Ai closes her eyes flinching preparing for the impact. Kiseki steps in front of her and the cleaver hits the the center of his head. When Ai opens her eyes she sees Kiseki standing before her. Instantly tears fill her eyes. Unfazed Kiseki punches Vergil making him stumble backwards.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Kiseki asks angrily retracting his fist.

  “Be careful that’s my little brother!” Ai shouts getting Kiseki’s attention.

  “Kiseki look out he’s rebounding!” Jodan shouts.

  Vergil proceeds to rush the ravenette with the cleaver.

  Kiseki is hit on the right side of his neck before being kneed in his stomach and punched in his chin. Once he’s down Vergil resets his sights on Ai and charges towards her. Yukanna steps forward and charges towards him and grabs his armed hand twists it behind his back. She then takes her right knee and pces it in the center of his back. Lastly she uses her left elbow to force him face first to the cemented sidewalk rendering him unconscious.

  “What the hell is wrong with you Yukanna?! You could have killed him with the pressure you applied!” Ai scolds.

  “He had to be subdued and quickly! He attempted to kill you and he attacked Kiseki or have you forgotten that that quickly?! You need to realize this pce is filled with all kinds of evil, including humans. Besides I know how much pressure to apply to someone when the situation demands it.” Yukanna expins.

  Ai grits her teeth growling.

  “You and Kiseki are so stupid!” Ai yells before running off towards Misaki-Owens Academy.

  “Did she really just leave us with her brother?” Jodan asks in disbelief looking down at him.

  Lotus rushes to Kiseki’s side as Chishiki removes his backpack.

  “Jodan do you mind carrying my backpack?” Chishiki asks.

  “Not at all.”

  “Thank you,” Chishiki says smiling handing it to Jodan.

  Chishiki squats down and hoists Vergil onto his back.

  “We don’t even know where he and Ai live.” Jodan comments.

  “That’s fine. We’ll just have to take him to our school nurse and inform her of what transpired.” Chishiki says before looking back at Kiseki and Lotus.

  “Kiseki are you okay?” Lotus asks concerned helping him to his feet.

  “I’m fine.” Kiseki says smiling at Lotus.

  She wraps his left arm around her neck.

  Yukanna takes out a white handkerchief from her backpack and gathers the cleaver.

  “We can’t leave this here. Come on, let’s get going.” Yukanna says.

  The gang then head to Misaki-Owens Academy.

  Hiro enters the dining room. He is wearing a bck suit, a white button-down shirt, a bck tie, and bck dress shoes. He sees Aki sitting at the dining room table and walks over and sits beside her.

  “Good morning Aki, how did you sleep st night?” Hiro asks sitting down across from her.

  “I slept pretty well. I thought I wouldn’t be able to after being isoted for five years.” Aki says relieved csping her hands together.

  “I’m gd to hear that. Did you manage to speak to Yukanna before she left?”

  “Barely. For some reason she just can’t bring herself to talk to me. I can’t say I bme her. I was decred dead and then five years ter I just appear at our front door? I wouldn’t bme her if she never speaks to me again.”

  Hiro pces his hands on top of hers comfortingly.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s shocking to me too but this isn’t something to make a molehill out of. Yukanna just needs some time to adjust and I think you’re doing a fine job of doing that.”

  Aki smiles tearfully at him.

  “Thank you sweetheart.”

  “You’re my wife. It’s my job to complement you and uplift you.”

  “It’s greatly appreciated.”

  Hiro squeezes her hand.

  “Well I have to get to the office. Will you be here when I get home this evening?”

  “Yes I will. I should use this time to re-familiarize myself with the house.” Aki says looking around the dining room.

  “Okay. I’ll see you ter.” Hiro says leaning in for a kiss but quickly stops himself.

  Aki then pecks Hiro on his lips.

  “See you ter. Have a good day.” Hiro says heading to the foyer.

  Once Hiro is gone Aki returns upstairs.

  Kiseki and company are walking down the east hallway towards the nurse’s office. When they arrive Chishiki pces him in an empty chair. Moments ter Nurse Mori comes out of a back room. She has fair skin, blonde, blue-eyes and neck length blond hair. She is in her thirties. She is wearing white scrubs and tennis shoes.

  “What’s going on?” Nurse Mori asks approaching observing Vergil.

