A Half-Demon's Life
This was a birthday fic for my good friend Shireheart. Though she's no longer on this site, I'm still dedicating this fic to her.
Morning sunlight streamed through the trees of a thick grove, making leaves sparkle with dew. Seventeen-year-old Rin Kurosaki pushed aside the leaves and stretched, her wings rustling. Winter would be on its way out back in England, she reflected with a small smile. But here, on Hyokai Island, the weather was always comfortably warm. True, Rin reflected, there were cool days and the occasional rain or storm to contend with, but for the most part, none of the half-demons had to worry about cold weather killing off crops or prey. All the easier for their community to thrive.
Perched on a branch high up in a tree, Rin's sensitive ears caught the sounds of her fellow half-demons starting the day. And unless she was very much mistaken, she had company. Easily leaping out of the tree, Rin landed on the ground just as a young male half-demon with wolf-like ears and a thick black tail trotted into view.
"Thought I'd find you here," the young male greeted.
"Morning to you too, Raharu. And what brings you here?" Raharu, who was clothed only in a pair of loose brown shorts, smiled.
"I caught some rabbits earlier. Want to share?"
"So long as they're raw."
"Is there any other way?"
Raharu was, Rin reflected as she followed him out of the glade, her first and best half-demon friend. True he wasn't her first friend, Rin mused (her clawed hand brushed the small bulge in her pocket where she kept her crystal bat), but Raharu had been the first half-demon she'd met.
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Wings aching, heart racing, eleven-year-old Rin flopped onto the beach of Hyokai Island. The little half-demon gasped for air, the waves brushing against her bare feet. The journey had been hard, harder than even she'd imagined. Perhaps, she thought with lingering anger, having only human children to compare herself to made her overestimate her own strength.
Pushing herself to her knees, Rin could feel her heart rate returning to normal, but her anger level did not abate. It was her aunts' fault that she'd had to leave home before she was considered strong enough to make the journey. Perhaps her aunts hoped she'd died en route; that was, of course, provided they'd dared to go back to her old home. Then again, Rin reflected with a bitter smile, she'd convinced them to leave pretty quickly once she'd got her claws into them.
Glancing behind her, the little half-demon saw only the ocean, its waters black under the night sky. Aside from the island, there was no other land mass nearby. Rin's ears drooped; home was behind her now and she couldn't go back now. It would be some time before she could see her family again and she already missed them.
A slight scuffling noise made Rin leap to her feet. Though exhausted from her flight, the little half-demon tried to make herself look as threatening as possible.
"Who's there?" she growled as she squinted into the night-shrouded trees. "I'm in no mood for games."
There was a brief silence. Then, out of the shadow of the trees emerged a young boy with jet black hair and amber eyes. His pointed ears were, like Rin's on top of his head, and his long black tail was curled up in behind him. His bare upper body was in the process of hardening, signifying that he couldn't be much older than Rin and his face was still round with the last year of childhood.
"Hello," he greeted, his voice slightly tinged with an Asian accent.
"He-hello," Rin replied, her aggressiveness leaving her. The boy smiled at her.
"I'm Raharu Ichimaru. What's your name?"
"Rin Kurosaki." Raharu peered into behind her, cocking his head.
"Are you… did you come here by yourself?" "
Hai, I did." Raharu's eyes widened.
"Whoa, you must be powerful. Most of our kind don't have the strength to make the journey to the island until they're thirteen or fourteen."
Rin shrugged. "I didn't really have a choice. I… I had to leave."
"Oh." Raharu trotted up to her, smiling shyly at her. "You hungry, Rin? I'm staying with a few of the older half-demons and we have plenty of food."
Rin tilted her head, suddenly feeling a little shy. "Do you have seagull?"
"Yeah. You want some?"
"Yes, please!"
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"Gonna be a beautiful day. Most of us are hanging in the lagoon."
"Hard to believe that our old homes are probably still flooded with snow right now."
