Before I start this chapter, I wanted to acknowledge the families and friends of the victims in yesterday's shooting.

This is a horrible thing, and it shouldn't have happened. So many people were killed, so many were injured, and it's all thanks to this hate in our world.

As you read this, I hope you understand that anger directed towards this attack, towards the man who did this horrible thing, it won't help us go any further.

I think it's horrible, but I'm begging you all to try to not be angry. And if you are, I respect and understand that, but please don't act upon that anger. If you can, show as much compassion for the families and loved ones that are grieving right now. They need compassion, this is what this world needs at this time in history.

Thank you.

I stood behind Shura at the front desk of the hospital. She glanced back at me, then looked away awkwardly. I swallowed and looked down.

It had been quite an odd night. After Bon and Shima explained the situation to Shura, she had stormed up to my room, ready to chew me out. Before she could say anything, Konekomaru had told her that I needed to go to the hospital, so, after I had sobered up a bit, and my classmates had gone back to their dorm, Shura took me here.

But I wasn't just here for myself.

"Can I help the next in line, please?"

The woman's voice broke into my tired thoughts, and Shura tapped my shoulder.

"This is your chance, Rin." Her voice was softer than normal, and when I caught her gaze, she quickly averted her eyes.

I nodded and walked up to the counter. A young woman sat behind the desk, her sleek black hair in a tight bun, her mouth pinched into a fake smile... believe me, I'd know it was fake, I was the master.

"Um... I want to... I wanted to visit a friend." I mumbled, not really knowing what to say.

The woman's eyes were concerned, taking in my haggard appearance, but she nodded. "Can I have their name, please?" She asked.

I hesitated. Did he want me to visit? I was the one who let him get to that point, what if he didn't want to see me?

I felt Shura lightly kick the back of my foot, and I glanced back at her. This time, she met my eyes evenly. "Just tell her, Rin." She whispered.

I turned back to the woman behind the desk. "I... I don't know his last name, um... Rouga?" I said uncertainly.

The woman typed something into her computer, and frowned. "There's no one under that name... when was he brought in?" She asked.

My brow scrunched as I tried to remember. Everything the past few days had been a blur, and I didn't really-

"It was about five days ago." Shura cut in. She stepped up behind me, and patted my arm before tucking her hands into her pockets.

The woman typed something else in. "Still no Rouga... but there's a Ryota, about sixteen years old?" She asked, her eyes flicking to me.

I chewed on the inside of my lip. 'Ryota? Could that be him?' I wondered to myself. "Um... badly dyed blonde hair? He was badly injured." I suggested.

The woman nodded. "I'm guessing this is him. He's in inpatient care for now, so I'll have someone take you to his room. We'll have to search both of you for drugs, alcohol, or any sharp objects." She said. I nodded. I knew why.

A nurse brought us down several hallways and up a floor, he checked my bag and both of our pockets, before leading us to a door labeled '197'. Shura thanked the nurse and opened the door, shoving me in before I had a chance to react.

I looked up and froze.

Rouga was sitting in a chair next to a white bed, his eyes wide and trained on me. His skin was a better color, and his eyes looked more alert than I'd ever seen them.

And on the other side of the bed was...

I didn't know her. I had never seen her before in my life, but she looked slightly familiar, something about her face.

She was tall, and slim, with long, feathered black hair that fell to her hips. Her eyes were a soft brown and her skin was pale. She was definitely a beautiful woman. I tried to place a name to her face, but I couldn't.

My eyes went back to Rouga, then back to the woman. I blinked.

Oh.

"Am I... is this a bad time?" I asked quietly.

The woman's brow scrunched slightly. "Yes, I'm sorry can you-"

"No. This is not a bad time." Rouga spat, glaring at the woman. "Katsumi, I'd rather not ever talk to you again, but if I'm going to have to talk to you, I'd rather it be later... preferably on your deathbed." He growled, standing up. "We can talk later."

The woman- Katsumi- opened her mouth to protest, but Rouga cut her off again. "Go." He hissed, his coal gray eyes flashing dangerously.

Katsumi bit her lip, then spun on her heel and brushed past me, nearly knocking Shura of her feet and not even apologizing.

Shura was grumbling as we walked into the room.

Rouga sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "I'm sorry about that. She's not the best person around." His eyes seemed to become distant for a moment, like he did sometimes, before he took a deep breath and looked at me. "So. You finally came to see me." He said with a small grin.

I swallowed. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"No hard feelings, Rin. I get it." Rouga said, waving his hand.

There was silence in the room. I looked back at Shura, who was leaning against the wall, looking away. I turned my gaze back to Rouga. "So... I don't want to make assumptions, but I'm guessing that was your-"

"My bitch of a mom, yeah." He huffed, tapping his long fingers against his knee. "Wants to bring me home to that-" He stopped himself and exhaled. "Doesn't matter. No use in worrying about it right now, I won't be able to go back to them until I'm sober anyways..." He muttered.

Silence again.

"So..." I licked my lips nervously. "Um... Ryota?" I asked.

