Under the glowing moon, the abandoned hospital was surrounded by parked vehicles and police tapes. Efforts were orchestrated by both members of Jujutsu High and the Holy Church to keep this area isolated, until the appropriate armed forces arrive - which they did, in no less than forty-five minutes. They would have been here sooner, but there were some preparations that needed to be made first (as well being in the middle of a Hellsing marathon). Once that was done, the second responders arrived to the scene, standing side by side.
"Oof. It's a hornet's nest in there alright," Gojo announced as he pulled back down his blindfold. "You sure you don't want me obliterating the whole thing in one shot? Or is that gonna push you guys over your budget?"
"Please refrain from causing any more damage than necessary, sensei." A curt reply from his student beside him. Ciel assessed the hospital from afar, now for a second time. "I wouldn't be worried about paying, though, since it'll be coming out of your paycheck. You can certainly afford that, can't you?"
"Just to make it clear, we will not be splitting the cost," Nanami informed, pushing the bridge of his specs.
"How mean. No one's on my side," Gojo pouted as he hunched forward, muttering "I bet Yuuji would want to see it" to himself. It was then that they were approached by one of the sorcerer assistant's, a dirty-blonde hair woman in a black suit and a red tie.
"We've sealed off every pathway leading into the hospital," the woman, Akari Nitta informed. "Aside from curses, there've been no movements of undead from within."
"Undead wouldn't be the correct term in this case," Ciel suddenly said as she continued to observe the building, taking the woman by surprise. "Based on the smell I picked up from Ando-san and the others, we're most likely dealing with corpses - mindless drones rather than partially sentient vampire servants."
"Smell?" Akari repeated, wondering if she heard that right. She has heard of executors being called the Dogs of the Holy Church, but Akari didn't think there was some accuracy to the insult. However, she was far more surprised by the sight of the girl in her nun habit, looking far younger than Akari was expecting.
"Well, that makes things easy," Gojo said as he cracked his knuckles. "If they're just on standby, then we won't have to worry about them making a run for it."
Which makes this a good opportunity to see the culmination of Yuuji's training so far. One that's better observed than what happened at that other abandoned building.
"I... see..." Akari was a little intimidated by Gojo's words. Although, in hindsight, it really is good news if all the zombies inside the hospital would stay put, so that they can be easily exorcised without endangering other civilians.
She then noticed something behind the executor. Leaning to the side, Akari sees a large, metal container with a lock on it. "Hm? A box?"
"Extra equipment, for when I need more firepower to slay the dead and curses inside," Ciel easily explained, catching the woman's attention once more.
"Right. Right! You could say it's a secret weapon of hers. Heh heh," Gojo said with a smile, getting a hushed "shut up" from Nanami.
Akari felt as if there was some kind of inside joke going on. She could only nod at the group, and started leading them towards the hospital gate - with no plans to go further than that. She was a little impressed by how Ciel pulled the heavy-appearing metal box along even if it's on wheels. Akari wondered if it was something like Heavenly Restriction at work here, or if it's just the freaky strength of an Executor. Western Exorcists really are something else...
The group of three were now inside the entrance of the hospital, entrusted to deal with the enemies themselves. The metal box slammed against the hard, dirty floor of the lobby, and its hatch door opened.
"Bleh! I vant to suck your blood!"
Yuuji announced in an Hungarian accent as he sat up, his arms crossed over his chest and his red hood over his head so to seem more menacing. Gojo nearly burst out laughing, fighting it off with a hand over his mouth. Nanami was not as amused, though he did not express any complaint, finding it good to see Yuuji still acting like a teenager.
Ciel blinked in surprise, and then gave a playful smirk as she knelt before the box. "Oh my. Should I put a stake through your heart then?"
They shared a chuckle as Ciel helped Yuuji up to his feet. He adjusted the strap over his shoulders, carrying a long purple bag - the "extra equipment" Ciel had been referring to. Gojo recovered from his laughing fit as he observed his students joking around, smiling to himself. Seems like they're doing okay now. Good to see Ciel finally easing up too.
He and Nanami then turned to the rest of the lobby. The area was a complete mess, as if a tornado broke through. Darkened by the night, and only shadows with its swarm of curses and dead awaiting further inside. While Gojo and Nanami were present, caution is still best advised by the grade one sorcerer - who might as well be the only adult here.
"According to those men, the horde is being contained at the cafeteria." Nanami pulled out his cellphone and shone its flashlight onto the signs hanging by the desk.
Reverting back to her serious disposition, Ciel let's go of Yuuji's hand and cleared her throat. "I'm detecting activities within the hospital already, not simply due to the curses. Now that it's nighttime, it's likely that those corpses will begin moving and seek out victims within the city. If we can bring them together in one place, I can unleash my Cremation Rite and eradicate them in one go. The only issue here are the curses, who freely roam anywhere so long as they are in this hospital."
"Then we best get moving now, before either of those zombies get too far," Nanami announced as he started walked across the lobby, the rest following after. Their shoes echoing in the dark as Nanami and Yuuji provided themselves visual with the flashlights from their phones.
Yuuji looked at the rest of the long lobby. "What happened to this place anyway? It looked like a bomb went off."
"Years of neglect led to the deterioration of this establishment. But from what I heard, its last days had been especially horrendous." Ciel adjusted her dress where her black keys hid. "According to the police reports Ando-san looked through, this hospital had faulty structural integrity, causing a part of the ceiling to collapse, and a series of accidents followed. Numerous victims were pulled from the wreckage - many of them deceased, and the hospital was condemned, awaiting demolition sometime in the future."
