Now, I COULD go over every last detail about the ball tournament… but I won't. I'll just sum it up.
So I had a majority of the guys from other clubs targeting me specifically because I was a good-looking bishounen who had great luck with girls.
… Didn't turn out too well for them.
In dodgeball, I was only stopped because I tried catching a ball that was heading for the still-dazed Yuuki, dropping the ball and causing me to get out.
It could've been worse though.
I could've gotten hit in the balls like some of the poor bastards I got out…
Hey, when you have your pride shattered by "You wicked pervy beast!" and "You princess ruiner!", despite how bad the insults are, it still hurts.
So yeah, I purposefully went for the nutshots.
I'm an ass. I admit it.
Not ashamed of it, but I admit it… doesn't stop it from being any less fun.
Besides, those guys had it coming, I'm sure. I'm just the deliverer of the divine judg—PFFFTHAHAHAHHAHA! I can't even say that with a straight face!
Neh, it was just really fun seeing their expressions turn from blood-rage and overconfident to ones that looked like they had lost all will to live due to the immense pain in their bodies…
Wow. Even from my point of view, that sounded a little sadistic. I think Akeno-san might be rubbing off on me.
But in the end, the Occult Research Club ended the tournament with us as the victors.
I felt really happy when they proclaimed us as the winners. I couldn't stop grinning to myself.
To be acknowledged in something was nice. I thought nothing could spoil my mood…
I thought wrong.
It was raining when I walked outside.
*SLAP*
That was the bitter sound that rang out through the rain. The fact that someone got slapped wasn't surprising. Rather, it was WHO got slapped that was surprising.
...Yuuki.
"How is it? Did you wake up?" Rias sounded angry and I knew why.
Yuuki had been out of it all day and she had been uncooperative with the rest of the team. She contributed ONCE OR TWICE, but no more than that. Rias sometimes got angry DURING matches, but Yuuki showed no concern or guilty whatsoever. She didn't seem to care at all. I'm not even sure she noticed. Even getting slapped across the face, she showed no expression and spoke no words. She usually looked so happy and beautiful with that smile of hers…
I felt sad again. I didn't like seeing Yuuki like this.
"Are you done now?" Yuuki asked, her expression empty except for that same bitter sadness she had before. "The ball tournament has finished as well. We won't be practicing anymore so can I take a rest until it's night time? I'm a bit tired so I will take a break from the usual club activity. I'm sorry for my behaviour this noon. Seems like I didn't feel well today."
"Yuuki, you are really weird lately." Haru asked with worry.
"It's none of your concern." W-What's with this sudden harshness, Yuuki?
I narrowed my eyes, irritated, and marched up to Yuuki when she tried walking away in the middle of a conversation. I grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her. "You've been acting really weird these past few days, Yuuki, and you're worrying everyone. Tell me what the Hell's bothering you. We can't help you if you won't talk to us! Just tell us!"
Yuuki's eyes flashed dangerously as she smacked my hand away. "None of your damn business, Uzumaki!"
My eyes widened. I stepped away as if Yuuki had just slapped me across the face rather than on my hand.
Haru stepped forward, frowning. "He's just worried about you, Yuuki. We all are. It's troublesome, a situation like this when we are trying to form a proper group. That's how we felt after we went through that bitter experience in the previous match, remember? Don't we have to cover for each other's weak points from now on? We are comrades."
"Comrades…" Yuuki's expression suddenly became rather gloomy.
"Yes, comrades." Haru confirmed.
"You are always burning… Haru-kun, lately I started to remember the basic things."
"Basic?"
What… What is Yuuki talking about?
"Yeah, that's right. The reason why I am fighting."
"Isn't it for Buchou?"
Yuuki shook her head, rejecting Ise's response. "No. I'm living so I can seek my revenge. Holy sword Excalibur. Destroying that is the reason why I am living." Then Yuuki started to walk away, leaving the rest of us in shock because of that severe look on her face. The only person unaffected was Rias. The first person to snap out of it was me. I wasn't going to just let Yuuki go.
I turned to Haru and Rias. "Could you two take Ravel, Jack, Isabela, and Asia home? I'm gonna go and make sure that Yuuki doesn't do something stupid." My servants, my friend, and my familiar all looked at me in confusion and surprise.
Rias seemed hesitant at first, but after seeing the look in my eye, she nodded. "Alright… Please look after my Knight for now, Ruto."
"Right."
And then I gave chase. Yuuki wasn't too far ahead, so I caught up to her in no time. I tried using my arms to keep my head from getting soaked, but I picked a bad day to leave home without an umbrella. I was already soaking wet after a few seconds and the rain didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.
