Allen stood with his left arm in a sling, and his various wounds covered in thick gauze. Rin stood beside him staring at Shiro's phone. Allen could only guess at Rin's thoughts, but he had a feeling that Rin's were very similar to his own. The knowledge that the only person you had ever known as a father being killed either by you or because of you, was heartbreaking and suffocating.
Rin shook his head before hitting the speed dial button for the only number saved in Shiro's phone. That same second a man with purple hair and a pink clown outfit holding an open phone stepped out. Rin was surrounded by men with guns and bibles.
"A pleasure to meet you, Okumura Rin-kun. My name is Mephisto Pheles. I'm a friend of Father Fujimoto's." The clown spoke uselessly wiping rain from suit. "You have my sympathies for what you've been through." Allen had a feeling that the next few minutes were going to decide Rin's fate.
"Are you people exorcists?" asked Rin.
"We are known as the true cross order."
"The old man said you'd offer me protection."
"I am afraid that as an honorary knight… I have certain responsibilities. I cannot confuse personal with public interest. You have two options. 'Allow yourself to be killed by us', or 'kill us and flee'. You can also choose the option of suicide." Mephisto tipped his head down. "Now then… which would you prefer?"
Allen prepared himself for a fight, but Rin spoke before he could activate his innocence.
"Let me join you," Everyone's eyes including Allen's went wide with surprise. "I don't care what you people say, I'm no son of Satan. I have no relation to that beast. My only father is the old man."
Mephisto grew serious. "And what would you do if you could become an exorcist?"
Rin stood taller. "Kick Satan's butt!"
Mephisto started laughing hysterically. "You can't be serious!"
"Oh, I am!"
Mephisto wiped tears from his eyes. "Satan's son, an exorcist, I like it!"
"Wha- sir Pheles!" an exorcist exclaimed.
Rin was shocked. "Huh?! Really?"
"However," Mephisto warned. "The path you've chosen is a long and treacherous one. Do you still profess to take it?"
Rin's eyes gained a determined glint. "I'm not a human or a demon anymore… in which case… I'll have to be an exorcist!"
"Very well then, I'll take care of everything, you boys can run along now, don't worry about it."
"Yes sir." The exorcists left just as quickly as they had arrived.
"I suppose you want to be an exorcist as, Allen Walker-kun?"
Rin spun around. "Wha- Allen?"
"Yes, if you'll have me."
"It's fine with me, just try to hide the arm, okay?"
"Shut up you darned eggplant."
"E-eggplant?" Mephisto's eyes shot out from his head and Rin doubled over in laughter.
Allen's stomach growled. "Dang it now I'm hungry." Allen grabbed Rin by the arm and dragged him away from Mephisto. "Let's go eat sukiyaki."
Rin wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. "I know just the place!"
…
The next day Rin and Allen stood on the curb in front of the monastery waiting for Mephisto. Before long Rin had lost his patience and was standing in the road stretching his neck out trying to find the demon. As he turned his head to face Allen a pink limousine raced down the street, just barely stopping in front a startled Rin.
"And that is why you shouldn't stand in the road," Allen said. Timcampy was sitting on Allen's head munching his hair. "Tim, stop that! There is no way my hair tastes any good!" A laugh sounded from beside Allen and the white-haired teen turned to see Yukio walking towards them.
"Sorry I'm late, Sir Faust," Yukio said with a bow. "I was paying my respects to my father."
"Sir Faust? I thought your name was Mephisto?" Rin asked the purple haired demon.
"In public I go by Johann Faust, director of True Cross Academy." Mephisto said. Yukio turned to look at Rin.
"Did you go visit father?" the younger twin asked.
"No." Yukio shook his head at Rin's reply.
"I should have known." Allen narrowed his eyes slightly as inspected Yukio's face. Something was off, as though he had an underlying tone of malice in his voice.
"Well then now that everyone's here, let's get going!" Mephisto's cheery voice broke through the silence and the three teens climbed into the limo. Within seconds they were racing off again and Allen was starting to feel motion sick. While he was able to ride in a train, boat, or wagon, for some reason Allen had troubles riding in a car.
