Night Terrors
Summary: There's one thing the slums have taught Rin. Boundaries don't exist in the darkness. He's known that since he was eight. Being the son of Satan may not be much of a secret anymore but there are more dark secrets that he hides. OC's, blood, violence, language.
7 years ago
Rin kept his eyes cast into the large shadow's face, feeling the glare burning deep into his soul. This man's piercing gaze could make any normal human feel like he was shooting knives out of his eyes.
"How much?" The man growled, removing a cigarette from his lips.
"Seven hundred yen." The eight year old replied in a strict business like tone. He showed no signs of fear or any emotion in front of his leader. The man blew out another puff of smoke.
"Fine. Gather the crap and go spit and shake on this deal."
"Yes sir."
Meanwhile, a girl with platinum blonde hair and red eyes watched from the stairway as Rin went to get the materials he meant to sell. Her narrow eyes went from the man to the boy before continuing to wash blood from a set of knives.
Rin moved quietly through the alleyways outside the hideout as he made his way to the meeting location with a bag slumped over his shoulder. He paid no mind to the people he passed. Some were smoking, drinking, and the prostitutes were at work. Rin didn't need to see them to know that they were 'working'. He stepped over a body that was bleeding out in one of the alley's corners and made his way to a seedy pub that was eerily silent for once. He knocked three times and waited. An eye appeared through the peephole and the door opened to reveal a tall man with a shaved head and tattoos all over his arms.
"You bring it, Akuma?" His voice was raspy and he smelled of meth. Rin gave a simple nod and the tattooed man stepped aside so he could enter. The whole room smelled of cigarettes and a man with a tall green mohawk sat in the corner of the pub at the end of the bar. A woman with too much makeup and wearing nothing but a bikini top and shorts sat on his lap and she stared at Rin through a drunken haze.
The man with the mohawk shifted and patted the woman's thigh to get off his lap. The woman got to her feet and stumbled away with a bottle of booze, muttering about 'not being paid enough' while the man clasped his hands together.
"Well, if it isn't the little bastard Akuma." He announced, as if he were introducing a long time friend. "Some of my boys have ended up in the hospital. I assume you had nothing to do with it."
Rin didn't reply and handed the bag over to the punk. "I have the bennies, Kei. You got the money?"
Kei opened the bag and pulled out a container of pills labeled 'Benzedrine' and chuckled before taking out his wallet.
"I can see Hebi knows how to keep his word." Kei handed Rin seven coins, along with a note. "Give him this note too, 'kay?"
Rin gave a stiff nod and made his way out of the pub while Kei started downing some of the pills. Outside the pub, it seemed as though the night got darker and tonight was unusually quiet. In the slums, crime was high and every minute someone dies. Rin pulled his jacket closer to himself as a breeze flew past him. Any normal kid his age would be at home and in bed at this time of night. This wasn't the first time he's been out this late. This was the fifth week of his 'job'. He snuck out of the monastery when everyone was asleep and would roam the streets selling whatever his 'boss', Hebi, told him to. Hebi was not someone you wanted to cross. One wrong move and that could be your final mistake. But Rin wasn't stupid. He didn't join Hebi out of fear. He did it because he had to.
Rin knocked on the door to the hideout and called out softly. "It's me, Moesashi. Akuma."
Moesashi, a punk with a red and orange striped mohawk and a lean build, opened the door for him. Every hideout was fought for. Their current hideout was an old apartment building that used to be run by another gang called Red Thorns. That was Rin's first experience in a gang war. He could remember it clearly. Hebi's crew shot, stabbed,and beat every member of the Red Thorns. There were still traces of the fight in the apartment. Bloodstains were dried onto the dirty carpet and some of the walls. One of the tables was shattered in two and bullet holes were planted in the walls and doors.
Hebi was sitting at one of the tables that hadn't been damaged during the fight and was drinking a bottle of vodka. The girl was still sitting on the staircase and was playing with a switchblade. Rin learned to tell what her mood was when she played with the knife. The faster she flicked the knife, the angrier she got. When she flicked slowly, it meant she was tired or bored. When she twirled it, she was amused.
Rin set the money on the table and waited for Hebi to dismiss him. Hebi counted the money, slowly, as if he were making sure it wouldn't explode before reading the note. Once he finished, he dismissed Rin with a wave of his hand.
