Ch. 5
You know, I have to say that the last normal afternoon James and I had together really was nice. I always loved it when it was just the two of us. I just... I didn't think it would be the two of us against the world after that day.
~
The rain started to fall in earnest just as Rin and James landed on the front porch. As they stepped through the door, heavy streams of water started pouring from the clouds. Rin flicked on the living room light, watching as James ran to sit by the fireplace.
"One second." Rin knelt down beside James and pulled a piece of flint from her pocket.
"Aren't you going to use the matches?" James asked.
"Nah. Setting a fire this way can be tricky. Best to practice when you can." Rin struck the flint against the steel frame holding a pair of logs in place. After a few hard strikes, red and yellow sparks flared against the metal. Rin blew on the embers, coaxing them to life. A few minutes later, a cheery flame was blazing away. "There. I'll toss on a few more logs in a bit."
James nodded at his sister, stretching his small hands out toward the fire. Outside, the wind was howling like a banshee and the rain on the roof was like a torrent of bullets. James shivered, turning his back to the fire.
"I hope Mum and Dad are okay," he said, watching as Rin rummaged through the kitchen.
"They're probably sitting at the restaurant right now, having tea and watching the storm until it clears up." Rin uncovered a half-eaten golden cake- richly iced in chocolate frosting- and cut a slice. "No way anyone is going to want to walk around in this weather." If anything, the weather seemed intent on proving the half-demon's words. A particularly vicious wind made the window panes shudder as Rin brought a slice of cake and a glass of apple juice over to her brother.
"What about lunch first?" James asked.
Rin shook her head, smiling at her brother. "I won't tell if you won't."
James returned his sister's smile as he took his first bite of cake. "Aren't you going to have any?" he asked as Rin went back into the kitchen.
"Nah. I'll stick with this." Rin held up a plate of cold chicken, eagerly biting into the juicy meat as she joined her brother by the fire. "Don't really like sweets."
"Why?"
"Not sure. Probably because only the sweetest people should eat sweet things," Rin said, patting her brother's hand.
"Then you should like sweets, Rin," James responded. "You're the best sister in the entire world!"
"Well, arigato, James-chan, but if I want sugar, I'll stick with fruit. Besides, after training, I need meat." Rin chewed her chicken a bit, then added,
"Just promise me you'll eat a good dinner tonight, okay?"
"I promise!"
The lights flickered as Rin and James ate by the fire. James eyed the shadows on the wall, his brown eyes growing ever more uneasy.
"Rin? There isn't anything bad out there, is there?"
"Bad? Like demon bad?"
"Yes."
"Nah, nothing like that. Believe me, I'd know if a demon was causing this storm."
"How?"
"I'd feel it."
"Oh." James tilted his head at his sister. "What does it feel like?"
"Hmm. You know that feeling when your hand or foot falls asleep?"
"Yes."
"Like that, except all over your body. It's how demons and half-demons can sense other demons not from their family. And right now, all I can feel is the fire."
"Oh. Okay." James finished the last of his cake. "A regular storm can't hurt us, right?"
"Nah. Like I said, no one's really going to be out in this. Too dangerous."
A vicious crack of lightning flared against the sky, throwing vicious shadows on the wall. James gasped and grabbed Rin's arm. Rin wrapped her shaking little brother in her wing, pulling him close.
"It's okay, James-chan. We're safe. We're fine." Rin eyed the flickering lamps, hoping they wouldn't short out.
"But, Rin, did you see that? It was like in the book!"
"Yeah, I remember," Rin said, fighting the urge to dig her claws into the stone. "And that wasn't a book, James. It was torture disguised as a book. That's why Okaa-san threw it out last month."
"That lightning still looked like the rhino in the story."
"I know, I know. But you're safe with me. I promise." Rin also promised herself that she would hunt down the author of the book in question and flay her alive, but kept that notion private.
"Randy the Rhino's Rainy Day," my ass. What kind of sick mind writes a book about a rhinoceros that looks like it has rabies and eats people? The half-demon did find the backlash that had come from the book hilarious though; for once, no one could blame her for their kids' nightmares! Still, she'd rather the book not have affected James. Ah, well, the memory of the crazed Randy Rhino would fade as he got older.
"How long is the storm going to last?" James asked, setting aside his empty plate and glass.
"I'm not sure." Rin went to the window and stared out at the pounding rain and thunderous clouds. "The storm's pretty fierce but I doubt it can go on for much longer. It'll probably burn itself out soon."
"And then Mum and Dad will come back, right?"
"Hai. Of course. In the meantime, though, what do you want to do?" Rin wanted to keep her brother's mind off anything frightening for as long as she could.
"Can we go do that puzzle in my room? Dad and I only finished a corner last night before I had to go to bed."
"Lead the way, James-chan."
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"I think this piece goes here." James snapped two red pieces together. "There! See?"
"I see." Rin was more watching her brother put together the puzzle of a beach ball than actually doing anything, but hey, James was happy. Boring as she found jigsaw puzzles, the half-demon couldn't help smiling at how intent her brother was at solving it. Then again, James did seem to enjoy solving problems, whatever they were.
So long as he's happy. Even better, though, was the storm finally starting to calm down. True it was still raining, but nowhere near as bad as it had been. The wind had died down too, though the sky remained dark as night. Rin glanced at the clock behind her. Nearly 5:00. What was taking her mother and step-father so long?
