DISCLAIMER: I do not own -Man nor Ao no Exorcist. They belong to Katsura Hoshino and Kazue Kato, respectively.
Before we start, I'd like to mention the head canon for this this fic, canon stops at chapter 209: Searching for A.W.- A Fellow Traveler. Any information presented after that will be null in this fic. In other words, let's pretend that 210-224 never happened. Okay? Okay.
Now since I have made the outro AN too darn long, I will just put this here. To the guest reviewers, I wish that you guys had logged in so I can PM you guys! Your reviews were way too awesome! I love you guys! x3 That also includes each and everyone of you! I'm quite surprised how the number of favorites and follows this fic has escalated so quickly. Like, almost everyday, my inbox gets flooded by notifications of favorites and/or follows. You are too awesome guys. c: Just wanted to say.
Special shoutout to the people who review every chapter! I'm not sure if there was such a person(s) but I have a feeling that someone does. I'm too lazy to check XD. You guys know who you are.
Another special shoutout to The-Allenfangirl for that very heartwarming PM! :D
Yet another special shoutout to Fulminata for being my beta-reader and therefore having to put up with my chapters~! xD *salute*
I swear that's the last shoutout.
To Deathstarling56: I specifically went back to edit this chapter to add as much drama as I can. I hope you cry. Just saying. :)
"Honor your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."–Ephesians 6:2-4,12
Chapter 5- The Winds of Change Blow South
"At last...I have this body...!"Shiro declared. But his voice was distorted and layered, making it sound as if there were two voices speaking at once. One was the voice of Shiro, stripped of its kindness. The second sounded otherworldly and eerily deep.
As his eyes scrutinized Shiro, Allen realized with horror that Shiro had been possessed. There chained to Shiro's soul was the very same demon that Allen met fifteen years ago under a blazing blue night sky.
Rin, who stood at Shiro's back, couldn't help the bone-deep feeling of horror that settled over him that told him to run to somewhere as far away from her as possible. Instead of heeding his instinct, he approached Shiro. "H-Hey old man...?"
"No, Rin! Get away from him!" Allen shouted as fear gripped his heart.
Hearing this, Rin stopped halfway to look at Allen in confusion. "Allen? What? Why?" 'What's wrong with them? There's clearly something wrong with the old man!'
Rin realized with a jolt that Allen's left eye was...
His eyes widened. The sclera of Allen's left eye was pitch black and the pupil replaced by two red rings. Hovering over his left eye was a set of cogwheels, spinning endlessly without a motor, driven by something unseen.
"Allen, what happened to your eye?!"
Allen's eyes widened this time and then looked away from Rin's scrutinizing gaze.
"Finally...I can finally meet you, my son!" Shiro said.
"Huh?" Rin tore his gaze away from Allen and to Shiro. Without warning, Shiro burst in blue flames and his appearance shifted. His ears became long and pointed, his teeth became abnormally sharp, his fingernails grew to become claw-like, and a tufted tail sprouted from behind him.
Rin was suddenly reminded of what had happened to him back in the alley earlier.
"W-What's wrong with you, old man?!"
"He's possessed! Satan has taken over his body!" Nagatomo yelled to Rin.
'What? Possessed?! By Satan?'
"Exactly! I am Satan, the god of Gehenna, and your real father!" Satan exclaimed. "You can call me Papa if you want!" he added and then arched his torso back past human limits as he cackled crazily, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"Leave Father Fujimoto's body now, Satan." Allen commanded with a cold and unforgiving voice, a dark look in his eyes.
"Oh? Hey, wait a minute! You're that boy from fifteen years ago! Ah yes, I could never forgot that voice! How have you been ever since you sent me back to Gehenna?! Still ALIVE and WELL I see!" Satan sneered.
'Huh? How can Allen have met Satan fifteen years ago? He's fifteen years old! No, he probably got the wrong guy or something,' Rin thought.
"Get out of my way, fucking Exorcist! Do not ruin my touching reunion with my son!" Blood started leaking from Shiro's eyes and nose as he then blasted Allen with his blue flames. When the flames dispersed, Allen was nowhere to be seen.
Rin's eyes widened and he felt his knees weakening. Did he just? "A...llen?"
"Hmph, I don't have much time. Even this body cannot withstand my power for too long." Satan grabbed his wrist and pulled it out of its socket. The sound of breaking bones echoed loudly, making Rin grimace at the horrible sound. Blood soon fell from his wrist and dripped on the floor. The amount was a ghastly amount, and as it fell it began pooling on the floor, shaping itself into a large rectangle.
Suddenly, loud and quick footsteps thudding against the wooden floor echoed. And then, a figure jumped at Satan from the side and kicked him away. Satan was sent flying and then collided with the far right wall with a loud crash.
"Allen?!"
Allen didn't answer and instead darted towards Rin to grab his wrist.
"Rin, you need to get away from here." Allen said and dragged Rin's wrist but Rin snatched his hand away from Allen's hold.
"But Allen! Dad is—!"
"We'll worry about him later! But you have to get away!"
"Listen to him, Rin." A new voice said. Rin turned to the source of the sound and saw that it was Nagatomo, leaning tiredly on one of the pillars in the chancel.
"You have to get away from here as quickly as possible." At Rin's aghast look, he struggled to explain.
"Don't take this too personally! You have to understand that you're in grave danger right now!" Nagatomo hurriedly added with a click of the tongue following soon after. "Don't worry about us! We have orders from Father Fujimoto to ensure your safety, so you are our first priority! So just go with Allen, Rin!"
