A/N: So, bit of an unusual fic for my usual type of fics. But I saw Rin tweet an image of her avatar all bloody and it just set off a lightbulb in my head, so I had to turn it into a fic. Turned out decently, I'd say~
Enjoy~
Chain Me Down
It was a stormy day in Japan; the pouring rain blanketing many a cities with murky clouds and an endless downfall.
The rainfall battered against the glass of one apartment complex as well, the distant rumbling of thunder occasionally joining the low but strong howl of the wind, a slight chill creeping into the apartments. One apartment in particular felt it extra hard due to an open window, the transparent curtains in front of it flapping from the force of the wind.
''...hah... haah...''
Rin laid across the old green couch in her living room, clad in her usual short black top and shorts. One arm was draped across her eyes, her lips set into a firm, downturned line, a couple beads of sweat present on her forehead. Her fingers curled and uncurled randomly, the occasional tight exhale fleeing her pursed lips, her legs shifting and kicking without warning; her attempts at containing the rough reaction failing more than they succeeded.
Rin had hoped the cold air would give her some clarity; that it would clear her mind. Instead it made 'it' worse. Her skin burned, her mind itched, her lungs ached for more, her throat couldn't get enough air; her whole body rebelled against her, begging for her to move, to act upon the feelings within her. She restrained herself, focusing on little more than breathing in sharp, tight breaths, but she couldn't keep it up forever. She knew she couldn't.
So she sat up – jerking herself upright and swinging her legs over the side of the couch, hissing. Her head swayed from the sudden movement but the horned young woman didn't care, scowling something fierce.
''C'mon Arty...'' Rin muttered to herself, standing up.
The horned girl snatched up her black-red jacket from its place on the floor, not caring about how wrinkled it was as she threw it on, her arms sliding into the sleeves easily. She found her keys in the pocket after just a moment of fumbling, her blood pumping in her ears as she jammed them into the door. It unlocked with a click, the deadbolt coming open with a rough yank. The edge took a small chip out of the wooden door-frame but she hardly cared in that instant, her mind afire, making thinking a challenge.
Concrete stairs greeted her, the stairwell silent aside from the muted thrum of rainfall against the old glass windows that faced the street outside. She stomped down the stairs, hands in her pockets and eyes ahead, sparing no look for the cityscape outside nor the stains on the concrete walls. She'd seen it all before, but usually she'd stop for a look, maybe hoping to see something interesting. Her mood prevented her from taking even such simple joy as that.
'Where are you Arty...?' The thought bounced around Rin's skull, her hand sliding along the cold metal railing.
She should be here soon, her mind told her. But not soon enough for her liking. She needed her now.
Frigid cold air and biting icicles of rain met Rin as she stepped out into the storm, gaze drawn up to the gloomy skies only briefly. She snapped her head back down and stared at the floor, following the rain as it weaved between cracks in the pavement and then poured into the street, disappearing down a drain. It was a good enough distraction for a few seconds, giving her the time to march her way down the street. Few were out in this weather, which made things easier.
Her apartment wasn't located in the nicest part of town though; a fact she was reminded of as she spotted a few stragglers hiding in alleyways, some just taking a respite from the rain between the tall apartment complexes whilst others smoked, some eyeing her cautiously. She ignored them wholeheartedly, giving them no more than a sidelong glance before paying attention to the flowing rainwater. She had to keep her mind busy; to keep the fog focused in any direction but them.
She reached her destination regardless; passing an abandoned garage and slipping in through a narrow side-alley, the rainwater hitting her on the head as it bounced from between outcroppings of brick higher up. Past the alley laid a small square courtyard area, apartment complexes on the left and right whilst the rear of a convenience store laid at the far end, also happening to hold her desired item.
A soda machine.
It was an old thing, the machine worn and having been kicked more than a few times – as evidenced by the dents in the side – but it was still operated like any other machine. Lines of sodas were present behind the bulletproof glass, the rainwater pouring over the machine making it slightly hard to see the individual cans.
Rin approached it, right hand fumbling in her pocket. Her nails dragged across the smooth fabric of her coat pocket, searching, but she came up empty. Her other hand shoved itself into her pocket and found nothing either.
