There was a reason why no one went down these old tunnels. Why words were whispered in the dark of night, voices hushed and bodies trembling at the thought of what such stories could bring. That place was off-limits; travelers were told to avoid it, rowdy children were calmed with just it's name. Those that did happen to venture there became lost; no one heard from them again.

A mountain range ran across the backdrop of the beautiful landscape, offering a view of snow-capped mountains and the lovely setting sun. Just beyond was a large gleaming city, visible only upon the highest mountain. Trees spread out in all directions, covering the land below the town hidden within the woods. Rivers and streams ran to a large lake just below, overrun with fish and wildlife. It was truly a beautiful place. The only thing that kept such an area free of intruders was the gruesome story behind it.

A demon was said to live below the lake, hidden within the twisting tunnels and long shadows. But it wasn't just a simple demon; he was the demon of seduction, a powerful creature accustomed to getting his way. Luckily for the villagers he only visited them once a year. The seductive being lived not here, but within the gleaming city, traveling through long tunnels and moonlit nights to get where he needed to go.

In truth, there was a whole bustling plaza beneath the human dwellings. It mirrored the place above it, appearing to be a city but doused in shadows. Torches were the sun and the buildings were made out of sturdy stone. The only thing that set it apart were it's inhabitants. Angels and demons, fairies and ghouls, werewolves and vampires. This underground city was a place only for the supernatural beings that prowled the earth.

The heiarchy was fairly simple; angels, vampires, and demons were on top, everything else was below them. Angels mostly spent their time above ground, however. No one could really tell you the story of how that came to be; any questions were brushed off with say, an offer of a drink or a bowl of rice. By the time that they remembered they had business in the underground city, they were drunk and naked in some back alley, stripped of their belongings. It was truly a despairing thing to wake up to.

Most would've thought that this was as dark as it got; the city was already filled with supernatural beings, what more could go wrong? Quite a bit, actually. Even the underground had darker tones to it, and they came in the form of slaves and the houses that they were sold in. Demons and vampires loved to have pets; they came in any unfortunate soul that happened to be captured the week before. The most prized were the humans, weak little things that had no hope of freeing themselves once they were caught. Most of them barely lasted a week, killed by a vampire's bloodlust or a demon's drive for a soul. In the underground city, human's lived short lives; this place was for the supernatural ones.

This is also where Matsuoka Rin, the demon of seduction, made his home.

He was a powerful being, one that could easily take whatever he wanted from anyone he wanted. Rin had helped make this underground city, known as Akuryo, from the ground up. Being one of the original creators of such a place put him on ledges higher than the others. With this newfound respect, Rin easily drove the four others that had helped create Akuryo from it's depths, and although he still wasn't the oldest demon upon the earth, he was cetainly the oldest one here in this closed off place. All others fled from him but that was exactly as he wanted it to be.

At the current moment, Rin ran the slave trading business and was the leader of the group known as Samezuka. There were probably far more glorious things he could be doing, like heading Akuryo's city council, but order and fancy suits just weren't his style. The demon preferred to have freedom over what he did; it contradicted his line of work, which meant to take that freedom away. He didn't care though. Rin did what he wanted because he wanted to; if others were harmed because of that then so be it.

That was how things went down here; you were in control or you weren't.

Today was just like all the others. Or at least, that's what Rin figured it would be. The broad-shouldered demon made his way down the hall, boots clicking against rusting metal. A long black-furred tail lashed languidly behind his form, fine hairs forming a small tuft at the end. Matching ears flicked forwards, attempting to catch any sort of small sound. He wore a long black jacket, the bottom just above his ankles. The fabric was weaved with intricate red and silver threads, giving the demon an illusion of flickering lights. Unlike most of his kin, Rin kept his wings in plain sight, the bat-like vertebre pressed against his back. When extended, they spanned a good seven feet, appearing almost like sails. Fine hairs covered them, providing silent gliding in the still air of Akuryo. Rin was a proud demon; he showed off whenever he could and boasted about many of his skills.

He raised a black-nailed hand, running it over smooth metal bars. The creature hidden within the shadows shrank back even further, cerulean eyes wide in terror. A growl bubbled up in his throat; seeing such weakness made the hair along his neck bristle. "That'll get beaten out of you, that little bit of resistance." Rin glared before continuing along on his way. He was always the one to check out new arrivals before his guards set about breaking them.

