Absolutely in love with Ao no Ex right now. Not enough fanfic out there to quench my thirst, so it's time to stop being hypocritical and start writing. This story is mainly intended as one of many outlets for stress right now, so word of warning: potentially hideous update speed, and it may be dropped especially since AnE isn't my main fandom.

This story is animeverse (with some mangaverse stuff included) and AU, if it wasn't obvious enough. Also it's somewhat a 'fixfic', In which I attempt to patch plot holes left behind by the anime. ('attempt', because it's not completely a fixfic, there's a lot of original content for it to be one.) Oh, and no pairings. Rest assured.

New to fandom and minimal editing →Quality not guaranteed! óuó

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Azuer :K. N.

1. demon - spawn

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"I wonder," mused Amaimon, if distracted words and soulless eyes could be considered musing, "what if I break it?"

Black nails like talons atop thin fingers tightened their grip on the demon sword's edge. Without blinking, Amaimon flexed the blade and watched curiously as the tiny crack slowly splintered wider. Yukio wanted to lunge at him, the figure dark against the bright blue flames devouring the forest they'd escaped from only moments prior. But something held him back—the traitorous voice in his mind.

So he did nothing but watch when Amaimon blinked. Nothing when the demon sword snapped. Nothing when his brother convulsed beneath Amaimon's foot, then became still. Some lost, primal part buried deep within Yukio's heart told him the truth long before being told hours later.

His brother was gone.

Okumura Rin was dead.

Yukio woke to a white ceiling and white walls, with only a vase of snowy blue flowers the only speck of colour in the room. A canvas with limitless potential, stained with the blue blood of reality and discarded from disappointment. Everything was blurry, not just from lingering grogginess. Aimlessly, he wondered he could stay in the fuzzy world forever. There was no Coal Tar in the fuzzy world. No demons.

No responsibilities.

He looked blindly to the bed beside him through a curtain of poor vision. Ah, Rin was alright, just sleeping.

"You're awake, I see," came a voice.

There hadn't been any footsteps, so it was reflexively that Yukio swivelled around and reached behind his back. But had his guns been there, he wouldn't have needed them – there were no need for glasses to identify the stranger. He had his answer as soon as he saw the white coat and the violet hair.

He still grabbed his glasses and put them on anyway.

"Sir Pheles," said Yukio, too tired to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Mephisto Pheles snapped his fingers, a wave of power washed across them both, then presented Yukio with a toothy smirk.

"Why, just checking up on you," said Mephisto. "If that's not an issue?"

"No. But you just—what did you do?"

"I merely made sure that no one but us may hear our conversation, Okumura. Do you remember what happened two days ago?"

"Two days ago...?"

—Mission authorisation test.

—Columns of blue hellflame.

—no, no no no!—

—Rin.

Yukio spun around to the bed beside him—and his heart plummeted when he realised the sleeping figure was not his brother but Suguro Ryuji.

"Brother used his flames," said Yukio. "But the demon sword, it broke—how is he?"

"He's dead."

Yukio's eyes widened, and he jerked back as if he could avoid the words. "No—"

"The Paladin was there, watching," said Mephisto, simply. "Had Rin survived, he would still be sentenced by the Vatican. Okumura Rin is dead."

If Yukio had not been lying down, he would have fallen as the life drained from his limbs. His heartbeat engulfed him, buried him alive, the steady thump-thump resonating between his ears as if he had all the acoustics of an ancient coffin. And why couldn't he stop shaking like strings—

"What happened to Amaimon?" His voice was startlingly full despite his hollow shell.

"I – dealt with him. Rest assured."

"You didn't."

"I did." Mephisto turned away, idly rearranging the flowers in the vase. "All of you happened to black out at that moment, unfortunately. Which is why you're here. You're taking this quite well."

Quite well? Yukio wanted to ask—snarl—ask. He'd resigned himself to knowing his brother's death would be inevitable one day, and he would have to be his protector until then. To at least fulfil Father Fujimoto's will. For Yukio to stand there doing nothing while Rin was being crushed—

"My, my, what a scary face," said Mephisto, cutting off his thoughts. "You're really taking after him."

Any self-restraint left was gone.

"Shut up," hissed Yukio. "I won't have you badmouth my brother, after..."

