Dance with Devils

Shiko Academy student Ritsuka Tachibana is summoned by the mysterious and handsome boys of the Student Council and accused of violating school rules. On top of which, a horrible incident happens at home. Who can she turn to, and why is she being targeted?

Ritsuka meets the rest of the student council before leaving with Rem, its president, to pursue a promising lead in the search for her mother.

Ritsuka's brother Lindo goes to unusual lengths to keep her safe. Meanwhile, dashing student council member Urie has a few words to say about Lindo...

Ritsuka learns some truths about her family--and about the student council--before having a confrontation with someone who isn't who he seems to be.

Mage bursts in while Ritsuka is in class, kidnapping her and taking her to the Tokyo Tower. He threatens her in his true demonic form in an attempt to extract the location of the grimoire, but is repelled by her ring. He then attempts to seduce her into telling him by treating her to a meal, but she runs away. In a back alley, she is threatened by a gang of thugs, but Mage catches up with her, allowing her to escape while he fights the thugs, devouring their souls. As she runs, she is found by Rem, who brings her to a helipad to send her back home. Still believing that he helped her out of kindness, she confronts him, and he reluctantly admits that he only needs her as a pawn in his game for power. Mage then finds them, taking Ritsuka and escaping through a portal. In an attempt to cheer her up, he takes her to watch the sun set over the ocean, but accidentally drops her in the water when he becomes captivated by her smell. Passing through a portal again, they find Lindo waiting for them. Seeing that Ritsuka is soaking wet, his eyes become red and he goes into a rage, attacking Mage. The two battle with magic, forcing Ritsuka to jump between them. Mage decides to withdraw, promising that he will return to claim her. ▽ B-Boying of Vainglory and Impulse [Int'l: renamed English title] ▽ Breakin' of Self-Conceit and Impulse [Japan: literal English translation] ▽ Dokuson to shouhaku no bureekin [Japan: original Romaji title]

Ritsuka finds Shiki in the school garden destroying thorned roses with his bare hands. She stops him and Shiki tells her that he was doing so because he thought that she might want to help him. Shiki reveals to Ristuka that he is a fallen angel. He suddenly tells her that he may know the whereabouts of her mother and he offers to take her there. Ristuka is hesitant, due to her previous encounters with the other members of the Student Council, until Azuna interferes. Shiki allows Azuna to accompany them. He takes the girls to a nearby art museum with many hallways like a maze. He disappears and Ritsuka gets separated from Azuna, becoming lost. While wandering around the museum, Ritsuka catches glimpses of her family's past until Shiki grabs her from behind. He tells her to become his, but Ritsuka pushes him away, prompting Shiki to use his powers to freeze her. He threatens to kill her if she doesn't comply, but Azuna intervenes by repelling him with a capsule of holy water. She attempts to exorcise him, but Shiki reveals that he can't be exorcised due to the angel blood within him. Black wings sprout from his back and he attacks the girls, wounding Azuna in the process. As he is about to kill her, Ritsuka convinces him to stop, and he teleports them back to the school garden where they first met. As Shiki begins to leave, Ritsuka asks him if he lied about knowing where her mother is, but he only replies by saying that lies are truth before disappearing.

Rem visits his father, who tells him to find the 'Forbidden Grimoire' as soon as he can if he doesn't want to shame his family's name. Meanwhile, Ritsuka finds Rem's pomeranian, Roen, in a department store while she and Azuna are shopping for materials for their school's cultural festival. She follows him to a park where he reveals his true form, the mysterious person whom she saw in the 'Third Library' (see Episode 4). He properly introduces himself as Roen which shocks Ritsuka. Roen reveals to her that he is a ceberus. He then offers to tell her more about the 'Forbidden Grimoire' and a portal appears behind him. Ritsuka is hesitant until she receives a phone call from Azuna, but she makes up an excuse then proceeds with Roen through the portal. They walk down an empty hallway and Roen reveals to Ritsuka that she is the 'Forbidden Grimoire'. The scent that wafts from her is the proof. He tells her that the powers of the grimoire will reveal itself on her seventeenth birthday. Roen tries to put Ritsuka to sleep until that time and attempts to persuade her to remove the ring Lindo gave her for protection. Ritsuka is about to remove the ring until Rem appears and stops her. He convinces her not to, then confronts Roen of his betrayal and attempts to attack him, but Roen takes Ritsuka hostage and threatens to kill her. He rips her uniform and digs his claws beneath her shirt and into her skin, but Ritsuka's ring repels him. Lindo appears and notices the wound Roen gave her, and thinking Rem was the one who attacked her, he goes into a rage and becomes monstrous. He tries to attack Rem, but Ritsuka intervenes and he claws the left side of her cheek. Rem manages to avert Lindo back to normal by asking him if he is also going to destroy Ritsuka. Lindo goes back to normal when he hears this and Rem leaves. Ritsuka and Lindo are then teleported back to the park where today's events began. Still in hiding, Roen says that he will definitely open the grimoire with Ristuka the

As the school prepares for the culture festival, Rem lies to the student council about the location of the grimoire, claiming it is in Vienna. Meanwhile, Lindo and Azuna decide to place Ritsuka under constant protection, with one of them accompanying her wherever she goes. As the festival gets underway, Urie, Mage, and Shiki all ask Ritsuka to be their partner in the dance, but she refuses. When the time for the evening party comes round, she and Rem are chosen as king and queen, and begin to dance despite the misgivings of Lindo and Azuna. As they dance, the two realize that they have feelings for each other. When the party is over, Ritsuka heads home accompanied by Azuna and her brother, when they are attacked by the vampires. Lindo is forced to transform, but Jek snatches Ritsuka. Azuna attempts to save her, slashing his cheek, and in his rage he impales her. Crying out in anguish, Ritsuka unleashes the power of the grimoire, destroying the surrounding vampires with a flash of light as Azuna dies in her arms. Jek, watching from afar, vows to return and claim her as soon as the light fades.

