Chapter 3- Nightmare
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The half-demon crawled tiredly onto the soft yellow sheets, letting out a yawn. Curling into the flower-printed comforter, Rin immediately fell asleep, snoring lightly.
It had been an interesting day, to say the least. The poor teen had spent the better part of the weekend trying to assimilate to Assiahn culture... only to fail miserably at times.
But how was he supposed to know most humans couldn't see demons? Or that swatting angrily at coal tars in public could lead to an almost overnight stay at a mental ward? The human world had so many rules and coupled with his new-found freedom, the boy was eager to test the waters. Which, more often than not, left Shiemi scrambling to get Rin out of trouble. But... he still had a lot of fun.
The pair had spent most of the warm Sunday out exploring the surrounding area. Rin had eagerly dragged Shiemi to a nearby market, darting through the crowded streets to peruse venue after venue. He insisted on trying every type of food they had to offer, buying more candies and sweets than he could physically eat. Shiemi had been stuck carrying the boxes of confectionaries (partly because Rin was clumsier than her and partly because she didn't want him to accidentally burn all of the food), following after the boy as he stopped abruptly in front of one of the actual stores.
"What's this?" He had questioned, noticing a picture of some fantasy-styled character carrying a long sword. His tail had twitched suddenly at the sight of the poster, something that the blonde realized happened whenever the boy got excited.
"Hmm? Oh, it's a bookstore. There's a section for manga. It's like a book, but with pictures." She tried to explain as the boy ran through the sliding glass doors. Funnily enough, it reminded her of when he had first gone through one of the doors; he had thought it was due to his demonic powers and had looked around worriedly at the rest of the patrons. Once Shiemi had explained that it had a sensor and was motion-activated the half-demon had begun to eagerly watch the doors open and close, scaring many of the befuddled shoppers. It was then that the young tamer realized that Rin had little actual control over his flames; whenever he felt extreme emotion (elation being the case this time), two blue flames would flutter over his head, functioning similarly to horns.
In any case, Rin took immediately to manga, running through shelf after shelf as he gazed happily at the art. He had pleaded with Shiemi to buy some, but upon opening her purse she realized with horror that she had spent all of her monthly allowance on candy. Her mother was sure to question how she had spent all of it so quickly, considering she almost always saved up. Regardless, the blonde was not looking forward to her impending conversation with her mother and coming up with an explanation on why and what she had spent her money on without talking about the spawn of Satan.
To appease Rin, she had promised to let him borrow some of her own manga, leaving out the fact that most of it wasn't the action-packed adventures that Rin seemed to gravitate towards. They had walked out of the store only to see that the sun was nearly setting. Frantic, they ran back to Shiemi's home, dropping a few of the boxed treats in their haste. Rin had hidden in the guest cottage while Shiemi tried to pretend to be doing homework in her room when her mother came home, wondering faintly why the house smelled of candy.
Hugging the pillow tighter in his sleep, a small smile flitted across his face at the memories. Assiah really did feel like home. He really wouldn't mind living like this for a while…
"Now son, hold still! I don't wanna accidentally burn off your cute face!" A dark chuckle followed before a snap, echoing through the dimly lit room.
Almost immediately, Rin felt the same flames that once licked harmlessly up his own skin start to burn painfully. The child stayed rooted in place, a soundless gasp emanating from his throat. He began to claw at his own skin as the flames burned through his blood, scalding his insides. His nails created crescent-marks against his skin.
"S-stop… please…" He cried out, falling to the cement floor with a gurgled thump. Crimson seeped from his temple as he lay motionless, feeling his skin burn and heal and then burn again. The child let out a howl as Satan stepped harshly on his skull, pulling at his hair to drag him up to face him. He gave a fanged sneer.
"What's the matter? I'm just increasing the intensity of the flames. If you can't even handle this then you are more of a disgrace than I thought. How pathetic." He dropped the blue-haired boy unceremoniously to the ground, relishing in the crack that resounded when his body hit the rough ground with a pitiful whine. There was no doubt that the impact had caused him to break a few bones.
"I'm sorry… so sorry…" He had said only to feel the blue flames travel up to his vocal chords. The child began to claw at his throat, hot, sticky blood pouring from his mouth. Letting out another gasp, he realized with horror that he couldn't speak; his vocal chords had been singed away.
'I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die… someone, help me…' he had repeated like a mantra in his head, desperately trying to stay awake. His own blood was beginning to choke him as he gurgled up the crimson liquid, blue eyes rolling to the back of his head until only the whites of his eyes could be seen.
