Here it is! The next chapter! After fan fiction gave me a hell of time uploading it, I'm going to bed now... Oh, and I've edited the second chapter a bit as well.
Disclaimer: Kazue Kato-dono owns Ao no Exorcist
Thanks to ef07, Silver Goldentime, P1nk4m3n4, Kit, Evilneko101, ImpsWithHats, and SakuraKoi for reviewing! Everyone else gets raised taxes!
" πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωὶ ἀνατέλλων συνετρίβη εἰς τὴν γῆν ὁ ἀποστέλλων πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου καθιῶ ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλῷ ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ τὰ πρὸς βορρᾶν. ἀναβήσομαι ἐπάνω τῶν νεφελῶν ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ."
"Quomodo cecidisti de cælo, Lucifer, qui mane oriebaris? corruisti in terram, qui vulnerabas gentes? Qui dicebas in corde tuo : In cælum conscendam, super astra Dei exaltabo solium meum; sedebo in monte testamenti, in lateribus aquilonis; ascendam super altitudinem nubium, similis ero Altissimo."
"How you have fallen from the heavens, O Morning Star, Lucifer, son of the dawn! How you have been cut down to the earth, you who conquered nations! In your heart you said: "I will scale the heavens; above the stars of God I will set up my throne; I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, on the heights of Zaphon. I wiill ascend to the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!"
Isaiah 14:12-14
There is a small field located not far off from the monastery. Anyone who came across would certainly be surprised at the change of lush scenery, especially given the usually urban environment. There are various trees, flowers, lush greenery, and tall grass, tall enough to hide a small child, along with the occasional rabbit or fox, but there is another sound echoing through this field. The sobbing of a child.
If anyone could wander further to discover the source of the sound, they would come across a small boy, small even for his age. He had a scraggly head of hair, which one could make an argument to whether it was blue or black. He also had a fair complexion, not unusual for the place. The most striking characteristic was his eyes. They were the most striking kind of blue, one that could shame the sea or the ocean. It almost seemed… alive, like a flame.
Right now, they were bloodshot, because he was crying. 'Why does no one ever understand me?' He furiously thought.
"Rin! Where are you?" He heard the voice of his father calling him. He came in, dressed in the cassock of a priest. He was an older man, but his voice was laced with deep concern. "Rin!"
Rin didn't respond. He just crouched further, gripping his legs. He had gotten in trouble again at his school, so he ran. He always liked this field, so he came here when he was upset. 'That must be why Tou-san knew where to come…' He thought again.
"Rin!" Fujimoto kept looking, trying to sift through the grass. "Come out! I just want to talk!"
Rin slunk deeper. He didn't really want to talk. His tou-san was probably mad. He continued this line of thought until he felt a larger hand grab his shoulder.
"There you are, Rin!" Fujimoto appeared, worry apparent in his face, as he picked Rin up. "Why did you run away Rin! Did you know how much you worried me?" Fujimoto chastened Rin, but even Rin could see the relief in his face.
"I got into another fight."
Fujimoto's eyes seemed to sadden. He sighed, "Rin. Why do you always insist on getting into fights? It's never going to end well."
Rin puffed his cheeks, "It's not my fault! These other kids kept picking on Yukio, and I don't like it when they do that! I told them to stop, but they told me to buzz off! They said that they just wanted to play with him, but they were lying!"
Fujimoto looked at Rin, "Now Rin, maybe they were just playing. How could you tell they were lying?"
Rin looked down, "I just could…" Fujimoto froze at that, but continued walking home, "I just wanted to protect Yukio." Rin muttered.
"Nothing's wrong with wanting to protect what's dear to you Rin. It's how you use your strength that matters."
"Strength…" Rin looked at his father, "Tou-san…"
Rin woke up in a flash, breathing heavily… He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He saw he was in a dorm. He gasped, slowing his breathing down, as he calmed himself. He covered the right side of his face with his hand, as sweat dripped from his forehead. 'What the hell was that?' Satan thought. He was the king of Gehenna. He was the one who brought sin into the world, who gave mankind misery, who dared stand against the Almighty, and he was bothered by a dream? A dream about the man who kept him from fully fulfilling his promise to Yuri? What's with that?
He looked out the window, as he saw the first streak of light coming from the horizon. 'The first day…' He idly thought. Well, he's probably not getting any more sleep, and he turned to Yukio, who was across the room. He was still sleeping, quite heavily apparently if the snoring was anything to go by. Rin got up, and stealthily headed out of the room, making sure to take Kurikara with him.
He headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. When he got there, a thought occurred to him. He hadn't unsheathed Kurikara since Fuji-, that man had died. He wondered what would happen if he did. He took the Koumaken out of its sword case, looking at the elegant blue sheath, and elaborate handle. He wondered how many of his kin had been slaughtered by this blade in the name of God, and now it held his took a breath, and gripping the sword, unsheathed it, and… nothing. There was no spark of blue flames, no epic release of energy like on that night. 'What the hell?' Satan thought. 'I thought Samael sealed my powers in this thing? It's just empty? What kind of letdown is that? But if my flames aren't in the sword, then maybe?'
He held his hand out, and focused on it to become surrounded in flame. Immediately brilliant blue flame erupted, wreathing it in the ethereal blue flames that he had become known for. He also noticed his hand changed as well, the nails sharpening. He tried focusing even more power and he saw that they changed further, becoming longer and blacker, much more like a demon's claws.
He lifted up his shirt as well, and let his tail come out. It was supposedly a sign of nobility to keep your tail hidden. However, Satan had little to no concern for such trivialities. It was more impressive to keep your tail out, as it was a sign of power, a challenge to keep your weakness exposed. That, and well, anytime he used his flames with his tail hidden, his clothes usually burst into flames because of that darn flame on his tail…
He then picked the Kurikara back up, and tried channeling his flames through it. The demon sword glowed brilliantly as it too also became wreathed in the same blue flames, apparently with no harm. 'Interesting. That'll be useful to note. Now then…'
He let himself become shrouded in his flames and took in his appearance, more looking in the mirror,, as his ears elongated slightly more, his canines became more pronounced, and his pupil became a glowing demonic red. 'Interesting, the flames are not within the sword, but within me…'
He froze at that revelation, gazing at the mirror. 'Wait, how can I exist then? My power is far too great for Assiah!' He shut his eyes, searching deep within himself, and there it was, just below the surface, the insurmountable power that made him a ruler. 'But, how is this possible then? I should have eroded Assiah away long ago!' Satan wondered, somewhat troubled by this revelation. 'Yuri, what did you do?' He willed his flames away, and just like a candle, they poofed out, leaving him in the darkness of the bathroom again.
He pondered this turn of events further, until…
GROWL!
He froze, and grabbed his stomach in embarrassment, slightly blushing. "I'm hungry." He said.
Yukio woke up, stretching his arms out. He had stayed up much later than he usually did, trying to make the lesson plan easier for Rin, but it wasn't easy. His brother was thicker than Mt. Fuji at times… 'Honestly, at times. What is he thinking?' Yukio fumbled around for his glasses. Searching his night stand until he found them. 'He's probably still sleeping.' But when he looked at Rin's side, he saw the bed, but no Rin!
Yukio stared at the empty bed for a while, then he looked at his clock. It said 6:15, in the morning! He got up, grabbed one his guns, unloaded the ammo clip, and grabbed one of the bullets. He held his hand out and dropped it, watching it fall to the floor. "Well, at least gravity's still working… But where the heck is nii-san!" Yukio pinched his nose. Honestly, only his brother could make him worry by even doing sensible things!
He thought about where Rin could be, until he started smelling something sweet. His eyes widened. "Of course, the kitchen!" He started running to the kitchen and almost reached it, until he realized that was out of character for him, so he composed himself and calmly walked in to see his brother cooking.
He blinked as his brother, dressed in an apron, was cooking his favorite meal, Sukiyaki, while flipping through a cookbook with one hand, cutting vegetables with the other, and… using his tail to mix the meat in the pan?! "Nii-san, what are you doing?"
Rin turned back to Yukio, apparently undisturbed at using his tail for that purpose. "Yo! Want some Sukiyaki?" He grinned. Inside however, Satan was slightly embarassed. If word ever got out he was cooking while wearing an apron, he'd never hear the end of it! Especially from Beelzebub. That kid was the worst when it came to never letting someone live it down! He remembered the time Astaroth had pranked Iblis, replacing his favorite candles with some Grade-A explosives. After Iblis had essentially murdered Astaroth, Beelzebub never let either of them live it down, Iblis being completely charred, or Astaroth lying on the ground nearly in pieces.
