Author's Note:

I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I have exams coming up. The next chapter will probably take as long if no more to show up. Be patient, please :)

Chapter 8

Something pushed through his flames. Rin snarled at the direction of the disturbance, wanting to tear apart whatever it was. When the sensation came closer, his instincts where roaring in warning. This golden shine was dangerous, the blue flames licking it didn't harm it. Instead of attacking like he previously wanted to, he retreated hastily, almost in panic. What was that? Fear, fear flooded him, overpowering his rage. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide – it was coming. He let go of a whimper and tried to hug his flames closer to protect himself. The gold swallowed up his screams.

Rin woke up with a start, his head pounding mercilessly. He groaned at the white light of the sun and closed his eyes tightly. Everything hurt – his tense muscles screaming bloody murder at whoever did this to him. What happened? Did he got beaten up by someone?

"Rin? Are you alright?" Came a voice and he recognized it as Lily's. Then he remembered everything, his eyes opening quickly.

The beast side of him went crazy, he had been drowning in flames, being burned. He remembered the pain and then the mind of an animal, thoughts of the demon. He couldn't believe it was him.

"Lily?" He looked for injuries but she looked as fine as ever, even her clothes were presentable. "Are you alright? What happened after I… uh…" Embarrassed, he looked away and noticed another person in the room. Gabriel was standing there, leaning on the doorframe, his face calm but unreadable.

"I'm ok, you didn't attack me or anything." Lily reassured him and he gave her a shaky smile. "Once I was out of shock I run and asked Gabriel-sama for help. He managed to control your flames and you just fell, unconscious."

"Thank you." Rin said with real gratitude and Gabriel nodded once at him. Then the angel came closer and after Lily had stood up and left with a bow, he sat down on her chair.

"I had to force your flames away and lock them, you won't be able to use them now. I will have to release them first. I had forgotten that while being human you didn't have a full access to your powers. After releasing your demon side, it just went wild. You are not hurt, are you?" His emerald eyes scanned him thoughtfully. Rin squirmed a little at the look.

"I'm fine. So how do I control my flames? It was really hard before and to think now they are so strong… I was totally overpowered." He admitted with a bitter grimace.

"We will need to change tactic a little. I thought that you will be able to learn both of your powers slowly at the same time. But it seems that you will have to gain control over your angel side first, so then you will know how to fight demonic flames. I believe you'd have to beat them into submission, so to speak."

Rin shivered a little at the thought. His whole existence was so paradox, to gain peace he dreamed of he had to fight a war, not only the obvious one – he had to fight his own self, had to find a balance in his soul and powers. And he had a feeling it won't be just won once and over then – he will fight constantly to keep sane, to keep in control, to stay as Rin not some beast or an indifferent creature. His eyes met Gabriel's. The angel nodded in reassurance and Rin nodded back. He will have to do it, there was no other way.

Gabriel left him to rest but Rin couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts were tangled and unclear. Also, there was a strange feeling inside him – like he was trapped, tied with a hard rope, unable to escape. He realized it must have been his flames fighting to get out. Once woken, they were restless. At least his angel side wasn't giving him problems. He sighed and tried to think of something nice.

Closing his eyes Rin pictured Bon. His beautiful, soft hair. His handsome face, honest smile, deep eyes… The way he felt, tasted, smelled… Were they apart too long? It was only two – now three days since he last saw him. Yet, fantasizing about him felt… different. Like he couldn't get his whole picture, something was missing. He wasn't excited at the memory of their time together. His heart didn't beat faster at the mere thought of Bon's smile. No reaction from his body. What was worse – no reaction from his soul.

"What the hell?" Rin realized that his emotions were slipping away – they were there just a moment ago! He was just smiling at his boyfriend's memory and now – nothing. Panicked, he sat up. What was wrong with him? The panic didn't last long, either. After a few moments of frantically analyzing his own mind, he calmed down. Rin was always a hothead, what the fuck changed? He was never indifferent, he always had raw passion, could easily feel rage or love or… His eyes widened. Calmness.