Rap. Rap. Rap. Both siblings' heads shot up at the sound.
"Hmm, wonder who that is," Rin wondered. They weren't expecting visitors and Rin was not in the mood to entertain one of her mother's friends if said woman came "'round for a cup of tea," as most of them put it. Rin stood up, stretching as she did. "Why don't you stay here and keep working on your puzzle, James? I'll see who's here."
"Okay, Rin." James turned back to his puzzle, his small hands already searching for more red pieces. Rin tromped downstairs, flexing her claws. She was expecting to have to tell a neighbor that her mother wasn't home and her company wasn't needed.
She was not expecting two policemen- who flinched at the sight of her- to be standing on her front porch.
"Uh, hello," Rin said, narrowing her eyes. She didn't recognize these two and she knew most of the officers who patrolled the town. For their part, the two policemen were already starting to shift uncomfortably in their well-shined shoes.
"Beg pardon, but we're looking for the home of Henry and Miranda Trotter," the first one- a skinny twig with a big nose- said.
"You found it. I'm Miranda's daughter."
"Oh, you're-"
"Henry Trotter's step-daughter."
"You... you're..." the second one, whose chest was straining his uniform buttons, started to stammer.
"I'm a half-demon, yes. Now say what you came here to say or leave! I don't like being harassed!"
"Oh, Rin!" The half-demon's ears twitched as a familiar voice rang out. Coming up the walkway, sheltered by an umbrella, was Rin's next-door neighbor, Mary Williams, mother of Abby. Mary laid her arm on the skinny officer's arm as she spoke.
"I saw your car pull up. Is everything alright?"
"Sorry, ma'am. You are?"
"I'm Mary Williams. I live in the next house and I'm a good friend of the Trotters."
Friend to the Trotters, not the Kurosaki, Rin noted. Still, Mary's presence seemed to mollify the police.
"Then this girl here is Miranda Trotter's daughter?" the fat one asked, gesturing toward Rin."
"I have a name, you know. Thanks for asking!"
"Rin, the officers are just trying to do their job." Mary looked past the irate half-demon. "Is your mother here?"
"No. She and Henry are in town. They probably got stuck due to the weather." At this, both officers glanced at each other.
"What?" Rin snapped.
"Perhaps you'd best let us in. We, er, this is difficult..." the skinny one trailed off.
"Then say it, for Heaven's sake and be done with it!"
"Rin!"
"Young lady, we regret to inform you that your parents have been involved in an accident." Rin paused, staring at the officers.
"What kind of accident?" she asked slowly, feeling her wings starting to unfold. "What happened? Where are they? Are they hurt?" Rin clenched her fists as she felt her stomach beginning to flutter.
"Like we said, perhaps we should-"
"Tell me!"
The policemen had the decency to lower their heads, at least.
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"So, that's how it happened. The car hit them and everyone tumbled off the bridge. Why, it was like the storm swallowed them up." Rin clutched the table, her claws gouging the wood as the fat policeman finished his story. Beside her, Mary was quietly crying, a handkerchief pressed to her face.
"We're sorry to have to tell you this, but it was sheer luck that Mrs. Trotter dropped her purse. That's how we identified her and her husband. The driver of the car, well, we still haven't a clue who it was. Won't know till we dredge the water and even then we may not find him. The weather was so awful, it's a miracle no one else was hurt."
"It's just awful," Mary sobbed. "Oh, they were such good people and-"
Rin had heard enough. Pushing herself away, she stomped out of the room, pausing only when Mary called,
"Rin! James should-"
"I'll tell him." Rin snapped, her tone brooking no argument. No one- no one- was getting anywhere near her brother tonight!
Rin's feet felt heavy as she slowly climbed the stairs. Strangely, every other part of her felt detached, as though she had left her body behind. Only the thought of her baby brother- who obviously hadn't heard the conversation downstairs- kept her from just sinking down and letting despair overcome her.
It's happening again. It's happening again. The thought circled Rin's mind like a crazed fish, swimming around and around in her mind and forcing her to remember that night twelve years ago when the sky was alight with her father's power as he fought back the horde of invading demons. Even as his own demon magic faded, she had still believed he would come home. It was only when she had worked up the courage to slip downstairs and found her mother, crying in the kitchen, that she knew Father wouldn't ever be coming home.
And now, neither would her mother or step-father.
Taking a deep breath, Rin pushed open the door of her brother's bedroom. The half-completed puzzle lay abandoned on the small table Henry had built for his son two years ago. James was sitting by the window, head tilted toward the road. Rin felt her heart lurch as she realized her brother was looking for a sign that their parents were returning. James turned to look at his sister, face filling with worry at his sister's deadpan expression.
"Rin, what's happening? Who's here?" James asked, running toward her. Rin knelt down, placing her hands on James's shoulders.
"James-chan," she said slowly. "There was an accident in town today."
"Accident?" James repeated. "What about Mum and Dad?"
"James, they..." Rin couldn't finish the sentence, letting small tears drip down her face. James's eyed widened, clutching his sister's hands. "I'm sorry, James."
Rin pulled her brother close as understanding hit the little boy like a bullet. James's sobbed into his sister's shoulder as Rin wrapped her wings around both of them. Outside, the rain continued to fall as the tears of the two orphaned children began in earnest.
~
And just like that, it fell to me to keep what was left of our family together.