Yukio, just stared, slightly disturbed at how easily Rin took to using his demonic appendages. He simply said, "Sure…" And grabbed a bowl and headed upstairs to eat it.
Rin slightly sulked when Yukio did that, but filled his own bowl and sat down. He was about to dig into it ravenously, but stopped. Satan thought about it, and decided, "Oh what the hell!" He placed his hands together and said, "Ittadakimasu!" And then dug in.
After he had finished, he headed back up the room, to see Yukio putting on his exorcist coat. "Oy! Yukio, where ya going!"
"Ah, I'm heading down to the supply store. After yesterday, I need to refill some supplies."
"Hey! Can I come with ya?"
"Huh? But, you're still only a page. Pages don't usually accompany exorcists."
"Well, I already saved your ass once. I'm sure it won't hurt to tag along!" Rin grinned at his checkmate.
Yukio, opened his mouth to respond, but having nothing to respond with, just pinched his nose in frustration, and sighed, "Fine."
Rin smiled, "Yay!" And inside Satan was doing the V-sign. 'That way I can keep an eye on him! You're not getting out of my sight Yukio!'
After some walking, Yukio arrived at a door where he took out a rather blocky looking key from a rather large key ring. "This is the supply shop key." He inserted it into the door and opened it, leading to a part way up above the school. Rin may not know the school that good, but he damn well knew that they should not have been up that high!
"What? Is that like a warp key or something?" Satan pondered, did humans actually have something like that?
Yukio smiled, somewhat expecting that reaction. "Ah, Sir Pheles is the one who gives us these keys. He's designed the school to essentially be impenetrable to mid to upper class demons."
"I see." Rin said, 'That makes more sense. Samael always did know how to bend time and space to his liking, as annoying as that is. Funny how he conveniently decided to make these keys after he left.' Satan smoldered in annoyance. He was really gonna enjoy having a "word" with his wayward son one of these days. They arrived at the supply shot where Yukio told Rin to wait for him. Rin of course got pissed on that and continued arguing. "Now now, Nii-san, I need you to stay here. I'm counting on you." Yukio smiled and walked away.
"Bah, I'm counting on you. What a load of crap! I'm supposed to be the parent figure here, not the other way around!" Then again, he really should look at how his kids turned out… This time, Rin pinched his nose, 'I blame their mothers…'
He interrupted his gloomy thinking as he noticed another pair of stairs. Of course, wanting to spite Yukio, he followed them. It led him to a fence and gate, and behind that he saw a very beautiful garden. Gazing further, he saw a small petite girl digging in it. She had beautiful blonde hair, and eyes that were an interesting shade of green. He noted the care she treated each of the flowers she was planting. 'That girl…' He saw that same expression on Yuri whenever she touched her stomach when she was pregnant with Yukio. He moved to grab the gate to get a closer look, but quickly recoiled when a shockwave went through the entire gate. Now, he probably could have salvaged this, but any chance of that happened when the gate actually disintegrated!
Rin just gazed at the where the gate used to stand, 'Uh, I guess I'm too powerful for standard demon wards…' He thought.
"Demon!"
"Huh?" Rin turned back to Shiemi to find that she was actually afraid.
"You broke the demon warding gate!"
"Uh…" Rin was slightly panicking, 'Come on, you're the king of lies! Think of something!' Satan frantically thought to himself. "Hey, don't go judging! I'm human (maybe?)." He started walking to her.
Shiemi started crawling away, shouting "Get away! Leave me alone!" She kept flopping and falling.
Rin noticed that, "Oy, are you okay?"
After settling that little dispute, Rin had gotten conscripted into helping Shiemi with planting. Of course, using cow shit was not doing wonders on his enhanced demon senses. 'Agh, why do humans use this stuff!' He thought.
"Thanks! With my legs, I could hardly get anything done! You've been really helpful!" The girl said.
"Helpful?! First you call me a demon (although that's really true...) and you put me to work? What are you, crazy?!" Rin yelled.
"Sorry about that. I was just surprised you destroyed the gate... Um, how did you do that by the way?" she asked.
"Um... I'm awesome?"
"Okay!" Leaving Rin to sweat-drop at her naivety. "Anyway!" She held out her hand, "We went off on a bad start, but I'm Moriyama Sheimi! Nice to meet you!"
"Um..." Rin slowly shook her hand. "Okumura Rin."
"So why are you interested in gardening?" Rin asked, trying to get his focus away from that scent.
