It has been a whole week since Satan attack the city and since then there had been no classes for the normal school or the Cram school; instead us Exwires spent most of the week either getting rid of the demons that poured from the Gehenna Gate or we were busy cleaning up the city and repairing it. During the entire week Black Rock Shooter and I slowly got used to being mates and the perks that came with it. For instance, ever since our souls have bounded together Rock is now able to hear Kuro speak as if she was a demon herself, and for me I could summon Kurikara like Rock did with her Rock Cannon or Black Blade; she explained to me that my sword was now a part of my soul like her weapons were to her so if the blade broke it would repair itself and I wouldn't go berserk. Not only that but we could speak telepathically with each other and can sense if the other is near or far. So far no one knew about us being mates except for Kuro but that was only because we told him the plan of the three of us going to the Otherworld. At first my familiar was unsure about it but I guessed he changed his mind when he saw how happy Rock and I were together. The only thing that sucked was that throughout the week Bon and them have been trying to get on my good side which only made me more pissed off at them and I told Rock this when we were in her room after a long day of exorcising demons from True Cross Academy Town.
"I mean instead of trying to get on my good side by offering to help out with our part of the cleanup I would have been at least somewhat content if they actually admit their errors and actually apologize. Geez and they say I'm the idiot!" I huffed as I glared at the book in my hands.
At least Yukio apologized, Rin. That has to count for something. Kuro pointed out as he stretched in my girlfriend's lap while she scratched the back of his ears absently, my familiar purring at the touch.
"Yeah but the asshole still doesn't seem to want to talk to me much." I said with annoyance as I flipped a page of my book. "And he can't use the excuse that he hasn't seen me much this week when we see each other every day and have plenty of time to talk."
"Maybe he still feels bad about how he has treated you, not to mention he's probably coping with the fact that he is now a half demon too. He also probably hates himself for what his actions have done to the city." Rock commented as I frowned.
"It's only because of me that he did what he did. I kept telling him that he could depend on me time and again but ever since I became a demon he thinks it's his job to protect me. I'm honestly getting tired of it; he nearly killed himself for that reason alone!" I nearly shouted as the image of him putting his own gun to his head while he was possessed by Satan flashed through my mind. It only got worse when the memory of my dad killing himself emerged too. I was brought back to reality when I felt Rock hug me as my body shook with sorrow. "Thank you." I murmured as I hugged her back once I calmed back down.
"No problem Rin."
"Well isn't this an adorable sight~" Mephisto said as we both froze.
When the hell did he get here? I thought as we both looked at him only to see a giant smirk on his face. "Why are you here you damn clown?" I scowled at him as he pretended to look hurt.
"Is that really something you should say to a dear friend who may or may not have the answers to your problems?" He asked before waving around a mini black composition notebook. "But if you really don't want me around…"
"Damn it Mephisto what do you want?" I snapped as he grinned.
"I wanted to personally thank you for saving everyone from Satan, Rin Okumura. So I decided to find a journal of an old friend of mine that specialized in the study of Black Rock Shooter's kind and the Otherworld. You see she had a strong bond with her other self and would often travel to the Otherworld to study it and kept detailed records in her journal. And like you two she searched for a way to go to the Otherworld herself instead of seeing it through the eyes of her other self."
"You don't mean…your friend found a way?" I gasped as Rock and I looked at him with awe.
"Yes she did, and I took the liberty to translate all of the important things into this notebook here. I will give it to you but I want to ask you a question and want you to answer truthfully." The demonic principal said, suddenly serious which made me gulp.
"What do you want to know?"
"I have been sensing a strange link that has formed between the two of you recently…Have you two mated?" He asked as all the blood in my body ran cold. Quickly glancing at Rock, I saw that she was experiencing a similar feeling as me. Should I tell him? I asked her telepathically as her eyes glanced at me.
I guess so, there's no use in lying to him of all people.
"If I said yes would the two of us be in trouble?" I decided to ask as the principal thought about it.