She shrugged, "That's the story, anyway. I'm quite certain that it was only a cover-up. More than likely, the "accident" was the result of a dead apostle going on a rampage. This place had been its nest, or rather, it was its nest. At the time I was investigating it, it had been completely abandoned by both humans and the vampire themself. However, now I'm sensing that this place was recently reused, likely some time after I've already left."
Yuuji's eyes narrowed, seeing a toppled over, broken wheelchair on the floor. The wheelchair was covered in dust, with dark smudges on its handles - dry blood maybe. He thought back the times when he had to push a chair like this to move his grandpa around the hospital, always having to hear his complaint over how uncomfortable it was and that it made his butt look flat after using it. It got so bothersome that Yuuji would just carry the old man himself, and that only made his grandpa complain even more that Yuuji was treating him like a baby.
The idea that someone or something did this to the person who'd been riding in this chair, an elderly just like his grandpa, it made his blood boil. It could have also been someone's mom or husband, or even a child. For a vampire to have been feeding on these helpless people in a place of healing, hurting those who were in no condition to fight back, and the doctors and nurses who were only trying to help their patients, it was sickening. These damn monsters preying on innocent folks like this. No wonder Ciel hated vampires so much. They really are just as bad as curses.
"You said before that the main vampire had been in Tokyo for several years," Gojo began, walking past the main desk of the lobby. "How long, exactly? And how high are the chances that this was their base?"
"Their first activity was estimated to be around eight years ago, the exact same time this hospital closed down. As for this being the main vampire's lair, the chances of that are very, very high," Ciel answered, "To my knowledge, the dead apostle that caused all this was never caught. I wasn't around at the time of the incident, so I'm not sure if the Church truly heard nothing of it. It's possible that the vampire was able to cover their tracks by paying-off witnesses, or even using a spell to manipulate their memories into believing that this really was an accident. Aside from the Church representatives, I would have thought that it was shamans who took care of the recovery efforts, along with the clean-up, but that's not the case, is it?"
"If it was eight years ago, I probably didn't hear about it, or at least, I wasn't around to see to it. I had my hands full that forced me out of Tokyo a lot," Gojo said. "Nanami-san stopped being a sorcerer at that time too. I can ask around and see what comes up in our school. I'll let you know later what I find. There might be a paper trail we could follow - and maybe that'll lead us to the dead apostle we're hunting for."
"Do you think the vampire that did this came back?" Yuuji questioned, looking to Ciel.
Ciel slowly nodded. "Possibly. It could be one of the other dead apostles who decided to move in, but if we can confirm the status of those corpses to have been risen through necromancy, then yes - it could very well be the same vampire that emerged several years ago. However, I do not sense them in this building right now. Otherwise, Gojo-san would have picked up on them already, wouldn't you?"
"That's right," Gojo informed, pulling at his blindfold. "It's a little tricky tracking something that's considered 'dead' - don't even get me started on the smell. Since they've stopped being living people, they barely give off any energy flow. But if they have some kind of magical power, I can track them no problem."
Well, if they were awake anyhow. If it's true that Tengen's barrier is unintentionally suppressing the large quantity of cursed energy the dead apostles are carrying inside, putting them under a dormant stasis and thus, on the same frequency as any regular dead, he might not pick up on their signature as easily. It was the reason why and how he was unable to sense any one of the zombies from that time Yuuji and Nobara took their entrance exam at that abandoned building - at least until they started screaming and running around the place.
"Good. Then all we have to worry about are the underlings," Ciel said before casually throwing a black key from her side, stabbing an emerging curse that had been hidden within the walls. Yuuji looked at the captured wraith in surprise, sensing more curses heading their way.
"-With the four of us here, it shouldn't take us too long." The curse behind Ciel was easily exorcised as she turned to face the hospital's main corridor ahead. "Be on guard. Multiple curses are heading our way."
Nanami held out his wrapped hatchet by his side. "Understood. As discussed, Gojo-san will take lead. Ciel-san, you will accompany him. Itadori-kun and I will assist from the rear. Let's make this quick. There's a television program I want to catch later tonight, and I don't intend to miss it."
"You sorcerers certainly have the strangest motivations," Ciel idly commented as she pulled out her sets of black keys. "No wonder you're considered an odd bunch by other mages."
"That's a nice way to put it," Gojo said idly as he stretched his arms, heading down the main corridor of the hospital. "And you're not entirely wrong either."
While they all have the same goal tonight - a duty to rid this hospital of dead and curses for the sake of the civilians living in Tokyo, Gojo also wanted to show off, Nanami wanted to finish this quickly so that he doesn't have to work overtime, and Yuuji wanted to hang out with his girlfriend - although no doubt those lovebirds are here more so out of selfless reasons than any, a trait normally unbefitting for shamans, since the world is never easy on those sorts of people.
Which only shows how tough they really are. Gojo smiled to himself. I can't wait to see how their full potential blossoms.
The moans of the dead was cut off by the blade of a burning black key. Ciel sends several down the hall at the slow-approaching horde of the deceased. The swords penetrated their bodies, instantly catching aflame that turned them to ashes.
"It seems they have us surrounded," Ciel calmly informed as her group see the ambling dead on both ends of the hallway. "The good news is that they're more interested in us than leaving this hospital right away - not that they would get that far, of course."
"I wouldn't necessarily call that 'good news'," Nanami said, equally as casual as he sliced through a curse. "It does make things less troublesome for us, though."
