on the same level of comprehension that he was.
Bang!
His head snapped up to see the reflection that had followed him around all his life. Rin was above him, reaching out a hand and saying something but none of it ever passed by. His brother had knocked on the transparent shield once to draw his attention. Some part of Yukio seethed, bitter and vexed at the image of his brother who seemed troubled, sad almost. Like his sorrow was for a longing of the brighter days they could have ahead of them. But no, no, Yukio had to lose his temper with Mephisto.
'He's only helping because it's the right thing to do,' A voice, Satan himself spoke to him. One of lingering doubt and fear, twisted and used against him. 'He doesn't love you, he loves what you once were. He loves that he can be better than you, he loves that he thinks he can change you. You always looked up to him, didn't you? Good thing, he needs you to admire him in order for him to make you weak.'
'No, you're lying!' Yukio screamed internally, gripping his hair and pushing against the forces that willed him the wrong way. 'Rin is helping me both out of the good of his heart and because I'm his brother. He'd do anything for me. I should accept his help!'
'Oh, that's just an excuse to make yourself feel better, isn't it?' Satan taunted some more. Yukio could almost picture a kind of silhouette wiggling it's limber fingers and arms in a manner of a child. Like the bastard bullies from Yukio's elementary school years. 'You know he neeeeds you like you neeeed power. You're only a mere tool to him, four-eyes. One that will better improve himself. And once he's surpassed you, he'll toss you away like scraps on a dinner plate.'
Yukio scoffed. 'Like you wouldn't do the same.'
'You have little faith in me. Am I the villain? Yes, and it's completely merited. After all, I'd always have a use for you. You could change the world, you know.'
Yukio paused, old memories flashing in his mind and he mentally counted the times he had disregarded Rin, pretended he was tired and didn't want help, unnecessarily hurt his twin, berated him, got angry at him over thing so minute and insignificant. The thoughts distracted him as time sucked the air from his lungs and he forgot, even if for one fatal moment, why he was fighting in the first place.
One for the money...
"You killed our father!"
Two for the show...
"He's out of control!"
Three to get ready...
"I don't need your help anymore."
Four to go...
"No. No more."
No more.
Izumo huffed repeatedly, holding her stance proud and strong as Lilith looked her over and readjusted her arm. Her muscles ached, crystalline beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her entire body shook with the stress placed on her every tendon and patch of skin. She had put on a show for Lilith while Uke and Mike lazed about, basking in the remaining sunshine that shattered against the tree branches and fell upon the nest.
"You're sloppy, you stumbled on that last step," Lilith criticized, eyes sharp as she scrutinized the result. "Again."
"Yes, do it again," Mike snapped almost a little smugly.
Izumo growled, hissing a threat under her breath. Sometimes the worst part was having a teacher that sided with your familiars. "I'm trying, dammit. It's not as easy as it looks."
"It's not meant to be easy," Lilith said, interrupting the exchange. She twirled her finger, letting Izumo unwind. "It's meant to challenge you."
"I noticed," Izumo muttered a bit sarcastically as she bent down with her head between her knees. She was beginning to feel a bit dizzy. She nearly denied the water bottle Lilith dug around for in the cooler chest for and offered her. The water was refreshing, eased her light-headedness, and she found that its crisp coolness was a texture unlike any other. It was bottled water yet someone it tasted like the greatest thing in the world. She guzzled half the bottle in seconds, paused to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her gaze turned to oranges and pinks intermingling in the darkening sky. "It's getting late. They should be back by now."
"Don't concern yourself with them," Lilith diverted Izumo's attention back to her. "I know you care about them but you must focus on the task at hand. What you learn now will be crucial for much later."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Why can't you be that respectful towards us?" Uke inquired offhandedly, scrubbing at the sides of his muzzle with his paws.
"Because you guys hardly ever help me whenever I ask," Izumo pointed out. She felt her eye twitch unpleasantly. "Even with just the more menial tasks."
"We're not your slaves, girl," Uke stated haughtily. "We don't do 'menial.'"
"Yeah, I'm aware," Izumo hissed, pointing at the two of them accusingly. "But would it kill you to do something degrading for once? If I have to suffer, I've got a right to drag you into it. What's the point of getting a Tamer license if you aren't there to help me most of the way?"
Mike looked as though he were about to scold Izumo for speaking so discourteously but she was quick to interject. "And besides, I never said you were my slaves. You're more like brothers to me than anything. I can't do anything useful without your help, that's all."
Uke and Mike paused in shocked silence, registering her words before bursting halfway into tears and halfway into an embarrassed preaching fit.
"Gaaaaah, look at our little sister, all grown up!" Mike bawled, flopping over onto his back and pretending to cry.
