Wolves of Babylon
Chapter Four
"I'm Okumura Yukio, middle first class Exorcist" the other Exorcist lifted up the 'Keep Out' tape. "We've been waiting for you..." the going bald exorcist was interrupted by Rin suddenly appearing "as for me...I'm Okumura Rin, an Esquire". Yukio hadn't realised he was being followed, and they both ignored the other Exorcist as he tried to get their attention "Nii-san! I told you not to follow me!". Rin had his serious face on "I was worried about the second pair of glasses you put on". Anger made Yukio blow up "you're not making any sense! I don't have time to deal with you right now! Go home!". Rin stuck his tongue out at his younger brother "like that'll happen".
As a roar of anger filled the air the bald Exorcist interrupted them "this way, please!" he started running, leading the twins towards the demon cries "the south gatekeeper Cait Sith, Kuro, is on a rampage, the north gatekeeper also is showing signs of duress. We've currently set up a kilometre-wide perimeter around the gate. Also...about your other students...". Yukio looked down at him confused "other students?".
As they cleared the toll bridge, Rin exclaimed loudly. In the middle of the other Exorcists two silver haired twins stood defiantly, and obviously in a very bad mood "I don't give a shit what Kuro did! Any of you cocksuckers move to shot him I'll blow your face fucking right off!" Hoshiko was fuming, arguing deafeningly with the Exorcists in the area. Her sister said nothing, like usual, but there was a certain type of almost touchable awareness coming off her.
"Girls! What are you doing here?" Okumura Sensei called out, Hoshiko's yelling hitched, but then she was rounding on him furiously "Yukio! Good your here! Tell these motherfuckers to stand the fuck down! They'll end up killing Father Fujimoto's Familiar!". Rin looked shocked "the old man's?". Maya continued while the other Exorcists flurried around them with their guns "the Paladin would not have been pleased how these people were handling his Cait Sith". Rin looked like he had been kicked in the chest "Paladin?".
Kuro raced towards the line of Exorcist's as they shot at him, but the Cait Sith easily dodged that and the holy water they threw. The large feline demon swiped at the line with its tail, effortlessly knocking most of them over and kept charging towards the two set of twins and the gate that enters the school behind them. As Yukio went to grab his gun and Rin moved to grab his sword both twins struggled against them, trying to grab their weapons off them. As Kuro was almost upon them the silver haired twins pushed the boys out of the way of the 12 inch claws.
"Moon and Stars!" a gruff voice suddenly yelling inside Rin's head.
"Cerby-chan!" both twin girls yelled as their Familiar suddenly appeared and knocked the small Cait Sith away. The Direwolf used his teeth, sinking them into the cat's fur and dragging it away from the three-headed-wolfs Masters, flinging it across to the other side of the bridge again. The Direwolf bounded towards it while Yukio helped the anxious Ookami twins up, grabbing a hold of them when they tried to run to their Familair. "The North GateKeeper has gone wild too!" some Exorcists exclaimed as the Direwolf and Cait Sith battled against each other. Hoshiko wanted to kill them, while Maya wanted to boil them alive for saying such lies.
"Is everyone alright?" Yukio yelled as Rin and the silver haired twins ran to join the main group. "Okumura-kun! We've already tried holy water, silver bullets, holy wine...nothing works!" a female Exorcist exclaimed "it hasn't exposed it's true form yet, so Arias won't be effective against it either! We've tried to slow it down by shooting it with tranquilizers but it recovers quickly after each shot. Have you heard anything about Kuro from Father Fujimoto?". Yukio looked towards the demon fight "after my Father named it Kuro he made it his Familiar, and assigned it as a gatekeeper of this Academy"
"In the end, it's still a demon. After it loses it master, all it can do is go wild again" a nameless exorcist said. "My father prepared something just in case a situation like this world arise" opening a canister Yukio had had in his hands the entire time he looked down at it "it looks like a specially customized grenade. It's probably something that can kill Kuro". The other Exorcists sighed in relief, raising their weapons to fire live rounds one said snidely "it looks like the North Gatekeeper needs to be put down too. Those Ookami, so arrogant. Making us deal with their Direwolf. Tsst".
"May the benevolent Goddess of the North hear our howls to the Winter's Moon!"
"Malevolent God of the South, may my Death Star guide the dead into your Palace of Screams!"
Twin voices shouted over the top of each other, and suddenly a blade was against Yukio's throat and a gun pressing against his temple. "I'm sorry, Sensei, but we can't let you do that" Maya spoke softly, her blades edge cutting into his throat.
All the exorcists gaped at them "you'd kill another Exorcist to save a demon?", Yukio said nothing, just keep his eyes on the two girls. Everything was silent, Kuro's hissing and the Direwolfs snarl's dying down in the background "yes". The twins winced as searing pain ran up their arm from their tattoo, blood dripping down their hands.
