City of Demons
AU For some reason trouble always seemed to follow Rin Okumura. The sometimes-troublemaker turned hero is struck by a car while saving a child. Near death, he makes a deal with a certain violet-haired trickster and finds himself with new powers— and demons. Rin-centric.

A/N: Currently drowning in plot bunnies XD I can't seem to focus on, well, anything, but this idea has been bugging me for ages! Anyway, this story will be Rin-centric, but pairings (or if there will be any) haven't been decided. I'll let you guys decide :P All ya need to know for this AU is that the group will be older, somewhere in the college age range.

Genre: Drama, Supernatural

Rating: T+ for language and possibly gore.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Blue Exorcist.

Chapter 1- Gambles

.

.

Rin Okumura fumbled with the black tie, muttering a few choice curses under his breath. The fabric became more entangled with his every attempt until the boy huffed in annoyance, letting the tie slip from his hands. His brown-haired twin gave a knowing smile, padding over to his frustrated brother.

"Need help, nii-san?" He teased lightly, watching as the youth shrugged, attempting to appear as nonchalant as possible despite nearly being at his wit's end. Unbeknownst to Yukio, the blue-haired man had spent a good thirty minutes wrestling with the tie before he came into the room, and had only managed to stub his toe, drop the tie underneath his bed, and nearly strangle himself.

Rin looked away, mumbling out a curt response before lifting his chin up. Yukio chuckled, bringing his hands toward his older twin's neck. "What would father say now if he saw that you still couldn't put on a tie?"

"...Shut up." He retorted, although there was no actual malice to be found in his voice.

Yukio ignored the comment, fixing the tie into place before giving a warm smile. "Good luck with the interview, nii-san. I'm sure you'll get the job... as long as you don't get lost on your way there."

The blue-haired teen narrowed his eyes, pointing a finger at his brother accusingly. "T-that was one time! And I wasn't lost, I was just... sightseeing. Yah, sightseeing."

"In the town you grew up in?"

Rin clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Alright, I got lost! Geeze, Yukio..." He trailed off, taking one last glance in the mirror. The dark suit he had borrowed from his twin was a bit long, with the cuffs slipping just past his knuckles, but still fit relatively well. Running a hand through his slicked back hair (courteous Yukio and a mountain of hair gel), he could almost pretend that he was a well-dressed salesperson or businessman. Almost.

The features that marred his fake-businessy look were his dirt-caked shoes, the few cuts that peppered his face, and the white bandages that sneaked up his knuckles. Sighing, Rin turned away from the mirror and towards the door, twisting the brass doorknob.

"I'll see ya later, Yukio!" He called, disappearing out the door.

The brown-haired man returned his gaze to the medical textbook on the coffee table, wondering faintly if Rin would be alright. They had just moved to the city to be closer to Yukio's university and partly to give his older twin a second chance; a high-school dropout due to a few unsavory circumstances, Rin would have a better chance of landing a job in a big city then in their small hometown. It was also a good excuse to get him away from the gangs that seemed to gravitate towards the somewhat-troublemaker.

It wasn't like Rin looked for trouble; he just seemed to attract problems like a magnet. Sure enough, he'd fine some group of delinquents in the middle of a heinous act and feel the need to play the hero. It was just a shame that his 'heroic' acts often led to either his arrest or a hospital visits (or both).

After getting their adopted father, Shiro Fujimoto, on board it was only a few weeks until the pair found themselves in a small apartment in the heart of a neighboring city. While the priest had promised to send a check every month to help with their living expenses neither wanted to inconvenience the man. Instead, Yukio worked as a paid intern in one of the nearby hospitals on his days off from college while Rin searched frantically for a job.

Yukio sincerely hoped that Rin wouldn't get lost— or mess up the interview.

The blue-haired youth stared at the train map in a confused daze, cobalt eyes frantically searching for the right stop in the strange, almost crossword-like jumble of kanji.

"Damnit, why does this stupid café have to be so far away?!" He whined, checking the name on paper with what appeared on the map. He stood in the middle of the busy terminal for over fifteen minutes, scanning the names to no avail. He almost gave up until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" He turned around, expecting to see some annoyed commuter. Instead, a petite blonde with green eyes stood in front of him, shyly playing with a lock of her hair.

"U-uh, I hate to bother you, b-but you look lost. You've been standing there for a while and I know how confusing the station can be..." She trailed off, clearly embarrassed.

Rin's gaze softened as he flashed a grin, holding out the near crumpled piece of paper. "Nah, I'm glad you stopped to help. I, uh, need to find this cafe but I can't seem to find the right stop."

"O-oh, let me see." She took the paper, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she read the directions on the lined paper. Her emerald orbs widened instantly as she smiled back, pointing to one of the already stopped trains.

"If you take that one right now you'll make it to the cafe in no time! I love that place; I'm sure you'll enjoy it!" She chirped, handing back the paper.

Rin blushed nervously, giving the girl a quick thank you before sprinting towards the train she specified. Just making it before the double doors closed, he waved at the girl as the machine roared to life, rumbling away from the terminal.

Damn, I didn't catch her name... he thought, finding an empty seat near the sliding doors.

Once back on the streets, the blue-haired youth ran frantically through the morning crowd, apologizing every now and then for jostling someone.

"H-hey!" A purple-haired woman yelled indignantly as he bumped into her, knocking her coffee from her hands.

"Sorry!" He called back, checking his watch. Damn. He only had ten minutes to make it to the interview on time.

