So, no smut in this chapter. I'd like to apologize in advance for the battle scene as I'm not great at writing them. Also, I wanted to explain something that I should have mentioned last chapter. World End's new name, Kōzan, translates to 'mine.' Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Again...I own nothing except the plot.

Chapter 4

Within a few hours of walking, the trio had reached a small town near Mount Kita. There were a few decent sized caves nearby and Wor had a good feeling that they were in the right place. He suggested that they check in to the only hot springs in town to begin their search and Rin readily agreed when he learned that there would be a private bath.

A very tall young man named Tetsu got them checked in and gave them their room key. He eyed the trio curiously and Rin noticed that the young man's gaze lingered especially long on World End. Fighting the urge to growl, Rin snatched their keys from his hand and took Wor's hand in his before leading the way to their room.

"What was that about?" Wor asked once the door was shut behind them.

"He was staring," Rin growled lowly.

"At me?" Rin nodded and Wor couldn't help but chuckle at Rin's possessiveness. It felt good to have someone who wanted him that badly. "Well, I think I'll start by checking out the private bath," he said as he turned, winking suggestively at Rin. The demon wanted desperately to follow his Servamp, but Kuro suddenly transformed and held him back.

'Not a good idea Rin!' Rin growled again and crossed his arms, moving away from Kuro to sit on the bed. Wor shrugged and left, the door clicking softly shut behind him. 'I have a feeling that he'll keep teasing you unless you tell him the truth.'

"I know...dammit. This is just so difficult! I don't even know what to say. I've never been in any kind of relationship, but my first one just has to be my mate! I mean, what am I supposed to tell him? Hey, not to pressure you, but if we don't fuck I just might kill all of the people within a 50 mile radius!? Yeah, that sounds really sexy," he said sarcastically, but any other thoughts were cut off as Wor suddenly opened the door and stepped back into the room.

"So...when you say kill..." Wor started, gesturing with his hands for the other man to continue, clearly mocking the way Rin had reacted to learning that Wor had killed his previous neighbors at the prison.

"Shit! That wasn't...w-wait...ah, dammit. That isn't how I wanted to tell you," Rin had jumped up from the bed, hanging his head dejectedly at the end.

"Maybe we should have that talk now," Wor offered, smiling comfortingly. Rin nodded and they both sat on the bed as Rin began the full explanation of the mating process for demons.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stop the process now that it's been started," he sighed as he finished. "I don't want to pressure you though, so if you don't want this I could just go to Gehenna..." Wor cut him off with a finger to his lips.

"First of all, you can't leave me because of our contract. If we're to far apart for to long we'll both die. Secondly, you don't know how I feel about all of this yet," Wor was struggling to express exactly how he did feel. "There's just one thing that makes me hesitate, and believe me, it's not the fact that you're a man. That part of you is...definitely not a problem." He paused to lick his lips. "It's just, you're only 16 and I'm...well, let's just say I stopped aging when I was 20. I'm extremely old...are you really okay with having someone like me as a mate?"

"Well...it's not really like I have a choice," Rin laughed softly. "But honestly, I thought you were attractive as soon as I got over the initial shock of our meeting. That night, the night when we...I was aroused long before I looked up at you, but once I saw you, I just couldn't tear my eyes away." Rin gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to throw himself on top of the man in front of him as mental images from the night they formed their bonds bombarded him. Wor noticed how tense he was.

"Are you okay?"

'Be honest from now on Rin!'

"Thanks Kuro, super helpful," Rin cast a quick glare the the familiar through clenched teeth. "Per Kuro's wishes, I'll be honest. I'm not okay, because I'm fighting the intense urge to jump you right now." Wor laughed.

"Thanks Kuro," he said before turning his attention back to the demon in front of him. "Would it help if you went to take a bath on your own?" After a moment Rin nodded. He stood and walked a wide berth around the Servamp as he made his way to the door, Kuro joining him.

After the door closed, a small black bat flew in through the open window. Wor looked up at it as it flew around the light in the center of the room a few times. Finally it landed on the foot of the bed and immediately transformed, revealing Old Child.

"Hello brother! It's been a long time," the older, but much smaller Servamp spoke.

"Yeah, but I see you haven't changed! How are you Old Child? Do you even still go by that name?" The two brothers spoke excitedly, spending the next half hour catching up. They only stopped their conversation once Rin and Kuro reentered the room. The demons blinked at the small child sitting on the bed in confusion.

"This is my eve, Rin, and Rin, this is Old Child. His current name is Hugh," Wor introduced them.

"Current name?" Rin was slightly confused.