A growl bubbled out of her throat. She checked her shorts and found some there; pulling out a bunch of coins. 'Good enough.'
With a click she slotted them in. She heard them jingling down into place, followed by a beep as she pressed a button, eyeing a green can in particular. Lemon and lime might help clear her head a bit.
Dimly she was aware of people behind her. She could hear them just fine even with the rain pouring; the multiple pairs of footsteps, the shuffling of baggy clothing, the murmurs of people trying to form some kind of strategy without having more than a handful of braincells to bang together. She stubbornly ignored them, her gaze on the can of lemon-lime and waiting the painstaking seconds for it to roll out.
It did with a clang.
Then a boot thumped down on the slit just as she was about to grab the can, preluding the knife that pressed against her back.
''Empty your pockets.'' The voice was male; deep and threatening.
Rin stared straight ahead. ''Got a couple coins, that's all.''
The man tutted slowly, dragging the knife down her back. Not enough to cut her jacket, but enough to get the message across. ''That ain't enough. I'm sure you've got more, dont'cha?''
Rin remained silent. She tried to ignore him – but her instincts were rearing their heads and her blood was pumping hard, her breathing involuntarily quickening. She could taste the dew in the air, she could hear the shifting of soles behind her, she could feel the blade to her back. She wasn't a stranger to this – but she didn't want it. She just needed to wait for Arty. That was all she-
''Fuck this.''
A hand went for the side of her head, to knock her out with a punch.
Instinct took hold. With a jerk Rin leaned back and dodged the fist, her right fist coming up – and crunching the nameless robber's nose with a wild sucker punch, throwing him down onto his back. He yelled out in shock, the clattering of his knife hitting the ground ignored amidst the rushing of feet. Instantly the horned woman twisted, heels sliding across the wet concrete and body tilting to the side, avoiding the hand that tried to grab her by the jacket.
Her dilated pupils flickered between the men. Seven of them total. One came at her from the front, knife held low and aimed for her stomach. She caught his wrist when he tried to thrust it out, snarling as she pushed back and forced her fingers under his, peeling them back. She snaked her own digits in and grabbed the knife, wrenching it out of his hand – and then stabbed him in the stomach, cutting through the fabric of his old t-shirt and burying it in soft flesh.
''G-Gh- ah!'' The man cried out.
One, two, three – three stabs. She jammed it into his collarbone for a fourth time and then shoved him back, sending the bleeding man into one of his companions – her eyes snapping onto the man on her right. He grabbed her right arm before she could pull it out of reach, pulling it towards him and trying to bend it behind her; to make her drop the knife. Rin twisted with the movement, left hand curling into a fist and striking him in the cheek, his jawbone hard beneath her fingers.
''Get off.'' Rin struck with a second punch, jerking him away – and then threw herself onto him, pushing him down.
One, two – two stabs. One into the neck and another across it.
She didn't get a chance to get up. One of the other men tackled her, grunting harshly as he tried to snatch her wrists and pin her down, but with snarl Rin kicked him between the legs – lurching her right hand up the moment it was free. The knife entered his neck easily, getting stuck when she twisted it. The handle became too sticky and slick for her to pull it out.
Thus Rin just pushed him off of her, eyes locking onto the nearest man. He backed up a step, eyeing her with fright. The others did so too, uneasily encircling her but not getting close. Some tried to look intimidating, their hands raised and shadow boxing her way, but she could see their fear. The wide eyes, the taut neck muscles, the stiff shoulders, the sweat on their foreheads. The man she'd initially punched was halfway up, one hand clutching his nose and glaring at her murderously.
''Hah... haah...'' A wispy exhale almost like a laugh escaped Rin. ''Fuck it, yeah. Just fuck it.''
There, on the left. One guy lost his nerve and rushed her, yelling some obscenity she didn't quite hear – lost amidst the rushing of her own blood. She spotted the old kitchen knife in his hand and twisted out of the path of it, grabbing him by the wrist instead and driving her knee into his gut. She grasped his shoulders in an iron grip and pushed her weight forth, burying said knee into the deep as she fell on top of him.