Rin stared at Nagatomo in distress. Allen once again took Rin's wrist and dragged Rin with him as he hastily sprinted to the doors of the monastery. This time, Rin cooperated with Allen.
"Tch, I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO SLIP AWAY FROM MY GRASP THAT EASILY!"
'Allen, let go! Now!'
Without thinking, Allen heeded Neah's order. Not even a second later did a blue flame erupt out of the blue (pun intended) from where his hand had been on Rin's wrist. The flame quickly doused itself as if it had a mind of its own.
The two suddenly heard strange bubbling sounds. They turned to the source of the sound and saw that thick black bubbles materialized in front of Satan. The bubbles soon shaped itself and formed into ghouls in the form of large wolves.
Satan grinned devilishly (pun also intended). That was all the ghouls needed before making a mad dash towards the two boys and pounced on Allen, pushing him away from Rin. Allen landed some ways away from Rin, his back hitting the ground as the ghouls stood on top of him snarling and growling dangerously.
"Now that the nuisance is out, let's return home to Gehenna, my son!" Satan announced as he approached Rin with an overjoyed grin on his face.
Rin took a few steps back away from Satan only to stumble and fall down. Nevertheless, he continued to edge away from Satan.
"No...no! S-Stay away from me!" Rin screamed with fear.
Without his consent, he suddenly burst into blue flames just as he had back in the alleyway.
Satan cachinnated. "What the fuck?! Did you just wet your pants?!" he laughed once again. "Pathetic!"
Satan firmly yanked at the neck of Rin's jacket and hauled him across the ground towards the Gate.
"No! L-Let me go!" Rin howled desperately. He struggled to free himself from Satan's hold but it proved to be futile.
"Heed my call, Guardian of Fertility, Moorkin!" Nagatomo rasped out. Nagatomo's familiar, Moorkin, appeared out of thin air. With that, Nagatomo passed out on the floor, his energy and strength completely depleted.
Satan broke out into a fit of laughter. "Keh, do you actually think that you can bring me down with that weak piss-ant?!" Moorkin then went up in blue flames by Satan's command, forcing it to return to Gehenna.
"Pathetic weaklings should just learn their place!" Satan continued walking towards the Gehenna Gate with Rin in tow. "You, my son, are special. My blood courses through your veins yet your body is human! Your very existence is unthinkable! A human, yet a demon!" Without another word, Satan hurled Rin into the Gate unceremoniously.
Rin closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. But instead of the pain that he had reflexively expected, something wet and sticky touched his hand. He cautiously opened his eyes to see what it was.
The night was bathed with his terrified scream.
Satan cackled once more, relishing in the sound of Rin's terror. "Rejoice! For this day shall be marked as your rebirth into a full-fledged demon!"
"No! Someone...anyone! Please! Help! HELP ME!" Rin whimpered and thrashed and screamed helplessly as he was relentlessly pulled down into the depths of the Gate. Fear coursed throughout his mind and body like a raging wave and it felt like he was being suffocated.
'So this is it, huh? Will I ever see Yukio, Allen, or the guys again? Or Dad? And I never got to say goodbye to Yukio...that bastard left before I got the chance to say goodbye. What's he going to think? No, I don't want to...I DON'T WANT TO-!'
"RIN!"
Rin, eyes shining with newfound hope yet betrayed by a gleam of desperate pleading, jerked his head towards where he had heard Allen's voice and saw that he had knocked down the ghouls and rendered them helpless, if only for a few seconds.
Then, as quick as lightning, he sprinted towards Satan who held his hand up probably to blast Allen with a wave of blue flames. Allen had anticipated this beforehand and dodged just in time.
As nimble as a fox, Allen ran in zigzags towards the Devil.
Five feet.
Satan growled in annoyance.
Three feet.
The Adversary raised his hand, face set into a dangerous scowl.
One feet.
Allen clumsily halted to a stop before jumping up, just in time before the ground below him was ravaged with blue flames. The veteran Exorcist flipped in the air once before landing on Satan with a kick, eliciting a pained "oof" from him.
After sending a silent apology to Shiro for the damage he had inflicted on his old body, Allen quickly scrambled towards Rin and reached for his wrist. With his feet planted firmly on the edge of the Gate, his other hand latched onto Rin's arm and attempted to pull him out with both hands.
Their seemingly endless game of tug-of-war was ended when blue flames erupted in between Allen and Rin. Allen yelped in pain and immediately pulled his hands away. When he inspected his forearms, he saw that his gloves had been burnt off and the cuffs of his sleeves were left charred.
His hands didn't come out unharmed just like his gloves. His left hand was left undamaged since it was made of Innocence but his right hand had not been spared. Second degree burns in the color of angry red decorated his hand and snaked all the way to his wrist.
A low and dangerous growl echoed across the chancel, making Allen's skin crawl.
"You...stupid Exorcist! You're a persistent one, aren't you!?" Satan yelled furiously.
An indignant scowl set itself on Allen's face. "I'm not handing Rin over to you." he said as he delicately cradled his right hand with his left.
Satan chuckled but it soon turned into a full-blown cackle. His laughter ceased as he spoke, "Unfortunately for you, it's too late! The Gehenna Gate will not let go of anything once it is inside of it! My plans shall bear fruit! Happy Birthday, my son!"
