Of Abandoned Churches and Sleepy Half-Demons
In which Rin and Izumo are paired for a solo exorcist mission where almost everything goes wrong. Rin/Izumo
Rating: T+ for some profanity
Genre: Humor, Romance
Warnings: Some religious themes; they're in a church, after all. Set a bit after the Kyoto arc. You'll also have to pretend that the Exorcist Order would let the son of Satan and some tamer complete a mission together ^^'
Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist is owned by Kazue Kato, not me.
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Sitting in the abandoned church, both would-be exorcists sighed. The rain continued to pour down heavily, leaking through the rafters in a bitter tap, tap, tap, much to their chagrin. Eventually, Izumo moved from their previous sitting arrangement (both had their backs pressed against the wide double-doors), taking a seat on one of the dusty pews.
"This is definitely your fault." She murmured, crossing her legs.
Rin snorted. "Says the girl who insisted we stay in the church until the rain stopped."
"We're done with our mission! We would be back at cram school by now if you hadn't lost the key!" She bit back, a light blush dusting her features. It's not like any rational person would want to take the eight mile track back through the woods in the pouring rain.
Izumo checked her phone again. Cursing, she flipped it shut. Of course there was no service. Of course. As usual, Murphy's Law was ever present in her life. Not only was she stuck in an abandoned church while a storm raged outside, but she was stuck with none other than Rin Okumura, the son of Satan. It was as if the gods themselves had come up with this plan and were now watching from above, laughing at her misery.
While Izumo pondered the horrors of their situation, the young half-demon took the time to search his pockets again. The golden key that promised them a quick trip back to the Academy was unexplainably gone. So now here he was, stuck with eyebrows. Well, he mused, it was better than rooster-head. At least Izumo wasn't one for verbal matches— not as much as Bon, anyway.
Turning to his right, Rin saw a sleepy portrait of mosaic glass, broken and quiescent in its making. The chipped tiles obscured most of the scene, but he could make out what appeared to be leafy branches and a slithering figure perched upon it.
He shuddered.
"The fall of Man." Izumo suddenly spoke, breaking the silence that had befallen the small church. The purple-haired teen had gotten up from the pew to inspect the glass when Rin became unusually quiet. Now, standing in front of the mosaic window, she understood why. Even with the missing pieces, the art was stunning. It seemed to glow in the fading light that peaked in through the gaps of the roof, a brilliant shade of emerald and gold. It was obvious that the mural had taken months or years to create. Rin turned away from the fractured glass, frowning.
"It looks nice... I mean, it's a shame that the picture's gonna be lost here forever. Like, I'm sure whoever made this wanted it to be seen and stuff during services and..." He trailed off, unsure on what he was trying to say. The abandoned church had brought back memories of his own childhood, when he and Yukio sang in the choir and spent many a Sunday morning listening to their adopted father preach.
"Are you seriously appreciating a work of art?"
Rin blushed. "What of it?!" He spoke defensively. He could totally like art! There was nothing wrong with it!
"You're seriously weird..." The purple-haired tamer muttered, returning to the singular pew. The other ones had either tipped over or cracked with age, broken pieces of wood scattered haphazardly across the small room. Begrudgingly, Rin followed, sitting beside the girl with a comfortable amount of space between them.
The silence was upon them again, broken only by the heavy patter of rain. There was a sudden strike of lightning that illuminated the church, creating bright hexagonal marks of light against the dusty wooden floors. Izumo shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. The temperature was slowly decreasing with the sun and she cursed the fact that she was wearing the spring version of the school's uniform, the short pleated skirt and sweater-vest.
Wordlessly, the dark-haired demon dropped his uniform jacket onto the petite tamer, looking away. Bewildered, the girl pulled the fabric from over her head, placing it in her lap defiantly.
"I don't need it—"
"Shut up. You're shivering." Rin interrupted, leaning back against the pew. He tipped his head back, letting out a tired sigh.
The mission had gone well enough; the demon in the forest had been easily dispatched, thanks to his flames and Izumo's byakkos. But, using the flames (and keeping them in check) took their toll, both mentally and physically. He felt exhausted, a sudden lethargy seeping into his bones.
"H-hey, you're not asleep are you?!" Izumo called out once she shrugged the jacket on, noticing that the boy's eyes had fallen shut. Rin let out an annoyed breath, opening his eyes marginally.