"Same time next week, Akuma."
With a stiff 'Yes, sir', Rin exited the building. The red eyed girl watched him leave and turned to the gang leader who downed the rest of his vodka.
The night was even darker than it was before due to the moonlight being blocked by a large group of clouds. And there were barely any streetlights in the slums so it was too dark for any normal human being to witness a silent felony. At night, doorsteps, sidewalks, alleyways, and dumpsters became public dormitories. Those who don't have shelter sleep outside on the street. Rin pickpocketed a few sleeping misfortunates as he headed back to the monastery. He found some money. Along with some drugs labeled LSD and Marijuana, a flask that smelled of whiskey, and a pocket knife. Rin stuffed them into his pocket and decided to bring the drugs to Hebi the next time he went to work. Along the way, Rin passed a group of drinking men.
"Where 'ya goin' kid?" A man with blond hair slurred. Rin ignored him and kept walking. The other men laughed.
"Don' think 'e likes 'ya, Bando." A man with a red beanie watched with great amusement as he took another swig. From the smell, Rin guessed it was beer. As another staggered toward him, Rin broke into a run.
"Oi! Come back, kid! We don' wanna hurtcha!" The drunk man let out a belch and went back to drinking with his friends.
Rin ran into an alleyway that was a greater distance away from the group of drunkards. He wasn't afraid but if he fought the men, their leader would probably declare war on Hebi's crew and Hebi would be pissed.
Remember what he said. Rin reminded himself as he made his way to the monastery. Don't kill without thought or good reason.
The first time Rin killed was before the fight with the Red Thorns. He was looking for a buyer that would want the drugs Hebi gave him when he was attacked by an addict. His attacker looked like a walking corpse. 'I'll get your money. Just give it to me.' The man repeated as he tried to grab Rin's bag. Rin had punched him in the mid-section multiple times before striking his nose. The man tried to fight back but Rin stomped on his ribcage until he stopped trying to grab the bag. When Rin saw the blood coming from the man's mouth, even in his young age he knew that wasn't a good sign. Instead of finding help, Rin turned and proceeded his business. When he walked past the man again, he wasn't breathing. Rin didn't sleep that night.
That wasn't the last time he killed.
xxxxxXXXXXxxxxx
Present Day
Rin was tense. Classes went on and on. Minutes felt like hours as teachers went on about their lessons. Of course, Rin would usually sleep through classes but something was keeping him awake and he didn't know what. It was one of those instincts when you felt as though something you dreaded was going to happen. Rin felt the need to be alert.
When the lunch bell rang, he was out the door before the teacher could dismiss the class. He had no appetite so he just sat on a bench in the courtyard. His friends caught up and sat down to enjoy their lunches. Unfortunately, they noticed his abnormally quiet behavior.
"Hey Okumura, aren't you gonna eat?" Shima asked. Rin was just staring off into space and didn't answer. "Okumura!"
"Huh?" Rin almost jumped. "Oh, sorry. What?"
"You're not eating." Bon pointed out. Rin just stared at his untouched bento and sighed. He really didn't feel like eating.
"I'm just not hungry." He set his bento aside and threw his head back on the bench. Before anyone could question the half demon further, a cell phone rang. Rin immediately sat up and reached into his pocket. Thinking it was probably Yukio, he answered without looking at the caller. "Hello?"
"Recognize my voice?"
Rin stiffened and stood up. His friends stared at him as he walked away. He didn't want them looking into this situation. On the other line was Usagi. The most recent member of Hebi's gang. A hacker.
"How'd you find my number?" He demanded.
"It wasn't easy." Usagi stated. "You never gave anyone your number so I had to search over a hundred. Anyway, I called because this is important."
"What's up?" Rin wasn't prepared for what she said next.
"Hebi's dead." Usagi said, softly.
Rin's blood went cold. He had never been close to his leader but having a gang leader dead was not only bad for business but the followers would also be in jeopardy. "What happened?"
Usagi paused before explaining. "The Carnage Kings attacked after they raided our recent home. Hebi was shot by a sniper and..."
"What, Usagi? What is it?" Rin felt fear welling up in his stomach when Usagi trailed off.
"Akuma...I...it-ugh! Damn it!" Usagi's voice suddenly cracked. Usagi rarely cried. "Almost everyone's dead, Akuma! There's only six of us left!"