Less work to gather all these zombies in one place, which is what Ciel needed.
"Judging by their smell, they've been dead for a while," Gojo said, "Being barely put together as they are..."
"Yes. They're the same type of corpses we came across at that other abandoned building, summoned through necromancy," Ciel confirmed. "In other words, this is the work of the main vampire."
Yuuji was disturbed and aggrieved by the number of these unfortunate souls, seeing their legs barely having enough living muscles and tissue to move while curses clutched onto them, literally chewing off of their rotting flesh. "How'd these guys get around us so fast?"
"They were moving since we got here," Gojo revealed, utterly unphased by the sight of these curse-swarming zombies. "I may not track them, but I could still hear them coming."
"Then say something next time!" Yuuji punched another curse as Nanami provided him cover.
"I also noticed their movements," Ciel said (Yuuji: Oh. That's okay then.) (Gojo: Geez. Favoritism much?). "There's still a large number of them I sense in the cafeteria, meaning that these corpses came from other parts of the hospital. This is one of the reasons I prefer going in alone, but that would have been pointless with the three of you around."
As Nanami once argued, if they were going to throw themselves into danger, might as well have them where Ciel could keep an eye on them. They were capable men, no doubt, but aside from wanting to protect Yuuji, she was worried what Gojo might end up doing if left alone here without supervision - hence why Nanami showed up as well, to act as Gojo's leash, much to Gojo's cheeriness and Nanami's exasperation.
"And it's not like these guys are that big of a deal," Gojo said, and in an instant, he was right in front of the first set of corpses, quick as a cheetah if not greater. He delivered a fast quick to the first corpse and sends its body into the other dozens of corpses, seeing them fall apart easily with just a smidge of his cursed energy inputted in his foot. "Putting it bluntly, these zombies are so weak, I can't pick up on their presence at all."
Would a lion notice an ant? That was essentially the comparison Gojo gave as his body dashed through the hallway in a single line, casually dispatching and crippling every dead by swiping at their legs and twisting their heads, exorcising the curses they carried along the way. At their immobile state, Ciel delivered the finishing blow, hurtling several black keys - one key into each body - and burn the corpses into piles.
Yuuji and Nanami dealt with the numerous curses vying to take the group by surprise, and then Yuuji looked to the approaching corpses. "Guess now's a good time to try these out."
He pulled the strap over his shoulder and took off the purple bag. Hopefully, they'll stick this time.
He set his eyes on the first corpse, and from the bag, he flung his first weapon. The black-tinted sword met its mark, stabbing into the head of the walking corpse, and causing its movement to immediately cease, toppling over under the weight of the black key. Since Yuuji didn't know how to cast Cremation Rite like Ciel, the best he could do was to stall the movements of these dead, maybe even kill them if he destroyed the brain enough - the universal weakness of all zombies as presented in movies.
I'm sorry. Yuuji threw more black keys at them. The swords embedded into every vital area of the corpses, from their heads, knees, pelvis, any joints that could further slow down or stop them altogether. He couldn't throw as many as Ciel, but he certainly has the Plating Effect down.
"You've started using black keys?" Nanami asked Yuuji, cutting down two curses at the same time before turning to Yuuji. He could see that focus in the young sorcerer's eyes, withstanding the weight of cutting down these once-living humans as he had done to Mahito's transfigured victims.
"Ciel's been teaching me," Yuuji answered, never looking away. "I can't use magic like she can, but they're pretty useful when I can't get too close to something."
He then rubbed underneath his nose as he looked aside, "Also, she really likes these swords, so I'm kind of hoping to impress her a little."
"...I see," Nanami said nothing more after that. I heard it's difficult to wield these black keys, taking years to throw them effectively even at a novice level. The fact that Itadori is already adept in using them like this...
Yuuji is either very talented with weapons, or Ciel is quite a remarkable teacher - perhaps it was both. Maybe there is something about having certain "motivations" that prompts one to work harder than usual. In Yuuji's case, where he's confused on what it means to grant someone a proper death, when it came to Ciel, there was absolute certainty over what Yuuji wanted to do, giving Yuuji a firmer-footing in his stance and purpose in life.
It's uncertain how long Ciel might end up staying here in Japan, but if she is determined to stand by Itadori's side, even after he's executed.
They could prove to be a strong team. With Ciel's expertise rubbing off on Yuuji, her presence keeping Yuuji's mental and emotional wellbeing in check, and Yuuji's open-book personality gradually thawing Ciel's cold front, as well as looking after her well being. In a manner of speaking, they've become each other's motivation for not only fighting, but living as well.
Granted, it doesn't sound very healthy to tie one's life to another like that, especially for Ciel who will literally let herself die if it means being with Yuuji. It did, however, cement Nanami's determination to find a way to save Yuuji from his fate, and to save Ciel from her own self-destruction.
They quickly cleared the hallway of all enemies. Ciel provided Yuuji and Nanami back up with just a snap of her fingers, and all the fallen corpses, embedded with black keys thrown by Yuuji, were burnt to cinders. They continued onward, eventually reaching the cafeteria, only to be met with more curse-swarming dead wandering out.
This is strange, Ciel frowned as she watched the corpses head their way. If Roa really is responsible for raising these dead, why would he hide them here? Even if he had once used this place before, if his host was either Shiki or Akiha - only emerging when he needs to feed or when he is adjusted to the barrier's effects, surely he could afford to use the Tohno Family's wealth to hide his army in a more secure setting, hire human guards to conceal his work, or even have his army somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo to avoid detention. He seemed to have come back here because it was simply more convenient for him.
