✖ Yin and Yang ✖ 1x1

[B e a u t i f u l D e r t]

1x1 with Beautifuldert and Las Palabras

[In Blissful Anonymity]

^~^ thanks

[In Blissful Anonymity]

Not much had changed after highschool graduation.

Miku Endo (known affectionately as 'Mikan' by her doting aunt Kyoko) supposed that 90% of her graduating class found graduation to be a 'big deal.' To her, it amounted to little more than errant and forever-lost rice bits dropped on the street from onigiri. She still had no idea what she wanted to do in life, had not moved from her aunt's house in the 'burbs, still had the same friends (er, friend, singular, specifically one Kazuma Kuwabara, world-class chikan artist and hentai enthusiast).

About the only thing that changed was, well, the classroom. A bigger school and more students, who equally misunderstood, shied away from, and talked about her in secret. Ah, well, how could they not? She dressed liked she belong in a visual kei band with darker leanings; about the only place she usually fit in was Harajuku, where the gothlic lolita gangs roamed in bands of black velvet and lips the color of midnight.

And the one thing she wished had changed...hadn't budged in the slightest. Four years ago, when mean little Mikan entered highschool, she'd become the target of a very violent interdimensional faction who nearly stopped at nothing to put her down. The Mashin Empire, one of the most powerful empires in Makai, crossed into human world, time and time again, for the specific purpose of removing perhaps their only threat:

Miku.

Er, well, sort of.

Alone, Mikan was just a human girl with very bad anger issues, violent tendencies, and antisocial nature. Frightening to an extent, sure, but nothing compared to a demon empire. What lied within Miku, however, occupying half of her soul, was what made demons quake in fear: Anzu, long dead and defeated princess of the now disbanded and dispersed Shinryakusensou Empire. About roughly 3000 years ago, Anzu went head to head with the Mashin king and lost...lost her head to be more exact. With their fearless leader dead, the Shinrya people scattered like roaches in a suddenly lit kitchen. Most were killed off, others defected, others still went into hiding. And some, though many didn't know it, fled to human world and took on human skins...leading fulfilling and productive lives but hoping that one day their nation would rise again.

Now why Anzu chose Miku is anyone's guess. Perhaps only the gods know. But when little Mikan was born, she died while still between her mother's legs. Before her entire soul could leave her body, Anzu possessed her, filling half of the missing soul with her own presence. From that point on, Anzu had become her only friend for years. Miku's parents were abusive mountain mongrels, and begrudgingly fed their strange, quiet child for about 9 years. At age 9, something...very bad happened. More on that will be divulged later, with all the bloody details.

Eventually, she ended up in the care of sweet, well-meaning, and ditzy Aunt Kyoko.

All of these angsty and wartorn years later, we find Miku on her first day of class at university, gliding across campus like a black shade, trying to find her way. Kazuma, far from college material, was soon to be part of the JSDF, which left her all alone with Anzu in this strange new world of academia. As usual, the normal people avoided her, trying to avoid making eye contact. But if you took a second look, you could appreciate the fatigue-patterned tank top that translated her nice and ample torso to any curious onlookers. Underneath this was a leather skirt, cut at half her thigh, from which hung a silver chain. Red-lace heels supported her weight on soft velvet, and hugged a pair of feet embellished with blood red polish.

Eventually, Mikan had to admit, "Alright...where the ******** am I going?" She'd memorized the map of this place but she couldn't find the building where her first class was. Ugh. It seemed she had no choice but to ask one of these bumbling fools around here...and now everyone would know she was a first year.

[B e a u t i f u l D e r t]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWho are you...
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTo judge me?

【✖ Keien ✖ Mor ✖】

Why his brother had thought coming to the human realm was a good idea, he would would never understand. His brother being, of course, not one from the best ideas given that the barrier sealing off the demon realm from the human and spirit realm had closed on him the very next year... Well, it went without saying. For several years he ended up roaming in this mundane human form, not nearly as beautiful as his demon form honestly. It was incredibly dull in this realm, and why demons had tried even bothered to go here was beyond him.