"Warn us before you say something along those lines!" Uke screeched, hopping to his feet and dancing on his paws in an antsy mien. "Don't just surprise us like that! Cripes, you're gonna give me a heart attack!"
"I-It's your fault for being so embarrassed by it!" Izumo shrieked, reverting to her usual indignant composure. Her cheeks felt hot as she shuffled and tried to find the proper wording. "There's absolutely no reason to freak out like that, you guys are ridiculous. Knock it off, you're embarrassing meeeeee~"
Lilith chuckled, arms crossed as she watched the small, broken family bicker and banter and tease each other, forgetting for a moment there was something worse waiting for them around the corner. It was pleasant in comparison to the world's disastrous state, a small piece of light in the unforgiving darkness that enveloped the people. For a moment, if only just one tranquil moment, there was peace.
"Come on, Godaīn!" Paku panted, legs burning as she sprinted side by side with her partner. The duo bolted across the pavement, having passed by several streets, hopped over fences like delinquents, and still forced themselves to continue until they could a find a place they knew would accept the information they so desperately owned an obligation to share.
"There's a news coverage studio up the way," Godaīn heaved, leading the way. "If we go there, I'm sure we'll find someone who can help us."
Sure enough just as he said, Paku could spot a late night building, one brilliantly alight. The students were quick on their feet as they bounded up the stairs, pushed through the resistant doors, and nearly crashed into the receptionist desk. The woman looked at the two raggedy, winded children with wide eyes and a parted mouth, almost disgusted by their presence and how loud their squawking nearly seemed to fight each other.
"Miss, we need help-"
"There's something important-"
"We need a police officer or a camera-"
"We need to tell people, please-"
The receptionist whistled shrilly, glaring at the unwelcome disruptions. "There is a filming going on in a studio not far from here and I need to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Now, what are you two doing here, gapping on about- what is that? A flash drive? Really, you'd think a couple high schoolers would know not to mess something like this up."
"Miss, please," Paku pleaded with the woman. "We need a police officer or a new reporter, someone who can help."
"Alright," The receptionist sighed wearily, placing a hand on her forehead. "Calm down, you kids look like you've fought a goblin or whatever those little things the True Cross Order deal with. Calm down, I'll call an exorcist-"
"NO!"
The receptionist blanched as Paku and Godaīn dissolved in another panic-induced, sniffling, babbling mess. Something about not calling the True Cross Order? Jeez, what was with these two?
"Excuse me," The three paused, staring at a man who was approaching, having noticed the skirmish at the front desk. He had a hawkish nose, his light hair was neatly combed, and his large eyes flicked from place to place. He fished a wallet out of his pocket, flashing a badge, a license, and a smile. "I am Officer Jones, a transfer cop from England. I'm working with the NPA and I couldn't help but hear you guys shouting at each other from halfway across the room. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, sir, I have it under control and- what are you two doing?!" The receptionist exclaimed as Godaīn and Paku gawked at Jones excitedly, practically hugging the man after the God awful 24 hours they had just endured.
"Mr. Jones, sir," Paku said in admiration. "Thank you so much for just being here." She was euphorically relieved, to say the least.
"We have really important information regarding Headmaster Faust's assailant-" Godaīn claimed, waving his hands excitedly.
"-And the absconded exwires," Paku piped up.
"And the absconded exwires," Godaīn repeated. He scrambled to get the flash drive from Paku and wave it Jones' face. "This. This is a- a- a thing! It contains all the information the True Cross Order is hiding from the public. About the exwires and the Okumuras!"
"Alright now, hang on," Jones said soothingly, holding his hands up then plucking the flash drive from Godaīn's hands. He shooed the students off to the side, charismatically greeting the receptionist. "Excuse me, m'dear, would it be terribly inconvenient if we borrowed your computer for a bit? I just need to use some of the software on there."
"Knock yourself out," The receptionist muttered with defeat, standing from the rolling chair to step away from the desk. "I'm going to the break room for some coffee. Do me a favor and don't put a virus on my computer, please?" She stressed, then disappeared around a corner.
Jones smirked, slipping around the desk and into the swivel chair, plugging the flash drive into the port. He was joined shortly by Godaīn and Paku, who hovered uncomfortably close over his shoulders. He decided he wouldn't be bothered by it as he pulled up the files. His rather entertained expression, however, fell as soon as he read over the information and supposed ages of the exwires. Something didn't settle right with what he was reading.
"Fifteen, sixteen, this isn't some joke is it?"
"It isn't, we promise!" Paku assured anxiously. "I know each and every one of them personally. Izumo is my best friend, Shiemi is a classmate of mine!"
Jones worked in quick, jerky movements as he yanked the flash drive from the port and stood abruptly.
