Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師(エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!


天使の火—Angel Fire

Chapter 27: Aftermath


Rin was in so much pain. He had cuts and bruises all over his body from his fight with Amitiel, and the white shirt he wore exhibited a large, clean gash from where Amitiel cut him on the chest. It ached to the point he would clutch it and wince. He was scared that his wound was not closing up quickly as usual. Apparently, angelic weapons like Amitiel and Raziel's prevent demons from healing quickly.

He was scared of them.

The Exwires were led back into the main building, despite Shiemi was pleading to Yukio and the exorcists to treat Rin and Amitiel's injuries. She was always the kind of being who cared about others safety before her own.

Rin was bound by the hands and two exorcists held them behind Rin's back, just high enough for Rin to feel discomfort. Another exorcist pulled out cuffs and clicked them around Rin's wrists. Rin winced when he felt his skin around the cuffs sting.

"These are blessed with holy silver. If you ever try to move suddenly to escape, you're in for a nasty burn," the exorcist growled.

Rin grit his teeth as he frowned derisively at the exorcist. His sharp blue eyes forced the exorcist to turn away uncomfortably.

Arthur Auguste Angel led everyone back to the tower extending from the main building. He pulled out the key connecting to the Vatican's opera court house. The key looked very intrinsic and ancient. This time the Vatican's logo was etched in the design instead of the Knights of the True Cross.

The exorcists beside Arthur's sides latched onto the door handles and pulled the doors open. A bright light flashed from inside and Rin was urged forward with a push. Amitiel and Raziel, followed by Shura and Mephisto, followed the exorcists and Paladin through.

A warm breeze brushed through Rin's blue strands and he found himself in the middle of an elegantly designed courthouse. There were fancy, gold-rimmed drapes hanging from the entrance and balconies encircling the room. Sitting by the many storeys of balconies stood the viewers. Their faces were shadowed by the curtains as they whispered at each other, observing Rin with a suspicious glare. The room itself looked as if it were made of gold. Hanging from the towering ceiling was a glass, crystal chandelier illuminating a soft, golden glow. Presented below the hanging chandelier was the Grigori. There were three individuals sitting patiently in golden, wooden thrones etched with fine details. Around the pillars standing on the walls of the court were marble statues of angels. Amitiel and Raziel recognised the Archangel Michael on the right of the Grigori's balcony and the Archangel Gabriel on the left side, while other archangels encircled the court, valiantly holding symbolic objects such as a scroll, sword, or bow.

Rin watched as everybody around him stared him down like a pack of hawks, as if he had intruded into their territory.

Meanwhile, Mephisto only waved and smiled as if he were entering a competition.

"Kneel," Arthur commanded.

"Huh?"

"Now!" Arthur kicked Rin in the back and he fell on his hands. A part of Amitiel died inside, though she quickly ignored it.

"Do me a favour and behave yourself." Arthur grabbed his sword and drove it through Rin's ankle. As soon as it did, Rin howled in pain as blue flames skimmed his clothes but suddenly disappeared. His scream made Amitiel's hands cringe and her ears hurt. She closed her eyes and looked away.

"What the hell are you doing, Arthur!?" Shura snapped.

"This is absolutely necessary. I do not want to take the chance of him burning our court down," Arthur spoke without a sign of mercy in his eyes.

"You're a saint with a demon's soul, Arthur..."

Everyone went silent when the judge whacked his gavel against the sound block. "Order! I demand the accused to take the stand!" The judge commanded forcefully in Italian. The translator beside him converted his words into Japanese for Rin and Shura to understand.

"Oh, I guess that would be me," Mephisto smiled as if he were innocent.

"The court will now hear the case of Mephisto Pheles, Honorary Knight of the Japan Branch of the Knights of the True Cross," the judge ordered as the translator spoke in Japanese. "Stand up at the pedestal."

When Mephisto finished climbing the short set of stairs to the stand, he brought his hand and held it to his right breast.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The judge asked.

"I solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Mephisto gave the judge a smug-look.

"The interrogators participating will be I, Timothé Timowan, chief justice of the order's court of law, and Sir Arthur Auguste Angel, the current Paladin. The opposition shall be Sir Hiroshi Tanaka and his daughter Hana Tanaka. Finally, the Grigori will adjudicate!" The judge announced and everyone shuffled comfortably in their seats. Arthur, Shura, Raziel, and Amitiel stood on their feet and Rin was panting on all fours on the floor.

