Everything was a carousel of blurring colours but I forced myself up even though my legs wouldn't hold me straight.
Suzuki moved toward me, her hand reaching out to steady me. Her face was etched with a guilt so deep it made my stomach turn. I slapped her hand away with the last of my strength.
"Please, Kenichi. Let me help you."
She whispered to me, her voice trembling. I stared at her, my lip curling in a sneer I couldn't quite maintain. I tried to take a single step forward but the floor rose up to meet me.
Goddammit... am I falling?
Someone grabbed me before I hit the stone floor. I looked up through hazy eyes and saw the girl with the purple hair. Suzuki came to my other side and my body refused to resist, so I let them support me. They flanked me on either side and they began to lead me deeper into the temple.
We entered a massive chamber that was filled with ancient relics. At the far end, an old man stood with his back to us, staring at a large intricate painting of a celestial battle. His spiritual energy was strange – it felt like a calm sea.
He turned as we entered, his eyes twinkling with a strange amusement. "So, all that earlier ruckus was you five? I didn't ever think you would participate in sparring matches, Mr. Kurosawa."
Kurosawa stood ahead of us, his arms crossed and his face a granite slab of disapproval. "I wasn't sparring, sir. This is the impostor I briefed you about and he was trying to escape custody, so I had to retain him."
The old man chuckled and even through my blurred senses, I could feel the confusion ripple through everyone else in the room. "Impostor? Kenichi Yamada is no impostor. I'm the one who assigned him, Suzuki and Takeo to this case."
Kurosawa's eyes widened, his posture stiffening. "How... and why? I was told this case was strictly under the jurisdiction of the Jinshu Temple."
"I have my own reasons. If I share them now, it means you too will be involved in the fallout and I have a strong feeling that things are about to get much uglier." The old man said.
"Since when am I afraid of ugly?"
Kurosawa asked, a small smirk forming despite the tension and the old man chuckled again.
"Alright then. I don't know if any of you have noticed but besides the recent event, we've been dealing with activities that seem to be targeting the association itself. I have reasons to believe that we have an impostor among own and because of that, I had to find people I could trust who aren't comfortable yet with the association. That led me to Miss Suzuki and her... newly apprentice, Detective Yamada. Now that recent event made it clear that our enemies are fond of using exorcism methods against us, which means they might be powerful. So, we need to know who they are and while Yamada and Suzuki work that angle, I will be hunting the mole."
"So, the six of us are going up against something we don't really know? I can't say no to the action." Kurosawa said.
"Seven, actually."
The voice made everyone turn. I too turned toward the source and his presence was almost nonexistent until I fully faced him. He boy that seemed to be a teenager, maybe sixteen but there was something different about him. I felt something crawling down my spine just by staring at him but it wasn't fear, his energy was just... creepy.
Kurosawa immediately stepped forward, his hands clenching into fists. "What is Jasper doing here?"
Jasper hopped down from the ledge, he looked at Kurosawa with a smirk that was even creepier. "I was gramps' one and only prodigy until you decided to put you wrinkled nose inside our business."
Kurosawa looked like he was about to explode, anger was radiating all over him and the old man stepped between them. "Jasper, what did you get from the Wielder we held captive?"
Jasper walked slowly toward Kurosawa. "Shouldn't we be learning about trust first? If we're going to work together, we need to establish that. I can see some people around here don't trust me."
For a split second, I caught a glimpse of something changing in him. Jasper actually seemed to be scared a little when he was asked the question. The fear was gone in a heartbeat, masked by his smug grin but I caught it.
I forced myself to stand on my own, pushing away from Suzuki and the girl. "Why are you dodging the actual question, kid?"
Jasper turned his gaze at me. "Uh... who the fuck are you?"
"Jasper, what did you see in his head?" The old man asked.
Jasper sighed, looking bored. "I saw everything and nothing, it all depends on how you look at it."
I stepped forward, ignoring the throbbing in my temples. "You're scared, aren't you? Whatever you saw in there terrified you."
Jasper's energy shifted instantly, his aura twisting into something that creeped down my spine. He slowly stepped towards me and I instinctively took a step back.
"I really don't like you."
He said and I couldn't blink, even as I took that half-step back I couldn't let my gaurd dow cause who knows what might happen in that split second or whatever.
"Jasper! Control yourself."
The old said and the creepy energy died out instantly. Jasper let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair, looking suddenly exhausted. "You all wanna know what I saw? Nothing, his head was filled with nothing but endless darkness. And just as I was taught, I searched for the spell that was blocking me but instead I found a demon. The moment I stepped into its range, it saw who I am and it nearly slaughtered the demon I'm in bond with as punishment for dragging me to its domain. After that, it let me peak into the man's head and all there was were two words, repeated over and over... telling him to kill himself. Then I was forced out, only to find the man had smashed his own skull against the wall until it was crushed."
Suzuki gasped. "So whatever was in his head made him kill himself?"
