Well, well. Look who came back! And with an update to boot. Man, I don't know whether you know this or not but 13 reviews for a single chapter? And do I even need to type the Favs and follows?! Awe-Some~ I can't thank you guys enough. Hopefully I can do your slavering minds a favor!
The AnE Fandom wants Rin in Gehenna? Well, here you go!
Chapter Two: 9th Circle; Decay
12:38 AM; November 24, 2013; King of Rot's Domain; Ninth Circle: Lower Tier…
When he woke, his eyes were bleary and a loud sound rung in his ears. Both of his senses faded in and out of comprehension until a swinging light somewhere above his head caught his attention. Reality deemed that the perfect time to smack into Rin's consciousness rather roughly.
"Ugh-"
It was the faint buzz of Coal Tar that really hammered it home. Several of them floated around his body, more than one bumping against his cheek and tugging on his hair. The navy-haired Demon sluggishly waved them away while he squinted groggily, sending them a few yards back only for them to hover there chattering nonsensically in clusters.
Where-? Finally blinking away the dizziness that assaulted him the moment he shifted; Rin, disoriented and more than a little lost, glanced around noting how dark his surroundings were. …Am I? There didn't seem to be any other lights besides the one hanging from the ceiling above him haphazardly, swinging back and forth, from where it hung desperately by its frayed cord.
The slight sparks that jumped from the light's ragged cable alarmed him and dimly, the blue-eyed Demon realized that the buzzing sound heard in his ears was from the fizzing electrical line the light was hanging by after a few seconds of staring at it like a moron.
Blinking away the spots that appeared in his eyes from doing so, he began to glance around and ended up noticing that there was broken glass and rubble littering the floor and partially covering his legs. The glass was in tiny slivers and the rocks were but mere fragments in comparison to the slabs baring down on him to his right and piled above him. Grey dust speckled his school uniform; the dirt nearly turning the black jacket and pants an entirely different color. Ah? A cave-in? A not-so slight breeze flung up some of the dirt on the ground, chilling the teen to the bone with its almost abnormal temperature for that time of the year.
Nose wrinkling from the dusty irritant that had been kicked up and threatened to send him into a coughing fit, he breathed shallowly and slowly, tugging his school jacket closer. The last thing he wanted was to sneeze and see his snot turn grey from all the damn dust covering him. That would be so gross… He imagined he looked a lot like someone had ambushed him with baby powder…and a glass vase to the head. I must look like a mess…
Shaking his hair to clear off a majority of the dust and the glass shards he stood carefully, mindful of any possible injuries he had sustained when the stupid train crashed. At least, he remember how everything had turned dark before finding himself tumbling head over heels several times while the loud screech of metal rending nearly burst his eardrums. There had been pain… And then nothing. Everything before that was a little fuzzy too, but he distinctly remembered his twin had been with Shiemi so they must be ok? Right?
He could feel some seriously bruised skin on his back and partially on his legs and arms but besides that, and a small lump on his head, there wasn't any bloody gashes or broken bones to be found. Not that he was that worried if he had been injured, having the ability to regenerate was a kick-ass power after all. Even if the slight clothing damage his school uniform had sustained was annoying. He wasn't made of money dammit!
With all the debris laying around—not to mention creepy, shredded clumps of what looked to be pieces of the Phantom train—he was probably lucky to have survived such an accident intact and without any limbs missing as it was. Jeeze, I can here Four-eye's now, "I can't believe you crashed the train Nii-san! No manga for a month!"
Grumbling to himself the blue-eyed boy patted himself down fully as best as he could. Giving up after a minute or so, he was about to look for a way out of the rubble he was in when he had the bright idea to use his cellphone to contact his brother and tell him he was ok. When he dug it out of his pocket and saw the screen though, he gave up on that hope seeing how he had no reception at all and stuffing it back in his pants with a scowl, began looking for a way out of the small enclave he seemed to be in again.
Spying an opening to his left at the top of a pile of brick and concrete he stumbled up the thankfully not caved in part of what he assumed to be an underground tunnel on wobbly legs. Several larger rocks laid scattered about and mindful of the sharp looking metal rebar that stuck out of them—twisted and menacing looking—he steadied himself at the top before cautiously sliding down the small mountain of rubble.
The Phantom Train bunches splattered everywhere with eyes bulging out of their weird jelly-like sacks were severely starting to creep him out seeing how they tracked his every movement. His tail curled into itself mirroring his feelings. That's just disturbing. Didn't I Exorcise-
It was then that he tripped over something on the unstable ground in the near unfathomable darkness. "Wahh-!" He was almost sent into a face-plant, hopping on one foot, body nearly horizontal with his arms wind-milling. He ended up managing to catch himself just in time though. Leaning on one of the larger pieces of what he thought used to be a part of the ceiling, he heard the object he had hit with his dress shoe skid down the rubble pile and hit the ground a yard away with a clinking sound. Eh?
Glancing down in the dark, he saw a glimmer of silver reflecting the little bit of light he was using to get by. Rin blinked slowly and then with a smile of elation recognized that it was his Koumaken that he had hit. "Ouwaaa~"
Jumping down from the piece of flat rubble he was on, he landed gracefully next to it onto a thankfully solid piece of ground, tail wagging in delight. Shit, I can't believe I forgot about it! Snatching it up off the floor Rin hugged it close not wanting to think about the scolding he would have endured from Shura for nearly losing his sword. Again.
A bit of shame ran through the navy-haired teen's chest at his clumsiness and shoulders slumping he frowned—not pouted, because grown men don't pout. Kusojijii would have a heart attack if he knew all the times I've let it out of my sight…
With a serious scowl coming across his face, he stood straight after tucking his prized possession into one of the loops of his dress slacks. Now that he had his Koumaken, he could look for a way out.
In the dim light of the tunnel he was in, he managed to make out where he was at least a little bit. It looked like a section of a very old train platform. Posters were plastered onto the walls and several ancient, plastic seats that were falling-to-pieces lined the curved brick. The whole place gave off a slightly damp, festering smell but it wasn't bad enough for him to cover his sensitive nose. A normal Human probably would have only been able to smell must and not been bothered by it but there was no use for the Demonic teen to lament that fact.
