Getting back to the monastery proved to be more difficult than I imagined. Demons of all kinds were after us. Rin had a hard time understanding what was going on. The only thing I couldn't wrap my mind around was that dad knew all along that Rin was the son of Satan. Every time Rin grabbed for my arm, I couldn't let him touch me, but the hurt in his eyes stung me. He'd always been my big brother… so why should this change us?
Dad started spouting orders about holy water and the demons that were coming. It seemed like they had been prepared for this day. From outside, the sound of demons trying to break the barrier or seals continued to get louder as more and more showed up.
Taking us down to a hidden room, dad unlocked a cabinet with a sword. The Koma sword, he called it. When Rin was born, they sealed away his demon powers. The catch now was that Rin wasn't allowed to draw it, or he would cease to be human.
A loud crash pulled us away from the riveting revelation about Rin and Yukio. The demons had broken through.
Dad gave Rin his cell phone. "There's only one number saved in it. He's a good friend. Call him as soon as you leave the monastery. I'm certain he'll be willing to take you and Nori in, and protect you."
He shoved Rin down the stairs and gave me a nudge. "You have to look out for him now, Nori." Then the door slammed closed above me.
For the first time, Rin and I were alone. I watched him beat on the door, yelling at dad. He looked back at me and came down the stairs. "Nori…" Rin hesitated to even reach out to me and that's when it clicked for me.
Another loud crash from upstairs sent me straight into his arms. He didn't feel any different. "Rin, I'm scared."
He relaxed and hugged me tightly. "Yeah. I know. None of this makes any damn sense."
"We'll figure it out. It doesn't change anything." I answered, cringing as another explosion rang out from above, shaking the walls.
"I can't just leave Nori."
"I figured you'd say that." I shook my head with a half-smile. Gesturing to the closed door above, I said, "Get us out of here."
Rin nodded and ran back up the stairs, ramming his shoulder into it as hard as he could. I looked around for some kind of weapon. On the wall hung two leaf blade swords. Not having a clue how to use them, I pulled them off the wall. They were a little heavier than I expected.
"What the hell are you doing with those?" Rin asked.
"At least I'm armed, asshole. Get the door open!" I said, trying to get used to the weight. I swung once clumsily, hitting the ground. It scrapped loudly.
"You're gonna hurt yourself." Rin mumbled, hitting it again, this time busting it open.
The scene above was horrifying. The whole monastery was barely standing up. Demons were crawling all over the place. Shiratori had been possessed again, this time bigger and scarier. The utter chaos turned to us when Rin threw a pitchfork at Shiratori and yelled, "Like I said, we're not done talking, you old fart."
Dad expelled the demon, then began to bark orders. He told Rin that he was why the demons were here. I tried to pay attention to the argument but my heart was pounding much too loudly in my chest. It was all I could focus on until dad slapped Rin. I slowly turned my head to look at them. How could they be fighting at a time like this?
"It will be morning soon. Hurry, go get your things. You too, Nori. It's not safe for you either," Dad said.
I complied much quicker than Rin, practically running up to my room before I had a meltdown. I tossed the swords on the bed before stuffing my more important items in between my clothes with all the cash I had stashed around the room. The adrenaline was the only thing keeping me from bursting into tears. Rin hadn't followed me. With my mind racing, I grabbed my phone, shakily dialing Yukio's number.
Voicemail.
The lights went out. It was more like a power surge that blew all the bulbs as it swept through the monastery. Screams from the clergymen downstairs drew me back out of the room. I crept back down, watching through the cracked door. There was a giant demon gate open in the middle of the floor with Rin trapped inside. Dad was… possessed. Blue flames came from all around his body.
Dad's words echoed in my head. I had to do something. Mustering all the courage I had, I made a dash past dad and leaned over the edge, reaching my arm out. "RIN!"
I almost had him… until dad, who was possessed by Satan grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me up like I weighed nothing. "What is this? Little Nori Asano? I remember you…" He laughed loudly. "Such a scared little girl, so easily possessed… tell me, have the nightmares stopped?"
Tossing me out into the gate, he continued to cackle. The gate started to pull me down. Slick, grimy hands latched onto my legs first, pulling me in. This time, I was screaming for Rin. Terrified, I couldn't stop screaming. The only thing louder than my screams was Satan's laughter. Struggling more, I felt the hot tears slide down my face.
Rin's arm slide around my waist, pulling me close and a little further out of the disgusting gate. Still, hands pawed and grabbed at us from beneath the heads that floated and moaned from the surface. I had no idea how we were going to get out of here.
"No." This time I heard dad's voice. He grabbed the heart pendant, stabbing himself in the heart. "That boy is my son and I'm taking him back."
"Damn you, exorcist!" Satan's flame faded and he fell into the gate.
Rin started to move forward, letting go of me. "Hold on." He shouted, waiting long enough for me to wrap both my arms around his waist before he started to move forward. It felt like moving through tar… tar that was made of floating heads and hands that grabbed you. Rin had almost reached him when a hand latched onto my ankle, jerking me down hard, pulling me under.
The last thing I heard was Rin shouting my name.
I don't want to die this way… with hands pulling at my body and this feeling of being crushed and suffocated.
Blue flames surrounded me and it all stopped. The broken monastery ceiling was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. Forcing myself to sit up, despite my aching body, I barely saw Rin close the Koma sword in its sheath. He was crying.
Dad's body was lying next to me and the shock of what happened started to set in with me. Dad was dead.
"Rin? Nori?" Yukio's voice caused me to look up. He came running over, checking out dad's body before turning to me. "Nori, what happened?"
The whole ordeal came flooding back to my mind and I just shook my head, new tears falling. We'd almost been killed. Dad was dead.
Yukio should have comforted me… checked out my wounds. But he didn't. The three of us sat there for a while, all in tears. For the first time since I was six, I felt alone in the world. Mom must have been right. Death does follow me wherever I go.
