"It" Can't Be Helped (Revised) | ✔️ | Blue Exorcist

24

We have now passed the original amount of chapters from the first rendition of this story! I'm so happy I revised ICBH, it scratched an itch I've had for years. There is a lot of new content coming up so I hope you enjoy!

I dropped down, narrowly missing the demon's attack above me. I skirted around, assessing my surroundings. We were in the midst of battle, and everyone was feeling the effects of fatigue. We were called to exorcise a hospital, and unlike our last mission, the building was only recently vacated. These demons repopulated at such a staggering rate that we theorize that they'd only popped up about a week ago. They fed off of the negative energy of the patients and their loved ones. Also in contrast to our last mission, these demons could not fly. Instead the clung to every object, crawling over the walls and floor and hanging from the ceiling. They resembled trolls, with their patchy hair and humanized forms. They're short stature made them agile, though. And a single touch would get us infected with miasma, not horribly so, however, but enough to cause pain and render you useless in battle. For this reason, the aria's in our group made a circle around us, creating a forcefield to keep the demons at bay.

We weren't the only group here, either. The second and third year classes were on the mission, as well. Due to their experience, they took on far more challenging areas like the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Room. We were currently in the Geriatric Unit, and the amount of walkers and wheelchairs I'd nearly fallen over was staggering. If I wasn't careful, I'd find myself using one after this mission.

"Rin, behind you!" I whirled around, my kurikara poised and ready. I turned just in time to slash through the demon before it could sink it's claws into my thigh. I shouted my thanks to Shima, who had warned me and turned back to the edge of the forcefield. Kamiki-chan's familiars were outside of the ring, tackling demons left and right. Kuro was also out there, somewhere, but I couldn't spot him. A horde of demons pressed against the forcefield and I saw the barrier buckle in response. The incantation could only handle so much pressure, and every once in awhile, trolls would push through. That was a problem, because the sheer amount of them made it difficult to keep your head on a swivel. I swung at them, my sword passing through the transparent field without issue and striking the creatures. They imploded on themselves, screeching as they evaporated.

I glanced upwards, seeing dozens of trolls as they climbed across the ceiling and fell on top of our containment. They ricocheted and bounced down to the floor, where the rioted at the edges of the zone. I attacked them, my muscles crying out for a break. We've been here for hours, and while most of the hospital had been exorcised, we needed to bear down. The rate of their repopulation left no wiggle room, we had to do this right the first time or we'd find ourselves back here tomorrow as well. We'd already be exhausted for school tomorrow, and another exorcism would wipe us out for the rest of the week.

I heard a screech from behind me and I spun on my heels. a handful of demons had broken through the circle, headed straight for Koneko and my brother. I shot forward, yelling out a warning to my twin and tackling the demons who flocked the smallest teen of our group. I turned just as Yukio did, his pistols aiming directly for the trolls. He fired, and his bullets found their mark, the demons imploding on themselves. My eyes widened, however, when the force field weakened behind him, and claws reached toward him. I snarled, moving reflexively to get him out of harms way. I snatched his arm and whirled him behind me, the momentum sending me closer to the edge of the circle.

White hot agony flashed through my bicep and I yanked myself forward, a cry escaping my lungs as claws ripped into my skin. "Rin!" My brother yelled, moving forward to grab me before I fell to the floor. His teal eyes flashed in horror as I gingerly touched my left arm, my fingers coming back a bright crimson. He shifted, turning to the side and signaling to our teammates. "Shura! The incantation!" My mentor spun around, fuchsia eyes meeting my brothers before snapping over to me. Realization dawned on her face and she dropped to her knees, setting down her sword and clasping her hands. She started muttering and after a few seconds the field around us started to glow more intensely. I sighed in relief, hearing thuds as the demons banged and scratched at the zone to no avail. My twin turned back to me, his eyes filled with worry. After a few moments, Shiemi and Izumo were by his side as well.