Focusing back on his surroundings themselves instead of its scent, he shivered when another gust of wind whipped through the empty, crumpling tunnel. My nose is probably beet red thanks to the cold! Adjusting his jacket again and tail coiling around his leg, he caught sight of one poster's edge that was stuck to the wall flapping slightly and decided to look closer. In the low lighting, it was hard to make out what exactly it said. The few words he could see on them didn't even look like Japanese to begin with.
Walking closer to get a better view—and maybe find a map that pointed towards the exit—Rin was about to lean closer to inspect it and the others splashed every which way on the brick but he didn't have time to do so. At that moment, he heard something come from out of the blue some distance away to his right. Head whipping around at the noise that reached his sensitive hearing, Rin narrowed his eyes in suspicion, hand coming to grip the hilt of Kurikara. What was that?
It stopped but then started again and this time, since he was listening more closely he could make out a sort of rhythm to it. People? He was too far away to make out what was being said but he could hear the echo and knew definitely after a few seconds of listening that it sounded like a person. Could it be the rescue squad?
Tail uncoiling and perking up at that thought, he released his grip on his blade and walked a bit towards the sound, his tail starting to wag slowly in his eagerness to get out of there. After a minute or two, he could begin to make out the bob of a fire lantern from where he was. Hopeful that it was indeed the backup Yukio had told Shiemi and him about earlier he moved faster wondering if they would be with them. No doubt, his brother was searching for him, worry lines creasing his twin's face into an early retirement. Che, he's always working himself to death, that damn Moley Four-eyes…
The pieces of the tunnel that must have come down during the crash obstructed his view, so much so that he was too busy climbing over and ducking underneath the mess to wonder why they had a lantern instead of a flashlight. Jeeze, I hope that cheapskate clown doesn't fine me for this… Yukio's going to kill me either way though…
Eyes widening once he finally caught sight of a figure in the dark, he trudged closer. Moving past a large slab of debris, he opened his mouth intent on calling out to them, hoping that he didn't scare the crap out of them in doing so. He didn't want a gun in his face after all—Yukio always yelled at him for sneaking up on him while he had his pistols out.
Just as he was about to speak though was when he saw that his "rescue squad" wasn't quite…
Human.
With a silent gasp and widening of his eyes, he clamped his mouth shut and ducked behind the ruined pillar he had been behind just in time to go unnoticed by the Demon.
That's… The one holding the lantern was a conglomeration of Coal Tar complete with spindly arms and razor sharp claws. It was probably taller than him, and moved slowly in a fluid-like gait, an almost noiseless chittering filling the air like white noise. Whatever you call it?
Tilting his head in confusion his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. He didn't remember what it was called but he knew that it was strange that it was carrying a light. What's it doing down here though?
The raven-haired teen's eyes stayed glued to it for a few seconds but then something moved out of the corner of his eye. A second figure he hadn't seen beforehand turned to face in his direction as if looking for something in the rubble. The male was by far more human-looking than Rin would have thought.
In fact, the five-o'clock shadow sporting man could have passed for a human in their mid-thirties if it wasn't for the two sharp, black ram horns jutting out of his skull. The long, grey-haired male wore his hair tied up but a black, heavy-looking cloak covered most of his frame up to his knees and there was a noticeable glint of metal at his hip. A sword hilt protruded from his left side, the tattered cloth concealing it partially from view upon further inspection.
If he had turned the other way Rin wouldn't had even known he had it. Which was probably the whole reason for the material in the first place though. His plain clothes on the other hand weren't in much better shape than the piece of shabby fabric he was wearing over his shoulders.
This guy…is a Demon? Curious—because the only other times he had come into contact with another Human-looking Demon besides Mephisto was with Asstro-whatever and Nigaimon—he tried to move a bit closer.
"Gyuh?!" Of course, with his inherent bad luck, he leaned too far forward from his hiding place and with a horrendous groan; the piece of rubble that had been his cover shifted and began to fall. Crap!
Eyes widening he tried to stop his forward momentum but ended up toppling over with it anyway, while a deafening "boom" filled the air when it made contact. A thick cloud of dust rose up when it finally hit the floor along with its passenger. The blue-eyed ExWire ended up inhaling the gritty stuff, sending his chest into spasming coughs that could wake the dead. Groaning, he rubbed his chin from where he had landed on it, his tail floundering about and coughed out, with tears gathering at the edges of his eyes, "Damn it…" That's going to leave a mark…
Squinting in irritation and because he hardly wanted to be blinded, he spit out the dust in his mouth, wiping his tongue in hopes of getting rid of the horrible taste of wet concrete and grime that coated it. It was in that position, on his hands and knees with his tongue sticking out that he met eye to eye with the horned Demon.
Confusion was evident on the obviously older man's face—that much was certain by the way his golden eyes bulged nearly out of his head—but before he could even stutter, Rin jumped up from his spot on the ground, back ramrod straight, tail as erect as an arrow.
He saluted smartly intoning, "Nothing to see here. Please go about your business." And then promptly swiveled around attempting to fast march as far away from the other as possible.
Too bad the Coal Tar behind the Humanoid-shaped Demon decided that wasn't going to happen. Slinking down low to the ground, it zipped behind him halting the navy-haired Demon in his tracks. Ehhh?! Having shrunk until it was but the size of a house cat—albeit one with long, lanky arms ending with razor blades—it let out a low, feral hiss while moving forward causing the teen to stumble back into his original position before he could even blink. This thing!
Having paused at the sudden appearance of the boy the rugged Demon was quick to unfreeze when the Coal Tar moved. His clawed hand went straight for the sword hilt at his side and his face twisted into a snarl while he eyed the weapon at the smaller male's hip. He barked in a rough, gritty tone, "Move one more centimeter and I'll cut you down!"
Springing back into his ramrod straight position Rin faced the other and yelped, "H-hai!" Even his tail froze.
Staring at the shorter male the taller questioned harshly, "This is a restricted sector, you do realize this? Drop your weapon and state your name and business! And it had better be good. Or else I'll mount your head on a pike."
The vivid image of that was definitely a key factor in the blue-eyed teen's abnormally silent compliance and he gulped. He didn't doubt the other would for a second. If he knew anything, it was of all the Demons he had met that could take human form it was that two thirds of them were all too fond of cutting people up—and into, bloody shreds.
