Ch. 1: Their Beginning

I have a real affection for my half-demon OC Rin and I couldn't stand the thought of her not having a friend. And after reading Susan Kay's fantastic book Phantom, I knew that Erik and Rin would find real friendship in each other. Thus, this fic was born.

The story takes place right after Erik leaves the gypsy camp when he's about 11 or 12 (even he's not sure of his age in the novel). Rin is 8, close to being 9; enjoy the fic, my friends!

Disclaimer: Rin is mine, Erik is not.

Erik adjusted his mask and kept walking. It hadn't been easy leaving France for England by himself, but there was no way he was going to join another traveling show if he was going to be reduced to an animal again. True, his skills with magic and ventriloquism could astound any possible ringmaster, but he could never be sure if said masters would want more… intimate services like Jarvet had desired.

Erik's stomach gave a small growl, but the young boy gritted his teeth and kept walking. Better hungry and free than held captive and well-fed as he'd been with the gypsies.

Or his mother.

Not far ahead, Erik could hear the crashing of waves and the boy felt hope rise within him. Excellent; under the cover of night, Erik could fish to his leisure. With any luck, he'd have some food before dawn.

"Who's there?" Erik started, his eyes darting back and forth behind his mask and his keen ears pricked. The voice was young and feminine and sounded a little strained, as though its owner was upset. A local's daughter, perhaps, or even a young woman spurned by her first love.

"I said who's there?" Now the voice was closer and unless Erik was very much mistaken there was a hint of a growl in the voice. Erik spun on his heel, pinpointing the voice as coming behind a clump of bushes behind him. With one sweep of his hand, the young boy swept aside the foliage…

… and found himself staring into the golden eyes of the strangest girl he had ever seen.

She was younger than him; the soft roundness of her face indicated that she had not yet entered adolescence. Her fawn-colored hair dangled to the middle of her neck with a fringe of bangs dancing above her eyebrows. Her arms and limbs were gangly and her feet were bare, but she was tall enough to look Erik right in the eye. Garbed in a sleeveless brown shirt and a pair of cut-off trousers, she looked as though she were more at home in the wild outdoors than any other English girl. But Erik's attention was captured by the large bat-like ears protruding from the top of the girl's head and the spikes lining the insides of her arms. Those qualities, coupled with the claws on her fingertips and the fang tips peeping out from her upper lip was enough to temporarily rob Erik of speech.

For her part, the girl looked slightly taken aback at the sight of Erik. Her golden eyes trailed over him, from the top of his black feathered hat (courtesy of one of the gypsies), his flowing magician's cloak, ruffled shirt, and, of course, the white cloth mask.

"Who're you?" she asked now, confusion replacing any kind of hostility.

"Who're you?" Erik retorted, refusing to be intimidated.

"I asked you first," the girl replied, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Ladies first, mademoiselle."

"What makes you think I'm a lady?" By this point, the two of them were so close, the girl's nose was touching the cloth of Erik's mask. Scowling into each other's eyes, the two were suddenly aware of how ridiculous they must appear to an outside viewer and simultaneously begin to chortle at each other. In the midst of his mirth, Erik realized that he'd never shared a laugh with another before and certainly not with some one close to his age. The girl, for her part, looked just as pleased to be in Erik's company and made no attempt to stifle her giggles.

"Okay, okay, fine. My name's Isuzu, but you can call me Rin." The girl held out a clawed hand.

"Bonjour. My name is Erik." He shook Rin's offered hand, happy to be offered a gesture of welcome so easily.

"Are you French?"

"I am."

"Well, what're you doing here?"

"Nothing, as of this moment."

"Oh." Rin tilted her head. "Are you by yourself, Erik?"

"Oui, Rin. I am."

"What about your mother?" Rin asked softly. Erik averted his eyes, scowling.

"With me gone, she's free to remarry. She's probably glad I'm gone."

Rin was silent and Erik continued to stare at the ground, remembering how his mother had so often desired to be rid of him. Well, now she was.

"My mother just got remarried too."

Erik's head snapped up. Rin's ears were drooping and she scuffed a bare foot against the ground. "She just left for a honeymoon," the girl added softly.

"Does your mother.. Is your stepfather…?"

"Oh, Mother loves me and her new husband's really nice too. It's just… they'd probably have more friends if I wasn't around." Rin pointed to her ears. "People don't like me 'cause I'm a half-demon."

Half-demon? Erik had heard of such creatures, but had never seen one in his travels with the gypsies. According to what he'd heard, half-demons were fierce, devilish creatures with a taste for human blood. In other words, they were monsters.

Monsters like he was.

"Your father was a demon, wasn't he, Rin?" The little girl nodded sadly.

"He died fighting an evil demon. My neighbors are glad he's dead and they'd be really happy if I was dead too. They don't like demons or half-demons."

"I guess they wouldn't like monsters either," Erik murmured, his hand straying to his mask. Rin glanced up at him with understanding in her eyes.

"Is that," she pointed at the white cloth "why your mother was mean to you?"

"Oui. And why I ran away."

"Well, if you don't have anywhere else to go, maybe you can stay with me." Erik stared at the girl in disbelief.

"Mother and my stepfather won't be back for almost two weeks. An older woman is supposed to watch me, but she won't come to stay. So long as I don't annoy my neighbors, they mostly ignore me, so you can stay at my house." Rin's words came out in a rush, as though she half-expected Erik to refuse. The boy tilted his head at her.

"You mean, I can really stay with you and no one would mind?"

"No one's gonna bother us. I promise. And, well, I never had a friend stay over before. Actually," Rin amended, "I never had a friend."

"Me either," Erik replied. Indeed, since his beloved dog Sasha had been killed, Erik had completely given up on the notion of friendship. Now, it seemed, he was about to get a second chance.

"So, does that make us friends?" Rin asked.

"I… I think so. That is, if you want me for your friend, Rin."

"Yes, I do. And I'm your friend too, right, Erik?"

"Yes!" The two smiled at each other, the first of many that would mark a friendship that only comes once in a lifetime.