It felt akin to how he acted when he had taken over Ciel's body. She was an automatic find, one that Roa did not intend to pick, but because Arcueid had killed the previous host too quickly, he was unable to properly decide his next host, and so he could only fulfill the condition of finding somebody who had great magical potential, thus leading him to Elesia. All his hosts had been those who held a position of power in society, so that he could spread his influence as a dead apostle much easier. Elesia, however, was just a normal girl in a mild-income family that held no status whatsoever. His influence had been limited, but that didn't mean he couldn't simply build his way up. It would have taken longer, but he was a man of patience.
This seemed completely out of character, however. Even back then at that abandoned building, it was like a last minute decision to hide them there. While near the cemetery, it would have been more effective if he had the money to bring in several moving trucks, hypnotize the workers into never questioning or recalling his actions - perhaps even turning them into his slaves as well, then have his risen dead move into the trucks where he can then take them to the nearest storage unit or hide them in the containers by the docks, so that he could have them ready to be unleashed whenever he decided to take over Tokyo.
Instead, he was acting as if he was on a budget. Did he have no access to his wealth? Was there a limit of control he has with his current host? Or...
Was it possible that his host wasn't within the Tohno Family? They met all his criteria. He should have had every intention to choose the Tohno heir as his eighteenth incarnation. But... what if something happened during the transfer? What if the barrier surrounding Japan careened his path to another family? Another family like Ciel's? One that had no money to their name and thus, no way to spread his influence as quickly, and he'd be forced to improvise. Or perhaps the barrier did more than just alter Roa's path, like a voice barely audible through a radio, where bits of information became lost in the white noise.
Preferring a male body, has a high social standing, and great magical potential, these were Roa's criteria in selecting a host. But what if the barrier blocked off one or two of those criteria? He could have incarnated into a wealthy family after all, but was in the body of a woman like last time. Could it be the Tohsaka Family? Or perhaps Roa really did end up in one of the jujutsu clans, due to their magical lineage and mainly male heirs, like anyone within Gojo's family and such. It wouldn't be Roa's personal choice, but the chances were still there. Ciel was living proof of it.
She mustn't let herself overthink. Whoever his host was now, there was no doubt that Roa is here in this city. Perhaps it really is best to follow through Gojo's suggestion in unearthing the paper trails this place left behind, just to be certain. She would have done it much sooner, but she'd been too preoccupied with not only hunting dead apostles, but observing Yuuji Itadori's condition as well - before and after his death.
It was better to tell Gojo and the others about Roa anyway. The only issue left is how his superiors might react to such a dangerous vampire living in their midst, so it might not yet be wise to inform them of Roa's potential host without any clear-cut confirmation whatsoever. The Detention Center Incident was enough evidence to dictate how reckless their response could be, especially if they'll end up pulling innocents into it.
Not only that, but Ciel also intended to be the one to kill Roa. She won't let anyone else take that from her, regardless if they are the elders of Jujutsu Society, or even the True Ancestor herself.
Ciel threw her swords for the entrance of the cafeteria, mowing through the deceased and wraiths before stabbing into the frames and casting a barrier, blocking the exit and preventing more enemies from escaping. She threw several more black keys to cut off the curses from slipping through the walls, their sharp blades telekinetically rounding Gojo up ahead as he resumed his attacks without stop.
Being completely unaffected by Ciel's ignited rites, Gojo resumed his exorcism through a deliverance of one-two hits, enough to completely annihilate the curses and obliterating the legs of the dead with his quick movements, occasionally crushing skulls as well.
"Let's switch things up," Gojo announced. "Nanami-san, you're with me. Ciel and Yuuji-kun, you two stick together. Keep a look out for anymore enemies that might sneak up on us."
"Yes, Sensei!" Yuuji said, exorcising one curse before giving a high-five to Nanami, switching places with the man as the adult moved past him and Ciel.
"Understood." Ciel pulled out more black keys, and sends them flying into the cafeteria. There was a massive burst of flames seen through the doorway, held back by Ciel's barrier as Nanami and Ciel walked past it without trouble, and the men resumed for the remaining dead in the hallway.
"There might be more hiding within these wards," Ciel said as she side-glanced at Yuuji. "Best to be thorough. Are you up for it?"
A single curt nod from Yuuji, he gave her a serious look, "Always."
They turned to face the other end of the corridor, where more of the dead and curses appear.
"Let's see you keep up then," Ciel said with a bit of pep in her voice. "I'll hit them high this time, and you hit them low."
"Sounds good. Ready when you are, Elesia," Yuuji said as he adjusted his blue-crossed gloves. He stepped into a stance, prepared to run.
"...Now."
They sprinted like two panthers unleashed into the night.
The black keys were fired from Ciel's fingers as if from a Gatling gun, striking the upper bodies of several dead and curses. Yuuji rushed ahead, ducking under swords and he slid across the floor, propelling his foot forward and knocked several enemies off their balance, as if he were a bowling ball striking down pins. He recovered back on his feet and punched-kicked his way through the horde, assisted and protected by Ciel's black keys as they moved all around him, a display of martial arts dancing with the blades.
Yuuji showed no hesitation as a black-tinted sword shot past his cheek, resuming his exorcism through the bodies of the dead, the curses eating his cursed energy before evaporating into blue and black flames. One by one, the dead fell and became ash. Blue and red fire trailed behind Yuuji, but never moved closer. Ciel rushed through the flames, arming herself with more sharp weapons in between her fingers. Sensing her approach, Yuuji knelt down on one knee, and Ciel pushed her hand against his back, throwing herself to the ceiling. A rain of black keys hailed for the remaining enemies in the hall as Yuuji threw his last black keys at the same time.