Satan laughed once again but he was interrupted by his own voice.
"He is not...your son."
Shiro. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the pendant hanging innocently around his neck and hovered it over his chest, the sharp pin on the pendant pointed precariously at his heart.
Immediately, Rin and Allen knew what he was planning to do. Panic gripping his heart, Allen sprinted for Shiro. "Father Fujimoto, wait!"
'Not again! Not again!' The words replayed itself in Allen's mind like a mantra.
"Don't! I-I can help!"
'I-It's now or never! I can't let him! I have to do this!'
"Innocence! A-!"
"Allen..." Shiro whispered softly as he looked at Allen with eyes so sad that it broke Allen's heart. Those eyes always, always, held abundant warmth and cheerfulness. But now they harbored the opposite. It was wrong. This was all wrong!
Shiro then uttered several words to Allen, causing him to widen his eyes.
"NO!"
Shiro thrusted the pin deep into his chest.
Rin felt his world came to a stop as his heart skipped a beat. He didn't even know if his heart continued beating in his chest. All he felt was denial. There was no way someone like Shiro could die! Right?
"Rin is my son, and you won't take him away from me." Shiro whispered, this time addressing the demon inside him.
"You...you!"
Shiro felt Satan's control over his body diminish by the minute as his life faded away before his body collapsed on the ground with a loud thud that only served to intensify the heavy feeling in Rin's heart.
"Taking your own life...I commend you for your dauntlessness. But it's too late..." Satan's disembodied voice reverberated throughout the chancel but it didn't come from Shiro's mouth for once.
And then Allen's eye deactivated with a whine.
Rin trembled. 'No, this isn't happening. This can't be happening!'
"O-Old man?" Rin stuttered.
Allen, on the other hand, slowly stepped towards Shiro's fallen form almost fearing what he would discover. He wanted to believe that the man had just fallen into unconsciousness but his chest should be steadily rising and falling.
Allen quickened his pace. Crouching down down in front of Shiro, he shakily pressed his fingers on Shiro's neck, anxiety haunting his mind like a ghost.
There was nothing.
Allen lowered his head, his hair shadowing his expression.
'Why...? Why does this always happen?'
Allen pursed his lips, a single fat tear rolling down his cheek.
Rin watched with trepidation and suddenly his chest felt heavier and heavier as dread planted itself in his heart, its root sinking deep. Tears uncontrollably poured down his face like a waterfall. And then...
He wailed as loud as he could in lamentation as he remembered what Shiro had dared him the day before:
"If it's that embarassing, then show me just how much you've grown!"
'You can't just...YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THAT! I haven't shown you anything yet! So please!'
His hand reached out for the Kurikara that he had been holding when he was thrown into the Gate. When his hand gripped the hilt, an odd instinctual instruction entered his mind, so he brought his other hand up to grab the scabbard.
Allen heard the movement and turned to see what Rin was doing. He saw him holding Kurikara, one hand on the hilt and the other on the scabbard. A chill that had nothing to do with the pre-dawn swept his heart.
"Rin...? What are you doing?! Father Fujimoto told you not to unsheathe that sword! If you do, then-!"
"I don't care!" Rin yelled back, his voice cracking mid-sentence. A river of tears relentlessy flowed down his face.
'I'll show you...I'll definitely show you! But I can't go on without getting out of this stupid Gate! If it won't let go of me, then I'll have to destroy it! And then you just watch me, old man! I'LL DEFINITELY SHOW YOU!'
And with that, blue flames eagerly licked its way out of the scabbard as Rin slowly unsheathed Kurikara.
"Rin!" Allen cried.
Massive blue flames exploded where Rin stood and the light emanating from the flames was so bright that Allen had to shield his eyes from it. It seemed to be forever before the flames finally died down.
Rin brought Kurikara's blade up and with an animalistic cry, he swung it down onto the Gate. The Gate was mercilessly bathed in a bright blue brilliance, a manifestation of Rin's sorrow and rage. Allen watched in awe at the beautiful blue flames yet at the same time induced an unwelcome fear in his heart. The flames ate away at the Gate before finally dissipating into glowing blue embers. At long last, Satan's vile creation that dared desecrate the House of God was no more.
As the flames doused themselves, the first rays of morning light poured in through the stained glass windows in the chancel.
Rin sheathed Kurikara and then silently walked towards Shiro with his head bowed down morosely. Allen stood and walked away a bit to give Rin some space to mourn by himself.
Rin dropped to his knees, leaning on Kurikara which he balanced in front of him. He numbly stared at Shiro's lifeless body. When his eyes settled on his bloody face, tears welled up in his eyes once again and he choked out a strangled sob.
Shiro's eyes were empty and glazed over, but a small peaceful smile remained on his lips, almost like he was relieved and at peace.
With a pained heart, he suddenly remembered the harsh words he had thrown to Shiro earlier. Harsh sobs violently racked his shoulders as he began to cry in grief.
"Dad," Rin choked out.
"Brother? Allen?" A familiar voice said. Rin abruptly looked up to the source of the voice, his glistening eyes wild with panic and sorrow.
'Yukio! I can't...I can't let him see Dad like this!'
"D-Don't come any closer! Just...just stay away, Yukio! Please!"
The sound of Rin's distraught voice planted a sense of urgency in Yukio's mind. He hastily pushed away the smaller debris caused by the truck that Astaroth had rammed into the monastery in order to pass through. "Brother? What's wrong?!"
