Chapter 30: The First Act

Finally, this fic is slowly but surely peeling away from canon as the long-term effects of both Satan and Yukio being present in the class start to take hold. As for those who are worried about how things are kind of dragging out, that's because once the real plot kicks in, it isn't stopping for anything for a long time.

I also went ahead and cut a lot from this chapter since I do think things were moving too slowly. A lot of stuff is now implied, but the conversations weren't overly riveting.

Edit: For anyone getting a double update, sorry. There were issues with the chapter posting a reviewer pointed out, and I at least couldn't see my own chapter on my end, so I just deleated and reposted.

Satan knew Yukio had started to spend time with Shiemi beyond just their study sessions. Apparently, they were now friends, and would hopefully become something more given enough time. He wouldn't force them together since love was tricky and could be nothing more than a mirage if done poorly, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give them little…nudges. A comment here, a shift in seating there, a little bit if misdirection so they just happened to be at the library at the same time…

Innocent tricks had been how he and Yuki had gotten together in the first place, so he supposed it wouldn't hurt so long as he didn't, say, lock them in a closet until they sorted things out.

Yet. He was a demon and had only so much patience, and Yukio didn't even have to overcome the whole 'murdering your teammates and being literally Satan' issue he had had. Not that Yuri had always had the noblest of intentions herself, but that's just what made them even slightly compatible. Either way, things were going along smoothly.

So, of course, that Izumo bitch had to get in the way.

He wasn't sure what had happened when he had rushed out of the summoning class the other day, but somehow-

Izumo carelessly waved a stack of papers under the blonde girl's nose, "Shiemi, I forgot to deliver this, so can you do it for me?"

"Sure!"

There wasn't even a pause to consider why she should be the one to do it. Izumo had stopped even bothering giving excuses when it became clear that Shiemi would do anything to earn her approval, wanting desperately to be useful.

"Shiemi, if you don't want to do something, you don't have to."

"It's fine, I want to help out my friends just like you do, Yukio!"

"That's…"

-somehow, Shiemi thought that she had to earn the twin-tailed brat's approval. Satan was of the firm opinion that friendship wasn't something to be given out nearly as freely or easily as humans tended to (it had ended with more than a few knives in his back) but it was painfully obvious that she was just being used.

He nudged Yukio's shoulder, "Hey, you need to talk to her about not being the bitch's bitch."

"I will." Yukio affirmed, and then, after a long pause, added almost as an afterthought, "And don't be so crude."

"Crude, not wrong."

"Hmm."

The fact that Yukio didn't deny the accusation told Satan exactly how pissed he was. Well, if nothing else, at least he cared enough to get enrage on Shiemi's behalf. Progress!

Satan wasn't sure what exactly Yukio had said to Shiemi, but it was clear that something in their dynamic had changed. She stood a bit closer to him, talked much more animatedly to him, and didn't pay that Izumo bitch nearly as much attention before. He could hear them discussing a sort of plan that, though there were obvious roadblocks along the way.

Those roadblocks were, of course, Shiemi herself.

"Shiemi, go get a drink for me."

"Ah, um…" The girl paused, as if she were remembering a script, "I don't have any money for the machine!"

Izumo stared at her, her gaze slowly slipping back to where Yukio stood some ten feet away, a serene smile on his face.

"Oh, I guess I drained your funds, huh?" She said, the apology as fake as plastic, "Sorry, I didn't think you would have so little money on you. Here, there shouldn't be a problem anymore, right?"

Shiemi nearly fumbled the purse suddenly shoved into her hands. She stared at it, eyes rapidly darting back and forth between it and Izumo's expectant gaze. Her excuse gone, she caved, "Ah, um…Right! I'll be right back!"

Satan looked at Yukio.

"It's a process."

Well, at least Shiemi seemed to have learned a little bit of spite, as she ended up using a good chunk of Izumo's money to buy drinks for the entire class.

"I'm sorry, I just thought that everyone would like a drink!"

"But that was my money you used! I said buy me a drink, not give those idiots a free meal! You don't even talk to that puppet-creep in the back, why would you get him something!?"

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to be polite…"

Or maybe not, if the way she profusely apologized was any indication unless she was just that good of an actor?

Shiemi slumped in her chair, face red and looked practically ready to burst, and Yukio seemed as if he was contemplating his entire plan, and possibly his life choices.

No, she really was just that innocent.

Satan found the entire display to be amusing enough that he patted the blonde's head as he walked past, sipping his drink. He grinned with far too many teeth when Izumo glared at him, nearly laughing when she looked away first. Intentional or not, she had managed to waste Izumo's money, which he personally thought was a thing worthy of praise.

