Author's Note: There are a few things I'd like to mention before you start reading. The first is that I highly recommend reading the one-shot Miyama-Uguisu Mansion Incident to get a feel for what the character Night is like. Cause he's not an OC. XD The one-shot was what inspired what you now know today as Ao No Exorcist. But to put it into simple words, Night is basically like Rin… at that time. In this story he is very different and you'll eventually discover the reason why. So you consider the Night of this story OOC, but with a good reason, and not to a complete and out of this world OOCness. He's still the same Night that we all know and love. ;D
This other note is probably something I should have mention in my prologue (but was too lazy to go back and edit it in), so I'm doing it now. The main pairings are Night x Rin (in that order) but for the entirety of the story… it's mild yaoi/boyxboy/homo content. So if you find this to your disinterest, by all means go find yourself another story.
My final note is that this story takes place after the Kyoto Mission (manga version). And if you don't keep track of the manga then I apologize for all these references. Unfortunately I cannot spoil you the details for those who haven't read it yet. But the story isn't that crucially based from the manga, so you're good one way or the other. It takes its own direction here though.
Ugh, enough talking for now… Just go read. :D
1
Seeing Doubles
It was strange. One moment they were all enjoying squid yakisoba along the calm shores of Atami Sunrise Beach. The next, they were facing an earthquake. An earthquake that didn't split the ground but it might as well have.
Multiple people on the beach had lost their footing and collapsed onto the ground. Shouts and orders had blended together and not many people could do anything in all the mess.
Even the more trained middle second-class exorcists, who knew how to react in this situation, could not move coordinately. Some tried to take matters into their own hands by shuffling the exwires to safer ground. But it was difficult to tell which platform was the safer ground.
Every inch of the area was suffering from the earthquake. The sea waters quivered from the disturbance. The sounds of sirens and tires screeching could be heard from the nearby city. Some of the exorcists pointed towards a lighthouse standing on little ground, its structure now bent over and leaning rapidly towards the waters.
At first they probably had the same idea as to what was happening, just another one of nature's tantrums. But their assumptions came to halt when they witness something blocking out the moon, only to then split apart and scatter. It left many to wonder if it had all been a part of their imagination. But Rin swore on his life that it was anything but an illusion. It was dark and suspicious and menacing and about the only thing that fits the category was: e-v-i-l.
So for an instant, he turned to his younger brother Yukio for confirmation.
No words needed to be exchanged. Their bond was different, unlike some or unlike most; they could tell what the other was thinking from a single glance. But neither are psychics, so they got their fair share of wrong messages. This, however, was one of those rare moments of instant agreement.
The earthquake went as quick and sudden as it came. By the time Rin had come to his senses he heard his instructor-friend, Shura, give orders through her blow horn.
"Alright, time to stay calm and—"
"Kuro…! Where are you going?" Rin shouted over Shura, causing several eyes (particular belonging to his friends) to fall on him.
He watched worriedly as the demonic feline came to a stop, apparently in the midst of heading towards the area the smoke had originally—presumably—come from. With one little turn of its furry head, the creature spoke in the tongue that only Rin could understand. There was no eye contact, so Rin presumed that Kuro was close to hightailing it outta there at any second.
It's the scent! I know who it belongs to. Kuro says simply.
Instantly, the eldest Okumura saw the open window of opportunity.
Just before Kuro bolted out the area, Rin made his move. He joined his demonic companion, sword ready at his side and disregarding the fact that he's about to run around the metropolitan practically naked (save for his swim trunks). Kuro could hear cries of frustration from both the woman with the blow horn and Rin's brother, but Kuro already knew his familiar was a stubborn listener.
"I'm coming with you." Rin says, then turns back and announces to his human companions, "It'll only take a second." With that reassuring smile of his that promised certain catastrophe to come. He proceeds to ignore their disapproving replies and nods once to Kuro implying that he was ready.
For a brief moment, Kuro recalled that Rin was supposed to be on a thin-leash with the humans that he worked for. Something about them distrusting his line of blood (Satan's son and all) and that if he went around doing things his own way they would execute him. But the thought was discarded because now all Kuro could think about was reuniting with him and getting to introduce him to Rin.
Kuro grins out of pure excitement. Let's go! It's not too far.
WD
The sound of gunshots alerted Rin to their destination.
But when Rin arrived there, he instantly regretted it. He was wandering into someone's yard and could barely make out the objects on the ground that kept making him stumble.
But that was not the reason he regretted going there. The flash of a firearm going off followed by the humming sound of a passing bullet, millimeters from his ear, was the reason.
"W-whoa—whoa… Hey!" Rin shouted hastily to draw some sort of hesitation from his offender, but the other probably didn't even blink before firing a few more rounds. What the hell was wrong with this guy? What kind of person shoots at a kid?
(Albeit carrying a sword… but that's not the point!)
A man's voice, the shooter, barked, "You stay the hell away from my family, you demon!"
