Bound by Fire
Chapter 9
When the teen woke up again it was cold and dark once more. A never-ending silence rang in his ears as the teen made a move to sit up and pain rushed through his body. A whimper left his lips and his eyes squeezed shut before he lay perfectly still and waited for the pain to subside. Seconds turned into minutes, before the pain finally dulled down and the teen opened his eyes once more. The once bright blue orbs fell on the thick chain binding him to wall and a flash of red caught his eye. His eyes widened slightly, as he was able to make out a puddle of blood on the floor. His blood.
Fear instantly crashed over him, as tears welled up in his eyes and a soft sob filled the silent air. Each sniffle and shake caused pain to run through his sore and tortured body, as an image of his older twin flashed through his head and his sobs increased in volume. He missed Kaden, more than anything in the world right now and he'd give anything for his brother to be with him right this moment. To have him close, his arms wrapped around him, his face buried into his hair, his hands rubbing his back and his fingers silently telling him everything would be alright. Or his mother, who'd hold him close and softly hum to him even if he was always off key. All the while his father would gently mess up his hair and tell him it'd be alright, that they'd get him out of this. Whatever this was that he got himself into. Even after all this time he had no idea why he was here, or why these exorcists wanted him and he was scared. Why did they keep asking why he left for Gehenna? Why he was gone from school for three months? Or why he had been with this Ryuji person before he supposedly left? And with each question they asked the more he found himself questioning what was really going on. If he was really this person they said he was, or they had mistaken him for someone else. But no matter what it was, it didn't take away the pain. Not every cut, scrape, bruise, or bump on his body; nor the fear and abandonment he felt.
All he wanted was to go back home to Kaden, back to his family and his school life. But from the looks of it, he wasn't going anywhere.
"K-Kaden…"
"Alright, everyone get you asses over here!" Scarlett yelled over them all as Kaden let out a deep breath and everyone crowded around the red-haired demon. "As we discussed, Mephisto is opening a portal into the Vatican with one of his fancy ass keys. Miwa and Izumo are working from the inside, and Shiemi will stay by the door ready to heal anyone that needs it. I'll be leading the team to Aleka without fighting, Amaimon will be a distraction if need be, and Mephisto is keeping his ass here. Any questions?"
A few shakes of the head ran through the lot of them, before there was a sudden knocking sound and Kaden turned to the doorway in the dinning room. The teen found Khate leaning against the doorway with a smile on her face, and what looked to be intangible wings fluttering behind her.
"And you are-?" Scarlett had started, before Kaden interrupted.
"Khate, she's Aleka's friend." The teen spoke, before he looked at the girl. "What are you doing here?"
"Someone told me through the grape vine that the Vatican took Aleka. I wanna help anyway I can." Khate spoke, as Scarlett looked her over.
"You'll be with Shiemi in case we get back and we're injured. She may be a good doctor, but she can't do everything herself." A nod left the girl, before Scarlett clapped her hands together and got everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone grab your weapons and suit up. We're leaving now!"
It was then that everyone quickly grabbed their weapons. His mother was strapping on his demonic crafted swords, while his father and his uncle grabbed their guns, his Uncle's mate ran through some incantations, Amaimon gave Megan a quick hug good bye, and Gin grabbed his own guns and strapped on his roller blades before everyone was ready to head out. His uncle Mephisto snapped his fingers and the door to the dinning room slid shut, before the man pulled out a key and opened the door for them.
Scarlett was the first one to walk through the door without a second thought, as Gin grabbed Kaden by the shoulder and they quickly followed. The both of them found themselves in a huge empty stone hallway within what they could only guess was the Vatican. His mother, his uncles' mate, his father, and his uncle followed after them, before Scarlett turned to them and Khate slipped through to stand guard at the door.
"Alright, stay close to me. When I say stop you stop. When I say follow you follow. I don't care if Aleka needs us right now and he's hurt. If we get found out we're done for and we might be killed if the Vatican has their way. So don't go running off on your own." A round of nods left the men, before she turned on her heel and started walking.