"Uh, oh, guess I went too far." Satan observed, snapping his fingers. The pain lessened marginally, allowing the boy to once again take in painful gasps of oxygen-rich air. His lungs expanded and deflated, every single nerve of his body sending up shocks of pain with every breath.
It eventually became too much; the last thing he heard in the growing darkness was the sound of footfalls and then the slamming of a door.
Rin bolted from his sleep, heartbeat racing. He frantically checked over his body, letting out a relieved sigh to see smooth skin instead of charred bits of flesh. Wiping sweat from his brow, the half-demon rolled out of bed. Through the hazy lines of the window he could barely make out the first few rays of dawn.
Deciding that it was a fruitless endeavor to try to catch a few more hours of sleep, Rin stepped out of the cottage. Stretching his arms, the blue-haired teen gave a fanged yawn before darting up the side of the small house, using the vines of ivy to climb. Planting his feet on the orange-tinted shingles, he stretched out against the roof, basking in the few early morning rays.
The light felt warm against his skin as he dozed contentedly, pushing away thoughts of his father. Instead, he focused on the rising sun, watching as the dark violets were pushed away by orange and gold.
Rin didn't know how long he had been up there until he was roused awake by a familiarly chipper voice. "Rin? Are you up there?"
Shiemi looked up expectantly at the boy, only realizing he was there due to his tail which had been flickering at the edge of the roof. The youth shot up at her voice, giving a wide grin and a wave.
"Hey, Shiemi! Come on up here, the weather's great!" He yelled, motioning to the line of ivy. The blonde nodded hesitantly before grasping one of the vines, worry apparent in her emerald orbs.
"I-I don't know about this—"
"It's fine, don't worry! I'll help ya up!" Reaching out a hand, Rin swung the girl effortlessly up the ivy, helping her catch her footing as her sandaled feet found purchase against the orange shingles.
"Thanks…" She mumbled out, blushing at their close proximity. Rin had wrapped an arm around to steady her before taking her hand in his own. "Come on, the view's great! The sky's all dark and disgusting in Gehenna; I never got to do stuff like this!"
Nodding, she followed him, a light blush still dusting her cheeks. They sat on the edge of the roof, dangling their feet over the side. Rin turned suddenly to her, a serious expression on his face. Shiemi, startled, moved back slightly, running an anxious hand through her golden locks.
"Is something… the matter, Rin?"
He continued to stare intently at her, voice serious, "Do you… want to cloud watch with me?"
A giggle escaped her throat as she nearly fell forward, relief immediately washing over her. Rin gave a confused look.
"So, is that a no?"
She laughed again. "No! I'd love to cloud watch. It's just such a… strange request."
Rin blushed, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his shirt. "I read about it in a book. It sounded fun. There are really only miasma clouds in Gehenna so I never really had the chance." He finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Shiemi nodded, pointing up at one of the fluffy clouds. "That one looks like… an ice-cream!"
The half-demon snorted, falling back against the roof. "No way! I totally see a turtle!"
The blonde giggled again, moving to lie next to the boy. She pointed to a smaller cloud. "How about that one? I see a cat."
"I see… a monkey. I think." He added, furrowing his brow.
The pair continued to cloud watch until a sharp yell caused both youths to nearly fall off the roof. "Shiemi, you're going to be late to school! Where are you?"
"Oh no!" She cried, scrambling to climb down the side of the cottage. Nearly tripping down, Shiemi waved quickly to Rin. "I'll see you later, Rin. Just stay here and try not to cause any trouble, alright?"
Before he could respond the blonde had already ducked into the house, a woman with salt-pepper hair chastising her lightly. The blue-haired youth pressed himself against the roof, sneaking off the side and into the cottage before Shiemi's mother spotted him.
"Ah Shiro, what a pleasant surprise~! Please, sit down! It's not every day I get to chat with the paladin." He jeered lightly, setting his own tea cup aside. The silver-haired man gave a scowl before settling into the pin-striped couch adjacent of the clown.
"Mephisto, we need to talk. It's about Rin." He spoke seriously, crimson eyes narrowed behind his wide-framed glasses.
This caught the demon's attention immediately. Crossing his legs, the principal grinned widely. "Oh, little Rin? If you're coming here to ask if I've been able to find him in Gehenna even after all these years, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed—"
"Listen, Rin is here. In Assiah. I haven't seen him physically but Yukio has him set up in one of the exwire's homes."