Since the firing at him started, Rin he was forced to roll around on the ground. None of the bullets made a direct hit; some had actually been way off target… Rin could easily presume that the guy was shooting blindly into his direction.
The half-demon/half-human child trusted his instincts. His gut feeling told him, which supported by all the screaming and firing, that the man was just trying to protect his family. Rightly so, Rin would assume that he's a good man who could be persuaded. If Rin could show that he was just a 'harmless' child who 'just so happen' to have strolled onto his background, the man would stop endangering Rin's life.
For Rin did not want to pull out his weapon into this scenario. It was either last resort or when certain that demons were in the area.
And where did Kuro wander off to? Rin mused. You're abandoning me for your old playmate, is that it?
Finally making up his mind to do something instead of rolling around, Rin quickly searched for the nearest lighted area. When he found that only the house lights were on, he decided to take a risk. Quickly, while the man was reloading, the exwire approached the steps of the house with caution.
If his brother had been there, he would have been scowled again for being a reckless idiot.
That being said…
Arms stretched out in front of him with hands waving frantically, Rin's revealed himself to the man.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot—"
With his shotgun reloaded and pointed directly at Rin's face, the boy paled.
"To hell with you—"
The man was a touch away from pulling the trigger when a little girl screamed, "Daddy stop it, please! It wasn't his fault! It was mine! Please don't hurt him!"
The little girl who appeared from inside the house managed to yank her father's hand – the one that would have initiated the fire – away and refused to relinquish her small grip. The father looked down at her, stunned.
Although the man did not make any moves to harm him, he did not relinquish the shotgun.
Rin stayed put. "That smoke earlier…"
As if startled out of his reverie, the man fixed Rin with a glare. "What about it?"
Before he could even answer, the little girl squeaked out.
"Mister, how'd you get shorter?"
Both Rin and the father gave the girl a confused look.
"You were taller a minute ago! Wasn't he, daddy?"
The man gave one surprise look before shaking his head. "Partita, get back in the house."
"Hold on a sec," Rin intervened, "you said you met me?"
Still holding onto her father's arm, the girl nodded shyly. "You came out of the box when the black stuff went away…"
Things kept getting stranger and stranger until it all blurred together for the second time that night. Surprised by the girl's admittance, Rin wasn't able to react fast enough when the man freed himself from his daughter and took aim.
But a third party made it just in the nick of time.
Kuro, in his monstrously large form, lifted Rin into the air and using the few stilled seconds from the man's shock to make a quick getaway.
WD
When they distance themselves from the house, the cat sith took a sharp turn.
In retrospect, if anyone had seen this, they would either laugh on sight or be disturbed by the unruly display. Kuro had Rin dangling by the waist of swim-trunks, and seeing that Rin didn't bother with undergarments, his butt cheeks were exposed to the cool night.
It was all kinds of embarrassing.
"Um… Thanks for saving me and all Kuro," he started, cold sweat dripping down his neck. "I really appreciate—can you put me down already?"
Once exwire went straight to the point, Kuro dropped his familiar onto his feet. Kuro reduced his form down to his original miniature size and took his place on top of the boy's head.
There's something wrong with him, said Kuro.
Rin wasn't really sure how he should go about replying. No, actually… he did. He just didn't want to come off rude. Because quite frankly, his life was just endangered back there and Kuro brushed it off his rare moment of gratitude like it wasn't worth the time.
(He would have escaped anyway with just a scratch, had Kuro not arrived. It's not like he's powerless, and he did have his demonic powers to thank for rapid healing.)
They found themselves in a meadow, not far from the city. Tiny flowers were growing from nearly every corner of the field, while the oversize trees helped create a semi-circular barrier on the opposite side of where they stood. Even in the darkness, Rin could identify that this scenery was a healthy sight.
The only blemish was the rogue creature at the center of it all.
At first glance, it could easily pass as just another human. The individual was tall, about the average height of a Japanese adult, with a moderately muscular build and handsome features (Rin concedes, but never aloud). But the worn-out clothes with vicious amounts of tears could throw anyone into retake.
To top it all, the creature carried the scent of corpses. Like it had soaked in demon's blood for years… Yet it lacked that full on smack-in-the-face stench (then again, he always though perfumes were awful too). It was due to the flowers' work that helped lighten the more intense odor.
This foreign yet oddly acquainted creature radiated in fascination for the spawn of Satan. Human it may appear, it had two fairly large horns which curve outwards but did not curl like a mountain goat's. Every time it exhaled, red flames weave out. Sort of a like a dragon on the attack, but tamer fires. And then there was the tail that looked identical to his.
And well… that just tempted him into show off his tail as well.
A normal person would run screaming. A little less normal person would have taken a different route and pretend they hadn't seen anything. An entirely not normal person would have faced the situation with some sort of tact.
And then you have someone like Rin who strolls in announcing, "Hi! I'm Okumura Rin, Exwire. Aiming to surpass my nerdy brother, kick Satan's ass, and become a Paladin— but maybe not in that order."
tbc