Increasing to a sprint, Rin careened through the sea of people, stopping only to obey traffic signals and the occasional elderly person who (which he knew from experience) would knock him with a cane if he so much as sneezed in their direction. Making a sharp turn, he caught the glimpse of a young child fumbling for a scarf, darting onto the crosswalk. The lights suddenly turned green as engines roared to life. A man on his phone pushed on the gas, clearly unaware of the child mere feet from him. He continued to yell angrily at his cell, eyes away from the road.

Shit! He watched in panic as the semi-truck continued forward, right in the direction of the child. His legs moved automatically before his thoughts could catch up with him.

The girl just retrieved her scarf when Rin darted forward, pushing her out of the way. There was a sudden screeching of horns and a multitude of screams from onlookers as the blue-haired teen was hit, the impact throwing him a few feet into the air before he landed on the concrete with a sickening crack. Blood pooled from his crumpled form, bleary blue orbs twisted in pain.

"Someone, call for an ambulance!"

"I don't think the kid's going to make it..."

"He saved that girl, didn't he?"

The youth woke to darkness.

He felt as if he was floating, body weightless and cold. He slowly sunk into the emptiness, conscience fading. His veins seemed to be filled with ice, a strange lethargy taking over his limbs. It took all of his strength just to keep his eyes open.

So this is the afterlife. How sad... there's nothing here.

Ah, but you are not dead yet, Rin Okumura~! An unfamiliar voice called out, echoing in the void.

Who are you? And what do you mean?

That doesn't matter right now. Let's just say I'm a family friend. As for your second question, a snapping noise could be heard as the boy was lifted to his feet. He met the calculating gaze of a man with peridot eyes, violet hair appearing nearly black in the heavy darkness.

How would you like to take a gamble, Okumura-kun?

W-what are you talkin' about? I don't understand—

It's simple. I've frozen time for the moment, leaving you alive for now. But if time starts again, in your condition... you will surely die.

W-what?!

You only have a few precious moments, so I suggest you listen carefully. I can save you. Well, you'd more or less save yourself. The truth is, I've been holding on to a particularly pesky soul. Ah, but not just any regular soul. It is a demon's, forged from the king of Gehenna himself.

King? Gehenna? What the hell is going on?!

A chuckle followed. Such tenacity~! Being young must be wonderful! Anyway, what I'm saying is that if you accept this soul into you, the demon should take over and heal itself- heal you, rather. But, there are some risks—

I don't care. I'll do it!

A look of amusement passed the man's eyes. Looks like I picked the right human after all. You may call me Mephisto Pheles. I'll visit you once you've adjusted to the demon. Well, if you survive, anyway.

A sudden pain bloomed in Rin's heart as he let out a cry of pain. It felt as if there was a fire in his chest, coursing through his veins until he felt nothing but the white-hot agony. His whole body was seemingly consumed in flames, a stark contrast to the once coldness of Mephisto's pocket-dimension. The pain eventually became too much; his slanted pupils returned to their regular shape as he fell back, losing consciousness.

Yukio drummed his fingers against his lap anxiously, eyes darting to the phone at his side for the fifteenth time. Rin sure was taking a while...

He shook his head at his over active imagination. Rin was fine. He just had a bad habit of being late; and, if it was like he hypothesized, the boy would take his time since he didn't get the job.

Suddenly, the shrill beep of the house phone cut through his thoughts. Yukio quickly picked up the receiver, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach at the caller ID. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello...?"

"Is this Yukio Okumura?" A feminine voice questioned.

"Y-yes. Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry sir, but there's been an accident. Your brother—"

The bespectacled man slammed the phone back in its cradle before the woman could finish, fingers already curled around the doorknob.

Sitting in the metal chair by Rin's bedside, Yukio felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. He had come so close to losing his brother. The doctors had told him what had happened, how Rin had been his usual recklessly stupid, but heroic self and pushed a little child out of the way of a semi-truck. He knew that he should have been dead; the doctors had told him that much. They couldn't believe that the boy was still breathing. Yet, as the hours wore on, Rin's condition continued to improve.

A medical miracle, they had said, although they were worried about his coma-like state. While brain scans showed nothing abnormal, there was still a chance that the accident had done something to his memory. So as much as Yukio wanted to be happy that his twin was alive and breathing, the fear of him not even recognizing his family loomed in the back of his mind.

The heart monitor beeped erratically for a moment, alerting the youth to Rin's sudden movement, fingers twitching and curling into his hospital gown. Yukio bolted from his seat when he saw his brother's eyes flutter open. He opened his mouth to speak, only to pause in abject horror.

Those aren't Rin's eyes... He stared speechless at the slanted pupils and now bright cerulean irises that narrowed darkly in his presence. The lights in the room suddenly sparked blue before dimming, bathing the room in darkness.

A deep, almost guttural chuckle escaped the boy's lips as he sneered. "So this is Assiah... how interesting."

And it was then that Yukio knew that this person— monster, demon, wasn't his brother.

A/N: I know it may seem a bit like the anime, but things will be taking an... interesting turn. I partially got this idea from the Demon Eaters from the manga since apparently eating demons can give you immortality/power :P

Anyway, as for pairings, you guys can just suggest them in reviews since I'm torn between a few. Or if you guys want any pairings at all; this story will be Rin-centric, after all, and doesn't really need any pairings.

But, if the story were to have any pairings I know for a fact there would be Mephisto/Shura. It's just who to pair Rin with that I'm wondering about.

So do you guys want Shiemi/Rin or Izumo/Rin? Let me know in a review, please :3 or any other pairings of other characters that you might want to see!

Oh, and the title of the story is significant; just wait and see XD

See ya guys in Chapter 2!

-Isis