The judge turned the screen in front of him towards Mephisto. An image displayed of Rin engulfed in blue flames was taken by a hitchhiker. "Sources from witnesses have shown of the recent events that have been occurring on the academy grounds. Sir Pheles, examine this picture shown before me and answer me this: this child in this photograph, is the demon kneeling before us, correct?"

Mephisto didn't hesitate, "Yes."

"Then let me say this plainly," the judge frowned. "Is that thing the son of Satan?"

"Yes, he is. I will not keep it secret any longer."

The crowd roared.

Rin looked up around him at how much his mere presence caused an uproar among the viewers. Rin felt disappointed at how these people are terrified and surprised of him just because of who he is.

"Fifteen years ago, Fujimoto reported that he had successfully terminated the offspring of Junior Second Class Yuri Egin, who has been plead guilty of carrying Satan's spawn," the judge spoke as he observed the reports before him that were written by Fujimoto. "Do you mean to declare that the reports are in fact false?"

"Yes, however, she gave birth to fraternal twins," Mephisto spoke with his hands clasped behind his back. "One of them did not inherit Satan's power, however. The one who did is who kneels before you."

Mephisto pointed at Rin on the ground.

"Twins..." Raziel whispered. "That means…"

"… Yukio Okumura is also a child of Satan?" Amitiel asked herself. He… doesn't even look or behave as one.

Mephisto continued as the crowd around him murmured. "He may have become a full-fledged demon have I not sealed his power within Kurikara. The previous Paladin, Shiro Fujimoto, raised him in secrecy until the day he was capable of assuming his fate."

The end of Mephisto's answer piqued everyone's interest.

"And what "fate" do you imply, Mephistopheles? What purpose does he serve?" The judge demanded.

Mephisto lowered his head with a mischievous smirk spread across his face. "To raise him as a living weapon against Satan and Hell."

The crowd went havoc. Some viewers shouted in indignation and demanded Mephisto to be exorcised on the spot.

Mephisto shrugged his shoulders at the answers he was receiving. "Don't be upset with me, it was Shiro Fujimoto's idea."

The old man… did he really say that…? Rin looked up at Mephisto in bewilderment.

Amitiel observed Mephisto with shock exploded all over her face and she took a step back, disturbed at the truth in his words.

"I fully object this preposterous declaration."

The crowd slowly grew silent and their attention was on Raziel.

"Hear me out, need I remind you that Mephisto Pheles is also a demon? Why would a demon conspire against his own… by using his own?" Raziel barked.

Mephisto's smile faded and he turned his head over his shoulder. There was annoyance in his steely green eyes.

"I have been within this organisation far longer than any exorcist alive in this world. I am well-informed about demons' nature for many centuries. Do you possibly believe in the words of a liar and a master of deception?" Raziel spoke, which raised uneasy questions within the viewers.

"Who are you?" The judge demanded.

"I am a loyal soldier of Heaven," Raziel admitted, which provoked the crowd to scream. Some shouted demon and others yelled impostor.

"Silence!" The judge shouted as he rapidly whacked his gavel on the desk.

"I do not object that..." Arthur spoke suddenly, his eyes wide in shock. "I have seen their identities with my own eyes. Tanaka and his daughter are... angels. They are really angels."

The Grigori exchanged stunned gazes with each other. Although their faces were covered by their majestic drapes, they could tell by the way each swallowed erratically that they trembled with uneasiness.

The crowd looked around frantically. Some even began praying, some for protection and some for forgiveness.

One of the members of the Grigori, who was in the middle and draped in elegant sapphire and azure robes which covered their body and head, suddenly bolted up and exclaimed with a powerful male voice, "Identify yourselves!"

"My name is archangel Raziel, the angel of secrets, and this is archangel Amitiel, the angel of Truth. We have made our appearance to inform you of our true intentions. We are here to search and eliminate Satan's 9th son—the one right there," Raziel pointed at Rin before Arthur, then gestured to Amitiel beside him. "Amitiel here, is sent specifically to carry on this task of executing the child of Satan, the first to have inherited Satan's power. All these centuries, Humanity has been terrorized by demons, and not even exorcism is sufficient enough to protect yourselves. We have decided to make an appearance solely to defend you humans from being obliterated by the demons. The extinction of humankind is possible as long as this child lives on."

Raziel looked at Rin with a grim stare. "All I ask is for you to put all your trust in the beings that have watched over you...and kill the bastard."

