Chapter 6: Frozen Over

Continuation of "Snowfall"

Satan huddled in as tight of a ball as possible, verbally cursing the cold world and mentally compiling a hit list of incompetent people. The idiots who'd somehow let the power go out were right at the very tippy top, only slightly below the architect who never thought to install a real fireplace here. The other Exorcists who loitered about the church were carefully tiptoeing around him, nervous by easily the worst mood they'd ever seen him in. Well, at least they were less mouthy now, silently trying to figure out a way to appease him before something terrible happened.

Yukio wavered a bit, unused to seeing his strong older brother in such a…sad state. Sure it was cold inside, but it wasn't like it was as cold as it was outside! "Rin…the power will come on again soon!"

Satan grunted in vague acknowledgement, but otherwise ignored the still-chipper Yukio, who started babbling happily about their time outside as if it hadn't just happened. Shiro was on the phone with someone or another, and Satan eyed him suspiciously, almost certain the shitty priest was trying to pull strings to get the power back on early, lest the 'spawn of Satan' grow uncontrollable. Honestly, what did that shitty priest thing was going to happen? That he was going to set the house on fire for warmth? Granted, he would be warm then, but where was he going to sleep after that?! Seriously, he wasn't an utter moron like-

Wait.

"Yukio, come with me."

"And our snowman is the bestest and…Oh, ok, Rin."

"Yes, it is the best. Now come on!"

Shiro didn't notice the boys leaving the room, or else he would have done something. He'd been busy on the phone trying to pressure Mephisto into sending over a battery powered heater or something. Honestly, he really didn't care whatever contraption the borderline madman sent his way, just so long as he got a heat source soon. Except the man was being absolutely impossible as usually, laughing off Shiro's worries. Rin's foul mood was practically palatable to the point that Shiro was quickly becoming afraid of what the boy would do-

The smell of smoke was a slap in the face.

"Rin, the tree! You're burning the tree!"

Shiro was frozen just long enough to feel both his heart and phone drop to the floor. Not that he even noticed, already shoving through the door and nearly breaking it off its hinges and praying he wasn't too late. Somehow, in what had to have been ten minutes at best, Rin had drug an old broken pew no one had gotten around to taking to the dump into the yard…and had set it on fire.

Of course.

The old wood, dry and brittle (like his sanity, Shiro thought cynically) had erupted into an impressive blaze the boys stood rather worryingly close to, Rin looking pleased with himself. Thankfully, it was the middle of the yard, far away from any trees or buildings. In one hand he held an old Christmas decoration, a miniature stuffed tree, which was also on fire, because of course it was. He poked it with a twig and stirred up the cotton inside it, watching it blacken and turn to ash without fear, even as the flames licked closer and closer to his hands. Yukio stared, fascinated as the bright colors turned black when swallowed reds and yellows, a strange contradiction in his mind. He clutched yet another plush tree to his chest like a teddy bear, not sure if he should be afraid or dazzled by the sight before him. Rin made motions to set that 'tree' alight as well, though Yukio shrunk back, clutching his new soft toy possessively.

"Rin, please stop trying to turn your brother into a pyromaniac." Shiro sounded dead inside even to his own ears, because maybe he was just in a tiny bit of denial that Rin had started methodically burning a box of Christmas decorations over a flaming pew like a tiny anti-Christ in the making.

Blue eyes flickered to the Paladin with clear disgust, "I'm not a pyromaniac."

Shiro looked at the burning pew and collection of sticks and decorations piled around it. He'd question the 'how' later, after he'd thoroughly searched the twin's rooms for any matches he was now sure Rin had squirreled away.

Satan noticed the shitty priest's eyes flicker to the fire and shrugged. To him it was simple logic, "So? It was cold."

"Rin, you just set something on fire." Somehow. At least it was normal fire and not blue, though the consolation was tiny and hardly comforting. "What am I supposed to think?"

"I think you should think that it was fucking cold."

Shiro sighed and slowly repeated as many prayers as he could remember to shave off the rising irritation. He was calm, he was centered and perfectly in control of his life, and not at all rapidly reaching the end of his rope with one of his beloved children. No, he would be the pillar to ground Rin's wild behavior, even if it killed him. But first, he had to do something about the burning pile of wood before someone called the police.

At least he would have, if Rin hadn't firmly placed himself between him and the fire, looking incredibly unamused as if Shiro were the child, "No. This, all of it, is mine. At least until you do something about the damn power."

