Ok so this is the new chapter! Thank you for your reviews/follows/favorites! Look! I'm alive! ok, so the reason I haven't updated like anythings is because I've been busy with school, work, and other things. Plus the joining of many fandoms, because if you're curious, you can look at my profile and see how much things have grown for me in those types of terms. Anyway, school's over for now so one less thing. Onto questions! ActionTReaction asked: Its been a while since your last update. Is everything alright? Answer: Yup! Thanks for asking though! I hope you like this update! opacity asked: I really hope there are going to be many new chapters in the future, this story is really interesting and I can't wait to see what happens next! :) Are the others going to be scared of Rin when they find out? Or will they accept him like Suguro? Also, are they going to find out the same way? Answer: Maybe! Bryanjei asked: Was reply close to dropping the fic cause of no izumo and Rin pairing but kinda happ I didn't,anyways since his flames helped out with his blindness, will it also help out his other limitations by improving his body somewhat? Answer: Umm...I mean demon strength? Just regular demon stuff really. I just planned for it to affect his eyes. Guest asked: I juse realized this was updated on my birthday. This is a great idea/story. I find that rin's sight could be an advantage for instance in a completely dark room he can see people. Or if a creature is camouflage he can pick them out. Am I right? I would love to see that in action. Answer: Yup! FireUpTheIQ asked: Yukio knows they need to be a team so telling them whatever he can of what's happening to them is helpful. Will the crew share their back stories too at some point? (At least to the ones that do have ones) Have you read the rest of the manga? Do you like it? Also wondering if your going to add something a bit more with Mephisto since he is the twins older brother just as much as Animon. He's always planning something, 4 steps ahead of just about everyone. Answer: Sorry for not do your whole review, but I still loved it! Now to answer your questions. 1 Um, maybe? 2. I have not, sorry, but I bet its great! and Mephisto is Mephisto, but there is something at the end of this, kind of? As I said, Mephisto is Mephisto so he comes and goes as he wishes. nimwolf asked:Really love the story. Are you going to introduce some of the demon kings the manga hasn't shown, in the future? Answer: Of course! EdenAngel7 asked:Why did she run off then come back? That was kinda weird. Did she go to check up on the other students, more specifically, Shuemi? Or was she trying to catch up to Amaimon? Love the series, can't wait for more! Answer: That's what happened in the anime so I did it. Fujoshi desu xD asked:Will Rin have some protective demon brothers? Or everyone around Rin will automatically become over protective without Rin realize Next please xD Answer: Oh yes! I love making my demon kings protective! And maybe? I might unconsciously do that! XD. I think that was everyone! Sorry if I forgot someone! Onto the chapter!
"Here, see? Here's my license and my level certificate."
Rin listened as they were confirming Shura's status, their voices droning on as background noise to him. He could still feel Yukio's and Suguro's presences at his side, but the grounding he got from them was only so much. His mind was still reeling from everything that had just taken place, how easily control had been taken from him and how easily it was to give into those instincts he always felt crawling beneath his skin.
"...-aking this kid back to the Japanese Branch Office." Rin blinked as his ears picked up on these words, turning his gaze upwards. He thought he could make out Shura's head turned in his direction, but it was so subtle that even the silhouette couldn't help him. Of course, the feeling of Yukio's grip tightening from its place on his shoulder gave him an idea as to what was going on. "Plus, I want to talk to the head of the Branch, Mephisto, so bring him along to, would ya?"
"Wai-" Yukio's voice could be heard protesting as Shura neared Rin, but the half-demon just processed Yukio being pushed away from him before her hands were being placed under his arms.
"Come on, on your feet." Shura demanded as she pulled Rin onto his feet. Her voice dropped a little as her next words came out. "I have a shitload of stuff I want to ask you."
"Hey wait a second!" Suguro shouted, shooting to his feet, along with Yukio, when she began to pull Rin along with her.
"Y-Yeah," Shiemi piped up with a squeak. "I-I mean...Rin looks a little injured. Shouldn't we take care of him?"
"Shura-" Yukio started but the said woman cut him off.
"He'll be fine, trust me." Shura said, sending a quick grin in Yukio's direction as she pulled Rin along. Yukio was at least a little at ease by the fact that she wasn't being too harsh with his brother, but he still wasn't okay with her taking him.
Yukio was about to speak up again when Shura moved swiftly away from him with his brother and it wasn't long before the two of them disappeared through a door.
"Yukio, what's going on?" Shiemi asked, eyes brimming with worry for his brother.
"Mr. Okumura-" Yukio held up a hand that quieted Suguro before he could continue, causing the student to clench his fists in anger.
"The mission for today is over." Yukio spoke monotonously, switching back into his teacher attitude rather easily. "Go back to your dormitories."