His head snapped towards me, his eyes wide. Then, his shoulders relaxed. "I suppose you wouldn't have been able to find me without getting my real name..." He sighed. "Ryota Minami... call me that if you want, but I myself prefer Rouga." He said quietly.

I forced myself to smile a little. "Well, I wasn't planning on calling you Ryota, so I guess that's a good thing." I said, moving over to the chair and sitting down in front of Rouga.

Rouga smiled, and it was a little shocking to see that it was... real?

"Hope you forgive me for keeping it from you." He said.

I shook my head and looked down. "We've... we've all got secrets..." I muttered.

"Like... being an exorcist?"

My neck cracked because of how fast I looked up, and I saw Shura glance over out of the corner of my eye.

Rouga smiled at my shocked expression. "You never know who could know about these things. I know you're an exorcist, Rin, I don't care." He scratched the back of his neck. "Both my parents are exorcists..." He said, somewhat ruefully. I wondered for a moment why he seemed to dislike talking about them, but I brushed the thought aside.

"If-If you knew, why didn't you-"

"What was the point? What we did... I'm guessing it was one of the only things you did where you weren't constantly thinking about being an exorcist... it was something you could use to get away from that world... who was I to fuck that up?" Rouga shrugged.

I stared at him. "Th-then you know about demons and..." I sighed. "I have something to... to tell you." I murmured.

Rouga crossed his ankles. "I doubt it will surprise me, but I'm listening." He said.

I smiled mirthlessly. Oh, I bet he would be.

I looked over at Shura. She seemed to know what I was about to say.

Should I take the chance? I had a friend, but after finding out that he knew about exorcists, and demons, if I told him that I was the son of Satan, would he not want to be around me anymore?

I swallowed. 'Just do it, Rin.'

"I'm... I'm not fully human, I'm... I'm half demon." I admitted.

"... Okay...?" His tone told me to go on.

I shook my head. "Not... not just any demon, I'm the..." I hesitated and closed my eyes, not wanting to see his expression. "I'm the spawn of Satan." I mumbled.

.

.

.

"I know."

I opened my eyes. Rouga had a small smile on his face. "You kn-"

Rouga shrugged a little. "Well, I knew that you weren't... human." He huffed. "Rin Okumura. Son of the Paladin. 'Stay away from him Ryota, he's dangerous, he's a demon, it's obvious.'" He said in a mocking tone, all the while looking at the door.

I frowned. "If you knew, then-"

"We didn't grow up that far away from each other, you know. I'd see you at the park, playing with your brother, and the Paladin..." His gaze softened and he was doing that thing again, where he was just staring into nothing. "I remember... kind of... I was really drunk when this happened, but I was... I was fifteen... my parents were fighting again, and it was night, and I went out to the park... I was sitting on a bench, and you came along." He closed his eyes, as if he were trying to remember clearly. "You didn't even notice me. You sat on the swings, and you asked yourself why you couldn't do anything right." He opened his eyes and looked at me.

I blinked.

I remembered that night.

That was the night I lost the job I'd only just gotten. That was the first day I'd seen a demon, that was the day before...

Before...

Tears pricked at my eyes.

"Then you told yourself to stop thinking that way... and I remember, I wanted to see if you believed it... I don't remember much else from that night, but... I remember thinking..." Rouga took a deep breath. "I remember thinking that you didn't look like a demon, you looked like someone who had demons."

I stared at him, and he turned his gaze to me. "Some demons... you can't just exorcise them, can you?" He whispered, his own eyes beginning to swim. "But hey... maybe you'll get better."

I cleared my throat. "That's..."

"That's why he's here, kid." Shura's voice made me jump. I'd... kind of forgotten she was here.

We both looked over at her. "Rin's here to visit you, and then he's going to check himself into the hospital. Same boat as you, kid, from what I hear." Shura continued.

Rouga looked at me, seeming shocked. "You didn't-"

I looked away. "I was about to..." I confessed.

Rouga huffed. "I'm sorry, I must have-"

"It wasn't your fault." I interrupted. I stood up. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine, I was the one who decided to do it, you didn't tell me to, so don't even finish your sentence." I took in a breath. "Let's just... let's just get through this part, okay?" I said, my voice breaking. A tear rolled down my cheek, and Rouga stared.

Then, after a silent moment, he reached out and gently punched my arm. "You sound ridiculous..." he muttered. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back up at me. "Okay."

So, Rouga's alive. My little baby, Ryota Minami. (GOD I've been wanting to say his real name dramatically for a while now, hehe)

So, this is one of the last chapters. The next chapter might actually be the last one. Maybe there will be an epilogue, I dunno. So, anyways, here you are. Rouga's alive, Rin's alive, everyone is safe, even if they aren't particularly happy right now.

Yeap...

So... there you go!

I love you all, thank you for staying with me this whole time!

Oh, if you wanna check out my deviantart, there's a (sort-of) link in my profile. Also, feel free to vote on the poll on my profile as well, it's about an extra story.