"Not with me you wouldn't and the Vatican can't do anything about it since they owe you for saving Assiah. I think the only person you would be in trouble with would be your brother." He replied before smirking. "So should I take it by your question that you two are indeed mates?"
"…Yeah." I said softly as I took Rock's hand into mine before giving her a loving smile.
"So I take it that you two are going to elope then." Mephisto stated rather than asked as the two of us nodded our heads. "Well I guess I approve being your guardian and all."
Say what? He actually approved us to go to the Otherworld together?
Seeing our shocked expressions the purple haired demon just laughed before tossing me the black notebook; he then turned somber again. "It is your choice to become mates so I will not tear you two apart. However, I won't stop Yukio if he tries but I won't tell him you're mates either; that is up to you to tell him if you want to or not." He warned as he turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Rock called out making the demon principal stop before looking at us over his shoulder. "Why are you helping us?"
"Because even demons deserve happiness." He said as he glanced over at me; he then left. As soon as the other demon was gone, I quickly opened the notebook to see only two pages filled out of the entire book: the first one showing a summoning circle on how to get to the Otherworld and the other page with another circle to get back to Assiah. Returning to the first page I read the description underneath the summoning circle as Rock read over my shoulder:
To activate the circle to open the portal to the Otherworld, the person must use either their blood or the blood of their other self to open it but only if the two were connected at one point; it only requires a small amount of blood however and you have to chant the phrase "Regna cetera vado (1)".
"So we need my blood to get it to work. Let's hurry and do it before your brother gets back!" My mate said excitedly as she pulled out her original outfit from a draw of her desk. "What should I pack?" I asked just as excited. "Nothing much; in the Otherworld we don't need to eat or sleep to function…it's hard to explain. You might want to wear something that you're comfortable to fight in though." She said as I nodded. I then left the room so that she could change and entered mine and Yukio's room; Kuro following right behind me. Rin, you should bring the notebook just in case. My familiar meowed as I packed some things into a backpack. "Yeah we might need other things later on that we can't get in the Otherworld." I agreed as I threw the mini notebook in the bag too. I then stripped myself of my school uniform and pulled out a pair of my street clothes: basically a worn out pair of black jeans, a black wife beater, my favorite dark blue hoodie and black fingerless gloves, and my old gray sneakers. I had just finished putting on my gloves when my girlfriend came in with the outfit she wore when we first met. "Let's use the roof." I suggested as I grabbed some chalk out of my desk. So after saying goodbye to Ukobach, the three of us headed to the roof; as Rock and I drew the summoning circle on the ground Kuro kept watch for anyone heading towards the dorm. We were about done when the Cat Sith warned us that Yukio and Shura were coming. Letting out a curse, I told Kuro to get over here as Rock and I carefully placed ourselves in the center of the circle so not to ruin it. Once my familiar was perched on my shoulder, Rock took off one of her gloves to bite her thumb and let her blue-black blood hit the circle. "Regna cetera vado." We both chanted in unison and as soon as those words left our mouths, the three of us were engulfed in a bright blue light.
We were finally on our way to the Otherworld.
