Devils Never Cry - Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Classes Begin: The Holy Lock Explained

Dawn broke the darkness of Youkai’s night sky, the morning sun casting its light through the windows of the dorm rooms. The soft alarm of Ryu’s clock went off, the display reading 6 AM. Purely on instinct, Ryu gave the alarm switch a firm smack, shutting it off. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He found himself on his back, somewhat pinned by Mizore, who was splayed on top of him, her head on his chest. He gave a sleepy smile, running his fingers through her silky purple hair. He noticed that her pajama shirt had opened a bit, exposing her cleavage.

He didn’t say a word, but softly kissed Mizore’s forehead, causing her to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her face. After blinking a few times, she smiled at Ryu, and kissed his chin.

“Good morning, my golden devil,” she mewed. Ryu gave her a tight hug, making her moan happily.

“Morning, my little snow bunny. Did you sleep well?” he asked, rubbing her back. She nodded happily, still smiling.

“Oh, very much so. What about you? I wasn’t too cold for you, was I?” she asked, tilting her head. Ryu smiled, and stroked her cheek.

“Best sleep of my life, Mizore. And your body chill was actually quite pleasant. I could easily get used to it,” he said. Mizore blushed bright pink, and nuzzled Ryu’s chest.

“What would you like for breakfast? We have plenty of time before classes start,” she said, rolling off Ryu’s chest. Ryu sat up and stretched, groaning.

“Not sure, to be honest. We bought plenty of food yesterday. I’ll think of something, though,” he said, getting out of bed. Putting on his glasses, Ryu walked into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. “How do fried eggs and toast sound to you, Mizore?” he called over his shoulder. Mizore put on her slippers and began brushing her hair.

“It sounds wonderful, Ryu. A good way to start our first day of high school,” she called back from the bedroom.

“Alright. It’ll be ready in about 20 minutes,” Ryu called, turning on a burner on the stove, and dropping some butter in a pan. Taking the eggs out of the fridge, he cracked them into the pan, listening to them sizzle right away. He then buttered some slices of bread, and put them in the toaster. Picking up a spatula, he kept an eye on the eggs, flipping them every few minutes. About 10 minutes later, Mizore came up behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Smells great, Ryu. I can’t wait to have breakfast with you,” she murmured softly, laying her head against his back. When breakfast was ready, Mizore sat on the floor at the table. Ryu put the plates down, and sat across from her.

“Enjoy, Mizore. We have a big day of classes ahead of us,” he said with a soft smile. Mizore returned his smile, and started eating. They ate in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. When they were finished, they put their dishes in the sink, and went back to the bedroom to get dressed. Ryu stripped out of his pajamas and grabbed his uniform while Mizore got her sweatshirt, and another tank-top out of the closet.

“Ryu, I’m curious about something,” she said, taking off her pajamas. Ryu looked over his shoulder, zipping up his jeans.

“What’s on your mind, Mizore?”

“That lock on your wrist… What’s it for?”

“Mizore, I told you I’d tell you everything, and I will. But after classes, ok?”

Mizore nodded, and put on her bra and panties, then pulled her tank-top on.

“I’m just curious because you didn’t have it when we were kids,” she said, putting on her skirt. Ryu put on his shirt, but didn’t button it, and hugged Mizore tightly.

“It’s something all Black Devils are required to wear by Youkai law. I don’t have a choice, Mizore,” he said softly. “I’ll tell you all about it in depth later, but it has to wait until after school,” he said, stroking her cheek.

“Alright. I’ll wait,” Mizore said, taking Ryu’s hand. He must have a reason for wanting to wait to tell me. Well, I’ll respect his wishes. I’ve waited 8 years to be with him again, so I can wait a few hours to find out what that lock is for, she thought, looking into his eyes. They spent the next half hour preparing for school. They finished getting dressed, gathered their books, and put anything else they may need in their school bags. By 6:45, they were ready, and left their room.

Leaving the dorms, it was nice and balmy outside. Perfect weather. I wonder if this region of Youkai is kept at this temperature to ensure the comfort of all the monsters that attend the Academy, Ryu wondered. As he was looking around, and taking in the scenery, Mizore took his hand. He looked down at her, and returned her smile. But a loud voice cut through the moment.

“Found you!” someone yelled. Ryu turned around, and saw Saizou Komiya running towards him. Gently pushing Mizore out of the way, Ryu ducked low, and swept Saizou’s feet out from under him. Losing his footing, Saizou hit the ground hard.