"Yukio, don't!" Rin sobbed almost pleadingly. He shakily got up on his feet in a clumsy attempt to block his father's unmoving body from view. It was futile, however.
Yukio's eyes wandered to the figure behind Rin who was crying uncontrollably. Denial filled his widened eyes as he ran to Shiro and pressed his fingers on his neck. A second later, he removed his trembling hand from Shiro's throat and lowered his head.
Shiro Fujimoto was dead.
Line Break
Everyone was preparing to leave the cemetery except Rin who chose to stay for a while and Allen who wanted to keep an eye on Rin. Yukio took one last glance towards them before finally leaving with the others.
It was raining heavily. Rin and Allen were standing under it; they were soaking wet but neither cared.
A lone tear escaped from under Rin's eye, but it was lost within the raindrops that slid down his face.
He took out the phone Shiro had given to him.
"There's only one contact saved in there. He's my best friend. Call him as soon as you leave the monastery, he'll protect you!"
He paused for a moment before dialing the number and brought the device to his ear. For a while, only repetitive monotonous rings could be heard and Rin doubted that his dad's so-called friend would pick up the phone.
"Pleasure to meet you, Okumura Rin-kun."
Rin jumped at the the new voice which was definitely not Allen's. He looked up and saw a purple-haired guy wearing an odd-looking and flamboyant jester outfit with the color theme of white, pink, and purple of all colors. In his hand was a pink umbrella and a pink phone in the other which was held up to his ear. Accompanying him were shady looking people wearing a black uniform.
Allen tensed behind Rin, his face adopting a wary look. One second, it was only him and Rin in the cemetery and the next, several people suddenly appeared out of thin air and surrounding them. A single glimpse at the purple haired guy told Allen that he was a demon. Luckily, he was able to cover his eye before anyone could see.
"Who are you people?" Rin asked cautiously. How did these people enter the vicinity without him and Allen ever noticing?
The purple-haired man pressed the end call button on his phone and then bent down into a mocking bow.
"I am Mephisto Pheles, an old friend of Reverend Fujimoto's. Please do accept my condolences."
Rin somberly returned the phone to his pocket and asked apathetically, "So are you exorcists?"
"Indeed you guessed right. We are known as the True Cross Order." Mephisto replied. Rin was not fazed in light of this new knowledge.
"The old man said that you'd offer me protection." Rin mentioned.
To this, Mephisto chuckled. "I am afraid that as an Honorary Knight, I have my responsibilities~. I cannot mix public and private matters."
What he said next made Allen tense more, ready to kick some demon ass if need be.
"You are the son of Satan and therefore must be terminated before you become a threat to humanity. So in behalf of the Vatican, we have come to kill you~."
Rin kept calm in the face of his possible demise. Despite Mephisto's life-threatening announcement, he still sounded like a whimsical sugar-high moron who didn't even know how to use a knife. Definitely not someone who Rin would be afraid of.
"Now, I leave you two choices. Either you allow us to kill you or you kill us and run away~. Oh, you could also kill yourself, y'know~? So that makes three~! Well? Which one are you going to choose?" Mephisto continued, a foxy grin beginning to stretch across his shrewd features.
It was then that Allen decided to stop this, whatever it was. "He'll choose none of them," he asserted firmly while stepping in between Rin and Mephisto.
"Oh~? And who might you be~?" Mephisto asked. Either he didn't notice that Allen had been watching the whole exchange or he just didn't care that he was there in the first place.
Allen weighed his next words carefully as he stared into Mephisto's bright green eyes.
"My name is Allen D. Campbell. I met Father Fujimoto a few days ago." Allen finally answered.
This puzzled Rin. After all, wasn't Allen's surname Walker?
"Huh? Al-?"
Rin was interrupted mid-sentence when Allen quickly grabbed Rin's wrist from behind him and gripped it tightly. Rin immediately knew that Allen was telling him to shut up. He decided to ask Allen for an explanation later when the time was right.
"Well then, Campbell-kun, I'm afraid that you don't have a choice in the matter~. Okumura-kun can choose for himself, yes~?"
Allen opened his mouth to interject but Rin beat him to it.
"Then make me one of you!"
Mephisto's eyes widened and Allen turned to Rin questioningly. Rin's determined eyes told Allen that he was not going to back down. The long-time Exorcist sighed and decided to step aside.
"I don't care what you people say or think! I'm not Satan's son! I have no relation with that filthy bastard! My father is Shiro Fujimoto and no one else!" Rin declared, tears threatening to spill over. But he kept it in. He kept it all in.
Mephisto's face became neutral once again and placed one hand on his hip.
"I see. So you want to follow in Fujimoto's footsteps, huh? But think about it, what will you accomplish by becoming an exorcist, hmm?"
"I'll kick Satan's sorry ass!" Rin proclaimed fiercely.
Mephisto snickered. Soon his snickers suddenly turned into full blown guffaws as if Rin had told the funniest joke in the world. Needless to say, Rin was not amused.
Rin frowned. "What's so funny?"
"What's so funny?!" Mephisto repeated incredulously. "Satan's son wants to become an exorcist, that's what! This is hilarious! Preposterous, even! I haven't had such a great laugh in ages!" he exclaimed dramatically as he wiped away a tear welling up in his eye.
"I'm serious!" Rin roared angrily. Allen raised an eyebrow in bemusement at the events unfolding in front of him.
Mephisto's boisterous and obnoxious laughter suddenly ceased. "Interesting... Very well then! I shall permit it."