It was when he was approached by a woman named Genkai that things started to change. Apparently the older woman had been watching him from a distance, wondering if he was going to cause trouble. Really, Keien had never thought about causing trouble to begin with, he just wanted to travel until he could get back to his realm; it was after all very pretty here, and his final destination just so happened to be Kyoto at the time. Reluctantly he followed Genkai to her home in the middle of no where and for several years he was trained on how to integrate into society.

"Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach." Genkai had said out of the blue one day to him. Apparently becoming a teacher was her last task to him as she took on a final apprentice. Standing in the shadows as she watched Genkai choose her successor a frown marred his face. He felt it would be the last time he laid eyes on such a beautiful place. Upon taking his leave he turned toward the city easing his way into every day human lifestyle and becoming a teacher like his had wanted. So for a few years that's exactly what he did, listening to children and their worldly woes, and becoming one of the most renowned teachers in the district. A teacher of Kyudo to be exact. Though that wasn't his main subject, Keien happened to be a very good linguistics teacher.

Only upon coming to the city did he realize what a disaster it could be though. Lower class demons rampaged around freely and caused what the humans referred to as 'strange phenomena' in sickness, and 'possession' had become, apparently, more frequent than ever before. So occassionaly Keien would find a Makai insect with an innocent business man or woman as a meat suit, and only punching their lights out in a back alley really seemed to do the trick. The Makai insect crushed and his travel to work continued every day.

Though this time after a particularly rough encounter Keien had stopped to have a cigarette. An unruly habit he managed to pick up from a stressed co-worker. A flick of a zippo lighter on the end of a joker cigarette had lit the cancerous stick as he inhaled the smoke into his lungs and held it for a good long second. Exhaling the light cloud of smoke into the air around him he felt the cut on his cheek sting strongly upon seeing a young girls presence. Confused it seemed in her direction for a particular class judging by the book bag slung over her shoulder.

"Lost Miss?" He called over to her, one arm folded over his torso and the other holding the black and white smoke between two gloved fingers. Icy eyes watched as she turned toward him, her eyes catching his and he froze. Such a strong yokai coming from her very presence suddenly and it stunned him speechless. Long black tresses were tied back in a haphazard tail, bangs falling into his vision from behind his ears. Taking one hand and placing the locks back where they belong revealed the cut on his face as he regained his composure. Surely he could be mistaken right?
"You go to Gai Technical right?" He pointed down the street where the main office building awaited for his own entry. Inhaling the rest of his smoke in one log drag he dropped it on the floor and stopped it out with his leather shoe.
"I am a teacher there. Perhaps I can help." He smiled and bowed slightly.
"Kei Minamoto, Teacher for class 5A. It's nice to meet you."







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Tak mína hönd, lítum um öxl leysum bönd.
Frá myrkri martröð sem draugar vagg' og
velta, lengra, lægra, oft vilja daginn svelta.
Stór, agnarögn, oft er dýrð í dauðaþögn.
Í miðjum draumi sem heitum höndum vefur, lengra,
hærra á loft nýjan dag upphefur.

[In Blissful Anonymity]

They said that every human had a spirit guide. Miku wasn't sure if Anzu was meant to be her original spirit guide, or if Anzu-hime simply kicked the intended guide to the curb. Nonetheless, she was a big help to have around. On that same token, she could be an annoying b***h to pipe into her ears. Currently, the horned spirit presented herself on a nearby window, her full 8 foot frame on beautiful display. Her wingspan had folded around her body, the lowest tip coming across her shins. Anzu was a fearsome looking yokai but the woman had a lot of heart. Though technically 'evil' she nursed and cared for Mikan in her loneliest and most fragile moments. When the girl's ruthless mother spared no smiles and no love for the young Miku, this thousands-old oni lady stepped in as caring matron.