~BlueExorcistBlackRockShooter ~
Yukio and Shura were just walking up to the dorm when they saw a brilliant blue light flash on top of the roof. They both just glanced at each other with wide eyes before bolting into the building and up the stairs. Once they reached the roof however, the only thing that met the two exorcists was the night air. "What in the world just happened?" Yukio wonder aloud as he scanned the roof for any signs of what caused the weird illumination. He stopped when he felt Shura tap his shoulder before pointing to the floor with a grim look. There on the ground was a summoning circle with a single drop of bluish-black liquid. "Looks like Rin found a way to send Rock home." The woman said forlornly. Nii-san…he must be miserable. The younger Okumura twin thought with a pang of guilt. "I'm going to check on him." He murmured as he headed down stairs to the room him and his older brother shared, the red and yellow haired woman right behind him. "Nii-san are you oka-" The boy began to ask as he opened the door but stopped when he saw that no one was in the room. He then checked Rock's room to see that it was empty as well. Yukio began to panic when he didn't find his brother in the kitchen and eating area and when he searched the whole dorm his fear only got worse. "Shura I can't find him anywhere! He's not answering his phone! What if something bad happened to him?…Shura?" He asked once he saw the older exorcist standing there reading what appeared to be a note. Oh dear God don't be a suicide note. He prayed when she handed it to him with a shocked look. With shaky hands, the Doctor/Dragoon took it and began to read its contents:
Dear Yukio and/or Shura,
If you haven't already guessed, I finally found a way to send Rock back home with a little help from a friend. However Rock wouldn't leave me here where I was miserable so we both decided that Kuro and I would go with her to the Otherworld. I figure since no one wants me around and I'm only a burden to you Yukio, that no one would miss me. Shura, if you are also reading this, I am sorry that I left without giving you a proper goodbye. You were the only other person besides Rock that cared about me and I will be eternally grateful for that. So this is goodbye.
Hoping for the best for the both of you,
Rin Okumura
P.S. Shura make sure to keep an eye on Yukio for me all right?
"He went with her…to the Otherworld?!" He yelled as pure fury shot through his veins. "Where are ya going?" Shura asked when the bespectacled teen took out a key before jamming it into his bedroom door. The younger Okumura didn't answer her; instead he yanked the door open to reveal Mephisto's office before storming up to the demon principal himself. "Did you know my brother was going to the Otherworld with Black Rock Shooter?!" He growled as he slammed the note on Mephisto's desk. After quickly reading the note himself, the purple haired demon couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, I was that friend that helped give Rin what he needed."
"Yukio!" Shura gasped as the younger twin launched himself at Mephisto. Yet before the teen could even lay a finger on the Honorary Knight, the purple haired demon grabbed Yukio by the throat and smashed the teen's face into his desk and held the half demon there even when the boy struggled. "YOU BASTARD! WHY WOULD YOU LET HIM GO?!" Yukio roared with anger as blue flames flickered off and on his body. The exorcist let out a yelp of pain when Mephisto dug his sharp nails into Yukio's neck in a warning to behave.
"Because Okumura-sensei, I owed him for saving the town from Satan and as his guardian I gave him permission to do what he pleased with the information I gave him to help Black Rock Shooter. But seeing that I also owe you since you saved the town too, I will give you the same information and permission to do as you please with it. However that is all I am willing to do to help, you will have to get your brother back yourself." He said seriously as he released the boy from his death hold. Mephisto then gave Yukio the same information that he gave Rin in the form of a little notebook as well. When the young Doctor read its contents he scowled; how was he going to activate the portal when he never has been connected to his other self or has the blood of an other self? Suddenly the memory of Black Rock Shooter introducing herself flooded his mind.
"My name is Black Rock Shooter…I am the "other self" of Kuroi, Mato."
"Oi! Where are ya going now?" Shura complained as she followed the younger Okumura out of Mephisto's office and once more he refused to answer her, he was too busy sending a text to Bon and them to meet him at the class room with one hand while with the other he used the key to get to Shiemi's place.
Less than a half hour later, all the Exwires were present but completely confused on why they were meeting their teacher this late, especially when they noticed both Rin and Black Rock Shooter were missing in action and how pissed their teacher looked.
"As you all know Black Rock Shooter is my brother's summoning. Ever since he has summoned her, Rin has been trying to find a way to send her back to her home, the Otherworld. Since Black Rock Shooter was not a demon, tearing the summoning paper had no effect to send her back. My brother finally found a way to send her back but unfortunately decided that he and his familiar Kuro were going to go with her."
"What?! That idiot actually went with her to the Otherworld?!" Bon yelled as the rest of the class (minus Takara, Shura, and Yukio) gasped. "Why would he do that?!"
"Well if I were in his shoes, I would too." Izumo said surprising everyone; however she just glared at them. "Well think about it! Just like he said: we abandoned him and still fear him even though he has proved that we could trust him! I am sick of the way we have treated him, so if he is happy being in the Otherworld then who are we to stop him?!"