  “He tried to attack his sister Ai Minami with a cleaver earlier but I intervened. I noticed during his attack that his eyes were devoid of emotion. In the end our schoolmate Yukanna Senshi here managed to subdue him. We don’t know what school he attends so we brought him here for immediate care.” Kiseki expins.

  Nurse Mori nods her head.

  “Devoid of emotion?” Nurse Mori asks.

  “Yes ma’am. It wasn’t like anything we’ve seen before.” Chishiki interjects.

  Nurse Mori retakes her standing position.

  “If he was devoid of emotion then he must have been mentally controlled by a demon.” Nurse Mori deduces.

  The room falls silent.

  “A demon? They haven’t been in existence since the fourteenth century. There has to be some other logical expnation.” Kiseki says in disbelief.

  Yukanna and Chishiki look at him. Chishiki looks at him worried while Yukanna wears a sad expression.

  “Unfortunately demons were never truly eradicated from this world. They just learned to blend in better with the human popution. In any case his parents should be notified about what has happened and that he’s here.” Chishiki says pushing his gsses up on his nose.

  “That I will do but first I need to make sure he’s stabilized.”

  Chishiki picks Vergil up bridal style and carries him back into another room. He ys him gently on the bed and looks at his slowly rising and falling chest.

  “He has a heartbeat but he might be comatose.” Chishiki says as Nurse Mori and the others enter the room.

  “You are really good at this. Have you ever thought about pursuing nursing?” Nurse Mori asks.

  “I have but I’m not worthy of saving others.” Chishiki says shamefully keeping his eyes on Vergil.

  “Don’t criticize yourself. You’d be surprised the lives people led before they’re true calling found them or vice versa.” Nurse Mori says warmly.

  Chishiki chuckles.

  “I have no calling on my life. I just believe in helping someone if I have the capability to do so at that time. School will be starting soon so we should all get going.” Chishiki says before retrieving his backpack from Jodan.

  “Thank you so much for your help Nurse Mori.” Kiseki says gratefully with a smile.

  “You’re welcome. You guys have a good day.” Nurse Mori says kindly.

  The group then leaves the office.

  Nurse Mori goes to the nearby sink and wets a blue washcloth. After ringing it out she goes and pces it on Vergil’s forehead. She then leaves the room and goes into her office and dials calls Olivier.

  Out in the hallway Kiseki looks at Yukanna and Lotus.

  “Do you guys know where Ai is?” Kiseki asks worriedly.

  “There’s only one pce she could have gone. We have about twenty-five minutes until first period. Come on Lotus.” Yukanna says before she and Lotus leave.

  “Why do you guys think Ai left so abruptly when Vergil attacked her and Kiseki?” Jodan asks looking in the girls direction.

  “Maybe she feels embarrassed by him.” Kiseki guesses.

  “That’s a possibility but there’s also two other theories that might expin his bizarre behavior. The first is what Nurse Mori said about demonic mind control. I saw it in his eyes. They were gzed over in complete mental subservience. The st theory is they could have a tumultuous sibling retionship and what we witnessed was just a glimpse.” Chishiki theorizes.

  “If that was just a glimpse then I would hate to see an all-out battle.” Kiseki shudders before the trio head to the cafeteria.

  Yukanna and Lotus enter the girl’s restroom where they find Ai standing at the st sink gripping it. They walk over to her.

  “I have no desire to see either of you! You attacked my brother and possibly killed him. Do you know what the worst part of all this is?! I’ll be the one footing the bme!” Ai shouts as tears stream down her face.

  Immediately the lights begin flickering. Lotus looks around worriedly.

  “I think that’s rain I hear.” Lotus says looking at Yukanna.

  “Trust me when I say I’m not here out of concern for your trifling ass. Kiseki is worried about you. If you’re looking for an apology from me you’ll never hear it fall from my lips. Your brother attacked you and Kiseki with the intent to kill. Demonic possession or not he had to be put down like a rabid dog without question or hesitation. Speaking of your brother he’s in Nurse Mori’s office being looked after.” Yukanna says in equal anger.

  “You know what bitch I’m sick of you and your uppity attitude towards me!” Ai says icily walking towards Yukanna.

  “If you you have a problem with me I’d be more than happy to help you find the value of whoop your ass.” Yukanna says cracking her knuckles.

  Lotus quickly steps in between them.

  “Come on girls, first period will be starting soon and we don’t want to be te. Besides the guys are awaiting our return.” Lotus says sweetly looking between them.