"I have a car out front, I want you kids to come with me to the police station." Jones ushered them towards the doors, remaining close behind them. "You're not in any trouble, however, I would like to run the information here under a couple tests and see if it's the real deal. If it is and you two are telling the truth then we may have some kind of fraud on our hands."
With that, Jones' herded the students out the door, down the stairs, and away from the studio.
Jomei sucked in a breath as Alessa tended to the cut on his arm with disinfectant and a swab of cotton. He hadn't meant to get into trouble on the way back from his investigation, he hadn't meant to collide with his colleague's sword swipe as one very smug Phoenix thought it an opportune moment to just move out of the way in time for him to be lacerated by said ally's blade. It wasn't just him either, Tōdō's toying and style of battle had Jomei running back and forth with a handgun and he couldn't hit the guy. The results of battle lead him a black eye, countless purple and yellow bruises, and blistering burns over most of his back and shoulders.
That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Tōdō was a man of many words, he liked to speak more than actually get physical, and even then, the whole of the Special Assault team had nearly been to beat to death at his razor-sharp claws. Half of the team had to be rushed to the burn unit, another chunk to the ER, there were men and women undergoing surgery in the OR. Disaster, complete pandemonium this battle had been. And Jomei couldn't help but feel that it was his fault.
"Hold still," Alessa chided, holding a bandage to the now cleansed wound and wrapping it tightly. Her hickory eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the task, the space between her eyebrows crinkled. "How the hell did someone as proficient as you manage to get so beat up?"
Jomei chuckled, humoring his sadness away. "Well, Tōdō's a tad tougher than I thought he would be. I wasn't quite prepared for the intensity of Karura's flames and even Shura went out of her way to warn me multiple times."
"It's because she knows you so well," Alessa said. "She knows you're likely to make some stupid choices in the heat of battle."
"Eh, she'd be right to think that," Jomei murmured with a nervous smile. "Besides, I'm not as proficient as you think I am."
"You're a skilled Dragoon, of course, you're skillful,"
"Maybe but I'm also more of a skilled Doctor. You know I'm better at solving puzzles and healing people not attempting to shoot down a maniac flaming bird."
"Not even Shura could beat him, Jomei," Alessa pointed out, finishing up the bandage and tying it tight. "We should have accepted both intense injury and casualties."
"But before a mass demon attack? With a Blightseed destroying everything on its way through Japan?"
"It's not on Japanese soil yet," Alessa hissed. "We still have time."
"What time?"
"I don't know but there's still time!"
Jomei didn't flinch or blanch, he didn't even blink at Alessa's outburst. He was used to it, Alessa was emotional, passionate, she had ideals centered around empathy and quick thinking. Jomei understood because he was the opposite and had learned over the many years he'd known her that if there was something she loved, held dear to her heart and mind, she would fiercely protect those ideas and things of nurture. Dammit all if she didn't hang onto them like a kid clinging to the jungle gym on a playground—extra hard and terrified to let go.
Alessa breathed out. "I did it again. Sorry."
"You're okay. I do it sometimes too." Jomei assured her, examining the dressed wound. "How long until the burns heal?" He rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly as the remaining aloe vera dried on his tightened skin.
"Weeks, months possibly, I don't have a proper estimation," She explained, busying herself with cleaning up the mess she'd made in the infirmary upon seeing Jomei first enter, broken and burned and Alessa's thoughts always seemed to jump to the worst-case scenario. Jomei would live, he'd be fine. Some exorcists more detrimental injuries than this and still worked in the field. "Most of it should heal in about three weeks but it'll leave a scar."
"Heh, proof of my glorious fights on my many adventures," Jomei tried to laugh it off.
"Right, glorious," Alessa murmured dejectedly.
Of all the things Konekomaru expected to be doing on this bright day, having a conversation with a tiger was not one of them.
Especially one that seemed quite irritable and was just dead set on eating him for lunch. Currently, he laid flat on his stomach, draped over the branch akin to a feline with his head resting on one hand while he made meaningless gestures with his other.
"Okay, but, consider, he's a bad person," Koneko said aloud.
The tiger made a long and loud groaning noise, moving its head jerkily as if to say 'but he's a human and humans aren't perfect.'
"And he's not entirely human either, I mean," Koneko trailed off, trying to find the right words. "He and Okumura, they're the twin sons of Satan. You don't get any eviler than Satan."
The tiger groaned again, this time with a deep growly noise accompanying the tone.
"Yeah, I know, I know." Koneko waved his hand back and forth as if chastising himself. "Children are not meant to be like their parents. But I'm gonna be real with you. In all my years, I have never seen anything worse than a guy raising a gun to his brother's forehead. Who shoots their own brother?! Like, smacking them upside the head with a k'rik, that I get. But a gun? A thing that can 100% kill you if the bullet actually left the chamber and hit a vulnerable place?"
