The Art Of Dancing With Demons (Blue Exorcist/Amaimon)

ch 57

Her smell.

Amaimon ripped through the trees that surrounded True Cross Academy, his image all but a blur as he moved at lightning speed. Chunks of earth rose up with every turn he made, the force of his momentum cutting into the ground as he desperately searched for the smallest indicator of Emi's presence. To no avail, however, as not even her scent could be found.

It had been days since her disappearance. Of course her smell would've been erased by then, but Amaimon couldn't stop. This could very well be the only chance he had to find Emi.

Breathe, Amaimon. Concentrate.

He chanted like a mantra over and over again, attempting to expand his field of recognition. Time was running out, he knew. Emi had to be found soon, or else it would be too late.

He didn't want to think. Not about who captured her, or about what they wanted, or if the Order found out he was still alive. None of that mattered as long as Emi was safe, and in their current state, he could not guarantee that.

His hands had begun to feel cold, but Amaimon only increased his speed, paying no mind to the reaction. Emi couldn't have dissappeared. She was still inside the barrier.

But what if she was hurt? What if she was being tortured?

The image of Emi's eyes stained with tears made Amaimon's insides boil. A growl cut its way through his throat as he gritted his teeth. Darting his hand out to the ground under him, pushing his whole weight on it as to not slow his pace, he summoned his familiar. The ground under his fingers immediately ripped open, revealing a round, greenish demon that darted his crazed eyes around, saliva expelling from his mouth.

"Go left." He ordered is behemoth without turning to look at him, and continued his sprint through the forest. The coldness in his hands had now trickled its way up to his elbows, and it wasn't until he began to lose sensation in his fingertips that he looked down, eyes widening at the sight.

His fingers had taken a deep blue colored tint, getting lighter and lighter until stopping at his elbows.

"What...?-"

And realization hit him.

Emi's power.

This was the reaction he had each time he touched Emi. Could this mean she was near? Amaimon didn't stop to think, if anything he increased his speed as he tore through the thick branches, his breath becoming shorter as he tried to locate Emi's smell.

"Emi!" He screamed out, attempting to gain at least some sort of location from the girl. His voice was met with silence, forcing him to scream again and again in a desperate attempt at getting to her.

"You're here somewhere..." he whispered, his head shooting around the foliage.

Suddenly the groud beneath him shook, and he barely managed to stop and get out of the way before his behemoth bulldozed itself past the same spot Amaimon was previously in.

Even behemoth had begun to feel the backlash of Emi's power, his body turning blue as he ripped through the trees in front of him. Amaimon blinked, his eyes widening as he took off after his familiar. As they both cut through the thick forest, Amaimon's body began feeling colder and colder, his fingers close to unresponsive at this point.

She's close by, I can feel it.

And after what felt like an eternity of running, he finally caught sight of a small cabin at the distance. Breath hitching, he took towards it, his speed not decreasing in the slightest as he zoomed past, barreling head first into the old wooden cabin.

The door tore off its hinges with a loud crash upon collision with Amaimon's heaving body, and his gaze desperately searched the cabin for any sign of the girl.

"Emi?!"

Wasting no time, he rushed inside the cabin, ignoring the painful squeeze that ate away at his lungs. Why was it so hard to breathe inside? He couldn't even catch his breath.

Noting the cabin was completely dark, not a single flicker of light could be seen, nor a sound to be heard except Amaimon's heavy panting. His body felt like it was being squeezed from the inside out, his limbs fighting his orders.

Through the swirl of darkness his cerulean gaze locked on a single door at the end of the room, and without a single thought he forced his body to move. The door was unlocked and almost tumbled down at his force, but Amaimon paid no attention to it whatsoever. He couldn't. The sight before him paralyzed him to the very core.

A fainted Emi was tied up against a small chair at the center of the otherwise empty room, her arms and feet appearing to be tied up. Amaimon couldn't very well see the extent of the damage to her body, product of the darkness that enveloped the cabin. He also knew that if he stayed any longer he risked the chance of her captor appearing, or the very chance of him losing complete strength.

Something was definitely wrong. Amaimon never had a problem being around Emi despite her powers, but now he couldn't even get close to her without his limbs screaming in protest.

He gritted his teeth, eyes skimming the unmoving girl as he took a deep breath. He had to leave now, or else he could put them both in danger.

"Fuck." He growled, racing past the doorframe and taking a hold of the girl's feet, attempting to untie her. He quickly realized, however, that his fingers had turned black and were completely unresponsive.

"No no no no..." he heaved, his jaw tensing so much it could've shattered as he attempted to free the girl, failing once again. In the midst of his inner frustration he felt a familiar presence right next to him, and he stepped aside to let his behemoth access.

It slobbered and tore its way through the ropes, not stopping until his mouth was completely black and Emi free.

Amaimon wasted no time. He took the girl in his arms, drowning a scream in his throat and withstood the pain as he charged into the woods once again, leaving the cabin and whatever could've been inside.

~~~~~~
Hello guys, we're nearing the end of the story, after years of waiting, hahah.

I wanted to take this space to say I'm truly saddened by the events happening in the US. I am latino, we're a mixed race who also suffer a lot of racism. What happened to George Floyd and the many others who came before him is NOT okay, and until everyone realizes that we will remain as an ignorant nation. Please stay safe out there, and my heart goes out to all of you who have to suffer this senseless hatred. Absolutely all lives matter.