He didn't get the chance to use the knife. Her right fist connected with his face, jerking his head sharply to the right with a loud crack. She ripped the knife out of his limp hand and stumbled up off of him – just in time to get tackled. The young man shoved her up against the rough stone wall of the convenience store, the knife slipping out of her grip and clattering against the old asphalt. He grabbed her by the throat, his thick fingers curling around her neck tight.
''Mn...!'' Rin gritted her teeth, grabbing his wrist and digging her nails in.
She let her legs give out. The man wasn't expecting her to suddenly slide partway down the wall, stumbling forwards to compensate for holding her full weight, and Rin took advantage of that fact – grabbing ahold of his arms and pulling him down with her. She rolled, her shoulder hitting the asphalt before she mounted the nameless man, fingers grasping the handle of the discarded knife and bringing it down.
The knife went in easily. Blood splattered across the asphalt as she stabbed him in the neck, eyes locked with his – her teeth bared like a wild, feral animal. The fourth stab severed an artery, spurting blood onto her arm and making her grab his neck with her hand, lifting his head up slightly before slamming it back down onto the asphalt, cracking his skull open. The sound alone was enough of a confirmation that he was done.
''Fuck this, fuck this!''
Her head snapped up. One was running.
Like a predator Rin lurched up, soles thumping against the hard ground as she darted past two of the other men – catching up to the third. She caught up to him, crashing into him full-force and sending him face-first into the garage wall; stabbing him deep in the back, sliding it up at an angle. She heard him gasp, a sad sort of whimper escaping him when she yanked the knife back out, and he coughed when he fell to the ground, blood fast to soak his vest.
She stomped his head into the ground for good measure. ''...that's five.''
''You fuckin' freak!'' The man with the broken nose yelled at her, swinging his own trench knife her way.
Rin barely heard it however - the bloodlust had settled in now. With laser-focused attention she looked between him and the other man; a younger man wearing an oversized hoodie and holding his hands up, trying to seem non-threatening. She didn't care for it.
Soles hit asphalt. The younger man tried to run, crying out in fear, but he had barely turned around when she tackled him. She pulled his hair and forced his head down, neck exposed – and buried the knife within it.
A wheeze, spasm, whimper. She twisted the knife to get it in deeper.
''...six...'' Rin whispered as she yanked the knife out, eyes sliding over to look at the last man. The one who tried to mug her in the first place.
The man froze stiff. It was only when she stood up that he realised that a bigger knife would be pointless and threw it aside, twisting on his heel and running. He bolted for the narrow alleyway, boots thumping hard and fast, muting her own lighter steps as she dashed after him. He was fast.
But she was faster.
He was halfway down the alleyway when she caught him. She grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him back, the startled shout on his lips malforming into a choked sound as she buried her stolen knife into his gut. Her hand shifted to his collar and she yanked him to the side, watching him crash into a metal trash can and fall over it, getting covered in trash in the process. She marched up to him and kicked the bin to spill more of it on him.
''Bitch, you- you fuckin'...'' He gasped, clawing at the dirty ground as he tried to crawl away.
Rin walked right past him, standing ahead of him. He saw that and tried to go the other way; crawling towards the street.
She merely walked past him and stood there too, gaze intense as she looked down at him. ''You got me on a bad day.''
''Fuck you.'' Conversation wasn't on the man's priority list.
Seeing that Rin mounted him, shoved his head up – and then buried the knife into his neck, burying it in as deep as physically possible. He spasmed beneath her, body lurching up with each wheezing, rasping inhale, before he soon went still beneath her as he choked on his own blood.
Rin stared down at him, stone-faced. ''...seven.''
…
She wasn't sure how long she sat there, her legs getting sticky as blood pooled around her.
It was only when distinct, tapping footfalls drew near did she stir.
''...really? I was ten minutes late.''
Rin tilted her head, looking over her shoulder. There, stood at the mouth of the alleyway, was Artemis. The shark-girl stood with a hand on her hip and a rather blasé look on her face despite the scene before her, unconcerned even when Rin stumbled up to her feet, blood-soaked knife held between pale fingers.
