So, a reader has brought to my attention that there was a prelude fight scene in chapter 8 that I had actually completely forgotten about hahahah. Needless to say, I'm going to have to rethink a few things ... time to get creative here! :)

Enjoy the chapter!

NOTE: Please read this chapter to the songs Light Em Up by Fallout Boy and Indestructible by Disturbed. It really sets the mood.

**WARNING: IT IS INCREADIBLY GRAPHIC AND, AT TIMES, GROSS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCREPENCY. This story is rated M for a reason, and you guys should know me well enough by now that I'm not an M author ... but I make exceptions. You've been warned. **

**and to those of you who wanted to see Rin as a demon ... here's to you, in all of its gory glory.***

**PS.. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to start this chapter...**

. . .

. . .

The steady roar of stomps and screams slowly became distinguishable from their neighbor. Rin could hear his own faint panting, could hear the earth tremble beneath his feet, could feel the bodies pressing around him. His mouth was dry and gritty from the dust. Then there was a sudden jolt as spears slammed against shields and swords against armor.

The armies had converged.

Rin idly realized that his sword was already in his hand even after he had begun his swing. A demon turned to him; its skin was blistered and cracked, and blood mixed with pus oozed from its pours. It looked pitiful, and Rin sunk his blade into its skull to put it out of its misery. Bone crushed beneath his blade and mixed with the blood. The parched ground easily sapped up the scarlet as it began to pool.

Too slow, Rin decided. Blue flame licked up his body. It trailed up his arms and down his legs, and Rin could feel its heat warm his fur-tuffed tail that he kept tucked away within his armor. Two sapphire flames danced just above his temple, the ultimate testament to his heritage. Silence descended on those around him as the demons nearby realized just who they were staring at. Some looked fearful. Others looked envious. Others simply hated; Rin could see their fury in their eyes, their bloodlust. In Rin, they saw Satan, the demon that frequently abused them, and they wanted revenge. If they couldn't have the blood of the father, then they would draw out the blood of his son.

A slow smile curved on Rin's lips, and he stretched out his hands. The harsh clanging of metal striking metal echoed around him as demons hacked away at each other. Blood arched in the air in crimson droplets.

"Come," he dared as the red rained down.

One demon screeched and jumped towards him, its body low to the ground. It held a mace in its hand and now held it behind him, undoubtedly determined to crush Rin's armor and whatever underneath into a bloody, messy pulp. Rin felt feverishly hot and, as he beheld the approaching demon in his blue-tinted world, he couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh ...

... and then go silent. Rin moved. The demon's eyes widened and it twisted its body to get away, but it was too late. Flame exploded around Rin's blade and, crouching, he threw himself forward. Sapphire danced in his eyes as his opponent lived on borrowed time. Sharpened metal met hardened steel as the blade skidded against the demon's armor, but Rin threw his elbow up and allowed momentum to take care of the rest. There was a sickening crack as his elbow was formally introduced to the demon's nose. Blood arched in the air as the demon fell to the ground, holding its face and screeching profanity.

Rin coldly glared down at the demon and he held his sword, point down, over its neck. "Shut up," he growled, and let the sword drop. The tip rent through the demon's neck and into the dust underneath. The demon opened its mouth to scream, but only gurgled as blood bubbled and spilt over its pale, torn lips and down its chin. Rin, without flinching, ripped the sword out. The dirt sapped up the warm scarlet.

Rin turned his sapphire gaze to the other demons. They had formed a circle around him, their bloodlust was nearly a physical being, and yet instinctual fear kept their weapons at their sides.

Rin smiled, and his canines lightly dug into his lower lip. "What's wrong?" he taunted. "Are you afraid of me?"

Three demons, after briefly exchanging a glance, snarled and threw themselves at him. The demon inside Rin cried out from excitement and Rin's smile widened. He twisted his body between two stabbing blade, then ducked underneath a third. A wickedly curved blade was a blur above him, but Rin hardly noticed. He slammed his palms onto the ground and, without warning, a pillar of blue flame erupted below his assailants. Their screams were nearly pleasurable; he could smell their skin burned off of their flesh, could hear their primal cries of unimaginable pain as their insides boiled, their bodies twisted as pain-induced spasms took hold.

Rin watched them burn, grinning, until there was nothing left of their existence but black ash. He didn't have to hold back here, didn't have to suppress himself on the battlefield. Here, everyone knew who he was and now finally knew what he was capable of. He was no longer chained to a wall, and they could no longer beat and abuse him, could no longer scar his back from their whips. He would show them that he was not the half-starved hybrid in the stone cell ... he had power here, and more importantly, he could wield it with everything he . . .

The landscape blurred, and Rin blinked to clear it.

. . . what?

Rin squinted as the world grew hazy for a moment, then suddenly cleared again. With a frown he lifted one hand and dabbed his cheek with his fingers. They came back wet. Rin stared at the small bead of liquid, uncomprehending.

Tears?

He blinked. A drop fell from his eyelashes and onto his cheeks, cutting a trail through the dust and crime layered on his skin. The hell? He impatiently wiped the tears away, and his sleeve came back wet and streaked with red and dirt.

Suddenly there was movement to his left. Rin, caught off guard, wasn't prepared to meet the blow that slammed into his temple. He hit the ground, hard. Blood matted his hair to the side of his head and he blinked away the stars. Crimson drops fell on the dry dust as Rin staggered to his feet, but the world was spinning too much and he toppled over, his ears ringing.