"My angel side doesn't give me problems, huh?" He asked himself, lying down. Suddenly, he felt exhausted. Of course he had changed – now his demon side was sealed off and it contained his passionate emotions. From what he gathered, angels seemed to be made from stone. His heart felt like it was dying – being flooded by a calm whiteness, every time he felt something, it disappeared after a moment. He logically knew how he should feel – he loved Bon and Yukio and his friends… and he was surely panicking now. What if after getting his demon side under control, his emotions would be long gone? Everything he was doing – his purpose for living, for fighting, for getting up in the morning – everything was in his heart. If he had lost it… At least he knew he still cared. He rather burn again in his flames than drown in this white feeling of nothing at all. He will have to ask Gabriel later. There is no way in hell that the angels really didn't feel anything. Maybe after that calmness settles he will get somehow back to normal? They might be only emotionless on the outside, simply not showing anything. That hope allowed his tortured mind to finally get some rest.

He had slept through an afternoon and a whole night. When he woke up, the sun was just about to rise, coloring the horizon in a mix of red and orange and covering a city in a pale hue. Rin got up and stretched, content that his body recovered and felt comfortable in his skin again. He moved towards the window and watched in awe as the garden came to life. The flowers opened theirs petals and turned towards the morning sun, the birds flew around and sang with glee and it seemed even the grass rustled and moved to get more warmth and light. It felt alive, different than the nature was on Earth. Rin opened a window and took a deep breath of the fresh air. It felt wonderfully, giving him strength to face the day. With a sigh, he went to the bathroom to get ready.

He had found Gabriel in the parlor, sitting alone and looking out of the window with a thoughtful expression. He turned to face him, as Rin had closed the door.

"Good morning." Gabriel only nodded and motioned him to the armchair. Rin sat, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"You are early, Lily and Akane should be here soon." Saying that, he turned back to the window. The silence was a little uncomfortable for Rin, but after a few minutes he relaxed and calmed down completely. When he realized it was rather out of character for him, he remembered he had a few questions for the archangel.

"Ano… Could you tell me… I mean, what I want to ask is… uh…" Gabriel's emerald eyes met his and he felt like he was being scanned, his soul bare to those eyes… But the angel smiled slightly and Rin continued, more sure of himself now, even if a little embarrassed at his stupid questions. "Well, after you sealed off my demon side… I felt my emotions disappearing… like I couldn't feel anything for too long. I was never a calm person, exactly the opposite. Are all angels like that? Will I stay that way even after getting my demon side back?" He was worried, biting his lip and fidgeting in his seat. Gabriel sighed softly.

"I guess for someone who was human recently, this change might feel shocking and wrong. But every soul, that is changed into an angel after death, comes through this too. When everyone is calm, there could be happiness. We can experience everything better and see the true nature of things. That doesn't mean we are completely emotionless." He assured him, seeing his expression fall. "Angels are creatures of good, so we love the world and each other and our Lord of course. We can be happy or sad, but after experiencing those emotions as a human, ours might feel a little pale. You will get use to it and I'm sure you'll enjoy this view on the world soon enough." He paused with a slight smile, letting Rin think about it for a minute. When he didn't ask any questions, Gabriel went on. "Of course your demon side is another matter. It will probably confuse you, after having it closed off for awhile. Demons tend to be angry and bitter and find destroying things amusing. They like blood and battle, or sitting in the background and watch theirs schemes unfold." Like Mephisto, Rin thought. The stupid clown wasn't one for bloodshed but when it came to games… Especially gambling with human life – then he was in his element. " So they seem to be more passionate than us. I guess you will have to see and learn. It sure won't be easy to deal with it, but believe in yourself. You are a good soul, you will find your way and if you feel lost, ask our Lord to guide you." With that, he stood up and left Rin to his own thoughts. Looking out the window at the beautiful, golden city before him, he wondered if he will manage. He had always problems when it came to emotions.

Rin didn't even realize when two hours passed, so deep in thoughts he missed the doors opening and two women coming in. Only after Akane moved and playfully ruffled his hair he noticed them. With a jump of surprise he turned from the window to look who disturbed him.

