As the morning sun peered through the shades, the light shone through with delight that it was a new day. Daisuke had sat up, rubbing his eyes with a slight moan. He yawned, finishing off his sleepiness as he looked around the room. When he saw Yuri in his bed, he had forgotten for a moment why she was there in the first place. But as soon as he remembered, he gently got out of his bed. When he had started to head out the door, he opened and closed it silently, not letting it wake her up. Before the latch had closed he had seen Kori standing there with a cup of juice.
"Why are you closing your door like that?"
"Yuri's sleeping." Daisuke replied.
Kori cocked a brow and grinned her usual grin.
"How good was she last night?"
Finally understanding what she had meant after a couple of seconds, Daisuke had shaken his head in disgust, and looked at her with stern eyes.
"She had a mild concussion last night, and I brought her to my room to rest. That was it, nothing else."
"Her father?" Kori asked.
"Yeah." Daisuke said sadly. "I don't know how a bastard like him can do such a thing to his own daughter. What kind of living, red blooded man does those kind of things."
"If you ask me, he's already dead on the inside."
Daisuke didn't know if she meant metaphorically or literally, but either way, he felt that he had agreed with her.
Kori had started to leave, but Daisuke had called her name, and followed after her. She turned around and stopped walking as Daisuke had came up to her.
"Have you told your parents yet?" he asked, seriously, trying to prove the point that he wasn't joking.
"Daisuke…" she said painfully.
"C'mon, Kori, if you don't tell them now, when will you ever tell them?"
"Daisuke, what do you expect me to do? Just pop in their faces and say, 'sorry, dad. But I feel like going to the Gay parade in San Francisco, so I can't run Sony. Oh yeah, just stick it up your ass while your at it.'"
"You just said it now."
"You know what I mean." Kori said sternly.
"So, you're just going to run away from your problems?"
"Don't try and pull that crap on me, Daisuke."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"When are you going to step up to your father. That'll be the day. The day you tell him exactly what you want to tell him, the one thing that would break his heart, then go ahead and tell him, and I'll follow your very actions and tell my dad."
Daisuke didn't say anything at first. There had been a slight silence, and Daisuke could feel Kori's burning anger sinking through his soul.
"What if we switch."
"Switch?"
"Yeah, I tell your parents, and you tell my dad."
"What good will that do?"
"Oh, c'mon. It'll only hurt if we don't try. The only reason you don't want to tell them is because you don't want to see the look on their faces or the talk, am I right."
"Yeah, but–" Daisuke interrupted her.
"Well, then let's do it. What do you really have to lose? I mean, you were sent here because your parents didn't like you being bi, right?"
"You talk like everything is so simple."
"Perhaps it's a lot simpler than you think. I mean, your parents don't even have to know who I am."
"How'll you do that?" she asked.
"My little secret." He said as he thought about Gi and the DHA.
"Fine." Kori caved in. "But at least give me time for you to tell them. Not a moment sooner than I tell you, you understand."
"Fine. Which means I can just hide from my dad longer."
"So, you're running away from your problems, too?"
"Yeah, but I'm not in denial about it." he grinned, and he walked out, leaving Kori time to think about when to tell her parents about her actions.
"What does it feel like?" Yuri asked.
"What?"
The two had been flying through the forest and dodging trees and bushes. Daisuke had felt another wave of something that wasn't demonic, but sure was out of the ordinary. It felt like something familiar. But with the short attention span that he had, he couldn't quite remember where it was he felt it before, but he knew that it was familiar.
"What does it feel like to feel a demonic aura?" she asked.
He stopped. He didn't feel the aura anymore. He couldn't pinpoint anything out of the ordinary. He looked around, trying to sense something deadly, but he came to nothing. Then he looked at her, trying to think of what it felt like to feel a demonic aura.
"Well…" he started, but that was as far as he got before surprise had hit him. He thought about it. It was a lot harder to explain then he could think. It was like asking what it felt like to breath. You can't really describe it. You've done it all your life, and you know everybody else does it, but if somebody, or something, asked what it was like to breath with lungs… Then he came up with the best thing he could think of.
