Chapter 1

I'm Rin Okumura

"That's the last one," I said, sheathing Kurikara.

"Thank you, Sir Exorcist!" the old man said, shaking my hand gratefully. "You do not know the kindness you have done for my family.

"I'm just doing my job," I said with a forced smile. Why do I have to exorcise ghouls? I wondered angrily. I've been an Exorcist, and a decently ranked one, for a year longer than everyone but Yukio! I turned and stalked away, shivering in the cool winter air.

It was a peaceful night. The snow fell gently around me. Only the rhythmic beat of the sword that held my demon powers-Kurikara, the Koma Sword-on my back kept me awake.

I heard something move behind me and then something landed on my shoulder. I looked at it, a little startled but then sighed.

"Kuro, what gives? You couldn't wait another twenty minutes before I got home?" I said, stroking the demon cat. I took him off my shoulder and held him in the crook of my arm.

I waited and waited for you Rin, but it was so dark and boring! So I decided to go out and look for you.Kuro said, purring softly as I gently petted him.

I shook my head and chuckled to myself. "Oh, Kuro. . . What am I going to do with you?" I said, not paying attention to what was in front of me. In doing so, I walked right into a lovely lady, making her drop her hot drink-and me, Kuro.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry, Miss! here, let me buy you another one," I said, trying to make up for my mistake. I inhaled sharply. "Shoot! I just got this coat cleaned!" I groaned. "Yukio's gonna kill me. . ."

"No, really, it's my fault." She leaned down to grab her spilled coffee cup at the same time I did, and we bumped foreheads.

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I grabbed the cup. I stood up at a comical speed, and almost fell over backwards. I laughed nervously as I brushed the snow off of my coat.

"So," I said as I threw the empty cup away, "let's restart. I'm Rin Okumura. And you are?" I held out my hand.

"I'm Ava. Ava Ryuzaki." She shook my hand.

"Why don't you say we go into the nearest Apollo's Coffee and I replace that-"I licked the spilled drink off my hand "-hot chocolate I made you spill?" I asked.

"No, it's okay. I can't make you-"

"No, please. My treat."

She sighed, realizing that I wouldn't take no for an answer. "Oh, alright," she said.

We went to the local Apollo's Coffee that was just a few minutes walk away from where we crashed into each other.

I set my demon cat down. "Stay out here Kuro, and wait for me, 'kay?"

I ordered Ava a new hot coca and myself a doughnt. I sat on a stool by the counter as we waited.

We got a table so we could sit down while we were waiting for my doughnut and her coffee.

Now that I can get a proper look at her, she's kinda cute. . . I thought.

I noticed Ava eyeing my coat, and more importantly, the odd pendant that was pinned to it. Her eyes drifted to the sword on my shoulder.

"What's with the sword and outfit? Are you like a cosplayer or a circus swordsman?" Ava asked me.

I was somewhat offended by the cosplay remark. I opened my mouth to yell at her, give her a piece of my mind and tell her I'm a respectable Exorcist, but then I saw my hand flicker with blue flame. I balled my hand into a fist, closed my eyes, and counted to ten. I opened my eyes. My flames extinguished themselves.

I had almost lost control.

"No, I'm not a cosplayer," I told her as calmly as I could. "I'm an Exorcist, from the Knights of the True Cross." I unpinned the pendant from my coat and handed it to her to examine.

Ava took it gingerly and turned it over in her fingers. A moment later she handed it back to me. "An Exorcist, you say. . . ."

I pinned the pendant back on my coat. "Yep. Intermediate Exorcist First Class," I said. "You know anything about Exorcists besides we exorcise demons?" I asked.

"Well, no. Not really," she said. "I don't really believe in demons and gods."

Okay, that explains a lot, I thought. The man handed me the drink and food.

Seems I've repayed the debt, then," I said, handing it to her. I grabbed a handful of napkins, remembering the spill on my coat. I pressed them to the wet area.

"My brother's probaby waiting, I'd best be off," I said. "I'm sure you've got something to do tonight as well," I stood, rubbing my neck.

She stood as well. "Yeah, I'm off to a meeting in thirty minutes," she said.

I got home and plunked Kurikara down on the couch and put my coat on the hook on the back of the door. Kuro-who apparently was with me the whole time-left to lay down on his cat bed by my bedroom. I went and sat down on the couch.

I'm not rich, and there are by far better homes than mine. But it was nicer than other homes.

I could live at the dorm at True Cross College, but there were things I could get with living in a home somewhere else that I couldn't get at True Cross, like say, a kitchen. I know that Yukio and I had the whole dorm to us when we were in True Cross Academy-but the thing with that one is, well, we're no longer in high school. I mean, I was twenty at that time-if I was still in high school at that point, I'd've been worried.

Anyway, I had a decent little place. It had three rooms-a bedroom, a bathroom, and then the main room. The main room was my kitchen and my living room.

There isn't much to behold in the wonderful home of Rin Okumura, the Blue Exorcist. I had an old Nintendo 64 with two games that I got several years back from my old man. (Those two games being Zelda Ocarina of Time and Zelda Majora's Mask.) The two nicest things in my home were my TV and my computer. I had a nice gaming PC that I got for my birthday last year-a gift from all of my friends and Yukio combined. My TV I had bought on my own two months ago-I'd been saving up for three years.

In front of my '64 and TV there was a dark blue loveseat. In front of that loveseat there was a small teakwood coffee table-which bore my '64, games, and controller.

Kuro came out of his lurking bed in the hallway. Rin? he asked. He saw me sitting on the couch. Rin! Are you gonna play some Zelda? he asked excitedly. He loved to watch me play Zelda, whether it be Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time.

He doesn't want to even be in the house, though, when I'm in a certain part of Majora's Mask-Ikana Valley. Doesn't matter if I've already been there in the game and taken care of the man in the gibdo mask, learned the Elegy of Emptiness, and dealt with the dead composer.

I wish my DS was still alive. . . I thought, sadly remembering the loss of my DS, resulting the loss of playing Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass.

Wow. . . I'm addicted to Zelda.

I looked at the clock. It read 9:30 PM. I turned to Kuro, and sighed. "I'll go get ready for bed first-then I'll play some Zelda, 'kay?" I said.

Aye, sir! he replied.

I've been letting him watch too much Fairy Tail. . . I thought tiredly, lumbering into my bedroom. I just changed into some sweat pants and my Sword Art Online T-shirt.

"All right, Kuro. ." I sighed, sitting down heavily on the couch and turning on the console and TV. I looked at the clock while everything was booting up.

Hot damn, I thought. Why am I so tired at only nine thirty five? I'm usually up until at least ten thirty! I thought. Then again, though, I wasn't usually up exorcising ghouls and the like at nine. I was usually just hangin' out in the house. . .

Sometimes there are just the really resilient demons that rack up your schedule.

The title screen for Ocarina of Time came up, along with it pretty little fairy theme. I selected the save labeled 'BEN', which was just below the one labeled 'DROWNED.'

It was Bon's ide. He'd gotten into this creepypasta thing for Majora's Mask called Ben Drowned, and decided-for fun-to put Ben Drowned as profiles on Ocarina of Time. For some reason.

The screen blackened, then loaded up, playing the Temple of Time theme. I sighed in frustration-I had been in the middle of the Shadow Temple. Now I'd have to redo the whole thing. I wiped my forehead and drew my hand through my hair, but picked up the controller again nonetheless.

I played the Nocturne of Shadow and the purple warp animation played-and my character appeared at the entrance of the Shadow Temple.

"Oh well," I sighed, entering the Shadow Temple.