Bodies and bodies were penetrated by their weapons at two different angles. The executor landed in front of the sorcerer, acting as his shield as she snapped her fingers, and together, they watched as her Cremation Rite took effect, quickly eating away the monsters. Listening to their murmurs and moaning grow silent at once.
It happened less than a minute, and the night became peaceful once more. The hospital finally vacant of all hostile entities. With the enemies dealt with, Ciel turned her heel and faced Yuuji as he stood up. "Are you alright, Yuuji-kun? I made sure none of those flames reach you, but it never hurts to ask."
Yuuji smiled at Ciel, "Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks for having my back."
Flashing a warm smile at him, Ciel then looked at the ashes of their foes. "This should have been the last horde in this hospital. Just to be sure though, I'm going to check these rooms. There might still be some lingering curses also."
"Got it. I'm right behind you," Yuuji said and then turned to see his teacher, seeing the two adults already finishing their share of zombies and curses. "Sensei! We're gonna go ahead and scope out this floor!"
"Alright! Text us if you find anything," Gojo said from across with a hand by his mouth. "Me and Nanami-san will check this side of the hospital. Let's regroup back at the main hall. We'll make our way up to the roof then."
Giving a thumbs up, Yuuji and Ciel then turned and walked down the dark hallway. Although things seemed quiet now, they never lowered their guard. Ciel and Yuuji meticulously looked into every room, ensuring no curses or zombie hid in them.
"This one's clear too," Yuuji announced, closing the door of another ward. He thoughtfully stared at the dirty handle in his grip, having seen the mess inside this room. He couldn't be sure if an explorer or delinquent rummaged through it, but to Yuuji, it looked like there had been a lot of effort of someone getting a patient out of here.
"...Are you sure you're alright, Yuuji-kun?"
He heard Ciel's voice behind him. He didn't look at her at first, instead, his eyes wandered to the room number by the door.
"...It just bothers me, I guess," Yuuji said. "When me and Ijichi-san were looking for Sacchin, we thought about her probably hiding in a hospital like this. I thought it'd make sense for her to find somewhere that had a lot of people in it, so that she could get more blood, but we crossed it off because it would have been too obvious."
Ciel looked at Yuuji's back, stepping closer to him as he talked.
"But maybe that was just wishful thinking," he resumed. "I didn't want to believe that there were actually people being fed on in a place like this, but that's what happened here. A place someone like my grandpa would have been. Now that same vampire decided to use this place as a corpse factory. Taking bodies from burial sites where they should have been left alone. To rest. For their families to visit and mourn..."
After burning the living dead, there was nothing to bring back to those gravesites, all because a cowardly and atrocious vampire decided to play God on these poor folks. Yuuji's hand tightened around the door handle, a creek in its metal.
"I get why you hate vampires so much," Yuuji said as he turned half-way to Ciel. He stared down at the floor as he calmly expressed himself. "After what they did to your home, and what they're doing here, I'm starting to hate them too."
It was a familiar reaction Ciel had seen from many, many executors. The hatred. The disgust. The many deaths and destruction they've witnessed, swelling their hearts with vendetta against all inhuman creatures. It was the sole motivation that drove many people into vampire hunting, either their lives ruined by those very monsters, or having seen others suffered by the hands of those very monsters. It could even be said that, within the Church, there was more hatred against vampires than there was love for the Gospel.
Ciel was no different. However, to hear it from Yuuji... She wondered if that's how she must appear at times. While it's true that he should be cautious of all vampires, there should only be one serious, sour-faced exorcist between them, and Ciel's already taken that role thank you very much.
"It's true that there are many vampires whose atrocities are beyond human imagination," Ciel told Yuuji, "You are also right that I do not have a very high opinion on vampires. However..."
She wrapped her fingers behind her back, "I suppose it would be unfair for me to say that all vampires are like that - debatably."
Yuuji looked back at Ciel in surprise as the executor resumed into the hall, the sounds of her shoes echoing in the dark, "There are vampires who not only leave humanity alone, but they even cooperate with others in fighting against their own kind, among other threats they offer their assistance to stop. There's one that's very famous within the Clock Tower, and I even have a colleague within my company who's a vampire - I suppose you could call him my Senpai, so to speak."
"Ah-! You're serious?!" Yuuji asked, following her close behind. "So... It's like Hellsing?"
"Yes. Like Hellsing," Ciel admitted, and a particularly pleasing memory came to mind. "In fact, let me tell you a story about Curry de Marche..."
They talked as they walked and investigated the first floor of the hospital. Yuuji was in awe to hear Ciel's story of a vampire who introduced her to curry, kicking off Ciel's fanatical taste of the flavor, to the point that she even spared the vampire's life after getting to eat his dishes. Although Yuuji wasn't sure if Ciel was just teasing him and making the whole story up, Yuuji nonetheless made a serious mental note to devote his spare time into perfecting his curry-making skills. Not so that he could hope to be spared, but just to treat Ciel.
"And you really let him go after that?" Yuuji asked bemused.
"Of course! After trying his cooking, I couldn't possibly rob the world of such an amazing chef," Ciel explained. "Even though it was my first assignment and I was supposed to kill him, I decided that he was no threat to humanity. He was only interested in curry anyway, and takes blood through donations to survive, so it didn't seem that necessary for me to kill him."