"I can see you!" Yuuki shouted at me, her expression still angry and her tone still bitter. "Stop following me!"
I smirked, deciding to see if some good ol' teasing did the job. "I'm not following you. I was just walking in this direction and YOU happened to be walking in front of me."
That did not do the job. If anything, it made it worse from the ill intent Yuuki had when she stomped towards me, grabbing me by the collar. "Is this all just a game to you?! Do you have a single serious bone in your body or are you just a through-and-through smartass?!"
I stared blankly. Sure what she said hurt, but I could tell she was just venting her own pain, so I endured it.
"Why are you here anyway? What do you want?" Yuuki's tone was still harsh, but at least she wasn't shouting anymore.
My expression became sad. "I just want Yuuki to be Yuuki again." Her expression softened after that. She didn't respond, she just turned away. "Look, you don't have to like it, but I just want to make sure you get home alright, OK?"
She still didn't respond.
"Yuuki—"
"SSHHH!"
"But–"
"Quiet!" She hissed.
*SPLASH*
I heard him before I saw him. The man wearing Church robes who approached us. An Exorcist.
I ran to Yuuki's side, ready for a fight.
Then the man clutched the bloody patch on his stomach and fell over. He died. It felt too anticlimactic for it to be that easy.
*KATCHIN*
The sound of clashing blades next to me came from Yuuki and a sudden powerful killing intent. Yuuki's blade was locked against another, neither giving any ground.
"Yuuki!" I didn't care who it was. I threw a punch at the attacker, forcing them to disengage to retreat back a few steps. Then I got a good look at the guy… Wait a minute…
"Yahooo. It's been a while!" Oh dear Devil no, not this guy again. It was more out of disgust rather than nervousness or fear that I felt reluctant to see that disgusting smile belonging to the Stray Exorcist, Freed Seltzer or whatever his last name was. He was an unimportant person in the grand scheme of things so I never bothered remembering his surname. "Oh! Is that Ruto-kun, too?! Hey there! Remember me?! I was there too when the Fallen Angel whore tried killing you! But you didn't die, no no! But it's good because I get to stab and stab you til you bleed and die! Isn't that wonderful?!"
I felt a shiver go down my spine. This guy still creeped me the fuck out.
"… Seems like you're still in this town. What is your business today? I'm sorry, but I'm in a really bad mood today and I would rather you didn't even look at Ruto let alone talk to him." Yuuki said it with an angry tone but he laughed it off.
"Ooh! The pretty Devil bitch is getting all possessive of Ruto-kun!" Freed laughed. "Since you're Devils, you must be into kinky shit! Do you stick it in naughty places?! Does she use toys to make you feel like a woman too?! Aha, what a naughty priest I am!"
We both stared at him, deadpan.
"Yuuki."
"Hm?"
"Wanna kill this fucked up priest?"
"Oh with pleasure."
Freed laughed psychotically again. "Well that's good timing. Splendid! In my case I'm so happy that I'm going to shed some tears because I get to have a reunion with you and Ruto-kun!"
He really did get on my nerves. I already hated him because he hurt Asia but his personality only amplified my hatred.
Yuuki created a Demonic Sword using Sword Birth.
"Divine Dividing!" My translucent wings sprouted from my back, emanating power.
Then the long sword he wielded started to emit a holy aura…! That light! That aura! That glow! It was so harsh towards me and I hated it! It was like that blade itself was my mortal enemy, the one I wanted to destroy most! I couldn't explain it, but I hated and feared that sword…Could it be…?
"I was getting bored of priest hunting so it's good timing. Very Good. Let's check which is stronger between my Excalibur and your Demonic Sword, shall we? Hyahahahaha! I will repay you by killing you!"
Yes, the sword he had was the Holy-Sword Excalibur itself.
My eyes widened. This was bad. Very, very bad. Serafall once taught me about the objects Devils were weak against. There were crosses, light weapons of Angels and Fallen Angels, holy water, blessed objects, and above all else the Holy Swords. She told me that, if cut by a particularly powerful Holy Sword, a Devil would be erased within minutes if not seconds if they didn't receive immediate medical care. Holy Swords were far more deadly than normal light weapons.
It was too dangerous for Yuuki and me to fight it alone! We were strong, but one slip-up meant death in this situation!
"Yuuki, we have to—!"
