This was not how today was supposed to go, Rin was supposed to at least make it to the restaurant interview and try to make a good impression. After all, cooking was at least the one thing he was good at besides getting into fights, but that would've been too good to be true. No first the city is overrun with bugs that apparently nobody else can see. Then in the process of getting lost in the crowded city full of floating black spots, he just had to run into Reiji Shiratori, for the second time today! As if the first time wasn't bad enough, Rin didn't particularly want to get into another fight right before an interview, but apparently, Shiratori had other ideas.
"Okumura!"
"Yea—"
Rin stopped in his tracks and turned to face Shiratori nearly falling over himself in shock at the sight of ram-like horns twisted on his head and a sharp pointed tail swishing around behind him. Surely that was a costume? But then again, he had never seen a costume move as fluently as that before. He'd also brought back up, the same two goons that were with him this morning killing pigeons and a bigger guy that wasn't. Great.
"Sorry about this morning, you alright?" Feigned concern laced voice.
Rin just stared at him still trying to get over the shock of just how freaky looking he was and why no one else was as freaked about it as he was? Could they not see?
"We lost our cool. We wanna apologize." Shiratori smiled, or what seemed like a smile but looked more like a hungry sneer. "Got a minute?" He motioned for Rin to follow him. Rin checked his watch he still had time to make the interview if this was quick.
"If it won't take long…"
Shiratori had led them all to a nearby alley, Rin tried to stay within view of an exit, but the big guy decided to nudge him further and stand behind him, the other two backing up Shiratori opposite.
"So… How much should I pay you?"
Rin's expression dropped in confusion "Huh? Pay me?"
"Well, you know my parents are well-known and the new term at True Cross Academy is about to start. I wouldn't want… you know, bad rumours to get around."
"Wow, you're going to the same school as Yukio? Hmm, that would be bad." He was reminded of the event this morning and the guys tormenting the helpless pigeons. "I doubt the school wants anything to do with cruel punks like you."
"Ha ha! Right. Call it hush money. I'll pay you, so keep it a secret, all right?" Shiratori approached Rin removing his wallet and pulling out some notes, waving them around in the air.
Rin just turned and began to walk away, maybe he can still make a good impression even if he is a bit late for the interview. "Nah, I don't want it. I won't say anything, keep your money. We done now? I'm busy so—"
"What's with the attitude, Okumura? You tryin' to be cool?" He laughed "Be honest, you know you two are so poor you can't even pay for school." Rin stopped, looking back at Shiratori, what was this guy's problem?
"So, take it." Shiratori stood there holding out the money towards Rin. "Your brother studied hard to get a scholarship, right?" He sneered, Rin glared, he was seriously going there. "That's sorta like debt. How sad. Why don't you put this towards his tuition?" He stood there laughing.
Rin snapped. Before he knew it, his fist hit Shiratori's face and the boy went flying back.
"Say what you want about me…but don't you dare talk that way about my brother!"
Shiratori got up from the floor and was knelt on one leg laughing to himself whilst rubbing his face with his hand. "Ha ha ha! That hurt Okumura, you certainly pack a punch but…" He turned to face Rin with a look that sent a shiver down his spine. "What are you so worked up about?!" He gave Rin a big toothy smile and it was then Rin noticed how pointed and sharp his teeth appeared, either he was seeing things, or this guy was some sort of monster, but monsters weren't real right? Why couldn't anyone else see this?
Suddenly Rin was knocked to the floor by the big guy behind him, dropping the bit of paper in his hand with his interview information on it.
"Hold him down! Be careful though, this guy's a real monster!" Shiratori sneered behind him. Picking up the paper he had just dropped. "Interview? Haha! I guess that explains the suit. Here I thought you just liked to dress up!" He patted Rin on the head "I feel for you dude, even demons gotta find a job after Junior High!" He went closer to Rin's face and snarled into his ear "Without anyone to support you, you're just scum!" His eyes were filled with something that scared Rin. He struggled but despite all his strength, Shiratori's goons had him well and truly pinned down.