He felt cold metal bite into his side without warning, and only survival instincts forced him to move to avoid the lethal kill. He felt the blade knick his rib before it was quickly drawn back out, and Rin rolled into a low crouch, breathing hard. The world still rocked back and forth, and he felt like throwing up. In front of him were five figures; surrounding them were several more battles that raged on, and he briefly saw a severed head bounce on the ground. He didn't recognize the face.

But their faces didn't matter. He hated them, hated them with an intensity that nearly frightened him.

"Burn," Rin hissed. He allowed the flame that constantly raged inside of him to be released, and the instant relief was gratifying. His vision exploded into a wall of blue; however, unlike before, he didn't allow this fire to burn for long. He forced it to disappear, and five charred corpses were left behind. Rin's heart slammed in his chest as he nearly fell over, but he forced himself to remain still.

I should save my strength, he noted, his breathes loud and ragged in his throat. He forced himself to his feet. Blood dripped down the side of his face, and he winced as his side protested. He placed a steadying hand on it and took a deep breath. It was bleeding too much ... even if he waited for it to heal on its own, it would take an hour at best ... if he waited that long, he would already be dead. He slowly let his breath out.

. . . Damn it.

He gathered his flame to his hand. His palm began to heat up, painfully so, and he slid it between the two metal plates in his armor that had been rent in two. Crap armor, he painfully smirked, and placed his burning hand onto the stab wound.

For a moment he didn't feel any pain at all, but his confusion quickly gave way to white-hot pain. All that existed was the fire that burnt through his side like a white-off knife, and fell to his knees holding back his screams as he burnt the wound closed.

Darkness crept in the corners of his vision, and suddenly the world when dark. When it brightened again, he idly noted that the horizon was flipped the wrong way and that he could hear the heavy footfalls of armies vibrating against his cheek. He must have passed out for a second or two, and as he forced himself to his feet to defend himself ... by some miracle, the demons had left him alone ... he gingerly slid his hand back into his armor to inspect the wound. It was feverish to the touch, sensitive and painful, but it was closed.

Ouch, he winced as he stood to his full height. The blood loss made him light headed, but with his regeneration, it would soon pass. He refused to die until he killed Satan with his own two hands.

He vaguely remembered something about a promise of revenge and something about a funeral in the rain, but the memory was hazy and he pushed it aside.

. . .

Yukio's eyes widened when he saw blue flame blossom on the battle field. But is that Rin, he wondered, or Satan?

Below was absolute chaos. He couldn't tell which side was which. Every demon looked the same, and each killed without any care for their neighbor. It was a free-for-all blood bath.

The ground appeared to be more red than brown now.

"I'm going down there," Yukio declared as he hovered beside Mephisto. "Rin is there. We have to - "

"Well well well."

Yukio went cold at the voice behind him.

"Look at who we have here."

He slowly turned around, pale. An all-too familiar face stared back at him; with chiseled featured, a strangely beautiful face and sapphire eyes, he could recognize that face anywhere.

"Satan," Yukio murmured, eyes wide.

Satan smiled, revealing a set of pearly-white teeth, each sharpened to a point. He didn't even seem to hear Yukio.

"Mephisto," Satan said, his voice deceivingly calm, "I see you've found a way to Gehenna even though I had specifically banished you."

"Your security has always been terrible," Mephisto smiled in response, but Yukio could see just how tightly he was holding his umbrella.

Satan laughed. "Apparently," he said, then slowly turned to Yukio. His expression, while still pleasant, hardened. "And you came back for your blood kin, I am assuming. Where is the blond-haired one?"

"G - Give us back Rin!" Shiemi suddenly burst out. Yukio couldn't decide if she was incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. "You can't keep him here!"

Satan stared at her, most likely wondering the same thing Yukio was, before he suddenly burst out laughing . . . and then went silent. "Shut up," he said. A shiver ran down Yukio's spin, and then there was suddenly an arm crossing his vision. It took him a moment to realize that he was staring at Mephisto's arm, which had just grabbed Satan's outstretched hand. Shiemi gasped when she noticed the clawed hand inches from her face.

"Please do not kill my guests," Mephisto murmured, his violet eyes dangerously bright.

Satan smirked. "You dare challenge me, boy?

"I am making a request," Mephisto replied, then his eyes locked with Yukio. 'Find you brother, and stop this battle,' he mentally ordered. 'I'll keep Satan busy.'

Yukio's eyes widened when he heard Mephisto's voice echoing in his mind, and suddenly he - and the others - were falling through the air.

The last thing he heard was Satan's laugh following them down.

. . .

By the way, I've been getting some generally sad vibes around, so here are a few words from me as a person, not an author, to you, you lovely human being you.

Don't be afraid of being yourself! You are the only "you" in the entire world: you are a gift, a beautiful gift, with so much hidden potential, unique talents, and lovely smiles that brighten the days of those around you. :) You are perfect just the way you are, you and all of your imperfections. Do what you love to do and live life honestly: whether it be partying hard with red solo cups or drinking chai lattes at a coffee shop, or crazy nights at a club or nights spend with a favorite book, live your life honestly. Live in the present, dream of the future, and learn from the past. Be your own best friend; encourage yourself when things don't go your way and congratulate yourself when things do. But shit happens ... but when it does happen, you would be surprised at how many people are there for you. You are never alone - maybe lonely at times, but never alone. :) xo

^ I felt like that needed to be said. Don't ask me why because I wouldn't be able to explain it anyway ... I just had a feeling. But, if any of you ever just want to talk a bit more (whether it be about life, travel stories, crazy adventures, advice, help, a shoulder to lean on, etc) shoot me a PM :) I'll be here for each and every one of you, from the otakus to the readers who are trying to hide the fact that they like anime ;) (I fit in the latter category hahahah)

Much love,

Random

xo