After he set his Koumaken gently on the ground, with his eyes trained firmly on the other all the while, he answered in a confused tone, "Eh, my name? It's Okumura Rin. I-" He shoulders slumped forward then, shame clearly oozing out of his abashed posture and he scratched the back of his head nervously. He smiled sheepishly, the right half of his wobbly grin twitching. His tail was doing something akin to flailing while the young male kept his eye on the taller man's weapon. "Well, you see-umm…I'm not too sure how I got here?"
Sweat beaded across his forehead while the wobbly smile returned. "I mean the train crashed-"
"CLICK"
And then there was a curved sword in his face, not a centimeter from his nose. He hadn't even seen he other draw it even though he had been staring at it the entire time. Ehhhhh?! He resisted the urge to jump back and instead leaned away from the piece of steel as far as he could.
"So you're the cause behind this?!"
With his hands in front of his face, Rin glowered while frantically waving his hands. "No!" He then faltered, wincing slightly and his palms lowered in guilt. Well… "Uh, maybe?" And then his expression morphed back to a frown when the weapon was pushed closer, this time aimed for his throat. "I mean, I was on it and all when it crashed! But I didn't make the stupid train do that if that's what you're thinking! Hell, I tried to stop the damn thing!" The scowl on his face was thunderous, his teeth gritting against each other despite the fact that he kinda felt responsible for the whole "train crashing" thing. He kinda wanted to say sorry too; but that would have been a bad idea.
The long-haired Demon in front of him hardly looked amused. Or sympathetic. "You expect me to believe that?" He sneered, his other hand coming to grip the hilt of his blade threateningly. "Hn, I've seen Imp's lie better than that! There's no way you could have been on it. If you won't tell me the truth… I will force it out of you!"
Seeing the blade move closer to his throat then he would have liked Rin let his anger get the better of him and tail thrashing he yelled, "I swear I'm not lying! The damn train was trying to eat me! A-and it ended up crashing! I was just on board!" He didn't add that he was the one who tried to Exorcise it. The teen knew that it wouldn't be the smartest thing to say either when he was in this particular situation.
The man sneered, not moving his sword even a millimeter. "And I told you that's impossible. Nice try though. Everyone knows you can't board one of these trains. For you to have been aboard that train you would have to be-" And then he paused mid-sentence, eyes widening when his mind finally bothered to register the very strange mode of dress the shorter male was wearing.
Mouth widening slightly, the shiny, steel-colored tail of the older man appeared out from the bottom of his cloak, swishing through the air in agitation. "No way…" He lowered the sword a few mere centimeters but it was enough to allow the other some breathing room. "No one survives that- No one!" His heavily lined features creased even more than before and he features hardening, he scowled. "Tell me, if what you say is true," The golden-eyed male raised his blade again but kept it a few inches away from where he had previously held it at the navy-haired teen's neck. "Than answer me this; what did you see when you were inside?"
Switching his expression once again from annoyed to bewildered Rin narrowed his eyes. He continued to frown and seeing that the other was quite adamant about receiving an answer, he combed his memory all the while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, eyes staring at the ceiling. Finally, he bluntly answered, "Umm, reddish pink goo, some strange looking controls and a chair from hell." He paused and then added as an afterthought, "And ghosts. Lots and lots of ghosts." He turned back to the man in front of him to ask why and instead of a sword in the face, he saw that the guy's jaw had dropped open, sword hanging loosely with its point to the ground.
"G-ghosts?" The Demon seemed to be stunned by that last one and he took a step back, one of his clawed hands coming to rub the stubble lining his face in flabbergasted disbelief. "It's impossible…" The gaze he fixed Rin with was quite alarming in its scrutiny. Than he suddenly began to mutter what the other considered complete nonsense to himself. "This can not bode well…" His eyes were streaking back and forth between him and the demolished tunnel around them. "And yet…"
Blinking at the strange sight, Rin hesitantly stepped back half a step and seeing that the other didn't react he quickly stooped down to grab his sword while the man was busy examining their surroundings. The blue-eyed teen pointed behind him. "Yeah… So, you're probably busy and all so I'll just- I got to go." He wasn't staying any longer than he had to with some stranger in a dark underground subway station.
The Coal Tar he eyed with a quick look, finally deciding he could jump over it without having to stop and fight. Preparing himself to leap and then run as far away as possible, he tensed his legs. Ready…. Set…
He probably would have made it too if the older man hadn't chosen that exact time to awake from his musings.
"W-WAIT!" A hand wrapped itself around the blue-eyed male's jacket collar and jerked the fleeing teen to a complete stop.
"Y-you…you're from Assiah aren't you?" The question was as pointed as both of their ears were and demanded an answer that was just as equally certain. The fact that the other had yet to sheathe his sword was still all too apparent to the blue-eyed boy as well. That, and he was hanging about a half of a yard above the ground being dangled by his jacket collar of all things.
Eyes wide at the excitement in the others voice—and the strangeness of the question—the navy-haired Demon stuttered out, "A-assiah?" He blinked and with the speed opposite of a thunderbolt striking, he remembered that that was the name of the world he lived in. The other being…
Frowning, he turned as best as he could towards the other, something throwing red flags up in the back of his mind. Huh? This guy… He felt as if he was forgetting something important but he answered anyway, tone firm if a bit questioning, "Yeah? If you haven't noticed were kinda standing in it." He blinked. "On it." And then frowned, his head tilting innocently. "On top of it?"
Confused about the correct way of saying how you existed in a certain dimension he didn't see the way the others face twisted into a grimace, his ears flattening slightly against the sides of his head. "Hey-"
"In the middle of…?"
"Oi-"
"Under?"
"Just wait a sec-"
"Ah, maybe-?"
"YOU'RE NOT IN ASSIAH!"
The volume at which the taller man yelled with was near earsplitting and caused the navy-haired Demon to jump slightly. It took a few more seconds for the young ExWire to stop the ringing in his ears even though he had covered them.
Rin's hearing wasn't the only thing disrupted by the man's yell though. A bit of dust rained down on them from the ceiling and what sounded like a groan echoed through the corridor.