[Grooooooaaaawwwwwwll]
"It's not that I don't trust Okumura," Koneko sat upright, speaking as he went. "But Mr. Okumura, I've been iffy about him since Shima told me he pointed a gun at Bon. I've been even less tolerant since I watched the events from last night unfold. I've never seen anyone look so vindictive or... or angry! I wasn't even close to him and I could feel the darkness so much I thought I was going to collapse. How could Okumura stand it when he was six feet away?"
The tiger seemed unimpressed as it paced the jungle floor a bit. It stopped for a moment to drag it's rough, wet tongue over the head of its kit, which mewed a little irritably. The mother then sat on her haunches, it's sharp eyes seeming to glower at him.
"Oh, don't give me that look!" Koneko exclaimed, scowling. "I get it, Okumura is just protecting what means a lot to him. But can't I do the same? Can't I protect what means a lot to me?"
The tiger didn't say anything but the cub stumbled forward on its pudgy paws and mimicked its mother, letting out a soft, high-pitched growl of its own.
"What? What is that, what are you trying to do? Seem unthreatening?" Koneko asked, leaning over the branch. "Sure, you look it now that you're small. But what happens when you're left to... grow into something dangerous?" He groaned, head hitting the back of the tree as the realization kicked him the gut. "I hate the True Cross Order. I mean, they're not much better than the Illuminati but dammit, why do they have to groom their soldiers?"
More silence. Konekomaru exhaled.
He was about to speak up again, something about how the Order needs to be fixed and that Bon was gonna out a traitor but he leaned too far to the left and lost his balance. He only had a bit to flail but soon found himself hitting the mossy, muddy ground on his side. He tensed up, trying to find the motive through the pain to get as far away as possible as the mother greeted him. However, his fear was all for naught as instead of attempting to maul him, the tiger licked him. Her tongue felt like sandpaper against his cheek and his glasses were immediately dislodged from his face. Konekomaru breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, jeez, that's all?" Konekomaru muttered, readjusting his glasses. The tiger chuffed eagerly, rubbing its head against his shoulder affectionately. "You know, I think I forgot that you weren't real." He flopped back onto the ground, resigning himself to relaxation. "Fiiiiine, I'll stop fighting change."
A noise that sounded like a mix between a bass drop and a bell ringing resonated in the atmosphere and a wave of energy passed over. Konekomaru bolted upward, observing in fascination as the lake beamed and became a translucent mirror leading into a white nothingness. Some part of Konekomaru suspected that's where he was headed next, especially as the feral tigers trailed into the pond and vanished beneath the surface.
Konekomaru stood and followed.
∞§•§•§∞
Shima shuddered as something slithery and dangerous crawled down his back. Something hissed and he felt his soul be yanked into the jowls of a nonexistent creature, turned about by gears, twisted by long paths and nauseous feelings, cranked and bent into unbendable ways before being slammed back into his body. He stumbled as something long and vast with many legs coast in front of him. He froze in place as the massive centipede loomed over him and blocked out any fraction of light. He wanted to scream as the creature made a sibilating noise as if it were going to coil around him and suck his blood until he was a clean, white husk of a boy.
Shima blacked out.
∞§•§•§∞
Suguro stood before the afflicted wolf. Somehow he knew immediately what he had to do, knowing he'd been equipped with basic first-aid on his person and knowing he had to help. He took a small step forward, the wolf flinched and bared its teeth, making a deep rumbling noise in the back of its throat. The monkey squeaked, pushing its head underneath the wolf's neck as if protecting both itself and the canine. Suguro held his hands up as if signifying to an abused wolf that he meant no harm would actually quell its fears.
"Alright, easy," Suguro whispered, avoiding eye contact. He wasn't here to challenge or threaten the beast, he was here to make peace. "Listen, I don't want any trouble."
The wolf didn't let up, its ears still remained pushed back as it snarled lowly. Suguro took another step forward, then another, and each movement made the wolf press itself deeper against the farthest points of the cavern. Even as Suguro was at eye level and cautiously outstretched a hand, the wolf snapped, almost taking his fingers off. Suguro bit his lip, fighting back a growl in his own throat. He wasn't feral, he had something to prove and somewhere to be. He had no time to humor a single living thing.
Suguro reached out again, the wolf lunged for him. Finding his strength far outmatched the damaged dog, Suguro pinned it to the cave floor and leaned over it menacingly.
"Stop. Fighting me." He demanded sharply. The wolf looked guilty, terrified now as Suguro barely put any effort into defeating it. "Let me help you. I know who you are."
