Chapter 9

Sensations flooded him, making him dizzy with a warm, fluttering in his chest. Why, why did he enjoy it so much, why couldn't he stop the man, why…? Rin tried to fight with his body, but it betrayed him. Soft lips on his, moving sensually, delicate fingers brushing his face, so lightly caressing it… Before he knew it, his whole body was so warm, like he'd just sank into a bathtub after a tiring day… a moan escaped him without his consent. Shin smirked. Feeling a wet tongue licking his bottom lip, asking for entrance, he almost gave up. Almost. His mind has woken up suddenly, screaming at him. Rin realized what he was doing and with who. Bon, what about Bon? He pushed the guy away weakly.

"Rin, don't fight it. I can see you like it…" Shin whispered, still close and started to leave butterfly kisses on his cheeks and jaw, his fingers stroking his neck slowly.

"N…no…" Rin gasped, as Shin licked his neck. Why was his body reacting like that? He had never felt anything so intense before, not even at the peak of passion he shared with Bon… What the hell? "Stop!" He begged, trying to push him off but somehow his hands didn't listen to him and stayed at his shoulders, gripping them tightly.

"I don't wanna…" Shin grinned and kissed him again. Rin couldn't help but moan helplessly and doing so, let his wet tongue in. The kiss was hot, Shin lapped at the inside of his mouth and met his own tongue. His mind was so clouded now that he'd answered. A battle of tongues took place for awhile but they had to separate eventually to breathe. Shin looked down into glazed, blue eyes.

Rin's mind slowly came back to him as lips finally left his skin. With horror, he realized what he had done. Guilt flooded his mind but it also gave him strength he needed to push Shin off. The man fell back with a gasp of surprise.

"What the fuck? You enjoyed it just as much as I did, kid! Why are you acting this way?" Shin asked him angrily as Rin sat up quickly and moved further away from him.

"I have a boyfriend, you dolt! You can't just come around and kiss people without their permission!" Rin shouted at him, anger overwhelming his guilt. His face was still red, though.

"You are so adorable I couldn't help myself." He said, suddenly smiling seductively again. "C'mon, Rin you know you want this. Besides, what of your boyfriend? He is alive and you don't have your lifespan on Earth anymore. You are here now and will be for awhile. And then you are going toward Hell, aren't you?" At Rin confused expression, he sniggered. "Don't give me that look, it's not like you can take him there with you! And if you win the fight, then what? You thought you will come back to Earth just like that? Don't be naive!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I will come back after that, why would I stay?" He got even more confused but anger already left him. Shit, stupid angel's emotions!

"Silly kid, if you become a ruler of Gehenna then you'd have to stay there and keep your demons on a short leash. Unless you want them to rebel and attack humans again?" Rin shook his head. "Thought so. They won't simply accept a kid as their master, you will have to keep proving to them you are stronger than they are. How you figure you do that if you are not there?"

Shin's words pierced his heart. He felt so sad and desperate now. Was that true? Would he really have to stay away from Bon, in order to keep demons under control? No, it was not possible! Shit!

"You bastard, you are lying!" He shouted at him, his eyes glassy like he was about to cry.

"I'm not." He moved slowly towards him. "And you know I can keep you company, all the time. I can be here and I can go with you there as well. I am a strong ally you will need, Rin." He moved closer still, but Rin was in some kind of shock now – or simply in denial, shaking his head with eyes wide. Shin's hand gently brushed his bangs away and caressed his cheek. "I like you, kid and I know you like me. Forget about that human boy, he is out of reach for you now."

"No… no that's not true… I…" He felt so lost and it didn't help that his senses were being woken up again by a press of warm lips at his cheek and a hand touching the other one.

"Shh… let me take care of you…" Shin's voice was soft, low and sexy as hell. Rin moved away quickly, before he would drown in his dark eyes again.

"No. I may like you…" He admitted with shame, snapping the guy's hands away. "But I love Bon. My heart is his and it won't change, no matter what. Relationship isn't only about physical attraction!" He moved away from him again and stood up. "I don't care what you say, I will do everything in my power to come back to him." With that, he spun around and took off in the air, so Shin couldn't follow.

Rin had found himself in his room, crying on his bed. This whole situation was a mess. At least he still had enough guilt and anger inside him to be allowed to cry, but it was fading away too quickly, leaving emptiness inside. He knew he was guilty of liking Shin too much, of wanting him and of kissing him back. His body reacted to his touches but why couldn't it react to Rin's memories of Bon like it always did? Was his attraction so weak? Was his love so weak? No, that's not true, he still felt it, still cared, still wanted to see him… but a physical aspect of their relationship was somehow missing. What the hell was wrong with him?

