Hey guys! I have a little fun fact for you. If you have ever seen the anime Romeo x Juliet (if you haven't, I highly recommend it, especially the English dub), then here's a little fact. Furuichi's Japanese voice actor is the Japanese voice actor of Romeo! Both their characters are so different in terms of personality, that it's crazy that they both share the same voice actor! Romeo is serious, sincere, and willing to die for Juliet, whereas Furuichi is goofy and comedic!

Enough rambling. Enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.

Chapter 9- Stick Training and the Second of the Great Thirteen

"All right now," Grandpa tells us during our warm ups. "We're going to get started on fighting with sticks. And I forgot to mention this to you, Ayaka, but at some point, I will teach you how to master your sudarshana chakra technique when using other weapons besides your discus."

I nod. "Okay," I say. "And this evening, can Furuichi and I go down to the village to the internet cafe so we can contact our families?"

"Sure thing," he replies. "Takayuki, I will also teach you how to summon your two demons manually without those tissues."

I stare in surprise at him. "You have a contract?" I ask. He nods.

"Kind of a long story," he replies. "It all started when I had a cold, so I used some tissues from Makai, but it turns out that those tissues lent me the strength of some of the members of the 34 Pillars, specifically Hecadoth and Agiel. Unfortunately, I had kind of become too cocky when I used those tissues, since I was challenging all the top delinquents."

"Right," I say in understanding. "Okay, well, I'm going to train with Arjun now. See you around!"

Arjun hands me a bamboo pole and he takes one for himself. "Okay, Ayaka," he starts. "When fighting with a stick, you need to make sure you have the correct form and posture." He starts to demonstrate this and I pay close attention.

(Oga)

Today is the second day of our swim training. I have just finished my set of fifteen laps, and I'm currently watching Tojo, Shizuka, Himekawa, Natsume, and Chiaki do their set of laps.

"So, Oga," Miki asks me. "Who else knows about demons and all?"

We had recently told Miki about demons and about how Berubo and Hilda were demons, so all this information about Asuras is fairly new to him. I think for a moment. "Let's see… Furuichi, Kunieda, Mizushima, the four-eyed pres, Saotome-sensei, and I think Tojo and Shizuka as well."

"Speaking of Furuichi, I'm kind of starting to miss the guy," Natsume comments casually. "Feels kind of weird without our strategist telling us what to do."

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I kind of miss his creepiness as well," Nene replies. Everyone looks at her in surprise.

"Oga." I turn and see Hilda giving me a challenging smirk. "I challenge you to a small race," she challenges. I smirk slightly.

"Challenge accepted," I reply. It seems like everyone heard, because now they're all watching intently as we stand at the edge of the pool.

We dive in at the same time, and we start doing front crawl. At first, it seems like Hilda's winning, but by the end, we're both tied. "Nice job you two!" Tojo calls, holding up his phone. "I just caught the whole thing, and now I'm emailing it to Furuichi!"

"Speaking of that idiot," I begin. "He'd better email at least sometime soon.

(Furuichi)

"Good job," Guruji praises as I put down my bamboo pole. "You seem to be doing very well with this. Now, let me show you how to summon your demon powers without the use of those tissues."

He walks up to me. "I used to be contracted to a demon when I was in my youth. Even though my contract with him has been terminated, I still know a method that I had always used. It allowed me to summon my powers when I was in dire situations, and when I was desperate. Now, I will teach it to you, Takayuki."

I listen as he starts to talk. "You need to get into a defensive stance, first of all. Then, you need to block out all the other thoughts in your head and focus on the demon you want to summon. Nothing should distract you from those thoughts." He steps away. "Now, I want you to try it."

I assume a defensive stance and try to block out all my thoughts. However, it fails the first few times, until I use the meditation technique. I start to focus on Hecadoth and Agiel. I slowly start to feel a surge of energy course through me, and I even feel a warm sensation. Suddenly, to my surprise, it disappears and I feel normal again. "What the…?" I trail off.

"Hmm…" Guruji thinks. "It seems like there's an unusual emotional turmoil within your brain that you haven't realized," he says. "In order to summon the demons, you need to rid your mind of all emotional turmoil and conflicts that are affecting you and your health."

You'll never be able to surpass them, Takayuki. Suddenly, the voice comes back, much to my chagrin. Just forget it. You'll always be Creepichi, Pedophile, Lolicon, Mobichi. No one values you. You think they do, but they're simply putting up with you.

Shut up! I try and tell the voice, but it persists. Guruji can sense my troubled mindset, and he pats my shoulder.

"Takayuki," he says. "Go and do some meditation to try and block those thoughts."

I nod. However, when I try and meditate, I realize that Guruji is right. There is an emotional upset in my mind. I can almost see all the times of my humiliations being played out in front of me. Sure, I'm respected by some people, but it seems like I have no one. Even my friendship with Oga seems to be becoming more strained. We used to be outcasts, now he's pretty popular and is friends with the Tohoshinki! But I've become more and more friendless, and girls have hated me even more.

"Furuichi?" I turn and see Ayaka standing behind me.

"Hey," I greet lamely. "What's up?"

She comes and sits next to me. "I can't help but notice that you seem to be at war with yourself," she tells me, wiping some sweat away from her forehead. "You look really troubled and upset right now, and Grandpa even told me that you're going through some emotional conflict, hm?"

I nod. "Yeah," I say. "I'm just tired of being an outcast. It seems like everyone hates me. When Oga and I first came to high school, we were both the outcasts. Now, Oga's become more popular, he has become friends with all the top delinquents, and he even has some admirers, while I've just become a laughingstock."

She looks thoughtful for a moment before an idea comes to her. "There's a fortune teller in the nearby village, did you know? Perhaps she can predict what you'll be like in two weeks."