"I almost was." He quipped, trying to find a comfortable position on the pew. Eventually, he relented to slouching down in the seat, letting his head rest on the wood. It was awkward and none too pleasant for his long limbs, but he was going to get some sleep, damn it!
"This isn't the time to sleep, idiot! As soon as the rain stops I want to leave!" She berated, shaking his shoulders. Sleepily, Rin pushed back, muttering something about being too tired to move. They fought like that for a while until the blue-haired teen suddenly stopped, causing the woman to nearly fall flat against him. Her cheeks flushed immediately. Closing her eyes, she composed herself, returning to their previous sitting arrangements quickly.
It was obvious that the youth was sound asleep, and that no amount of shaking or yelling was going to wake him. Although, it was slightly unnerving that he had fallen asleep so easily. They were stranded in the middle of a forest infested with demons with only a decrepit church for protection. She really had no idea how he could sleep so soundly, given their circumstances (not to mention how uncomfortable the pews were). Perhaps it's his own idiocy, she mused, taking another glance at the boy's sleeping form.
His mouth was partly open, revealing his sharp teeth, chest moving slowly with every breath. He seemed a few years younger, face relaxed and without tension. Hesitantly, the tamer moved closer, still feeling somewhat cold. It's just for more body heat so I don't freeze to death, she rationalized in her head, nodding at her own genius. Yes, it was for heat, nothing as absurd as wanting to 'cuddle' with the sleepy half-demon.
The boy muttered something in his sleep, startling the purple-haired teen. Immediately afterwards he broke out into a softer version of his blue flames which curled lazily against him.
"H-Hey!" She started, only to feel a gentle warmth emanating from him. He's… warming himself? Izumo realized, noticing that the flames did not spread. They hovered over his sleeping form like blanket. He breathed contentedly,
She bit her lip; the cold wind was still seeping through the cracks in the floor and windows, making her shiver despite having the boy's jacket. But, if she were to move just a little bit closer… Holding her breath, the tamer inched forward. Rin did not stir.
Good, she thought, moving a trembling hand to the flames. Closing her eyes, she pressed her hand into the blue fire. Instead of pain she felt a lazy warmth which traversed up her arm.
Growing braver, Izumo nudged closer until she was only a few inches away from the youth. The warmth was a welcomed respite from the cold as she let out a content sigh, feeling her own eyes droop closed. The spindles of sleep were welcoming as she let the flames dance over her, gentle and safe in their guarding.
It probably won't stop raining for a while… I might as well get some sleep, she thought, nuzzling closer to the blue flames. In a few moments she too was asleep, the stress and aches of the day gone with the soft breaths that escaped her lips. Slowly, she unconsciously drifted closer to the heat, ending up with her head resting against the half-demon's shoulder.
Rin opened an eye hesitantly at the feeling of someone against him. Seeing the purple-haired girl curled beside him, he blushed before giving a small smile. Just this once, he'd let the girl do as she pleased… besides, it wasn't like he wouldn't tease her when they woke up.
-Omake-
"Aniue, why did you steal Rin Okumura's key?" Amaimon questioned, perched in one of the towering trees. From the viewpoint he could make out the crumbling church, with its faded wood and rotting shingles. A blue light could be seen just through the holes in the roof, revealing a man illuminated in the soft glow and a girl huddled next to him.
"Heh, because it's fun~!" The purple-haired demon replied cheerily, lounging against his usual pinstriped armchair. From above he could see that the group of exwires was already on their way, weaving through the heavy foliage with purpose.
"Looks like the rescue team is already here! How wonderful!" He clapped, letting out a baritone laugh. Amaimon stared on with apathy, eyes trained to the church. Slowly, he cocked his head to the side, as if the new angle would somehow make his brother's words less confusing.
"…I still don't understand."
A/N: Yes, even Mephisto ships it XD
I don't write Izumo often but I hope she doesn't seem too OOC ^^' Hmm, now I wonder how many people ship Rin/Izumo considering I haven't stumbled upon too many Rin/Izumo fics… Oh, and *insert shameless self-promotion here* I have a Rin/Izumo multi-chapter fic in the works called City of Demons, if you still need more Rin/Izumo fluff :P
Review?
-Isis