Vanilla Smoke (Blue Exorcist)

Chapter 26

      Shuku awoke the next morning to a sharp pain in her hand. Eyes flashing open in a panic, instinct took over and Shuku went for her nonexistent knives and looked around in panic. She blinked when she registered where she was at, and that there was no danger unless you count sunlight. Shuku squinted her eyes, and pushed her hair over her right eye, providing the more sensitive eye with some shade from the glaringly bright, morning sun.

          There were only two others in the room with her, Polka-brow and Hebimaru. Hebimaru's tongue flickered out impatiently, then went over to Izumo, and shocked her. Shuku smirked and looked down at her hand. Hebimaru was waking her up in a very effective way, and it was funny to watch Izumo freak out from being zapped by Hebimaru. Shuku snickered, and he looked over at her, and a red Izumo as well, probably from embarrassment or anger at Shuku's familiar.

        "Master Shuku, the ocean demon is near. The sea has gone pitch and it is concerning." Hebimaru said seriously, and Shuku's face hardened almost instantaneously.

          Izumo blinked, Shuku had started moving so suddenly and had spoken to her familiar. Izumo didn't understand what the big snake had said. Most exorcist couldn't understand demons, but Shuku seemed to just fine. Sometimes her familiar spoke English, other times he didn't. In this case, only Shuku understood, and it didn't seem like she could tell the difference either. Izumo knew there was always more to Shuku, and only time would lead to the whole truth.

         "Izumo, get dressed. It's an emergency. The sea's gone black." Shuku informed Izumo, as she slipped on a pair of knee-high leather boots and laced them up.

          Shuku threw her hoodie on and skillfully resheathed her knives which were freshly polished and sharpened into her hoodie and snatched her vapor pen, taking a big puff from it before putting it in the hoodie pockets as well. Shuku checked to make sure she still had her two summoning papers, one for Hebimaru, the other still unused. She also had all of the money she had made the other day in a simple wallet. With no time for doors, Shuku jumped out through the window, hearing Izumo let out a shout of protest. Hebimaru slid out the window behind his master.

          Shuku ran up to where the two boys stood staring out at the ocean, Hebimaru slithered up to her shoulders and stared out as well, tongue flickering out every few seconds. Izumo followed shortly after, sending Shuku a glare for jumping out the window before looking out to the ocean as well. Rin's familiar was beside him staring just as intently.

         "Not again" Shima muttered, probably to himself.

          "I'm sure the kid's seen this too. Let's just hope he doesn't do anything stupid." Rin said and a look passed over Izumo's face, then she ran off.

          "I'm gonna go check on him." Izumo said as she ran down the stairs.

           "Uh?" "Izumo?" Shuku remained silent and followed the boys in pursuit of Izumo. She stopped and turned around.

           "Yeah, what? He saved my life, didn't he? Anyways, it bugs me when people go off and do something half-cocked." After that Izumo ran off, and Shuku sighed and walked back to the hotel.

          "Shuku? Where're you going?" Rin asked. And Shuku waked.

           "Back to the hotel, no use standing outside like a scarecrow." She said as she climbed in through an open window, back to the hotel with Hebimaru on her shoulders.

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          It was sunset and Polka-brow hadn't returned. According to Rin, she was fine, but Shuku had the feeling something was gonna happen, not a prophecy, but a gut feeling. She walked to the window sat on the window sill and spotted a chilling silhouette on the horizon, coming toward the shore. Shuku froze for a moment, then used her momentum to leap out of the window, again, and race toward the place where Izumo and the brat were, Hebimaru and the two boys and Kuro in close pursuit.