The blue-eyed boy pulled his hands away from his ears and stared up at the brickwork holding the tunnel up. A few more gritty pieces of dust and whatnot fell down but it was soon apparent that their surroundings weren't in any danger of collapsing when things finally quieted down.
Figuring that they were still safe the younger male groused with an annoyed look in the others direction behind him, "Dude, use your indoor voice. You want this place to come down on top of us?" And proceeded to rub his ears, tail swishing in the air. "And what do you mean we're not? Where else would we be, Gehenna?"
It took a couple seconds for the grey-headed Demon to comprehend that the other was joking but when he did the jest fell flat seeing how the older man knew better. His face twitched, thinking that the other's first statement was a bit hypocritical seeing how he was one of the main causes for the underground station's condition in the first place. And that maybe he was an airhead. What Demon—half or otherwise—couldn't tell the difference between the two realms?! Did he not remember the feeling of shifting between the confining material world of Assiah and into the nothingness of Gehenna's plane that gave freedom to his spirit?
Or perhaps he had not been so fortunate as he had previously thought. A golden iris trailed over the others petite form, disregarding the strange fashion he wore. It could have been that he had been knocked out during the train's return to Gehenna. That would explain why he did not feel the difference in his form and thus could not tell he wasn't in Assiah anymore. If that was the case then he probably didn't know what had happened to his body when he transitioned between the two…
With a world-weary sigh, the long-haired male sheathed his blade, deciding that that was most likely the case and that the smaller male looked harmless enough on his own. If he was from Assiah then no doubt he was hardly worth a Hobgoblin's tooth either way.
Lowering his captive so that his feet actually touched the ground he rumbled out with a sour look, "You don't get it do you?" Running his now free hand down his face, he stopped only to rub his non-existent beard in weariness. His golden irises narrowed to slits and he scowled at the clueless face the other made at his statement wondering if trying to explain to the other that he really was in Gehenna would be worth it.
"Get what?" Nonplussed by the tone of voice the shorter male always associated with an expression of disappointment he glared up at the taller Demon.
Who answered with a shake of his head and finally let go of the blue-eyed boy's jacket. "You're obviously a half-demon and you know what Assiah and Gehenna are and yet..." He closed his eyes and sighed again before sending a stern glare towards the smaller boy. Folding his arms over his beige-covered chest, he jerked his chin towards one of the clumps of goo that came off the Phantom Train complete with the wondering eyeball. "Take a good look around you. Tell me, can you feel anything different about this place?"
Rin made a face but looked anyway. After a moment of doing so and not getting the point of it, he grumbled, "No?" Starting to lose his patience and wanting to go look for his twin and Shiemi he asked tartly, "I don't know what you're talking about. Feel? I don't feel anything. We're in a subway." He glanced at the strange posters on the wall again and felt like there was just something right there, in the back of his mind but he couldn't figure it out. He didn't say anything to the other about it though. "Well, an old subway. Underground. What's to feel? But that doesn't mean we're in Gehenna. That's just crazy!" He proceeded to look at the older man as if he too, was in fact, not right in the head.
Growling at his refusal of the plain obvious fact—in his opinion—the older Demon grumbled, "What are you fifty-years-old? You would have to be a Human not to feel it!" Once again scowling, he turned away walking a meter or two before turning around to gesture to Gehenna's new addition. "If you don't believe me and if you really can't feel it then I'll just take you to my King. I'm quite sure he'll be intrigued by your presence either way."
"King?" Blinking owlishly in his direction the blue-eyed teen watched the horned man leave before jumping to the side when the Coal Tar that had been in the background of his awareness streaked through his legs several times like a cat only for it to follow the leaving man. What sort of weird, delusional Demon hobo have I found?
Not too sure what was going on but wanting to get some answers—he wasn't really in Gehenna…was he?—Rin sprang into action running after the black-cloaked individual after he noticed he was already pretty far away and yelled out, "Oi, who the hell you calling fifty-years-old?! You're the old man here Ossan!"
Pleased to see that the raven-haired male had followed him he smirked for the first time, causing the harsh creases of his face to melt into laugh lines. He sent a strange look the smaller male's way. "Ossan? Is something wrong with your brain? I'm clearly in the prime of my life!" He huffed in amusement, "Besides, fifty-years-old is much too young to be considered an Ossan anyway. Why you would have to be-" The older Demon paused in mid-step for several seconds.
A sweat drop beaded across his forehead and he gulped silently mind racing. He stared ahead for a little bit longer before he swirled around suddenly, clamping his hands down on the navy-haired teen's small—at least to his hands they felt like so—shoulders. "Uh- Rin was it? Okumura Rin? Just- I mean, t-there are several differences between As-assiah and Gehenna but you wouldn't happen to be-" He made a strange face stopping in mid-sentence before asking weakly, "W-what I mean is… How old are you?" He clarified just in case the shorter male could confuse that question for anything else, dreading the answer. "In Assiah."
Staring up at the taller Demon, he frowned, before quirking an eyebrow up in mirth. "Ou, that's a weird question to ask you know?" Tail waving side-to-side Rin casually scratched the side of his face and moving out from under the others grip flippantly answered, "I'm fifteen."
He continued walking, Kurikara now in his belt loop again but when he didn't hear the older man following him, he turned with a questioning tilt to his head. "Eh?"
The way the other was on his hands and knees, a waterfall streaming from both eyes made Rin think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to follow the male Demon seeing how they just met; especially since he was so… odd. Ah, this is what Kusojijii called "stranger danger?" Though… Somehow seeing him in such a pitiful state made the teen feel moderately safe. And if he was being led into a trap, he still had his Koumaken with him. One strike and the other would end up extra crispy~
…Right?
"Are you ok, mister-" Wanting to see if maybe the guy was alright and get his mind off what would happen should they end up in a real fight Rin came to the sudden epiphany that he didn't even know the guy's name. Bumping his fist into his open palm he mused aloud, "Ah, you never told me your name!" Sending a toothy grin his way he added, "Nice to meet'cha!" He walked over and patted the guy's back enthusiastically, not really bothering to control his monstrous strength. He was a Demon too after all.
"Forras." The man spoke with a groan and stood up suddenly rubbing his chin roughly with a grimace on his face, eyes closed. "The name is Forras." He sighed deeply before sending a heavy look the raven-haired boy's way. "Fifteen huh?" The Demon's gaze lingered for quite some time and the younger male started to get a weird feeling that he was being sized-up by the other.