This dropped a bombshell amongst the shady men who came with Mephisto.
"What? But Sir-!" One of them protested but was immediately cut off.
"R-Really?!" Rin said with stars practically twinkling in his eyes.
"However, I hope you realize that the path you chose is not a simple one. One day you will face your fate and you will regret making this decision." Mephisto said, his demeanor taking a sudden one-eighty.
"I don't care! I don't want anyone to die because of me ever again! I have no choice but to move on forward and become stronger no matter what!" Rin yelled with an undying fire burning in his eyes with one thought in his mind.
'I won't fail you, Dad. This is for you...'
Allen looked at him with a small smile. 'Rin...then I will keep walking with you.'
"I'll become an exorcist!"
'Fujimoto would be proud of you.'
"Very well! It's decided! Well then, how about you, Mr. Campbell? Would you like to tag along?"
Allen recalled Shiro's last words to him, before he drove the pin into his heart. With those words in mind, he had no other answer.
"Of course." Allen answered resolutely to which Mephisto grinned in response.
"Sir Pheles! The Grigori cannot and will not allow this!" One of the exorcists with Mephisto protested once again.
"I shall stand for future consequences so all of you stand down." Mephisto commanded curtly. They shut up after that, albeit reluctantly.
"Go home and pack up your things. I shall pick you up tomorrow morning. I expect you two to be ready by then. Ciao~!" Without another word, he and the other exorcists vanished into thin air.
Rin gawked. "How did they do that?"
Allen shook his head. 'But he seems to be coping with Father Fujimoto's death quite impressively...'
Allen gritted his teeth.
This was all his fault.
"Come on, Rin. We should go home and pack our things."
"A-Ah, right."
Line Break
It was daybreak. Rin was in the kitchen carrying a duffel bag and the red bag housing Kurikara. He had been going around the monastery since today would probably be the last time he saw the place. This was the place where he spent his childhood happily with Yukio, Shiro, and the other priests...
His heart ached as remembered memories of when everything was right and still made sense.
He recalled Yukio's words not too long ago...
"I guess after fifteen years it's time to leave the monastery..."
'Yeah, this place has been our home for fifteen years. And now it's time to leave,' Rin thought forlornly. 'I guess this is it, pops. I'm gonna be an exorcist not because I wanna follow in your footsteps but...because I think this might be the only way to avoid possibly losing myself to my demon side. That's what has been happening to me these past fifteen years, right? That's why everyone thinks I'm a demon...because I let myself be one... So please, watch over me from up there, alright?'
I'm sorry...Dad.
With that, he turned the knob. A cold breeze mercilessly slapped his face as he stepped out the threshold.
'Yukio never really asked me about what happened...I wonder what he could be thinking?'
Rin kept his depressed gaze down to the ground as he walked towards the gates where Allen, Maruta, and Nagatomo stood waiting for him.
Allen was wearing his usual clothing, except that his top was replaced by a baggy midnight blue long sleeved-shirt. Rin had always wondered what was up with Allen's obsession over long sleeved shirts but he wasn't one to pry.
Allen was also carrying a duffel bag most likely containing the clothes that they had generously bought for him, albeit Allen being viciously against it. His hand had also been treated for the second degree burns that he had received that night and were all bandaged up, resembling the hands of a mummy.
Maruta's arm was on a cast and bandages were wrapped around his forehead while Nagatomo only had a few bandaids slapped here and there on his face.
"It's time to leave, huh?" Nagatomo said with a sad smile on his face.
"I already feel so lonely!" Maruta exclaimed jokingly.
"Feel free to drop by anytime!" Izumi said from behind who was cleaning the windows with Kyodo.
"This is your home after all." Kyodo added.
Rin smiled as he felt a lump form in his throat. "Sure."
"Oh, and you too Allen! You're welcome around here anytime!" Izumi told Allen who nodded with a smile. It astounded Allen how these people could be so warm and welcoming to a person who they had only known for several days. It touched his heart, Allen admits.
"I appreciate it."
"By the way, where's Yukio? Has anyone seen him?" Rin wondered aloud.
Maruta solemnly shook his head. "No. We haven't seen him today."
"Stop worrying, Rin. I'm sure he can take care of himself." Allen reassured him.
Rin smiled and then chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Come on, let's wait for Mephisto outside."
Rin grinned. "Sure."
The soil crunched underneath their shoes as they padded down the path leading to the gates.
"So how is it that you're taking all of this in so well?" Rin asked out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" Allen replied.
"A lot of crazy stuff has happened and...don't you care that I'm the son of Satan? I mean, you act like these stuff happen to you everyday. Even I'm having a hard time believing all this shit." Rin further elaborated whilst shyly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Eh, strange things happen when you're on the road. A lot of strange things." Allen said evasively. It was the truth yet at the same time a lie. The half-truth. Those were the best kinds, Allen thought.
Rin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Strange things? Do they involve demons or somethin'?"
"Something like that." Allen replied slowly.
Rin frowned at this. "You're not gonna give me a straight answer, aren't you?"
"Maybe." Allen chirped.
The half-demon beside Allen sighed in slight exasperation.
By this time, they had already reached the gates. They stood side by side as they leant on the fences surrounding the monastery exactly where Rin had found Allen sleeping the first time they had met.
An awkward atmosphere fell upon them and Rin found himself shuffling his feet against the coarse stone pavement. He racked his brain for a topic to talk about, anything that could dispel the unnerving silence.