...

Yukio frowned.

Something was... off.

Playful eyes flicked across, and Mephisto took one of the flowers out by its stem. He presented it toward Yukio with a slight bow. "Morning glory for your thoughts?"

The flower was taken without much thought and absently rolled between fingers.

"It was because the Kurikara broke," said Yukio.

"Yes," agreed Mephisto. "The demon sword with the demon's soul."

"Until three months ago," Yukio continued, "the Kurikara was sealed."

"Are you—"

"The Kurikara was sealed," said Yukio. "So that means that for fifteen years, brother was alive, even though the demon's soul was sealed."

It was then that Yukio looked to Mephisto. The director was absolutely still, blinking rapidly with one hand suspended frozen in the air. And then Mephisto Pheles laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed, cackling to some hidden joke kept hidden from the world.

"Fujimoto Shiro, you've done it again," chortled Mephisto once the laughter calmed down. The fanged grin still sat there, perched like the cat who'd learnt how to fly. "Excellent, excellent!"

"What—"

"Yes," said Mephisto. "Perhaps there is still a chance. Would you like to gamble, Okumura Yukio?"

Yukio's lips twitched. "Gamble?"

"Correct." With a flourish, Mephisto presented a hand. "Will you live your life as a noble citizen of the Vatican's laws? Or," the other hand, "will you be punished trying to revive him?— the son of Satan, Okumura Rin."

And Mephisto Pheles smiled, because everyone knew he was not man but demon.

And that was what demons would do.

In all likelihood, his human soul – or what had been synthesised, at any rate – is within the Kurikara, seeing as he has not gained consciousness. Therefore, theoretically, if the demon sword is repaired then the Okumura Rin you know will return.

Be mindful.

There is a very high chance that both souls have been broken.

To keep things interesting, I will help you. Two weeks is the most that can be stalled.

But if you leave it too late...

The soul cannot return to the body, and Okumura Rin will be no more.

The director was right to call it a gamble. Even with Mephisto's help, the chance of success was slim to none. And the chance of attempting a revival so close to the True Cross while still remaining under the Vatican's radar... impossible.

Yet, Mephisto's concept of stall...

"Excuse me... sir?"

Yukio turned around to see a young girl who couldn't have been more than seven years of age. She was alone, though one glance showed a man who had to have been her father standing by the gate twenty metres away. Large brown eyes stared up at him, clutching a small shion flower between her hands. Yukio knelt down, shielding his eyes from the blazing sun, stifled in the full exorcist uniform yet not regretting his decision to wear it on such a hot day.

"Yes?"

She hurriedly fell into a bow, the woven sunhat on her head flopping as she did so. "I—I'm Sakamoto Yui, sir. Um – Deacon Maruta told me Okumura Rin was here?"

Yukio smiled reflexively, playing the part of the concerned clergyman far too easily; a puppet guided by death's hand. She didn't know him, know he was related. That was fine.

After fifteen years, play-acting was something he could do, after all.

"Ah, yes," said Yukio. "Br—Rin's here. But... you know...?"

"I do," came the reply, soft but determined.

Yukio bowed his head and moved aside. Yui's steps were hesitant, yet not once did she show any indication of turning back. Finally, she placed the shion atop the stone.

"Thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for saving my life, Mister Rin. I'm sorry I made you lose your job at the supermarket. Please, God, let his next life be good. Okay?"

A gust of wind blew through the cemetery then, as if in answer. Yui yelped and held her skirt down with one hand and her hat with the other, and Yukio closed one eye behind glasses and didn't move though his coat entangled his legs. It died down as soon as it came. Despite the winds, the shion remained where it had been.

The only flower of the day.

Yui quickly gave him a bow, one which Yukio returned, and she hurried to the gate and to her father as quickly as she could before the two left without another glance.

Yukio just pretended he hadn't seen the tears on her cheeks.

Yukio just pretended the grave didn't matter, because his brother's body was safely stored with Mephisto back at True Cross Academy.

Yukio just pretended –

HERE LIES

OKUMURA RIN

1992 – 2008

– hope still existed in a world of demon spawn.

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— part one: revret —

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Edit: Thanks go to SuperiorDimwit for the dates on Rin's tombstone~

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