Suguro backed off, leaving the wolf to slowly raise its head and silently question him. ('What are you doing?') Suguro doubted he'd have an answer, he didn't know why he was doing this aside from his underlying desire to help everyone around him-everyone who was in pain or had been afflicted by beings above them. Were victims of circumstance, were forced to endure punishments inflicted upon them for something they couldn't control. He wanted to be useful. Perhaps he was helping the wolf because it meant something to someone important to him, he owed them this much after all the energy he exerted to save his people.
Without much thought, he ripped the chokingly tight collar from the wolf's neck and thoughtlessly tossed it aside. It rattled and clanged somewhere in the darkness
His first aid kit wouldn't do much. It might heal and purify the most prominent wounds but it would still leave dirt seeping into smaller slits he couldn't clean, which may, unfortunately, lead to infection and scarring if not treated further. Suguro dragged his teeth across his lips, thinking rapidly for a solution to all the smaller problems, even as he swathed the most pressing of injuries in soft bandages. It wouldn't be enough.
"I can't..." Suguro realized, trying to grasp for something, anything that might help. "I can't heal it all."
For some odd reason, the wolf relinquished itself to that much. It lied in a relaxed posture on the dusty cave floor, huffing out as the monkey curled up nearby. Then something clicked. He wasn't supposed to heal it all. It wasn't his job to.
"Oh..." Suguro said aloud, realizing the significance of this moment. The wolf made a low, falsetto noise as if pleading for Suguro to let him be, to let him heal with his sole friend by his side. There's only so much a stranger can do.
A light emanated from the mouth of the cave, drawing his attention to it. The cavern's opening held a glossy shield that seemed to ripple like the sea between it and his presumed goal: The Spirit World. With one last look towards the resting animals, Suguro got to his feet and went through the portal.
∞§•§•§∞
The first thing Rin was aware of when he first woke up was that he had fallen asleep in the first place. His head was on the downy feather pillow as he yawned. He stretched skyward when everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours came and hit him with all the force of one of Yukio's fangirls bitchslapping Shima for a lewd comment. He shot up, hands patting the bedding as he registered where he was. The dark wood that layered the room seemed oddly clean in comparison to when he'd first entered, all the dust on the furniture and walls had been wiped away.
Cla-ang! Clatter! Rin perked up at the noise, oddly enough feeling his ears twitch as he listened for the ruckus. He slid out of the bed, still in his boots as exited the room with an unusual quietness about him. His footsteps didn't make a sound, he couldn't even hear his own breathing or heartbeat, feats he'd always been able to perform, ones that were always out of reach of regular humans. He trailed down the steps, reaching the bottom and waiting with almost painful anxiety as everything came into focus.
A metal dish bounced and rolled across the floor, slapping the ground like a yen coin would after spinning it like a top.
"Ah, no!" A young woman shrieked, chasing the lid. She came face to face with Rin, staring intently into his eyes for merely a second. She leaped back, stumbling over her words nervously. "Whoops! Sorry about that, I was just cleaning up my kitchen because I realized it was such a mess! I mean, there was a puddle of blood on the floor, my blood! That's embarrassing!" The woman giggled then whirled and turned back to the sink to continue washing the dishes. "Honestly, I have two left feet. If my head weren't attached to my shoulders, every time I tripped it'd roll away!"
Rin hesitated, trying to process what he was seeing here.
'Whaaaaaaaaaaaat...' He thought. His eyebrows knit together and he could feel his right eye twitch.
"I... hold on, what are you doing out of bed?!" He exclaimed, making a wide gesture to her. "Did you see your injuries?! I spent half an hour patching you up, I thought you were going to die!"
"Yep, so did I out in the snow. But you saved my life," The woman smiled as she stocked up some dishes in the cupboards, having to climb on the counter considering her tiny stature. Hell, she might have been smaller than Koneko. She didn't even seem to be paying attention to him fully. "And for that, I owe you a debt that can't ever be repaid. Thanks!"
'This feels weirdly informal,' Rin said internally. He shook his head. "Okay but-"
"Oh, no need to worry about me, I have countless sigils and aroma medications all over. You gave me the jumpstart and thanks to everything else all my injuries healed in seconds." The woman explained rapidly, excitedly almost. She counted the remaining dishes.
"All of them?"
"Indeed," She confirmed, rolling down the shoulder of her thick sweater-shirt to reveal that the grazing of the bullet that had struck had already scarred over. Rin's jaw dropped as he gawked at the darkened skin. "Thanks to all the Gehennan herbs and medicines, I can heal some of the most lethal injuries in mere moments. Perks of being a witch I suppose."
"Wait, wait," Rin spoke, holding his hands out. He remembered vaguely something Lilith had said about mending Yukio's broken arm. "You're a witch? I mean, who are you in general? How long have I been out to heal that quickly?"