His mind dinges as a thought reintroduced itself in Rin's mind.
"Hey, Allen. Why did you introduce yourself as Allen D. Campbell to Mephisto? Isn't your name Allen Walker?"
Allen on the other hand was taken by surprise by the sudden question and can't help but think, 'What's with all these questions...?'
He looked down on his feet in nervousness. He hadn't thought of an excuse for that yet.
"Umm, well, uhh you see..." Allen began fumbling for words, stalling for as long as he can, before an idea finally popped into his head, "My real surname is actually Campbell. But umm, I was abandoned by my biological parents and was fostered by a man named Mana Walker."
"From then on I decided to use his surname instead of my real one. I only remembered to intoduce myself as Campbell to Mephisto since I thought it would be more...proper, I guess."
'Real smooth, Allen. REAL smooth.'
'What? It's a believable lie, right?!'
'Yeah, but still...'
The sound of a stifled laugh echoed in Allen's mind.
'Yeah, yeah. Whatever.'
"Really? Wow, I had no idea." Rin nodded in understanding but he suddenly flinched.
'WAS fostered. And this Mana Walker guy doesn't seem to be around so I guess he's not exactly here anymore. And the stuff about Allen being abandoned by his biological parents...' Rin thought, fresh guilt making its way into his mind.
"Hey, Allen...about that night Astaroth attacked.."
Rin suddenly found interest in his shoes.
"Yes?"
"Well umm, remember when I was saying these," Rin gulped, "horrible things to Dad...?"
"...Yeah?"
"And then you tried to stop me and told me to apologize to him. But I said these horrible things to you, too..."
Understanding dawned on Allen's face as he finally figured out where Rin was going with all this.
"I'm sorry about that, okay? I...didn't know."
A somber atmosphere fell upon them and for a second, Rin feared that Allen hadn't forgiven him for that and probably won't ever-
"What are you bringing this up for? It's fine, really. I've long since forgiven you for that. So just forget about it okay?" Allen said, a bright and genuine smile decorating his features.
Rin frowned as he searched deep into Allen's silver eyes, trying to find any sign of dishonesty. But he found nothing but genuine sincerity.
Rin sighed. "Okay, if you say so..."
Allen looked away, pain flashing in his eyes for a split second before it was quickly extinguished.
Line Break
"That stupid clown sure is late." Rin grumbled. Allen couldn't even disgaree or reprimand him for being impatient or for calling Mephisto a stupid clown. It was already one in the afternoon and they were supposed to have left hours ago.
"'I shall pick you up tomorrow morning. I expect you to be ready by then.'" Rin mimicked Mephisto's words yesterday at the cemetery. "And yet he's the one who's late!" he hollered hysterically.
"Calm down, Rin. He'll come by soon, I'm sure..." Allen sweatdropped as he tried in vain to pacify him. Though he'll admit, under this blistering heat, he can't help but feel impatient as well.
And then as if their prayers were answered in the worst way possible, a pink limo honked as it stopped by.
Allen paled. 'This...can't be our ride, can it?' He took a side glance at Rin and saw him gawking at the ostentatiously flamboyant limo as well. Their fears were confirmed when Mephisto stepped out of the car and Allen immediately slapped a hand over his eye.
"Oh my, what's this?! A sunny day and a beautiful blue sky to accompany you on your journey!" Mephisto exclaimed dramatically as he held the brim of his top hat.
And then, the beast was released.
"What the hell Mephisto! Why're you so late?!"
Allen sweatdropped once again. "Rin..."
"Oh? I suppose it is because you got ready too early." Mephisto grinned devilishly and deliberately added more fuel to the fire.
Rin glowered at Mephisto. "Mephisto, you son of a-"
Allen hurriedly cut him off before any blood could be shed. "Now that everyone's here, shouldn't we go off now?" he tittered.
"Ah, I'm afraid that we cannot go just yet~! For there is one more person we have to wait for~!"
"Really? Who is it?" Allen inquired him with curiosity.
"You'll see~! Oh and Mr. Campbell, what's wrong with your eye?"
"Eh? Ahh...it's just itchy, that's all." Allen lied.
"I see... Well then! I'd like to remind you that I am the Principal of the True Cross Academy~! So from now on, both of you will be students of my Academy! Oh isn't that lovely~?"
"Huh?! Wait, why the hell are we going to your shitty Academy, anyway?! We're signing up to be exorcists! Not to be students in a school probably full of stuck-up pricks if their principal was anything to go by!" Rin inveighed vehemently.
Mephisto put his hands up placatingly. "Now, now-"
"Sorry for the wait!" A voice called out.
"Eh?!" Allen exclaimed.
"Yukio?!" Rin shouted in disbelief.
Yukio was wearing a uniform consisting of a black buttoned jacket with white trimmings and some kind of emblem sewed on the left breast, a necktie tucked inside the jacket, black trousers and black leather shoes. A bag was also slung over his shoulder.
"I'm glad that I don't have to be separated from Allen and my dear brother!" Yukio beamed.
'Well ain't he just a cute little ray of sunshine.'
'Hmm...is there something wrong with him?'
'Relax. The kid's just happy. What's wrong with that?'
'Hmm...'
"Thank you for going through the trouble of picking us up, Sir Faust." Yukio added politely.
Rin's ears perked up at this and he turned to Mephisto. "Faust? But I thought you're-? Mmph!"