Never before had Rin hated a simple number so much. "Who?"
"Me, Surasshu, Kitsune, Kagayaki, Konton, and Mikio." Usagi said the last name as if it put a foul taste in her mouth. Rin didn't blame her. No one would be happy about working with an alcoholic. "We need you to meet us tonight."
Rin noticed the immediate change in Usagi's tone. "I'll be there. Where should I go?"
"Meet with Mikio at Yoru Street. He'll tell you where you need to go." Rin almost missed the 'Hopefully' at the end. "Tell that idiot to meet you at the hideout too, okay?"
Before Rin could respond, Usagi hung up. Sighing, he turned off his phone and headed out of the courtyard. But of course, his friends stopped him.
"Who was that?" Bon asked, demandingly. Rin hated it but he knew he didn't have a choice.
"Yukio." Rin lied. "I have to go see him. Family crisis."
"What's wrong?" Shiemi asked, innocently. Rin was never a quick thinker before but he was this time.
"One of the pastor's at the monastery is gravely ill." He lied once more. "Sorry but I really need to go now. Bye!"
Rin ran off but with his newly developed hearing, he heard Shima suggest that they follow him. Rin hoped that they wouldn't. The Kyoto trio, Shiemi, and even Izumo were his first friends and he couldn't bear the thought of them finding out about his double life. While he wasn't really friends with the gang members they were his allies and he couldn't let them die.
xxxxxXXXXXxxxxx
Rin hurried out of the school grounds and jogged toward a bus stop. He anxiously waited for five minutes until the bus arrived. Unknown to him, his friends were following him along with his brother.
"What's the idiot up to?" Bon whispered. "Who's Usagi?"
"What kind of name is that?" Izumo scoffed. "Who would literally call themselves 'Rabbit'?
"Maybe it's his girlfriend." Shima suggested, with a sly grin. Yukio just watched his brother in a cold calculating trance. 'What are you up to, Nii-San? What's so important that you lie about a family crisis?'
When Rin boarded the bus, Yukio immediately called a cab and they followed the bus to a tall building that looked as though it had been long abandoned. As Rin got off, Yukio quickly paid the driver and he and the exwires jumped out to follow the half demon. Rin walked past a sign that was labeled Yoru Street and the cram students watched from behind a building. They watched as Rin started talking to a man in ragged clothes and was holding a flask. He was obviously drunk and Rin flicked his forehead to wake him from his unfocused state.
"Mikio, wake up!" Rin barked in a tone that neither Yukio or the exwires heard him speak before. It was harsh and demanding. Something that didn't describe Rin very well."Where is it?"
"Say what, now?" The man 'Mikio' slurred, rubbing his eye.
"The hideout, you drunk bastard!" Rin almost yelled.
"Oh. Y-yeah. Fought for Warehouse 31 down at Gure's." Mikio slurred. "There was a skull on the front door. Creepy thing. Can you imagine we all got one under our faces?"
"For Pete's sake, Mikio! Pay attention!" Rin snapped. "Or so help me, you will be eating meat through a straw for over a month!"
"Hey, you can't drink meat. You eat it." Mikio said, still clearly unfocused. Rin gripped his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't have the patience for Mikio. "Actually, I put beef in a blender when I was five. Then-"
"Whatever. I'll go find some supplies. I'll meet you over there in ten minutes. You go back to the hideout. NOW GO!" Rin turned and started climbing the building Mikio had been leaning against. He leaped up to the window and quickly pulled himself up to grab a space with a missing brick before repeating the process. Once Rin was on the roof he sprinted and jumped to the next building.
"Wow!" Konekomaru gasped.
"He's like a ninja!" Shima exclaimed.
"Looks like cooking isn't the only skill he has." Izumo stated. "He must know parkour."
"Damn, he moves too fast! I can't see him anymore." Bon cursed as Rin disappeared from view over the rooftops.
"Maybe we could follow Mikio?" Shiemi suggested. Everyone looked at her like she had a death wish.
"Are you insane?!" Izumo nearly shouted. "That guy is a drunken-"
"No, it's possible that he's our only chance of catching up to Rin." Yukio said, eyeing the drunkard as he staggered down the street. "They are both meeting at the same place. Hopefully, he will keep moving. Just keep a distance from him."
The Exwires followed Mikio down the street and hid behind an alley when he suddenly stopped.