"My eve's name for me," Hugh offered.

"Oh, like how yours is Kōzan?" Wor nodded and they both ignored Hugh's laughter at the name. "So who is your eve?"

"That would be me," Tetsu said as he stuck his head in through the now open door. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Please do! Everyone, this is my eve, Tetsu Sendagaya. Tetsu, this is my younger brother, World End and his eve Rin Okumura," Hugh introduced everyone. The tall boy said hello before taking a seat on the bed. Hugh immediately placed himself in Tetsu's lap. "They have come for my assistance in escaping the ever present and ever dangerous C3."

The group of four then spent the next couple of hours discussing ideas and making plans for how to escape C3. As the hour grew later Hugh and Tetsu left so that they could all get some rest. Wor once again pulled Rin under the blankets, spooning the demon and holding him close as they fell asleep. The next morning Wor woke first and tried to carefully wiggle out of Rin's tight grasp. The demon was wrapped around him like a blanket again and he didn't want to stress Rin out by having a repeat of what happened last time they woke up like this. Rin's grip was quite tight on him, though, and he was having trouble getting free.

"Little help here Kuro?" The Cat Sídhe was already awake as well and meowed in response before transforming and using his paws to hold Rin down while Wor struggled out of his grasp.

"Wha...what's happening?" Rin groaned as he woke up from the movements and the pressure of being held down by Kuro.

'Good morning Rin!' Kuro spoke cheerfully before he transformed to his usual size on the bed beside his master. Rin eyed both of them suspiciously, but chose to ignore it as he stood and dressed for the day.

After breakfast Hugh and Tetsu escorted them as they began to walk to the town where Wor's older brother, Lawless lived. The Servamp's current name is Hyde and his eve is a very rich young man named Licht Jekylland Todoroki. Licht was willing to allow them to live in one of his mountain homes in the United States. According to the young musician, it was a home he never used anyway so he had no problems with them living there.

Wor and Hugh spent a lot of time engaging in conversation on this walk. The two brothers hadn't seen each other in nearly a century and they had a lot of catching up to do. Tetsu walked silently, carrying Hugh on his shoulders. Rin was carrying Kuro on his shoulders, which was fairly normal, but for once he wasn't speaking to his familiar. Kuro could tell that Rin was lost in thought, so he didn't really bother trying to get his master's attention as he knew that would fail.

Rin's attention was focused entirely on Wor. The man was very attractive and he tended to walk with his arms crossed in the air above his head a lot. This caused his shirt to be pulled up, constantly revealing his toned abs. It didn't help that the jumpsuit he was wearing as pants hung dangerously low, showing off the Servamp's hips and the defined 'V' that Rin longed to see the bottom of.

Wor's voice was deep and soothing and Rin loved the way his eyes twinkled as he listened to his older brother's stories, hanging on every word. White hair ruffled slightly in the breeze and Rin realized that he had never touched the other man's hair before. Suddenly that was all he could think about. Would Wor's hair be soft, or would it be coarse with age? Since the man was technically undead, did his hair still grow? Was white his natural color? There were so many things that he didn't know about his mate yet, but as Rin watched Wor smile up at Hugh, he knew that he loved everything about him and he would do anything to see that smile every day.

It took them nearly four days to reach the town that Hyde and Licht lived in. They were standing on a hill over looking the town, in a small wooded area when Hugh suddenly motioned for everyone to be quiet. He transformed into the small black bat Wor had seen before and flew into the trees. A few moments later he rushed back to Tetsu.

"It's C3! They've found us! Prepare to fight," he said before biting Tetsu's neck. The eve was suddenly holding a large coffin and he opened the door to release a swarm of bats just as C3 appeared on the hill behind them.

"Kōzan!" Rin called, instinctually knowing what was needed. He held out his arm and Wor bit down, swallowing the blood quickly before licking the wound. As the red light crackled and the chain formed between them Rin pulled Kurikara from its sheath and Kuro transformed, preparing to fight.

"Now, now. Does it really have to be this difficult? You could just come peacefully," Tsuyuki spoke from behind a row of his men. Wor scoffed and Rin and Kuro both growled at the man who cowered slightly under their hateful glares. "Have it your way then," he said, nervously. C3's men then launched themselves forward to fight.

The battle was intense and dragged on and on, but there were a lot less men here than there had been at the prison. Rin had used his flames to kill six of their attackers, but the rest of the men tried their best to stay out of Rin's range, using throwing weapons or arrows to fight the demon. C3's numbers where quickly reduced, but the eves were beginning to tire and all of them began to wonder if they should search for a way to escape.

