D': *sobs in a corner*
Yes yes yes I know that I screwed up with the demon Kings. No no no I'm not going back and turning Raziele and Xavier back into Kings. Why? Because that would make this story inaccurate and I can't stand it when my fanfics are inaccurate. So, this is what I'm going to do: I'm going to make it all better with twisted logic. [Recap: Raziele is just a half-breed. Xavier is a General with an infinity for ice.]
Why does Raziele and Xavier still call Satan father / why does he consider them his family? Because Satan pretty much rules over them. I can picture him as a twisted guy who likes making people submissive to him; this is just another way he does it.
They aren't kings and I went back and fixed up the chapter as best as I could. I'm sad about it too. I mean, all you guys have to do is read. I actually have to do the work and write it, at let me tell you how much it sucks to watch your future plot and amazing plans fall away in three seconds flat. It's not a happy moment. Not at all.
BUT WHATEVER. I have a new plan in mind that I like better (because it's more accurate) and because the characters are made for me. :D Ah. hahahah. ha. I'm so lazy.
Anyway, here's chapter 9; Rin's POV. Comments at the end. :) Enjoy the chapter, beautiful people!
PSS: more cussing. I'm sorry! D: D: D:
Rin's blood went cold when Satan addressed him directly. The King of Gehenna was looking down at him, his blue eyes - the same exact shade as Rin's - seemed to pierce him to his soul. Rin pushed himself harder against the wall, feeling completely exposed as Satan sneered at him, then walked over with his hands outstretched.
"What's with that face?" the demon asked. Rin could see two blue horns jutting out of Satan's black hair, his canine teeth pushing against the soft skin of his lower lip. His hands were smooth and pale, his suit the darkest of all nights. "Aren't you happy to see your daddy?"
Rin watched in horror as Satan's hand cupped his jaw, forcing him to look into his eyes. The icy blue irises were warped slightly, as if twisted, the pupils a bloody red.
Bloody red. Bloody red. Bloody.
Rin's eyes widened as the flashback engulfed him. Blood.
Blood pouring out of his father's nose, his eyes, as he threw his head back and laughed. Scarlet beads flew through the air and splattered on the floor as Shiro laughed, laughed and laughed and laughed, his spine bent at an awkward angle. Blue fire ignited on his back but didn't burn the fabric, and yet it still burned.
Rin just watched, uncomprehending, his stomach twisting inside of him in abject horror and terror. Was this some sick joke? A nightmare? Yeah, Rin thought, his heart trying to beat a hole in his chest. This is just a nightmare.
Cold sweat trickled down his back as he tried to back up, back up into the wall. If this is a nightmare, would he wake up? Could he wake up now? He shuffled back a little bit more, but his hands touched something wet and sticky. He froze, terrified, and every so slowly looked down. There was a puddle on the ground, like ink or something, but when he raised his hand to his face, he realized that his palm was stained red.
This wasn't ink.
It was blood.
"Get away from me!" Rin screamed. The blue flames that had throbbed inside of him as it begged for release suddenly burst out of his skin. This all felt like déjà vu. The screaming, the terror, the panic that tasted bitter in his mouth. He was idly aware that his hands were shaking as he lunged forward, trying to push Satan back, away from him, but the demon only laughed.
"Your flames can't hurt me," he smirked, and then suddenly Rin was on the ground, dazed, gazing at the arced ceiling. Satan was standing above him, one of his shoes pressed down against Rin's chest. Rin gasped as the pressure intensified, as he felt his ribs fracture under the weight as his hands tried to push the leg off, to get it away . . .
. . . but it was useless. Rin gasped, each breath a painful victory has his vision blurred. His arms fell to the ground, limp, and something warm trickled out of his mouth. Satan was looking down at him, again, but instead of a smile his face was impassive. Emotionless. Like he didn't even care.
"Weak," he stated, and Rin bit back a cry as he felt his ribs shift, screaming in pain yet unable to heal. "You're useless to me like this."
"And he'll be useless dead," said a voice. Rin turned, his vision darkening. Raziele?
Satan laughed. "He won't die from this." There was a snap as a rib broke, followed by a breathless gasp.
"You could starve him instead and keep him in isolation," Raziele offered. "For his insubordinate. It's much more effective than pain in most cases."
Xavier scoffed. "Only because you've been there yourself, half breed."
Rin's ears rang; his mouth tasted like copper. His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes closed, the pain in his chest almost pushing him off the edge and into unconsciousness, when the pressure suddenly released. Almost immediately the healing took place; the ribs, dislocated and broken, snapped back in place and stitched themselves together. The bruising faded slightly and Rin opened his eyes again to see dark boots walking away. Someone was talking, but he couldn't hear very well.
And then someone was dragging him to his feet. Rin protested, wincing when his still-healing ribs shifted inside of his chest.
"Sorry sorry sorry," murmured Raziele, easing him back down. Rin gasped and more blood trickled from his mouth. Raziele made a face. "Well, I've been here in Gehenna for a while, but that was the most exciting thing I've seen yet. Can you walk?"