"My grandma always had me help her with her gardening. She eventually started telling me about this garden called the Garden of Amahara. (1) She said it was a place where God gathered all the plants of the world. It's the most beautiful place on earth!"
Rin's eyes grew unfocused at that. "The most beautiful place on earth huh?" As he recollected ancient memories.
Flashback
There was once a beautiful garden that existed in the land far, far to the east. It was filled with thousands of kinds of plants, and was incredibly diverse in the creatures within it. Of course there were several special creations living within it as well.
A man and woman also lived in this garden, taking care of it, and ensuring that the garden was in good condition. A very curious thing was that they both walked naked without shame. Such a possibility had long since disappeared, ever since the flame of lust first entered into the human race, and they lost their original innocence.
At the center of the garden were two special trees; apple trees. The one was said to grant immense knowledge, whereas the other granted eternal life. There was only one stipulation for the man and woman. They could never eat of the Tree of Knowledge. That was the one thing that their Creator had ever asked of them, and they complied.
One day, the woman had wandered off by herself, tending to the garden. She was blissfully unaware of the lurking danger as a snake slowly descended from the forbidden tree that she had foolishly chosen to work by.
"Hello, my dear."
The woman's head snapped up as she searched for the unfamiliar voice. She looked from side to side, as she tried to identify where the voice came from, "Who said that?"
"I did. Up here in the tree."
The woman looked up in the tree, and gasped as she saw the serpent lying in its boughs. "How are you speaking? Are you not one of the creatures of the earth?"
"I ate of the fruit of this tree, and it gave me the ability to speak."
"But if you ate of the tree, you should surely die!"
"Nonsense. I ate it, and I am still alive, and here I speak with you now. Why don't you have a bite?"
The woman shook her head, "No, never! We must never eat of the fruit of that tree, or even touch it, or else we shall die! That is what the Lord has commanded us!"
The serpent made a sound similar to a tsk, tsk, and responded, "You will certainly not die. The Lord has commanded that because he knows you will become just like gods, with your knowledge of good and evil that it will give you."
"But…"
"Go ahead, take it, take your godhood now!" The serpents eyes widened as a fiery red illuminated its pupil, "Doesn't it look delicious. You've been working so hard, and I'm sure you need a snack. Go right ahead, I'm sure your master wouldn't mind if you had it more a snack."
"Well, it is kind of hot, and I am hungry…" hesitantly the woman reached out, and plucked the apple from the tree.
That was the most sorrowful day in the history of man. The Lord had been disappointed in his creations, and as such banished them from the garden, the one called Eden. The serpent made quick its escape as the Lord quickly set his flaming angel to guard the garden, veiling it from human sight forever.
End flashback
'I wonder if the garden she's seeking is the same one.' Satan thought.
"Rin! Rin! RIN!"
"Huh?" Rin snapped out of his thoughts, as he refocused back on the real world.
He saw Yukio and Shiemi were there, along with a larger woman he assumed must have been Shiemi's mother. Yukio was gazing at him intently, "You had spaced out pretty hard right there. Are you all right nii-san?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking."
"Then in that case I'll have to call an ambulance."
"Hey!"
Shiemi's mother interrupted. "Now then, Yukio dear, could you please examine Shiemi for me."
"A demon didn't do it!" Shiemi somewhat abruptly shouted, catching Rin off guard as to the sudden change in character.
"It's only a precaution, Shiemi." Yukio answered, "If I don't find anything, then there's no problem." He bent down to examine Shiemi's legs, "Can I have a look?" To which she nodded, as he moved her kimono out of the way to examine her legs. However, on them were enormous veins stretching across them, almost like they were growing within. Yukio's eyes narrowed.
"This is a root, the source." He quickly analyzed. "It's temptaint. A demon definitely did this."
Shiemi was bewildered, "B-but..."
Her mother's reaction was not as pleasant. "So is she-?!"
"No, Mrs. Moriyama, she isn't possessed. The demon isn't strong enough to do so. It's most likely a low-level one, such as a dekalp, greenman, or ent. They probably possessed a plant, and reached through the soil to feed on her inner unrest. It's somewhere in this garden..." Yukio's words echoed ominously as they stared at all the various plants around them. "Shiemi, demons usually snare their victims through conversation. Can you tell me when?"
"I haven't talked to a dem-
"Shiemi! Get out of this garden right now!" Mrs. Moriyama suddenly shouted.
"Mom?"
