2Hello, time for another chapter! I've had a bit of writer's block and some studying to do with finals coming up, but I managed to get another chapter out for all of you. I'm going to keep this short because I've got some homework left to do, but I hope that you enjoy it!
Chapter 4: Typhoon
It had only been a few days since I noticed I had two people watching me and neither one of them had made another appearance. It was the angel I was most worried about, especially since the other one almost seemed harmless right now. I just wanted to concentrate on my studies and the fact that I had to train someone as well. Not that I didn't like training Rin, but I just wasn't used to it. I preferred to go out on missions on my own for months at a time where I knew I could do the most good.
What I was looking forward to later was hanging out that weekend with Reina. She found me the day before and told me that we would be going to the movies the next day, whether I went willingly or she was forced to kidnap me. She was definitely an interesting person and I had missed her eccentricity while I was gone on my last mission. It didn't matter the situation, she would always try to make my day brighter by any means. I guess that was why she was such a good friend of mine.
It was drawing closer to nightfall and I was standing near the doorway with Conri when I saw Rin appear at the top of the stairs. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant when I could actually see that he was quite curious.
"Reina is coming over to drag me to the 'movies,'" I told him, using air quotes around the last word.
"I don't understand," Conri said in confusion. "Why do you seem to suspicious of her motives?"
"Seems kind of rude to doubt your friend," the half Demon at the top of the stairs grumbled under his breath.
I patted the poor wolf familiar on the head before deciding to explain for the both of them. "Conri doesn't have a clue what really happens when Hurricane Reina shows up at our doorstep since he has to stay in the dorm. Animals aren't allowed at the movies or the place we'll end up going tonight. When Reina says she's dragging me out somewhere, she will tell a lie about where we will be going for those who are eavesdropping and then the look in her eyes tells a different story."
"What really happens when you girls go out?" the voice of Yukio said and I looked to see him peeking around the corner at the top of the stairs to see what the commotion was all about.
It was then that there was a loud knock at the front door and I was relieved that I wouldn't be interrogated any longer. "You two need to make yourself scarce while Reina is around. She doesn't know that I live in this building with two guys and I intend on keeping it that way. So go to your room and act like normal humans."
"She referring to you on that last part," Yukio said with a smirk before the two of them ran off to hide.
I looked down at Conri, who was changing his mannerisms to that of a large dog, and said, "I know you think you have to act like a dog, but please don't jump on her. Be on your best behavior."
He gave a bark before hopping around excitedly as there was another knock at the door. Without further ado, I opened the door and Hurricane Reina swept into the room with a bunch of loud, ecstatic screeches. She practically threw herself at me and we crashed to the floor together, the huge bag she had carried in rolling a few feet away. Reina hugged me tightly, which I awkwardly patted her back in an attempt to make her stop accidentally choking me, and then got up so she could pull me back to my feet.
"It's so nice that we get to hang out again, Kas!" she said, bouncing on her toes in her excitement before turning to Conri. "It's even nice to be able to see you, Conri!"
It was as she walked over to the large wolf and scratched him under the chin that I could feel two pairs of eyes watching us from around the corner at the very top of the stairs. I already knew it was the twins and it wasn't long before I could hear their whispers. "What do you think they'll be up to?" Rin asked suspiciously.
"I don't have a clue," Yukio replied in hushed tones. "I don't really understand girls."
"Yeah, I noticed," the older twin said flatly. "I think we should follow them once they leave."
It was as Yukio was scolding Rin for such a thought that Reina shifted to grab the bag that had fallen and softly said, "You do realize that there are two guys watching us up there, right?"
"I do realize that," I sighed, shaking my head in exasperation. "They're friends and completely harmless. I told them to stay out of sight and act normal for once, but so much for that approach. Let's just head up to my room and change."
Reina gave me a brilliant smile. "What, no asking me if we're really going to the movie theater this time?"
"I know for a fact that you're going to drag me to the newest club before we do anything else, Rei," I laughed before leading the way to the steps with Conri, Rin and Yukio diving out of sight. "What's the new one you want to go to this time?"
"It's called Club Echo," she said guiltily, adjusting the straps of the bag on her shoulder. "It's supposed to have the best music for dancing. You know how all these rich kids are, you being one yourself."
"Stop your teasing," I told her as I lightly bumped her shoulder with my own once before we made it to my room. "You know my job just makes good money, which is how I've managed to accrue so much of it."