The crowd murmured suddenly. Rin's heart dropped to his stomach and he began to feel nauseous.

"I think that is quite cowardly, don't you think?"

Everyone laid their eyes back on Mephisto, who chuckled under his breath with a steely grin.

"To destroy something extremely powerful in fear of being surpassed is human nature. But..." Mephisto paused. "To destroy something out of fear will not stop the war between humans and demons!"

"What are you saying, Pheles?" One of the members of the Grigori spoke. He sounded like an elderly man, who was revealed to be Melchior.

"Simple," Mephisto smiled calmly. "I say let him live."

The crowd roared again.

"Why..." Arthur growled, "…Would we ever allow that?"

"Because he is our chance to destroy Gehenna itself," Mephisto clapped his hands together as eagerness coursed through his body. "Think about it, my dear comrades! Isn't it a genius idea to use an enemy to destroy the enemy? Imagine how many discoveries you could uncover and the amount of knowledge you would attain by studying the demon that is to become your weapon?"

The Grigori fell silent as the viewers only discussed with each other privately.

"And what if your weapon becomes a failure?" Raziel spoke out. "If you foolishly believe you could possibly control a power more powerful and ancient then all demons exorcised throughout history—then you will be the cause of Assiah's demise. You have seen what this demon's power has done. In a matter of minutes, all of the academy's forest district was burned to the ground. At this very hour, exorcists are still struggling in controlling the fire. The Knights of the True Cross has made a promise to humanity to protect them from demons and other evil creatures. If you do allow this demon to live, you have hereby betrayed humanity and all that is pure and good."

The viewers shuffled in their seats.

"Do you want to repeat the Blue Night?" Raziel spoke, which piqued the viewers' interests in a way a sword stabbed through their hearts. Raziel could see the hurt and anguish in the witnesses' eyes as personal memories of the Blue Night repeated in their heads. "Is that the amount of blood you want on your hands? If you spare him…" Raziel lowered his gaze and voice. "…the Holy Hosts of Heaven will bring their wrath down upon you."

Some people within the crowd panicked at the thought of betraying their own accords. Angels were always looked up in history as allies.

"Did I forget to mention demons were once angels? I'm sure you know that Satan was an angel as well. Viewing demons such as Okumura-kun and I to be evil is quite hypocritical of you, don't you think?"

"Do not play me as a fool, Samael," Raziel growled.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot?" Mephisto touched his bottom lip. "Does it bother you so much that humans trust me more than you petty angels?"

The demon shrugged off Raziel's glare and turned around to face the crowd around him. He raised his arms out wide as he shouted powerfully, "Ladies and gentlemen, make a wager with me! Will this child of Satan become the feared Demon Lord of Gehenna? Or will he be—nay, dare I say—the saviour of Assiah?!" There was a maniacal grin on Mephisto's lips.

The crowd had become uneasy, yet some were actually finding Mephisto's point credible, perhaps out of fear and desperation.

"Of course," Mephisto raised his index up. "…on one condition. Unfortunately, we will have to be patient and see. Only time can tell."

Arthur had to step in. "This is preposterous!" He shouted, angry and confused. "Let me remind you what he is! His kind excels at trickery!"

"I see… humanity is beyond saving..." Raziel looked down with a sense of disappointment.

"He conspired with Shiro Fujimoto in secret…to raise Satan's son!" Arthur continued to yell. "To the Order, that is treason punishable by death!"

While all the members argued with each other, Rin, on the other hand, could only ignore all the sounds flooding around him as he thought to himself.

Damn it… Rin looked down at the floor. He could make out his bloodied face in the reflection. He could see his exhausted blue eyes, which had dark bags under them. I… drew the sword too soon, Yukio…

"He was plotting to overthrow the Order from within, and waiting for his chance to strike!" Arthur shouted, though Rin began to ignore everything around him.

You've warned me so many times…and I never listened.

Damn it…

Rin closed his eyes and the image of Suguro's last words before he left kept haunting Rin's head.

Why…the hell… is Satan's kid here at a school for exorcists?!

There's nothing funny about this!

Rin…why…why are you… WHY ARE YOU SATAN'S SON?!

Damn it! Rin clenched his teeth and fists as anger suddenly flared within him. Anger towards himself at how much of a reckless idiot he had been. If only he listened to Yukio, he wouldn't have relied on Satan's flames to much.