After all, for the longest time, they were all each other had. Displaced from her own throne and her own realm, Anzu had wondered the human realm for centuries, trying to find a victim to possess. Most of them were either unfit to begin with, or too weak to contain her spirit. In Miku's case, Anzu's spirit sustained her, since the other half of her soul was in the netheworld now.

Beaming and beautiful from the window, the princess shook her head. An array of dangling piercings jingled in response. "Child, you're so stubborn and proud it verges on stupid. Oh, I recant. It is stupid. But, heh, I suppose that's one of your endearing traits."

"What are you on about now, woman?" whispered Miku, careful not to let anyone see she was 'talking to herself.'

"Look at you wondering around like a kitten in search of a bowl of milk. It's adorable. But it's also a complete waste of time. For s**t's sake, just ask someone for directions."

Mikan folded her arms and sighed. "I have a map, I'll just check the map. Why the hell would I stoop to speaking to any of these people?"

"You're a strange one, Miku. You are born human but you hate your own kind."

Meh...this again. Anzu was trying to be subtle but the young demon slayer saw through it. It had long been the yokai's wish to let Anzu fully possess her and return to Makai. Miku had no favor of ningenkai over Makai, but having never visited 'the realm of demons' nor received any sort of pamphlet describing it, she'd rather stay away from the place. Moreover, she liked being in control of her own body, thank you very much.

Anzu shook her head slowly, a somber darkness in her eyes. Quietly, as if careful not to wake a sleeping person, she said, "You are so lost, my dear child. So very lost."

"Lost miss?"

Miku facepalmed. Greeeaaaat. Did everyone have to point the obvious out. Her soft features contorted into a nasty glare, green eyes blazing at the man behind her. But the glare faltered when she felt the spike of spirit energy suddenly hit the area...and it was emanating from this...human? No, couldn't be.He smelled like oni....like fire and brimstone. From his own response, he, too, caught that she wasn't entirely human. Masking her surprise, she frowned disapprovingly at the cancer stick. Miku hated tobacco. Her dad had lived on the stuff. "Uh...yeah. A little." Visually, she struggled to admit that, biting her lips in response. "And yes, I am. Well, as of today. It's my first day." Then, leaning in a little and taking a step forward, she said in a near conspiratorial tone, "Was I really that obvious?"

Damn.

Shut up, Anzu.

The man, and a handsome one at that, gave his greeting and his name. Miku simply nodded in lieu of a bow. Mikan bowed to no one and, Japanese custom or not, she wasn't gonna start today. The young first year 'n00b' tugged at the strap on her backpack to get it at a more comfortable angle, then went her turn, "Miku Endo, first year. Same to you." After a second of afterthought and better judgment based on Kyoko's life lessons, she added, "Sensei."

Where was Anzu? Certainly she wanted a piece of this. She had to sense this guy was yokai. But he didn't look like a Mashin mook or some s**t so it made Miku curious. Powerful as he was, he didn't give any threatening vibe, but then again that amounted to little down the road. Mindful of the arcane weapon stored in her backpack, she kept her emerald gaze on Minamoto-sensei and said, "Fair enough. Lead the way. By the way, what subject do you teach? I've got English as my first class."

Anzu, who the hell is this? First Makai insects, then a demon on campus? It's been months since I've seen a demon in human form. Do you think he's following me?

Though she couldn't see her guide, she heard her clear as day, "On the contrary. He really has no idea who you are. It would appear his human guise is legitimate; looks like a normal teacher to me. I can see through his skin though. His cover does his demon form very little justice. We shall have to keep a close eye on this good looking man."

Mikan rolled her eyes. "Pfft, indeed we shall, but for what reason, eye candy? Take off those rose-tinted sunglasses or I'll snatch them off your face."

....oops, she'd spoke out loud.

Suddenly red with embarrassment, she gulped, not looking at Minamoto-sensei at first, and quickly fabricated a cover. She smiled innocently. "Blue tooth. Sorry. My aunt loves to tell me these weird stories and she's one of those sensationalist types. Hehehee."

[B e a u t i f u l D e r t]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTo judge me?