"Rin, fire is dangerous."

"If you're fucking dumb, maybe. So I guess you should stay the hell away before you get burned."

He ignored the insult to his intelligence and gratefully took the fire extinguisher one of the Exorcists had had the foresight to bring out as they chased after him. At least they hadn't literally jumped the gun and started shooting, though he caught sight of some twitchy fingers, "Rin, I'm putting the fire out. Now."

"No you aren't."

"Rin-!"

"Shitty priest! See, I can say names too."

And like that it continued for some time until he was borderline shouting, with Rin looking nothing but smug as he riled the man up effortlessly. Shiro hated this, the arguing, but Rin was unmovable and unshakable, with enough raw power and talent to potentially seriously hurt both himself and even Shiro if it came down to blows. If he couldn't ever get the boy to yield to him even once when he was this young, then what hope did he have to control him if when he grew older, stronger? What would happen to Rin if he ever awakened his powers if he was already this vicious? Why couldn't Yukio have been the one who had inherited the powers? Then at least he wouldn't have to seriously considering the idea that someday he might have to put down one of his children (they were his now, no one would ever tell him otherwise) like a rabid animal. If Rin could never take an order, never listened to anyone, then how would he ever convince anyone he wasn't a serious threat? How was he supposed to-!?

"Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I am your father!" Because he was sure to be the only thing between Rin and a violent execution one day, but only if he could make it seem as if the boy wasn't a demon in heart and mind. How was he supposed to do that when all Rin did was act like a demon?

Satan, however, didn't at all like it when the filthy beast before him pretended to be Yukio's father. He only accepted it as a necessary evil for easy access to Assian goods and luxuries, but to hear it shouted in his face, as if the filth understood anything? Unacceptable, and the ruler of Gehenna let venom spill from his lips. "No."

Shiro recoiled as if slapped, reeling and gaping as if he were sucking in air to fill the hole suddenly torn in his heart. It took too long to answer, and he stared in horror even as Rin was unmoving, "…What?"

"You aren't anyone's father. Not mine, not Yukio's, so shut your fucking mouth."

It was so simple, so easy to utterly destroy the Paladin that it was pathetic. Before his very eyes, he saw the man crumble, unable to accept the words and looking as if his world was crumbling. Good. Satan couldn't care less about how much he hurt the man, for a thousand lashes to his soul would only be a miniscule fraction of punishment due. This was nothing compared to what he'd done when he'd ripped Yuri away, and Satan would gleefully force him to suffer and struggle with a hopeless battle to make one of his 'adopted children' love him he'd never win.

And when Satan was satisfied with his strength, he'd finally kill that man and-

"Dad is my dad!"

The shout was powerful, shaking with its raw emotion laid bare, and for a moment Satan didn't recognize his son's own pained screech. Locked up, he turned and saw the boy, fat tears pooling in his eyes and suddenly the demon remembered that Yukio had always been there, listening. He'd been so mad he'd forgotten, said things that there was no way Yukio would understand, and the poisonous emotions he'd felt evaporated…He had to fix this, stop it before-

"Dad is my dad, and I love him! Rin is my big brother, and I love you too! So why can't…why are you two always…" Yukio broke down into sobs, trying to hide himself behind patterned mittens.

Distantly, as if there were a mile between them, Satan heard the shitty priest start talking, trying to comfort and sooth. He ignored the man, ignored the disgust he felt that the Paladin was even near his son, and stumbled to Yukio's side, reaching to embrace him like he'd done so many times before. Except…

"Don't touch me! Why can't you just love dad like I do?"

"Yukio…!" And then Satan was falling, pushed.

Yukio's shove knocked Satan into the snow, and the demon let himself fall, too stunned to resist. Any happiness he might have felt at the display of strength withered and died with the sound of Yukio's sniffle sight of red eyes. "Why do you two hate each other? I hate it!"

"I hate you!"

Yukio ran inside in tears, slipping past Shiro without slowing even when he cried for the boy to stop, his brother hot on his heels even knowing he'd be pushed away. The priest watched the boys run inside, feeling oddly disconnected from everything that had just happened. He could feel the divide between him and Rin, a gaping maw he just couldn't pass, and, with practice, steeled his heart for the difficult days to come. He managed to put out the fire without issue and, after the last of the flames were gone, realized something.

Rin was right: it really was cold outside and the faint wisps of smoke couldn't hope to fill his heart.