And then the moment was over and the grey-haired man started walking again—more like he dragged his feet—looking thoughtful, with his features set in a stony countenance. They traveled like that for a few minutes careful to sidestep the numerous globs that were the remnants of the Demon train and other clutter that barred their way.
Forras suddenly chuckled aloud, face breaking into an exasperated look before he muttered sardonically, "Che, just my luck huh?" He gave another sideways glance in the shorter male's direction who had been concentrating on the man's back ever since they started moving. "You do realize that to Demons fifteen years old is the equivalent to an infant right? And yet you look much older; nearly four-hundred I would have to say…" His hand was back at his chin, rubbing away at the stubble there, a brooding air about his countenance.
Eyes widening, the blue-eyed teen's jaw dropped and he paused before moving to catch up with Forras, the previous tension—to him at least—in the air vanishing like a puff of smoke. "Eh?! No way! You're lying!" His tail wavered in mid-wag standing straight up in his astonishment.
The grey-haired man's frown dropped at that and he smirked sending a smug look towards the much, much younger Demon. "Nope! I can't remember exactly how long Humans live but I know it's pretty low. Less than a hundred and fifty right?"
"Ah," Rin's eyebrows scrunched up and looking at his hands, he mumbled a few seconds later, "More like a hundred." Am I really that young compared to Mephisto and Suppaimon? How old are they anyway?!
"Huh? No, you must be pulling my tail!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, he caught the tail-end of the older Demon's expression and busted out laughing. "Gyahahaha~ What the heck's that face for?!"
Shooting him a dirty look Forras clucked his tongue and slapped his palm down on his sword pummel, clawed hand using it as a hand rest while the other rubbed the back of his neck. "Jeeze, no wonder you thought I was an old man…"
Still snickering merrily the ExWire's tale flickered left and right happily while he asked, "Sooo~ How old are you anyway?"
Glancing at Rin, he rumbled good-naturally, "One-thousand thirty-four."
The blue-eyed Demon nearly bit his tongue. "NA-NANI?! One-one thousand-what?!"
With the situation reversed, the long-haired Demon smirked again, a bit smug at his seniority. He turned a corner in the tunnel and then they were at a long stairwell. Without pausing, he began to climb avoiding the debris that littered their passage to the surface, the Coal Tar racing ahead to keep their path lit. "Yep, what's the matter kid? You want to hide behind your sire's coat?"
Ignoring the confusing statement and its implications that he was scared Rin just gaped at the other before muttering with stars in his eyes, "Sugei~"
Smug expression melting into an amused one he snickered in his heavy baritone, "You really are just a kid…" And a huge grin broke out on his face; fangs easily double the size of Rin's showing. "Or should I say baby?"
Cheeks reddening at the words of the older, the wonder in the teen's eyes dimmed and he turned his head to the side muttering darkly, "Not a kid! Or a baby bakayarou…" And then he wrinkled his red nose feeling something tickle his sinuses and before he could stop himself, he sneezed loudly nearly losing his footing on the stairs.
Turning around fully at the noise Forras saw that the child was off-balance and quickly grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket rather forcefully. This ended up saving the navy-haired boy from a painful fall a flight down. Yanking him back up onto the platform they had just reached he complained, "Sheesh, you would think that surviving a train crash would be enough for one day. Or are you just trying really hard to get yourself killed?"
Rubbing the back of his head self-consciously, the short ExWire laughed weakly, "Go-gomen. Thanks for saving me."
Huffing in an exaggerated exasperation, he frowned, forehead creased. "You're welcome, but it would seem as if your coat was not so fortunate."
Following the helpfully pointing finger Rin glanced down at his jacket…only to find that it was minus one sleeve now. The fabric had nearly been ripped in two where the other had grabbed him and it was only hanging on by a thread at the moment while showing the pale skin of his arm underneath. Mouth landing on the floor, the navy-haired teen whimpered in distress while whipping it off to stare at the damage, "Wh- Huh? My, my jacket!" A long list of what was wrong with the image of the huge gash in it prompted several more pictures in his mind of the stern and disappointed figure of his twin staring at him and his now ruined uniform in disgust. Yukio…
Dreading the fate he would meet when he arrived back home with the torn garment Rin wept over his clothes wondering if Mephisto would be nice enough to place it under Yukio's Exorcise expenses and give him another one free of charge… Yeah, right.
And then something somewhat heavy was clapped over his shoulders, covering him from head to toe, a hood obscuring his eyes until he pushed it off the top of his head so that he could see. "Wah?!"
Staring back at him with a smirk was Forras—who no longer wore his black cloak for he had given it to the raven-haired teen. Scrunching his eyes, he snorted, "Che, little brat. Don't go getting frozen on me now."
Eyes widening, Rin's mouth hung open before he looked away, grunting out with a flush over his cheeks, "Shaddup, not a brat." Noticing that the other had nothing else on but some flimsy-looking clothes he frowned. "I don't need this, my jacket is still-"
Without giving him a second glance the school jacket was ripped from his fingers and sent careening down the long flight of stairs they had just walked up. The blue-eyed boy blinked before glowering at the not-in-the-least-bit-ashamed man.
"Now you do." The expression on his face left no room for argument. "Unless you want to go back down there." He raised an eyebrow and added, "With who-knows-what lurking in the dark."
The sound of something moving down below punctuated that statement.
Rin gulped and with one last glance back down he muttered, "Fine." He was just glad he hadn't put anything in the pockets or else he would have to go after it. Instead, he pulled the cloak tighter against his body; it really was cold down there. Ou, warm~ Surprised, a happy smile flitted across his face as he buried his cold nose in the collar of the fabric. It smelled like overturned ground and was a bit musty but otherwise worked to keep the cold away.
Scoffing at that the sight of the other the Demon turned back around leading them both up another flight of stairs, the Coal Tar maintaining its distance ahead of them, lantern glowing in the dark. "This path goes all the way up to the Top Tier. What you saw below was a part of the sectioned off Lower Tier. Not many people bother to go that way." He sent a knowing glance at the child behind him. "After all, no one wants to tussle with one of King Samael's Kin. Or is dumb enough too."