I stared at the floor and couldn't stop my mind from racing. – What happened to that guy must've been the same as with that of the girl from the rooftop. And if whatever was in their heads was able to scare someone as twisted as Jasper, then we might dealing with a nightmare. This isn't what I signed up for, though. I only agreed to become an Exorcist to find information about my mother and this cursed bloodline.
"Are you okay?"
I snapped out of my thoughts to find the purple-haired girl waving a hand in front of my face. I looked around, realizing the room was empty. Was I that lost into thought?
"You were so lost in thought, I bet you didn't even hear what Chairman Hiroto said."
I scratched the back of my neck. – This is awkward. – "Who is that and... where did everyone go?"
"Well, it makes sense that you don't know his name... he's the one we found in this chamber and everyone went to do other jobs he assigned jobs. He suggested we take a pause from the investigation so we don't want to attract attention and we've hit a dead end. Oh and you're also under my–"
"Were you always this talkative?" I interrupted.
She immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, she was suddenly shy now. "I-I'm sorry! I'm just so nervous about all this... and I'm sorry for earlier, too."
I exhaled slowly. "It's okay, you were doing what you thought was right. And what does under your care mean, they think I need a babysitter?"
"It's not like that! They paired us up because things might be dangerous now and because I'm technically your superior, it's referred to as under care. My name is Miyu, by the way. Is your wound okay?"
I touched my stomach through suit and the bandage was still there but the pain had subsided into a dull ache. The wound seemed to have closed up and even though I didn't quite understand the mechanics of how I was healing this fast. My mind wandering again and I started walking.
"Can we get something to eat? I'm starving." I said.
Miyu followed behind me as I walked toward the exit. "Yeah! There's a diner ten minutes away and they serve the best burgers in the district. Though, I never got to try them out because Mr. Kurosawa is always so on edge. We never get lunch breaks, I honestly wonder if he ever gets hungry."
Gosh, this is about to be the longest day of my life.
We walked to the diner and she wouldn't stop talking. I didn't listen to half of it but I let the sound of her voice drown out the thoughts in my head. The diner was crowded and the crowd seemed to have an immediate effect on Miyu, she went quiet and shrieked toward me.
"Not good with crowds?" I asked.
"Yeah, they make me nervous." Miyu whispered.
"I thought when you were nervous, you talked a lot?"
Miyu didn't answer me. We walked to the counter and I ordered two burgers, fries and a couple of Cokes. After that, I looked around and spotted a booth in the back corner. "Let's go sit there. You can turn your back on the crowd."
She followed me gratefully and once we sat down, the silence continued. She wouldn't even look at me, her confidence completely evaporated.
"So... how long have you been an Exorcist?" I asked, trying to break the ice as we waited for the food but she didn't answer.
What the fuck? Is this the same girl who was yapping my ear off two minutes ago? – I stared at her, confused and thankfully the food arrived but we also ate in silence. I took my first bit of the burger and had to admit, she was right – the burgers were incredible.
"You were right, these are great."
Miyu still said nothing, she just nodded quickly and went back to her fries. I gave up and as soon as she finished the last fry, she was already sliding out of the booth, all ready to leave.
I followed her back out into the crowded streets, the sun was also setting. A man walking with his head down bumped into my shoulder. I didn't think much of it until I heard a whisper right in my ear.
"Sorry, Detective."
That made me freeze in place. I couldn't explain it but his presence felt hauntingly familiar. I turned around instantly, scanning the surrounding faces but the man was gone.
"Hey, Miyu. Did you see the man who just bumped into me?"
Miyu looked at me, blinking in confusion. "I-I didn't see anyone. I thought you just tripped."
What the hell was that? – I scratched the back of my neck and we kept walking, until we reached a building near the temple that looked like a high-end hotel. Miyu handed me a set of keys for room 84.
"The Chairman said you can stay here until you find a new place, since your old apartment was... crashed."
I took the keys and went into the building. I found Takeo inside, sitting casually on the stairs and he looked up as I entered.
"Can you give me a smoke? I haven't had a chance to buy my own." I asked, walking straight to him.
Takeo let out a short laugh and pulled a pack from his pocket. He handed me a cigarette and as I put it to my lips, he took out a lighte and clicked it open for me. I took a long drag and exhaled a long grey plume.
Takeo looked at me like he wanted to say some apology but I cut him off. "Please. I don't want another apology or I'm going to start throwing punches again."
He smiled faintly. "I wasn't going to apologize. I actually wanted to ask... about what happened when we were fighting. Something was completely different about you for a second there."
I smiled, though it felt empty and started walking toward my room. "A man never reveals all his secrets, man."
I got into my own room and closed the door, leaning against it with my hands clenching into fists. I didn't know what was happening to me but thinking too much about it wouldn't solve anything now though sleeping might.
I stripped off my clothes and crawled into the bed. I closed my eyes and before the questions could start circling again, I let sleep take me.