Chapter 29: Sharper

Blue Exorcist doesn't go super in-depth with some of its systems, so I have to fill in the gaps with my own headcanons in order to make things work a bit better.

The circle sparked to life, malicious energy built and bubbled from the center. It bulged, and, from the depths, clawed hands reached out. The deformed human corps burst free, a low moan pulled from its distorted face as the smell of sulfur filled the room.

Satan glared at the Naberius with disinterest and bared his teeth in a challenge when it looked at him. By his feet, Kuro hissed.

"It stinks," Satan explained when Igor tried to cow his behavior with what the human probably thought was a threatening glare. Honestly, Satan wasn't even somewhat impressed by a lowly Naberius, and a fairly weak one at that. It was likely that the teacher had selected a weak one on purpose lest he scare the children, but that only made it worse. Trying to force your will over another demon's was dangerous and potentially deadly, but Igor really wasn't emphasizing that enough.

"Now everyone, put a drop of your blood on the paper with the magic circle I gave you earlier. Except for you, Mr. Okumura- you already have a familiar, and a contract one at that. You hardly need more."

"It's not like summons are that useful anyway. You break the circle…" Satan drawled, pointing at the chalk with his foot, "And 'poof'! Your support is gone."

"That may be true, but summons can be canceled quickly." Igor countered, "Everyone should remember that if a summoned familiar is out of control, you can destroy the circle to save yourself."

It was stupid to summon something you weren't sure you could put down, but then again, the Exorcists also thought that working with Samael was a good idea. Idiots, and they deserved everything they would inevitably get, "That just happens if you're weak. Don't be weak."

Yukio coughed, waving his blood-smeared circle to catch everyone's attention, "Rin, I think that's enough. It looks like I don't have the talent."

Satan could practically taste the lingering power in the air, so that was a blatant lie. But then again, Yukio had never liked overtly standing out, and Satan couldn't disapprove of him have a potential ace no one else knew about. A quick glance showed that not a single one of Ryuji's group had managed to summon anything, though Satan could swear he felt a touch of power receding from them. They had clumped up, so he couldn't tell who it was, but he was sure that one of them held the ability, they just hadn't properly reached out.

Odd, but then again, they all seemed like idiots. None of them even looked aware that a demon had been ready to answer their call.

"-Fulfill my prayers!"

Satan's thoughts were cut off at the absolute surge of power near him. It quickly peaked and burst free, forming not one, but two Byakkos that obediently sat by Izumo's feet. Satan was very suddenly forced to reevaluate his opinion of the twin-tailed girl: she might be a bitch, but it took no small amount of strength to summon two decently powerful demons with such complete control. There wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction at their summoning despite the pride they practically radiated, and the girl seemed perfectly at ease in their presence.

Paku gaped at the marked fox spirits, a sentiment shared by everyone present, "That was amazing, Izumo! I can't do this stuff at all…"

Izumo smirked, clearly satisfied at the praise the entire class was heaping upon her, "It's just natural. I'm descended from a proper shrine maiden, you know!"

Well, that at least explained how familiar the foxes were being with her, happily circling her. Beside him, Kuro meowed in agitation at being ignored, "Rin, I'm a lot better than some foxes!" Kuro whined, pawing at his leg, "I can get big and I'm a lot stronger and I won't trick or betray you or anything like that!"
Izumo sneered at him when Kuro's mewing became incessant, "Having trouble controlling your familiar, Rin?"

"Hardly. He just doesn't like it when I pay attention to lesser demons," Satan huffed, giving in and picking up the Cat Sídhe before the demon started climbing his leg or something equally undignified, "Besides, if you think I'd be jealous of you, you're insane. Foxes are deceptive and crafty and will eat your heart the moment you give them a chance, but Cat Sídhes are pretty damn loyal. Don't slip up, ok?" He grinned, voice filled with light cheer.

Izumo flinched as if he had slapped her.

Satan was pretty sure his sneer wasn't that frightening, but sometimes he underestimated himself.

Abruptly, Shiemi spoke up, "I want to try too!"