And he wouldn't have put his friends in danger.

Arthur continued on babbling about Mephisto's questionable loyalty and demanded he be exorcised. His shouts provoked Rin to slam his fists at the floor and exclaim, "SHUT UP!"

Everyone was cut silent as Rin continued to speak, "I'm sick of all this damn bullshit! Stop talking shit about me!"

Blue flames began to flicker around Rin's body, until it erupted as he stood on his knees. "I'm not a damn weapon, demon lord, or frickin' saviour! I'm RIN OKUMURA!"

The crowd panicked and some people were screaming in horror. Amitiel drew her blades out of their sheaths as she stepped forward towards Rin, but stopped.

Rin's anger flared like a volcano as he pointed his finger at the Grigori and yelled, "and guess what, people?! I'm gonna become the best damn exorcist you'll ever lay your eyes on! Every single damn one of ya remember that!"

Angel brought his long, broad sword to Rin's neck. "The strongest exorcist? You want to become Paladin? You, the cursed son of Satan?"

"Do all Paladins dress like you?" Rin suddenly changed the topic.

"What?"

"Well, when I become Paladin, I won't be dressing like a fashion reject." Rin grinned sinisterly.

"You misunderstand, I had this outfit tailor-made." Arthur grinned with a frown.

"That's enough! Stand down, Angel!" The Grigori demanded, and Arthur reluctantly moved his sword away from Rin's throat.

"It pains me to do this, but I have received orders to show you the truth, with your own eyes," Raziel breathed out and he suddenly appeared in front of the Grigori. They all stood out of their thrones and backed away from danger. Surrounding exorcists pointed their guns at Raziel, threatening him by cocking their guns. Arthur shouted for his men and women to stand down. Raziel's eyes glowed as he reached out to Samyaza, the male member clothed in blue robes, and touched the man's forehead with his index finger. Samyaza's eyes saw visions of the universe before him. He could see galaxies, stars, nebulas, and cosmic dust surround him in an endless circle. He felt a rush of wind as the space around him zoomed in and the Earth stood still, gently spinning as the clouds enveloping the atmosphere drifted across the surface. The visions zoned in on Japan, and soon after zooming in to Tokyo. Samyaza noticed the land looked dark, almost black, except for blue lights flickering on the surface. He noticed that the entire earth looked dark under the clouds as blue lights infested the ground. As the images honed in, he realized the blue lights were not from buildings in cities.

It was blue flames.

The city of Tokyo looked nothing like he knew. Instead of its lively and thriving civilization, the buildings had collapsed and debris was scattered everywhere. No life remained as smoke bellowed into the sky from patches of blue flames engulfing the debris. There was darkness everywhere, including the sky, which no longer had the sun or any traces of light piercing through the thick, smoky clouds.

The Grigori members standing beside Samyaza noticed his breathing quickened as he panicked at the horrifying sighting he was seeing.

"What you witness are my memories of future events to come. This is what will arise if you do not oblige by our orders." Raziel frowned as the visions he and Samyaza were sharing moved quickly through the city. Bodies of innocent civilians burned by the hungry blue flames and some had been slaughtered by demons. Blood stained the streets of the city as demons ravaged through them, killing any sign of life in their reach.

"Please, I beg of you… this is enough!" Samyaza pleaded. Raziel ignored and closed his eyes, as the vision warped and zoomed in to the top of True Cross Academy, or what used to be the academy. Like the city, it was nearly destroyed. At the top were blue flames surrounding and engulfing a figure. It merely stood there after it slit the throat of an exorcist that dared to challenge it. The blue-flamed figure stood on a hill of bodies with a sadistic smile plastered on its face.

Samyaza gasped when the figure turned its head towards him, as if it saw him. He realized it was Rin Okumura, the demon that was on trial at this moment. However, instead of his innocent azure eyes, they were icy with a burning touch of insanity. He formed a maniacal grin and rolled his head back and laughed hysterically among the burning corpses and blue flames dancing around him. Samyaza felt tears stream down his cheeks as the laughs echoed throughout his consciousness, reminding him of the tyrannical cackling of the ruler of the underworld, Satan.

It was Hell on Earth.

Samyaza pleaded desperately as tears flowed down his cheeks, Raziel opened his eyes and withdrew his finger from the man's forehead. Samyaza threw his head forward and panted after the visions disappeared. He looked around himself and burst into fresh tears as he prayed for peace and forgivness. Casper and Melchior, the other members, rushed to his aid. They noticed he was shivering uncontrollably, spurting broken sentences describing what he had witnessed. They were horrified at what he was describing.