Rin managed to glare at him, feeling a bit more himself. At least he could breathe. "Starve . . . me in . . . isolation?"
"I'll take care of that, little bro. Don't worry."
"I'm not . . . your little . . . brother," Rin managed. Raziele helped him sit up and the younger demon spit blood out of his mouth. Maybe one of his lungs got punctured by the jagged edge of a rib, but he didn't know. Yukio was always the expert on that doctor stuff.
Raziele only laughed and ruffled his hair. "Sure I am," he grinned. "I'm your older brother who's always here to watch your back and to patch you up when you got your ass kicked."
"Stop," Rin protested, trying to push the older demon away, but Raziele would have none of that. Instead he grabbed Rin's face and forcibly turned it from side to side, checking for damage. Rin hissed at him. "I'm fine."
Raziele scowled, his pink eyes flashing, and Rin almost took a step back. He actually looked pretty scary. "You just attacked the King of Gehenna," the older demon stated. "You're not okay."
"It's happened once before," Rin grumbled, getting to his feet. Almost immediately his head swam and he stumbled, but Raziele was already there and caught him before he fell.
"By Lucifer, you're an idiot," Raziele informed it.
Rin turned away. "Shut up. It's already healed."
"And there's this thing called blood loss, which means that, until you're able to produce more of the red stuff, you're screwed. It takes a few minutes."
Rin glared at Raziele, then suddenly paused. "The demon girl," he whispered, his eyes darting to the spot where she had hit the wall. But the only thing there was a smear of blood on the wall and ground; nothing more. She had already left.
"Yep. She's gone," said Raziele. "And His Royal Pain in the Arse also left."
Rin glanced sideways at him. "Who?"
"Xavier Hellios," Raziele explained. "He's a General. He's also sick and twisted and has this thing against all half breeds, so watch out for him. He's infamous for ripped out this one guy's internal organs so fast he saw them spilling out onto the floor before he died. Another time - " He caught himself and had the decency to look bashful about it. "Sorry. I'll shut up."
"No, don't," Rin said, sitting down and leaning against the wall. He didn't feel as nauseous any more. "Who else do I need to look out for?"
Raziele blinked, surprised, then sat down next to him. "Well, there's this guy named Amon, a King by the way. He's a creepy bastard, always walking around and grinning, and he'll gut you for just looking at him wrong."
Rin swallowed. He knew that Raziele wasn't kidding. "Who else?"
"Astaroth," Raziele replied. Rin's eyes widened in recognition. "She's a - "
"She's a girl?" Rin asked in disbelief. He remembered when Astaroth possessed the leader of that gang a while back, the one that was cutting the feet off of the pigeons for laughs.
Raziele laughed at his reaction. "Yes, she is, believe it or not. She's also smokin' hot, by the way, and uses, you know," Raziele whispered a word into Rin's ear, making him blush a bright red, "to get what she wants," he finished. "It's how she manipulates people," he added with an evil grin and nonchalant shrug. "I got manipulated a few months ago into doing something for her, and I'll probably get manipulated the next time as well. She's also the King of Rot."
"Not the Queen?" Rin asked.
"King, Queen, whatever." Raziele yawned. "It's just a title. Anyway," he suddenly grinned, turning back to Rin, "you want to go to the kitchens now?" His pink eyes were practically sparkling.
Rin blinked at him. "You still want to go?"
"Of course," Raziele scoffed, getting to his feet. "There's no such thing as no time to eat."
"But," Rin frowned as he got to his feet as well, "I'm supposed to be on isolation," he added with a sharp glare. "And starved."
Raziele laughed and ruffled Rin's hair again, causing the younger demon to protest. "Would I let my little baby brother get tortured? No, I would not. Now relax and come on," pulling Rin along with a wide smile on his face. "Good food awaits."
I love it when one character tries to cheer up another :)
So, I'm still organizing my thoughts and working on the plot, since it basically crumbled away when the historically-accurate Kings replaced my own. That said, I'm getting a grasp at what's going to happen. :) So it sucks a little less.
Anyway, comments! :D
SkyHana: Thank you! :D But I wouldn't say mine is the best . . . maybe, like, decent hahah :) As for your questions, you're just going to have to wait and find out!
anatric: I'm not happy about the whole change either, but I did it because I care about this story and the accuracy of the plot. If I didn't care, I would have ignored the entire thing and continued on. :)
Emily Blue Paw: Hahah thanks! :D And sadly, Xavier isn't the Ice Demon King anymore, but his affinity is ice. And actually, your ice puns are really cool, so chill out and keep them up :P :P :P (and yes, I saw that too. -_- It's like, seriously? Can they not read the rant?)
Hartanna: Raziele is crippin' adorable. I'm glad you agree xD
Nigh's-whisper18: xoxoxoxo (I can't do 3 because it turns them into 3's) thank you for appreciating that. Not many people understand how tough it is to update daily. Dude. You're awesome. Don't ever change. :D