Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Blue Exorcist

It took longer than Rin thought to succeed. Mira did indeed visit a lot during that time…and as much as Rin wanted to blame his failure on her being distracting, he really couldn't. Prolonging their goodbye almost made it worse, in a way. He had felt like they'd wrapped things up before, bonding closer and promising to see each other again. Now, it was an awkward wait, with both of them knowing that Rin would be leaving, even if part of him wished to stay.

He gradually began to sense a different power in him, the longer he practiced giving in to his demonic powers. Really, it likely had to do with his strength being too low to create the gate in the first place. So, with time and constant training, he eventually felt the ability there. Yet, it took even longer to actually harness that slightly different energy, feeling less like the burning he knew and more like a clear, calm energy. It helped him meditate at least, but it rarely did much beyond that for quite some time.

When he finally succeeded, he was alone like planned. The gate formed at his feet, dark and twisted just like he recalled. This gate…would take him to the world where demons lived. It would not be home, but it would be one step closer. Glancing around him, he closed his eyes. This was his last chance to turn back. Yet…Yukio's face flashed in his mind. His brother thought he was dead right now. Rin needed to change that. After how he'd felt, thinking his entire family was gone, he knew he couldn't let Yukio suffer the same fate. So, with a heavy heart, he stepped forward into the gate. Much like with his old man's body, it began to grasp onto him, swallowing him and dragging him inside. As he got deeper down, he ignited his flames, burning it brighter to start destroying the gate as he passed through. No one would follow after him, not to this place where even he did not belong.

Rin didn't know what he expected Gehenna to be. Yet, this likely wasn't quite what he thought. It looked…sorta like home. There were streets and buildings, with creatures walking in random places. Those he could hardly describe…they looked nothing like people, that was certain. Yet…things were also backwards. The sky was blood red, but every sign or written word was a simple reflection of how it existed in Assiah. He was realizing that the old man had meant it quite literally when he called this a mirror dimension. It was a reflection of his home world, with everything copied but in a darker form.

Still, he didn't want to linger. A second Gehenna Gate should, in theory, connect back to Assiah from here. So, he raised his hand, planning on using that power again. Yet, that was where the delay came. A bright blue flame came crashing down in front of him, with a man rising slowly to face him. These flames…they were burning so brightly that Rin couldn't even see the person inside. It was just a basic figure, the outline of a man made in the shape of fire itself. "My precious son! Oh, I see you've finally come to your senses and returned home."

This was Satan, his true form in Gehenna for now. Wary, Rin remained tense, with his hand on his sword. "This place isn't my home, and I'm not sticking around long. Get the hell out of my way, since I've got places to be."

"Is that so?" Satan walked forward, the gleeful tone dropping from his voice. "What if I were to say…no? After all, you are my son…and this is my realm. I dictate all that happens within…including your fate, my son. And right now…I say you are home."

He'd been trapped enough times before. Right now, he was so close and he wasn't going to let Satan stand in his way. Drawing his sword, Rin glared at him as his own blue flames flared out, surrounding him as he stood in front of Satan. "Then bring it on. I'll kill you if I have to, and get revenge for the old man while I'm here!"

Satan laughed, dodging Rin's reckless charge forward. "Oh, I like this one! Such energy…yet still so weak." Rin blinked in surprise as suddenly, the ground below his feet seemed to vanish. In an instant, he was in a completely dark room. The only light came from his flames, and those of Satan. Yet, it was enough for him to see mirrors. That was all there was in this room, just rows upon rows of mirrors, all in different sizes with no seeming pattern to their arrangement. "Very well. Let's just see how strong that will of yours is, my son. You claim this is not your home? That you long for your old world? Then take a look at what you seek. Tell me if you truly think you can call such a place home, boy."

He felt a grip on his shoulder, forcing him to turn and face a mirror. Inside, he saw Yukio, standing in a uniform of sorts. He had a black coat, a tie, and a white shirt. He looked so formal and grown up…it had been so long since Rin had seen him. Yet, as Yukio stared more closely, he watched as Yukio pulled out a pair of guns, aiming for…demons. He was outside at night, killing demons. "Your precious brother…a traitor to his own kind, you see. He's one of those we call exorcists…his very job is to hunt down those like us, my son. If you return, you will be slain by your very own flesh and blood, by the one you so desperately wish to return to."

Swallowing, Rin shook his head. He knew Yukio, better than Satan or anyone else. Maybe his brother did become an exorcist, but that changed nothing about who they were to each other. "I may be a demon…but I'm not a monster." He'd learned that much from Fairy Tail, and it made him smile slowly. "My brother would never hurt me, so if you want to convince me to stick around, you're gonna have to do better than that."