"Okay, bucko, one question at a time," The woman said soothingly, gesturing for Rin to take a seat at the kitchen table. He didn't move to do as such. but the woman didn't seem to mind. "First off, you've been out for about twelve hours in this timeline."
"Twelve hours?!" Rin's head was spinning. How did he even manage to sleep that long? His friends were probably done by now! He was making them wait for him!
"In this timeline," The woman repeated. "Twelve hours in this plain before the Spirit World could be about a couple hours in Assiah. Calm down, you haven't missed anything important."
"But-"
"Second off," She didn't give Rin a chance to speak in the slightest. She placed the last plate in the cabinet and hopped off the counter. With slow, easy to track movements, she slid over to the boy. She stood at proper conversation distance. "Yes, I am a witch and my name is Yuri. Yuri Egin.
Rin recoiled upon hearing that name. His eyes grew to the size of saucers, his pale lips parted slightly. Now that he noted all of the woman's physical attributes, it truly donned on him just who he was talking to. From her long, dark brown hair to her practically glowing blue eyes, to her pink lips and the four moles dotted along her face—just one more than Yukio. Every inch of her was the spirit of someone he never knew.
"Yu... Yuri Egin?" Rin inquired. Part of him hoped he'd heard wrong. "As in the Yuri Egin? Like... my..." He couldn't seem to find the word but he knew it was an important word. Something similar to the word father but not quite that.
"Mother," Yuri finished for him. "After such a long time, I finally get to meet you, Rin."
"I... you... you're my... mom," Rin struggled to breathe.
"Yes, say it again, you can do it," Yuri assured him. "Mom."
"Mom... I have... you're my..."
"M-o-m," Yuri enunciated, spreading her arms out as if asking for a hug.
A part of Rin hesitated because he didn't want to meet her, didn't want to acknowledge her existence. But a deeper part of him begged to know, a part of his heart ached with an intense desire for truth. He had been resistant for a long time but after witnessing Yukio's behavior, forcing himself to remain open-minded in the face of Lilith's thoughts on his brother, maybe now it was time to set aside his fear. It was time to open a lid he'd been clamping down on for sixteen years.
Rin stepped forward, meeting his mother's request with a soft, hesitant embrace. She pulled off of him nearly seconds afterward and beckoned the front door, which was still ajar and lead outwards into the winter wonderland. She smiled, gesturing out into the gelid cold.
"Let's be off! You've got a history to uncover!"
∞§•§•§∞
Time had frozen for Shiemi. She felt like her body had been trapped by a hoard of clawed demons in that single pose—the way she slapped the biscuit away out of Rin's hands, how she tore Yukio's hand away from her face. All while her mind screamed at her uncooperative body that these weren't her friends, that this wasn't real, it was just a test. However, that didn't stop the aching in her chest when Rin and Yukio seemed to dip out of time and step away from her just as it all came back into focus. The expressions on their faces were pained, agonized, and they each looked like they were going to cry.
"Sh... Shiemi?" Rin questioned. "Why... why would you do that?"
"It's just a little bit of food, Rin," Shiemi said, gesturing to the ground. "And I told you, I don't want it!"
"Is it because you don't like us?" Rin went on. He took a step back.
"What? No, I-"
"She doesn't like us, brother!" Yukio clutched the area around his heart. The two were so chillingly in tandem that it sent shivers crawling across every Shiemi's body.
"That's not it!" Shiemi exclaimed, stepping from the bloom's petals. "I like you both very much. But-"
"She doesn't like us, she doesn't like us!" Rin chanted. His broken voice floated above everything Shiemi tried to say. It was almost as if her verbal combat meant nothing to him or Yukio. "Why don't you like us?"
"She doesn't like us!"
"She's afraid of us!"
"She hates us!"
Shiemi stepped forward, trying to reassure that that wasn't the case. "Guys, stop!"
But it was no use. Their timbres seemed to mix together to the point that she couldn't differentiate between the two of them. It was a flood of rage and sorrow that hit her like a hot blast of fire—that's not like her friend. It's not like Rin at all! And she had to remind herself. These two creatures, impersonators, maybe even hallucinations weren't her friends. They were Rin and Yukio but she was forced to confront them like this regardless.
Before she could speak again, something else began. Yukio's body rippled and bubbled unnaturally, black ink seeped across his skin like tattoo ink covering him from head to toe. Rin had been silenced as he backed away from his twin, horrified as Yukio's body erupted into a black, disgusting monster. So much was happening that Shiemi could only look at one thing at a time. At least she could register, however, the way the sludge turned on Rin.
"Yukio?" Rin asked fearfully just as his screams were devoured by the demon.
Shiemi cried out. "Rin!"