She made some noncommittal answer of agreement before she walked into the room with Conri. I turned to face the way we had just come from to see Rin and Yukio sneaking over, freezing when I caught them in the act. Yukio looked apologetic, standing further back than Rin, while his older twin was completely unashamed. In an act of immaturity, I stuck my tongue out at the both of them before walking into my room and shutting the door behind me with a bang.
"So who were those two?" Reina asked as she set her large bag on my bed and unzipped it.
"One you've already met. That was Rin Okumura and his twin brother, Yukio. I may have mentioned that you saying that we were going to the movies is code for something else and piqued their interest."
"Oh, Rin," she chuckled to herself. "The one I tormented the other day. Well, what I find most interesting is that they're hanging around this dorm like they own the place. Care to explain that also?"
I sighed, cursing my friend's intuitive nature since it always forced me to reveal things. "Due to certain dire circumstances that I cannot disclose, those two live in the other wing of this dorm. The only time I see them is at evening meals."
She was grinning deviously at my words, which only made me cringe at what she said next. "I guess that means that Rin will have more opportunities to be around you."
"Rei, I told you—"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember what you said. Now, it's time to get changed!"
She pulled out one dress, which took me a few seconds to realize that she was once again up to her old tricks. This dress was all sparkles, sequins, and transparent material. "Put it back," I said in exasperation.
Reina looked at me with those forest green eyes in mock surprise. "Aww, but why, Kas? There's nothing wrong with it!"
"You're doing the same thing you always do. You bring some of the skimpiest dresses along until I get impatient and you get away with wearing the one you want that you'd know I would protest in the beginning."
"You catch on quick! Go get your dress! I've got long jackets we can use for when we aren't at the club."
She grabbed two pieces of clothing before she ran into the bathroom, making me laugh inwardly before I headed to my closet. "Can we actually go to the movies after or is it going to be a party night?" I loudly asked before grabbing one of my favorite dresses.
"Yes, Kas, we can go to the movies! We won't be at the club for long and we can go see this scary movie I've heard about directly after! But only if you hurry!"
I was heading back towards my bed to change into the dress when Conri, who was standing in front of the door, softly growled, "Rin and Yukio are standing outside the door. They pretty much have their ears against it and are attempting to listen in on everything that is being said."
I rolled my eyes in annoyance before focusing on changing. The dress I chose was blood red and ended at mid-thigh, strapless and form fitting. There were slits that went down the sides that showed off some skin and stopped at the bottom of my ribs, held together by three strips of black fabric along each side. I checked in the mirror to make sure that my tail didn't show while it was wrapped around my waist, sighing in relief when it was somehow concealed. I found a strap like a garter to keep my cellphone on me at all times and attached it to the case before pulling it on all the way to my upper thigh. It was as I putting on my shoes that Reina stepped out of the bathroom. She had on tiny, black shorts and a white long sleeved shirt that was low cut. Her shoulders were left bare since the material was missing in those areas but there was a piece that looped around her neck once almost like a halter top. She then glared at my choice of shoes, crossing her arms and tapping her fancy looking boot on the floor.
"Are you seriously going to wear Converse to a club?" she asked incredulously.
I grinned at her. "You're going to think I'm a genius when your feet hurt like hell because of those crazy boots you're wearing."
"I'll watch Oblivion while you're gone," Conri told me before walking over to the bed and settling down next to the blade. "Beware of the twins. I have a feeling that they are going to be following you."
I signaled for Reina to stay quiet as we approached the door, then yanked it open to startle both Rin and Yukio enough that they fell backwards onto the floor. Rin seemed to focus only on me until I glared at him, making him wince slightly before he scooted back a little. Reina assessed the two of them before she finally looked at me and I groaned. It was a look that I knew well, which was not something that I wanted to deal with.
"I know what you're probably going to say and the answer is no."
"Aww, come on, Kas! It will be a great opportunity to get to know you're new friends!"
"Who says they're friends?!"
As we argued back and forth between the two of us, I heard Rin whisper to Yukio. "Do you understand what they're talking about?"
"Not a clue," Yukio replied, "but I have this feeling that we should probably run while we have the chance."
Reina glared at them, making them freeze to the spot before they could get away. "Oh, no you don't. You two are coming with us." With that, she pulled Yukio to his feet and dragged him down the hallway, ignoring any protests that he threw at her. Rin seemed a little nervous now that his brother was gone, but shrugged and grinned at me even though I could still see that he was a bit anxious.
With a mock elaborate wave of his in the direction that Reina and Yukio headed, he said, "After you, milady."
