Epilogue

Rin sat on the peak of the Admin building's roof staring out into the night.

"You usually sulk on the roof of your own dorm," Mephisto said as he joined Rin. "So I assume you wish to talk?"

"Not really," Rin replied. Then he sighed. "I'd just, well ever since I found out who my father was, I'd hoped my mom was a good person. Well, really, given who he is I should have known better, but I still thought maybe she was being used, that maybe she was just dumb... naive, I guess. Then I meet her and… She hates Dad."

Mephisto sat down beside Rin. "I'd like to think if our father ever got his wish and was able to restore all her memories he'd be in for an unpleasant surprise," he said.

"He changed her when she died?" Rin asked hopefully. "She wasn't really like that before… Is she a demon now?"

"If you wish to blame it on that," Mephisto replied with a careless wave of his hand. "A demon can hold on to a soul rather than destroy it and a person may lose their soul to a particular demon on purpose... because the two of them can't bear to be parted. I don't recommend it. Do you remember what we discussed at your banquet? When a human soul is removed from the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation for any reason, it is my observation that becomes frozen in that moment. In Yuri's case I would venture a guess that she gave Father her soul at some point between her escape on the Blue Night and her death from the injuries she suffered that night." Mephisto paused for a moment. "Not exactly conducive to forgiveness for the man who handed her over to those who burned her at the stake."

Rin flinched at the reminder.

"Shiro was doing what he believed was right," Mephisto continue. "I had told him there was a clean means of dealing with the child she carried. Of course, I meant sealing your heart in Kurikara so you could be raised among humans, raised to cherish Assiah. At the time Shiro might have thought I meant to save Yuri, but to be frank, she wasn't my primary concern once you were conceived. However, Yuri's father wasn't willing to wait for you to be born before he dealt with his political embarrassment of a daughter." Mephisto didn't mention that Egin's actions had played neatly into his plans to hide Rin's birth from the Grigori until he was older.

Rin chewed on his lower lip for a few moments, thinking through what Mephisto had said. "That's not what you were thinking," he said. "You were talking about something else when you said Mom wouldn't be on Satan's side if she remembered everything."

Mephisto smiled. "Very good, you're learning." As reward for Rin spotting the lesser of his deceptions Mephisto continued. "In a sense we share a mother as well as a father, Yuri Egin is a reincarnation of my mother. I didn't know her in the life where she gave birth to me but from the stories I was told you would have liked her very much."

Rin looked up at him hopefully.

"However, while Yuri Egin is my mother's reincarnation she is also not the same woman who gave birth to me. There is a core to humans that remains the same in every incarnation but they are also a product of their environment. The core of Yuri Egin has not changed since time began, but in this life she was raised to believe that everything revolved around a very black and white war between humans and demons. Then she saw exactly what her father had justified in the name of that war. Another incarnation might have reacted differently, but Yuri Egin's world was black and white, if humans weren't good then demons must be. If her father, who hated demons with all his soul was evil incarnate, then perhaps the one he considered his arch nemesis was good. That we are all a mix of good and evil was more than she could comprehend."

"Oh," Rin said dully. "Um, should we be freeing her soul or something?"

"In time she'll recognize the half-life she currently has for what it is," Mephisto said with a wave of his hand. "Then she'll ask Father to let her go. He's never been able to deny her."

Rin looked disbelieving.

"Our father's not exactly what his press makes him out to be," Mephisto shrugged. "Satan may be the most ancient and powerful being you'll ever encounter."

Rin wrinkled his nose at that.

"The last time the Eldest spoke directly to me, it was the age of Atlantis and I was at the height of my power. Much, much stronger than I am now," Mephisto said. "It hardly counted as a scolding but his voice drove me to my knees and it was only because that Assiah was already destroyed that the Eldest could risk direct contact. Memory of Atlantis has been all but lost in the mists of time and my various sojourns in the Void have left me much weaker than I was then, I wouldn't survive another conversation and you have millenniums to go before you will be able to match my current level of power.

"There is a price for power," Mephisto resumed his initial thought. "That is what Satan refuses to understand or accept. And so in spite of his great age and all the power he possesses he is still a toddler beating his fists and feet on the floor, screaming because he can't have his way. Power or Assiah. His beloved at his side for all eternity or her goal of saving all of humanity. Choices must be made."

Rin perked up, "My mom wanted to save everybody? Really?" he asked.