Kaden and the others quickly followed after her as a small jolt of pain reached the teen and heavy emotions crashed into him. The older twin ground his teeth together to avoid letting out a growl that could give them away, as Gin sent a reassuring look his way and a small smile. Gin's reassurance eased him a bit, before Scarlett told them to stop and she suddenly disappeared into thin air. Both him and Gin stared at the space she had occupied in shock, before she suddenly reappeared out of nowhere and gestured them to follow her. A look of confusion showed on both of the teen's faces, as Rin chuckled behind them and wrapped an arm around both teens' shoulders.
"You should've seen the first time I saw her do that. Scared me shitless." Rin spoke, as Bon rolled his eyes behind them. "Thing is her ability makes it look like she teleported, when she really stopped time long enough to move to a different place."
"So she controls time?" Gin asked, as Rin quirked a brow and chewed on his lip.
"Not fully, but she can stop it for a good amount of time. It isn't as powerful as a Prince of Gehenna, but she could stop time for a whole day if she wanted to."
"Damn, that's cool."
"You should see what she can do with ordinary objects to." Bon spoke, before he was suddenly smacked upside the head and Scarlett was beside him with an irritated look on her face.
"We're on a mission here, guys. Shut the hell up, or I'll send you back."
With that the woman turned on her heel and started off in the right direction. A small moment of silence passed between them, as the lot of them softly chuckled and Kaden felt his heart slowly ease. They would find Aleka, and they would get him back. He was sure of it.
"What is the situation with Rin Okumura?"
The question rang out through the courtroom like a dead joke, as Angel frowned slightly and didn't miss the look of shame on one of the exorcist's face. A look he'd reprimand the man for later, as he cleared his throat and gathered the attention of everyone in the courtroom.
"At the moment Okumura is in the demonic holding block." Angel spoke out. "He's been uncooperative so far and we've gotten little information from him. He has confessed to being in Gehenna, though."
Murmurs filled the courtroom, as the Gurigori looked taken aback despite the masks over their faces. A small smirk made it's way onto Angel's face, before he started to slowly pace the courtroom.
"Besides that piece of information he has refused to tell the truth and has resulted to lies. According to what he's told us, he was never absent and he never left for Ghenna-"
"That's impossible! If Okumura never left where has he been for eight years."
"Apparently Gehenna." A soft scoff of annoyance left the man behind the mask and Angel stopped in his pacing. "However, we will be taking our interrogation up to the next level. Okumura is still a demon and every demon has its weakness. We will get the answers we need soon enough."
"You had better, Angel. Time is not on our side."
"I can't take this anymore. When are we going to get there?" Rin growled out.
"I think that question is beyond obvious." Scarlett muttered, as she rolled her eyes and disappeared for a moment. The female demon appearing moments later, before she reached her hand out around the corner and gave a signal to either Izumo or Miwa. "We'll get to Aleka when we physically get there and are with him."
"You know, I for one am hating your straight forwardness." Rin growled, as Bon set a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
"Well I'm not the one that got pregnant eight and a half years ago." The female demon muttered, before she turned the corner and they rushed past a group of distracted exorcists and down the hall.
A growl was all that left Kaden's mother as they quickly followed after the red-head. The group traveled over a few hallways and down a staircase, before she told them to stop and disappeared into thin air. A growled curse left Rin, then a full growl left his throat before his father turned the older around and kissed him full on the mouth. The action shocked his classmate to Gehenna and back, as they watched the two make out on the staircase, before his father finally broke the kiss and looked his mother in the eyes.
"Better?" The brunette n' blonde asked, as the older nodded.
"Y-yeah."
"Good."
"You two done freaking out now?" Scarlett's voice asked, as the lot of them turned to find the female demon watching them in amusement. "We got this floor to go through before we reach the demonic holding block. You think you guys can hold up long enough not to lose it?"
"I guess." His mother muttered, his cheeks a bright red.
"I can't promise anything." Kaden muttered under his breath.