It didn't take as long as he would like to calm down again. After splashing his face with some cold water, Rin decided to ask Akane. She was so easy-going he knew he won't be too uncomfortable to get answers from. Well, it still would be awkward but what else could he do? He needed to know if he could at least partly put a blame on his angel's senses. To ease the guilt a little, so he could breath normally again, so he would be able to face Bon when he came back…

She almost fell down from a chair laughing, when he managed to ask his questions, stuttering and blushing. After she got herself under control, she explained.

"Well… angels are more sensitive to touches of people they fancy. A lot of us hate the sensuality, because it make us vulnerable. I guess kisses affect us most, as they are usually the sign of love and as such we are supposed to answer in kind. But it can get complicated if you are liked by two people and you find them attractive. So there is a rule that we don't kiss anyone without permission as it could easily lead to something one doesn't want to do." She smiled at his expression and asked with a smirk. "So, who kissed you?" Rin got red in a face, making Akane laugh again. "C'mon, don't be shy! Tell me, tell!" She sniggered, clapping her hands like a child, in glee.

"No one! Thank you for your explanation!" With that, he shot to his feet and almost run from the room, still embarrassed. Her laughter followed him into a corridor.

So, at least he had some excuse. It eased a guilt a little, but not much. This feeling stayed with him no matter what. It seemed that if it was strong enough, then angels could feel the emotion longer than usual. With a sigh, he turned towards his room.

The good thing about Shin was that he could take a rejection and not act strange or different at all. The following days he was just like before, like nothing had happened. He smiled at Rin and talked with him normally. After getting over his nervousness and anger, he could put the kiss in the back of his mind and spend time with him like he used to. Only that he kept his distance now and the man make it look like he didn't notice that.

"…and then, in the last moment I jumped out of the way and slashed the demon with a knife. I tell you, keeping a knife hidden on you comes in handy, it saved my life countless of times! Of course, it's not as efficient or satisfactory as the bow is. Did I tell you about that one time I've hidden in some kind of bush and slaughtered almost a dozen with well aimed arrows?" Shin was babbling with enthusiasm and Rin smiled at him, listening. He liked those stories, his adventures were always fascinating. He was glad everything was right between them again, but that didn't stop him from sitting away from the man. Better safe than sorry.

After a few stories like that, Shin finally managed to convince Rin to get himself a knife. He didn't want to at first, as he believed his katana and flames were more than enough and besides – you have to be really close to use it, it would be harder to attack and actually feel the blood seeping down his hands – he shuddered at the mere thought of it. But on the other hand, he would have better protection and this was war, he had to keep to his resolve and don't stop, no matter what.

With that decided, after his daily training with Akane and Lily, Rin and Shin went to the city to look for a perfect knife.

Heaven was still as breathtaking to Rin as the first time he saw it. He was practically living there for almost two months but he still couldn't get used to the beauty of it. And this gold everywhere, it was hard to focus on anything else really, as the sun always made it shine brightly, catching his eye.

They arrived at the market place after a short walk, with Shin talking enthusiastically about weapons, mixing his own experiences with a knowledge he had from books and manuals.

Rin's eyes got wide, he haven't seen the place before. It was huge! Angels and even a few souls like Shin were scattered about, a big crowd that seemed to be one, living organism, everyone moving in synch. The sellers were talking loudly, trying to attract attention of customers, advertising their things. There was everything you could ever think to buy – food of any kind, fresh fruits and vegetables, clothes – fancy and casual in all the colors you'd want, toys for children and many, many more. Rin would just stand there in awe if Shin didn't grab his hand to lead him into the crowd. He snapped out of his daze and tried to free his hand from the man – he still felt a little uncomfortable around him, no matter how much time passed after the kiss. Rin would blush near the man, whenever he accidentally (or not so) touched him or smirked in that sexy way… The boy hated himself he was letting the guy get to his head.

"Rin, don't struggle, if I let go of you, you might get lost, there is too many people here. C'mon, I'm not doing anything bad, just relax and enjoy the shopping, alright?" He grinned at him and Rin didn't have anything intelligent to say against it, so he sighed and nodded his head.

Shin lead the way, clutching the boy's hand in his larger, warm one. Rin felt his palm tingle pleasantly and tried to ignore the sensation, focusing on the shops and stalls they passed.

Finally, they reached their destination. Rin got his hand free and managed to convince himself he wasn't disappointed about losing the contact. In front of him there were dozens of weapons laid on display. Knifes of every size, katanas, swords, bows, arrows…

"Good day! Do you have a military license or a permission to buy some, or are you just looking?" The man asked them politely. Rin looked at Shin with questioning eyes. Permission? He didn't know he needed one!

"Good day. I have the license." Shin said, showing the man a small, plastic card. He inspected it for a moment and then nodded.

"Great! So are you looking for anything in particular, sir?"

Rin was curious about those licenses stuff but decided to ask later.

