Chapter Two
Rin was asleep. He knew this because now he was starting to wake up. It had been a deep, warm and dreamless sleep but he'd been exhausted really, and to be honest, he thought he'd earned a rest. Yeah, he'd earned it after everything he'd done to destroy the Gehenna gate and save his brother from possession. Oh, that's a thought, Yukio is a demon like him now... will he be in trouble too?
With a slight groan, Rin cracked an eye open and looked around himself muzzly. The bed was comfortable, really comfortable actually, better than his normal bed. So that meant he wasn't at home, which would explain the warmly decorated wall's and furnishings. But where was he?
There was a sigh and someone shifted in the bed he was in, making Rin nearly jump out of the bed, as the hands that had been holding him all along, tightened there grip on him. He calmed just as quickly as he saw it was his own pointy eared twin brother, Yukio, that was in the bed with him. Rin smiled warmly to himself and snuggled down into his pillow further, feeling the pull of sleep on him once more, especially since Yukio was holding him again, just like he used to when they were little.
At the moment, they were safe and they were together, that was all that mattered.
Memories of the day before washing threw his mind as sleep drifted slowly over his mind. The memories came out of sync but he knew what each of them were, what had happened and caused it all... all up to the point where he'd been stood with Yukio and there friends, Shiemi was hugging them and crying, scolding them both for making her worry. But then there had been a light, a blindingly brilliant white light, that had nothing to do with his own blue fire... then he'd woken up here.
Worry started to pick at his mind, so despite the warm and incredibly soft bed, Rin pulled himself from sleep once more and opened a blue eye to look around again. The room was warmly decorated with a quite eloquence that hinted at wealth, without screaming about it. He and Yukio were in a wide, double bed that was tucked against a wall, the wall opposite had been lined in book shelves, with a over large and comfy looking arm chair near them. Sitting in the armchair, was a gold haired young man with brilliant green eyes and small white wings.
Rin blinked again and sat up a little as he got a better look at the figure in the chair and the room they were in. It was a large room, seeming to pose as both bedroom and living space for someone, with one door that was open to a bathroom, one door that was closed but he assumed was the corridor, and a large set of double door's to a balcony he could see through the glass of said doors. There was a small kitchenette built into the corner near the bathroom and a table with six chairs near that, but it all looked like it had never been used.
The figure in the chair quietly turned a page and Rin ducked back down into the bed again, leaning closer to his brother, unsure what was going on. Should he wake Yukio up and see if he knew who this new person was? He seemed to know almost everything else, he admitted to himself, grudgingly.
"If your both awake, would you like something to eat?" Said the figure suddenly, breaking the soft peace of the room.
Yukio opened his eyes and looked straight at Rin, green looking into blue, and for a moment there was the peacefulness of having just woken, before the mind slams in there to remind the person of everything they have done. Sadness filled Yukio's eyes, along with tears and Rin tightened his grip on his brothers body, pulling him closer.
"I can imagine your feeling a bit sore and bruised, but I can assure you that food is the best thing for you at the moment," said the figure in an absent minded kind of way. "And if you think your in trouble and don't deserve to do something so simple as eat, then I can tell you that nothing bad is going to happen to you. And if your going to look for the sword, its on the bedside table next to you."
Rin felt his brother stiffen in his grip, even as Yukio's grip on him tightened.
"Who are you?" Asked Rin at last, turning his head and looking to the end of the bed, after looking quickly at the bedside table to see the truth with his own eyes. It was there, his sword. Now he was awake, he realised he would have known it was there even, if it was inside a huge iron box.
There was the soft noise of a book closing before the chair creaked and the owner of the voice, appeared, standing by the bed. The sunlight pouring in the large, wide window's, illuminated the figure and Rin gasped faintly as he saw the ivory white wings, the golden hair glittering and the tanned hues of the young man's body.
"Before those words come marching across your lips," began the figure, folding its arms and looking down sternly, "I am not an angel. The wings are just there okay? Kind of like your tail doesn't make you a dog."
"So who are you?" Asked Rin again, after a moment of looking slightly abashed. "Are you here to lock us up?"
"No," replied the figure calmly, shifting to unfold its arms and slip them into its trouser pockets. It wore tight denim jeans and a simple green t-shirt, the wings looked more like a cosplay item, so small as to only reach from his shoulders to mid-back. "But this would make a beautiful prison, I would admit." He muttered to himself, then shrugged as if dismissing a thought. "No, I'm here to take custody of you for a while, while your big brother makes a start on cleaning up the Academy and helping The Knights of the True Cross pull there head's out of there asses."
"Okay, so who are you?" Asked Rin for a third time.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you want my name," smiled the figure. "And here's me forgetting my manners again, so easy to do when you spend too much time alone. My name in society these days, is Shinji, Shinji Faust, cousin to Lord Johann Faust the Third." The young man bowed formally, but he was smiling as he straightened.