"Hi, Rin-kun! What were you thinking so hard about? It looked like you were in a different world!" She giggled. Rin thought she acted strangely for an angel, too mirthful or something. She was all smiles and of course the way she dressed was kind of strange as well.

"Um, hi. I wasn't thinking about anything important." He replied sheepishly, suddenly feeling shy in front of a girl who was not only pretty but had rather… revealing dress. Sure, he preferred Bon's hard and muscular body but couldn't help but admire a woman's lean frame. The red dress matched her hair perfectly and showed her perfect legs. It was fitted well and swirled around her tights as she moved. He felt his face heating up and he looked at the other girl. Akane laughed at his expression and sat down.

"Good morning, Lily. I hope you really are ok after yesterday?" Rin asked, still feeling guilty about the incident. Her brilliant smile made him feel better.

"I told you, I'm fine. Now, I believe you know we will need to change your training a little…"

It took a lot of combined effort of Akane and Lily to teach him everything he needed about his new powers. The red queen – as he had found out was her nickname – had a vast knowledge. It turned out she was some kind of a magician – or even witch, as she could get really mean if she wanted to. When angels had a power that could be used in the offensive, they could control and shape it. Lily taught him how to focus on the power and Akane showed him some spells – well, they were spells in Rin's mind, no matter how they called it. After a week of non stop training till he fell exhausted, he could sent a weak golden ray out of his hands. It was cumulated energy, working just as his blue flames, but it felt to strange for him. just not right. The ray was supposed to be sharp and deadly but his couldn't do any damage yet.

Only after he perfected the rays did the girls let him try to summon flames – this time golden ones. Now, that was a true challenge. Those flames were too different – he felt nothing deadly about them and they didn't seem to be able to destroy even a flower. But Akane explained to him, that this weapon is only effective against demons. She was actually concerned about him – after his demon side was released he would have to fight fire with fire – it could hurt him in a process.

Akane became his friend quickly enough. She was fun to hang out with, even when she was teaching it didn't feel like a real lesson. Her sense of humor was sharp and sometimes too teasing but Rin liked her easy going personality. She laughed and smiled a lot. And was beautiful too. He was glad he didn't particularly feel any desire around her, simply admiring her like he would a sunset.

Lily was a little harder to be friends with as she was too serious and couldn't take Akane's teasing. She had an elegant air about her – almost like she was better than anyone else, but Rin knew she didn't think too highly of herself. She was a caring person though and very soft when you got to know her.

He realized he actually had fun training with them. He finally got used to his new emotions – reserved and calm but still there. Gabriel was right – looking at the world in such a manner showed new details and sensations he could have missed if he thought too much about feelings. He wondered what will happen after he got his demon side back.

Rin didn't notice when a whole month passed by. He mastered the golden rays – it was his favorite, he could pin a fly in the air with a sharp string. Flames didn't give him trouble anymore but he felt uncomfortable using them – his still missed his blue ones. Also, he was able to heal small wounds on others and bigger on himself. But healing was draining, Lily explained that was because his powers weren't made for this purpose.

While living in an Academy Rin met Shin a lot. The guy interested him at first – with an air of mystery around him and a teasing smirk on his lips, he looked like someone rebellious. He liked him – maybe a little too much for his guilty heart to admit. And it didn't help matters that Shin shamelessly flirted with him on every occasion he got. Rin blushed a lot around him. Shin was handsome, with long shiny hair falling on his face. His eyes were beautiful and always hiding something – he looked like he was laughing from a personal joke only he knew about. His stories were interesting as well – adventures of hunting demons in Hell – a place as red as Akane's dress, he'd said. Rin always felt guilty after spending time with him. He was here only for a training, so he could come back to Bon when he was ready. He missed his boyfriend with all his heart, but he had found out that the passion he felt for him was missing. Well, generally strong feelings like that left him, so at least he didn't want to jump Shin and kiss him… right? When he thought this way, he usually went to take a cold shower and then he would lay down and remember all the things he loved about Bon. Relationship wasn't only about physical attraction, so even with it missing he would have rather stayed with him than choose a badass like Shin for a partner. For one, he didn't trust him completely. For two, he was too mysterious to figure out – so Rin couldn't say he knew the guy. For three, he imagined how much it would hurt him if it was Bon who was flirting with some other guy. With his feeling straightened out, he could leave the room, only to start over again after a dirty joke from Shin.