"You know when you shiver, even when it's not cold out. Something's either really close, or something just chills your spine?" she nodded to explanation. "Yeah. It feels like that."
"Do you think I can help you?"
"Help me?" he asked, not knowing what she meant.
"Yeah. You could teach me to be a Demon Hunter."
"No way." He said sternly, and then he tried to look for the aura again, trying to get out of the conversation.
"Why not?" she whined. She followed after him, making sure that she didn't lose the train of conversation.
"It's too dangerous."
"It's dangerous for you!"
"That's different."
"Oh, c'mon. Don't act all macho and tell me you never put your life on the line. I know just how dangerous this Demon Hunting job is. I just need an instructor."
"What's it going to hurt?" Gi asked, popping out of Yuri's bag.
"Where'd you come from, furball."
"You know, it seems that you don't like me very much at times." Gi said with a sigh.
"Look, the both of you, demons are getting stronger, and they're coming out harder nowadays. I'm worried that–"
"That what? I won't be able fend for myself?" Yuri said, affronted. "For your information, I can handle just as much as you can. Remember that girl I socked last time we say her?"
That was it. That's the aura Daisuke felt. The girl that he had ran into twice already. The one with the earth skills. The one that Daisuke could never figure out who she was, what she wanted, and why he attacked him. And that's exactly what he planned on doing today. As he ran, Yuri had kept on trying to get Daisuke's attention to yell at him some more, but he ignored her, looking for the tracks or sense of the girl he had yet to find out who she was.
He came to a stop, seeing the girl sitting on a stump in the forest, the only light in the entire forest was shining on her due to a break in the branches. She didn't say anything or move. Daisuke had looked at her, and he could feel her eyes from behind the shadows peering down at her. What was she looking at? Usually, she had just tried to kill him right off the bat, but now…
"I heard you went to the DHA meeting." She said simply. Her voice sounding a little familiar, besides the fact that he had fought with her before. He thought he had heard this voice from somebody else in the world, but didn't know who.
Daisuke's eyes went wide open as she had finished using the ellipsis of the Demon Hunter's Association. He didn't know that she had known anything about it, let alone that fact that there was a meeting.
"Who exactly are you?" Daisuke demanded.
"You really are as dense as you seem."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Daisuke said, but than remembered all the other questions that he wished to ask. "Forget that. Who are you? What do you want, why are you–"
"All questions will be answered if you can defeat me in battle one last time, without interference." She said the last part while her head faced the direction of Yuri, indicating Yuri to stay out of this one.
"Alright." Daisuke said, no smile, no frown. He just wanted to get this over with. "Anything to get some information from you."
The girl charged, a pile of leaves leaving behind her as she took off. Wind was too slow for her, and trying to watch her with normal human eyes was almost worse than the wind. But to Daisuke, it all seemed slow, already planned, and obvious. He dodged, or deflected, every attack that she had made towards him. Until a punch was thrown, and he caught it in hand. He had looked at her, like she wasn't trying hard enough, as if he was waiting for some surprise, but none came. Instead, the girl stood on Daisuke's chest, trying to get her hand out from his grasp. Another punch was thrown, but Daisuke caught that one as well. She was stuck with just standing on his chest.
She tried kicking him, but before she could release her cocked legs, Daisuke had thrown her body towards the ground, throwing her kicking balance off guard. She landed on the ground, crouching. She finally broke away with a earth attack interrupting the two. A giant wall of earth and dirt popped up in-between them, and she shoved it forward towards him. But Daisuke sent a root of a tree in the middle of the wall, breaking it and watching it crumble.
The girl had remembered Daisuke getting better, but from her studies, he wasn't suppose to get this good this quick. He was a couple of months in the lead, and she wasn't prepared for this. But she couldn't let him know this. She had to keep putting up a good game. But how could she if he didn't even look like he had to try to do anything while fighting her. He didn't look amused, like he was trying too little, nor did he look like he was trying hard. It was if he wasn't trying at all, waiting for her to do something special, something he wouldn't expect.