【✖ Keien ✖ Mor ✖】

Her glance towards the window on the building beside her did not go unnoticed by him. It wasn't a simple glance either, she was looking at someone. He could be wrong though, Keien had not met another demon with such a yokai since his arrival in the Human Realm. To find one in the body of a College student, one not possessed was another thing entirely. Was she trapped like he was? Or was she here voluntarily. Or maybe she was the one in control of the Makai insects and she had finally found him to put a stop to his rebellion. His mind raced with questions that were quickly quelled by his focus. That wasn't the issue right now, the bell was about to ring in two minutes.

Looking down at his wrist watch he chuckled softly and approached her carefully, not wanting to be too close, but trying to share the sidewalk at the same time.
"A little obvious, but that's okay. Are you new to the area?" He inquired and adjusted his own satchel before stuffing his leather hands into his coat pockets. The cold began to bite through his clothing thanks to the early autumn weather. He wasn't too fond of the cold, the plants were never as pretty in the winter as they were in the spring, though he did have a strange love for the snow if he were honest.

"It's nice to meet you Endo-san. How fortunate for you it seems I am your first teacher of the day." He chuckled with a soft smile, unsure if the girl even knew who or what he was. Never in his life had he met someone with such a strange Yokai energy, perhaps she was getting the same vibe from him? Keien was old after all, after a few centuries you would think he'd have some sort of energy signature. Unfortunately for him it was knocked down a few pegs once being dormant for a few decades in the Human Realm. Thanks to Genkai he was only able to preform menial demonic tasks now. After all, he was in the Human Realm to act like a human. Not like a demon.

"I'm afraid I do not own rose glasses Miss Endo." He admitted, not quite understanding her statement or bothering to further her embarrassment about eye candy. He had picked up on a few choice phrases that he had understood around humans. They said strange things and their slang was constantly changing. So much so that during the summer he preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. The comment however was not what worried him right now, it was who the comment was for that was questionable. Silence stretched between them as the young girls face flushed with rosy embarrassment. It wasn't the first time after becoming a teacher he hadn't gotten a few glances. Kei wasn't incredibly fond of his human form, but at least it was at least kind to the eye, as they would say.

"Blue...tooth?" He questioned, slowly trying to understand current technology. It sounded familiar though. Wait, wasn't it a wireless listening device for phones? He smiled and nodded as if suddenly understanding her comment.
'It's not kind to lie Miss Endo.' Kei thought to himself as they walked down the street together. He would have heard it with keen ears if that was truly the case, however he allowed her secret to stay as such.
As they approached the door to their classroom the bell rang upon entering the threshold and the students stood to attention.
Perhaps it would be an interesting day after all.






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Tak mína hönd, lítum um öxl leysum bönd.
Frá myrkri martröð sem draugar vagg' og
velta, lengra, lægra, oft vilja daginn svelta.
Stór, agnarögn, oft er dýrð í dauðaþögn.
Í miðjum draumi sem heitum höndum vefur, lengra,
hærra á loft nýjan dag upphefur.

[In Blissful Anonymity]

Somewhere, hidden behind those quantum curtains that hid things from the human eye, Anzu chuckled. It had undoubtedly been from Minamoto-sensei's comment about Mikan being 'new' to the area. Kyoto had been the girl's home for the last decade of her life, and she was quite a 'city slicker' gal.

"Oh...silly pup," whispered Anzu-hime to her pupil. "I see now why you humans find ignorant moments like yours endearing."

Miku cringed under the pretense of a fragile smile, wanting nothing more than to hit someone. It almost felt like this man was in cahoots with Anzu in poking fun of the dumb little human. ********' oni bastards. Eventually, Mikan glanced at Minamoto-sensei to voice her response. "Ah, no," she said pointedly, emphasis on that 'no.' "I've been here since I was 9. But I've only toured campus up until now, so I'm still learning my way around the place." Miku, too, felt the cool air, crisp enough to be pleasant to the skin. Ultimately though, she was not cooler weather's biggest fan. Autumn's state of decay suited her dark temperament, but her fiery element was its very antithesis. All the same, her constant anger made Miku blind to the roses that life presented her, much less stopping to think to stoop down and smell them. Beauty could be an ugly, frightening thing when given Miku's lens; nature's pleasant colours were rather boring to her.

