A/N: This chapter was slightly inspired by the anime Hataroku Maou-sama, the English title being 'The Devil is a Part-timer' (which I also do not own). I'll tell ya more about it in the A/N at the end cause I don't want to spoil the chap ^^'
Disclaimer: It should be obvious that I don't own Blue Exorcist.
Chapter 2- Adventures at Fast-Food Restaurants
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It was obvious that the small guest house had seen better days.
Lines of ivy snaked up the walls, cracked flower pots were tipped over creating uneven mounds of dirt, and the windows were cracked and faded with age. The whole room seemed to be covered in a permanent layer of dust, including the rickety coffee table that functioned as the only available flat surface. The mossy wooden floors were near suffocated with wild flowers; Rin was sure he could see poppies sprouting out the window to his right.
The blonde tamer gave a nervous smile. "Sorry about the mess. After my grandmother passed away we just couldn't bear to remove any of her flowers. Looks like they kind of made the room their own." She laughed, emerald orbs cast to the floor.
Rin patted her on the back none too gently, causing the girl to lurch forward and nearly fall on her face. "It's okay! There aren't really flowers in Gehenna anyway."
Collecting her wits, she tried (and failed) to give the boy a stern chastisement. But the moment she saw the mirth in his cobalt orbs her voice faltered, leaving her only with a fleeting feeling of annoyance.
"So, Shiemi..." The navy-haired boy trailed off, a blush dusting his cheeks. His rumbling stomach spoke for him as he grinned shyly in embarrassment.
"D-do you want something to eat?" She questioned, brain shifting through her limited knowledge of demons to find what most enjoyed eating. Well, demons who were kin of Astaroth enjoyed anything, as long as it was rotting. Those of Amaimon's domain enjoyed herbs and spices, mixed with a hint of bitterness. And then there were those that were the kin of Egyn, King of Water. They, as expected, enjoyed an array of seafood. Although, all demons had one common similarity: their love of human flesh. Shiemi shook her head. For some reason, she couldn't imagine the bright-eyed boy chewing on a human arm or something equally as grotesque.
Rin nodded eagerly, imagining all the human food he had read about. A bit of drool nearly escaped his lips at the thought, but he steeled his emotions to one of quiet anticipation. However, if the blonde tamer checked behind him, she would have seen that his tail was wagging wildly.
"What do you want to eat? I could make something or we could go out—"
"Hamburger!" He blurted out immediately, only to cover his mouth with his hands. He had been given a fairly new book (one of the few books he had read that were from the 21st century) by one of his father's servants which had mentioned its popularity. Since then, he had dreamed of hamburgers, waking up many times in the middle of the night to a growling stomach.
Shiemi giggled at his antics. For the son of Satan, he really seemed harmless. Just a boy who had lived a very sheltered life. She could almost pretend he was normal… if it wasn't for the tail, fangs, pointed ears, and random blue flame that sometimes hovered over his head.
"A-alright. There's a fast-food restaurant not far from here. Let's go!"
The pair took a seat at the window, both holding red trays. Rin's tray was nearly filled to the brim, an assortment of wrapped hamburgers and fries taking up the majority of his plate. Shiemi had only a single burger and a drink, watching with surprise at the boy's expression. He seemed positively giddy as he tore into the first wrapped burger, smiling widely.
"…Do you like it?" She questioned hesitantly after Rin took the first bite, electric blue eyes wide with amazement. He remained speechless, taking another bite. And another until his first hamburger was gone.
Taking in a breath, he responded, reaching for a fry, "Yep! This stuff is great! It's so much better than the food in Gehenna!"
The blonde smiled in return. "I'm glad you like it." She beamed up at him, cheeks flushed pink with happiness. Rin blushed in return, eyes darting down as he took a sip of his drink.
"So… what is Gehenna like? Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Shiemi waved her hands wildly, suddenly realizing that she might have offended the half-demon prince.