"Ah, shit!" Rin cursed as an arrow grazed his arm, leaving a large cut across his left shoulder.

Smelling his eve's blood, Wor turned to look at Rin, concern filling his eyes, before one of C3's members managed to land a hit on him, knocking him to his back on the ground. Wor coughed as the wind was knocked out from him. The fighter above him raised a katana and prepared to cut off the Servamp's head. Another arrow grazed Rin's right thigh and he dropped to the ground, ignoring the pain, as he screamed at the man trying to kill his mate. Rin knew he would never reach the other man in time to stop the attacker and his heart nearly shattered.

"I don't think so!" The man above Wor was suddenly thrown backwards, crashing into two other C3 members. Standing near Wor's head was a younger man with blonde hair that had brown tips. He grinned at the scene surrounding them as he pulled a rapier from the scarf around his neck. "Well, you guys have been having fun! Mind if we cut in?"

"Shut up and fight you stupid hedgehog!" Rin turned to face the new voice and saw a young man with black hair that had a white strand hanging down in the front. He was unable to react to either of them before they jumped in and started helping Tetsu and Hugh. When he had recovered from the initial shock of the pair's sudden arrival, he carefully sheathed Kurikara and pressed his right hand over the bleeding wound on his left shoulder.

"Are you okay Rin?" Wor was suddenly beside him, examining his wounds. "Here, let me." Wor pulled his hand away from the shoulder wound and placed his mouth over it, licking the cut.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked curiously, trying desperately to hide his relief. His mate was still alive and unharmed and that knowledge sent a wave of calm over the demon. He hardly noticed the pain from his wounds as his eyes focused on Wor's every movement.

"A vampires saliva can help heal wounds. Why do you think I lick you every time I bite you?" He smirked.

"Oh. So, who are they?" Rin nodded his head in the direction of the newcomers, purposefully ignoring the suggestive smirk Wor had offered. He could feel his instincts screaming at him to claim his mate, but the middle of a battlefield was certainly not the place to do so.

"The blonde is Lawless, so I assume the black haired kid must be his current eve." At this point the few remaining members of C3, including Tsuyuki, began to retreat, seeing that they were completely outnumbered.

"We can't let them get away!" Hyde shouted before running after the retreating men. He was followed quickly by Licht, Tetsu and Hugh. They all disappeared through the trees as Rin and Wor watched.

'I'll help!' Kuro called as he raced through the trees after them. Rin ignored him as he noticed that Wor was leaning down, preparing to lick the wound on his thigh. He grit his teeth and coughed to get the Servamps attention.

"You shouldn't do that," he stated quickly before clenching his jaw. His grasp over his control was quickly slipping, but he kept reminding himself that now was not a good time. Wor glanced up at him confused, but upon seeing his eve's face he realized what was happening.

"Oh...right. Uh...let's just wrap it for now," Wor offered before tearing the sleeves off of the jumpsuit he wore and helped Rin tie them around his leg so that the wound was covered. Rin clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying not to look at the other man. Just as he was about to give in to his instincts and jump Wor, regardless of their location, the others returned.

"Hey guys!" Hyde greeted.

"Hey! What happened?" Wor asked as he took in their appearances. All of them had a fair amount of blood on their clothes, but of course, when he looked down at himself he realized that he had a fair amount on him as well.

"We won of course. Angels always prevail over evil," Licht stated as he struck a pose. Rin and Wor raised an eyebrow and glanced at each other, very confused. Hyde only laughed.

"Don't listen to angel-kun here," he smirked before whispering, "he's a little crazy." Hyde then promptly received a kick to the chest from the black haired boy. Hugh sighed and took it upon himself to explain.

"We have disposed of the evil C3, but I have no doubt that we have not seen the last of them!" At the slightly confused looks they received, Tetsu stepped in.

"They're all dead," he shrugged. Rin and Wor nodded in understanding.

'Are you okay Rin?!' Kuro asked as he walked up to his master, back to his usual size.

"Yeah, I'll be fine Kuro. Just a couple of cuts from some arrows," he answered as he reached down to pet the Cat Sídhe. The others talked a little bit more about the battle, but Rin focused himself on petting Kuro. With the shock of almost seeing his mate beheaded and the exhaustion he felt from both the battle and from trying to keep his instincts in check, Rin didn't want to think to much about anything else.

"So, since they'll be off our tails for awhile..." Wor's voice caused Rin to look up. "Maybe now is the best time for us to leave and go to the United States?" The others nodded and Licht began to lead the way down the hill towards his mansion.