"This is only the truth, and although it is horrifying, it is the consequences if you do not eliminate the son of Satan immediately," Raziel spoke and Samyaza reached out to Raziel and grabbed at his unbuttoned cassock.

"Please, have mercy on us!" Samyaza pleaded in tears.

Casper and Melchior looked back past Mephisto to Rin, who was still on his knees. There was a shocked look in his wet blue eyes. He soon felt every part of him die when the Grigori finally made their decision.

"The Grigori have evaluated the outcome, and we have drawn a concrete conclusion regarding the fate of the son of Satan," Melchior, the elder Grigori member, spoke as he calmly returned to his thrown.

"Due to the visions of the Archangel Raziel bestowed upon Samyaza, it is evident that future events have shifted into chaos and destruction if Satan's child lives on," Casper said.

Samyaza regained his sanity and added in a shaky manner, "in order to protect humanity and Assiah from Armageddon—we—the Grigori—have agreed to sentence the son of Satan to death—immediately."

The judge wacked his gavel, signalling the end of the session, and thus the sentence had been sealed.

The crowd roared and cheers sounded. Mephisto watched around him with a blank stare on his face, yet was not disappointed, while Arthur smiled, pleased by the outcome. Shura remained stone-still, shocked and traumatised by the sentence. Raziel wore nothing but a bland gaze.

Amitiel stayed silent, without looking back at Rin. She felt her hands clench and a sense of determination grew inside her as she knew the mission had succeeded.

But deep down inside, she felt a part of her die as well.

Rin, on the other hand, could only see darkness engulf around him as a cold chill slowly devoured him. He couldn't hear the crowd cheer at his death; he couldn't hear nothing, even his own heartbeat, just the dead silence. Rin hadn't noticed beforehand when tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down onto the glass floor.

It felt like he had died already.

One of the members of the Grigori signalled Arthur Auguste Angel to eliminate Rin on the spot. He raised his sword up and prepared to behead Rin when Shura suddenly stepped it and punched Arthur in the face. Rin and the crowd gasped as Arthur hit the floor and skidded across. His sword flew out of his grip and slid away from his reach.

"You bastards… all of you…" Shura growled as her flaming red and yellow bangs shielding her fury in her purple eyes.

"Ya call this shit justice?!" Shura shouted. "Yer all gonna decide on this kid's death without listening to his and my own testimony?! Ridiculous!"

The crowd gasped.

"Why won't you give him a chance to prove himself!?" Shura yelled. "Yer seriously going to believe some random prick claiming to be Raziel and all the visions he showed you? What if those visions aren't real?! He could be making that stuff up just so Rin would look like the villain he isn't!"

The crowd was silent. Arthur picked up his sword and was about to attack when Melchior signalled him to hold his position.

Shura grit her teeth in anger and determination. She knew she was the only one here that can support Rin's innocence. If those visions Samyaza witnessed were real, then convincing them of sparing Rin will be nearly impossible.

"I'm not the best negotiator... but I am a human being, and so is Rin Okumura!" Shura shouted as she gestured to Rin on the floor. "Mephisto confronted him after his awakening and offered him the choice to die or be killed, and guess what people? This jackass said he wants to be an exorcist! Why the hell would a demon want to become an exorcist?! He has the same goal the Knights of the True Cross have—he wants to help people! Rin may be a demon, but he's human too! He's one of us!"

Shura breathed and continued, "If ya really believe killin' him will solve everything, yer doin' exactly what Satan wants ya to do! You'll be looked down as murderers an' disgraces."

Shura grit her teeth and drew her sword from the seal on her chest. She pointed it at Angel and yelled, "If yer gonna kill him, then you'll have to kill me to get to him!"

Angel frowned and refused to raise his sword. "I will not cross swords with a comrade."

"Rin Okumura is also our comrade." Shura spoke, this time calm and collected. "I was once raised by demons and acted like a demon myself, yet you spared me because you knew I had potential to help others."

Shura looked at Rin, whose eyes had dried up. There was hurt and anguish in his eyes, but also the desperate need for Shura to convince the Knights of the True Cross to spare his life.

Shura smiled at Rin, with confidence in her eyes, "I believe Rin Okumura has the potential to be good."