They all looked up as the demon fight suddenly became louder. Apart from when the Direwolf was protecting its Master's it had just held Kuro back and been on the defensive. That suddenly changed. With a sudden burst of strength the three-headed-wolf had Kuro pinned to the ground under its paws. The Direwolf snarled, lifting its head to stare across at the Exorcists its upper lip lifted, bearing its teeth angrily seeing some of the older Exorcists aiming one gun on him, the other on the silver haired twins.
"Foolish, stupid mortals! And foolish, stupid Cait Sith! If you cause too much of a disturbance the other Familiar's might be taken from their humans! My Moon and Stars fight for you, but I will not hesitate to rip you all to pieces if they try to keep them from ME!" that gruff voice again in Rin's head, but this time another voice answer him, the voice desperate, heartbroken.
Kuro managed to swipe his claws across one of the Direwolf's faces, going for the eyes . "Marconious!" Maya screamed, Kuro attacking her Familiar in a flurry of blade like claws and razor-sharp teeth.
"They lie! They're lying! Shiro can't die! Shiro will come back! He'll come back! Liars! You're all liars, because Shiro is the strongest!
Rin had a particular look on his face "I see". Yukio eyed the girls, but he was speaking to everyone when he said "I don't know how effective or dangerous this grenade is, so could you please let me do this alone?" Hoshiko's Death Star clicked "you throw that grenade, you're as good as dead, Sensei" she hissed, eyes narrowed. Yukio looked at the other Exorcists encouragingly. The two sets of twins didn't move, holding tensely in their position as everyone else left the area "Nii-san, please fall back also. There's a chance that this might harm you as well". Hoshiko pressed her gun more tightly against his temple, while Rin was starting to look unsure "are you really going to kill it?"
"That's right" Yukio hissed slightly as blood started coming out of the little cut on his neck from Maya's Winter's Moon "there's no Exorcist in this Academy skilled enough to control that demon. We don't have a choice other than killing it. Hurry up and get out of here, Nii-san".
"Shiro will be back! I won't die until then!"
Maya started at her teacher emotionlessly, but her eyes told a different story "have you even tried talking to him?", just as Rin said "it just looks sad, you don't need to kill it". Yukio looked towards the escalating demon fight "even if that's true, I can't just turn my back on this". Rin burst forwards "let me try to reason with it first before you kill it!" Hoshiko gave Rin a sharp node of encouragement.
"Reason with it?" Yukio asked, looking at his brother out of the corner of his eyes since he couldn't move his head. "It'll be alright. Life you said earlier...I need to learn how to fight using my head!". Hoshiko and Maya stepped back reluctantly, but kept a close eye on both brothers as Rin started moving towards the fighting.
"Hey! I'm Okumura Rin! I'm Shiro's son!" He yelled out.
"Shiro's..."
"Shiro died already" Rin said honestly, "he's dead"
"Liar! I don't believe you!"
"He died already!" Rin yelled back to the telepathic cry.
"Lies! Stop Lying!" Kuro charged towards Rin, and Hoshiko and Yukio exclaimed when Rin head butted the Cait Sith while Maya called out "Cerby-chan!". The Direwolf pinned the still raging, but now slightly dazed feline as Rin wiped away his nose bleed. "Go now Rin-san! It's the last chance we'll get!" Maya urged pushing him towards the demons. As he walked to the two demons, he decided to trust his classmate and ignoring the Direwolf Familiar he knelt by Kuro's head "you...loved the old man too, right? Wasn't that the reason you were so sad?". The Direwolf backed up from the Cait Sith, silently treading around the pair to Maya and Hoshiko. The three heads nuzzled against his Master's, Maya fretting over his claw marks silently while Hoshiko patted his flank watching Rin.
"I'm the same as you", Rin extended a hand to Kuro "let's try to get along".
Tears flooded the Cait Sith's eyes, "Shiro. Shiro! Can't I see you one last time? Shiro?". As the Cait Sith grew smaller, it's hysterical cries filling the air, Yukio patted Maya and Hoshiko's backs, quietly amused at the Direwolf's glare "you did well".
The six of them sat together that afternoon, the two sets of twins and the two Gatekeepers. Hoshiko and Maya were sitting slumbered against their Direwolfs side, exhausted and asleep with their Familiar curled around them keeping a sharp eye on their surrounds. Kuro was purring, rubbing against Rin "what'll happen now?". Yukio watched his brother and his new Familiar "well, I managed to put in a good word for it, so it can stay as your Familiar from now on. The Gatekeeping duties for the South gate will be assigned to another Familiar. The North Gatekeeper can keep his duties, since I explain he was vital in making sure the Exorcists involved and the South Gatekeeper weren't needlessly hurt" the twin boys turned to the girls; six sets of eyes pinning themselves onto them and a small growl of warning rumbled in the Direwolfs chest. Chuckling Yukio rubbed his neck "the girls however are going to be suspended for a couple of days for pulling a weapon on their superior. Although, I can't blame them for it. Had Kuro been killed, any other time a Gatekeeper or Familiar does something against us they'd have put them down right away. They probably saved many deaths from happening in the future today".
