Domino Effect (Yukio)

13. Not A Hero

3rd Person POV

True Cross Academy, office of the Headmaster.

"I can't believe you!" Renzo raised his voice when he pushed the double doors open with great force and not hiding his anger.

"My, what a way to make yourself known." Mephisto said, not looking up from his game system, sitting back in his chair. "What has you all worked up?" He asked with no reaction to the anger directed to him.

"Did you know?!" He asked the headmaster in a fierce tone.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that... What's gotten you in such a sour mood? Girl trouble I'm assuming?" Mephisto asked, not taking his eyes off his game screen.

"About Konekomaru! About what he's been up to!" Renzo asked, not holding back his rage.

"Ah, I see what this is about now. I take it you found out about him?"

"What? 'Found out'? You DID know?! What are you playing at?!"

"Playing? Well it's a story* about a young prince who sets out on a quest to rescue his mother's soul from the underworld with a witch, and the ending is just so interesting because-"

"Cut the crap! You KNOW what I'm talking about!" Renzo yelled, slamming both of his fists on the surface of the desk out of pure frustration.

With a long sigh, Mephisto turned off the small game console and turned his chair around to look up at the distressed Renzo.

"I do. I already knew long before you found out." He answered bluntly which infuriated the other.

"I go out there risking my life to do your dirty work for you, I'm a spy who answers to you and only you, and you thought that this was something that I shouldn't know?! Somehow I kept my composure to not blow my cover. I had to let him walk away!"

"It makes sense you feel this way but-"

"Makes sense? What about any of this makes sense to you? That kind of place isn't for him, he shouldn't even know the organization exists!"

"Listen, there was nothing we could do, this was going to happen sooner or later at the rate things were going."

Pausing for a moment, Renzo didn't like the tone in his voice.

"Are you accusing me of something?" He asked Mephisto. "I tried to talk to him! You think I wanted this to happen to Koneko?!"

"I'm not saying anything like that at all." He answered. "There's just nothing that can be done for someone who doesn't want to be helped."

With everything that's happened to Renzo recently, he wasn't over the situation with his ex-girlfriend and now that he knew Konekomaru joined the illuminati to become a demon eater, he decided to get back at Mephisto Pheles for not telling him about it.

'After I'm done with my business in Kyoto, I plan to take the two halves of the Impure Princess's heart in Yemen...' Renzo recalled the conversation he had with Todo.

"You know what... You're absolutely right. It couldn't be helped..." Renzo said, unclenching his fists and taking a deep breath. "I have some information that you might be interested in. It's also why I came here today." He said in a calm voice.

"Did you find out what their next move is?" Mephisto asked becoming serious and giving his full attention, sitting up and interested in the new information.

"The Illuminati..." Renzo started off with, knowing there was no way back once he betrays True Cross. "They're planning something big this time... It's to steal the two halves of the heart of a demon called the Impure Princess. Yemen is their next target. I don't know exactly when just yet, but it's where they set their sights."

"The Impure Princess?!" Mephisto said in his shock, standing up from his chair. "I'll send over everyone available as soon as we can. We can't afford to let them do as they want, we'll stop them before they get near." Taking out his cell phone, beginning to send word out and gather the exorcists to head their way over there as soon as possible.

"I better get going then." Renzo said as he turned around to walk out the office.

"You're the most valuable source of information we have, we'll have the upper hand thanks to you." Mephisto said as he prepares to heighten the security in Yemen.

"Sure, no problem." Renzo said with a short wave as he walked out of those familiar double doors for the last time knowing things won't be easy from now on.

~

Illuminati Eastern Research Facility, Shimane Prefecture.

"I gotta say, I'm very impressed with you. Honestly!" Todo said as he approached Renzo who was deep in thought about what he did recently.

"Can you stop sneaking up on me like that? Don't you have better things to do?" Renzo asked, irritated, not expecting Todo to come up to him so suddenly.

"I just wanted to share some good news. Thought you might want to hear what it was." Todo said.

"Good news? What about?" Renzo asked, uninterested. "Does it have to do with that student that you guys brought in a while ago? I haven't seen her since then."

"Something else. Well, after I gave you the information about the Impure King and the Impure Princess, I was wondering what you'd do with it. I was told to keep an eye on you... Homare wasn't convinced that you were really on our side, but you should've seen the look on her face when we found out you decided to make the right choice!" Todo said in a happy voice.

"What? The 'right choice'? You were just testing me?" His heart sank, the illuminati knew he's been working for the Order.

Taking a step closer, Todo put a hand on his shoulder making Renzo tense up and become nervous.

"Yes. And you've passed with flying colors. Now that we've confirmed the movement of the exorcists in Yemen. With the heightened security gathering there instead, we can move about much more freely in Kyoto. You really were one of us after all."

"...H- How did you know? I thought that I was doing a pretty good job of hiding myself." Renzo said feeling himself relax a little, knowing there was no point in lying if he's already been found out. "There was no way for you guys to know that I was a spy. What gave me away?"

"You're right, we had no idea about you before. It wasn't until a new recruit offered to give us some valuable information so he could join our ranks or we'd never have found out. He wanted to fight back against the exorcists by sharing with us what he knew. He didn't give us your name, but we began to watch you when he first suggested there was a spy amongst our ranks." Todo paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm glad you weren't branded a traitor or this conversation would've gone a lot more differently. You do know what we do to traitors around here, don't you?"

"Glad you guys know I'm on your side, hurts you didn't trust me enough." Renzo said in a sarcastic tone, backing off to hide his trembling hands by putting them in his pockets, the fear of how close he was to death wasn't easy to hide but he was able to keep up his tough guy act in front of Todo. "I'm curious... Who's our new recruit you mentioned?"

"I think it'll be more fun to find out who it is for yourself when you see them. You'll be as shocked as I was when you realize who's joined in on our side from True Cross! I wouldn't have believed it for myself if I haven't seen them with my own eyes if I'm being completely honest with you. The only hint I'll give you: Be on the look out for someone with long blond hair." Todo began to walk away. "Glad to know we can keep working together. It would've been a real pity to lose Yamantaka's strength. You're truly one of us. We three will set out for Kyoto soon, rest up while you can. I feel at ease knowing that I didn't have to kill you myself, ah, and so young too."

When Todo left, Renzo leaned his back up against the wall and his shaking knees finally gave out. He held his head in his shaking hands.

"That was a close call, and I had no idea. It's one of the few times I almost got myself killed out here... I suppose betraying True Cross wasn't such a bad thing in the end. After all, I'd rather not die a 'hero'... I'm selfish enough to want to keep living on."

*Mephisto references "PoPoLoCrois" on his game system.

Twitch: Enrita11