"Raaaaaaah!" Screaming like a mad person, Yuuki charged at Freed, swinging her sword at the Stray Exorcist who caught the strike in his place. I watched in amazement as they began trading incredibly fast blows. Freed… I knew he wasn't this fast before. He was fast before, but Yuuki had trained a lot since then, so he should not have stood a chance. Something was wrong.
I swallowed, raising my fists. I had to help as well.
I lunged at Freed who disengaged from Yuuki to dodge the blow. He responded by lashing out at me with his Excalibur, but I narrowly avoided the strike. If I had been a millisecond slower, I would be dead.
Freed grinned. "Sorry, Ruto-kun, but I remember our last fight! I'm flattered, but touching me is a no-no!" I bit my lip. He knew how Divine Dividing worked. I had to make contact in order to use Divide to halve his power. "So could you die now please?" He was about to attack again, but was stopped when a Demonic Sword clashed against his Holy Sword.
"I'll destroy you and that cursed Holy Sword, you bastaaaaaard!" This was not the Yuuki I knew. The person who showed such rage was not Yuuki, but rather a spirit of vengeance. She began rapidly stabbing and cutting at Freed with her sword to no avail as Freed used his incredible speed to dodge and block all of the attacks.
I clenched my fists. My power relied mainly on hand-to-hand combat, so I had to be careful.
I held out my hand in front of me, thinking about my remaining option. I wasn't well trained yet, but I had no other weapon.
Freed and Yuuki continued trading blows, neither gaining nor losing any ground, but Yuuki couldn't keep this up forever. Her rage was making her expend more energy than necessary, exhausting her more quickly than usual.
"Don't worry! I'll kill you first so you don't have to watch Ruto-kun bleed to death when I fill him with sword holes!" Freed cheered merrily.
"Hey, ya friggin psycho!"
Freed looked in my direction. "Hm?" My hands extended towards him.
"Why don't you just chiiiill out?!" Then an almost electrical beam of white light shot out of my hands. Freed raised his sword to protect his upper body, but that wasn't where I was aiming. The beam struck the ground at his legs, coating the ground around him in ice and freezing over his feet.
Both Yuuki and Freed stared at me. I had stunned Yuuki so bad that she momentarily forgot her immense rage (and that's saying something).
""'Chill out'? Really? That's the line you're going with?""
They said in perfect deadpan unison.
"What? I thought it was clever." I defended.
"Ruto, that was just awful."
"I'm a demented psychopath and even I found that tasteless." Freed admitted.
That struck a nerve with me. "Shut up! Nobody asked you, asshole! Now burn!" I shot out my hand again, releasing a medium-sized fireball in Freed's direction, Yuuki dodging out of the way in time. Freed roared in rage.
"Fuck yooooooou!" He swung the sword down, the blade meeting the call of fire in an impressive explosion followed by a lot of smoke. He grinned. "Nice try, Ruto-kun, but none of your half-assed spells are enough to surpass the power of my precious Excalibur-chan!"
"That wasn't my intention!" Before Freed could react, I had already run through the smokescreen I created with my spell, appearing right in front of him while throwing my fist forward. He tried to desperately to dodge or block my strike, but his blade was caught on Yuuki's and his feet were frozen to the ground. There was no escape.
"Oh shit." Then my fist smashed into the side of Freed's face, sending him flying and smashing into the side of a nearby building. I felt bad since I was not going to pay for the damages.
I grinned as I heard the word I just loved to hear.
[Divide!]
Divine Dividing glowed slightly as I felt new power surge into my body.
[...p us…]
I tensed. What was that? Someone…bwas talking to me?
It was far different from Albion's voice… childlike even. It sent chills down my spine.
Freed stood back up, rubbing the huge bruise on his face. "Geez, Ruto-kun's learned to punch a lot harder! Shitty Devils sure do get stronger in such a short time! I think I, even more excited about cutting you up! I feel a little weaker, but I'm rejuvenated with incredible joy!"
"Don't turn your back on me!" Yuuki screamed again as she slashed at Freed. Her breathing was becoming heavier. She was starting to get tired.
"Awwww! How cute how the little Devil-chan thinks she can defeat my Excalibur-chan!" Freed mocked. "But in the end, you're just another weak, shitty Devil!" He swung the Excalibur with impressive force, slamming it against Yuuki's blade and sending her skidding backwards.
[Divide!]
I divided Freed's power again, holding out my hand for another spell using my Demonic Power. I was no master, but Akeno-san taught me enough to do some actual damage against a guy like Freed. I had to get him away from Yuuki!
[Pl…se! Help…s!]
Gah!