"That was how the stories I was told as a child went," Mephisto said, "and she succeeded. Of course, as I said before, there nothing that comes without cost. Mother became quite infamous for introducing death to Assiah as a consequence of her desire to save the whole human race."

Mephisto reached out and ruffled Rin's hair, "There are always consequences, to someone and we must be mindful of them. But we can't be paralyzed by them, because there are consequences for inaction as well. You'll soon see the consequences of Arthur Angel's choice not kill you..."

"You summoned me?" Angel said as he stepped into Baltazar's private office.

"You disobeyed my orders," Baltazar growled.

"You are referring to the orders which I am under orders not to discuss with anyone because it would be incredibly harmful to our relationship with the Myo'o Dhari if it came out that such a thing was ordered?" Angel inquired.

Baltazar sputtered.

"Regardless, you will be pleased to learn that your concerns about our supply of Blessed Ashes has been resolved," Angel continued. "Okumura Rin is the current King of Flames. Unlike his predecessor Iblis, Rin is quite friendly toward Assiah and has ordered his new subjects to do their best to 'get along' with us. While his command may be somewhat naive, I think you will see a considerable upswing in Tamers with Flame affinity now that their potential familiars won't be risking their lives to respond to their call."

"How dare you!" Baltazar spat. "How dare you presume to know better than I, what is good for the True Cross."

"Yes," Angel grimaced. "To date my only significant rebellion against authority resulted in my being kidnapped, raped and nearly murdered. It did leave me quite hesitant to repeat the experiment, however I am not a hormonal teenager any longer. Admittedly, age has not made me any more clever or particularly good at divining the intents and trustworthiness of those around me. Rather than risk depending on my own judgement I trust the wisdom of consensus and bow to those who have been placed above me in our hierarchy. However, just because I'm slow to reach a proper conclusion about those around me does not mean I am completely incapable of forming an opinion for myself." The Paladin straightened, "Give me secret orders to murder Okumura Rin again and I will be quite public in my refusal to carry them out."

Three months later Angel was quietly demoted for list of reasons no one present believed.

"I find myself in need of a second," Mephisto informed Angel as he left Grigori's chamber. "And you seem to be in need of a new position. It doesn't have the same prestige as Paladin but… I can promise you that we will face Satan within the decade. Rin will do battle against his father within the decade. If you truly wish to force Caliburn to break his Oath to your family you'll have no better chance."

"I think it'd be good for you," Lightning advised with a small grin. "A direct superior whom you don't trust an inch and expects no less from you."

"I hate everything he represents," Angel objected.

Lightning shrugged. "Sir Pheles doesn't want to be your friend. He wants to use you in a plot to overthrow Satan and probably place Rin on his throne as a puppet-king. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Okumura isn't easily swayed from his notions of right and wrong," Angel commented.

Lightning nodded. "Since you've been based in Tokyo for the last two years a third of the Brigade is already stationed in Japan. We'll want to be a quiet about transferring the rest, but I think it's safe to say we can count on Sir Pheles' help."

"You're acting like I've already said yes," Angel pointed out.

"It's this or hang around Rome waiting for Baltazar to find a mission you won't survive," Lighting replied frankly. "All it took was agreement between the Grigori to remove you as Paladin, but you'll remain the Knight-Adept until you die, step down or they find a champion who can defeat you. I think Baltazar has a notion of the odds against finding a knight you can't curb stomp."

"Now as for the rest us Arch Knights: I go where you go, everyone knows that. Tereza will have a blast resigning her post in outrage, someone needs to do it might as well be her. Annie and Zi we'll leave in place, they can be our ears in Rome."

"Pheles offered a gate between here and my family home," Angel interrupted.

"I have a better idea," Lightning volunteered. "Move Sally and Harold here, leave the old bat in the crumbling rock pile."

Angel frowned.

"If it were Kyoto that would probably be too much for Sally but she'll be fine in Tokyo," Lightning continued. "Harold should know more about this half of his heritage and it's past time that he lived in the same country as his father."

"You know why I stay away from him," Angel replied angrily.

"You want that chance Sir Pheles offered to go up against Satan don't you?" Lightning asked. "If he sticks to his timeline Harold should be around twenty before you die. You didn't think you'd live to see him born. You were certain that you'd die before he turned ten. Now you might very well be around to see him graduate high school. Stop wasting time Arthur, get to know your son."

Reminder: One of the points where I've diverged from cannon is that while it's open secret that Mephisto Pheles is a demon, in my stories the True Cross isn't aware that Mephisto is also Samael.