It was after the first day of the so-called training camp that things started to change. Satan hadn't expected much actual training considering how weak most of the human children (sans Yukio) were. He was, unfortunately, proven right and found himself staring at a damn worksheet he had to fill out. It was mind-numbingly easy, though the idea of getting up at six in the fucking morning nearly caused a fight then and there. It was bad enough that the idiot trio was staying in his dorm now and stinking up the place, but now he had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn?

Fuck that.

He didn't care what Kaoru had to drivel on about, so he left the moment he could without Yukio getting mad. Well, he would probably be irritated that he wasn't interested in 'socializing' with the idiot brigade, but tough luck. He had a bath to get before the leeches used up all the hot water.

Shiemi was happy that she would finally get some proper girl-time with her friends. Yukio was nice and unbelievably kind, but there were just some things that she couldn't talk about with him. Some of which was because he was a boy and others were, well…

W-Well, she needed to focus on making up with Izumo! Sure, Yukio had told her that she could reject any request of Izumo's that she didn't like, that she needed to be more assertive of her own thoughts because friends didn't use friends "like that", but she owed it to the twin-tailed girl this time after accidentally spending her money. It was an honest mistake, but, thankfully, Izumo didn't seem too mad about it once she calmed down and Shiemi paid her back.

It wasn't until they were outside the bathroom entrance that things changed.

"Shiemi, I that I need you to go get some fruit milk for Paku and I. Oh, but because you used my money, you'll have to use your own this time." Once again Izumo demanded a 'favor' from Shiemi. It would have been fine if that was all there was to it, but…"I also forgot my other bag in my room. Here are my keys, so go get it, ok?"

Paku frowned, "Izumo, don't you think that's a little much? Our dorm is on the other side of campus, and we have everything we need here…"

The plum-haired girl carelessly took her bag from Shiemi and stared at it thoughtfully for a second. She made a show of digging through it before huffing, "But I want some of my nicer things. Besides, she owes me for spending all my money earlier. It's only fair, don't you think?"

"But she already paid you back!"

"And?" Izumo drawled, letting the word drop like a stone, "It was stressful, so she owes me something for that at least. If she doesn't mind losing me as a friend, then she can just say no and not do it. Well?"

It was needlessly cruel to threaten Shiemi with a friendship that didn't even exist, but to Izumo, it was simply what was due. Fools were taken advantage of, used, and she had already been scorned, however unintentionally, by the blonde girl. Besides, she wasn't being half a cruel as she knew others could be. She could spread nasty rumors about her, trip her and pull at her pretty hair and mock her, or even outright ignore her existence until she felt like nothing but a shade. It would be so easy to break a girl who was so very desperate for love.

For some reason, Izumo couldn't help but hate her and the way others loved her, even with all her flaws.

The reply was small, but the answer was the inevitable, "I'll…I'll go get it."

"Shiemi!" Paku objected, but stopped when the other girl shook her head.

"It's fine, I made a mistake so I should make up for it…"

"We'll…" Something nasty and sticky was starting to stir in Paku's chest. Something that felt suspiciously like what she had felt years and years ago when she had been forced to decide which side she would stand on, "We'll wait for you, Shiemi."

Izumo made a disgusted face, "No, I didn't want to say it, but the idea of her seeing me naked creeps me out. So, it's best if she does these things while we wash up. Oh, but we can have 'girl-talk' after, alright?"

"Alright…"

Paku could only watch as the blonde girl trudged away, steps heavy and slow like the world was on her shoulders. She felt a strange sense of vertigo, like she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Like she was forced to watch a broken memory where the pieces didn't quite line up right.

Her chest hurt, and yet, beside her, Izumo sneered in a strangely familiar way.

And she climbed down the stairs, Shiemi decided that sound carried really well in the old dorms. So well, in fact, that she was sure that Izumo hadn't meant for her to hear her scoff after her and she descended the steps.

"Pft. 'Girl-talk', as if."

In fact, Shiemi decided that she hadn't heard anything at all.

Yukio was the first to notice Shiemi slowly making her way towards the door. He also instantly knew that something was wrong. Her posture, her blank expression, her very existence was wrong, "Shiemi, what are you doing down here?"

Shiemi was wilting, and he had a feeling that he knew why.

Shima perked up at that. Ever since the teacher had left, he had done little else but fantasize about certain actives, "Yeah, I thought you and the girls were gonna go have a bath scene together?"

"How tasteless can you be…" Konekomaru muttered, not bothering to look up from his notes.

"Don't you try and lie that you weren't imagining it too!"