Her brooding eyes watched each student pass by, loathing every one of them. When Minamoto revealed he was her first teacher, she nearly stopped dead in her tracks. Miku moved slightly away from him, paranoid now. How the hell did Fate land this to happen? Anzu you are he ain't following us?

"Believe it or not, we can blame coincidence for this occurrence. I've no idea who this man is."

Tch. Coincidence. Anzu had always said there were no coincidences.

One thing was certain...this oni must not have been in ningenkai for long. He'd missed a rather old and common human saying (the glasses bit) and it took him a while to recognise what a blue tooth was. Miku wondered why he chose a university as a front to whatever agenda he had; personally, she wasn't in the business of playing heroine to humanity, but it would kinda suck if he destroyed her college. Transferring was not always easy. Whatever he wanted out of this sorry world of humans, she'd find out; after all, why choose the only college where, ta-dah, she went to? If not a Mashin assassin, then maybe a third interested party? Or a future ally? Allies would be nice, had not Miku been a shitty team player.

She didn't care that she was the last student to class, that all of her other peers were already in class. Ignoring their uniform show of respect, Miku walked past them all to sit at the top row all the way at the back of the room. Oh, look, it was highschool all over again.

But one thing since highschool had changed, and he was about to start Miku's worst subject ever. Groaning to herself, she dropped her book bag on the ground, robbed it of stationery and pens, and rested her cheek on a cupped hand. Her green eyes bore into Minamoto-sensei's oculars, picking up whatever she could from those two gates that spoke much about the soul. Anzu could read human minds, but oni minds were walled off to her. It looked as if the female au pair would have to figure out Minamoto-sensei the old fashioned way. I hope he doesn't call on me in class today. Please don't...I really ain't in the mood to have all these people looking at me.

Looking around the room, as was her tendency to observe everything, Miku spotted something brown on the neck of someone a couple of rows down from her. Looking at it more closely, she saw that it fluttered...that it had wings. Another insect? This moved her to curiosity, but she felt little in terms of sympathy for the Makai insect's victim. So far none of the possessed humans had attacked her...so she knew it wasn't the Mashin behind it. Though, it would be intelligently wicked to turn all of Kyoto's human population against her. She would have to write that on her list of 'Possible future events to look out for.'

[B e a u t i f u l D e r t]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTo judge me?

【✖ Keien ✖ Mor ✖】

A heavy sigh fell from him as they entered the room, a new fresh look of happiness donned his face instead of his laid back curiosity moments before. It didn't escape his notice that she sat all the way to the back of the room. Apparently he had made her nervous in some way. Keien was oblivious to many human things but she was not one of them. For some reason every move she made was recognizable to him, made him question and second guess his own thoughts. She was unique, and although Keien did not spend much time in this realm to 'mingle' with the humans, as they would say, he did realize that she was different than most.

"Good morning class. My name is Kei Minamoto and I will be your English teacher for the year. I am also the coordinator of the Kyudo club, so if you have any questions about it, please talk to me after class." Chalk on the black board scribbled out his name in Kanji [刑縁] and then once more in English. He bowed, and the students said good morning, and all was as it should be. Well, except for Miss Endo who was busy observing her surroundings. Thankfully role call went through smoothly enough, Endo had barely bothered to whisper her name since her focus seemed to be on everything but school work. Students were more or less hanging on their teachers every work, though she was the first person who seemed entirely uninterested in anything he had to say.