Daisuke saw the girl panting. What happened? She was a challenge just a couple of weeks ago, and now she had completely lost her touch. She couldn't do anything impressive anymore. She wasn't the girl he had known a couple of weeks ago, and this saddened him. He wanted a really big challenge before he got to learn something about her. Spice up the excitement.
All of the sudden, the girl had tried attacking with a Spiritual arrow, but he had caught it at the head. With a quick blink, Daisuke had grabbed the girl's arm, pinned her to a tree, and had stuck the arrow to her shirt, not letting her free.
"Now, talk." Daisuke said in a stern voice. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.
"Alright…" She said, in a soft voice. "What do you want to know?"
"Who do you work for."
"I'm a high society member of a group that's against the DHA."
"And why are you attacking me?"
"You have a soft heart and strong abilities. We couldn't have you repeating your mother's footprints. Just like DHA agrees."
"Mother's… footprints?"
"Yes. Hasn't your girlfriend here told you this? She eavesdropped all about this."
Yuri's face had turned completely red, and felt flushed. She didn't expect for Daisuke to find out this way. She had wanted to tell him when they weren't so busy with school, or when they weren't making out, or anything. A time when she could spill about anything, and everything. But now this…? Daisuke's eyes were hard as he turned to look at her.
"No… she hasn't." he seemed angry, and Yuri's face was even more flushed.
"Daisuke…" she said, trying to get him to realize that this was Yuri. He couldn't be too mad at her, could he?
"Perhaps it's better that we not tell you…" the girl said.
"No!" Daisuke shouted as he rocked the girl, slamming her back against the tree again. "I'm going to hear what happened to my parents."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" everyone had heard a noise coming out of the shadows of the trees. "I'd expect better from you Yuki."
Daisuke's eyes shot open again. Did the voice just say Yuki? No. It couldn't be the same Yuki as the one he used to like. Yuki was a common name in Japan. There was no possible way that…
Nonetheless, when the girl removed her hat, and moved her hair out of the way, the girl who had stood before them had been the girl that Daisuke liked. The one he almost shared his first kiss with. The one he use to think about constantly.
"Yuki?" Daisuke asked.
"Yuki, I demand that you get out of there as soon as possible and come back to base."
"Yes, ma'am." Yuki said to the voice in the shadows. Yuki had shot Daisuke back with a spiritual blow, throwing Daisuke off guard with his shock, and then disappeared into thin air. Daisuke looked around frantically, trying to find her.
"Yuki? YUKI?" he shouted, but no response had come.
Daisuke took off running through the forest, trying to find a glimpse of her scent. But as he ran, her scent became thinner and weaker. And eventually, she had vanished from ever existing in the area.
"Who the hell was that?" Yuri demanded. She had been talking to Gi in her room. Daisuke had been in his room, locked himself in for the last three hours. He hadn't made a sound since they had returned back to their dorms. It was even harder due to the fact that he hadn't even tried taking a glimpse at her. She knew he was pissed at her. The only question that remained was: how much?
"Well," Gi answered, "From his memories, I suppose she was a girl he use to know from Tokyo. And…hmm…" he said, as if something was mildly wrong.
"What is it?"
"I can't see anything past that."
"What do you mean?"
"Usually, I'm entwined with every single thought he makes, and everything in his life, but now, it's nothing but a blur. I can't even tell what he's thinking right now."
"What's this mean?"
"Well, either I'm defective, or he's seriously venting up there. Mentally."
Yuri grumbled to herself as she threw herself on the bed. She laid on her back staring at the ceiling. After a couple of seconds, she grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the ceiling, shouting, "How could've I been so stupid!"
"It's not your fault."
"Yes it is, Gi. I hid something from him I shouldn't have. It was a large step to finding out who his mother was actually killed by."
"Daisuke can't be that mad at you. AT least not what I think. He likes you too much."
"I wish that I could believe that so easily." Yuri said with a sigh.
Above the room Yuri was in, Daisuke was laying down on the same position that Yuri was laying downstairs. He stared at the ceiling, but his focus was angry and strong. What really happened to his mother. Who had done such terrible things to her? What did Yuki mean by DHA wanting him dead too? Wouldn't they have killed him when they had the chance?