A few hours later a large town came into view. Like an island from the sea the oddly shaped town rose from its surroundings.
"Welcome to True Cross Academy gentlemen," Mephisto said. "Your home for at least the next four years!"
"There is no way that's a school, Eggplant. It's a whole freaking town!" Allen pointed at the academy.
"Indeed, the school is in the center. Ah! I would suggest changing into your uniforms, we'll be having the welcoming ceremony as soon as we arrive." Yukio gulped, a sheen of nervous sweat breaking out over his forehead which he swiftly wiped away with a handkerchief.
"What uniforms, Mephisto?"
"Here!" A puff of pink smoke later and two uniforms were in his hands. Allen and Rin quickly changed into them; Allen careful to hide his left arm from the twins. When the limo pulled to a stop the three teens swiftly jumped out of the vehicle, and Mephisto waved goodbye after whispering to Allen and Rin that he would come find them after the ceremony.
"Ah, I'm nervous," Yukio said.
"Huh? What's there to be nervous about it's just an entrance ceremony…" Rin was interrupted by Allen grabbing his arm and dragging him in the direction of the flow of students until they entered a large auditorium. The trio found a series of open seats in the back of the large room and sat down. Allen started to feel as though he were suffocating from the large number of people. Wasn't True Cross a rich kid school? There was no way there could be that many rich families in the country. Right? Allen was so lost in his thoughts that he was only brought back to reality by Rin freaking out about Yukio being the first-year representative.
"What's there to freak out about Rin? It's not that special is it?"
Someone from Allen was the one to answer the question. "Are you kidding? It means he's the smartest person out of all the first years." Allen turned around to see who had answered the question. It was a guy with black hair and a blonde mohawk sticking out of his head. Next to him was a small guy with a buzz cut and a kid with shaggy pink hair. "Did you live under a rock or something?"
"No. I was homeschooled, so I don't know about these kinds of things." Allen shook his head. "My name is Allen. What's yours?"
"Suguro. The guys next to me are Shima and Konekomaru." Suguro nodded his head to his friends next to him. Allen chatted a little bit with the three boys, learning that Suguro was the young master of Kyoto's "cursed temple" and that he and his two friends had been raised together almost from the womb. When they asked Allen about his life he told a story about how he and his father had traveled the world for his dad's work until he died when he was taken in by a friend of his father, who pretty much abandoned him in Japan. While it was close to the truth it still left a lot of the story out, mostly akuma, exorcists, noah, and the earl.
"Wow that's rough." Shima said.
"It's not that bad. Master Cross was an okay guy, once you got used to the amount of debts and his womanizing antics." Allen shivered when he thought about the debts. "I learned a few valuable skills because of him."
Before they knew it, the entrance ceremony was over, and Rin and Allen were headed to find Mephisto. They wandered until they came across a bridge where they decided to take a break from the walking. At that moment Mephisto appeared sitting on a lamp post.
"Sorry to keep you waiting boys!" The clown yelled out.
Rin wasted no time in badgering the demon. "So how do I become an exorcist?" He yelled.
"I'm glad to see that you're enthusiastic, but everything has to follow the proper procedure. For now, the two of you will be joining an exorcist cram school."
"A cram school?!" Unlike Rin Allen was completely calm. He was used to things like this by now after being around Komui. Somethings just didn't surprise him anymore. Though to say he was happy to be going to school to become an exorcist would be a complete lie. He was only doing it to defend Rin. For some reason the need to protect Yukio wasn't as strong. Allen had a feeling that the younger of the two twins was stronger than he was made out to be, even if he didn't share the same blue flames as Rin.
"Yes. An exorcist cram school. You'll start out as pages and work your way up as you learn the ways of exorcism. While your classes in the school proper don't start for another two days, your lessons at the cram school begin today. I will show you there.
"However!" Mephisto pointed a finger at Rin. "I must give you one warning. Your identity as the son of Satan is to be kept absolutely secret. It would seem that you're keeping your tail tucked away neatly already. But while your ears and teeth can be explained away, those blue flames of yours are a different matter. Those you must keep under strict control."