His statement seemed to be ignored as the woman turned on her heel and quickly led them through the vast never-ending hallways. Gin was the one to set a hand on his shoulder and give him a reassuring look, before heading off after the female demon. The rest of the group moved quickly, before Shima stepped up beside him and wrapped his tail around the older twin's. The action caused the teen to turn and look at the half-incubus, as they quickly followed after the group and brought up the end of the bunch.
"You're worried." The pink-haired incubus spoke, as the teen nodded.
"I don't want to lose him." The teen spoke quietly, as Scarlett lead them down another hallway. "He's hurt. I can feel it."
"Everything will come out alright." The male spoke, as he gave him a small smile and his tail released its hold on the older twin's. "You're luckier than your father or Uncle."
A moment of silence passed between them as Scarlett disappeared for a moment to check the area ahead. The female demon reappeared moments later announcing they had to backtrack and take another route, as she walked past them and started off in another direction. The teen caught his uncle and his mate locking gazes with one another for far too long, before his uncle walked on ahead. The incubus's aura plummeted as he gripped the incantation book in his hand and his eyes fell to the floor as he walked after the group.
"Is it true?" Kaden spoke, as the half-incubus turned to him. "What mother said about you leaving uncle all those years ago?"
A moment of silence fell over the two of them as the male looked after the brunette exorcist walking close to his older twin and best friend.
"Yes, but not for the reason you think." The male spoke. "I didn't leave him because I didn't love him. In truth I loved him more than anything in the world."
"Then why did you leave?"
"I was worthless." The pink-haired half-demon spoke, a sad look stretching across his face and a chuckle passing his lips. "He gave me the world, tore me away from every doubt I had and every bad choice I ever made, and put me in a place I could be happy forever. But I ruined it. He gave me everything, even my own child and I lost that very life. What am I worth to him if I can't carry his young?"
"He's your mate though." Kaden spoke, as the male turned and looked at him. "He was born to be with you, no matter what has happened, and he loves you. I've seen uncle look at you and all I see is love. He doesn't hate you for losing the offspring. If anything he just wants you back."
A small smile appeared on the half-incubus's face at the teen's words, before his golden eyes met the teen's mocha ones.
"Thank you." Were the only words to leave the male's lips, before their tails touched and he walked ahead to stand beside his mate.
The appearance of his mate shocked his uncle, as the man turned to look at the half-incubus and the older refused the looked the younger in the eyes. Something that would've been seen as bad if it weren't for the fact the half-incubus was holding his mate's hand. A bit of contact that made the brunette smile and hold the older's hand tighter. A small smile appearing on the Kaden's face, before a staircase came into view and Gin dragged him ahead. The teen made it to the front of the group in time to see the heavily etched words carved in the heavy metal doors.
'Demonic Holding Block'
In seconds the doors flew open with a simple enchantment cast by the redhead. The woman walked in ahead of them as she took the lead and walked past all the cells. All of them were bare and empty, nothing but dust collecting in them, before she enchanted another door to open. The female demon walked down the stairs without a second thought, the group following after and to the bottom floor of the cellblock.
Nothing but darkness reached out to them, before a sudden flash of blue streamed through the darkness. The lot of them turned to his mother, as the male pushed past the red-haired demon and to one of the two cells in the room. His mother's flames illuminating the cell and casting it in a blue glow, before the teen's breath hitched in his throat and anger over took him. Lying unconscious on the floor and resting in his own blood was Aleka. Several deep cuts and scrapes littered his small body, along with dark purple bruises covering his face and a heavy gash in his side. His appearance was enough to drive the teen right to the edge, if it wasn't for the fact that his mother's flames burned in intensity. A clear edge of anger reflected in them, as the bars melted at the touch of the male's flames. Kaden took the chance to slip past his mother and rushed to his brother's side, while his father tried to calm his mother.
"Aleka, Aleka wake up." Kaden quickly spoke, as he gently shook his twin.