"Tell me about it. When my mom decided to spend winter in Vermont one year, we got so much snow we couldn't open the door. Much as I like snow, I can't say I'm eager for that again. And from the looks of it, neither does anyone else."
Leaving the trees, Rin and Raharu crested a small hill and looked down at a small village of wooden huts and small gardens. Half-demons of all ages moved about tending to crops, chopping wood, bringing home game, or just enjoying the lovely day. In the middle of the village, a group of half-demon children were capering about excitedly. Rin smiled at the sight; the feeling of community- something that had eluded her throughout her childhood- never seemed to wear off here and for that, Rin was grateful.
"Easy there," one of the young females called to some of the younger half-demons. "We'll be on our way to the lagoon shortly."
"So much for a quiet day," Rin noted.
"Since when is a day at the lagoon, or anywhere else here, quiet?" Raharu asked with grin.
"A good point. Our-"
"Swimming!"
"And catching fish!"
Two little bundles of limbs, red fur, and bushy tails, barreled up the hill, coming to rest in front of Rin and Raharu.
"Hi, Zeke. Hi, Zane," Raharu greeted the little fox boys.
"Good morning, you two." Leaping to their feet, the twins gazed up at Rin eagerly.
"Rin, Zeke says we can catch fish at the lagoon! Can we?"
"You'd be better off fishing on the beach. More fish in the shallows."
"Told you!"
"Well, I'm catching more!"
"Nu-uh! I am!" Reaching down, Raharu scooped the twins up by their tails.
"I'll take them to the lagoon and see if I can wear them out a little. Feel free to grab the rabbits from my den."
"Sure. Meet you there." The wolf half-breed headed of, Zeke and Zane squirming in his grip.
"Come on, Raharu, we'll race you!"
"Yeah, and we'll win too!"
Smiling to herself, Rin headed for Raharu's den. Zeke and Zane were always full of energy, always managing to keep whoever was minding them on their toes; a far cry from the two-year-old orphans another half-demon had found hiding under a bush.
I wonder if my brother has as much energy as Zeke and Zane. Rin paused outside of Raharu's den, allowing herself a moment to reflect. James would be six right now, close to turning seven. Did he ever look up at the stars at night and wonder that there might be someone thinking about him? Rin shook her head. No, of course he didn't. Why would he think that? She had secured her mother and stepfather's promise that she would be forgotten- unknown, even- until her return. Hopefully, that would give her family a little peace and goodness knew her neighbors would love nothing more than to erase her memory from their home. All the better.
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Within a few days, Rin was already thinking of Hyokai Island as home. The eleven-year-old, once an outcast, was now considered part of a community and no one looked down upon her. Along with Raharu and a few other half-demons her age, Rin was free to run through the forests, swim in the lakes and ocean, and soar through the skies and hunt seagulls to her heart's content.
Yet, the young half-demon's heart still ached from her hasty departure from her family. More often than naught, sleep would elude Rin and she would find herself standing at the shore and gazing at the moon, wondering sadly if her family continued to think of her.
And with that sadness came the hate…
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Rin clenched her teeth and shook her head. It wouldn't be long now. Soon, she'd be eighteen and able to come home. According to law (both demon and human), she would have absolved herself of any crime by staying away from the human world for the minimum of five years. Her hands would be clean and she could finally see her mother, step-father, and brother again. And maybe, just maybe, she'd sneak up to her aunts' home and scare the ever-living hell out of them. It was less than they deserved, true, but imagining the looks on Spiker and Sponge's face when they saw their half-breed niece all grown up was enough to make Rin smile.
Stepping into her wolfish friend's den, Rin found another surprise waiting for her. Laying across the brace of rabbits was a plump pair of seagulls, strung together by their webbed feet. Draping the animals around her neck, Rin left the den, spread her powerful wings and jumped into the clear sky. The clear wind whistled through her hair and Rin allowed her eyes to close, enjoying the free feeling of flight. Ever since she had learned to use her wings, Rin considered flying her favorite thing to do. And since coming to the island, her wings had grown stronger.