But at the same time, a lot of things made sense. That's why he couldn't escape the island and had to swim, because DHA was trying to kill him. He knew that his mother wouldn't have gone down so easily as to a car accident.
What bothered him most was that nobody had told him what exactly Yuri had known, if she had actually known anything at all. Yuki could have been just lying to get the two apart. Trying to separate them, but for what reason? It didn't make sense? And now that he thought about it, he never expected Yuki to even be a Demon Hunter at all. Or did she hunt those who hunted demons? So, did that make her a demon hunter slayer? All this made his head hurt, and he sat up and looked out the window. It looked cold outside, even for mid spring. Something felt wrong. He knew it wasn't around the school, but somewhere out in the world, something was going to happen far out of his comprehension.
The girls had looked at Daisuke who had his head laid on the table that he sat at. He didn't say anything to them all morning, not showing any type of emotion, not even seeming like he was spiritually alive. Even with all the people trying to make conversation with him in the gym, he hadn't lifted his head or anything.
"What did you do to him?" Deíji asked.
"It's like you broke him." Momo said.
"I didn't do anything!" Yuri said. And it was the truth. Yeah. You didn't do anything. That's the problem. You should have told him about his mom she reminded herself. "Something must have happened yesterday."
"You were with him most of the day, and something must have happened between you two."
"Did you shoot him down?" Kori asked with a grin.
"No! He didn't even ask me out."
"Then what is it that you did?" Raine asked. " 'Nothing' didn't just happened. Something pretty big went on to make Daisuke feel like this. Look at the idiot. He can't even look out the window without glazed eyes. They're more glazed than my donuts this morning."
"Somebody has to talk to him, Yuri. And you're the one who's closest to him." Momo said.
"She right." Deíji agreed. "I don't like watching Daisuke sit around like this. It's depressing for him and all of us."
"Fine." Yuri said. How come was she always persuaded by her friends to do things that involve Daisuke nowadays?
Yuri gulped as she walked towards Daisuke's seat, and sat in a chair next to him. His eyes still were focused on the window, but she knew that he knew she was there. She cleared her throat, trying to see if he would look her way. He didn't, but she tried talking to him anyway.
"You okay?"
There was long silence, one that Yuri almost gave up on. When she was about to leave, his eyes looked into hers, making sit down. She couldn't read what emotion were in his eyes. Hurt? Anger? Pain? Revenge? She couldn't read anything. But she remained there, looking into his eyes.
"What happened to her?" he asked.
She knew who he meant: his mother. He still didn't know. Quite frankly, neither did she. Sure, she heard some slight rumors from those demons back at DHA, but other than that, she didn't quite know.
"I honestly don't know that much."
"What do you know?" his voice was soft spoken, as if he had been crying for a while. It cracked a little, indicating that he hadn't spoken in a few hours.
"I'm not sure who it was, but she wasn't attacked by just some demon, Daisuke. She was assassinated. Somebody knew her plans for the day and killed her. And I think it might have been DHA."
"Why?"
"Well, they were discussing your softhearted, and they said you had one like your mother, and that was unfortunate. I think they may be out to get sooner or later Daisuke."
"Is that all you know?"
"I swear, that's everything."
"Well, until they try to kill me, I still pledge my allegiance to DHA."
"WHAT? Why?" she demanded.
"Yuri, besides you, I have no other help or alliances in the Demon Hunting world. I need somebody to stick to until I can get my head above the surface of all this confusion. Maybe if I stay long enough, I can learn a thing or two about my mom."
"You can't be serious." She said in a shocking voice of disbelief.
"It seems like it's the only way at the moment." He said, with a faint smile. "I mean, it's not the choice I would choose if I had allies, but at the moment, I only have one. Not that you're not important." He said quickly.
"No, don't worry, I know what you mean." Yuri said with reassurance. "So, what d you plan on doing next?"
"Well, first of all–"
The doors of the gym had opened. Everyone turned around to expect only the gym teacher, but behind her had made Daisuke's eyes widen.