"Wow. You really are nice, huh?" Yuuji said, smiling at the sight of Ciel's sheepish little laugh.
"Oh. Not really. I'm just fairly simple, easily moved by curry."
"Nothing wrong with that. Can't say no to a good meal, especially if it ended up being your favorite," Yuuji argued as he thought how Ciel's response to the vampire says a lot about her character. It was her first mission, and she chose to spare her assigned enemy. He found that really admirable.
"On that, we are in absolute agreement," Ciel said in a chipper voice.
Yuuji laughed, feeling himself at ease once more. He looked ahead. "So there are vampires who help people? That's pretty nice to hear."
Just like him. A half-curse, who had his mouth and hands stained in blood, but was still vying to help as many people as he can.
"Indeed. Not all vampires want to lose themselves to their bloodlust. It's the closest they could get to keeping their humanity," Ciel said, her voice drifting into melancholy. "It's often argued, though, whether it's really their desire to stay human, or the nostalgia of having lived human lives once, that keeps their bloodlust under control. It may not be out of selfless motivations, but out of the fear of becoming monsters. Managing one's bloodlust does not mean it ever goes away. There will always be the temptation, and sad to say, they may end up following their impulse without realizing it. For however long they'll live, it's inevitable for them to fall prey to their instincts, so they keep going to assist humans for as long as they can, until they become the very monsters they've fought against, and the Church would have to hunt them down, or seal them away."
"Huh..." There was a solemness in the air, and Yuuji wondered if Ciel was either speaking from experience - having lost comrades to vampirism, or if this was something she had to foresee and accept. Like staying beside someone's bed while they're undergoing treatment, knowing that their ailment could take them one day without warning, just like what happened with Yuuji's grandfather. The only difference in this scenario, was that there was no peaceful passing, but a violent onslaught that could be unleashed without warning, and Ciel or someone else, would have to put them down. Just like what happened with Satsuki.
These vampires are quite tragic... He remembered Ijichi saying that, and Yuuji found himself agreeing.
"That's not to say that all vampires struggle with that inner turmoil. For whatever reason, the notion of becoming a vampire is enticing enough for humans to turn into one, finding enjoyment spreading misery and carnage," Ciel continued, closing another door after checking its room. "It's a case by case sort of thing. But for those who resist their vampiric impulses... well, I suppose it goes to show that even those who are evil, or has done evil, can do some good for the world."
Much like Ciel herself. Yuuji fell silent after, looking very thoughtful.
"That seems a bit dull, don't you think?" It was unquestionable who was speaking up, having nothing else to do but to eavesdrop on conversations, and pipe up whenever he felt interested enough to do so. "They're just denying their nature at that point. It's useless trying to ignore what's festering, even if they'll want to hold it off for a little longer."
"Who the hell said you could talk?" Yuuji said as his gloved hand slapped over his cheek. Seriously, Yuuji had to wonder why this guy felt like he could just casually chat with his girlfriend anytime he wanted? The cursed spirit didn't even talk to Gojo this much, and Sukuna also acknowledged that man to be strong.
Ciel made no response to the cursed spirit, instead returning her focus to searching through the rest of the rooms. They checked through the last of the wards, reaching the very end of the hallway.
"..." Ciel remained quiet as she looked at the staircase, leading to the upper levels, as well as the basement.
"Looks like this is the last room," Yuuji said, closing the door. He turned back to Ciel and spotted her intense focus at the stairs. "What's up?"
"...It's probably nothing, but..." Ciel started as her eyes peered into the dark. "Something just feels off. I'm going to investigate downstairs. Leave a message to Sensei and let him know."
"Mm. Got it," Yuuji did as requested, sending a quick text to his teacher: gonna check spooky basement with Ciel Will let you know what we find!
He then walked after Ciel, using his phone's light to shine the way. They stepped further down the steps, finding trash and dust all over. On the way, Yuuji got a text message back from Gojo.
Gojo: Good luck! Don't die in there! And be sure to let us know when you do.
His teacher really had a unique sense of humor.
"Do let me know if you're feeling uneasy, Yuuji-kun," Ciel idly talked. "It must be rather unpleasant having to walk through places like this at night."
"I'm alright. I went through abandoned buildings a lot with Sasaki and Iguchi back at my hometown. They wanted to find ghosts and spooky stuff for their club, so they took me along cause they were too scared to go in alone. Hehe."
"Oh? How interesting. You must have been a great source of comfort for them," Ciel said with a smile. "What a shame. I was hoping to scare you while we were in here."
"How mean. I can't say I wasn't a little creeped out by those places, but I wanted to help those guys. It was pretty fun, honestly. I wanted to scare them too, but they were already shivering whenever we went in. I can tell you all about the fun stuff we did and what we found."
"Haha. I'd love to hear it. You must miss them a lot since moving here," Ciel said, her expression turning sober.
"I do, but I understood that I couldn't hang around with them anymore, since I swallowed that cursed finger. It wouldn't be safe for them, especially since I was going to be executed."
Ciel's grip on the railing slightly tightened as she walked down the stairs.
"-It would have been too sad," Yuuji said, a slight downcast in his expression. "Plus, I was the one who found that finger, and they got hurt because of me. Especially Iguchi-san, he got roughed up really badly. Broken bones and everything. I never really took curses that seriously back then. If I had, I wouldn't have ever given that finger to them."
"...You weren't responsible for what happened. None of you could have known," Ciel asserted, intending to hammer that fact home.