Something was pulled out of Shiratori's jacket, he unfolded it and Rin could just make out the glint of the metal surface. 'Shit is that a knife?'
"Ta-Daa!" He was laughing so gleefully now excited at the prospect of using his new weapon. "Everyone knows you're supposed to shave your head for job interviews! Here I'll help you!" with that he gripped Rin's hair by his bangs and pulled his head up.
There was nervous laughter from above him "Ain't we done enough, Shiratori? That's going too far… seriously that's a crime." Finally, someone stepped in, he was starting to think they were all psychopaths. But whoever voiced their comment soon ended up with Shiratori's fist in their face. Big guy dreadlocks was down for the count, his weight bearing down on Rin even more, then he was being pulled up by his bangs again.
"Stop it!" Rin started to panic, knife at his head, Shiratori still laughing his psychotic laugh looking more demonic than ever. Feeling the cold metal at his hairline he began to hyperventilate.
"Don't get mad if a little skin comes off, I'm new at this!"
'He's a Demon!'
"Maybe we even get to see what your brains look like! Course that would mean you have to have brains!" Laughing above Rin's head he pressed the knife to his head, Rin felt the pain and then the blood trickle down his forehead. He closed his eyes.
'He's going to kill me!'
Suddenly the pressure was off his head and back, he could move, was he dead? Scalped? There was no pain. He could hear screams, not his, Shiratori's goons. Rin opened his eyes. He was surrounded by fire, but not normal fire it was…blue? It didn't burn, was it coming from him? He brought his hands up staring at the fire that surrounded them almost like a protective layer of skin around his body. It felt warm, safe. He was suddenly brought out of his trance by a voice nearby, it sounded like Shiratori but deeper and calmer than before. He glanced up to see Shiratori? The Demon? Walking towards him with a look of awe on his features.
"I was right. That blue fire is proof that you are the true scion of Satan." He knelt down in front of Rin "Do you know how long I've waited for this? How long I have looked for you?"
Rin was still shaking, staring in fear at Shiratori "Looked for me? What—"
Holding his clawed hand out to Rin he smiled that toothy smile again "Come, Satan is waiting." Without giving Rin a chance to answer he grabbed him by the wrist and started pulling him along, Rin struggled but couldn't release himself.
"S-Satan?!" Rin managed to stutter out, he was being dragged through all manner of streets and alleys, where the hell was this guy taking him?
"Where are…we going?" He managed to pant out. "Who are you?!" He slowed to a stop, Rin tried to catch his breath.
"I am returning you to your father. Now we must hurry before the exorcists come!" He started pulling again nearly pulling Rin over, but he managed to find his balance quickly.
"Wait, my Father?" Did he mean Father Fujimoto? If that was the case, he was going completely the opposite direction. They finally stopped in an abandoned building site, the demon was talking to the small bugs around him in an unknown language, they soon scattered out of sight and he turned back to Rin. "What the hell is going on, what were those flames, where is my Dad?"
The demon stared at the boy for a moment "Did they tell you nothing of your heritage all these years?" He sighed "As I said I am returning you to your father, the owner of those blue flames which you have inherited, the God of Gehenna…Satan"
"My father is…" He couldn't finish he was in shock, he stared at his hands again, flames having long disappeared. "But… I'm not human?" He wasn't sure if he meant it as a question or a statement but looked to the demon in front of him for further confirmation anyway.
The demon sighed, he looked to be getting impatient as if waiting for something to happen "Gehenna is the home of Demons, and you are the Prince of Gehenna. You are a demon from birth. But somehow, they have hidden your true form and power for 15 years making it impossible to find you. But from your little outburst back there, your power seems to be breaking free. If we can locate what they have used to seal you away, you will return to your true form."
"True form…?" The Demon held out his arms and almost bowed as if to point out the obvious. "You mean I'll look like you?!" Rin tried to hold back the look of disgust on his face but from the demon's expression, he was not successful. "…Sorry"
"You won't look exactly—" Before he could continue there were footsteps running towards them "Crap. Out of time." He grabbed Rin by his wrist threw him behind him just as a tall figure turned the corner and began walking towards them. The shape of the shadowed figure was familiar to Rin.