I fell to one knee, clutching my head. My vision went blurry for a moment due to the sharp pain that seemed to attack my brain. Those voices… I didn't know who it was. They sounded so close yet so far away. They sounded like they were in so much pain. Despite the fact I did not know them, I felt an odd pain in my heart… it felt as if I was experiencing the same pain as they were. Is this because of Excalibur?!
"Ruto!" Yuuki called out to me from the side. I took a deep breath before standing, adjusting to the added power I stole from Freed. I could tell it was working. Freed was down to 1/4 of his original power thanks to Divine Dividing being used twice. Freed showed signs of lessened strength, but he was still proving himself equal to the still-weary Yuuki. In another ten seconds, I would be able to reduce his power to 1/8 of the original power. Isn't math just neat?
"Sorry, Ruto-kun, but I need you to die now so I can show the swords woman my amazing Excalibur-chan!" I didn't even realize when Freed appeared in front of me. He moved so fast that it put even Yuuki's Knight speed to shame! I felt time slow down as the blade came closer to me.
Fear filled my heart. Was this it? Was this how I was going to die?!
My answer?
"FUCK NO!" Even if Excalibur killed me, I would at least take this shitty bastard down with me and smash that damned sword to pieces!
With the speed granted to me by my Queen piece, I was able to keep up with Freed's attack. It would be a close call, but—
"You stay away from hiiiiiiiiim!" Another inhuman shriek came from Yuuki. I noted a sudden mass slam into Freed with her shoulder, knocking the Shitty Priest off course and stumbling to recover his previous stance. When I realized what happened, Yuuki was standing in front of me, her sword raised and an even more enraged look on her face. "You will NEVER lay a single hand on him!"
Yuuki…
I raised my fists.
[Divide!]
I braced myself again for the shocking pain that I endured yet again.
[Please! S…us! Help…s!]
They were repeating the same words over and over again and it was literally driving me insane. They were screaming at me, the harsh shrieks of pain resounding in my own head, so there was no escape whatsoever. They sounded so close but I couldn't find them. It was Hell.
"Ruto, what's wrong?" For a brief moment, Yuuki's rage gave way to worry.
"Damn! I'm feeling a little weak now!" Freed complained. "Leave it to Ruto-kun to spoil the fun. I hate you now. Ahaha! Just kidding! Don't worry! I still want to cut you up, so don't feel bad, Ruto-kun! But I'm tired, so I'll leave now! See you later!" Freed pulled something out and threw it at the ground.
"No you don't!" Yuuki charged forward, but she was too late. Freed smashed the object against the ground, releasing a powerful smoke screen that completely obscured him from our sight. Even before Yuuki swung through the smoke only to hit nothing, I knew Freed had fled. I could no longer sense Excalibur's presence.
But that didn't stop Yuuki.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yuuki just continued swinging frantically through the smoke. "GET BACK HEEEERE! RAAAAAH!" She swung again and again like a mad beast, trying to kill the person who was no longer there. She was screaming again and again, huffing and puffing as exhaustion began to take her. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! HATE HATE HAAAATE!"
It broke my heart. I couldn't bear to watch this anymore.
I lunged and grabbed Yuuki from behind, holding her back in an attempt to cease this self-destructive behavior.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Yuuki jerked and pulled, trying to escape my grasp, but I refused to let go. "JUST LET ME GO!" She kicked and swung her fists back at me. She even tried swinging her head back to headbutt me. All of her hits hurt and I was pretty sure I had a broken nose, but I wouldn't let her go.
This went on for several minutes before Yuuki went slack in my arms, panting. If I hadn't been holding her, she would have fallen to the ground.
"It's alright…" I said both to calm her as well as forgive her for hurting me.
"Why…? Just… Just go… You'll just get hurt if you stay near me…" Yuuki didn't fight me anymore. Now it just sounded like she had given up on everything, even her own life.
I hugged her more tightly. "I don't care what happens or what you do. I don't want to lose the you whom I care about. If I leave you alone, you'll end up destroying yourself. So please… let me help you."
"Ruto…" Yuuki's voice cracked. She started trembling. "Please… don't leave me alone…" I hugged her tightly, smiling both from relief and sadness.
"Alright." I lifted her back to her feet and supported her. "Come on. You'll stay at my place. I don't want you alone tonight." I didn't care about relationships or romancing her or anything. I just wanted to get Yuuki the hell off the streets, even if just for tonight. I didn't want her getting hurt trying to go after the Excalibur again. Yuuki didn't fight me. She let me half-support/half-carry her as we made our way through the rainy night.