  “Fine.” Yukanna says before leaving.

  Lotus looks over at Ai sighing.

  “You can’t keep shing out at the people that’s trying to help you. All it will do is bring you solidarity which will hurt you in the end.” Lotus says philosophically.

  Ai rolls her eyes.

  “Whatever. Besides I don’t need any lecture from the Kiseki heart thief.” Ai huffs before leaving.

  Lotus looks at the restroom door shaking her head and exiting.

  Rei is downstairs in his boratory standing over the woman Kaen brought to him. The walls are chocote brown brick. Along the back walls are six test tubes for life creation. In the middle of the boratory are two steel autopsy tables. At the top of each of them are faucet heads.

  “You’ll make a fine specimen for demonic experimentation.” Rei says in a sinister tone while inserting a needle into her lower left forearm.

  Upon finishing he carries her to a gss tank and pces her inside and closes the door. He presses a button beside the door and the tank instantly water spills inside. Rei smiles happily before leaving.

  Nurse Mori is in her office sitting at her desk on the telephone. Her office walls are light purple with white baseboards. On the walls are posters dispying positive quotes and posters depicting the human, muscur, respiratory and skeletal systems. Nurse Mori’s desk is white with a granite countertop. Her desk telephone is white. Also on the desk is her namepte as well as a small pnt and a utensil cup. In the far left corner is a gray file cabinet with metal pullers.

  “Good morning Ms. Mori what can I do for you?” Olivier asks warmly.

  “Good morning Mr. Minami. I hate to call you so early but it’s about your son.”

  “What about my son?” Olivier asks worriedly.

  “He was brought into my office by a group of our students earlier.”

  “What for?”

  “He was unconscious when he was brought in earlier.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I wish I was sir. I was told that his eyes were gzed over. It’s been cimed for centuries that demons were eradicated in the fourteenth century but that’s untrue. All they’ve done is manage to blend in better with humankind. The student that carried him inside said his eyes were devoid of emotion. That alone makes me believe that a demon is behind this.”

  “Okay, thank you for calling, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Olivier says before hanging up.

  Nurse Mori sighs before dialing Famke’s office line. After two rings she answers.

  “Hello.” Famke says formally.

  “Good morning Mrs. Minami this is Nurse Mori from Misaki-Owens Academy.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s about your son.”

  “My baby is a junior high student, what is he doing there?!” Famke asks frantically.

  “He was brought in by your daughter’s schoolmates earlier. He’s sound asleep but he’s also comatose.”

  “Why the hell is he comatose?!”

  “This may sound unbelievable, but he was mentally possessed by a demon. He attacked his elder sister and one of her schoolmates before being brought here.”

  Famke ughs hysterically at her.

  “I don’t care about her or her cssmate! Let’s say this is true Ai absolutely deserves to die by his hand. She treats him absolutely horrible. Another thing demons no longer walk the earth. He must have hit his head. Thank God Almighty that wretched girl had the sense to bring him to your office.”

  “Well that’s the thing. She wasn’t with them when your son was brought into my office.”

  “That pain in the ass. I’ll be there soon.”

  “There’s no need. Your husband is on his way.”

  “You should have told him that I would get him. Thanks for nothing!” Famke says before hanging up.

  Nurse Mori hangs up and runs her hands through her hair exhaling heavily.

  Katsumi and Harmene are walking through the forest when Katsumi stops suddenly.

  “Show yourself!” Katsumi commands.

  Suddenly a female demon appears from the eastern trees.

  She has pale gray skin with red eyes and bck horns protruding from her head. She is wearing a Sengoku period kimono and breastpte. In her right hand is a battle axe. She swings it towards Katsumi who blocks it with her sword.

  ‘She appears to have been experimented on. How horrible.’

  The demon surprises her with a backhand sending her through the trees. Katsumi hits a tree causing a domino effect. She quickly rebounds and rushes the demon before sending her through the forest trees. As soon as her sword disappears her bow and arrow appear in her hands. She aims it at the demon and fires. When the arrow makes contact with the demon’s chest a light purple light appears and expands before the demon’s body disintegrates. After the light disappears Katsumi’s bow and arrow disappear.

  ‘Rei did you create that abomination? Your endless wanton for reckless abandon and warfare will end by my sword.’

  Katsumi gazes up at the sky momentarily before resuming her journey.