Not even a whimper of pain or a twitch leaving the teen, and fear rushed over the older. The teen tried to connect to the younger through their bond, if it wasn't for Scarlett walking over to the two of them and flicking his younger brother in the head. A low, dangerous growl left Kaden's throat as she frowned at him and pointed to the unconscious teen. The exact moment she got his attention to his mate was the same moment his younger brothers' eyes opened and hazy blue eyes gazed up at him. Nothing but fear and loneliness reflected in those dull blue eyes, as Kaden carefully cupped his twin's cheeks and rubbed his thumbs against the dried tears on the teen's face.
"Aleka, can you hear me?" Kaden softly spoke, as his mother and father's small argument fell silent in the background.
"K-Kaden?" Was the only word to come out of the teen's mouth, as the older gave him a nod and a smile.
"Yeah, it's me."
In the next moment tears welled up in the younger's eyes, the haze in his eyes clearing as he stared up at the older in disbelief.
"I-is this real? Are you really here?" Aleka asked shakily. Kaden let out a small chuckle and placed a small kiss on the teen's forehead.
"Yes, it is me."
A sob escaped the teen's throat, as he leaned into the older's touch and a smile appeared on his face. One that broke the older's heart to see, if it wasn't for the tears in his mother's eyes.
"Aleka, let me see your flames I need to heal you." Kaden softly spoke, as the teen nodded and the older used a little of his demonic strength to snap the chains and collar. The thick chains falling to the cell floor, as the older threw the collar somewhere behind him and didn't miss the female demon catching the thick metal and examining it.
The younger twin's flames lit up the cell the next moment, expelling the darkness around them. Something that made the older smile, before he pulled the younger into his arms and placed a small kiss on his lips. One that deepened in seconds, as the younger opened his mouth and let the older's tongue plunge into his mouth. A look of shock appeared on the faces around them, except for their mother and the female demon yawning in the corner, as Aleka's flames wrapped around them and settled against the older twin's body. Their lips parting the next moment, as Kaden gave the younger a small smile and the flames encasing his body turned green. The older didn't chance wasting a single second as he quickly started healing his mate's injuries. Aleka rest his head against his chest all the while, as Rin noticed the shocked looks on the men's faces and rolled his eyes as he closed their father's mouth.
"Aleka and Kaden can share their powers with a little kissing. Quit acting like they stripped naked." Rin frowned, as their father frowned and placed a kiss on their mother's lips.
"I'll strip you naked-"
"Later." Scarlett interrupted, as she straightened up and Kaden finished healing the younger. "Give the kid his flames back and let's get going. We don't have all da-"
The woman's words fell short the moment she turned to the door to the stairs. The lot of them turned to the heavy door to find an exorcist staring at them in shock. His mouth hung open till the moment the red-haired demon's eyes met his, before he bolted up the stairs and the room fell dead silent. An alarm blared moments later, as a heavy curse fell past the woman's lips before she turned to the lot of them.
"We've got to get out of here. Now!"
Scarlett: *waves* hey my cute little fans! I'm back from the Blue Exorcist Movie! And might I say it was so damn awesome!
Akira: *frowning behind book* Apparently I was in the movie too
Scarlett: *chuckles* for a whole 30 seconds *gets a glare* oh you love me!
Akira: No I don't
Scarlett: Uh huh *turns to screen* Anyway! On another note, I have a surprise! After a quick comment on my FB page my cute little fans have agreed with me on making an FB page just for my fan fiction writing! So here is the link! - pages/Scarlett-sama/
On another note! On my new FB page you can comment on any chapters you read, ask questions, and chat about ANE! So feel free to fave my FB page and have fun!
For more information and Updates about my fanfictions, coming straight from me, visit my author page and look under the Progression and Important Information section. I have updates about my current Ao no Exorcist fanfictions and a new ones that are going to be posted in the future.
Rin, Bon, Shima, Yukio, Mephisto, and Mephisto do not belong to me.
These characters belong to Kazue Kato.
However, Aleka, Kaden, and Scarlett Rose belong to me.