"Your grandmother, my mother! She cared for this place, but there's no use ruining your health over this damned garden!"
"Mom, don't say that!" Shiemi pleaded.
"What?! That is it! Shiemi, I forbid you from working in this garden anymore."
Shiemi seemed to grown incensed at that, "You can't do that! You've always been jealous because I gave grandma more attention than you! I've always tried to look after this garden! And now you're trying to take that away from me too! I hate you!" At that point, Shiemi suddenly seemed to grow weak and black out, but Rin stared at her.
Mrs. Moriyama watched nervously over her daughter as she slept soundly, worried for her well-being, like any mother would. "She looked fine, but her spirit was being drained out through her legs." Yukio answered her worry. "If we don't drive the demon off soon, then her life may be in danger."
"Isn't it weird how she sleeps here?" Mrs. Moriyama suddenly asked, catching Yukio off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"How she sleeps in this storehouse. This is where my mother slept, Shiemi's grandmother. After her death, Shiemi began spending all of her time here. That's when she lost the use of her legs... Just like her grandmother did..."
"Why?" Yukio asked, while Rin watched from the background.
She sighed. "I tried to ask her, but we always ended up fighting... I'm not a very good mother. When she was little she would often get sick at school. Since I was busy with the shop, her grandmother would look after her." She began walking back to the house. "Perhaps this is my punishment for neglecting her..." She sadly admitted.
Yukio turned back to ask his elder brother something only to see, "Where's Rin?!"
"Shiemi, you plant root vegetables when the moon waxes, and leafy plants when the moon wanes." Explained Shiemi's grandmother.
"Okay!" answered a much younger Shiemi.
"Shiemi, do you love plants and flowers?" She asked.
"Yep! And I like you too! I want to stay with you forever!" Shiemi eagerly answered.
At another time, "Shiemi, have you ever heard of the garden of Amahara?" Her grandmother asked, as she prepared more fertilizer.
"Nope! I don't like going places!" Shiemi quickly answered.
"It's a garden where God gathered all the plants of the world. You can see plants from every part of the world there!"
"Really? I wanna go!" In standard child fashion, Shiemi had done a complete 180. "Let's go together!"
Her grandmother smiled, "I'd like to, but I'm getting old and my feet hurt. Plus, I have to take care of my garden. You can go find it when you grow up."
Some time later, Shiemi, much older now, eagerly approached her grandmother, holding her money pouch. "Grandma! I'm gonna go look for the garden of Amahara now! I saved up some money! I've got enough to circle the globe!"
"Oh, and I was going to ask you to cover the grapes! But that's not enough to circle the globe. Why don't you start out close to home?
"Okay! I'll cover the grapes when I get back!"
"It's alright! Have a safe trip!" Shiemi left, leaving the smiling face of her grandmother behind.
"I'm back!" Shiemi yelled, "Sorry I'm so late! There were some pretty leaves and-" Shiemi's words were caught in her throat, as under the grapes was her grandma, her frail form crushed by the wood.
After the funeral, Shiemi blankly stared at the area where her grandma had died, silently mourning. "Grandma, the pansies haven't sprouted yet. How can I fix the vine trellis? If I don't do something, Grandma's garden will die! What should I do?"
'You must preserve the garden.' A voice said.
"Who said that?"
'I could do you know. I am a garden spirit.' A purple flower spoke to her. 'Will you lend me your strength?'
"As much as you need! This garden was Grandma's treasure! I'd do anything to protect it!" Shiemi cried, tears flowing fully.
'Then we'll protect it together. Forever.'
Nighttime had fallen, and Rin had taken to wondering the garden. He was scanning for that demon. Normally he wouldn't do such a thing, but that girl Shiemi was something else. Not only was she so much like Yuri, she had also got him thinking about Fujimoto. He hated that man, but why was that girl Shiemi making it so hard for him!
Eventually he got angry and started searching for that demon a lot more messier, smashing and breaking plants all over the place, stirring Shiemi from her sleep, continuing his ruckus until he heard, "What are you doing?"
He turned to see Shiemi who had crawled over to the source of the sounds, "What does it look like I'm doing! I'm trying to find that demon!"
"You can't do that! You're ruining the plants!"
"Why the hell should I care!"
"Because they were Grandma's. Because she left them to me. Because it's my fault she died!"
Rin froze at that, and looked at her, this girl who was starting to cry, 'This girl…' He thought.