Mephisto shoved a hand on Rin's mouth, causing muffled yells and incoherent curses to emanate from his hand.
"Op opop!" he cried before leaning towards Rin and Allen and whispered, "Johann Faust the Fifth. It's the name I use in public." Mephisto winked and then removed his hand from Rin's mouth.
"Man, Mephisto! Your glove's stingy!"
Mephisto ignored his offensive comment however. "Now then! We shan't waste any more time~! Onwards to my True Cross Academy~!"
Line Break
Allen and Rin sat on the limo's comfy seats awkwardly as Mephisto whistled some tune with his legs crossed while Yukio read a book silently. Allen and Rin secretly prayed that they would reach their destination soon, especially since Mephisto's whistling was seriously driving Allen out of his mind.
Conveniently, Allen's eye had deactivated on its own even within the vicinity of Mephisto.
Allen snuck a glance toward the man in question before quickly averting his gaze before he could be caught staring.
'Father Fujimoto knew about me and I never really did get to ask him about it. He's an exorcist of the True Cross Order and probably one who's high up their ranks since the four guys from the monastery- who also turned out to be exorcists- seem to respect him a lot. Knowing that, it's safe to assume that the higher ups of the True Cross Order knows about the Black Order and...me. But there might be a chance that the whole True Cross Order knows about the Black Order and not only the ones up high.'
'Even then, Mephisto...he looks like he's also high-ranked among them since he had those men with him when we met him at the cemetery and they called him "Sir Pheles". That makes those guys exorcists too. If they weren't, they would be calling him "Sir Faust", the name ordinary humans know him by. That automatically makes Mephisto a member of the True Cross. Question is, why would a demon be in an exorcist organization?'
'Whatever. It's a good thing I realized this before I introduced myself to Mephisto and changed my surname. The only problem is if they have a description of me... No, if that were the case, Father Fujimoto wouldn't have needed to ask roundabout questions to confirm my identity.'
"By the way Yukio, where were you this morning? Everyone was wondering where you were." Allen heard Rin ask Yukio inquisitively. Allen couldn't help but tune in into their conversation as he was also curious about Yukio's whereabouts this morning.
"I visited Dad's memorial. Did you go before we left?" Yukio replied curtly, a hint of loathing hidden behind his voice which Rin failed to take note of. But Allen saw through it.
This stunned Rin before he averted his gaze away from Yukio's sharp eyes as remorse and shame swirled in his blue eyes. "I...forgot to."
Yukio coldly stared at him for a split second before replacing his hard look with a small smile. "Well, too late to do anything about it."
He didn't notice Allen giving him a skeptical look.
'I'm sure of it. There has to be something wrong with him...'
'You really think so, huh. So? What are gonna do about him?'
'Nothing. Nothing yet, at least.''
"We'll soon arrive at the heart of True Cross Academy." Mephisto suddenly announced, breaking the melancholic atmosphere with the excitement that he was radiating.
Hearing this, Allen turned his attention to the windshield behind him and stared at the scenery that came and went fleetingly like a blur until what seemed like a bundle of a spires came into view. Allen gaped openly.
"Welcome to True Cross Academy Town!" Mephisto exclaimed jubilantly. Rin looked out the windshield and his jaw dropped down to meet the floor.
"Amazing!" Rin cried. Allen would be lying if he said that he disagreed. He has never seen anything like it and this was coming from someone who was five countries away from seeing the entire world.
"This is the Town where all our educational institutions are." Mephisto explained. "Oh and Okumura, Campbell, do change into your uniforms before we arrive." he added.
Rin switched his gaze from the windshield to Mephisto, his twinkling face immediately replaced by a deadpan look. "Seriously? Would it have hurt to tell us this before we left?" he grumbled.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Mephisto answered mysteriously with a mischievous grin before handing out a set of uniform to both Allen and Rin.
"What a weirdo..." Rin muttered under his breath before slipping into the uniform. Allen, however, just sat there with the uniform folded neatly on his lap.
'W-What do I do, Neah?'
'I dunno, ask the clown if you could change in the bathroom?'
'But...he'll tell me that I could just change here.'
'Ooh! How about you knock everyone unconscious and then change into the uniform! Then no one will see! Then when they wake up, you can tell them that a storm passed by and everyone but you passed out.'
'That's no good, either! I wouldn't even think of doing that even if it's my only choice!'
'Then you're on your own, kid.'
'What?! Neah, you traitor!'
'If you're trying to insult me, I hope you know that that doesn't quite sound as insulting to me.'
Allen paused as he tried to figure out the meaning of his words before it finally dawned on him. 'Whatever, you arse!'
"What's wrong, Allen-kun?" Mephisto suddenly asked him, causing him to slightly jump in his seat.
'Eep!'
Meanwhile in Allen's mind, Neah was laughing evilly.
'Fine!'
"Can...can I just change in the bathroom?" Allen almost pleaded. His voice had nearly cracked mid-sentence and he was sure that his face had all its color drained from it.
Mephisto raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You could just change here, Allen-kun."
"Um, I'd prefer not to."
'Please, please, PLEASE just let me go!' Allen wailed mentally.
Mephisto sighed. "Shy, eh? Very well, I believe that there will be a nearby bathroom where we will be parking."
"Sorry, it's just that...wait. Are you serious?!" Allen jumped up from his seat...forgetting that he was inside a car.
A loud thud resounded in the limo. "Ow!"