"Because he is my brother damn it and I am not letting him live in a place like that!" Yukio snapped back as his flames flickered around him before going back out as he calmed himself. "Thanks to Sir Pheles, even though he was the one who helped my brother, I also know how to get to the Otherworld. I just wanted to let you all know before I go."
"W-What! You can't go by yourself! You'll get killed!" Shima gasped at their teacher.
"If you're going then we are too. Like Izumo-Chan said, it's our fault that Rin even went in the first place." Shiemi said seriously; all the other Exwires also agreed, even Shura too. Seeing all the guilt filled faces in the room, Yukio knew he couldn't say no to them. Might as well tell them the bad news though. He thought with a frown. "All right you can all come with me, but no one is going without a gun or sword at least. Black Rock Shooter's kind is not demons so chants will do them no harm, plus be prepared to fight for your lives; in the Otherworld they fight to the death." He warned them.
"So what's the game plan?" Shura asked. "How the hell are we gonna get there?"
"We will be using a summoning circle that will teleport us to the Otherworld; the only set back is how to activate it: one of us needs to be connected to our other self so that we can use our blood or our other self's blood to open the portal. Since no one here is connected to their other self we have a bit of a problem. However, since Black Rock Shooter has been connected to her human counterpart before she was able to open the portal so-"
"So we need to find her human counterpart and use her blood to get us there." Bon finished as Yukio nodded.
"But who is her counterpart?" Konekomaru asked. "And how will we find her?"
"Just leave that to me." Yukio said while fixing his glasses. "Just worry about what you are going to be packing for this trip. Meet me here tomorrow at noon, I should have the location of Black Rock Shooter's counterpart along with your weapons you are going to need. You are dismissed."
"Do ya really think this is gonna work Yukio?" Shura asked when the Exwires left.
"I don't know Shura, but I'm going to damn well try."
~BlueExorcistBlackRockShooter ~
As the bright blue light faded, Rock, Kuro, and I found ourselves in the middle of what looked like half of a bridge looking out to a post apocalyptic like world as the wind gently blew against us. I immediately felt a difference with myself, that I felt no longer tired or hungry; it was like a spell of rejuvenation was laid upon me. So I guess that's what Rock meant that they didn't need to eat or sleep here. I thought as I studied the bridge we were on. It looked run down and rusted out but was surprisingly holding up quite well. "I'm…home." Rock breathed as she took in everything, she then shook her head before giving me a smile. "No, we're home." She corrected before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me. I just smiled into the kiss as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Ewe guys, c'mon! Wait to do that kind of stuff when I'm not around! Kuro meowed jokingly as he hopped off my shoulder; I just rolled my eyes as Rock giggled. "So where to first, love?" I asked as she thought it over.
"I don't know; I usually just drift around since I really don't have a domain here."
"How about we look for a place to become our domain? With the three of us we could make sure no one comes near it." I suggested as I rubbed her lower back absentmindedly. "Maybe a place with an ocean so I can teach you how to swim."
"Unfortunately the only place that has an ocean around it is Black Gold Saw's domain…" She murmured as I growled making her look at me with alarm. "Sorry, I guess my demon side doesn't like the fact that you got hurt because of her and it doesn't help that I agree too." I said sheepishly as she smiled softly.
"It's okay Rin; it's the same for me too. When Amaimon attacked you like that at the theme park and then when Egin tried to sacrifice you, I really wanted to hurt them so that they would leave you alone." She admitted; her circular patterned eyes then lit up. "I just got an idea, let's go to Dead Master's domain; since she's not there anymore we can claim it as our own for now until we find someplace else!"
"But didn't you say that when you rescued Yomi that the place started to fall apart?"
"Only the Cathedral did but the rest should still be intact; it's about the size of True Cross Academy Town and it's not far from here."