The crowd murmured suddenly, while the Grigori exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

"We all have the potential to be evil, but that doesn't mean we don't have the potential to be good," Shura said.

After that Amitiel gasped and tears formed in her eyes. Rin also recognized those words and memories of his and Amitiel's times understanding each other filled his head and drove him to tears again. It was exactly what she had said to Rin during his identity crisis. But why… why does Amitiel feel so much guilt despite everything she was taught to believe about demons?

Amitiel looked back and Rin and the two met once again in each other's eyes. Rin saw the glowing dots in Amitiel's eyes, but he could also see extreme hurt and guilt—something he never saw coming from Hana Tanaka. Rin looked away with a frown and closed his eyes to erase her face from his vision.

"Please let Rin Okumura prove us that he can be a good person. If, by any means, he fails to satisfy us—" Shura turned towards Amitiel with a stern look on her face. "—Then Amitiel has our permission to kill him."

Rin gasped at Shura's risky terms. Mephisto felt the corners of his lips twitch up. It was unexpected of Shura to gamble with people's lives. She knew her life itself was a gamble about choices and destiny. Is this wager of hers some way to prove herself that even she can change into a better person?

The Grigori looked at each other more calmly. They discussed in private with the judge about Rin's fate. After many hours of debating, they finally came to a new, revised conclusion.

"Demons are indeed our enemy..." Melchior spoke. "However, learning from the enemy has always been the Order's top strategy."

Samyaza added, "nonetheless, this is an unprecedented situation. Sir Pheles shall remain under charges for treason."

"However," Casper spoke. "Due to his 200 years of service, we owe him a measure of trust."

"The Grigori have come to an understanding from Shura Kirigakure's testimony—and will let the son of Satan live."

The crowd roared chaotically. Shura breathed out and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She withdrew her sword into the seal on her chest. Rin sighed and let his whole body relax. It felt as if a huge weight the size of the world lifted off Rin's shoulders. He let out a small chuckle at how close he was to losing his life.

"We shall have all the members vote whether or not we should accept Sir Pheles' wager. If the majority is in favour, then one condition stands. Rin Okumura must pass the exorcist certification exam in six months' time."

"We will also take Archangel Raziel's precaution in consideration and have the son of Satan continuously monitored by the Archangel Amitiel. Should he be a threat, Amitiel has the authority to eliminate him by Shura's orders," the female Grigori member added.

The judge wacked his gavel and announced, "case closed! Dismissed!"


The courtroom was slowly emptied as the viewers filed out of the balconies. Exorcists led the Grigori away while Arthur and his team escorted Mephisto, Shura, and Rin, along with Amitiel and Raziel, towards the door thy came in from. Arthur used one of his magic keys and placed it in the lock. He twisted it and opened the door. They walked out and Rin noticed he was back on the balcony outside the academy. It was raining and puddles of water formed on the concrete floor. There was a cold, depressing breeze and the scent of humidity was strong in the air.

Once Arthur and the exorcists left, it was only Mephisto, Shura, Raziel and Amitiel.

Rin looked at Amitiel but she looked away and disappeared in front of him. He heard the gentle flap of wings and a breeze brush through him.

"We have some matters to discuss," Raziel spoke.

"You're not gonna kill me?" Rin looked down at the ground, too afraid to look Raziel in his glowing eye.

"No." Raziel crossed his arms.

"Is Hana—" Rin shook his head. "—Is Amitiel gonna be okay?"

"She is incapable of fulfilling her mission…" Raziel laid his stern green eyes on Rin, "because of you."

"Why?" Rin asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Because she has grown fond of you. You, the one identified as Rin Okumura, has become her weakness. The moment you two met, your relationship grew and Amitiel's purpose has weakened, and she began to stray from it. Her purpose was to eliminate you, not befriend you," Raziel spoke, which only made Rin feel guiltier.

Rin could only stay silent as he continued to look down. His blue bangs stuck to his forehead as the rain soaked him.

Raziel continued by adding something else, "the kurikara has sealed your demon heart. It suppressed your flames, not only that, but it also suppressed your demonic aura, that is the reason why she had trouble finding you."

Rin was able to look up in slight shock.

Raziel frowned derisively at Rin. "Luck has favored you, son of Satan, without that piece of metal, you should have been dead a long time ago."

Raziel briskly walked past Rin, brushing his shoulder against Rin's.