"What's he doing?" Shiemi asked when Mikio turned to the wall and started unbuttoning his pants.
"Wait, is he- Oh my God!" Shima groaned, turning around. The others also turned away in disgust and Izumo let out an 'eewww' as Mikio started urinating in the street.
"Geez, who does that in the middle of the street?!" Bon whispered, harshly.
"He's obviously too drunk to care." Izumo muttered, refusing to look at Mikio any longer.
After relieving himself, Mikio staggered down the street again, letting out an occasional giggle or belch. The Exwires followed him through dark alleyways that seemed to be painted with more than spray paint. Most of the walls had splats of red drying on the gray structures. Yukio had a bad feeling that it was blood. Mikio stumbled over to a fence that looked as though someone detonated a bomb on it and tripped over the wires.
"Damn..." Mikio slurred. "Should probably tell 'em kids ter clean the friggin' place."
Yukio and the Exwires hid behind a stack of crates that were lined up behind the fence and watched Mikio approach an old warehouse that looked as if it would collapse in any minute.
"OI! It's Mikio!" Mikio shouted. "Open 'er up will 'ya?"
Seconds later, a girl with platinum blonde hair and narrow blood red eyes opened the door and looked ready to skin the drunkard alive.
"Keep your freaking voice down!" The girl hissed. "You want every snitch to know we're here?"
"'Ya know me better than that, Kon-ton." Mikio said, trying to straighten up but just looked like a grinning, unfocused fool.
"Damn right, I do." The girl said. "Those bastards will step over your drunken ass before even a minute passes. Stopping bullets is all you're good for."
"Ha hah! 'Yer a funny one, Konton." Mikio laughed as though the girl was one to joke but anyone could see that she wasn't one to kid around.
"Just get inside." The girl growled like a warning dog. "Did you find him?"
"Who?" Mikio asked, confused.
"Akuma!" The girl exclaimed.
"Ohh, Yeah. He's on his way." Mikio said, stumbling past the girl and into the warehouse. Once the two were inside, Bon and Shima crept over to the door and opened it a crack before peering in and listening.
The girl was glaring daggers at Mikio, who was taking a swig of whatever was in his flask.
"This tastes funny." Mikio muttered. "Is it beer?"
"Nope." A male's voice came from the other side of the room. "That's the bottle you pissed in last night."
Two males burst out laughing until the girl glared at them and commanded them to shut up. Once their laughter died down, the girl turned back to Mikio.
"Mikio, you better have found a buyer for the crap you keep bringing back or you'll be the rats next dinner." The girl said in a threatening tone that sent chills down the Exwire's spines. "Out of all the places outside this hellhole and you steal from a fucking church! Who's going to buy that shit?"
"Yeah, who the hell is going to use a damned chalice in this dump?" The male voice from earlier demanded. "I'm pretty sure no one gives a rat's ass about religion around here."
"That guy stole from a church?" Shima whispered.
"That's really messed up." Konekomaru stated. The others nodded in agreement.
"But it's made of real gold." Mikio slurred. "Isn't it?"
"Goddamn you, Mikio! You're one dumb shit." The girl snarled. "I don't know why you weren't killed long ago. You practically have no use for us!"
"Did I ever tell 'ya," Mikio started. "That when Akuma and I was sent to kill Loose Lips, we caught 'im screwin' a boy! That guy was a homo! Can 'ya believe that?"
"Yeah, I remember." The male jutted in. "You laughed your ass off and got caught. Then Akuma had to take care of Loose Lips with a pipe."
"Are they talking about Rin?" Shiemi asked, softly.
"They can't be." Shima laughed. "Okumura may be rough at times but there's no way he'd kill...right?"
"Give me one reason not to set Nikuya on you, Mikio." The girl snapped.
Yukio and the Exwires could hear the sound of a dog growling on the other side of the door. Well, dog was putting it lightly. That thing sounded like a beast.
"C'mon Konton, how's a man supposed to work these parts so easily?" Mikio yawned.
"Well, for one," The girl started. "You can start by making sure you weren't followed!"
Yukio suddenly felt something slam into his skull and his vision went black before he hit the floor. The Exwires scrambled to their feet when a creature suddenly barged out the door and pounced off of Shima before standing beside the figure that knocked out Yukio.