Pouting at the backhanded insult the ExWire replied, "Not my fault."
"Right." Jumping over a part of the stairwell that had sunken down into the earth Forras looked back and reached for the younger male's hand.
Rin ignored it in favor of jumping up himself and continued walking this time ahead of the older Demon who just shook his head at his antics.
"Anyway, once we reach the top I'll take you to my King. I'm sure that once we reach outside though you will be able to see for yourself that you no longer reside in Assiah."
"Sure. Whatever you say Oji-san."
Shaking his head at the nickname the long-haired man brought one of his large hands down on the shorter male's head, ruffling the hair there even though the male was a step or two ahead of him and asked, "Before we reach the top though, I do have a question for you."
Not even glancing back Rin swatted at the hand nonchalantly with only a small frown and shrugged his shoulders responding, "Hmm? Shoot."
Smiling, the older man stated, "I'm the Chief Watchman for the Ninth Lower Tier. I serve my King and make sure that his domain remains secure from outside forces. Be it from beyond the walls or in this case…"
Rin could hear the click of the others sword while it was moved slightly in its scabbard and his skin-prickled, eyes darting back while he grabbed his Koumaken under the cloak.
"You."
The teen felt the sudden urge to run but clamped down on it rationalizing that if the other had wanted him dead or thought he was a genuine threat, he probably wouldn't be leading him to the exit. Hopefully… He still paused in mid-step though.
"You're not going to try and cause a ruckus are you Rin?"
Stomping the rest of his instincts into a small pile of goo he sent a quick smirk the others way, hand relaxing around Kurikara and started walking again before teasing, "What? Me? I ain't going to cause any trouble." Unless I have to… If this really is Gehenna… Eyebrows narrowing as a scowl made its way across his features he sighed and shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, he sneaked a quick look behind him before ending, "I don't have a reason too." Yet.
Seemingly satisfied with that answer and now level with the boy's pace, he continued, probing causally, "Ah, that's good. However, I've been wondering, when we first engaged each other down in that tunnel you had a sword with you and still do. Did you find it in the wreckage? I know that sometimes strange things can be found there whenever one of those Infernal Trains finishes snaking on the Human ghosts it brings back."
The navy-haired teen watched the other walk ahead of him, his stride slowing slightly. He answered hesitantly with his tail swishing underneath the long cloak, his hidden hand coming to rest on the saya of his blade, "No. This sword has been with me since birth." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the truth either. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up now, causing his tail to bristle. It wouldn't smooth down no matter what he did.
The Demon nodded carelessly, expressing why he had asked. "Ah. Just wondering that's all. Here in Gehenna anything that comes from Assiah is quite unique. It is very rare for something to slip through between the worlds you see. Even rarer for someone to do so."
"Really? Well, if this is Gehenna then I must be pretty special eh? Hehehe~" Snickering into his hand the raven-haired male tried to lighten the mood and looked towards the other to see his expression but instead bumped straight into his back. "Woa?!"
Rocking back, he grabbed onto the older man's tan-colored shirt and steadied himself. Letting go, he questioned up at the grey-haired man, "Huh? Why'd you stop?"
"Special heh?" The scrape of metal filled the air and suddenly Forras's blade was drawn, the light that the Coal Tar held several feet away from them gleaming along the width of the blade…
As it stuck out of the greenish-black mass of its hide. A hideous shriek rent the air and before Rin's eyes, the smaller Demon dissolved into nothing. Then the lantern it had carried fell, its glass shattering and light snuffing out while it tumbled down the stairs and into the dark below.
"F-Forras!" Staring at his back the raven-haired teen couldn't comprehend the fact that the older man had just killed the Demon in cold blood. Things seemed to become all too real as he stood in the newfound dark of the stairwell with what he knew was a dangerous man to begin with.
"It was only once. Almost two decades ago but I'll never forget it. The cold look on that man's face."
Without pomp, Forras turned around, blackened sword still at his side. Something wet dripped off it's tip while he looked down onto the confused face of the child before him in the little bit of ambient light that began to seep back into their surrounding now that the lantern was gone. "Your eyes are nothing alike though." His stony features twisted into a sneer, gold irises slitted and glinting with mirth eerily in the dark. "But that's only to be expected. After all," He took a downward step, his eyes trained on Rin's widening ones who was only a few steps away. "The Heir to the throne of Gehenna was said to have been raised by a Human."
"F-forras? You… How did you know?!" The Exorcist-in-Training gripped his sword with both of his hands, a snarl coming across his face and his tail thrashing beneath the not-so-welcomed-anymore coat. Damn it! Not this again! Thoughts on how that man, the one with horns and silver hair just like Forras had started spouting things about him being Satan's kid and then tried to drag him to Gehenna came to mind. He knew this situation wasn't going to end well either. However, it was hardly the first time he had been given a nasty surprise after meeting a Demon.
"How?" The black horned-man stepped closer and the teen stumbled backwards, the sunken hole in the ground just a few steps away.
He couldn't keep moving back forever.
"It was when you told me your age. Every Demon down to even the Coal Tars know that Lord Satan had a son in Assiah sixteen years ago." Leering, with his white fangs glinting in the dark, the long-haired man's tail slashed the air wildly. "He ordered all of Demon kind to keep an eye out and what do you know? My King, out of all the others was the one to find you! And now you've finally come home!" He shook his head at the irony of it all.
"But tell me, little Rin," The grin on his face bent into something utterly…twisted. This wasn't the same man the ExWire had first met.
"Do you know how it is Demon's like myself gain power? The Kings were born with it. They never had to work to survive. To claw themselves up from the rest of the trash and gain a rank that held off a sure-fire death sentence." He stepped closer, his heavy black outline in the dark starting to terrify the younger Demon. He was still a kid; it would have been unnatural for him to not be.
Glaring up at the Demon who he had thought was at least a little bit different than the others, he snarled while pulling his Koumaken closer to himself, not yet ready to draw it. After the whole fiasco at the Illuminati's hidden laboratory Shura had pounded it into his head not to draw Kurikara unless there was no other option. "What do you want with me Forras?!"