"English books to chapter one page twenty three please." He began and started to turn for the board once again but Endo was still staring at some kid. Looking in her direction and following the trail of her sight he realized she was staring at another classmate. Kei always thought that kids were finding love a little too early in the year these days. A soft smile spread across his lips at the thought of childish behavior. That was of course until he noticed the flapping wings of a Makai insect. A frown marred his lips and he quickly scribbled the numbers on the board before flipping to the page he had previously mentioned. Of course he would have to deal with them during school. The most difficult part about dealing with them was the act of being subtle, especially when humans couldn't see them.

Wait.

Humans can't see Makai insects.

He froze for a moment as children flipped to their perspective pages. The concern look on Miss Endo's face vanished once he made eye contact with her. Kei was not mistaken then, she too had seen the bug. His features were quickly schooled into that of a carefree teacher as he began to stroll around the classroom reading from the book without actually looking at it.

"Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost."

Kei walked down the farthest row and began to make his way back up another. Trained in the art of subtle he supposed, thanks to Genkai and being the demon that he truly was. Sometimes even he forgot about his own power and ability after living in ningenkai for so long. Frustrating as it was, being able to preform such easy tasks as riding the realm of demonic insects was at least rewarding in itself.

"Ah me! How hard a thing it is to say
What was this forest savage, rough, and stern,
Which in that very though renews the fear."

As he began his pace back up through the students his target came into focus and his hand, quick as the blinking eye snatched it from her shoulder. However not without startling the human boy slightly. A deep chuckle rose from him as he pretended to brush his hand off of his handkerchief taken from a breast pocket.
"I'm sorry. Toshi Yagasaki, you had a spider hitching a ride. Thought I would take care of it for you." He smiled and the boy shuddered but thanked him simply before moving on. The Makai insect however crumbled into nothing and disappeared with its final breath.

"So bitter is it, death is little more;
But of the good to treat, which there I found,
Speak will I of the other things I saw there."

Kei continued to make his rounds weaving through the desks as he did so. The passage in his hands completely ignored except by memory itself. After all, he had been teaching English for years now, memorization wasn't the least bit difficult for someone such as himself.

"I cannot well repeat how I entered,
So full was I of slumber at the moment
In which I had abandoned the true way."

He approached Endo's chair as he continued with the passage in his book not bothering to make eye contact with her just yet. The Yokai energy that had been from the Makai insect was gone, and now he could tell that it was only hers in the room with him. If she truly was a demon he would be in quite the trouble if she proved an admirable opponent, though perhaps she was ally instead? One could only hope, if she was no threat to him then perhaps Endo would be able to help him return to his realm.

"But after I had reached a mountain's foot,
At that point where the valley terminated,
Which had with consternation pierced my heart,"

Did he even want to return home at this point? Keien was rather satisfied where he was despite having to deal with lower class demons from occasionally. He supposed it passed the time anyhow. As much as he had dreamed of returning to his home Keien had not the ambition or the power anymore. Sadly enough even if his new acquaintance was a lower level demon and became an enemy, he would likely die in a heart beat if brought to battle.

"Upward I looked, and I beheld its shoulders,
Vested already with that planet's rays
Which leadeth others right by every road."

A smile pulled at his pale lips. For a long time that was another evil he was faced with. Death was something of a gift to a demon who became useless. Even though he had traveled and seen all that Japan could give him, his last stop in Kyoto had been the final destination. If it weren't for Genkai now... that would have been a different story entirely. Heaving a heavy sigh as if suddenly tired of his class he closed the book and set it on the table, now standing behind his desk.

"Then was the fear a little quieted
That in my heart's lake had endured throughout
The night, which I had passed so piteously....."

There was a long silence that stretched within the room. Apparently his memorization ability or his perfect English did not go unnoticed between his class of twenty three students. He sat in his chair folding his legs one over the other as he rested back with a smile looking over the shocked faces before him.

"Can anyone tell me what it means?"






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Tak mína hönd, lítum um öxl leysum bönd.
Frá myrkri martröð sem draugar vagg' og
velta, lengra, lægra, oft vilja daginn svelta.
Stór, agnarögn, oft er dýrð í dauðaþögn.
Í miðjum draumi sem heitum höndum vefur, lengra,
hærra á loft nýjan dag upphefur.