"All right Kuro you heard her, time to get going!" I said with a grin as my (or is it our since Rock was now my mate?) familiar grew into his nekomata form. All right let's go! He meowed as I helped Rock get on him first before joining her. So after Rock gave the Cat Sith the directions the three of us were on our way. As the scenery changed around us as Kuro ran, I couldn't help but glance at my lover every once in a while. When my eye caught sight of the silver star necklace I gave her flying around as Kuro ran, the sight of it warmed my heart. "There it is!" Rock said as we passed a graveyard of nameless crosses. Kuro just stopped in time because if he would have gone any further the three of us would be plummeting a thousand or so feet into a mile wide crater. "Whoa, you fought Dead Master here?" I gasped as I stared at the sight before me. Inside the giant crater was a small city made completely out of stone and at the highest point of it I could see where the Cathedral that was once Dead Master's home stood; now it was ruins. "Yes, as you can imagine it was quite difficult to reach the highest point." She said as Kuro began to take one of the many paths that lead down to the stone city. Once the three of us reached a point where it was too narrow for Kuro to be in his nekomata form, Rock and I got off of him before he returned to normal size and started to scale the place. "So Rock, I was wondering…Have you connected with Mato yet?" I huffed after I had to jump up about fifteen feet to reach the next area to head up the main hill. I'm definitely going to get a work out here. I thought as I felt a dull ache beginning to form in my legs from all the power jumping. "Now that you mention it, I have felt our connection reestablish itself but it's not as strong as it was before." She said with a slight frown as we gradually made our way up to where the Cathedral used to be.
"Maybe you have to give it some time, you did just get back." I pointed out as the three of us finally reached the fallen church. I then noticed on the ground went from plain stone to checkerboard pattern as we walked up to the crumbled building. Now that I think about it the ground by the crosses earlier also were checkerboard. I thought as we sat on what used to be a wall. "I don't think that's it-"
Black Rock Shooter! I need you! An unfamiliar voice cried out as Rock's eyes widen. "Mato!" She gasped as she clutched her chest. Suddenly the two of us started to glow in a blue light and for a brief second I thought the two of us were going back to Assiah but when I blinked I saw that Rock and I were in a void-like area that stretched on forever. Rock seemed to be surprised that I was with her but before she could say anything about it we both heard a gasp behind us. Turning around, the two of us were met face-to-face with a girl that looked exactly like Rock except for the fact that she was shorter and her pigtails weren't as long as Rock's; that and her eyes were normal like mine too. "B-Black Rock Shooter, w-who is that?" Mato stuttered as she backed away from me. "And why does he have a tail?"
Oops, forgot about that.
Instead of answering her human counterpart, Rock went up to her and placed her forehead against Mato's. As she did this, I saw Mato's eyes become hazy as if she was in a trance. What did you just do? I asked my mate telepathically once she stepped away from a dazed Mato. I showed her my memories of the past four months. She replied as I stared at her with horror. Did that mean that she also showed Mato when we had sex? I did not show her that part, just that we confessed to each other and our discussion of becoming mates. She reassured me when she realized what my look of horror meant. But it still implies that we did it though. I thought as Mato looked at the two of us with a light blush. However she surprised me by giving me a hug. "Thank you." She said with a grin. "For what?" I asked as she looked up at me with bright blue eyes.
"For making Black Rock Shooter happy; it makes me glad to see her like that." She replied before getting a mischievous look on her face. "So does that mean I can call you Rin-Nii since you're technically my brother-in-law now?" This had Rock laughing hysterically as I stared at Mato with my jaw nearly hitting the ground. "She's does have a point Rin since mating is a form of marriage for demons and Mato and I could be consider as sisters in a sense." My girlfriend pointed out; I just continued to flap my mouth like a fish before I got out of my shock. "I guess so?" I said with a chuckle as Mato cheered before hugging me again. "Mato, didn't you call me for something?" Rock asked as her human counterpart came close to tears.
"It's Yuu! She's missing!"
Oh boy…
(1) Regna cetera vado is a rough translation of "To the realm of others I go" in Latin