She had only a few moment to react as the monster grew larger than life. Its yucky fluidity seeped into the ground, crawling for her and eating up the grass as it went. Shiemi squeaked, dashing out of range, disappearing into the forest. But that wouldn't deter the creature, for its body could simply wind around the black trunks and limbs of the plants. Soon she found herself scrambling up the body of a fat tree. Beneath her, the grass became a lake resembling the void. Swirling and threatening to burn with acid should she fall.
And in that moment, Shiemi Moriyama was utterly hopeless. She found herself on the verge of tears, about ready to have a meltdown as what remained of the visions of her best friends in the whole world became nothing but sludge beneath her. It hurt inside. She thought she might throw up.
She was dirty, guilty, and disturbed—afflicted with sorrow. Even as the river of black climbed higher with each second she felt sick to her stomach. She panted, heaved as panic overtook her, and squeezed her eyes shut. Even when it was just an illusion, she was weak, she couldn't fight back, and she hated it. It was just like in the supply shop when Yuki had gotten cross with her.
Her eyes opened again as the mess of it all rose even higher. She pulled at the hem of her muddied dress, staring at the unsightly smudges. She let the fabric slip from her fingers, stared at her blackened, sooty palms. 'Even my hands...'
Something, a switch, flicked on in Shiemi's brain.
'My hands...'
She didn't have these stains before she climbed the tree. Hastily, she tore into the bark of the tree and rubbed her fingers over a sandy, fall apart substance. The substance that stained her fists black.
And then something surged. Determination. Power. Refusal to go down so easily, even when all seemed lost. With a deep breath, an internal lashing not to cry, she found a clean spot on her arm and began tracing a pattern that had been branded behind her eyelids for nine months.
A rhombus in the middle, four Stars of David surrounding it at each point, a circle around that pattern, and a circle around that! And four regular stars at each corner as though she were drawing on a piece of paper. With a pin that always stayed in her hair, she pricked the skin around the summoning circle she had drawn on her arm and chanted.
"Nii! I need you!" She called.
In a poof of smoke, an itty bitty Greenman with big courage and heart appeared. He squeaked readily and Shiemi nodded. "Alright, let's start by growing some tubers to clear the way, then leafy greens to slow the sludge! We need Sagittaria first! Duck potato, arrowheads!" Shiemi couldn't see the plants but she could feel their life flowing through the earth. She knew they were there.
"Now, I need tule potato and wapato!" Nii went to work. In the midst of the plants growing around the black ooze, however, Shiemi could still hear the twins' voices.
"She's hurting us!"
"She hates us!"
"Stop it!"
Shiemi gritted her teeth, holding fast, repeated to herself none of this was real, none of this was real. "Now, we need a surplus of Valeriana, hypericum, fern, and horehound!" The greenery began to poke through the sludge, provoking and antagonizing it more.
"Stop it!"
"She doesn't like us!"
"Stop it!"
"It hurts!"
"Now finally, some bonica flower! The toughest of the roses!" Sheimi raised her hands skyward as if calling the pink blooms that flourished the through the sludge. The ooze jerked and began a rapid climb up the sea of trees and the young tamer, in her momentum, rose higher into the branches until her head poked through the leaves. She barely got to sneak a glance at the stars, going as high as Nii could take her when the monster broke the roof of the forest apart. Shiemi shrieked, covering her face as pieces of branches and shrubbery exploded into the air.
Black tentacles and tendrils flailed and whipped about. Shiemi barely had a chance to retaliate as the monster's limbs coiled around her and yanked her from Nii's flowery grasp. The baby Greenman expressed a squeal, worry for his master, as the sludge overrun the summoning circle and he vanished.
"NII!"
"Make it stop!"
"It hurts!"
"Stop it!"
"She hates us!"
"Stop!"
"She doesn't like us!"
Shiemi pushed furiously against the squeeze of the beast, kicking her legs and grunting with each attempted push but to no avail. The beast had her too tight. It screamed and wailed keenly, the noises grated against Shiemi ears—she thought for a moment they were going to blow out. And coming face to face with her, a pair of glowing blue marbles, which she could only assume were the dangerous eyes of the beast, pierced her soul. The left eye was flaming, bright blue.
The gaze wasn't warm and welcoming like she was so used to it. It felt hot and made her nervous, it made a familiar tremble begin in her fingers, it made that tremble travel up her arms and shoulders and chest.
'How long... have they been like this?'
"ShE hAtEs Us!"
"I'm WeAk!"
"I'm A mOnStEr!"
"It HuRtS!"
"HeLP mE!"
It was uncontrollable and she hated it. It fueled her in the form of oxygen, it started in her lungs went through her esophagus and poured past her lips like the roar of any powerful demon.