''...eight...''
Rin lunged, knife aimed for her stomach-
-and was completely unprepared for Artemis to react, grabbing her wrist and twisting it harshly. The pain made her grunt, distracting her – giving the equally-skilled Artemis plenty of time to shove her to the ground shoulder-first, bending her arm behind her back and with a knee digging painfully into her kidney. The imp-girl found her cheek rubbing harshly against the alley ground, vision briefly blurring from the bang to the head.
''You done?'' The shark-girl asked simply.
Rin stared, red eyes locked with Artemis' softer, deeper blue ones. They gave her the clarity she had so desperately craved; easing the bloodthirsty fog in her mind. They reminded her that she had more than just herself to rely on; that she couldn't lose herself and just throw everything to the wind. Artemis would be there for her. She always was. So she had to pay her back by not fucking up and landing herself in jail.
A stiff grin twisted at Rin's lips and she nodded, her neck stiff and making the motion jerky. Her shoulders jerked involuntarily as a laugh bubbled up out of her tightened throat, rasping out in a low cackle. Amidst the pouring rain it felt more depressing than menacing – doubly so when she pressed her face into the dirty ground, heaving in air and retching the laugh out, emotion thick in her throat.
Artemis just climbed off of her. ''Come on, let's go home.''
She grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up, giving her no choice in the matter. Blood stained her black outfit and pale skin but Artemis didn't seem to care about it; looping an arm around her and pulling the white hoodie she wore off, sliding it over her head without a second of thought – using it to hide the blood. To Rin though the warmth was what felt most important, her nose unconsciously taking a sniff of the collar. It smelled of Artemis.
Whether the shark-girl noticed or not she dragged her out of the alleyway all the same, both of them stumbling out into the street. Nobody was around to see and nobody owned any security cameras, giving the two girls the confidence to walk unimpeded back to Rin's apartment complex, disappearing within it before anyone so much as peeked out of their windows. The stairs were similarly abandoned, a chill present from the cold weather.
''You got your key?'' Artemis asked lightly.
''...should still be unlocked.'' Rin mumbled.
Artemis hummed. With a light shove she knocked her door open and half-dragged her inside, arm loosening around her – prompting Rin to grab onto her, refusing to be let go. Artemis spared her a look but obliged, shutting the door with her free hand and locking it shut with the keys still stuck in the keyhole. She tossed them aside after doing so, the keys jingling mid-air before thumping down onto the couch, falling between the cushions. Neither cared about that in the moment.
''C'mon.'' Artemis guided her through into the bathroom. ''Get those clothes off.''
Rin didn't argue. With some reluctance she peeled the nice-smelling hoodie off, keeping Artemis in her peripheral vision as she undressed. The shark-girl watched her unashamedly, eyes tracing the scars on her six-pack or across her back, lingering on the blood stains marring her skin. She hadn't taken any hits, but she hadn't really been clean in her kills. She'd just been lost in her murderous bloodlust, killing as efficiently as possible.
Lesser folk might argue it was violent tendencies, or anger issues taken to a twisted level. In truth however, it was something approaching a curse – one exclusive to demons, from Succubi to hell-dogs, to even imps like herself. Anyone who lived in the mortal world for any length of time would gradually lose themselves to a mad bloodlust, killing everything around them. Being a half-blood didn't exempt her from the curse either.
If they didn't die from battle, the heartbreak of massacring all they knew and loved would lure them straight back into hell, for it was the only place that could truly numb the dark emotions in their hearts.
Rin dispelled the thought. She finished stripping off her clothes, kicking her underwear off her feet and roughly tossing her boots off. Artemis stepped past her, casually reaching over and turning the shower on, a hot spray of water briefly enveloping her right arm before she pulled it back, tsking at her now-wet sleeve. She rolled her eyes at the sight and looked over at her, the two communicating with just a look.
''Haah...'' Artemis sighed, and stripped as well.