He laughed, setting his drink aside. "Na, it's no problem. Really. I didn't really get to see much of Gehenna—being locked up in that stupid castle and all that jazz. But, I can tell you the food was horrible." He wrinkled his nose at the memory, remembering when his 'father' had once cooked him a meal. It was a grotesque concoction of insects, goat horns, and, of course, human flesh. The blue-haired teen had spent the rest of the night retching, unable to keep any food down for three days.
"Oh, but I do remember a time when I was little and I did escape from my ol' dad. I managed to get pretty far, running through fields of miasma and barren wasteland until one of Satan's servants caught me. From what I remember, it was a dark and miserable place. There were demon carcasses everywhere." Rin finished, unwrapping his fourth and final hamburger.
His words left a hollow silence, one that the blonde wanted to get rid of. Already, she could feel the atmosphere shifting, from one of languid happiness to a bitter melancholy. The boy finished his meal, still looking somewhat hungry as he licked his fingers. Shiemi looked down at her half-eaten burger sheepishly, toying with a lock of her golden hair. "Do you want the rest of mine? I'm full already."
"Really? Thanks!" It brightened the youth's countenance immediately, a happy grin once again spreading across his face. He took the food graciously, immediately devouring the meal. It made the blonde tamer giggle; he really had poor table manners. Faintly, she wondered if all demons had such poor dinning habits.
Before she could press him for further answers, a chaotic scene broke out near the cash register. A male employee quickly walked away from the register, throwing off his apron and hat with a huff.
"Screw all of you! I'm done with this stupid crap! Go find someone else who can man the cash register, prepare food, and clean 'cause I quit!" The man stormed out of the door, leaving his coworkers with a line of hungry and impatient customers.
Rin watched the scene with interest, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. Why would anyone want to quit a job where they could make such amazing food? Standing up, he trudged towards the line, casting a sympathetic glance to the only other worker at the cash register. Shiemi remained frozen at her seat as the demon hopped onto the table, frowning at the group of unruly patrons. Many seemed beyond exasperated, while one patron in particular was nearly covered with coal tar. Rin's eyes narrowed. He had been told of these demons by his father's servants; they followed after humans who were likely to be possessed or those with evil hearts.
"Oi, you guys should quit being rude. Form a line and wait. That's how it goes at these sort of establishments, right?"
"What's it to ya, brat? Ya trying to start somethin'?" The man with the coal tar around him questioned, cracking his knuckles. He gave the youth a heavy glare, removing his sunglasses to reveal a pair of inhuman yellow eyes. Rin noticed this and gave a fanged grin.
"What if I am?" He retorted.
Without warning, the man charged forward, swinging at the blue-haired teen. The boy easily dodged, jumping off of the table to land directly behind the man's back. Growling, the angered patron swung again, nearly punching the cash register as Rin ducked under his fist.
The demon yawned, eyes half-lidded. "That all ya got… old man?"
His taunt did its intended effect; the man pushed Rin through the door, leading them to the alley beside the restaurant. Using a small portion of his powers, the demon locked the door with his mind, keeping the rest of the crowd from following them outside. Usually, he could use his flames to defend himself but here, in Assiah, where he needed to stay hidden, his flames were just too big of a risk. He wouldn't use them unless it was his final option. Instead, he had to be creative, to think of other ways to fight. His mind automatically traveled to the plethora of books he had read locked up in the mansion, a knowing look passing his eyes.
"You've really gone and upset me, kid. If you apologize now, maybe I won't have to be sending you back to your mom in a box."
Rin gave a cocky smile, pupils turning to slits. "I could say the same to you." Flashing forward, the blue-haired teen wrapped a hand around the other man's throat, pinning him to the brick wall. The man noticed his contracted pupils and gave a sneering grin.
"So you're a demon too? Wow, possessing some brat; you must be really horrible."
"Shut up." Rin snapped, closing his eyes. Focusing, he reminded himself of one of the books he read while in the castle. It had contained quite a few fatal verses, arranged by order of effectiveness against each domain. Picking the one he remembered to be the most common verse for exorcisms, he spoke. At first, the demon chuckled. It seemed as if the verses were doing nothing to the man, if only angering him more.