"Gladly." More images flashed as other mirrors seemed to be illuminated with Assiah. Rin saw more exorcists, hunting down demons and slaying them. He saw others, talking about strange plans…for opening a Gehenna Gate of their own? He frowned, wondering exactly how they planned on doing that. "Do you see them? These exorcists are corrupt, planning to destroy Gehenna and everything inside of it. They do not care if a demon is good or bad, Rin. All they seek is our deaths…so, even if you do manage to sway your brother, can you say they will not be your end as well?"

Yet…he and Yukio were twins. If that was true…Yukio was in trouble. Any demon trying to live in peace was in trouble, actually. Thinking about Mira and her own struggles, Rin closed his hands into fists. "If Assiah is that messed up…then it's up to someone like me to change it, so demons can live in peace if they want to. As one of the only people to be both human and demon, I have every right to live in whichever world I choose." With that, he broke free from Satan, taking off in a run. He had to get back, and warn Yukio. At the very least, he had to watch over his brother and make sure he stayed safe throughout all of this mess.

Satan oddly did not reply, staring after Rin as the half-demon began cutting into his wrist, creating his own gate to return. Rin didn't realize how his words mirrored his mother's ideals, or how for just a moment, Satan had been frozen and lost in the memory of the one person he had truly loved in Assiah. Yet, Rin was gone before Satan returned to himself, already passing through a second gate way to the world he'd fought to return to.

Rin appeared back where he'd first left. Lying down on his back and feeling exhausted, Rin gazed up at the ceiling of the wrecked monastery he'd grown up in. Kurikara is by his side, and slowly, he sheathed it and let his flames die away. He'd beaten Satan back…enough to get this far. Rin couldn't help but grin widely, taking that as a greater victory than even creating the Gehenna Gate had been. Yet, that didn't solve the mystery of where his brother was. Getting up, Rin slowly began looking at his surroundings. Feeling his tail behind him, he quickly pulled it up his shirt to keep it hidden. If demons were killed so easily in this world, he'd have to be a bit more careful about what he did. His old man may have given him a few warnings…wait, the phone number!

Rin searched through the wreckage, grinning as he found his old phone still lying around in the place. It looked like he still had some luck at least, though the battery was long dead. Walking through the monastery, towards the stairs, Rin grinned. He always kept a spare charger down there, so he could sneak away from the boring sermons and play a game of some kind. Father Fujimoto had gotten so angry with him for it, but if his phone still was around, the charger should be too.

Plugging it in, Rin sat down with a sigh. Now, he had to wait again…which was about as entertaining as it had been when he'd first started trying to make a gate. He got impatient quickly, paced the room a lot, and tried to think of exactly what he was going to do now. Rin hadn't exactly thought this through, after all. He had no job, what money he had was currency from another world, and he had no idea if the number he was calling even still worked. Yet, he had to try something.

Eventually, the phone at least had enough battery to turn on and function, though Rin just left it on the charger as he found the only number stored and dialed it. "Hello?" The answering voice seemed upbeat and cheerful, yet unfamiliar to Rin.

"Hello…um, sorry to bother you, but Father Fujimoto said to call this number if…if I was ever in need of help. He said you were a friend of his, and that you'd know what to do."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, long enough that Rin thought the stranger had hung up on him. Maybe the contact had changed numbers. Yet, eventually he heard laughter. That made him frown, wondering if the guy had heard him right. "Oh my lord! My apologies, I simply wasn't expecting this." There was a pause again, and Rin wondered what was going on. "Are you really Rin Okumura?"

"Yes?" Rin didn't understand how the man knew him, or who he even was. Yet, the man seemed to at least be talking. Rin wondered if this phone call was a mistake, since it brought him into contact with a clown like this.

"Well, this was definitely worth the interruption. Now, I have many questions to ask, and I am certain you do as well, but all will be taken care of in good time." Why did this man have questions? "Now, would you be so kind as to share with me your location? I'm assuming you need assistance with a ride at the very least, perhaps lodging or some sort of funding? Advice for the future even? Whatever the case may be, it all shall start with us finally meeting in person, Mr. Okumura."

That sounded…weird, but Rin had little other options. After a moment of hesitation, he gave the address of the monastery, something he only remembered because of how long he'd lived in this place before he found himself in Fiore. "Excellent! My name is Mephisto Pheles, and I am certain we will be getting to know each other quite well in the near future. Please wait where you are, and I shall be there momentarily." With that, the line went dead and Rin stared at the phone. He'd just gone through Gehenna and faced Satan to get here…for what? He wasn't going to see Yukio as soon as he wanted, and he'd be dealing with some crazy guy first before finding him. With a sigh, Rin realized that he really had forgotten how annoying his home could be. Still, it didn't change the fact that he couldn't wait to see his brother again, after all of these years away.

Rin is back in his own world for a little while! Sorry if there are any inconsistencies in details during this chapter. I have not read the Blue Exorcist manga, so there may be things described there that don't coincide with what I included here based solely on the anime. Either way, I do hope you've enjoyed. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!