Well, all of her had grown stronger.
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Brow furrowed in concentration, the newly turned twelve-year-old Rin jumped back, spun on her heels, and whipped her wings at her opponent. The satisfying crack of wood and the crudely constructed training dummy fell apart in two pieces.
"Yes!" Panting slightly, Rin surveyed her work with a critical eye. The cut was clean, true, but too low on the body. It was best, she remembered, to hit major organs; in a battle, the sooner you dropped an enemy the better. Biyako, the tiger half-demon who was responsible for helping Rin hone her fighting skills, had told her that.
"Strike hard and fast. Don't give your opponent the chance to strike back. That could be the difference between life and death for you and the person you're trying to protect." Biyako, who'd had to fight for his life among the pure-blooded demons, was invaluable when it came to fighting techniques.
Flexing her claws, Rin set up another one of the hastily built dummies. Now, to concentrate on faster, more precise strikes, moves that could do a lot more damage than, say, simply clawing at a despised relative.
Soon, Rin thought to herself, soon I'll be strong enough to protect the people I care about. Then, no one will try and hurt me or my family ever again! No one!
With the fire of fury simmering in her heart, the young Rin continued to hone her fighting skills, eager for the day she could use them for real.
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Circling over the island, Rin heard the sounds from the lagoon before she saw the others gathered there. Landing lightly on her feet, Rin sauntered up to Raharu, who was watching the fox twins splash in the water.
"You know me too well," Rin noted, handing Raharu the rabbits. The wolf-like boy smiled at his friend.
"Hey, what're friends for?" Biting into their respective meats, the two young adults surveyed the crystal waters of the lagoon. Said waters were occupied by bouncy splashing half-demon children and a few of the young adults were slipping into the water as well.
"Wanna swim?" Raharu asked, swallowing his last bite of rabbit. But Rin's eyes had settled on another.
"In a minute." With a grin, Rin hailed a familiar face. "Biyako!"
A boy who, though only half-demon, looked more like an anthropomorphic tiger, paused and turned to the bat-like girl.
"Ah, Rin. Want to go a round?" He asked. A mere nod from Rin was all it took; instinctively, the group of half-demons formed a large circle around the two. Crouching down, Biyako eyed the younger girl.
"You're nearly grown now, but don't think I'll go easy on you.
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"One day, you'll have to go easy on me." Rin glanced up at the tiger-like half-demon standing above her. The twelve-year-old, her small body aching with the strain of her training, struggled to her feet and assumed her fighting stance. Staring at the older half-demon, Rin opened her mouth and let out a screech loud enough to stir nearby fallen leaves. Biyako nodded in approval.
"For now though, I'll go easy on you."
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"Don't think I'll go easy on you either." Rin's fanged mouth opened and she gave vent to the powerful Sonic Screech, the trademark attack of her family. The half-demons immediately cried out and covered their ears, Biyako included. Leaping forward, Rin anticipated Biyako's hasty dodge and followed, clipping his shoulder.
"You've learned some," Biyako noted. "But can you dodge this?" His heavy hand swept down, intending to catch the side of Rin's head. The younger half-demon grasped his bulky fist and squeezed, pushing forward as she did. Biyako stumbled forward and Rin gave him a swift palm to the chest. The tiger boy flew backward, did a full somersault and landed on all fours, gasping for breath. But before he could get up, Rin darted forward and caught his chin with her claws.
"Dead," she intoned.
"Hai," Byako acknowledged. "That's me dead. You've become a powerful fighter, Rin. Remind me not to get on your bad side."
The circle broke up chuckling. Rin sauntered back to Raharu, flexing her claws.
"Now we can swim."
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Once more, night fell over Hyokai Island. Rin stood alone on the beach, looking up at the moon.
Mother… Step-Father… James… I'll be home soon. I promise I'll see you soon. She had grown strong now, had mastered her powers now. Soon, she could be reunited with the family she'd been forced to leave behind.
Soon.