Rin watched her intently. On some level there was arousal, watching the shark-girl undress right in front of her, revealing more and more pale, flawless flesh, but the feeling was somewhat muted by the curse throbbing through her mind. Instead she waited, the slow shifting of cloth audible within the tight confines of the bathroom even amidst the hiss of the shower's spray – until soon Artemis finished undressing, tossing her underwear and socks into the nearby half-full hamper.
Artemis held out a hand, expectant. Rin took it, letting the shark-girl lead her into the searing spray of the shower, the heat making her flinch briefly. Artemis adjusted the temperature down a bit, turning to check if that was enough-
-when with a thud Rin pinned the shark-girl to the wall, arms on either side of her.
…
Nothing was said. Their eyes locked; Artemis' brows raised whilst Rin's own gaze was sharp, piercing.
''The cops will be looking for the killer.'' Rin whispered to her, the words almost lost amidst the shower's spray.
Artemis shrugged. ''Murders happen all the time in this part of town. They'll just think it was two gangs that went for the other.''
''Gangs that slit throats?''
''Meh, ritualistic crazies then.''
Rin gritted her teeth. ''You know that's bullshit.''
''Maybe.'' The shark-girl remained remarkably nonplussed. ''So what?''
''They might trace it back to me. This isn't the first time I've snapped and killed someone.'' Rin leaned in, nearly nose-to-nose with Artemis. ''They might go for you too.''
Artemis just raised a brow.
''And?''
''You'll get tossed in jail.''
''And?''
''The jails in this city are sketchy as hell.''
Artemis blinked slowly. ''...and?''
Rin's lips twisted, frustration evident. ''So why the hell don't you just throw me out and go on with your life then?!''
Artemis looked at her for a long, drawn-out moment. Then she looked down.
''Nice tits.''
''What- oof!'' A sudden punch hit her in the gut, making Rin fold like a card – right into Artemis' welcoming arms.
The shark-girl held her close, arm around her back and pulling her head into her shoulder, lips coming to touch her ear. ''You can barely get a soda by yourself, why the hell would I leave you alone now, idiot?''
''I...''
''Shut up.'' Rin did as she was told. ''Grab the soap for me, I'm gonna have to scrub the blood off your back.''
Mumbling some inaudible protest Rin obeyed, leaning over and grabbing the bottle of shower gel, handing it over. Normally she was the dominant one; the one in control compared to the laid-back, relaxed Artemis. But when the curse hit, when she didn't trust herself to so much as grab someone without breaking a bone, Artemis stepped up to be the one in charge – fixing her up with a good dose of languid insults and tender touches.
The latter of which Artemis applied as she washed her. Hands that slid over her taut, scarring stomach, the fingers that slid over her shoulders and thumbed away the drying blood, the nails that raked down her back to tug away the crustier flakes of crimson. Each motion was done with care and attention, hiding affection behind a veil of disinterest. It was that tenderness that perhaps drew Rin to her in the first place.
And... other aspects, as well. Many other aspects.
Squish squish~
''...can you stop groping me?''
''Not like it?'' Artemis lazily asked, unashamedly squeezing her tits again.
Rin gazed at her flatly. Artemis shrugged. ''Would it help if I said I was washing them thoroughly?''
''Maybe.'' Rin ended up just letting her do it. ''Wanna spoon and watch a movie?''
''Spoon spoon, or is that code for doing it on the couch?''
''Literally just a movie.'' Rin deadpanned. ''What's with the horniness today anyway? Your kind doesn't get heat cycles or any of that crap.''
Artemis snorted. ''Why else? I'm a shark.''
She leaned in, lips grazing her neck. ''And you're covered in blood.''
Rin shivered. ''Oi...''
Artemis smirked, showing off her sharp teeth as she leaned back. ''But unlike you I've got some self-control. So what movie were you thinking of?''
''...y'know, I'm kinda not in the mood for a movie anymore.''
…
''P-Pfft...!''
With buckling shoulders both burst out laughing, the sound filling the bedroom – chasing away the dreariness that had previously hung over it.
A movie would end up getting put on after their shower.
Not that either paid it much attention, for perhaps obvious reasons.
[END]
A/N: Arty and Rin are so wholesome together~