Rin has never been one to eat his vegetables or fruits. They never gave him a full feeling and usually upset his stomach if he ate too many of them. One reason he learned to cook was to be able to mix them into the meat better so he would not have to taste them. It was weird but never something he or anyone else thought to much about. Lots of people preferred meat and he just preferred his a little more rare than others.

It drives Yukio, his younger twin brother, nuts when they go out to grill food. After all, Rin did not wait for it to cook all the way before he would pounce on it. When Rin got older, he just sorta stopped making the veggies when he cooked for himself. Most of the time, he did not eat with the others when he cooked but still sat with them at mealtimes. That means nobody could nag him about not eating the nasty stuff.

Shiro, his father, noticed he did not eat right but never seemed to bothered by it but nobody else noticed. It got to the point where all he was eating was rice and meat with his meals. The reasoning behind this was clear when he transitioned to a half demon. If his preference alone was not convincing, those fangs in his mouth sure were. They were blunter when he was not in his demon form but still present.

They were sharper than knives and several times, the only reason Rin would not bleed all over his mouth was because of his healing factor. Some weirdos in the world paid dentists to sharpen their canines so it was not uncommon enough to try and hide it from his friends and classmates but still. Rin did wonder if it was hidden like his tail or if everyone could see them. It took many weeks after his transformation before he did not feel awkward smiling at people again.

Rin was not sure if they were long or if it was in his head but he could always feel them poking his gums in his mouth. No one commented on them while he was in school so he assumed nobody else saw them and moved on with life. By his own reckoning, he was to much of an idiot to worry about such small things and he had bigger things to hide, namely the tail. His diet was also crazier than it use to be.

Ukoboch, the small kitchen familiar that lived in the dorms, was the one who ended up explaining dietary needs of demons to Rin. One day while the two of them were cooking, Rin was watching a beef steak he had marinating all night. It completely freaked out the young man when he picked it up and took a bite of it raw. He was apparently not aware he did it until flavors he could not describe flooded into his mouth. It was comical for the older demon to watch Rin, unwilling to spit out his treat but not understanding why he was eating it.

It was a bit tedious to explain to him that demons did not require veggies or starches. They could digest them fine but they held absolutely no nutritional value for them. All they really needed was meat and a touch of starch in their regular diet. Ukoboch was a little disappointed in his master for not explaining it to Rin when he first transformed. There was not telling how badly the young man was starving himself trying to eat like a human would.

He also explained that raw meat was the best kind for younger demons because the blood, which is also good for him, has not been cooked out yet. It was one reason Ukoboch was so isolated even among demons. Many of his kin did not see a reason to cook food when it was best like it was. After he explained the basics, Ukoboch encouraged Rin to eat the rest of the steak and made plans for hunting lessons later with the two of them and Kuro, Rin's black cat familiar.

The three of them decided to meet the next day after Rin's regular classes but before his evening cram school. After all, the boy's education was important, even if they needed to add some things to it because of his unique biology. Now the hard part began. Hunting was a skill that most demons learned early in their lives. They would stalk and pounce on each other as soon as they could walk, and they began playing with their food even earlier than that. Demon's that had a parent present during development would be brought injured but breathing food and the parent would teach them to hunt for themselves.

Since they grew up quickly, it would be no time at all before they began killing at eating on their own instead of relying on their parents. Rin was definitely young enough by demon standards to still being provided for but humans developed differently that demons. When it came down to it, it was impossible to tell where Rin stood on the spectrum. While most demons would still be close to home, by human standards, he was almost ready for independence.

Ukoboch explained to Rin that he wanted him to catch an animal for him and bring it to him. Rin was not sure why exactly he was doing this. Ukobock only told him the day before that he was going to show him something essential to all demons. Kuro caught on quickly and was excited to show his master what he needed to know to survive. In Kuro's mind, Shiro should have shown this to Rin a long time ago. How else was he suppose to eat!

Ukoboch was vague on purpose when he told Rin to catch something. This was mostly because he honestly did not know what the boy could do and did not want to limit his hunt. After all, the first independent kill was a large step for demons and usually celebrated as such. He wanted it to be a worthy experience for his prince. Rin was still confused but excited to be doing something with his friends. The three demons took off in different directions for their catches.

Kuro was the first to return to the meeting point with a bird in his mouth, It chirped and wiggled pathetically trying to escape. Ukoboch was the next to return with a brown rabbit he was lucky enough to find. Rabbits were difficult to catch because of their speed and had to be cornered. The two compared techniques while they waited on their last member to return, not at all worried with him taking his time.

Rin was feeling weird. Ukoboch asked him to catch something and he wanted to make him happy so he looked around in the underbrush. That weird feeling only grew as he caught grass shifting to his left side and he silently crept closer to see what it was. The feeling was not unpleasant in the least. It was like he was reading the final in one of his manga. It was an anticipation that he could not say he was not enjoying. Before he realized what he was doing, he jumped into the bush and made a grab for whatever was in the grass.

He caught a rabbit by one of its back legs but he was still inexperienced. The rabbit kicked furiously and scratch Rin, who released it in shock, then bolted into a nearby hole. Rin was so caught off guard, he did not give chase but sat their dumbfounded as he watched his wound heal. That burning feeling was amazing, even with the disappointment of his escaped prey. At this point, he was not even concerned about considering the animal prey but just looked around to see what else his enhanced senses could pick up.