I shake my head. "Nah, I don't really like fortune telling," I say. "You can check it out if you want."

"Fair enough," she replies.

That evening, after we clean ourselves at the end of training, Ayaka and I walk down to the village, following the route that was told to us. We arrive at the village and before I know it, I find the internet cafe. I walk up to one of the computers, log into my email account, and compose a new email.

Hey Oga,

This is Furuichi. How are things going over there? Yeah, we're doing fine right now. Training is pretty exhausting, but I'm getting better. Anyways, see you in two weeks.

From,

Furuichi

Deciding that was all my mind could let me compose, I hit 'send' and leave the cafe. I see Ayaka standing outside, waiting for me. "Shall we head back?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah."

(Ayaka)

"So, what did the fortune teller predict?" Furuichi asks me during the walk back.

I smile, blushing slightly. "Well, she predicted that I'll be sharing my future with a diamond in the rough. That diamond may not be the best, but he will be worth a lot in the future. He will have gone through a lot, but his character will have shaped well in the future."

He nods. "Interesting," he says. I give him a small smile.

"Oi, Furuichi," I say. "I have a snack that might make you feel better." I hand him a bag of banana chips. "Have some, they're really good."

He takes a bite out of one and widens his eyes. "These are good," he compliments.

At one point during the walk, I suddenly sense an ominous aura, causing me to stop in my tracks. "Ayaka?" Furuichi asks me curiously before he tenses up, meaning that he has sensed it as well.

"Stay on your guard," I instruct. He nods.

We both take defensive stances, looking around us. A sudden wind blows, and a purple stream suddenly starts to materialize in front of us. We both stare in shock as a large, well-built Asura stands in front of us, grinning sinisterly at us.

"An… Asura?!" Furuichi asks, shocked.

"It can't be…" I whisper. They've already sent out their second member of the Great Thirteen!

"Ayaka, who is this?!" he asks me frantically. The Asura grins.

"My name is Bhasmasur, second strongest of the Great Thirteen," he sneers. "I see I've found Mizushima Ayaka, and her comrade. My lucky day."

I tense up. Ever since his defeat by a woman, he has had a deep hatred for women. "Furuichi, make sure you stay alert," I say. "This guy's pretty dangerous, and he's highly intelligent. One touch from his hands, and you'll be killed."

"Challenging me to a fight, are you?" Bhasmasur asks, a black glow coming from his hands. "Well then, prepare to die at my hands! Literally!"

The Asura lunges at us and we both move out of the way quickly. Much to our relief, we see two long sticks lying on the ground. I grab one and hold it in front of me. Bhasmasur chuckles evilly. "You think that a stick can stop me?" A sickle suddenly materializes in his hand and he lunges at me. Using my new moves, I manage to defend myself against his attacks, but he eventually overcomes me.

Right then, Furuichi jumps in front of me, holding out a stick. I watch as he assumes a defensive stance, and I suddenly sense a large amount of energy. Much to my shock, I see two demons on either side of him. I gasp in realization. "Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division!" I exclaim in surprise as I stand up. Furuichi's contracted to the Pillar Squad?!

Bhasmasur glares at them. "Hecadoth and Agiel, pillar generals of the 34 Pillar division," he scowls. "What are you doing here?"

"We sensed his need for us, so we materialized here," Hecadoth replies, glaring back. "So the rumours are true. The Asuras really are planning something."

"Stay out of this!" Bhasmasur snarls. "This is between me, the Hindu priest's granddaughter, and her comrade only!"

Agiel glares hardly at him. "But you've endangered our general just now," she replies. "We have no choice."

Right then, the four of us lunge at Bhasmasur, who attempts to fight us back. He realizes that it's useless, and he starts to disappear. "Mark my words, wench," he says, glaring at me. "This isn't the end."

Once he disappears, I see Furuichi look down at himself in shock. "I can't believe I just did it…" he trails off.

Agiel looks at me. "Who's the human girl?" she asks. "She looks kind of cute. Is she your lover?" She smirks at a mortified Furuichi, while I just feel my face heat up.

"Wha-no! She's Mizushima Ayaka, a classmate who invited me to train with her and her grandfather!" he protests.

"Yeah!" I insist. "What he said!"

Hecadoth turns to Furuichi. "You seem to be a lot stronger than before," he comments. "We could sense it." He turns to me. "I can sense a spiritual energy around you," he tells me. "You're pretty strong yourself."

"Hecadoth," Furuichi says. "I'm trying to see if I can summon you without the tissues."

"You can," Agiel says. "You just need to remove all emotional conflicts in your head and focus only on the demons. We could sense that you were trying to earlier, but the negative thoughts in your head had prevented you from doing so."

When we reach the kalari, I start tending to his wounds, which are pretty minor. "That was an impressive fight you put on just now!" I compliment. "You really have become stronger!"

"Th-Thanks," he replies, his face slightly red.

I can't help but giggle. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"Oh, you're like one of those heros from cheesy Bollywood movies, the one who's shy and sensitive, who tends to say the wrong things to the heroine, but he has good intentions," I say. "Think of it as a good thing."

Before we go to bed, we do some more meditation to help us have a peaceful sleep tonight. While Furuichi seems to be really concentrated, my mind is filled with weird, mushy thoughts. Furuichi is a very interesting person to know… Is what runs in my head before I fall asleep.

In Hindu mythology, Bhasmasur was an Asura who had the power to burn whatever he touched into ashes. When this had become a problem, one of the gods took the form of an enchantress, who then said that she'd marry him if he could copy her dance moves. So, at one point, she touches her head, and Bhasmasur was so enchanted by her, that he touched his own head and turned into ashes.

Thanks for reading!