"I had saved up some money to go looking for the Garden of Amahara, but I was also supposed to cover the grape arbor! Grandma told me to go look for it that day!, but she tried to cover them while I was gone, and it crushed her! She died because I was too selfish to do my job!" Shiemi's tears were running freely now.
Rin could only stare as memories flooded into him, the times he spent with Fujimoto, and the guilt he felt when Astaroth impaled him. What was this feeling?
Slowly it dawned on him. He wanted to protect Yukio, but at the same time, Fujimoto was Yukio's father, be it adopted or not. If he really wants to protect Yukio, then he'd have to get past the hatred he felt for the man, for Yukio's sake. As for her, "Oy! Staying in this garden, that's not what your grandma would have wanted!"
"Huh?"
"Your grandma wanted you to pursue your dream right? Then she wouldn't want you to stay in this garden! Staying in here only makes her death be in vain! She died doing what she wanted, and that was taking care of this garden!"
Shiemi stared at him, and looked down, "You- you're right…" She looked at Rin intently, and decided, "I can't stay here! I'll leave this garden!"
Rin crouched down and patted her on the head, "Right."
"Now you aren't going to break our promise are you?" Rin gazed around for that voice, when suddenly, "AHHHHH!" Rin got knocked back as Shiemi got engulfed by a giant plant ran up at the commotion, as he saw what had happened. "The plant demon's possessed her!"
The demon laughed, "We're going to stay in this garden forever!"
Yukio gritted his teeth, "Nii-san, back me up!"
Rin glared at the demon, "Right!" He took out Kurikara and channeled his flames into it, letting his appearance become more demonic at the same time. He charged at the plant, but each time it kept blocking his strikes with Shiemi. "Stop fighting dirty!"
"There's no such thing as fair or dirty when it comes to demons boy!"
Satan was enraged now. Demons may be liars, they may be cheats, they may be the lowest scum in the universe, but they at least have their honor in fights! This demon was a particular disgrace, and he would enjoy killing it!
"Now then, what will you do now? Can't hurt me without hurting the girl, can you?"
Yukio pulled out his gun, "Nii-san, back off!"
"Ha! You aren't going to shoot me! You'll hurt her as well!"
"Yeah, maybe I won't shoot," He cocked his gun, "Or maybe I will." He pulled the trigger, and fired.
Rin could only watch as the bullet struck Shiemi, the image of Yuri laying there dying floating through his mind. "Yukio!"
The demon shrieked, and fled, dropping Shiemi but Rin was waiting for it. He charged a blast of flame, and unleashed it upon the demon, burning it so thoroughly that he even destroyed its soul. He then turned back to Yukio, "Yukio, you bastard!" while Yukio caught Shiemi, as Rin's demonic appearance reverted to normal.
He started walking toward Yukio, until Shiemi stirred awake, leaving Rin flabbergasted. "What?"
Shiemi stared at Yukio, "wha- Yuki-chan?"
Yukio smiled, "It's alright Shiemi, the demons gone now." He began setting Shiemi down, and Rin felt some gladness as he saw Shiemi stand, but "Wait- but, you shot- what?"
Yukio held up a bullet, "It's just a bullet filled with plant nutrients! All I needed to do was to trick the demon."
"Wha-? Why do you even have something like that?"
"Shiemi!" Shiemi's mother came rushing down as she stared with concern at Shiemi.
Shiemi slowly walked to her mother, and gradually started running until she full out hugged her, sobbing, "I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!" while Rin and Yukio looked on.
That night, Rin tossed and turned as dreams bothered him once more,
Flashback,
Shamayim, more often called Heaven was usually a utopia of indescribable beauty, but that was not the case in recent events. The towering spires had been brought low, the streets were covered with bodies of the fallen, and all-out war had erupted.
A third of the Heaven's forces had amassed before the throne of the Lord, having fought tooth and nail to get that far. At the forefront of the army was Lucifer, his blackish-blue hair and golden armor stained red with the blood of his former brothers and sisters. It was he who had led the fallen angels in rebellion. The Lord had done nothing to show his power, so Lucifer dared to challenge him. He was created the strongest of the Seraphim, the highest of the nine orders of angels, so who better to lead than him?
"Sir, all our forces are mobilized and ready to advance. We are ready to take Heaven for ourselves!" Lucifer turned to face his right-hand man, Beelzebub, whom he would later name a son after.