"What, ya trying to be an exorcist or something? There's no way you'd know my fatal verse—"
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
"Shut up! Filthy exorcist! How could you do this to your own kin?" He twisted wildly in the boy's grip like an angry bull, gnashing his teeth together and extending his claws to attack the prince. Rin held him back, kicking the man harshly in the gut.
"I am nothing like you." He said coldly, continuing the verse. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
The demon cried out one final time, a mass of dark miasma expulsing from his mouth until his body hung limp, falling to the floor with a thud.
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Rin finished, making a quick sign of the cross before picking up the unconscious man. Slinging the man over his back, he unlocked the door with his mind, setting him onto the nearest booth.
Shiemi ran to the youth as soon as he emerged from the side door, eyebrows knitted in worry. She breathed in a sigh of relief when she saw that he was unharmed but glanced to the unconscious man with uncertainty.
He saw her unease and laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "It's nothing. Just knocked him out is all. He'll be fine."
Turning to the now awestruck line of people at the register, he flashed a grin. "So, will everyone quiet down now, please?"
The group immediately obeyed, filing together to form an orderly line. The worker at the cash register immediately ran towards him, bowing.
"Thank you so much, sir! That guy had been bothering us for a while now; he's half the reason you saw that other man quit. We just can't seem to get good help these days…" The worker trailed off, eyeing the teen with interest.
"Say, you wouldn't be looking for a part-time job, would you?"
Rin gave a quizzical look. "A part-time job? What's that?"
"Thank you again, Rin! I'll see ya back here on Tuesday, alright? I'm sure my boss will hire ya after he sees how well you cook and hears about how you handed that delinquent." The friendly man waved, watching as the two teens left the restaurant.
Outside, Rin could not contain his happiness. Pumping his fist into the air he howled, letting out a gleeful cry. "Assiah is so much fun! Can you believe it, Shiemi? I've only been here for two days and I've already been offered a part-time job!"
She giggled, brushing back a golden lock. "It's great Rin, but…" She suddenly remembered the reason why Rin was with her in the first place: to stay hidden. "Uh, won't you attract attention working there? Are you sure it will be alright?"
He laughed, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Don't worry so much! As long as I don't use my flames I should be fine, right? Besides, after learning the basics from that guy, I can't wait to cook my own meals!"
Shiemi blushed at his gesture but continued walking forward, nearly tripping against the sidewalk in her embarrassed haze. She wasn't used to having a boy so close to her, but with Rin, it didn't seem all that bad. It was a pleasant feeling that bubbled up in her stomach, mixed with a few butterflies. Somehow, she felt safe around the son of Satan, as much as she knew she shouldn't. Rin's really nice. I hope we can become good friends. And that he'll be able to stay in Assiah with us… for a long time.
"Father?" Yukio questioned, opening the chapel doors. He peered inside the dark church, searching for the white-haired priest. A few well-placed curses followed as the man appeared, clambering down the steps, still dressed in his night clothes. His gaze softened when he saw Yukio, letting out a tired laugh.
"It's two in the morning, Yukio. Just what are you doing here? Don't tell me Mephisto has done something—"
"N-no, nothing like that. It's just… I don't know how to say it, but, Rin's alive. He's come back to Assiah and he's fine."
"What?" He asked incredulously, crimson eyes widening marginally. Never could he have imagined that his adopted son would ever return to Assiah. And for Yukio to say that he was alright; it was more than he could ever dream of. He had always thought that if Rin ever came back it would be either possessed by his father or as a harbinger of Armageddon.
"It's a long story, father. I think you might want to sit down." Shiro obeyed, moving to sit down in one of the many pews. The bespectacled man then recounted his tale, one that ended up lasting until the first light of dawn broke through the stain-glass windows of the church.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chap; I hope you guys still enjoyed it, regardless. Anyway, in 'The Devil is a Part-timer, Satan (who looks a lot like Rin, just with red eyes, lol) gets a job at a fast food restaurant and decides he wants to take over the human world… by becoming the owner of the largest fast-food chain XD It's a really funny anime that I totally recommend, if you haven't seen it already :P
Review?
-Isis