"Are you related to Mephisto?" Asked Rin, starting to feel nervous at being left alone with this person. "Like Amaimon?"
"What?" Blinked Shinji for a moment before he burst out laughing, it took a little while for him to control himself once more. "While incest is never a sin amongst demon kin, I am fortunately not a demon. No no, not a demon."
"Oh, that's good," sighed Rin, his blue eyes following the gold haired young man as he walked to the foot of the bed.
"Not really, I'm much worse," chuckled Shinji darkly, flinging his arms out for dramatic effect.
Rin sat up properly then, one arm protectively over Yukio and the other was raising a fist up in warning, "I fought Satan to get my brother back, I'll fight you too if you try to take him." Snarled Rin in a low voice, his fangs on show.
"Now that's cute," teased Shinji playfully, resting one finger on his chin, "that is very cute. But don't worry little prince, I'm not here to hurt either of you. Remember? I'm here to look after you."
"I'm... We're fine," argued Rin but Yukio shifted now, sitting up and looking around the room himself. Rin looked at Yukio for a moment but he didn't remove his arm from in front of him, instead he shifted so that he was almost between his brother and the winged young man.
"If your not here to hurt us," said Yukio in a quite and calm voice, "then one must ask, when will I be arrested for what I've done?"
"What you've done?" Echoed Shinji, tilting his head on one side while folding his arms over his chest.
"Yes, I killed all those demons, I led-" Began Yukio, his voice shaking after only a few syllables.
"No!" Shouted Rin suddenly, turning to his brother and grabbing him by the shoulders. "No, you were tricked. You were fooled by that old bastard, just like he fooled everyone in the Order. He used you and everyone."
"He's right you know," shrugged Shinji, his voice calm and level. "There have been events like last night before, well, I'll say they've never involved summoning the gateway to Gehenna before. But I mean, there have been uprisings and civil war in The Order before, it knows how to handle these things and everything will be back to normal soon."
Yukio was searching the young man's face, looking for any trace of a lie or untruth but Shinji was a picture of calm composure, while Rin continued to keep an almost desperate grip on his brothers shoulders. Finally, the brunette sighed and leaned forwards until he was resting on his brother's chest, Rin's grip shifted automatically to cradle him close. Shinji continued to speak then, as the brother's sat in the bed and held each other close, listening.
"That old fart used you, both of you, like tools. The same way he used his own daughter really, Yuri. Thankfully he is now lost in Gehenna, with Satan and all those demons that he so despises. It's just a shame that so many good, kind demons had to die before this was sorted out." Shinji paused as he heard Yukio gasp faintly, then continued in a cold tone, "yes, you heard my words right. Good, kind demons! Creatures that had forsaken Gehenna as there home and come here, had found a quite and peaceful way to live, away from humans or in harmony. The old gods lived in there forests, mountains and rivers, protecting them and keeping away the bad demons that would only cause harm to this world.
"Do not misunderstand my words, Yukio Okumura," said Shinji bitterly, his beautiful face was distant and cold, "you caused a lot of harm that day, with your blind zealousness, no matter what good intentions you may have held close. But thankfully, the Gehenna gate allowed a lot of demons back into this world. It's going to be many decades before things are as balanced as they were before, but it won't be long until the old gods return the world to peace... Now, in that matter, you will have to make your own peace and in your own time, but as for your actions that day then you do not need to worry. You were nothing more than the tool of a power mad lunatic."
"He said that we could destroy Gehenna," said Yukio in a quite voice. "He said if I did that, then my brother could become human again."
"My dear boy," sighed Shinji mournfully but with a twisted smile. "There is no more a way to destroy Gehenna, than there is to destroy your own world, Assiah. One cannot exist without the other. The two are mirror images of each other, but that does not make Gehenna evil, just different. Can you honestly say that every human is good and kind? And that every demon is evil and wicked?"
There was silence for a moment as Rin looked from Shinji to his brother in his arms still and back, worry filling him but he kept his tongue for once, knowing this was important for his brother to hear. "No." The word was said in a small and quite voice.
"Your mother loved demons," continued Shinji, his tone becoming warm and soft as the smile that lit his features. "She was a woman that could love the world if it had only let her. So kind and strong. It was her warmth that allowed Satan to feel the first touch of kindness in a long long time."
"Huh?" The twins were both looking up at the winged man now, there face hungry for more about there mother and the relationship she'd had with there hated father.
"The problem was, Satan could never touch this world, not like the other demons could. His power is too great for anything here to sustain him for long." Explained Shinji quietly, sitting on the end of the bed now. "And he is a bit like a child, he tries and tries and then when he doesn't get his own way, he reacts with anger and sadness. He breaks what he cannot have, and cries afterwards for his loss. He has never stopped to think of others, of his actions or there effects, because even in Gehenna, he is powerful and there is no one that is his equal. Your mother was the first glimpse he had that there could be more to life, and he even managed to mess that up in the end with his selfishness."
"The Blue Night?" Asked Yukio, unsure.