"No?" Ignoring the younger male's shout he stepped down again, his sword sliding against the stone of the stairs, a loud screech of metal sounding throughout the stairwell while he began to make his way down, "Of course you wouldn't. You've stayed safe and sound in Assiah while we've rotted! Well, allow me to enlighten you, young prince. Here in Gehenna the weak are eaten and only the strong and ruthless survive." He interrupted himself with a swipe of his sword, sending the blue-eyed boy stumbling just out of his reach.
Something warm splattered onto the blue-eyed male's cheek and cloak. The Exorcist-in-training knew without having to look that it was the blood of the Coal Tar the other had slain. He- He is going to kill me.
"It is pure anarchy here; very few of the Kings care about their kin. The rest-" The man chuckled, placing his free hand over his face, not even trying to muffle his laughter. Spreading his arms wide he continued to snigger balefully, a strange look in his eyes. "The rest laugh and watch as we slaughter each other in an eternal Battle Royal!"
Paying no heed to the irritating fact that he was being called prince again the raven-haired teen gulped, glancing behind the man while wondering if he could make it past him and if he could, would he be able to get away once he reached the top? Which brought back to mind what the other had told him earlier. He was starting to consider that maybe, just maybe he was in Gehenna. And if that was the case... I'm screwed if I do and screwed if I don't! He didn't have the luxury of second-guessing himself at the moment.
The long-haired Demon calmed down then, suddenly snorting, "It's nothing personal." An almost apologetic smile came to his face and a bit of what Rin had thought to be the man's true sentiments showed through. He came closer, raising his sword in preparation to strike. "But this is a golden opportunity. If I consume you, I'll gain power even the Kings won't be able to touch! I don't intend to be anyone's next meal!"
The navy-haired teen's heart was beginning to beat so fast it almost threatened to burst out of his chest and with one last step, he came to the opening of the hole in the stairs, his heel kicking a bit of rubble down into it. He never heard it hit the ground. Shit! Shit! Shit! What am I going to do?! He could draw his sword but who knew what else was around in the dark. He distinctly remembered that his flames had the uncanny knack of attracting things that wanted to kill him. If he was in Gehenna of all places…then there was no telling if something much, much worse would find him. Like a certain pyromaniac of a birth father.
Oblivious to Rin's indecisive thoughts, the Chief Watchman continued his monologuing, "Normally children here in Gehenna are quite rare, so even causing harm to one is punishable by death. However…no one even knows you're here. You really do have the worst luck Rin." He tutted, almost close enough to touch the boy with his hand, which meant his sword definitely could.
"You're insane! Whatever the hell your planning Forras, you don't want to do it." Face scrunched up in a snarl, the navy-haired teen pulled Kurikara's hilt from underneath the cloak with his right hand on top of it showing the other he wasn't about to go down without a fight. "Trust me."
Forras just sneered and raised his sword above his head, "Goodbye, little prince." He didn't hesitate in bringing the blade down.
However, an unholy scream ripped through the air at that exact moment and his sword paused above Rin's head—who had every intention of dodging to the side at the last second to avoid the attack. The very ground shook, causing fragments of the ceiling to fall around them, shaking the both of them out of their previous skirmish and alerting them to the overwhelming presence that had suddenly appeared below them.
Out of the murky darkness, several maroon eyes bulged open staring at them with a wild, crazed look. And then several overly large teeth appeared in the impossibly large maw that suddenly gaped open in the dark.
What is that?!
A headlight abruptly blinked open and the cavern was awash with light.
Rin felt a bolt of panic rip through him at the sight of the Exorcism Tag smack dab below it. The fact that the floor was unstable and that he was tilting dangerously backward didn't register until he felt a bit of the floor beneath him give a little thanks to the unexpected reappearance of the Phantom Train. The blue-eyed ExWire gasped and since he had shifted too much to one side to evade the oncoming attack from Forras he couldn't regain his balance. His rapid turn to stare behind him earlier hadn't help the matter.
Unable to compensate even with his advanced sense of balance he pitched side-ways still unable to unglue his eyes from the Demon he had thought he had Exorcised. "Owa!" Trying to correct his center of gravity he wind-milled and took one too many steps in the wrong direction causing himself to twist unnaturally to the side. Right into the hole behind him. FUCK!
In the split second it took for him to fall backwards, he finally managed to turn away from the Demon that had held his gaze captive and he locked eyes with the golden-eyed man in front of him.
An expression of alarm was streaked across his face but it soon morphed to horror for some unknown reason.
This reason soon became abundantly clear when—in that split second when one's life flashes before your eyes—the dark mass of the Train that had appeared at the bottom of the stairs rushed forward across the opening of the cavity in the stairwell.
And chomped down on Forras's mid-section with a horrendous crunch. Blood splattered everywhere.
Just as soon as it came it left, a sickening snap and the bulging of the Demon man's eyes all the evidence Rin needed to know that he wouldn't be coming back any time soon. The copious amount of blood everywhere—including on his face—was unnecessary to say the least.
Having caught the jagged end of the stairs on the opposite side he stared at what he now knew to be the rampaging blob of the Phantom Train crash into the wall ahead that indicated another landing. The many arms it had sticking out of its hide acted like a car's breaking system though, and it hardly slowed down as it continued up the stairs no doubt ready to wreak havoc on the surface.
Several rocks had fallen loose from the ceiling and lavender-tinted rays of light dotted the once darkened stairwell from the surface above.
Face frozen in sheer disbelief at what had just transpired in the last long five seconds of his life Rin hoisted himself up onto the stairs, eyes wide and tail coiled so tightly against his torso he thought his own spine was going to snap. Ah… Despite the fact that Forras had been about to kill him and as he put it "eat him," the ExWire felt a bit of sympathy for the older Demon. He didn't want to be anyone's lunch but he also didn't want to the other to die.
Still stunned and feeling the liquid on his face drip off and down his chin, his lips formed a wobbly frown and tears began to come to his eyes. Thoughts about Forras and his sudden death were pushed back in his mind in favor of wondering how screwed he was. It wasn't that he didn't care but with the Phantom Train back in action Rin could only stared up at where it had disappeared up the stair well and without warning, allowed his head to smack against the stairs, tail wilting. The amount of property damage that the damn train was going to cause up top was worth weeping about. "Yukio's going to kill me."
