Rin swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he looked in the mirror. He glanced over his shoulder in the reflection, Bon standing behind him with arms crossed.

How had they ended up here? They'd been innocently bickering just a while ago. Something about hair.

"Yea, well have you looked in the mirror lately, rooster-head! You don't look completely 'normal' either!"

A trembling hand reached up to touch his slightly longer canines.

"Yea, well at least mine is just bleach and piercings! You don't even look human!"

His ears stuck out longer than the last time he'd looked at them.

That had hurt. "I... don't?" Rin mumbled.

"Wait, don't tell me you haven't even looked at yourself since awakening?" The silence was enough of an answer, "Ok, Idiot. We're going. You need to face this."

Rin hardened his face at his reflection. No way would he let his emotions get to him. Not with Ryuji right there. "Alright, so I look a bit odd. Doesn't mean I'm not human."

As the halfling attempted to walk out of the restroom Bon grabbed him by the shirt collar, "Oh no, we're not done here. It's no wonder you're having trouble controling your flames when you can't even accept yourself."

Shit. "Ok, what then?"

"Your sword."

"W-Wait. What!?"

"Kurikara. I want you to see yourse-"

"Seriously, Bon, can we not?"

The monk rolled his eyes, "No. We're doing this, Okumura. No backing out."

Rin whined, looking back at his reflection. He grabbed his sword from his side, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I can't."

"Rin."

"I-" trying to wet his dry thraot, "I'm afraid, alright? I... I saw myself in passing once..." he shivered at the memory, Satan pulling him towards the gate. He hadn't even drawn his sword at the time and that reflection he'd seen- it wasn't normal.

"Hey... Look." Rin turned away from his mostly human reflection, a hand on his shoulder coaxing him to look at his friend. "Let me do it?"

The boy glanced down at the scabbard in his hands, he trusted Ryuji. Besides, Kurikara originally belonged to his temple, he wouldn't do anything to damage it. He nodded and passed it over.

Bon smiled comfortingly, holding the boy's gaze with his own. "Now watch," he pulled the blade out, not even blinking as the room lit up blue. "You're still Rin. You're still my friend. Now just turn around and look in the mirror you idiot."

If Rin wasn't crying already, he was by the time he met his own face in the glass. He took a step back out of fear, "Th-thats..." The demon sniffled as tears continued pooring down his face, he couldn't stop staring at the... thing. in front of himself. "I'm..."

He jumped, feeling arms wrap around his waste, "You're Rin." He shivered at the voice in his ear. "You're Rin Okumura, and it doesn't matter how you look. You're cute."

The teen instantly blushed, his head whiping around to stare at Ryuji. Bon had put the sword to the side, still unsheathed. "B-Bon...I-" his words were cut off as a kiss was pressed to his lips.

The arms were still around him, rubbing circles in Rin's back as Bon pressed their foreheads together, "I Like you Rin. And I want you to like you."

The demon nodded slowly, a smile spreading on his face despite the tears flowing even harder from his eyes.

Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't the monster he thought he was.