"Why, thank you, kind sir," I replied with a short curtsy, smiling back and walking with him down the hallway. I looped my arm through his and let him escort me along until we made it to the main room where the other two were waiting. Reina let out a few catcalls, making both Rin and I blush a little, but then we finally headed out to our first destination.
That night was definitely an interesting one. After we took the subway all the way to the middle of Campus Town, we finally made it to the odd looking Club Echo. The walls outside were all black and edged with changing neon lights. Whenever the door would open to allow someone entrance, bright flashy lights would illuminate the street before leaving it in darkness when the door shut again. The closer we walked to the club, the more Yukio tried to escape, which Reina wouldn't allow.
We spent an hour there, most of which I didn't even dance. I stayed beside Rin and we sneakily laughed at Yukio as Reina attempted to teach him how to dance. He looked so embarrassed and anxious about the whole thing, but Reina remained patient and didn't once tease him like she would have done to anyone else. Yukio might have been oblivious to our laughter, but Reina definitely was not and kept shooting frowns at us. After a while, Rin and I were bored the moment Yukio seemed to figure it out and the half Demon leaned down to place his lips near my ear so he could be heard.
"Do you know how to dance?" he asked over the music, which was a type of dubstep.
I turned around, standing up on my toes and placing my lips close to his ear as well, and said, "Probably not as well as Reina, but I'm not too terrible at it."
He paused for a few seconds before asking, "Will you teach me?"
He had this earnest shine to his eyes when I pulled away slightly, giving him a nod before he took my hand and led me away from where we were standing. It was before we moved further onto the dancefloor that I saw Reina giving me a knowing look, a slow grin forming on her face before she disappeared from sight. Teaching Rin how to dance was definitely interesting and not because he didn't know what he was doing. In fact, I secretly wondered if he already knew yet wanted a sneaky way of asking me to dance with him. We were so close to each other that I could feel his tail wrapped around his torso, his hands on my sides where my tail was tightly wrapped as well. While our bodies swayed to the music, I kept one arm thrown across his shoulders and one hand on his hip. Our faces were only a few inches apart and my gaze was locked with his as those bright blue eyes of his seemed to hold me there.
It felt like another hour had passed when Reina seemed to just appear to separate the two of us. "I let you guys dance for almost twenty minutes, which is fifteen minutes after Yukio and I stopped dancing," she told us with a mischievous grin. "Kas, if you want to go see the movie, we need to leave right now and head to the theater."
We quickly moved apart so that Reina could lead us outside where Rin's brother was already waiting. The two of them took the lead and Rin and I followed behind, chatting amiably while we headed to the train station nearby.
"What are we going to do for training tonight?" he asked me curiously.
"We're not training tonight, silly," I laughed, bumping him lightly with my shoulder. "It's my day off and I fully intend on making the best of it. No jobs, no responsibilities, just relaxation."
Just before Rin could say anything else, Reina called out to us to hurry before the train left. All four of us ran along until we reached the stairs to go up to the platform. It didn't take us very long to get back on the practically empty train, but once we made it we leaned back in our seats with a sigh and relaxed. Just before I could find a way to get comfy, I felt my phone begin to vibrate against my leg. With a sigh, I pulled the phone from the strap and stood up, walking over to the end of the car where the conversation couldn't be eavesdropped on.
"Hello, Miss Imai!" the always energetic voice of Mephisto said.
"You do realize that this is my day off, correct?" I quickly asked, cutting him off before he could attempt to say anything else.
"Yes, I do comprehend the gravity of the situation," he told me, his voice sounding strained all of a sudden. "I remember your threats the last time I tried to interrupt your day off, all of which were vulgar and mean spirited. However, this is a bit of an emergency situation."
"What's going on?" The whole phone call was beginning to set me on edge, but I wanted to wait to understand the situation before I let anxiety take over.
"First, what's your position in the city?"
"We're on a train heading toward the south end to the movie theater."
"We?"
"I'm with three friends."
"Wonderful," he said under his breath sarcastically before his tone of voice went back to normal. "We've got a situation at the north end of the city. It's nothing too serious, just a few of Lucifer's Seraphim have appeared near the barrier and I don't want them to breach it. I'm having an operative of mine take care of it, but I want you on call if Seraphim appear near your position."
"I can handle it if your 'operative' can't get here in time," I assured him with a sigh.
"That's wonderful! Now, since everyone knows that Seraphim can't stand bad storms—"
"I don't think everyone knows that," I interrupted, but he carried on without a care.
"—I'm going to have to ask you to create one for me. I don't care if it's suspicious or natural looking, but just make the storm as crazy as possible to scramble the Seraphim's tracking."