1:54 AM; Ninth Circle: Upper Tier…
Astaroth allowed his head to drop with a bang onto the desk he was currently at. Several sheaves of parchment paper went sliding onto the floor in a vengeful flurry at his actions.
The Demon King of Rot and Ruler of the Ninth Circle of Hell just growled, raising his head before gouging more holes into his already worn out desk and rubbing the deeply bronzed skin of his forehead, cursed the entity—in this case his own father—that first invented the abysmal task of keeping records called "paperwork."
"If I have to sign one more shitty document…" He let that statement hang much like the limp tendrils of his spikey, pale lavender hair. Twisting his neck, he allowed it to pop nauseatingly before scratching his red-tipped horns.
Alone in his private study the man tapped his long, black nails against the dark wood of his desk, starting to get antsy at the long period of time he had remained cooped up in the dank space. The solitude of grinding through his current workload made him vow to hire a personal assistant. He couldn't very well look after his younger brother in Assiah if he was stuck in Gehenna slogging through the backlog of official decrees and order forms. He just had to be the leader of Hell's industrial and mining ward. Couldn't that idiot of a brother, Iblis take over weapon production?!
He was wasting precious stalking time on this grievous up-hill battle!
Grumbling to himself and smoothing back his choppy hair, he laid back in his chair enjoying his miniature break even though the sound and vibration of his subjects blasting away at the mines below never really halted. Just an hundred or so more forms to sign and he would be able to go back to Assiah. Where there was no constant work or the sound of explosions sounding at all hours of the day.
Astaroth knew better than to try and hold off any longer on the book-keeping though. His father became terribly grumpy when his sons didn't get their filing done.
That brought a sneer to his face and a wicked chuckle at the thought of just how much work was piling up in Amaimon's domain. He hadn't seen the little shit around in weeks. Maybe Father would step in and switch their domains if he got pissed enough!
Slowly relaxing and enjoying the thought of that moron of a little brother getting his ass kicked, the crimson-eyed male smiled to himself in delight. Would serve the little fucker right!
Then came the heinous knocking from his study's double doors.
Eyes snapping open the Demon King flexed his claws, swearing to decapitate the fool who dared disturb him. He vaguely remembered the last time his eye had twitched in murderous anger; he had created the Spanish Flu and infected that nitwit Egyn for causing a torrential downpour that had flooded his mines for days.
Growling low in his throat he snarled, "Unless one of my brothers is dead, Hell is burning to the ground," He cleared his throat. "Again." And continued, "Or Father wants a word with me be prepared to be gutted, skewered and roasted slowly over the Lower Tier blast furnaces for my dinner tonight."
The door opened anyway.
"My apologies, my liege." A woman with dark green hair pinned back into a bun and wearing a white blouse with a charcoal grey pencil skirt stepped forward, face set into a stony mask that said she wasn't sorry at all. She bowed, stating with a deadpan at her King's antics, "But we have a situation on our hands."
Raising an eyebrow and gritting his teeth Astaroth waved a clawed hand in the Demoness's direction. "And?! Is any of my brothers dead?! Hell burning to the ground?!" He rolled his eyes. "Again." Then snarled, "Or does Father wish to speak to me?!"
The female unbent herself with ease and without moving one stitch of the sutures sown into her face keeping the flesh together she mechanically reported, in a bland tone, "No. A rampaging Phantom Train is about to crash into your fortress, my King." And then stepped back, just out of the doorway.
Scoffing in disgust the Demon King of Rot sneered, placing his chin on his palm smugly. "Is that all?! Che, I guess I'll be needing a new secretary. And I really liked you-" His expression did a one-eighty. "WAIT, WHAT?!"
The right and back half stonewall of his study—complete with a window view overlooking the conveniently placed mines where his subjects toiled—promptly burst into a thousand pieces of interlaid brickwork, the debris just barely missing the astute secretary standing by the doorjamb.
While the Phantom Train proceeded to crash.
Again.
Minor Note: I have a habit of killing off OC's. I will try to stay my mighty pen of doom though. I actually like Forras...
Amaimon's name: In Japanese, Amai can mean sweet. So his name is a play on words for those in the Japanese community. Nigai=bitter and Suppai=sour. (Anime and manga are infamous for this and thus this why some jokes are indeed lost in translation.)
Saya: Scabbard of a Japanese blade. (Fuduka is a sword bag.)
Phone service?: Amaimon can get phone calls in Gehenna?! (Episode 9 and Chapter 7-Memories respectively.) How logical is that! Except Rin's in a subterranean subway tunnel...
Honorifics: I am fervently believer in leaving honorifics where they are. They are culturally significant and convey meaning that can not always be captured by translators. That being said... Gehenna is a whole other world and as such I doubt Japanese is their official language. Hopefully when the manga comes to it, our dearest Manga-ka will follow through with this idea. So I will not be writing Satan-sama or Astaroth-dono. Unless, of course, they are conversing with Rin. Then it would seem alright. (And for you insightful readers who caught on to this before hand, I bow to you. Rin seems to not even notice that he's coming more and more into his Demonic powers.)
(If you don't understand, that's ok, I'll explain everything later. (Or will I? Maybe Samael needs to make a solo appearance with a soliloquy?))
Major Note: Gehenna is said to be the mirror opposite of Assiah and is a plane of nothingness while Assiah is the world of materiality. Logically, this means Gehenna resembles Assiah at least vaguely. That electrically powered light down in the subway? Possibly canon. The lantern the Coal Tar was using? Also possible. I take Gehenna to be a conglomeration of multiple Human culture's though-out time. After all, what sort of Demon wears a Top Hat? Could it be that they base their hierarchy somewhat on feudal systems of the Middle Ages and yet, also give absolute power to the Aristocracy that dominated the Roman Empire? Do they have slaves? Or is there Democracy mixed in there somewhere? Religion?:The god of Gehenna? Holy Scriptures?!
I have no idea. But I hope what world building I do manage to do does Katou's original world justice.
Tarry a while. Thou art so fair. ~ Wild
(Ah, and since the Demon Kings and their appearances have been mostly left to the imagination until the manga actually covers them I suppose I can really only substitute my own artistic license on their behavior, likeness, and general powers. Forgive me, if anything seems too outlandish.)
I hope I didn't forget anything!