"There is evil in their hearts" He knew that voice "O, Lord. Reward them according to their evil deeds. Repay the works of their hands. Avenge thyself upon them." He looked at the demon, it was like a switch had been pushed and all the rage from before had returned, a great snarl on his face and a low growl escaping from his throat "Who're you?!".
The figure continued chanting "Strike them down so that they may never rise again." He stepped into the light, so Rin could finally see his face, confirming what he thought "Dad...?". Hope swelled in his chest at the sight of the man who had raised him. He wanted to run to him but the demon blocked his way, tail swishing back and forth in agitation.
"Are you…an Exorcist?!"
Fujimoto just smiled and continued his chants "Blessed be the Lord."
"I'll rip that mouth right off your face, you filthy beast!" The demon lost all reason and self-control and bolted towards Fujimoto, his only intentions were to kill. The priest stood his ground barely flinching at the oncoming demon.
"My prayer has been answered." The demon lunged at Fujimoto with his clawed hand, who effortlessly dodged it and grabbed hold of the opposing arm. "The Lord is my help… and my shield!" Swinging the demon down on to the floor "Thou shalt be destroyed!" He raised his opposite hand and as he brought it back down the demon screamed and expelled a black substance from his mouth, his body slowly morphing back to that of Shiratori. With a thud, he fell to the floor unconscious.
Father Fujimoto looked to Rin still trying to process what had just happened.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm…fine. What about him?" He pointed to the unconscious Shiratori.
"He's fine, I've driven the demon out, he'll come to soon. But demons possess wicked souls if he doesn't change this could happen again."
"D-Demons…"
"The Demons. You can see them, right?" With that, he blew away one of the floating black bugs that had been all over the city. Rin finally looks closer and realised what big eyes they had, immediately brushing them away.
"This world exists in two dimensions, like reflections in a mirror. One is Assiah, the world in which we live. The other is Gehenna, the realm of demons."
'Your Father…owner of the blue flames…God of Gehenna' Thoughts swirled around in Rin's mind as Fujimoto explained. Suddenly he was in front of Rin holding out his hand.
"Get up. News of your awakening will spread. All manner of beings will now seek you for their own purposes. You must hide!" With that Fujimoto grabbed Rin's arm and dragged him along.
"W-Wait! Hide? Awakening? What the hell?!" He tried to pull back, he wanted answers that were, hopefully, different to what the demon had told him. He didn't want to believe any of that was true. "Dad! ...What am I?!"
Fujimoto paused his face serious and his voice deep with meaning "You are…the child of a demon. Born of a woman, fathered by a demon." Rin could feel his heart pounding in his chest, this wasn't right, Fujimoto was supposed to tell him he was human, put his fears to rest, not reinforce them.
"And not just any demon. You are the bastard child of Satan himself."
They returned to the monastery in silence and Rin was promptly dragged to his room to pack his things.
"You must leave the monastery immediately."
"Wait…Leave?!"
Fujimoto shoved clothes into a bag and zipped it shut, throwing it at Rin shortly afterwards. "Umph. Hey—" Fujimoto pulled out a key and held it in front of Rin.
"This is a Kamikakushi key. With it, you can hide anything anywhere you want." He pulled Rin to his own room and inserted the key to a nearby chest of drawers, turned it with a click and opened the drawer. In it was a blue sheathed katana and red cloth and tie. "The Koma Sword. Also known as Kurikara, it is a magic sword passed down from old."
"Your flame resides in this sword, sealed by the scabbard. If you draw it, you will assume your demonic nature…and can never live as a human again." Rin swallowed, his father was confirming everything the demon had said. His power and form sealed inside this sword. Fujimoto placed the sword and key on top of the bag that was already in his arms. "Don't ever draw it! But never let it leave your possession! When necessary use the key, hide it."