After Azuna's death, Lindo takes Ritsuka to the Exorcist Association for protection. Meanwhile, Urie, Mage and Shiki realise that Ritsuka was the grimoire all along and they start to search for her. The Exorcist Association then betray Lindo's trust, by deciding to kill Ritsuka in order to get rid of the grimoire, but Lindo interferes. They also reveal to Ritsuka that her brother is actually a 'dhamphir'; half-human, half-vampire. Lindo escapes with his sister and they hide in a Japanese shrine while Urie, Mage and Shiki hold off their pursuers. While hiding, Lindo reveals to Ritsuka that they are not siblings; but cousins. His father was a vampire, and his real mother is actually their deceased maternal aunt, Marta. He then confesses to Ristuka that he is in-love with her and attempts to kiss her, only to be interrupted when Rem arrives. Assuming that Rem has come to obtain the grimoire, he and Rem decide to settle their matters once and for all in a battle using their powers. Rem injures Lindo and is about to finish him off until Ritsuka yells at him to stop. She tells Rem that she can no longer stand watching her close ones get hurt and killed just because he wants the grimoire. When Rem doesn't say anything, Ritsuka yells that she hates him and Lindo repels Rem with his magic. Rem leaves heartbroken while Ritsuka takes Lindo to Shikō Academy's infirmary to treat his wounds. She then decides to forget her feelings for Rem so she can protect her family. Meanwhile, Jek visits his master, Lord Nesta to tell him about the grimoire.

The revelations just keep on coming as Ritsuka learns more about who she is and where she came from. Rem is confronted over his feelings for Ritsuka.

Ritsuka arrives at Lord Nesta's castle where she meets Lord Nesta for the first time. He reveals to her more about her family's past then has her taken away to be prepared for the ceremony. At Shikō Academy, the Student Council are wondering where Ritsuka is, until they are confronted by Lindo and Loewen. Loewen reveals to everyone that Ritsuka has gone to Lord Nesta's castle, prompting the devils and Lindo to go and save her. Rem is hesitant until Loewen gives him Ritsuka's crown as an encouragement, to which he declares as the "perfect checkmate", thus finally admitting his feelings for her. Meanwhile, Jek reveals his true colours to Ritsuka when she stubbornly presses him about the ceremony and refusing to comply if he doesn't explain. She is then brought before Lord Nesta whom she tries to attack with a pair of scissors she secretly brought along, but he hypnotizes her to comply. While under Lord Nesta's spell, her mind still works and she regrets her decision as she is led to the sacrificial tower. Just before Lord Nesta could bite her, Loewen interferes followed by the other devils and Lindo. Ritsuka happily rushes to them, but Jek grabs her and holds her at knife point with the pair of scissors.

While the devils, Lindo and Loewen fight off the vampires, Jek takes Ritsuka back to Lord Nesta in order to continue the ceremony. Lord Nesta tries to bite Ritsuka again, but Loewen interferes allowing Ritsuka to escape and she is saved by Lindo who leaves her in Rem's care. Rem takes Ritsuka to a safe place, and while there, he hugs her, relieved she was safe. Lindo defeats Jek causing him to plummet and get impaled to death on a statue. Lord Nesta suddenly recognizes Lindo as his estranged son and hypnotizes him in order to make him his ally, but Lindo is quick to snap out of his spell and he stabs his father through the heart with his claws. Lord Nesta falls dead on the ground and the remaining vampires retreat. Ritsuka reunites with Lindo until Lord Nesta suddenly revives and gets up, causing the devils and Loewen to realise that Lord Nesta had hidden his 'real' heart elsewhere to prevent himself from dying. He attacks everyone by sending them flying into the walls, and Rem saves Ritsuka. Having had enough of her current situation, Ritsuka decides that she will protect everyone, and her determination activates the grimoire's powers. With the help of the grimoire, she is able to locate Lord Nesta's real heart which had been hidden in one of the statues, and she stabs it with the pair of scissors, ending Lord Nesta once and for all just as the grimoire's powers fade away. The devils also notice that the grimoire's scent no longer lingers. As they go outside, Rem is finally able to declare his love for Ritsuka which she happily accepts and rekindles. He then tells her with the grimoire gone, he has no need to remain in the human world and he asks her to live with him in the devil world. Ritsuka declines and they go their separate ways. Just before Rem disappears, he gives Ritsuka his crown from the evening party and they share a kiss as he fades away. Life returns to normal in the Tachibana family and Ritsuka wears Rem's crown around her neck at all times signifyin