"I'll start the process right now."
"Excellent!" Mephisto exclaimed. "I'll contact you if any other assistance is required from you!"
With that, he hung up and left me to stare out of a train window in exasperation before I put my phone back in the strap. All I could be thankful for was the fact that he wasn't completely vague on the matter. I let out a sigh before I concentrated on the surroundings outside the window, feeling with my mind the way the particles in the air shifted and collided. Higher up in the atmosphere, I forced them to slowly collide with each other until they began to pick up speed, the already night sky growing darker with each passing second. Rain began to fall and blue white lightning arced through the clouds before I could finally push the energy needed to keep the storm going to the back of my mind. It was then that I realized that someone had placed their hand on my shoulder and I turned around to see that it was Rin.
He looked very serious when he said, "I'm taking it that you are behind that storm?"
"That's right," I said nonchalantly, shrugging slightly and started walking back to our seats when he pulled me back.
"What's going on? Why are you just creating storms all of a sudden? Has something happened?"
"Nothing that you need to be concerned over," I assured him. "Mephisto said that there is a skirmish at the north end of the city and that his operative that he was sending needed the storm to throw off his opponents' tracking. He said that there shouldn't be any trouble heading our way and that was all he needed."
It was Rin's turn to shrug and he finally let go of me to lead the way back to our seats. It didn't take very long for us to get to the station that was rather close to the south end of the barrier surrounding the city. All four of us got off the train and Reina forced us to run the rest of the way to the movie theater, ignoring me when I yelled to her that it was only a little rain. When we reached the movie theater, Reina decided which scary movie we would be watching while the twins went to get the snacks. She picked out some remake of a good movie and we all headed inside to watch it. An hour in, I felt my phone go off, feeling relieved that I always kept it on vibrate so that I wouldn't disturb the others watching the movie with us. Rin gave me a suspicious look before I headed out into the hallway to answer the call.
"Mephisto again. Listen, I didn't want to call you, but I have no choice. There are Seraphim approaching the south end of the barrier and I think it's because they can sense you. I've already sent your familiar on his way, so he should be waiting for you outside with your sword."
"Alright, I'll take care of them," I sighed. "But remember, you owe me for this."
"Also," Mephisto said, disregarding my last comment, "there are a few matters of the utmost importance that I must discuss with you tomorrow morning."
"You can talk about them tomorrow afternoon," I said flatly. "It's a weekend and I don't wake up in the mornings."
"Fine, I'll just show up at your doorstep at one in the afternoon, so you better be ready."
I heard a definitive click on the other end and knew that he had hung up on me once more. I was getting very frustrated with that Demon. After gathering my thoughts, I quickly headed outside the theater and into a dark alley where I could already sense Conri waiting for me. He had my sword strapped to him somehow and I didn't question it before I took it off of him, clasping the chain around my body before I patted Conri on the head. He seemed pleased with himself before the both of us took off running towards the south, where a large Demonic presence was making itself known.
The closer to the barrier we got, the more lights I could see flying towards it, which I knew belonged to the Seraphim. "Conri, would you like to fight with me or hang back from the fight?" I asked my familiar as we got closer.
He gave me a roguish grin, one that never failed to surprise me, and said, "You couldn't get me to hang back if you tried."
I laughed a little before we both hopped a fence that led to the barrier. The whole area was lit up as about twenty Seraphim flew towards the barrier, which I was not going to allow. I pulled Oblivion free from its sheath before rushing at the closest Demon to the barrier and slashing through it with ease. With a burst of speed, I went after another as Conri found his target. A huge bolt of lightning came down from the storm when I forced an energy surge, taking down almost half of them as I kept cutting down every Seraphim that appeared in front of me.
When the last one had fallen, I thought we were in the clear when I heard a slow clap echo from behind me. I whipped around as a huge ball of light seemed to appear out of nowhere, the Demonic energy emanating from it instantly putting me on edge and I knew that I might be in trouble. Conri walked over to my side, growling fiercely as the light began to diminish and finally reveal the figure within. He was tall with spiky, slicked-back blonde hair and bright green eyes, ones that seemed sharp as he watched us. A long blonde tail covered in fur like Rin's lazily moved behind him and I hissed a little when it finally dawned on me that our situation really had just gotten worse.
"Lucifer," I gritted out, thinking about pointing my blade at him but knowing deep down that it was a bad idea. The storm picked up in my agitated state and the wind began to increase in its intensity.
"Lilith," he said, nodding his head in my direction.