"Once you have left the monastery, use this phone. There's only one number in it that's for a friend of mine. He can't return your life to normal, but he will shelter you. Now GO!" He placed the phone on top of the pile in Rin's arms.
"I…" Rin stood shocked, heart still pounding in his chest, he didn't want to leave. Why was he being kicked out? Was it because he was a demon now? But then hadn't he always been a demon? If he was a demon, then what about… "I don't wanna!" He threw everything to the ground with force.
"What the hell is all this, first the demon and now you?! Is this some sort of sick joke?! If I'm a demon, then…then what about Yukio…is he a demon to?!" Surely not, Yukio was going to be a Doctor…
"You were the firstborn of fraternal twins. Yukio was under-weight and couldn't bear it. Only you inherited this power."
"But…Why now? Why didn't you tell me anything before?!"
"I wanted to raise you as a normal child. And I could only raise you as long as you were human."
"So what, now that I'm not human anymore you're kicking me out?!" Rin's voice was getting louder with the more anger that built up, he clenched his fists, holding back whatever tears were forming from his eyes.
"No Rin, I'm doing this to protect you!" Shiro stood trying to keep his calm, he could see the pain building in Rin's eyes.
"Protect me?! You're abandoning me!" Rin spat and continued before Shiro had a chance to counter the argument. "Spare me the petty speeches. You don't care about me! Unlike Yukio, I was always too much trouble for you! You just can't handle playing my Father anymore! Admit it!" The tears were trying to break his barrier, but he refused to let them fall, he wasn't weak, he didn't cry. Anger was just spilling from him, not holding back anything.
"Don't ever pretend to be my father again!"
SLAP
His face was sore, Shiro's eyes so intense it was like they could sear a hole into his body. "There is no time to argue. Now, do as I say!"
"Fine…" Rin turned to pick up his things, as he moved to leave the room, he heard a thud behind him. He turned to see Shiro on the floor, shaking and clutching his chest.
"What…What is it?!"
"Oh…no! What have I done…?" He choked looking at his hand.
"What's wrong?" Rin stepped closer but Shiro swung his arm out.
"GO! Now hurry!" The lights smashed drowning the room into darkness. "Get away from me!"
"H-Hey…" He crouched down to Shiro, hand outstretched "Hang on!"
Shiro raised his head, Rin stopped in his tracks, his eyes were different. "My…dear son." The side of his mouth raised in a smile showing off his now sharp pointed teeth, just like the demon's. "How I have waited for this moment…".
There was an explosion of blue fire from Shiro as he stood up laughing, his features had morphed into something demonic. "Ha ha ha! Sometimes I crack myself up!" Rin had fallen back on in the floor and had backed into the wall with nowhere to go. "Hiya Junior! How ya been? I came all the way here to greet you, my darling boy! Aren't you the least bit grateful?!"
"A-Are you a d-demon?" Rin managed to stutter out, still trying to move away but without being able to go through the wall he was stuck, and Shiro? The Demon? Was blocking his exit. Blood starting to ooze from his eyes, nose and mouth.
"I am Satan. God of demons and your true father!" He laughed again. "But you can call me 'Dad' mwa ha ha" He examined his body briefly before continuing. "Well now…as much as I'd love to prolong this emotional reunion it looks like this guy's body won't hold me much longer." Taking hold of his fingers he pulled, ripping them off and allowing the blood to pool on the floor. Rin was paralysed by his fear and shock. The blood on the floor seemed to form straight edges and move further down the room, Satan speaking words of a foreign language. As he did so small demonic heads started bubbling into existence, when it was finished there was an elaborate frame around the bubbling mass.
"I am the only one who can make this. The Gehenna Gate" He turned back to Rin, who had not been able to move and had now been even more wedged to the wall by the bubbling gate. "So… Let's go to Gehenna!"
That caught Rin's attention "What?!"
Satan picked up the Kurikara from the floor "Oh right, I should destroy this. And release you from its damnable curse!"
"Leave me alone!" Rin burst into flames in his feeble attempt to get Satan to back off. But in vain as Satan was hardly impressed and just burst into his insane laughter.