"STOP IT!" Shiemi screamed. And just like that, all of time froze at her command. The monster's multitude of voices silenced. It was now just a tower of suppressed rage and fear tangled together and holding her hostage. But no longer would she be the scared little girl in her garden. Some part of Shiemi imagined the monster tilting its head like a lost puppy. She inhaled, staring down the best with the intensity of the Senior Class of the Roundtable.
"Stop it," She repeated, almost a whisper this time. "I get it. You're scared and angry and sad. You don't know how to deal with it so you bottle it up until it just explodes. You're so used to being in control of everything. But..." She hesitated, wondering if she should say this. "You can't do that! You can't get mad when things don't go your way! STOP HURTING EACH OTHER OVER SOMETHING LIKE THIS! IT'S NOT RIGHT!"
The monster seemed guilty as it recoiled away from her harsh voice. It got smaller, shrinking and shrinking until it couldn't even hold Shiemi anymore and she dropped lightly onto the ground. What remained of the black river squished under her feet. Her eyes traced the remaining puddle of sludge—where two sad orbs laid dormant—until they burned with tears and she sobbed lightly. Behind her, a bell resonated and a wall of glass appeared, leading into the vast whiteness of the Spirit World.
As Shiemi turned to enter, she thought she could hear an apology being whispered.
"I'm sorry..."
'Rin... Yuki...' She cried quietly. 'It's okay. Things are going to be okay.'
∞§•§•§∞
If Yukio could laugh underwater, he was sure he absolutely would. After all, this whole situation was just absolutely hilarious. Here he was, being tempted by Satan to just let go and leave it at that. On top of that, being teased by his brother mouthing words at him he couldn't even hear. Yukio could, however, deduce what Rin was trying to tell him. It was the same words Rin had been telling him for a long time to the point that he didn't even have to repeat them.
And now, he was out of a breath. What remained of his air supply floated from his mouth in a large bubble. He might actually die here and without knowing and somehow all he could do was find the situation so disheartening, horrifying, and laugh about it. Cry until you laugh, he supposed. He had been taught as such in crisis management.
As he sank below the ice, he found himself reaching for the glowing light.
'Help me... Rin...'
Yukio couldn't make out the outline of Rin's hand breaking the thick sheet of ice apart or the way the cracks grew until the whole was large enough that Rin could swim through. He dived in, swimming past the current to wrap his arms around Yukio's hold and yank him towards the surface. The young prince dragged them up to the top of the ice, then pounded on Yukio's chest once... twice...
He coughed and choked, turning over onto his side to eject the water from his system. His vision was blurry but he could make out the worried expression of Rin's face above him. He sat up, assessing the situation (and how a wetsuit had magically appeared on his body, sticking to his skin stubbornly and uncomfortably.)
"You came... you actually came," Yukio huffed, leaning over to catch his breath. "You saved me."
"What, did you think I wasn't going to?" Rin asked jokingly, grinning widely.
"To be honest, yeah... wait..." Yukio trailed off, narrowing his eyes as a small, seemingly unnecessary detail came into focus. "Rin, what happened to your hair? It's white!"
Rin didn't seem to mind that his brother had rudely pointed it out, opting instead to roll a lock of the off-colored, silver hair between his thumb and first finger. He hummed quietly, studying the reflective tresses.
"Hm, yeah, I guess it is," He said nonchalantly. Then he changed the subject. "But hey, I'm just glad you finally managed to swallow your pride for a few seconds. It's about damn time you asked me for help."
"I... Should I feel honored by that statement?"
"Probably not," Rin muttered, shrugging. "But hey, look behind you."
Yukio did as he was told, eyes widening as he stared at the glossy surface of the water. Instead of its eerie darkness that threatened to swallow him whole, it thrummed with life, illumined platinum, and beckoned him to fall deep into its depths. He couldn't see his brother's face as Rin continued speaking. "There are your answers, Yukio. Are you ready?"
With a grunt and a heave, Yukio got to his feet and shakily made his way over to the jagged in the hole in the ice. He sent one more hopeful look at Rin, who smiled and gestured for him to move forward.
Then, he took the the plunge.
A/N:
Hails: I'M HOLLERING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 11,000 WORDS LONG.
I guess, consider it an apology on my part because for both the short chapter I posted last time and the fact that this story might go on Hiatus for a while. It just depends. I'll probably write out all the other chapters so I can update it at weekly pace when it comes off Hiatus because I kinda wanna see what happens in March's edition of Blue Exorcist.
Chapter 99 is promising us answers and I want this to be accurate.
But, it all depends.
Next chapter: Answers will finally, finally be bestowed upon the exwires, Yukio will get some closure and learn a little about elitism, Mephisto finally gets off his ass to do something, perhaps stop the Blightseed, and the Illuminati make their last move of the round. Will Yukio cave to his inner demons or persevere in his darkest moments?