"But, what about Okumura?" Konekomaru asked nervously.
"Yeah, like, is he going to be alright?" Shima spoke up after his friend, his face covered with worry and his teeth nibbling at his lower lip. "I mean, he looked pretty beat up and all, and he didn't really seem all...here if you know what I mean. Plus, along with his other...issues."
"Don't worry, I'll be joining Shura shortly once I know all of you return to your dorms safely." Yukio replied, grimacing a bit.
After he saw that each of his students got onto a bus run by the order that would take them safely back to the dorms, he took out his set of keys and was soon entering the headquarters of the Japanese Branch. Yukio's eyes stayed looking forwards as he came up to the place where Shura was conversing with Mephisto, her arm around Rin's shoulders. He knew that if Rin could see the place they were now, then he'd be constantly looking around at all the architecture. Well, Yukio assumed, that would be unless his brother was still processing everything that has been happening. Honestly, Yukio wished his brother would get a break sometimes, but that never seemed to be the case. No, Rin was constantly thrown into problem after problem without any chance of a breather.
"...aladin Fujimoto have anything to do with this?" Shura's voice reached his ears.
Mephisto grinned. "Why, he was raising the boy until his flames grew stronger." Those words made Yukio scowl as that wasn't the truth at all in regards to Shiro raising the two of them. "This was a chance to put the order on the offensive, so why not take the chance? The only reason why I didn't tell the Vatican was because, as you can see, his flames are still incomplete."
Shura quirked an eyebrow. "Really, that's the reason you're going with." Mephisto just gave her a smirk as she sighed. "Well, I still have to report this. But before I do that, I have to interrogate this guy here." She shook Rin a bit in reference to her words. "We'll take the Great Cell, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead, he's a real laugh." Mephisto commented with a smirk.
"Wait, Shura! It is not necessary to interrogate my brother." Yukio spoke up. "I can explain everything to you-"
"Gah, you really haven't changed, eh Yukio." She cut in as she leaned closer to him. "Hmm, well I guess you did get taller." That remark caught Yukio off guard and allowed her slip past him, dragging Rin along with her. "Go home Yukio! Take a nap or something!"
Yukio could only watch as they left for the Great Cell.
Shura tossed Rin into the cell, holding back a wince as she watched him stumble. His arms, one loosely grasping his covered sword, swung out as he attempted to steady himself from the push. Shura watched as his foggy, slightly glowing eyes trailed around the room, obviously not seeing anything. She took notice of the brief moment when they seemed to focus on her and the blue within each eye seemed to shimmer before dimming back down again.
Looking at him now, Shura couldn't help but voice her thoughts on him. "You know, you don't seem any more dangerous than a newborn kitten."
Rin, flinching from the sudden echo of her voice around him because of the large empty room they were in, scowled at the words making Shura chuckle.
"What?" Shura laughed at the glare, not intimidated at all by the look.
"I'm not a kitten." Rin huffed, only making Shura laugh harder. Understanding she wasn't going to let up, Rin voiced the main question on his mind. "You knew my dad and Yukio?" It wasn't so much a question rather than a statement.
Shura smirked. "Of course. I mean, I was Shiro's apprentice."
"Apprentice?" Rin paused, blinking at the silhouette before him, trying to understand what was just revealed to him. He was trying to imagine it, but with only the outline of the woman before him, it was probably even more difficult for him to imagine the idea suggested then if he could see whoever this 'Shura' was. "So...are you like a nun? Or…"
Shura laughed at his confused face. "Hell no. I've never even prayed to God."
She grew quiet and Rin could feel the change of tension in the air. Even her laid back flames seemed to dull in sorrow for a few seconds before flickering back with life.
"See," Shura began. "I wasn't born in a...nice place, but...Shiro found me and saved me from living day to day just fighting to survive." She gave a hollow laugh. "Of course, that was before you and Yukio were born of course." She fell silent before tilting her head at Rin and started to approach him.
"...Uh.." Rin was thrown off at her change and flinched a little from her oddly loud footsteps coming towards him. He watched as she raised her arm as she came closer, his eyes flashing to the outlined limb before back to her head. "Wha-"
He broke off when she quickly moved forward and he felt a sudden emptiness in one of his hands. Pausing, he blinked and clenched his hand before gasping as he realized he no longer had his sword.
"Gah!" He quickly turned in place, trying to spot Shura in the vast emptiness that made up his vision. Eventually, he was able to catch sight of her blue form along with the loud tapping of her foot to help him find her spot.
"I can't believe you fell for that!" Shura huffed at him with a smirk. "What, you just going to let anyone take this for free? Is it worth that little?"
Rin clenched his fists. "Like hell!"