"Agreed. It is time to march on the Lord and take control for ourselves!" He spread his six golden-white wings as he took to the skies, all the hordes of fallen angels flying after him, as they headed to the throne of the Lord, a brilliant shining light at the apex of Heaven.
The Lord had ordered his forces to fall back, the remaining two-thirds that still remained with Him, choosing to leave Himself open to the great army. The Lord spoke, "Lucifer! It is not too late! There is still time to repent and stop this madness! I would rather not do what you force me to do!"
Lucifer yelled back, "I will not stop! I will rule Heaven myself! Not you! I will never serve you again!"
The Lord bowed His head in grief, "Then you force my hand, Lucifer." And He spoke His divine Name.
Names always have power. They are one's own identity, essentially their essence given a singular form. There is not one name more powerful than that of the Divine, the name that contains all of Creation, all of existence, and paradoxically all of His infinite essence in that one word.
The brilliant light spread throughout all of the army, and with a single word, the third of Heaven that had rebelled, was laid to waste in a single moment.
Lucifer stirred, as he tried to get his bearings. What on Heaven had just happened? "Beelzebub? Beelzebub?" He called for his lietenant, but heard no response. He got up, and there was Beelzebub, lying unmoving, forever still. "Beelzebub!"
There was the great sound of a staff striking the ground. and Lucifer looked up to see the Lord slamming His staff into the ground. Immediately, the ground fell away beneath the fallen army, as the fell into a fiery pit of burning sulfur. Eventually Lucifer was the only one left, as the Lord walked from His high seat to speak with Lucifer personally.
"It is unfortunate that you have chosen to rebel, my son, but you have given me no choice."
"No choice! Why would I serve under you?"
The Lord sighed, grief evident in His eyes. "For your crimes against myself, I hereby remove your name as Lucifer. Henceforth you shall be know Satan, the Adversary, and I cast you from Heaven into the Pit."
The ground beneath the now named Satan began to crumble. "It's a shame, Satan. I created you to be the strongest of the angels. If only you had used your strength for good." And Satan fell from Heaven.
Rin gasped awake again. Why was he dreaming this now! It had been since before creation that those events had even happened!
Satan knew he was not about to fall asleep again, but he knew what he had to do. He snuck out of the dorm, and he took the midnight express. After some time, he arrived at his destination, the monastery cemetery, where he arrived at one particular grave. Here lies Father Fujimoto Shiro, dedicated servant of God, priest, and father.
He stared at the grave for a little bit before he decided to speak. "I guess I owe you an apology. Although you must be laughing at the irony. Satan, the devil himself coming to apologize to a priest. Ha! Sometimes I wonder if Kami has a sense of humor. But, I guess it's because you decided to spare me that I could watch after Yukio, so… thanks… I guess." He began walking away.
"I'm sorry, and rest in peace, Jiji."
"ἐμοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀκούσατε τέκνα καὶ οὕτως ποιήσατε ἵνα σωθῆτε 3 ὁ γὰρ κύριος ἐδόξασεν πατέρα ἐπὶ τέκνοις καὶ κρίσιν μητρὸς ἐστερέωσεν ἐφ' υἱοῖς "
"Filii sapientiæ ecclesia justorum, et natio illorum obedientia et dilectio. 2 Judicium patris audite, filii, et sic facite, ut salvi sitis. 3 Deus enim honoravit patrem in filiis : et judicium matris exquirens, firmavit in filios."
"Children, listen to me, your father; act accordingly to that, that you may be safe. For the Lord sets a father in honor over his children and confirms a mother's authority over her sons. Those who honor their father atone for sins; they store up riches who respect their mother. Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children. And when they pray, they are heard. Those who respect their father will live a long life; those who obey the Lord honor their mother."
Sirach 3:1-3
"Proverbium est : adolescens juxta viam suam; etiam cum senuerit, non recedet ab ea."
"Train a child in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it."
Proverbs 22:6
This chapter is done! As for the name changes between Rin and Satan, Rin is used to refer to interactions with other characters and appearance. Satan is used for his thoughts.
Notes:
(1) From what I could find, the closest basis for the Garden of Amahara might be Takama-ga-hara, which was the realm of the gods in Shinto mythology, the dwelling place of the kami.
Please review, or else I'll send Amaimon to "play" with you... Cheers!
Shinigami
"Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children in to the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. "With all your heart honor your father, and do no forget the birth pangs of your mouther. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?" (Sir 7:27-28)."
Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2218