Magnanimous (Blue Exorcist ~ Yukio Okumura)

Chapter 25

I had been sitting on the plane for hours now, my earphones in as I thought about what had happened before I boarded the plane.

Why did I do that?

Why can't I bring myself to think before I do things?

I don't even like Yukio like that, we've only known each other for a couple months!

I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning the back of my head against the seat. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriving in Toulouse in approximately thirty minutes, so please begin to sit in your seats and buckle your seatbelts."

The pilot's voice echoed, repeating his line in Japanese, French, and English. I leaned my head back further, waiting for the ride to be over.

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Yukio Okumura's POV:

I pushed my pencil farther into the paper on my desk until the tip nearly broke. Graphite debris came off the pencil and gathered on  the paper, smudging as I wiped it off. With a sigh, I began rubbing an eraser on the homework. 

What happened?

I almost couldn't decide if Akilina really had kissed me or if I had been imagining things. I couldn't help but think back to a few days ago back in the training dormitory, the adrenaline and excitement I got from holding onto her and teaching her. 

I couldn't have a crush on a girl I met two months ago.

This is probably just hormones kicking in a bit too late. 

I glared at the papers in front of me, then to the stack of finished homework I had to actually grade for Pharmaceutics. With everything else that had been happening, I wished I could have just snapped my fingers and let it all be done. However, I couldn't, and some schoolboy hormonal crush could not let me fall behind. 

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Akilina Katai's POV:

As I stepped off the plane, I felt the jet lag pulling my body down. All I wanted was to catch up on sleep- I had never been able to sleep in public areas, so obviously sleeping on the plane was not an option. Unfortunately, though, I knew I couldn't.

I hesitated before opening my text messages. My thumb hovered over Yukio's contact for a few seconds before I clicked on it. I'll just pretend nothing happened, maybe he won't think anything of it. 

I typed out a quick text message to the boy. Hey, just wanted to let you know that I just landed. I'll talk to you later if you want. See you next Monday. 

As I made my way down the building and out of the airport, I payed for a taxi to my parents' apartment before checking my messages once again. Okay. Call me tomorrow when you get the chance so I can check up on you. See you soon. 

I swallowed hard and stared out the window at all the brick houses, all the walking people. Everything in this city was familiar, I had lived here for a year before I went to Tokyo. I knew everything about this city, all the buildings and the stores- but at the same time, it seemed like a strange place. It was no longer my home. I could never bring  myself to feel comfortable around my parents' home, and now that I had gotten a taste of freedom, it felt even worse to be back, as much as I loved Toulouse in itself. 

"Thank you, sir," I nodded at the taxi driver as I got out of the backseat, paying him my fees.

"Have a good day, madam," he nodded back at me, driving off into the traffic as I approached the brick apartment building. 

I'm here, I texted my mother. 

My phone buzzed with a response as I entered the building, approaching the secretary. Well, hurry up, then, my mother had replied. 

"Uh, hi, I'm looking for Carole Katai? She should be expecting me, in room A two-oh-three?"

The secretary pulled on a loose strand from her dark hair bun, looking at her paperwork. "Are you her daughter, Akilina?"

"Yes, madam, I am."

"Go on up, then. That room will be on the first floor, on the right wing."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you."

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Yukio Okumura's POV:

Akilina had been gone for over two days now- I had only received one text from her, and it was a reply to me when I asked her if she was doing okay yesterday. She told me in the reply that she would call me around lunch, but I wasn't sure if she would be able to- it would be only four in the morning. 

However, the girl did call me. As I was walking out of class before lunch, my phone began vibrating aggressively from my pocket. Akilina's contact stared back at me.

"Hello," I answered the phone.

"Hey, Yukio, you busy?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I just got to lunch. Sorry if it's loud, I'm still in the hallway." I decided to take the long way around by moving outside so it would be quieter. 

"So, I've got a problem..." Her voice was quiet. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" Anxiety immediately pushed against my chest. I knew something would go wrong, if Shura knew her mother was sick before even she did, then something was wrong. Akilina probably wasn't safe. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay, but I think it's more than just a sickness with my mother. I sent you a picture. Did you get it?"

I looked down at my phone, checking my messages from the girl. "It's coming in now." There was an image of a pale arm, and there were vine-shaped wide veins that stuck out from the arm. It looked like the Root Shiemi has a problem with, except this one had obviously possessed the person long ago; blood was beginning to swell up around it.

"I think it might be a type of Root," Akilina commented softly. Her voice was still weak and quiet, and I had a bad feeling. "She doesn't seem any different, so it hasn't taken control of her or anything, I think it's weak. But it's enough to hurt her."

"Yes, you're right, it has to be a Root. Moriyama dealt with one similar a while ago. This one has probably possessed her a few months ago by the red stretch marks, but it's not strong enough to actually take control unless it works with another demon. It is definitely what has been making her sick, or at least the main factor."

"So... To get rid of it, I just have to figure out where she met this demon, and take care of it?"

"Yes... I can come up there to help you. It's not that I don't trust you, but you aren't a certified exorcist yet, and I want to make sure you'll be safe with this."

"No!" There was a small pause after her exclamation. "No, it's okay, Yukio, thank you for worrying, but it'll be okay. I'll be able to take care of it. Like you said, it's not strong."

I hesitated for a moment, staring at the ground as I bit down on my back teeth. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Thank you, though."

"All right. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Thank you."

"Tell me the truth, Akilina."

"Yukio..."

There was another short pause. "Akilina, tell me what's wrong."

Akilina paused again. "I have to go. Thank you for your help, I'll let you know if something else comes up."

"Akilina, wait, I-"

Click.