The figure was completely dressed in black. He wore black jeans, combat boots, black wife beater, leather jacket, and had a black and gray fox mask on his face. He carried a nightstick in his right hand while standing in a fighting position. Next to him, a black and brown dog was crouched in a protective stance and was growling, revealing a sharp set of white canines. The dog had part of it's left ear torn and had scars littered on his body but he looked far from weak in any way.
Izumo let out a scream of both fear and pain when she was grabbed roughly by one of her ponytails and her assaulter put a knife to her throat. Izumo froze as the blade slightly pierced her skin and felt the breath of her attacker on her neck.
"Best stay still if you want to live, Sweetie." The girl with the platinum hair whispered in her ear. Izumo almost let out a whimper when the girl suddenly yelled out. "Nikuya, attack!"
Instantly, the dog jumped on the enemy closest to him, which happened to be Shima, and bit down on his leg. Shima howled in pain as he tried to struggle free from the dog's steel sharp teeth but the dog only sunk his teeth further into Shima's leg. Bon tried to help him but was instantly jumped by a male with medium length red hair and navy blue eyes with a katana. In a flash, the boy whipped the blade across his chest. Bon wasn't given time to recover when the red haired boy slammed him against the wall and hit his head in the process. Bon's vision blurred and pain was blossoming in his head when he felt the cold blade against his neck. He looked up only to see the red head's foot collide with his temple and then everything faded to blackness.
The black haired boy with the fox mask ran up to Shima and sent a hard blow to his head with the nightstick. The girl whistled and the dog hurried to her side, still in a defensive stance, as both males went for the last two strangers that found their territory. Konekomaru and Shiemi were trembling with fear.
"P-please," Konekomaru stuttered. "W-we don't want any trouble!"
Konekomaru froze when the red head's blade pressed against his throat and his eyes met those of the older male's navy blue ones.
"I don't like picking on little guys." The red head said, bluntly. "So here's how it's gonna go. You come with me and you won't give me any trouble otherwise I'm gonna feed you to the dog, 'kay?"
Konekomaru nodded and the blade was removed from his neck. The red head took him by the shoulders and roughly steered him towards the warehouse. Shiemi was given the same treatment by the boy with the mask and Izumo was forced to walk with her neck still exposed to the platinum girl's knife. The girl's grip on her hair tightened when Izumo stumbled and she was yanked to her feet by the hair.
"Keep moving, bitch." The girl commanded. Izumo would never admit it but she was afraid for her life right now. This girl looked she wouldn't hesitate to hurt anybody.
Izumo nearly gagged when they entered the warehouse. The whole place smelled of smoke. Cigarette smoke. Mikio was leaning against a large crate that was almost taller than him and was taking another swig from his flask.
"What should we do with 'em, Konton?" The red head asked the girl, keeping a firm grip on Konekomaru.
"Take 'em upstairs." The girl 'Konton' ordered, forcing Izumo to turn to a staircase. After being led up the stairs, the remaining Exwires were led to a room with two ragged mattresses and trash was littered on the floor. It looked as though it hadn't been cleaned for years. Konton forced Izumo into a chair but kept the Exwire's neck at knifepoint as she forced Izumo to look at her.
"Listen here, Princess." Konton said, pressing the knife against Izumo's throat. "I am going to release you for now but if you move or make any noise, I am going to hurt you. Understand?"
Izumo knew that this girl would keep her word because she could feel a cut forming on the middle of her throat and the look in those ruby depths told the Exwire that she's killed before. Izumo gave the girl a simple nod and the knife was removed from her neck. The two males told Shiemi and Konekomaru to sit on the mattresses and threatened them into staying put before heading out the door. Minutes later, the red head came in, dragging Shima by his uninjured leg and had Yukio over his shoulder and the black haired boy with the fox mask was dragging Suguro. The three bodies were tossed onto the floor like garbage and Konton commanded the conscious three's attention.
"You'll be in here for a while but don't expect anyone to coddle you because you're in my territory now." Konton looked at the three sharply before continuing. "We'll decide what to do with you once Akuma gets here. And do me a favor. Don't piss me off, okay? I have enough to deal with tonight and I don't want to have to repaint the warehouse with anymore blood. Understood?"
Shiemi, Konekomaru, and Izumo nodded. Konton exited the room and shut the door. The familiar click of a lock echoed through the room and the Exwires were left to sit in the dark.