Yukio ignored them, feeling something cold grip his heart when Shiemi stepped past him without even lifting her head. Even when he grabbed her shoulder to stop her, she refused to look at him, slouched over and practically shriveling and dying before his very eyes, "Shiemi, what happened?"

"I have to go get Izumo's bag for her."

Clod turned to hot and burst into flames, and Yukio felt a spike of rage so hot he felt light-headed. It made sense that Izumo wouldn't suddenly decide to play nice, but just what could have happened in such a short amount of time? He hadn't heard shouting or fighting, but Shiemi seemed so defeated and so very small.

It made he want to kill-

Yukio let go of Shiemi's shoulder. She slowly trudged away, dragging her feet with every step.

Everything felt far away and distant compared to the ringing in his ears, but he had enough common sense to realize that wandering out, alone, so late at night was a bad idea, "Kuro, keep an eye on Shiemi, ok?"

The demonic cat yawned from where he had curled by the table, but stood up and padded after the girl after mewling at Yukio. He was pretty sure Kuro was annoyed at being given such a mundane task but it was hard to think over the calm he had forced over himself.

"You're really just going to let her go?" Someone said, but he really wasn't sure who.

"I think she needs some time to process what happened. I tried telling her Izumo was just using her, but she didn't want to believe me. I think…I think she understands that now. She needs to decide what to do next, but it has to be her decision." Yukio explained though he didn't care if the others actually bought it or not. He must have looked rather heartless, sitting down and immediately burying his nose in a book, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter that he probably should go after her like his life was a sappy movie, because he had studying to do.

It had nothing to do with the fact that Yukio wasn't sure he could control himself right now. Nothing at all with the tiny and dark urges he felt rising within him, that made it all too easy to empathize with Rin's anger and rage.

It was a welcome distraction when his brother strode into the room a few minutes later, loudly demanding he needed a recently returned Kuro to help him find a strange smell.

Shiemi had taken her time getting the things Izumo requested. It wasn't because she was sad, no, she just respected that her friend wasn't comfortable being naked around her! Shiemi wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea either, so it was fine, really!

It was fine.

So, she took her time getting the bag. And the bag was rather heavy, so of course ,she needed to take a break on her way back. She might have spent a little time curled up on a bench, but that was only because Kuro had decided to follow her. Sure, she sat down to…to rest, but then he had jumped up and started demanding attention, so of course ,she had to stay there for several minutes to pet him. At least until he finally seemed to get impatient and very clearly guided her back to the dorm with little calls and flicks of his split tail. He was her little guide, though it seemed his duty ended once she returned to the dorm, for he almost instantly went to sit on a pile of discarded papers. She didn't dare look at Yukio and see his disappointment.

She tried to keep a tight grip on the small warmth she had felt bubbling in her chest from the entire encounter with Kuro, but it faded the moment she reached the bathroom entrance. It washed out of her like paints in the wake of icy water, leaving only cold grey.

"I forgot the fruit milk…" Shiemi realized. But it was too late to change anything, for Izumo stormed out at that very moment, a bit of water clinging to her long hair serving as proof that she really had taken a bath. Without Shiemi. She clearly hadn't need anything that was in the bag either.

That was fine.

"Izumo…"

The plum-haired girl snatched the bag out of Shiemi's hands with a snarl. She sneered at the blonde's wide-eyed shock, "There's still plenty of hot water left if you two want to enjoy your baths together now."

It really wasn't fine.

'You two'? Shiemi wondered, and realized that Izumo had already left, stomping her way up the stairs, "Wait, I…"

"Let her go for now, Shiemi." A strained voice, Paku, muttered, barely audible. Shiemi gasped at her appearance- still in her uniform but red-faced and with dried tears streaking her face. The brunette girl scrubbed her face when she noticed the staring, "I don't…I don't really want to see her right now."

Suddenly Shiemi's own distress felt small and petty, "What's wrong? What happened?" she asked as she followed Paku back into the bathroom. The benches had been cleared out by someone some time ago, but the two girls made themselves comfortable next to the lockers.

"Izumo and I…had a fight." Paku started after a terribly long time of nothing but silences punctuated with sniffling, "I'm so sorry for what happened, Shiemi, I should have spoken up earlier instead of just letting her do what she wants. I should have said something, but I couldn't because I was afraid of what she would say."

Shiemi didn't understand people at all. She had grown up with little more than her rather small family and their garden. The customers didn't count since she hardly ever talked to them, and she had struggled to make any friends. And so she had no idea how Paku, consumed by Izumo's shadow but always nice in her own way, could be so obviously hurt and still apologize to Shiemi. The brunette had fought her friend – something Shiemi couldn't even imagine doing – all for her sake.