[In Blissful Anonymity]

Miku was not a particularly bad scholar, but she was a rather shitty student. There are many jewels of untapped potential dotted about the youth of the world, future prime ministers, would-be CEOs, candidates for greatness. Their issue, however (and that issue being oblivious to many of them) is that despite all the mental prowess and God-bestowed gifts with which they are armed...

They simply don't give a s**t.

Miku, being one of them, had not found many lasting interests in her short lifetime. Nor had she dreamt any mortal dreams that her kind were prone to do. She didn't want to be a mother, a housewife, or somebody's caretaker. She wanted something she couldn't put words to, an anonymous longing as deep as the human soul can fathom. It was a hunger that nothing had ever fed.

Bored, she half-listened to Minamoto-sensei as he called role. Her nimble fingers traipsed through the funny-smelling shiny pages of the textbook, called Now You're Talking! Conversational and Business English. Her mind had left the Makai insect and had now refocused on pictures of happy, smiling Americans speaking with happy, smiling Japanese people. These fools. They had no idea that creatures capable of bringing all of man's armies to its knees watched earth like winged raptors, waiting for the kill. Sometimes it was still hard to believe the amount of 'what the ********' compressed into Mikan's life. Demons...in this day and age..what was this, a manga?

At long last, Miku did comply with the good teacher's wishes and turned to page 23. Ah...the Inferno. She'd read it when she was a child; books had been her silent companions when she lived with her parents. Sometimes Mikan felt a little like Dante, going through the mires and pits of this Hell called life to find, well, home? No matter where she went, she couldn't stave off this constant feeling of displacement...of otherness. Always the outsider. Maybe it was just Japanese culture.

Minamoto smoothly glided between his students, citing the Inferno, it seemed, from memory. Even Miku had to smile at that. Pretty damn impressive. Hawkish green orbs tracked his moves subtly only occasionally glancing at he textbook. Minamoto neared the boy with the Makai insect and killed it at the touch. Huh...so he wasn't the one who sent them, at least. Then again, this currently meant nothing to her, for her business had nothing to do with the little bugs unless one of them attacked Kyoko or Kazuma. Sensei produced a smooth lie to mask his strange action. Mikan smirked and crossed her arms. Quick lying b*****d aren't ya? Heh. I do wonder who you are...

"Perhaps he'll be an ally after all," mused Anzu.

Miku rapped a pencil on her notebook, peppering the empty page with small graphite dots. Oh? How you figure? You've deduced this already, Sherlock?

"Maybe. Keep your mind open, dear Watson. I have a feeling this Makai insects are going to make their business, our business."

Terrific. No matter what, though, Miku was not going to become some damn sentai warrior to save Kyoto. Misanthropes might've become heroes in the movies, but that wasn't gonna be this girl's role. Nuh-uh. No way.

"Plus, did you hear what he said? He teaches kyudo. I've been trying to teach you how to use a bow, but you've staunchly refused everytime. Even Karasu, that old codger woodsman, couldn't convince you."

Yep. Two demons can't persuade a little ol human to pick up a bow. Pathetic! And I told you, I've fought every battle so far close range and I've done just fine. A bow wouldn't have helped in any of those circumstances; I didn't even have time to aim.

"Ugh. You don't need time to aim if you can track your targets' ki. Enchant the arrow and match it with your mark's spirit energy. Karasu and I could've showed you. I want you to inquire to Kei about it, if he turns out to be an ally." Karasu was a half human half Tengu who watched over a gateway to the other realms. He'd been something of a mentor for Miku through the years. His usual job was to monitor who and what came into human world, and guide the dead who left it to their respective damnation or eternal paradise. He'd spoke of some blue-haired chick named Botan who shared a similar occupation, but Miku had never met the woman.

Sighing through her teeth, Miku placed the pencil between ear and temple; its point poked through her hair. Leaning back in her chair and yawning, she brought her attention back to Mr. Demon Teacher. Neutral was her expression. At his inquiry, she scoffed. How could any of these ESL bozos understand such artful English, much less find a way to make it relevant to anything.