Most of them were lesser demons and the occasional fairy, with a few humans throw into the mix. Nothing worth his time. As he neared the end, however, Rin paused in his tracks. A faint orange glow dragged across the ground, illuminating the cell across from it. The demon's eyes narrowed, thin lips lifting in a growl of unease.

A glow like that only belonged to one specific race.

And if one was here, it could only spell trouble for Rin and his business.

"You don't have to act so hostile. It's not like I'm gonna bite you~" The voice startled the demon from his thoughts. Rin prowled up to the cell, red eyes sharp. Just as he thought, the creature he had been avoiding the most was seated quite casually on the torn bedsheets. Just seeing the angel sitting there would've set him running for his guards but Rin couldn't force himself to move. He actually knew this angel, and seeing him in Akuryo again forced a growl past his lips. "What are you doing here?" The question was sharp, low and angry, accentuated with a flick of a long tail.

That was when Rin actually seen the state the angel was in. A brown wing rested at an awkward angle, the thin bone made to keep it all together broken through soft feathers. Several of those feathers were scattered throughout the cell, and now that Rin looked, he could see a few laying on the ground outside, leading from the door to here. The demon should've paid more attention. Blood dotted the metal below his feet, smeared across the bar clenched tightly between his fingers, as well as staining the sheet that the angel was seated upon. It appeared that the blood flow hadn't stopped, which surprised Rin; couldn't he just heal himself?

"I do believe I should be asking you that question, seeing as I was the one tied up and drugged." The words were spoken quietly, magenta eyes flashing in challenge. The demon's ears flicked back, his tail twitching in unease. He had forgotten about the drug; that was probably the reason why the angel hadn't yet healed himself. The drug took away all magical abilities and made the unfortunate victim pass out for a few hours, just long enough to transport them here. But surely his Catchers would've been smart enough to know that this was an angel.

And one that he knew.

Rin wasn't quite sure what to say, so he simply uttered the first words that came to mind. "You look ... older." The angel tipped his head back and actually laughed, despite the pain he was probably in. "We haven't seen each other in nearly two-hundred years, and that's the only thing you can come up with?" His ears burned. The demon had never been very good with words. But it was true. Angel, demon, or not, you still aged, and this specific angel had grown from the little newborn he had known all those years ago. If Rin took a moment to strip away the fact that he was an angel, he figured that he was quite attractive all grown up.

He was honestly a little surprised to see the angel again. Along with three others, this creature was part of the group that he had originally chased away from Akuryo. Rin should be angry that the angel had once again ventured into his territory, but he couldn't find it in him. He was actually a little ... glad that the other appeared here. The demon was reminded of endless nights talking and memories of starlit skies above ground. Realizing that his mind was wandering, he shook the thoughts away, forcing the pain in his chest away. He looked back up, trying to appear strong.

Rin chose to ignore the angel's words from before.

"You do know where you are, right?"

The angel's smile was almost honey-sweet. "Of course I do, Rin-chan. I got sent here on purpose."

"Maybe you should share that little story with me, Nagisa."

Long lashes batted at the one hovering outside of the cage. "I'm so glad you remember me, Rin-chan. Now then, onto more ... interesting matters."

Rin somehow didn't like the sound of those words. He narrowed his eyes, leaning against the bars heavily. His tail flicked, the movement being followed by barely-moving magenta eyes. The smile grew wider.

"You see, the Original's need your help again. I'm afraid that a special little group has decided to reappear after all these years. We'd like to ask your assistance in capturing them. You are the best Catcher down here in Akuryo." The demon growled. "You're not talking about them, are you?"

"Unfortunately, I am. And I'm afraid they've captured Gou-chan. Normally we wouldn't bother you since you pretty told us to never talk to you again but we figured that this would be something that you cared about." Rin's ears pricked at the sound of his sister's name, eyes wide in shock. Even with that, however, he didn't jump at the bait that Nagisa was laying out before him. His sister was a demon for a reason; she could take care of herself. At least, that's what he was telling himself.

If he went, that meant letting Nagisa out of his cage, and the demon wasn't quite ready to let the angel go just yet. Angel's were rare catches; even if the blond-haired angel made it so he'd be brought here, only Rin had control of his release. The demon's smile was wide and devious.

"Kou is gonna have to wait just a bit longer. It's not often I get an angel here at Samezuka."

Oh it was wonderful watching Nagisa's smile melt away.

I've been wanting to do a demon/angel AU for a while now, and this is what I settled on. This is gonna be multi-chaptered, and I swear I will get it done this time. I'll try to update every Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on motivation~