"That's not my name," I informed him, feeling my anger getting worse. "It's Kasumi Imai."
"That's not a proper Demon name, so therefore I will not use it. Regardless, I did not come here to argue with you over semantics. I would like to make a request." When I wouldn't say a word in response, he shrugged and continued on. "I would like you to stop working for that fool Mephisto and come work for me in the Illuminati instead."
"I don't work for Mephisto," I told him as thunder echoed across the city. "I'm just an Exorcist that happens to work in the same area as him. The only Demon I work under is me and that is how it's going to stay."
"Fine then, if that's how it's going to be," Lucifer said, sounding annoyed when I turned around and began to head back to where my friends were waiting. It was then that he laid the biggest bombshell that I had ever heard in my life. "I guess I won't tell you about your past and how you came to exist."
I instantly froze, the storm raging around us was the only sound that could be heard before a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground between us. Conri knew deep down that something was wrong and was about to come closer when a huge gust of air erupted from around me. Transparent wings formed on my back over the scars and talons that looked like diamonds formed, scales of the same design appearing on my arms before I rushed at Lucifer. Out of the corner of my eye before everything went red from rage, I could see Conri shifting into his true Demon form and I knew I had a few valuable seconds before my familiar caught me. Using the wind to my advantage, I flew at the other Demon at max speed and was about to bring my blade down on him when I felt two hugely muscular arms wrap around me to turn me away from the Demon King.
"So much for that control of yours," Lucifer said dismissively. "Perhaps you should think on my offer some more. Who knows, you might decide that joining me is worthwhile."
Just like he had earlier, a large ball of light surrounded him and he was gone once more. That didn't stop the rage burning through its veins and I wanted nothing more than to go on a rampage. I turned my head to look back and saw that it was Conri that had a hold of me. He was now in his humanoid form, standing on two legs but quite a bit taller than a normal human. He was still covered head to toe in black fur and retained the head of a wolf, along with a tail that I could vaguely see behind him. He snapped his teeth near my jaw in an attempt to get me to calm down, but I wasn't having it. I thrashed in his hold some more, leading him to follow an old agreement between us for when I became out of control.
Without saying a word, he bit down onto my shoulder hard, which made me gasp and lose my hold over the storm. The rain dissipated as my struggles to get free slowly ceased while the blood flowed down my arm. The wings and scales I created were the next to go before I finally slumped in Conri's arms, panting heavily as I noticed the edges of my vision were getting darker.
"I'm sorry I had to do that, Kas," he said softly. "You left me with no other choice."
"It's fine," I told him tiredly, patting him on the arm. "I'm the one that made you promise me this all those years ago. I'd rather deal with blood loss issues for a day than the destruction that follows when I lose control."
"Will you be alright?"
"I think I'm going to need some rest," I said as I closed my eyes. I was already falling unconscious when I heard voices somewhere behind us, but I couldn't be bothered when everything went black.
When I finally came to, I could feel that my shoulder was already healing and it was wrapped in bandages, which must have happened after I passed out. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see four people sitting nearby, all of them watching me intently. "You can stop that now, it's getting creepy," I grumbled. It was then that I finally noticed that Rin and Yukio had a guilty expression on their faces. "Oh no, what happened?"
"Don't worry about them," Reina said with a small smile. "They seem to think that they've led a civilian into the world of Demons."
Before I could react, Rin hurriedly said, "We're sorry, Kas! I made them leave the movie after you did because I thought something was up! I didn't realize that you were going to go fight and I especially didn't think you'd expose your Demon side! Yukio and I wouldn't have let Reina come with us if that had been the case!"
Reina smacked Rin's shoulder, making him flinch and stop speaking. "As I've already told you a million times, I am well acquainted with the denizens of Gehenna!"
"You… are?" I asked hesitantly.
Reina turned to me and grinned brightly. "Well, of course! I've been able to see Demons since I was very young! That was when my grandmother knew I had the family gift and began to teach me a few things! I guess you can say I've had a bit of Exorcist training already! I came here to study in the regular school before finding a way to ask if I could join the Cram School that Yukio has told me about!"
"So wait a minute! You've known about Demons this entire time?!"
"I've also known that you were a Demon as well, which is something that we can discuss tomorrow," she said with a wink. "Now, I think it's time for you to get some rest. It's really late and that shoulder isn't going to heal properly until you get more sleep."
Like the hurricane she was, she grabbed the twins and hurriedly pushed them from the room, leaving me with my familiar and a very big headache. With a sigh, I followed her instructions and fell asleep.