The purple-haired man let out a chuckle, nearly dropping his cup in surprise. "Yukio did that? How unusual of him. He never takes risks like this."
Shiro sighed. "He isn't stupid; he gave me the sword." Reaching off to the side, Shiro pulled out the sheathed weapon, tossing it to the demon king.
Mephisto caught it with ease, casting the priest a confused glance. "You're handing it to me? Why?"
"Because you can keep it safe. Until we know we can fully trust Rin we need to keep the sword away from him or those who would wield it. Keep it in one of your alternate dimensions. At any rate, the kid may just end up saving all of us."
"Hmm? From what? Satan? Gehenna? Demons?" He goaded, placing the sword to the side of his desk.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, Mephisto." The white-haired man huffed, standing up.
"I don't have the luxury of bickering with you all day. I'll be back later, once I get a few more things straightened out." He continued, shrugging on his coat.
Mephisto grinned. "Alright. I just have one more question for you: will you allow Rin to study at my school? He can live in the old abandoned dorms with Yukio, granted that you are okay with his enrollment."
Shiro shot him a confused look. "What are you planning? You wouldn't do this unless it benefited you."
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Shiro-kun~! He teased, shaking a finger. "Keeping Assiah as my perfect playground has always been my main objective. This goal just so happens to benefit the humans as well. What, you still don't trust me?" He feigned mock hurt, forest-green orbs narrowed in fake pain.
"I'd be stupid to trust you fully…" Shiro muttered, walking out the door. Just as he passed the threshold he turned around, looking intently at the demon. "Fine. I'll let Rin to study here. Just… keep him safe, alright?"
Mephisto nodded. "You have my word."
As the door closed a flash of green entered the room through the window. The King of Earth walked casually to his brother's desk, stealing a lollipop from the jar. Sticking it into his mouth, he turned his attention to the sword on the floor.
"I heard you talking with that paladin. What's going on?" He drawled, cerulean orbs trained specifically on the sheathed sword.
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Amaimon. Just go back— Hey, what are you doing?!"
Amaimon had quickly swiped away the sword, fingers pressed against the violet hilt. "This sword… I've seen it before somewhere. I wonder…" Slowly, he unsheathed it, eyes widening at the sight of blue flames.
"These flames… they are just like fathers."
Rin sat in Shiemi's room, boredom fueling his wandering. After he saw her mother leave for work, the half-demon stole into the house, intent on finding something to eat. Upon raiding the fridge, he decided to check the blonde tamer's room, remembering her promise of manga.
"If I were manga where would I be...?" He mumbled to himself, stalking around the room. His eyes lit up at the sight of a slightly open drawer; pulling it out, he saw a wide arrangement of books and manga.
"Yes!" He cheered, picking up the first one that caught his eye. While the illustrations were pretty he couldn't help but feel something was off. He read the title aloud, "Hana Kimi, one of the best Shoujo manga to date."
Shrugging, the boy flipped open to the front page of the first volume, slowly becoming enraptured by the story. Three hours later, tears were streaming down his face. Hiccupping, he talked to himself, pushing the manga away.
"W-why doesn't he tell her he knows she's a girl? Why can't they just love each other?" He whined, face planting onto the wooden floor with a thud. The boy sat like that for what seemed like hours until the doorknob jiggled.
Rin sprang into action, moving most of his body under her bed to hide himself.
"Rin? Are you here?" A familiar voice questioned softly.
Immediately, the blue-haired teen jumped from his hiding spot, still trying to wipe tears from his eyes.
"Hey, Shiemi!" He waved, flashing a happy grin.
"How was your day?" She started, only to pause as the boy suddenly erupted into blue flames.
Looking down at himself, he let out a strangled cry of surprise, falling to the floor. Just as he got up off the ground the flames dissipated. Rin gave a sigh of relief only to find himself covered in flames again. Frustrated, he let out an annoyed growl.
"Damnit! I'll never trust that stupid four-eyes again!"
A/N: Lol, Amaimon, you would do that -.- Anyway, sorry for the delay; I hope this longer chap made up for it! Thanks again for all of those who have faved/followed/reviewed this story even though I have the most infrequent updated ^^'
P.S. Hana Kimi is actually a great gender-bender manga, if you haven't read it. It's probably one of my favorite mangas, actually ^^ I don't really know if it counts as a Shoujo (a really girly/oriented towards girls) manga, but let's pretend that it is!
Review? Every review gets Rin another manga volume!
-Isis
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