Mephisto pretended that this did not happen just in front of him.
"Why are you so surprised?" Mephisto asked him with his head tilted to the side in mock confusion. Rin and Yukio were already staring at him weirdly.
"N-No reason!" Allen tittered.
"Alright, I shall take you to the bathroom once we arrive."
Allen nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
As Allen prepared himself for the bathroom, Mephisto laughed to himself.
'Allen Walker, huh?'
Line Break
Allen was in the bathroom changing into his uniform while Mephisto, Rin, and Yukio waited for him outside.
The bathroom was filled with the sound of clothes being ruffled and shifted. Soon, Allen was completely donning the uniform but he still kept his black sneakers on since he didn't have leather shoes or anything. The only thing left was whether he should leave his jacket unbuttoned like Rin's or if he should close it like Yukio's.
After a minute of debating with Neah, Allen decided to just leave it open.
He was now folding his previous clothings and then stored them inside his duffel bag containing the clothes that Fujimoto had so graciously bought for him and also his Black Order uniform and his favorite beige overcoat.
After tying his shoulder-length hair back to the nape of his neck, he was all set.
With a click, the bathroom door was unlocked and Allen stepped out to be greeted by the sight of Yukio reading something on a piece of paper, Rin doing nothing, and Mephisto still whistling that tune of his, which was still driving Allen insane!
Mephisto ceased his whistling when he saw Allen. "Oh, you're finally done Allen-kun! I was starting to believe that you didn't know how to do your necktie! But I suppose I was mistaken." Mephisto grinned. Allen secretly wanted to wipe that grin off his face...with a punch.
Squashing down the urge to the best of his ability, Allen just sighed. "Where are we off to next?"
Mephisto grinned. "Follow me, boys."
With no more words exchanged, they were led through the impressive courtyard of the campus which was filled with greeneries and flora and even a large fountain.
As they traipsed across the path leading to the Academy itself, Allen's mind wandered to that night and frowned as he remembered Shiro and his spoken death wish given seconds before he plunged the pin into his heart.
Frowning, Allen shook his head and pushed away these depressing thoughts and decided to focus on where he was going. He didn't want to get himself lost due to his mind being somewhere else, thank you very much.
Hello again, guys! I wasn't supposed to put this chapter AGAIN. But it's been a monthand maybe a couple days? I was supposed to put this up only at the same time I get chapter 7 back from Fulminata but as it turns out...he isn't done with it yet. So he's either busy or that chapter's just too riddled with mistakes...probably the latter. Or both. I swear, I am not going to post the next chapter until I get that chapter back! I only have once chapter left waiting to be posted! Excuse me, I want to have at least 4 chapters ready and waiting. ;c
So anyway, YES. We finally see non-shadow Papa Neah in the anime. Can't wait for the next episode nnnggghhh. D; And before I forget! I have a little theory that I just wanted to share. Early warning, if you're not up to date with the manga and/or for some reason the anime, continue reading at your own risk for there will be spoilers ahead. (I dunno why people make such a fuss about spoilers. I actually enjoy them. But meh.)
I'm sure ya'll remember Cross telling Allen "What would you do if I told you you'll have to kill someone you love when you become the Fourteenth?" (Taken straight from the manga). Now, Allen automatically assumes that that meant his friends. But Cross said "someone". One person. Now I don't know if this is just a translation error but I'm just gonna put this up in the air just in case. Also, TL;DR version is down below just in case. xD
Alright, continuing. I find it hard to believe that Neah would kill the Exorcists when he takes over Allen's body. I mean sure, Noahs hate Exorcists yadda yadda yadda. But why would Neah want to kill everyone in the Black Order, Allen's friends? Why would he, ahem, give a f*ck about them? I'm sure I don't need to expound on that. Other than that though, Allen loves everyone at the Black Order equally. If Neah, for some reason, wants Allen to suffer emotionally, then he'll have to kill everyone in the Black Order.
Now let's rewind a bit. So far, we know that Neah has one goal, and that is to kill the Earl for reasons still unknown. And who is the Earl? Mana.
Yes, I know. There are still some uncertainties about Mana. If the Earl was Mana all along, then who was the guy who fostered Allen? If they're one in the same, how can they be in two places at once? Questions, questions. But that's not the point. So let's fast forward again. "What if I told you you'll have to kill someone you love when you become the Fourteenth?"
Can't it be any more obvious? Allen loves Mana. We all know that. He still does. And Neah wants to kill Mana/Earl. (Be reminded that they are not really brothers so we can't really consider it as a vile act.)
TL;DR "What if I told you you'll have to kill someone you love when you become the Fourteenth?" I think that the "someone" that Cross was referring to is Mana. Now that that's done, I reserve the right to say "I called it" if or when what I said happens to be true! *^* If you find some flaws, have a question(s), want an elaboration on some parts, or if you want a friendly plain discussion about this theory, feel free to PM me. :)
...Wait a minute. I realized something. Cross said that Mana never left Neah's side even when the Earl and the Noah was on the hunt to kill Neah... Um, okay. Not sure if I read that in a fanfic somewhere or if it's really canon. Stuff I read in fanfics are mixing up with canon, damn! Could anyone confirm this? ;c
Okay, I'm done. Sorry for those long af blocks of text. Have a cookie! And a glass of milk! c:
BEFORE YOU GO. If by any chance you did not read the intro AN, GO BACK! Go back and read it! It contains information that may or may not be important!