Bon sat on his bed, trying to read a book but failing to concentrate. He missed Rin like crazy, a whole month had passed and there was no trace of him. He knew logically a training like that would take time, but he wished selfishly that his boyfriend will come back quickly. His arms felt empty, no one to hold to. With a groan, he set the book aside and curled up over the covers. Kuro, who was observing him from the other side of the room, moved towards him, sensing his depressed mood. He mewled and jumped on the bed. Bon reached a hand and pet him gently, being glad for a creature company. The cat reminded him of Rin – the boy too liked to curl inside his arms, laying his head at the crook of Bon's neck. Gentle purring lured him to sleep.

Yukio nervously brushed his hair, wondering if he looked alright. After a lot of blushing and squirming, Shiemi finally had had enough of him being shy and approached him first. He got badly injured while protecting her, saying that she was more important to him than his own life, so she figured out his feelings for her. Her straightforward question made his face burn red but he nodded anyway, confirming that he liked her more than a friend. It was also her who initialized a first kiss and laughed at her Yuki-chan's embarrassed expression. No matter she was as red as tomato herself. So now, Yukio had a date with her – they were only going to eat dinner together and then go for a walk, but he was still nervous. With a sigh, he decided his hair was hopeless and went on his way, almost forgetting the flowers he got for her.

Situation in school calmed after the angels arrived to protect it, but still sometimes some very persisting demon would sneak in and try to wreak havoc. So they couldn't truly relax, always on their toes. It frustrated the exorcists to no end. And the angels didn't help their moods either – the creatures seemed to cold for humans, not interested in anything but the battle and themselves. Mephisto and Amaimon hated them openly. People from Vatican worshipped them, making the angels laugh at their silly actions. Usually the army just stayed out of the way of humans.

Rin couldn't help but laugh with glee as he flew. Yes, his wings weren't only for show – he could fly, albeit it took a lot of practice to be able to stay in the air and not fall on his butt. Akane took his training to actual fighting – her being his opponent. She was a master in the air though – quick and graceful, she flew around him, making him loose balance. It was important to be able to stay up after a dodge, so they focused on movement first. Rin had to build up his strength too as it was very tiring to keep swinging his wings for a long time. But he still found it the most fun part of the whole training, so even after the lesson was over, he stayed to practice some more – just to fall down in exhaustion later.

After Akane decided he was good enough, they started fighting. He overused the rays he liked so she told him to concentrate on the flames – after all they were his main weapon against demons. Also, if he wanted his blue ones to be free he needed to perfectly control the golden first. Easier said than done but he tried anyway.

Shin liked to observe Rin while he was training in the air. The kid had an animal grace, moving smoothly across the field, dodging Akane with ease and laughing at her dumbfounded face whenever he managed to get her dress with a golden ray. He tried to seduce the kid since he'd spoken with him for a first time, but he was very stubborn. It was obvious the attraction wasn't one-sided – yet, he always moved away from him with a cute blush coloring his face.

Rin landed on his feet and lost his balance, being too tired to stand. He rolled onto his back and decided to stay on the grass for a moment to catch his breath.

"See you later, Rin! I'm going to eat something!" Akane shouted as she moved towards the building. He closed his eyes, enjoying a sun.

He sensed someone approaching and then laying down beside him. He opened one eye and lazily checked who it was. Shin. The man was popped up on one hand, holding the side of his face, his bangs falling over his eyes. Rin smiled slightly at him and shut his eye again.

The man observed him as they laid there in silence. Rin's breathing evened out after panting from his training and his face relaxed. Shin leaned down over him, moving his lips very close to the boy's.

Rin's eyes shot open in shock when he felt Shin's warm lips on his. The man was looking back at him, his beautiful, dark eyes shining with lust.

Author's Note:

Ha! How do you like a twist with Shin? The guy's a mystery, or I tried to make him one. More about him and his adventures later!

Please review :)