Rin seemed a little sad because of the reprimand. "I'll do my best."
"Very well," Mephisto said. "However, to tell you the truth I am still a little concerned so I will be watching over you myself for this first session. Eins. Zwei. Drei." A puff of smoke later and Mephisto had turned into a small white dog. "Well then shall we get going?"
"Whoa! Exorcists can transform?" Rin asked.
"No, that's just me." Allen had to admit he was a little impressed. Even the black order didn't have anyone that could shape shift. Allen had to remind himself that Mephisto was a demon, not a human. "Ah yes, let me give you keys to the school." Two keys suddenly stuck out of the dog's mouth. "These keys will allow you to access the school of exorcism from any door at any time. Try it out. Just take any door and open it with that key." Rin and Allen took the keys and Rin jumped from the bridge to try a door. "Allen-kun?"
Allen turned to face Mephisto. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but I will any way. Your status as the Millennium Earl is top secret, maybe even more so than Rin's identity. If the Vatican finds out, your fate will be worse than death."
"They couldn't kill if they tried." Allen said.
"What makes you so sure?"
Allen sighed. "I've been alive for over 200 years, Mephisto. It's not exactly pleasant. I've had plenty of exorcists try to kill me. None of them succeeded. I'm the last Noah, and all other innocence have been wiped out. Trust me they won't be able to kill me. Though honestly," Allen's face took on a somber look. "I wouldn't be upset if they succeeded."
"Allen, you have got to check this out!" Rin yelled from below the bridge.
"Coming!" Allen changed his expression to a happier one and jumped from the bridge, swinging into the open door. Allen was shocked. The hallway he landed in was long, and terribly decorated. It was like the Krory mansion, but thankfully without the man-eating flowers. At least he hoped there weren't any man-eating flowers. You never know with Mephisto. Mephisto jumped down to join the two teens and start walking down the hallway.
"First years have class in room 1106. Follow me." Rin and Allen ran to catch up with Mephisto. Somehow, he seemed to faster as a dog than his normal form. "Here we are!" Rin opened the door to classroom and he and Allen stuck their heads in. The first thing Allen noticed was how messy the room was. The second was that besides Rin and himself there were only seven students. The third thing he noticed was that three of those students were Suguro, Shima, and Konekomaru.
"Hey guys!" Allen called out. "What a coincidence!" Allen walked over to sit behind the three boys and Rin sat next to him, Kurikara leaning on the desk to Rin's other side.
"No wonder you're a student here." Suguro said. "You're learning to be an exorcist."
"I guess." Allen noticed Rin was asking Mephisto about the small number of students.
"All right, quiet down!" Allen turned to the front of the room when heard the teacher's voice. For some reason it was oddly familiar.
"Take your seats everyone. The lesson is about to begin." Allen met eyes with Yukio. This was going to interesting. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I will be your teacher in anti-demon pharmacology, Okumura Yukio."
"Yukio?!" Rin yelled, his eyes bulging from his head and his finger pointed at his younger twin. "Is that you?"
"Yes, that would be me." Yukio seemed almost unfazed, but Allen could tell that beneath the surface Yukio was holding back several different emotions. "Is something the matter?"
"What do mean, 'Is something the matter'?" Rin yelled. "What's going on with you?"
Yukio smiled, but his eyes had a near malicious glint in them. "I assure you there is nothing wrong with me." Allen highly doubted that. Something was off about the younger twin, and he was going to find out what. "Now, if you don't mind, I would prefer you to remain quiet whilst class is in session."
Allen ignored Rin's spat with Mephisto as he tried to listen to Yukio's lecture. The teen may be younger than him, but he was still the teacher, and Allen wanted to do in class so that he would be able to protect Rin better.
"Now then how many of you have never sustained a mashou? Raise your hands?" Allen and Rin scanned the room. "Three of you. Well then I think we should begin this lesson by covering the mashou rite."
"What's a mashou?" Rin asked Mephisto.
