Ch. 1: Rin

Because my muse is being so stubborn with 'Not Quite Human,' I decided to start this fic now. Rin is a character I hope to use in a novel sometime. Until then, she will appear in this fic; this should be fun, I think. Enjoy!

I'm sure you know where the title of this story comes from. "Bat out of Hell" by Meatloaf was a great source of inspiration for this fic and when it came to developing Rin.

The rain had stopped; that was something to be grateful for. But for the six insects, borne aloft by seagulls, the weather wasn't even worth mentioning.

"It's not like we can lose a city!" Centipede called, looking every possible way he could. "Those lights can be seen for miles."

"Some help," Earthworm grumbled.

"Earthworm, please," Mrs. Ladybug said, trying to reason with him. "We need you as well. Do you hear anything?"

"Only the waves," the mournful bug replied. "And nothing else. And we're not going to hear anything else again."

"Don't say that," Mr. Grasshopper told him. "We must find New York City now if we're going to find James."

"If he's not-"

"Do not say that," Miss Spider hissed. "James is alright; he has to be."

The small group fell silent, each trying to suppress the nagging fear that tore at their hearts. None of them, not even Earthworm, wanted to believe that James- their James- could be lying hurt in New York City. Or worse, he could be feeling nothing at all anymore…

"We must not give up hope," Mr. Grasshopper urged his companions. "We've come too far to give up."

"But we have no way of finding New York anymore."

"A vexing problem," a voice called. The six insects all looked up in shock as a form glided out of the clouds, revealing itself in a shaft of moonlight.

The form looked like a normal girl. Or at least, part of her did. She had fawn colored hair that dangled to the middle of her neck, long limbs, and a lithe form. Her eyes were a burning shade of gold and seemed to glow in the dark. Atop her head were two pointed ears and her fingers were tipped with deadly-looking claws. But by far her most prominent feature were the two massive bat wings that extended from under her arms and were tipped with bony spikes. The girl held her wings out flat, gliding effortlessly in a circle around the group.

"Who… who are you?" Mrs. Ladybug asked.

"More like what?" Centipede blurted out.

"Centipede!" But the girl only grinned, revealing two fangs where a human's incisors should be.

"My name is Rin and I am a half-demon. I hail from Hyoki Island."

The insects fell silent, looking at each other uneasily. All of them knew about the rarely-seen race of demons. Such creatures usually kept to themselves, unless they chose to marry a human. None of them, however, had seen the result of such a union, the half-demon children usually leaving home at the onset of puberty to live a secluded life away from humans and demons alike. What Rin was doing in the skies above the Atlantic Ocean, none could say, and the half-demon girl certainly wasn't volunteering any information.

"I wouldn't bother me with questions if I were you," she said when Earthworm attempted to inquire as such. "The longer we remain up here talking, the less chance you have of getting your boy back."

"How-"

"I saw what happened," Rin replied, still circling the insects. "And I saw where that peach fell. Both the fruit and the child are unharmed, but leave it to the humans of New York and that won't be the case much longer."

"Is James in danger?" Miss Spider asked.

"Possibly. The world is not kind to orphaned children." Rin's tone was grave as she spoke, but she cut off any questions the insects tried to ask her with a shake of her head. "Listen, I know the way to New York City; I can take you there, if you'd like."

"We would appreciate that very much, Rin," Mr. Grasshopper replied.

"You must do something in return, though."

"We'll do anything if you can get James back to us," Mrs. Ladybug promised as the others nodded behind her. Rin fixed them all with a hardened stare.

"You must promise me that you will love and care for this child as though he were your own."

"Whatdya think we were planning?" Centipede asked her.

"What he means is," Miss Spider rephrased, shooting a glare in Centipede's direction, "is that we want to do just that."

"He is more ours than he ever was to his own blood relatives," Mr. Grasshopper clarified. The half-demon nodded approvingly.

"Good. Now follow me." Rin swooped around them and began gliding through the air, checking her pace so that the insects could follow her. The seagulls protested as the strings around their necks were tugged, but complied and soon, the lights of the city came into view.

"Alright! Almost there!" Centipede called.

"That you are," Rin confirmed. "The peach and James have been taken to the middle of the city; you'll have to make your way down from the skies."

"What about you?" Earthworm asked.

"I have no intention of being spotted tonight and if you were wise, you wouldn't want to be seen in my company either."

"Rin," Mrs. Ladybug began, but the half-demon shook her head.

"My kind are not very well received among humans. I can only hope the situation will be different for you." Rin refused to elaborate on the subject and a few minutes later, a large crowd could be seen on the streets below. Rin tilted an ear toward the city.

"There's a lot of yelling going on. Get down to your boy and quickly. I must go."

"Thank-" But once more, Rin cut the group off.

"It's nothing. I wish you good luck. Farewell." With a flap of her wings, the half-demon soared off into the cloudy sky and out of sight.

But she had not left the city behind.