“You really hold a grudge don’t you?” Ryu said with a sigh, adjusting his glasses. Saizou got to his feet, and sneered at the prince.

“You think you’re hot shit just cuz you’re a prince? Well you’re not, and I’m gonna be the one to take you down a peg, Tokugawa,” he snarled. Ryu wasn’t even the slightest bit intimidated by Saizou’s threat, and just groaned in exasperation.

“I don’t have time for this, Saizou. If you want to take a shot at me, there’s a time and place for it, and right here 10 minutes before classes start is not one of them,” Ryu said calmly.

“You think I care? I just want to prove that the Black Devils aren’t as strong as everyone thinks they are,” Saizou said gruffly. He’s just looking for an excuse to fight me… But I need to hold back or the seal might weaken, Ryu thought, his thoughts drifting to the lock on his wrist.

“Saizou, I’m not your enemy. If you come after me again, I’ll meet your challenge. But for now…” Ryu said delivering a quick punch to Saizou’s gut, making him double over in pain. “For now, I have to get to class. I’ll gladly fight you after school and get this foolishness over with,” he said, turning around, and walking with Mizore away from the dorms, leaving Saizou in defeat.

“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Youkai Academy. I am your homeroom teacher, Kenshi Tanemura,” said the teacher at the front of the room.

“Good morning, Tanemura-sensei,” the class said in unison. The classes at Youkai Academy were structured around understanding humans so that monsters could one day live in peace with them. So each class was based around those taught in human schools. The school day even ran a typical 6 hours of classes with a one hour break for lunch. When classes were done for the day, students would bow in respect to their teachers, and then headed back to the dorms.

“Mizore, let’s go get a snack,” Ryu said with a smile, reaching out his hand. Mizore smiled, and took it, and they walked to the school store.

“Ryu, you promised to tell me about that lock on your wrist,” she reminded him as they looked through the shelves of sweets.

“And I will. It’s called a Holy Lock. All Black Devils are required by law to wear them to keep our powers in check. The Lock acts as a seal, limiting our power, and allowing us to maintain our sanity when we transform,” he explained, grabbing a bag of his favorite snack. Mizore tilted her head, and looked at him.

“Maintain your sanity? What do you mean?” she asked, a note of concern in her voice.

“Well, when a Black Devil uses their full power, it overwhelms our minds, and renders us little more than mindless beasts. The Lock’s primary purpose is to limit the release of this power into 3 separate stages, and also allows us to recognize friend from foe when we’re at full power,” Ryu answered.

“So it’s like a failsafe. It gives you the ability to use your true strength without the risk of accidentally harming someone you may be trying to protect,” she summarized. Ryu nodded, smiling.

“Exactly. And as for the 3 stages, they are 3 unique seals within the Lock that when released greatly increase our strength, speed, and control over our youki,” he said, paying for their snacks.

“I see. So what does each stage do?” Mizore asked, intrigued by all the information she was receiving.

“Well, Stage 1 pushes our regeneration rate to its max, allowing us to recover from near-lethal wounds without much trouble. Stage 2 raises our speed and strength to their limits, making us very dangerous fighters. And Stage 3 pushes our youki control to a level unmatched by any other monster. But nowadays, our bodies can only remain in this state for a few minutes at a time, because ever since the Locks were created, there have only been a few very rare cases where a Black Devil has had to use their full power,” Ryu explained, carrying the bags of snacks.

“Because most monsters can’t really match your true strength, right?” Mizore guessed. Ryu nodded as they walked back to the dorms.

“Yeah. So the few times we’ve used our full power since the Locks were created have been against delinquent S-Class Ultra monsters who don’t agree with our race’s desire for peace with humans,” he answered. Mizore looked at the ground, deep in her thoughts. To think that there are monsters nowadays that can make even a Black Devil unleash their full strength without holding back even a little bit… It’s scary to think about, she thought, and then looked up at Ryu’s face. She smiled to herself as she looked at his deep blue eyes. At least they’re keeping the peace, she mused. She stopped walking, and tightly hugged Ryu, nuzzling his chest.

“Would you use that power to protect me, my golden devil?” she asked, closing her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her back, Ryu nodded, stroking her hair.

“Of course I would. I would do everything in my power to keep you safe, my little snow bunny,” he replied.