She didn't understand why others were so kind to her.

But she knew how it felt to cry alone, and so she wrapped her arms around Paku, letting her tremble against her, "That's fine, you've done more than I think I deserve. I understand not wanting to make your friend mad, because friends are precious."

Paku let out a laugh that sounded more like a wretched sob, but it was so genuine that it made Shiemi smile anyway. After another moment, she pulled away, wiping her eyes, "You really are such a nice person, Shiemi. But that's not entirely it. I've always known that Izumo isn't the easiest person to get along with, but I wanted to do my best to make sure she wasn't alone and turned into an actually bad person." Paku said, voice strained with just a tiny tremble, "Because of that, I think I've overlooked a lot of things that she's done. She's…she's changed over the years, and I just don't know why. She's always been able to see demons, but one day-"

Shiemi didn't understand people, but she was less surprised than she should have been when Rin boldly strode into the girl's bathroom without a hint of shame. If anything, he seemed to be judging them for their place on the floor, a single brow raised in question like he wasn't being the strange one here, "Hey, do you two smell anything weird? I swear it was coming from here, but now it's gone."

"R-R-Rin!" Shiemi squeaked, tumbling over when Paku shoved the blonde behind her and shot to her feet. It was clear she had been crying just a few minutes ago, but, with sheer stubbornness born from embarrassment, she met Rin's eyes and loudly declared her indignation for all to hear, "This is the girl's bathroom, you aren't supposed to be here! Get out!"

The hallway erupted into noise.

"Whoa, he just went in!"

"I knew someone was in there!"

"Do you think he was smelling perfume or something…?"

Heedless of all common sense and decency, Rin just shrugged, "You two are clothed so what does it matter? Anyway, I'm trying to find a weird smell, so, Kuro, do you smell anything in-whoa!"

Rin yelped, yanked back into the hallway by his collar like an unruly dog. Yukio's voice echoed from the hallway a few moments later, punctuated with what sounded suspiciously like a person shouting while their mouth was covered.

"I am deeply sorry for my brother, he will be punished."

A shriek that reached an impressively high octave considering that Paku was pretty sure it was just boys outside rang out, "Oh my God, he licked my hand."

"I hope you die slowly when all that damn dye soaks into your pea-sized brain, Ryuji!"

"At least he didn't, I don't know, bite you?"

"Rin, you can't just barge in like that! Do even understand the concept of privacy or common decency? Have you…"

Shiemi and Paku exchanged bewildered looks. After a moment, it was just too much. The drama, the fights, the bickering and absurdity…they burst out laughing, completely drowning out Yukio's fading rant and Rin's squawking.

Because of that, not a single person noticed Kuro dart in and start clawing at the wall, meowing loudly.

"Rin, I smell a demon! It's gone now, but it was here, I know it! Rin! Rin?"

"You aren't usually one to fail your assignments, Mr. Neuhaus." Mephisto said in way of greeting the moment the Tamer stepped into his office to report. It hadn't been twenty minutes since his botched mission, but of course, the demon already knew.

He also probably already knew the details, but he had an obligation to report anyway, "Things didn't go as planned. Rin Okumura almost instantly knew a demon was nearby even if he didn't realize exactly what he was detecting. He started trying to get into the ceiling to investigate almost instantly and would have found my familiar if I hadn't acted. Based on what I've heard about the boy, a single Naberius wouldn't have been any issue for him."

"Correct, and he probably would try to kill you if he suspected you were even the tiniest threat to his precious brother!" Mephisto chimed in cheerfully, as if death was just a delightful little topic to him to discuss over tea. It probably was to such a creature, "It would be a shame to replace you so early..."

Somehow, Igor managed to maintain his composure. He hadn't been told exactly how dangerous or aggressive the boy was, and while some might have though Mephisto was exaggerating, he could see the truth behind that coy smile. He knew he wasn't well loved or seen as anything more than a piece in an overly elaborate game, but he didn't like being set up to be eliminated.

"Well, never mind the details, we'll just have to eliminate the weakest link a different day. Don't give me that look, I'll be sure to handle the troublemaker on my own," The demon paused, thoughtful for a second, "Oh, but how exactly did Mr. Okumura discover you? I would have thought you knew a thing or two about secrecy."

"He smelled it."

Mephisto laughed.

In hindsight, the Naberius attack on Izumo and Paku makes absolutely no sense. It isn't an attack on Rin, so you can't say it's part of Igor's orders. Sure, Rin does get involved eventually, but it seems to be a direct attack on the girls, which doesn't add up unless you look at it in the context of trying to get rid of Paku and/or Izumo. Only one of these makes sense given their abilities.