"Students! We have a new member on board. I'd like for you to be nice, and treat her with the same respect that you share with one another. I'd like to introduce to you, Biotsu Yuki."
Daisuke wasn't sure what to feel. Confused, happy, angry, excited, or maybe all of them. Perhaps none. He couldn't choose just one at the moment, that was true. He watched Yuki in her PE clothes, walk towards him and sat down next to him. He tried speaking to her, but she got to him without even looking at him.
"Don't even bother talking to me now, Daisuke. We'll chat later on, when we can be alone."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Yuri exclaimed.
"Ah, yes you. The annoying one who toys with Daisuke's heart, is it?"
"What do you mean, 'toy'?"
"I have no other words to speak towards you. People need not to speak to dogs."
"What did you just say?"
But Yuki had kept silent. She had only looked at the teacher, pretending to listen to what the teacher had to say. Daisuke knew when she was listening, and when she wasn't. He had grown up long enough with her to know what she was doing.
Daisuke had looked at her, and he knew she knew that he was staring at her. From the last time Daisuke had seen her, she hadn't changed at all. She still had her cynical, blunt, personality, but this was only when she was in an uncomfortable spot. Other then that, she was usually been cheery and funny.
Daisuke also wanted to know why she was here. Perhaps she was there to keep an eye on Daisuke. That made sense. Perhaps there had been a rumor going around that he was available to both sides, demonic and anti-demonic. Since DHA wanted to kill him, perhaps the person that Yuki served under had wanted to take him under their wings as well.
As the class headed outside for their weekly mile run, Yuki took off far ahead from the class. Daisuke figured this was a good time to actually talk. The rate she was moving, she had been running too far for anybody to hear, but slow enough to not run out of breath while talking. He caught up to her, and her eyes didn't even peer on him, yet she knew he was there.
"Why are you here?" Daisuke asked.
There was no reply. Daisuke didn't know why she hadn't answered. Mysterious? Maybe her leader wanted her to remain mysterious. Or perhaps she just viewed him as an enemy now, and didn't want to speak to him about this.
"I know that you didn't come to this school for no reason."
"That, you're right about."
"Then why did you come?"
"Do you really think that's any of your business?"
"Actually yes, I do. Yuki, you've got to tell me why you're here. What happened to our friendship?"
There was a small silence, but as they continued to run, she look at Daisuke. Her eyes were searching his, trying to get a glimpse of what he was doing in life.
"Why didn't you tell me you were a Demon Hunter?"
"I've tried telling people my whole life, but nobody's believed me."
"So, I was a nobody to you."
"You know what I meant, Yuki."
"Maybe. So, you never told any who got to believe you?"
"Not a soul."
"Why did you try to talk to people?"
"Because, I wanted to know if anybody could help me with my mother's death. That's the only reason I fight. I want to find my mother's killer."
"What happens when you do that?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about that."
"Are you going to give up Demon Hunting?"
"Maybe. Probably."
"Sounds like our mother right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Forget I said anything."
"Wait a minute." He said. "You know something, don't you? You know what happened to her, don't you?"
"Daisuke, I have to know every little thing about you to fight against you."
"Why do we even have to fight each other?"
"Because, we have alliances to our leader's enemies. We can't just give up on our leader's, can we."
"I don't know if I can do anything at the moment."
"What's that suppose to mean."
"You said that we can't give up on our leaders, and I'm simply saying that I don't think I can agree on your logic. I can very much fight against my leader if I wished to. And I actually do, a little bit. They want me dead."
"So, why don't you join us?"
"Because, I have to look for answers."
"We have the answers, Daisuke."
"I know, but DHA was really responsible for the death of my mom, I want to hear it from them. My mom's death isn't going to be in vain."
"Trust me, Daisuke. She put up a fight against the assassin."
"I'll believe you there."
When the two had finished their mile, they had nothing more to talk about, and Yuki had somehow vanished in the crowd of people going toward the water fountain. But Daisuke knew that they were going to talk to each other soon. Perhaps she was right. Maybe working with her and the person she worked for would be the best way to find answers.