Rin watched as the Direwolf was licking the tattoo on both the girls arms, frowning "those tattoos...", Yukio sighed, leaning back on his arms. "Do you know the history of the Ookami house?" the younger twin chuckled seeing Rin shake his head "no, I guess you wouldn't. Hundreds of years ago, when Babylon was a flourishing city in the desert with world renowned hanging gardens and beautiful temples, a Priestess made a deal with a Direwolf, Direwolves being worshiped as Babylonian 'Gods'. Babylon was under attack by Egypt, their beautiful women being tarnished by 'uncivilised savages', the walls and hanging gardens being targeted by war machines. As death was almost upon the city a Priestess promised that if the Direwolf 'God' helped her people, she'd bear his children. She was very beautiful, with silver moonlight hair and night sky eyes, and as a Priestess she had no prior relationship of love or intimacy. He agreed, and as a mark of this agreement a tattoo was burned into her hand". At Rio's startled look, Yukio nodded "yes, they share the same tattoo. What the Direwolf hadn't told the Priestess, was that the longer she relied on him, spent time with him, even grew to love him perhaps, the tattoo would grow up her arm. When finally the heartbeat of Babylon was dying and it's people were leaving its walls, rebelling against the Direwolf 'Gods', the Priestess choose the Direwolf over the people she was supposed to protect. Because of this, the tattoo grew just a little more, and the Direwolf finally told her the last condition of their agreement all those years ago. As the tattoo grew, inked into the skin more and more by every trust placed in the demon, the easier it would be to pull the Priestess into Gehenna".
With wide eyes Rin saw Maya and Hoshiko's tattoo's had indeed grown to just above their elbows "so when Maya and Hoshiko pulled their Demon Weapons on you...". Yukio nodded "I don't know if they know or even understand, that even if he is their Familiar, pulling them into Gehenna is his ultimate agenda".
Yukio had left soon after, and Rin idly patted Kuro before he turned to the Direwolf "I know you were listening, is it true? Would you pull them into Hell given the chance?". The Direwolf looked at him impassively, absentmindedly pushing Hoshiko towards her sister when she was leaning the opposite direction and about to fall over.
"The History lesson was somewhat true, Satan's Heir. And there are many Direwolves who would pull their Master's into that place to be their own personal toys, or Mates..."
Rin's eyes widened, Mates?
"But My Moon and Stars would not survive long there. Nor is it my wish to kill them slowly from the inside, kill their personalities, with my seed. I have seen this, since I was almost six hundred years old when they first called me at the age of four"
"Four years old?" Rin exclaimed, Kuro jumping in surprise.
"Yes. Young. Inexperienced Cubs. But My Cubs. My Moon and Stars. I might have thought about it a little then, since I was a Cub myself, but they were too young then, their Bond Mark the size of one of their tiny finger nails on their palm. But the moment I came into being in this world, they showed no fear despite being children. And when they're parents came home and almost killed me for carrying them in my mouth, not seeing that I was carrying them away from the serpent in their cradle, they shielded me"
"Can they understand you Cerby?"
"Cerby?" A loud, thunderous voice in his head "My name is Marconious feeble little Satan's Seed! You do well to remember that! Their parents made the mistake of reading them legends when they were children. It took years for them to hear my voice, to cease calling me that infernal name but now they just think it's funny! But YOU do not have that right! I AM NOT a Cerberus! Not a weak, pathetic parasite of the underworld!"
The Direwolf fumed at Rin and a laughing Kurobefore answering .
"The more the Bond mark, 'tattoo', grows, the easier it is for them to hear me. At the moment my voice is a whisper in the back of their heads. But they hear me"
Rin was thoughtful at the Direwolfs almost proud statement, watching Maya curl more into the Direwolf's side and hold a handful of his fur in her delicate hands "I don't know whether to trust you when you say you're not going to drag them into Hell...but they seem to trust you".
The three heads on the Direwolf seemed to grin a savage, conceited smile "that they do, Son of Satan, that they do"
Above the bridge in the building atop the toll entrance, two demon's sat thoughtfully "so, what do you think of Okumura Rin?" Mephisto asked his younger half brother.
"I don't think I can make a decision from just that" Amaimon replied, looking through the space between his fingers like binoculars "he didn't really put up a proper fight".
Mephisto, forever in his outrageous outfits but this time in cream and pink, leant his head on his palm "I see. He's been like that since the beginning. All he's good at is getting pissed. Don't you just want to make him fight more seriously?"
"I do", the green headed Amaimon replied "but before that, I'll need to learn more about this 'Japan' that you love so much" travel guides appeared in his hands from a puff of smoke.
"How impressive, remember don't use that eternal key I gave you just to do some mindless sightseeing" as the younger half brother stood up and made his way to the door Mephisto smirked maliciously at his brother's back "and those Ookami twins? What are your thoughts on them".
Amaimon paused, turning around to glance at his brother while opening the door "I think those girls are very close to being introduced to their Ancestor"