"Maybe, but even if I didn't know, it was my fault for-"
"That's enough," Ciel turned abruptly and faced Yuuji, stopping him in place. "Now I believe we made an agreement that you weren't going to shoulder any responsibility over other people's actions - especially since it was curses who harmed your friends. Whatever the situation was that led you to finding that finger, you were not at fault for what happened."
She waved her own finger to emphasize her point before placing her hands on her hips, as if daring him to argue. Her cheeks puffed as she wore a little scowl, making her appear both intimidating and cute at the same time. There really was no chance in hell for Yuuji to talk down on himself while Ciel's around.
"...Though, I am curious," Ciel suddenly said, looking at Yuuji in wonder. "You mentioned before about finding that cursed object, but where did you come across it exactly?"
"Oh. It was at this little shrine. Sasaki-san and Iguchi-san were looking for cursed things to try and unseal it - which yeah, it was a dumb idea, but those guys were real occult-enthusiasts. We didn't think something would actually happen," Yuuji explained as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I see... where was this shrine?" Ciel asked.
"It was behind the school. It seemed like something those guys would have liked, but I should have asked more about it," Yuuji answered as he looked at the wall beside them. "I mean, they put it there for a reason, yeah? I really shouldn't have snatched it up like that..."
"A cursed finger was there at your school?" Right where a perfect vessel candidate for Sukuna would be attending? That seemed almost too big of a coincidence. Far closer than what Ciel would have imagined. She did thought it was strange that a vessel just appeared out of nowhere right around the same time as Roa's emergence. But for a cursed finger to be so close and so easy accessible, it's as if someone wanted it to be found-
Ciel's trail of thought ceased when he suddenly felt a magical pulse, and she turned back around quickly.
"-? Ciel?" Yuuji watched as Ciel faced back at the basement doorway, noticing her behavior becoming tense.
Without another word, Ciel moved for the door. Yuuji was quick to catch up, right behind her as Ciel opened the door. "Ciel! What's wrong?"
"I know I felt it here," Ciel only said as both teens entered the new hallway. It was even darker and dustier than upstairs, with no room for light apart from Yuuji's cellphone. She simply kept moving forward until she stopped in front of one door, an old sign on it reading: Boiler Room.
"Stay behind me, Yuuji-kun," Ciel told Yuuji without looking away from the door. Yuuji gave her an "okay" and raised his guard.
Ciel opened the door. Its old hinges cried as the piece of wood gently swung. Ciel stood there for a moment, staring into the dark room for any traps or enemies, and then waltz right in. Yuuji kept close behind her, looking around to see anything wrong.
"You said you felt something here?" Yuuji asked as he counted the number of boiler tanks inside. He could feel their coldness from where he stood, having been unused for years. A nasty faint smell like rotten eggs from each of them that made Yuuji's face scrunched up a little. "Was it a curse? More zombies?"
"No," Ciel answered as she stopped at the center of the boiler room, and knelt down. "It was this."
With a faint light of magic from her hand, a secret was revealed to her and Yuuji. A magical circle lit up, sparks of energy procuring from its lines. The sorcerer's eyes widened at the sight of it, while the executor's remained cold, serious.
"What is that?" Yuuji asked, looking over Ciel's shoulders.
"A seal," Ciel answered. "Not simply any seal. This seal is designed to absorb mana from this area."
The dead grass and trees. The lack of curses. Was this the reason for it?
"Absorbing it?" Yuuji frowned, "You mean... someone was powering something up with..."
"With both the energy of this land, and the curses as well," Ciel explained, her eyes narrowed as the turquoise in them glowed from the seal's activity. "I sensed a lingering active residue here, meaning it had been used until recently. It must have activated when I drew closer to the basement."
Or perhaps when Sukuna's presence was nearby.
"This is how the curses had been expelled from this hospital for so long. It wasn't through exorcism. This seal had been draining both mana and cursed energy, leaving this place barren and dry."
Ciel held her chin, "Someone had been feeding themselves through mystical energies, treating this place as some kind of kettle for more power."
She pressed her fingers against the lines and gently dragged it across the floor. Yuuji watched mesmerized as the lines and circles were pulled apart, as if he was watching some kind of trick show with a flashlight.
"It's not easy to dispel either," Ciel continued. "Look, if I bend one of the inner circles, even just a little, they quickly rearrange themselves, right back to its original formation. I'll need something more in order to properly attack it."
Such a complex work of Magecraft. A powerful spell such as this could equivalent to Ciel's own magic reserve. However, the only purpose Ciel could see for this spell would be to charge up a structure larger than the hospital itself. Larger than a stadium even.
Like a castle.
There's no questioning it. This was Roa's doing. And if one of his seals was here, how many more did that mad man plant throughout Tokyo?
Yuuji saw the unease in Ciel's expression, seeing her finger so close to her lips like she was about to bite her nails nervously. There was definitely something not good about what they were looking at if someone as calm as her was reacting like this, but before he could ask her what she was thinking-
"Yo! Everything okay on this side?"
Their teacher decided he would give Yuuji a heart attack by popping in through the door. Gojo suddenly announcing his presence loudly had Yuuji jumped to his feet. Ciel was unbothered, having sensed his fast approach the second she reactivated the seal.
"Ah! Sensei! You scared us - well, me!" Yuuji said as he pressed his hand over his heart. Taking a deep breath, he answered. "Ciel found something. She said it's some kind of energy draining seal?"