As his anger grew in him, he felt the familiar instincts grow beneath his skin that had been present when he fought Amaimon, however it did feel a little different than before, not that he could figure out what it was. Either way, he pushed the feeling aside and sprang at Shura, not taking notice of the sudden power rushing through his veins and the fact that the darkness seemed a little more defined than before.
Shura's eyes widened as blue flames erupted across Rin's body. They weren't as strong as when his sword was unsheathed, but they were still there and growing brightly. She jumped back from his swipe of his hand. However, the fact that the flames were showing even when the sword was sheathed was enough of a surprise.
She thought back to when Shiro had asked her to take Rin as her pupil, how shocked she had been at his words and how that shock had changed to horror and anger. Back then, she couldn't believe what he had been asking of her. First throwing her away only to tell her to teach a child to use a demon sword if something had happened to him. Honestly, he was ridiculous!
Gritting her teeth, Shura pulled herself from her memories and dodged another one of Rin's attacks. Landing behind him as he caught his breath, she summoned her own demon sword and faced Rin.
The half-demon growled at her. "Why...why would you, as my dad's apprentice, attack me like this?!"
Shura huffed. "The day Shiro was hospitalized, the Vatican dispatched me as a high inspector with secret orders. They told me 'There's a chance that Shiro Fujimoto and Mephisto Pheles, the head of the Japanese Branch, have been hiding something related to Satan since the Blue Night sixteen years ago, investigate that.' Also, "If there is by any chance such an element, you are to eliminate it on identification.' Just like that."
RIn swallowed, his eyes flickering to the sword in her hand and the soft blue glow it gave. "E-Eliminate?"
Shura turned her blade, allowing it to catch in the light. "I've confirmed your blue flame, a sign of Satan, and I shall follow my orders to eliminate you." She gave a laugh. "The apprentice left to finish her foolish master's incomplete work."
"W-Wait!" Rin cried out, his heart dropping in his chest. "Eliminate?! Do you mean kill!? Wait!"
Shura ignored his terrified shouts as she herself cried out. "Demon sword technique: Snakefang!"
The exorcist cut her sword through the air multiple times, letting the bladed wind shoot towards the half-demon in the middle of the room. Rin cried out as the cuts hit him, knocking him back into the wall and leaving cuts across his skin. Breathing heavily, he focused his eyes onto Shura and watched as the sword was drawn through the air once again. He tried to focus on the air, running to the side, avoiding the strikes by luck. He could hear the wind whistling if he focused, allowing him the chance to dodge the attacks.
Shura kept her eyes on Rin, watching as he stumbled breaths away from her attacks. She continued to send attack after attack, he mind thinking back to the day Shiro wanted her to take over training this kid. Is this what he wanted? Did he spend his life to try to raise a weapon against Satan? Is that really the reasoning behind this kid?
She watched as Rin was knocked down by and attack and slowly approached him. His misty eyes eventually fell on her as she neared him, but they closed once her leg shot out and kicked him into the wall behind him. As the half-demon gasped for breath, she couldn't help but scowl at how weak this kid seemed to be.
"This was a mistake." She grumbled under her breath. "There is no way this kid could face Satan."
"What?" Rin muttered past a cough only to jerk back when the blade was in front of his face.
"You're a fool Shiro." Shura continued, lost in her thoughts. "You stopped fighting and clung to a worthless hope."
"Like hell he gave up fighting!" Rin snarled. "He's hurt the way he is because he was protecting me!"
"..." Shura paused at the words spat at her, her eyes focusing on the boy beneath her.
"Don't you dare call him foolish! Don't call him anything!"
Shura scowled. "He's a coward!"
"He's not a coward!" Rin spat. "You don't know anything, so how dare you say that! How dare you say any of this!" He clenched his trembling fists, his flames continuing to flicker over his body. "Y-You don't know anything!" His mind was filled with the sensations of that night, threatening to drag him under, but he fought against it, not willing to give up when some person was insulting his father right there.
Gritting his teeth, Rin pushed himself a up a little straighter as Shura stared at him in shock. "I-I don't care if you're his apprentice or...or whatever! I won't let you make fun of my dad!"
With that he charged at Shura, who was prepared to dodge his wild attacks. They clashed, claws and metal hitting with loud clangs. Rin grunted as he was pushed back by a powerful attack, only to bounce back by the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Shura dodged his flaming claws and once again sliced the air only to watch as, even when he was grazed by the cutting winds, Rin continued to charge forward.
Once again, Shura was able to land another heavy hit on the half-demon and Rin flew across the room into a wall. As he fell down, he jumped up and caught his breath as he stared at Shura.
The exorcist breathed heavily as she stared at the half-demon. 'His attacks are so wild and unstable. He has no idea of a proper fighting technique, but I'll give him credit for being able to keep up with the way he is.'