Miku hunched over, making herself small and attempting to hide behind a tall classmate in front of her. Awaiting someone's reply, she busied her idle mind by cleaning the dirt from her fingernails with a paperclip she'd found.

[B e a u t i f u l D e r t]

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【✖ Keien ✖ Mor ✖】

In all his time here Kei had never seen anything like his experiences back in the demon realm. There was no death, no fighting like back home, bodies didn't liter the streets and people talked to one another instead of shouting madness. To him at least, that was strange enough as it were. The village that he and his brother were born from was nothing but a band of thieves fighting for treasure and most of all power. So why had his brother asked him to go to ningenkai? Well, for war of course.

Keien's job was to search the human realm to find suitable allies, or hideout to begin their invasion. Since they had scoured pretty much that majority of the Demon realm which was in reach his brother had finally found a way to get into ningenkai safely, and his brother was to be the guinea pig. Goes to show that even blood you cannot fully trust he supposed because only a year later the barrier completely closed up on him just as he was trying to return news of his findings to his people. Unfortunately for him he would be stuck there for the rest of time.

At least that's what it looked like. However now that he's see this new demon for the first time in several decades he hoped she would know a way back. Keien was certain at least that Endo-san was indeed a demon. There was no way she would make eye contact so obviously with a Makai insect and radiate such a yokai without actually being such. Perhaps they would be able to help each other in some way. He had no idea what yet, but since she didn't seem to be the one controlling the Makai insects or any immediate threat, then clearly she was a neutral party.

It was so strange to see her as they were now, curious about her real form and why she kept looking at her surroundings but not really at them. She was thinking it seemed, but far more focused, like she was holding a conversation. With herself though? It was strange to think it would be with anyone else, but if she were a demon than there were multiple possibilities...

Well, he hoped. As far as his luck went so far Keien was lucky if he could even find his way around this stupid realm sometimes. Icy eyes glanced toward the window where another insect had threatened to make its way towards his students. The teacher quickly becoming agitated with his surroundings.
"Something wrong Sensei?" Asked a student innocently at his strange expression. Chuckling with a smile he shook his head.
"No no, I was just thinking about about Dante and his quest through the gates of Hell.." His voice trailed off as he stood and sat on the edge of his desk ready to make a move if it were to come in. Which of course the Makai bug slipped through the cracked window with ease and landed on a students desk. Standing at the front of the class he pulled the two red sticks from his hair allowing its long length to cascade down his shoulders at end at his waist, it was rather long for a "man his age" most people thought.

"Sensei Minamoto?" A student asked just as he began weaving through desks.
"Dante made his way into several layers of Hell. Do you know how?" His voice trailed and he snickered under his breath as he approached the unsuspecting students desk. His class began looking slightly nervous at the strange display, that heard rumors about how he was different than most teachers, but nothing about this sort of action. Kei stopped beside his target taking the sticks in hand and stabbing them into the desk, of course pinning the Makai bug.

"He killed them all!" He cackled crazily, causing his student to jump out of his chair with surprise. His laugh bellowed through the classroom as he explained.
"With surprise of course! Trying to talk to the demons before killing his enemy with the element of surprise." Whether it was true or not he hadn't the slightest clue but at least his own target had been eliminated. Pulling the sticks out from the desk, leaving a reasonably sized hole in its wake, a frown marred his face as he walked back up to the front of the classroom tying his hair up in a quick practiced motion. Clearly the insects were going to become more of an issue than he thought. Perhaps he would have to talk to Genkai sooner than he thought.

Once his hair was tied he schooled his face into the happy mask of his teaching persona before turning back around to face them with a smile.
"Do you understand now?" His gaze fell on Endo's as she looked up at him instead of continuously hiding behind her classmate. She was begging to get called on at that rate. However seeing her personality a little prior to class, it probably wouldn't be the best idea.





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