"Hoh? That's interesting," Gojo whimsically stated as he stepped into the room, behind him, Nanami appeared with haste in his footsteps and his wrapped hatchet ready to strike. Despite Gojo's nonchalance, the adults were actually quick to respond to the magical activity they felt here, with Gojo being the first to notice.
The teacher knelt down next to Ciel to observe the seal for himself. "Hmm. It's pretty strong. This would explain why this land seemed all dried up, or why there hasn't been any curses here. At least, not until tonight."
"Which implies that whoever set this up, they've gathered all the magical power they needed," Nanami stated, calmly entering the boiler room as well, bearing with the smell this area gave off.
"No. That's not right," Ciel said as she lets go of the seal and stood up. "It's true that this seal had not been used, not since the vampire who came here left all his underlings behind perhaps. However, if you were to ask me, I'd say this is more like a test."
"A test?" Yuuji repeated. "A test for what?"
"To see if he could consume both cursed energy and mana?" Nanami offered, a slight frown in his expression, "That would confirm that this vampire is capable of using both magecraft and cursed energy."
"Yes. Undoubtedly so," Ciel responded slowly. She stepped back to face the rest of the group, "But I believe it's more than that. It's not simply a test to see if they could channel both opposing elements, but to see if he could channel the energy from the earth itself. Or more accurately, Japan itself."
"Japan itself..." Gojo lets it sets in, and his frivolous attitude instantly dropped. "...You're saying he was trying to drain the magical barrier surrounding Japan."
Nanami and Yuuji were taken aback by the statement. Ciel nodded, and she stepped towards the group.
"I believe it's time I tell you everything," Ciel said. "This is beyond what the Holy Church could have prepared for. It's only appropriate that I finally tell you more about the vampire we are hunting for."
Yuuji was caught off guard by Ciel's statement. Gojo let out a whistling-sigh as if in relief, "Great! I've been nagging about it with your people for a while now. Pretty sure they were about to cut their ears off."
Nanami looked directly at the executor, "With the way you phrased it, you know who this vampire is."
"Huh? Really?" Yuuji asked.
Ciel nodded once more. "I do. I've been told to stay silent due to Mario's own objectives. Or at least, when it comes to certain details, but this has gone on long enough."
With an unwavering stance, she revealed, "The vampire we are hunting for is no mere Dead Apostle. He has been a familiar enemy of the Holy Church for centuries, having been responsible for the many deaths and destruction throughout history, overtaking cities and towns through his army of undead. He has alluded the Holy Church time and time again, and even if we reach him, killing him won't be a simple solution."
"I'm gonna take a guess and say that you know the name of this vampire, don't you?" Gojo said.
"I do. His name is Michael Roa Valdamjong, someone we refer to as the Serpent of Akasha."
There was an unspoken dread to the name. A name that carried weight as if one was referring to the King of Curses himself.
Author's Note: Gonna stop it here because OH BOY I got tired. Next chapter, Ciel's finally gonna talk about Roa!
I know that Curry de Marche probably doesn't exist in canon, but I'm saying he does in this story. With the way Ciel described him, Yuuji's got some serious competition - in cooking XD.
This is inspired by the Tsukihime Manga, which I might use as my main setting for when I want to continue Red Rainbow. I'll also go back to old Tsukihime material for it, and then maybe add some Remake elements to it, we'll see.
Thanks again for reading, see you next time!
S2Drive and SmileyKurt23: Thanks so much for your reviews. I agree with your critiques about doing way too much between Ciel and Yuuji. They seem like the sort of people who acts like dorks when around someone they really like, but I have been trying too hard to show that.
One of the things I want to flesh out between Yuuji and Ciel is their drive to help people to a selfless and at times self-destructive degree, by being near each other they can prevent themselves from getting too reckless, as well as having similar circumstances that lets them understand one another on a very deep level. However, a flaw in my writing that I note is that Yuuji isn't entirely aware of Ciel's backstory yet so for the most part, it's Ciel who understands Yuuji. Although Yuuji is the sort to not care or pry into it (as we have seen from both his grandfather and Junpei), I think I could have made this more interesting and notable. Perhaps I can fix this in my Red Rainbow story?
With Yuuji having an especially horrible experience in his first month as a new jujutsu sorcerer, it led to him becoming emotionally attached to Ciel whose been one of his greatest source of comfort that keeps him from going over the edge, which has an interesting notion that she is "softening him up" as a shaman, which isn't good. He wouldn't care though, even while he's on the path to getting stronger, he would want to help Ciel the most. I also like the idea that as someone who's selfless (which goes against a shaman's drive to win but that's what makes Yuuji an interesting character), the one thing he is selfish about is with his girlfriend (which again, still goes against a shaman's drive to win, since he's being selfish for someone else, not himself).
What I also want to write is how Yuuji is also Ciel's source of comfort, similar to how she likes being a normal Senpai at Shiki's school, Yuuji is an expression of that normalcy where even when he's scheduled to die and is carrying an evil spirit inside him, he's still acts as a very optimistic and friendly person who wants to fulfill his grandpa's wish but also wants to generally help people and enjoy their company for as long as he can. He's like a mix between Shiki and Shirou, which better explains how Ciel ended up liking Yuuji hehe. Essentially, Yuuji is like an embodiment of what Ciel once had before Roa took over her life and home. Yuuji's that warmth that Elesia's life had been, literally bringing the girl who "died" back to life.
I think I should explore on their friendship more rather than their flirtations. I'll go ahead and go back to rewrite some fluff moments between Yuuji and Ciel. Thanks again for the reviews! I'll dial it back next time!