She frowned. "What, aren't you going to come after me? I thought you said you wouldn't let me make fun of him?" She smirked at the growl coming from the teen. "Demon sword technique: Emptiness!"
Rin watched as what looked like very faintly glowing snakes appeared around Shura before charging at him. He threw his arms up to protect himself, closing his eyes against the wind. He opened them again when it died down, only to pause when he opened his eyes again and saw nothing. His breath caught in his throat, especially when he could make out the sound of Shura coming at him from in front of him, but he couldn't see her.
He cried out when he felt her blade pierce his shoulder, but it was just another feeling added onto his sudden terror. Even when it pressed in deeper, his senses only picked up on the darkness, the pain, and the dripping of blood on the ground. With a shuddering breath, he could no longer fight the memories in the back of his mind.
Shura watched as she dug her blade into Rin's shoulder. She was ready to goad him on, to push him to continue fighting just to have a reason not to kill him so suddenly, when she watched his eyes gloss over and his breath catch. This made her pause, as she hadn't even seen him react like this in his fight against Amaimon. Quickly ripping her blade from his shoulder, she watched as he dropped down to the ground, trembling.
"O-Oi...?" Shura called out, not knowing what to say in this situation. She watched as he continued to take panicked breath, not hearing or processing her presence like she knew he had been doing before now. Could he really have been raised as a weapon?
"Oi...Okumura? Rin?" She had long since lowered her sword to the ground and dropped to her knees before him. She reached out to touch him, but the moment her fingers grazed his uninjured shoulder, Rin flinched away from her.
"No! Don't...Don't touch me!" Rin's voice was so full of pain and terror, the sound hitting Shura strongly in the chest. A low growl came from his throat, and Shura had to jump back from the sudden sputter of weak flames that were quick to die out due to her previous technique.
She was about to approach him again when the door to the cell suddenly flew open and a familiar yet unexpected voice cried out. "Rin!"
Turning around, Shura watched as Shiro Fujimoto stumbled his way into the room, only to pause when his eyes fell upon the scene before him. He saw his child curled up and battered on the floor with his old apprentice sitting before him with Kurikara and her own sword beside her.
Ignoring his pained chest, Shiro charged forward and pushed Shura away from Rin as he dropped besides the boy. "What the hell did you do to him?!"
"...Shiro?" Shura called out in surprise, her mind still trying to wrap around the suddenness of all of this.
Shiro shot her a look clearly promising words later before he turned back to Rin. "Rin? Hey, buddy can you hear me? I'm right here, everything is ok. Can you hear me? I'm right here Rin, I'm right here."
Shura watched as Shiro continued to help Rin, complete fatherly worry and love in his voice. But, if Rin was just going to be a weapon, why would he care so much? Well, one could argue that he wouldn't want his weapon impaired in some way, but then Rin wasn't a weapon was he? No, not with the love in Shiro's words and actions. What was it Rin said he had done? Shiro got hurt because he was protecting Rin? And, if she remembered correctly, Rin had also been hurt that day, it's how he lost his sight. So, if he was really a weapon, then wouldn't he had been taken care of once that had happened? Wouldn't he had been declared disposable?
No, of course not. Not when it was clear Shiro was not keeping Rin as a weapon. Rin was his child and had never been up for the role as a weapon.
"There you go...shhh...you're alright Rin."
"Dad? Wait-Wha-"
Shiro smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"W-What? No...you-you should be in the hospital?" Rin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
Shiro chuckled. "I got released today! Now, why don't you try to stand up and we'll head back to the dorms, yeah?"
Rin blinked in confusion for a few seconds before speaking up. "No, I have to prove myself. I have to show them that they can't make fun of you. I have-"
"You have to go rest up, that's what." Shiro huffed, shooting Shura a glare before he looped his arms around Rin's shoulders and started to stand up. Rin scrambled up after him, both men grunting from the pulls of their injuries. At the sounds, Shura stood up and, after getting rid of her swords, offered Kurikara to Shiro and an arm for Rin.
Shiro watched her for a few seconds before nodding and allowing Shura to help him move Rin to the door. Rin flinched from her touch at first, ready to tear his arm out of her grasp and push her away, only for Shiro to shush him and continue moving forward. As they left the cell, they came out to Yukio, with Kuro on his shoulders, and the others all watching with wide eyes as they walked out. Shura had no doubt the shocked gazes were from Shiro's first appearance, and the following events no doubt kept the shocked looks coming.
"We are done here." Shiro grunted out as Yukio quickly took Shura's place in supporting Rin, the woman following after the family as they disappeared through a portal. Behind them, Mephisto stood there smirking.
"Interesting."
So that was that! I hope this makes up for my disappearance! Feel free to comment, ask questions, etc. Until next time! :D