"Yes." Nodded Shinji sadly, while his fingers played with the fabric of the bed spread. "The night he tried to rescue the only living creature he has ever come close to loving, while her father tried to burn her at the stake. Closest he's ever come to loving anyone. It was just an accident that all those people died, but he never once cared about them, he only cared about freeing her." There was silence on the room for a moment, it allowed the quiet sounds of outside to filter in, before Shinji spoke again. "Of course, once she died, he just wanted to wipe this place out and start again. But this included Gehenna too. He wanted to slam these two words together and make a new one where humans and demons had to live together, but you two stopped that, thankfully. Good job too, or I'd have had to step in and then it would have gotten messy."
"Anyway, while it's obvious that The Order is on tender hooks at the moment, and keen to forget everything that has just happened," began Shinji again, standing up and stretching his arms out, and his wings. "It means that things should slip right back to the way they were before the massacre. You, Yukio will no longer be the Paladin, and you Rin, are still an Exwire that needs to pass his exam with flying colours."
"Shit." Muttered Rin.
"But neither of you is to be executed or anything," shrugged Shinji, moving over to his chair and picking up the book he'd been reading. "Rin is not longer under a death sentence, but he will be in serious trouble if there is another incident like the forest fire." Shinji pinned Rin with a bright green stare, until the older boy fidgeted in the bed and muttered that it wouldn't happen again. "Good, because I carry a lot of authority in The Order, poor bastards are terrified of me, even more than they are suspicious of Mephisto." The last part came out as a mutter as Shinji returned the book to the shelf, but he turned back to the brothers as he continued to speak.
"Now, as everything will soon be back to the way it was before, there is one last thing that you two need to think about, and is simply; do you both want to continue on as Exorcists?" He asked simply, as both Yukio and Rin opened there mouths, Shinji held up a hand. "No no, I don't want an answer now, its not that easy a choice. But, this is probably the only chance the pair of you will ever have to step away from the Order without leaving in disgrace. You could do anything with your lives if you think about it, you could be a Doctor, you could open a restaurant, you could tour the world! Anything... But, you must choose by the end of the week."
There was silence as the words seemed to sink into the pair on the bed, still holding loosely onto each other. Shinji smiled softly and moved to lean against the chair he'd been reading in earlier.
"Anyway, for now, these are my rooms," he explained, breaking the silence and stirring the pair out of there throughts. "You two are going to sit there and eat a large, healthy breakfast before going back to sleep until your friends have finished there days work, and come back here again."
"Again?" Repeated Rin, his tail finally making its way out of the tangled mess of blankets, to flick idly besides him. "You mean they've been up here, and everyone is okay?"
"Oh yes yes, fine," dismissed Shinji with a wave. He clicked his fingers and two large trays of food appeared on the bed before the boys, "you two slept for the whole day yesterday, and they would have been here still today but all Exwires had to go and help with the clean up work. They will be back around six this afternoon. Now you've free rein of the room and bathroom but I'd rather you rested since your still bruised black and blue, demons or not. The kitchen is fully stocked, just small, so if you get hungry then don't hesitate to make something."
Rin was staring in wide-eyed interest in the food on the trays, but Yukio was still looking unsure. "Shinji, who are you really?" He asked in a thoughtful tone, "you step in here and help us. You hint that your involved in some way with Mephisto but your not a demon, in fact you feel the opposite to a demon. You also said that if we'd not stopped the gate, you would have had to step in. If you could have stopped the gate, why didn't you step in sooner?"
"And deign you boys a chance to stop the creature that killed your father?" Asked Shinji smoothly, with a flick on his wings. "No no, it was not my place to sort that out. I've kept away from the whole of Japan, just to give you guys a chance to grow up without my interference... well, I did visit your father once, but that was only once."
"You knew father?" Asked Rin around a mouthful of food. Yukio scolded him quietly for talking with his mouth full, but Rin just ignored him and told him to eat his own, before turning back to Shinji. "How did you know Father? You look no older than us."
Shinji chuckled brightly, "yeah, and Mephisto looks like he's just hit thirty, but that clown has been around for over a thousand years!" The laughter died down as Shinji moved over to the balcony door's, and opened them with a flurish, "and while I'm not going to be specific, I'm older than he is by a long shot. Now, stay in the rooms please, I've got to do the rounds in the field hospitals and get rid of all the tempertaint I can find."
"Wait, your leaving?" Asked Rin, wide-eyed. "Out that way?"
"But you still haven't told us who you really are!" Objected Yukio.
"Well, the wings aren't for show, Little Prince." Laughed Shinji, ignoring Yukio as the wings grew suddenly and he hoped up onto the stone railing. He seemed to think of something and hopped down, sticking his head into the room once more, "Oh I give in. If you want to find out about me, you could ask that smart young man, Ryuji, about Divino... Bye now!"
So yeah, there's my new character :) Thank you for the reviews already and forgive me my grammatical trespasses :3