"You should be thankful for being alive," Raziel spoke without turning back. He disappeared soon after, leaving another damp breeze behind.

"There were other conditions about his sentence, but I must say they are being quite generous." Mephisto smiled and raised his umbrella above Shura's head to protect her from the rain. He was still a gentleman, after all.

"Whatever, but what can you do?" Shura spat.

"Look," Mephisto added.

Shura noticed Rin was on his knees again. "Please, Shura… teach me how to use a demon sword!" He pleaded by throwing his head on the ground in a sincere bow. "Just for six months! Please!"

Shura looked at him, unsure of what to say. "…well, your attitude does seem to have improved." Shura said as Rin cried silently.

"Fine, I'll take you in as my pupil."


Amitiel had returned to her dorm. She didn't bother checking in with the students. She just wanted to get away from everything. Anyone.

She looked at her bed and dropped onto it. She brought her legs together as she sat on it, her feet dangled and skimmed the cold, wooden floor. She changed into a light white t-shirt and grey pants, and threw her bloodied uniform in the garbage. It was tainted with Satan's blood anyways, and the smell only made her gag in disgust.

Amitiel heard the sound of rain drumming against the glass window at her desk. She could see the sky was black and the city lights illuminated in the distance. Amitiel's room remained unlit and cold, just as much as her body was feeling at the moment. She looked at her desk and saw her two blades sitting on the surface. She picked one up and observed her reflection in the blade. It shone from the outside lights. Amitiel could see her distraught brown eyes and suddenly she felt herself drop the blade and it landed on the ground, clanging loudly until it laid there, immobile.

Amitiel threw her head in her arms and whimpered in the dark silence.

She gasped when she felt Raziel's presence and looked up to find him standing before her.

Amitiel looked at him and saw how blank his face looked. They didn't speak for a while before Amitiel frowned and looked away from him. She stood up and clenched her fists as she observed through the window.

"You... You knew this whole time, didn't you?" Amitiel spoke. "That he was the one?"

The was silence that followed. Amitiel heard Raziel sigh and replied, "Yes."

Amitiel turned around, her blond curls whipped aside. "Why didn't you tell me? After he visited me when I was sick?"

"Because he didn't attack."

Amitiel gasped. She knew he was telling the truth, so why is she trying so hard to convince herself that he was lying? Amitiel didn't know what to say. If Raziel knew this whole time, why couldn't he just tell her already?

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Amitiel repeated, more forcefully.

"Because this is your mission. I can only guide, but not interfere," Raziel spoke calmly.

"But the world depends on us! Were you just waiting for him to attack?!" Amitiel shouted. "All this time you never helped me or anything!"

Raziel uncrossed his arms and looked at her. This time, she knew he was ging to explain everything that has happened up to this point. You are wrong, Amitiel" Raziel spoke. "I have aided you more times than you have thought, but you have become too blind to notice it. I knew the demon back in Shiba, and I knew he had a link between True Cross Academy and the Son of Satan. I told you to collect information from him, so that it would lead you to here. I placed you in the male dormitory because your target was in that same building, so you did not have to search so long."

Raziel's words shocked her to the point she fell back onto her bed, silent and out of reach.

"I knew Rin Okumura was it," Raziel continued as he closed his eyes. "I have always known ever since we laid foot in the academy for the first time. I sensed him, you did not. His power slept within the scabbard of Kurikara, and only powerful archangels such as I can sense through the sword's own essence. Despite my efforts to help you, you were too distracted by them. I noticed changes in you. You seem more... Merciful. I never have expected you to even befriend those humans, yet you did. What have you been doing this whole time, Amitiel? You could not have possibly strayed away from your mission, have you?"

Amitiel had trouble forming words. She could only mutter in confusion. "I-I don't know what I was doing. Rin—" Amitiel cut herself off. "I mean, the Son of Satan must have tempted me somehow." Amitiel looked down at her hands and whispered, "I didn't even feel tempted."

"Because that is Satan's greatest power," Raziel added. "Amitiel, you have been played in the hands of Devil, and now... You are deceived."

Raziel didn't say anything else before he left Amitiel all alone in the dorm.

Amitiel looked around herself for his presence but could only hold back her tears for so long. She threw her head into her pillows and sobbed.

"R-Rin..."


A/N: I'm back, with another chapter! Thank you so much for all your support, I seriously appreciate it! I think there's only one more chapter left, so I'll get it up as soon as I can!