He stayed in that same spot for what felt like hours, listening to the wind in the trees and a nearby stream before his heard a hollow sound coming from the stream. Knowing what to expect this time, he stalk closer to the stream. Though he wanted to jump out again, a calmer part of his mind told him to wait or his prey would escape again. Laying low to the ground and crawling in the tall grass, he spotted his prey.

It was a small herd of deer drinking from the stream. Three females and two babies were drinking the water but they were not what caught they young demon's attention. There on a stone near the edge of the stream stood the most beautiful deer Rin had ever seen.

He admittedly had not seen many deer because of growing up in the city but this one looked downright elegant. It had large antlers with 8 points on it and it's black eyes were scanning the tree lines while his herd drank and loitered around the buck. The others did not go far from him but that was fine Rin's opinion. Only at the last minute did Rin remember the instructions Ukoboch gave him not to kill it but to bring it to him stopped him from charging right in.

Looking at his claws and feeling his fangs with his tongue, when had they elongated, he thought of a way for him to get the buck instead of one of the smaller ones. Coming to a decision, he felt his muscles bunch as he prepared for his attack and did the mental math in his head. He did not jump so much as he launched himself at the startled animal and slashed at the back legs before it could so much as call a warning to the others. The rest of the herd ran as the buck's back legs gave out under the pressure of it's own weight and it scrambled to right itself.

It lashed out anytime Rin got close to it and more blood would leak from its back legs but that did not bother Rin like he thought it would. Part of him thought he should be horrified at what he had done to this majestic creature while the other part was proud he brought down such a large creature for his friend. Though he knew that it would serve no purpose and he could wait for the animal to exhaust itself, he was outright playing with the terrified animal.

It was satisfying to see the whites in it's eyes as he would bat at its flesh and back away before he could defend itself. He did this until it was so tired it could not raise its head to defend itself. At that point, he just walked over and slung it over his shoulders. With how strong the young demon was, the weight meant nothing to him. He walked back to the meeting point of the others feeling the deer's frantic breathing against his back and the occasionally futile kick. He gave a sigh as he realized his clothes were a mess and he would have to ask Mephisto, his older brother and principle of the school, for another set of uniforms.

When he returned to the others, he idly noted what they had caught and downright glowed with pride as he realized his was the biggest animal to be caught. The two other demons, realizing the importance of the situation walked over to him and began complimenting his catch and how well he did to catch such an impressive beast. After playing with it so long in the forest, Rin did not feel bad with Ukoboch instructed him on the best ways to end it's life. It was messy but most first kills were and Ukoboch knew Rin would get better over time.

Now for the hard part. Rin hesitated and watched in fascination as the other two demon killed their animals and began eating. He was not sure what to do and was beginning to get a less pleasant in his belly now that made it roll uncomfortably. It was not because the dead animal in front of his was gross. In fact, it was the opposite. It looked more appealing to him than that steak did. Ukoboch finished his rabbit and took pitty on the confused younger demon.

He walked over and grabbed Rin's wrist and gently nudged it over the the animal. He sat his claws on the creatures neck and looked at Rin. Rin looked back still with a confused look and Ukoboch sighed in resignation. Gripping the youngers hand he slowly made a fist and the two watched as Rin's claws went through the top layer of fur on the deers neck and soon had a handful of the tender meat underneath the fur. Knowing instinct would take over, the older demon waited patiently for Rin to figure out what to do with the meat. Rin was more disgusted with is reaction than by what he was doing.

The meat in his hands was extremely tender, he had been cooking long enough for that. The smell alone was like heaven to the boy and he could feel his stomach growl in reasponse. The blood slowly trickled down the side of his hand and without thinking he leaned over and licked it like he would ice cream. He froze for a moment at the taste, surprised by how good it was. Ukoboch had taken a few steps back and was watching the boy but did not interfere.

Slowly realizing what this was about, Rin was at first upset as he looked at the food. He thought for a few minutes and came to another realization, this was no different that eating it at a table. The animal would still die and feed him. The only difference was that he was eating raw instead of cooked and he had been doing that for a while as well. Ever since he was small if he thought about it. He was not a monster for feeding himself and he had never claimed to be a vegetarian. His love of meat was legendary and this was good.

It tasted better than anything else he had ever eaten. With that thought in mind, he dug into his meal with his two friends watching and ate his fill. He always figured hungry enough to eat a horse was a figure of speech but he ate quit a bit of the deer. He had to try the different parts of it to find out which he liked best. It used his teeth and claws both and knew he would have to have a new uniform but for the first time in a while, he felt satisfied with his meal. When he finished, the others came over and finished the animal off.

They must have been a sight walking back to the dorms. Rin was the only one covered in blood and looking like a serial killer or something. He was licking the blood off his fingers while he talked to the others about how often he should go out and what animals tasted good. The other two even offered him use of their hunting grounds, a generous offer for demons. It was later that Rin was expecting but the time he got back to the dorms and he figured that he missed the cram school already.

Walking in, he was so distracted that he did not notice the others until someone, maybe Shima, screeched and pointed at his soiled clothing. Well, he was glad that the others knew of his demon status now, otherwise this might have been more terrifying than awkward as the two groups stared at each other. Rin still had his knuckle in his mouth and the others were completely slack jawed. After more awkward greeting and a stilted expression. Rin left a group of green students to get a bath as Ukoboch went to call the principle to get a knew uniform. Some things were after all better off not being known by the humans.