"It refers to wounds or illnesses that are inflicted by a demon. Once a person sustains a mashou they become able to see demons for the rest of their lives. As such it is a ritual that all perspective exorcists must go through," Mephisto explained. "Although for you of course Okumura-kun, there is no such need, as you're a demon yourself. Okumura-sensei over there, meanwhile, is the youngest person ever to obtain the exorcist qualification. A genius anti-demon pharmacologist."
"Now the classroom we are using is actually not in general use." Yukio continued with the lesson despite Rin speaking. "It is currently home to a type of demon known as 'goblins'."
"Huh? Is that really okay?" A girl with short brown hair cut into a bob asked.
Yukio chuckled a little, seemingly reveling in his years of experience. "Oh, we will be fine. Goblins tend to avoid bright areas populated with humans. They are a low-level type of demon, only possessing enough magic to cause minor mischief, and so they are relatively easy to handle. However, if they catch the scent of rotten animal blood, they can become agitated and ferocious." Yukio pulled out a vile of dark red liquid and showed it to the students.
"Today I'm going to use a mixture diluted with milk that goblins are fond of. I will dilute the blood in ten parts milk and use a single drop of the resulting liquid to draw out a few goblins and have them aid us in our rite," Yukio continued his lesson. "So, if you could all wait a moment whilst I set this up…" Yukio drifted off preparing to mix his bait solution when Rin stood up and slammed his hands on his desk.
He walked up to the teacher's desk and yelled, "Oi!"
Yukio didn't even flinch. "Yes, what is it?"
"Explain yourself!" Rin yelled louder.
"I am teaching a lesson, please return to your seat. Allen will you help me out here?" Yukio turned to Allen.
"I'm not getting in the middle of this, Yukio." Allen raised his hands in surrender. "You two need to figure this one out on your own."
"Stop messing around, Yukio!" Rin was now truly angry with his younger twin. Allen sunk lower in his chair. Shima looked back at him in pity so Allen leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
"If they kill anyone it's not my fault," he whispered.
Yukio continued to set up the ritual, but he did speak to Rin almost in a whisper. If not for Allen's enhanced senses from the Noah, he wouldn't have been able to hear the two conversing. "As I said earlier, I became an exorcist two years ago. I began my training when I was a young boy of seven. As I received my mashou from you, I've been able to see demon's as long as I can remember." Allen scanned his classmates, making sure that they didn't hear Yukio's statement about Rin giving him the mashou. That would have been too much of a pain to explain.
"I knew all along," Yukio continued. "It was only you who did not. Now would you move aside?" Yukio moved from behind his desk.
"Then…" Rin grabbed Yukio by the sleeve. "Why did you never tell me anything?!"
Yukio was so surprised that the vial of animal blood fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. Rin doubled over as the smell of the blood hit his nose.
"That stinks. What is that stench?" Allen had to agree with Rin. The smell of the blood was horrible. It was so bad that Allen had to cover his mouth and nose with a gloved hand in order to avoid losing his breakfast. Suddenly a loud crash was heard as a horde of demons appeared in the classroom. "Demons!" Suguro called out.
"What? Where?" The girl with a bob cut was clinging onto the arm of a purple haired girl.
"There!" All of the students ran around in the room in frightened hysteria.
"Hobgoblins." Yukio reached for the guns that were strapped to his waist. He managed to shoot three demons surrounding the two girls before yelling, "Everybody out of the classroom!" The students ran from the room except Rin who lagged behind.
"They are weak, but many in number, and they have been driven into a frightful rage. This was my mistake. I'm still new at this," Yukio tried to calm down his students. "I'm very sorry about this, but if you could just stay out here whilst I deal with this. You too Okumura-kun…" Before Yukio could finish Rin had slammed the door to the classroom shut leaving the other students cut off, and Allen to be subjected to the torrent of questions thrown at him.
I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and I apologize for how late I was in updating. My life is a mess right now, so I haven't had much time to write, but I'm trying. So please don't shoot me. Please leave a lot of reviews, I want to know what you think. Thank you!