"Yes, a knife. But thank you, we don't need help." With that, he turned his back on the surprised seller and ignored him until the man went away, muttering under his breath.

"You don't technically have the permission to have a knife, so we don't need him to get suspicious I'm buying it for you." Shin explained when Rin was about to scold him for being so rude. "So, which one do you like?"

Rin eyed the knifes in wonder. They were all beautiful to him.

It took some time. Rin checked every one, balancing them in his hands, checking their weight and how they felt in his palm. Finally, he got only two he didn't reject for some reason or other. One was a long knife with silver blade holder, elegantly engraved with some strange patters. The other one was much shorter and lighter but not as beautiful. Rin didn't reject it as it felt good in his hands. It's blade though was shining with a little blue as he moved it in the sun. When he noticed that, he knew it was the knife for him. There was something in this weapon that caught his attention.

"This one, huh? Good choice." Shin nodded and took it so he could buy it.

It turned out Shin had a hidden motive in getting Rin a knife – now he could spend more time with him as he offered to train him how to use it. It was useful knowledge so Rin agreed with a groan – more opportunities to be close physically… Fortunately, Shin was very professional when it came to teaching him how to fight. Rin never saw him in action before, so he wasn't expecting the guy to be so quick or to move so gracefully…

Finally, the day came when Akane decided he completely controlled his new powers now. The flames didn't give him difficulties anymore, but he still felt uncomfortable with them. After two months of being without his demon side he would get it back today. He was excited but scared at the same time.

"Alright, I guess you are as ready as you can get." Gabriel decided after testing Rin. He nodded, determination in his eyes. "Ok, listen. I am going to release your demon side now. Don't be afraid you'd go wild again – no one's here you could hurt. If you can't control it after a few minutes I will seal it. There is no way you could overpower me, you still have a lot to learn and if your demon side really take over you won't be able to use angel power anyway." He explained, sensing Rin still was scared he would hurt someone. "Just don't be afraid, focus and fight. I believe in you. May the Lord guide you." With that said, the archangel put his gentle hand at Rin's shoulder. It was always relaxing him – he wondered if it was some kind of magic or if the angel simply was so kind a person he could feel it. He closed his eyes.

Gabriel's power reached inside his soul. He felt the chains, tightly binding him for so long, slowly fade away. He was free! He was himself again! He didn't think it would feel so good, relief flooded him. But then his flames came to life as well. Rin had forgotten how strong they were, how much it hurt to be burned… how beautiful they seemed to him. Gabriel's presence left. Now it was only him against a demon. Rin ignored the pain and the alluring feeling of drowning in blue and focused. He had a job to do. He won't fail.

Rin called forth to his golden flames. They answered, enveloping him and he sagged in relief as the burning feeling stopped. With the help of Lily's exercises he calmed himself down completely and synchronized with his powers. Akane's lessons in his mind, he shot the golden hue towards his blue flames. They hissed and attacked. He wondered briefly how was it possible his own weapon acted on it's own, against him. It seemed alive.

Fighting fire with fire might look pointless, but the truth was it was effective. Both of the flames were so different, they could be other substances completely. He gasped as he felt his arm burning. Gritting his teeth, he attacked again. Rin remembered what Akane told him: "You have to surround it, no room to escape and then call it like you used to. I believe it needs to recognize you as it's master, know you can restrain it. You need to keep a clear head while fighting it."

Easier said than done. Every time he managed to surround it, the flames would find a weak spot and get free.

Rin was getting desperate, his whole body ached from the strain and burns. He was weakening. Focusing on himself for a moment, he knew something was different. He felt free, but that was not it. Then, it clicked. Emotions. He was so intent to win the fight, that he ignored every thought or feeling that came to him. he believed he managed that thanks to his angel's senses. But as he lost a focus for a moment, he realized he haven't had so many emotions inside him for a long time. Determination was stronger, confidence in his abilities absolute and resolve unbreakable. Also, some he didn't want like bloodthirst, desire to destroy and to let his blue flames overwhelm him. Rin shook his head. He had an idea. Screw Akane's plan – how could she know about his flames anyway?

He called towards them again – this time with emotions. He wanted the flames to be his again, he missed them, they were his. He showed it to them, treating it like a living thing, trying to make it understand. Now, he got a reaction. An attack. He answered in kind. The battle continued.

Gabriel restrained Rin, gripping his wrist so hard they'd surely bruise. The kid was trashing around, enveloped in blue flames, his skin burned in some places. His hands were shining with gold, so the archangel knew he was still fighting. He prayed for the young soul, hoping he will win. He had to believe in him.

Author's Note:

So, do you like Shin? Or despise him? But Rin's so adorable he couldn't help himself ;)

Thank you all for your reviews, it's what gives me motivation to write more :D