"What's that supposed to be? You wet your pants or something? Ha ha ha!" He swung Kurikara over his shoulder and grabbed Rin by his collar. "It's time to reclaim your demonic nature!" Rin struggled unsuccessfully against his grasp.
"L-Let me go! I'm…I'm human!"
'Am I?' He was dragged passed a mirror see his reflection covered in blue flames 'Is that me?'
"I am a perfect being and master of many powers. But there is one drawback. Know what that is?" He turned to Rin looking even more bloodied than ever, Rin wasn't sure what was scarier, the demon or seeing his father dying like this, knowing it was his fault. "No material in Assiah is equal to me! Anything I touch is soon corrupted! Like this body…and your Mother!"
"Assiah will be mine!"
He threw Rin into the bubbling mass of the Gehenna gate "I made you on a whim, but it worked out splendidly! You exist in Assiah, but the flame of the God of Gehenna runs through your veins!" Rin was starting to get sucked down, unable to get himself free of the bubbling substance. "I need you in order to lay claim to this world!"
"Somebody help me!" Rin cried but no one came. Where were the rest of the priests? Had Yukio already left? Where was everyone?!
The gate sucked him further in and Satan just laughed "The cry of a new-born! For today, you shall be reborn!"
"Someone help!" Still no one, he was alone.
"Happy Birthday! Welcome to Gehenna!" He threw in the Koma sword, which soon began to be dragged down along with Rin. Suddenly Satan stopped and buckled as if he was in pain "What?!" He grabbed the exorcist pin on his uniform and stabbed himself in the chest "Why you…DAMNED EXORCIST!"
His voice returned to Shiro's "Rin…is my son. Give him back-or else!"
"HA HA HA! Suicide! Some priest you are! But the gate already has him, it won't let him go. So…what'll it be?" His voice faded off and with that Satan was gone. Shiro's body collapsed on the ground next to the gate.
"No…Dad?! Wake up! Someone help!" He looked around for anything to grab hold of to try and lever himself out, but everything was out of reach, the Koma sword had already disappeared into the gate and he was already up to his chest with one arm stuck, unless someone heard him and came to help, he was trapped. As his head started to go under, he thought he could hear a door slam and footsteps approaching, his other arm still outstretched, but his head was submerged before he could see if anyone came. He thought for a moment he could feel someone's hand grab his but pulling was in vain and he kept sinking, soon losing grasp of the other hand and falling unconscious in the blackness of the gate.
Yukio had been calling the monastery repeatedly with no answer, his father wasn't answering his cell phone either. He'd had a bad feeling when he got to the train station, so instead of leaving for True Cross he turned and rushed home to check on things when he got there it was eerily silent. "Dad?! Nii-san?!" No one answered. He made his way to the bedrooms, the door to his father's room was ajar and a strange groaning sound coming from inside. He ran inside to see the Gehenna gate a hand slowly being pulled under and the remainder of Rin's dark blue hair "Nii-san!". He didn't register anything else and grabbed for Rin's hand to try and pull him back up but he was too far gone, it was then Yukio realised his father unconscious on the floor next to the gate, he released Rin's hand as it was sucked into the gate and immediately went to his father, phoning for an ambulance whilst he checked for a pulse.
Badum.
There it was, it was faint, but it was still there. Yukio let go of a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. But it wasn't over yet, his father had lost a lot of blood, been stabbed in the chest and his fingers had been ripped off. There was still a chance he was going to die, but Yukio couldn't give up hope.
He could hear sirens in the distance, looking back towards the disappearing Gehenna gate, clenching his fists he punched the floor in frustration. His brother was gone, and if he ever saw him again, he didn't know if he would be the same Rin or the demon that had been trying to claw its way out for 15 years.
"I'll try to find a way to save you, Nii-san…"
Update 15/2/19 - I've edited the middle section, as when I wrote it I completely missed that the demon on the beginning isn't actually named. And with the current reveal of Astaroth in the manga I kind of wanna stick with that.