Satan watched the blonde summon, frowning at her half-assed chant. It was a lesser-known fact that the exact words didn't matter nearly as much as the intent to summon itself, but did she have to sound like she didn't have a care in the world? She was summoning a demon who would eat her soul the moment she showed any weakness, she should take this a little more seriously-!

A Greenman popped into existence with a blip of power so tiny, Satan almost missed it entirely.

Well, Satan decided as he watched the Greenman (so tiny, it had to be young) cling to Shiemi, he didn't have to worry about the girl getting devoured by her summon anytime soon. The Greenman was too weak to hurt her and could only endanger her if she recklessly fed it her power. He was also pretty sure it was imprinting on her.
Kuro meowed in his arms, tails twitching, "It looks like a mouse! Can I-?"

Satan rolled his eyes and dropped the Cat Sídhe.

Cats were supposed to land on their feet, so Satan thought he could be forgiven for what happened next. Kuro landed on his back with all the grace of a wet rag and rolled…right over the summoning circle's lines. Chalk was obviously a terrible thing to use for finicky runes and spell circles if it came off so easily, Satan decided. It really wasn't his fault that they used such a shitty thing to make their lines- if they cared so much then maybe they should use paint or a marker or something a little hardier!

Igor stared at him hard as the Naberius fell back into Gehenna with a low groan, looking like he was seriously considering beating one of his students with his oversized chalk-drawing-thing that was still clipped to his hip.

Satan looked down at the smudged circle and the blob of black now sitting in the middle of the carefully crafted lines. Kuro paused, mid-motion to clean himself, letting his hatred for the chalk's taste known, though the rest of the class probably only heard a pitiful whine.

Satan nudged the demon with his foot, "Hey, look what you did."

"You dropped me!"

Ryuji deadpanned, "This is clearly your fault, idiot."

"I don't want to hear it from someone who couldn't even get Coal Tar to listen to him, Bon-bon!" Satan shot back, doing a rather admirable job of not punching that smug look off Ryuji's face, in his personal opinion, "And cats are supposed to land on their feet, damn it! How is it my fault that the shitty priest gave me a defective cat, huh?"
Izumo sneered, looking one step away from laughing in his face, though her Byakkos were very doing exactly that, muffled as it was. It was a sound only slightly more annoying than her face. The plum-haired girl was blissfully oblivious of Satan plotting ways to skin her summons and she slyly looked over to Yukio, "Your brother is an idiot if he thinks that's going to work."

It was less the words themselves and her holier-than-thou tone that set Satan off once again. She must think that she was so special just because she had a little talent at summoning. But that was the only thing she was even passable at, and Byakkos weren't even overwhelmingly strong- even the weakest of his children could easily crush them and devour their spirits, so nothing would be left to return. Hell, he could probably take them as he was now, and he wouldn't even have to play dirty and go for the paper! "Wanna go, twin tail bitch? I'm damn sure my familiar can take both of yours."

With the chalk already ruined, Igor had no qualms with stepping across the circle to stand between Izumo and Satan, "That's enough, children. Remember what you've learned today and don't hesitate to tear or otherwise ruin your summoning circle if you ever feel that you're in any danger. Rin Okumura, you'll be staying behind to finish cleaning the summoning circle." Not once did his eye leave the short boy.

Satan just looked offended, "I'm not cleaning your shitty and overcomplicated art project up."

"Mr. Okumura, I am your teacher and you will listen to me if you don't want punishment," The one-eyed man stated, no, demanded that his student listened to him, "That's an order, not a request, and you'll listen."

"'Punishment'…how delightfully vague and not threatening at all. Unless you have a reputation, it pays to be specific if you want me to be afraid of you," Satan drawled, idly picking at his nails as a way to disguise a movement to check his knives. He had never liked this teacher as something about him just rubbed him the wrong way, and he wasn't good enough at hiding his naked hatred for Satan to not have noticed by now, "What are you going to make me do, write lines, stay after class…what? And how the hell are you even going to make me do any of that anyway?"

If it came down to a fight, Satan was sure he could take down the oh-so-powerful Exorcist. Maybe it would be a nice lesson to the class that you couldn't rely on fancy tools all the time, or else you'd be helpless if you got surprised. And if the teacher got a nick on his face just deep enough to leave a scar, well, that was too bad, accidents did happen after all.

The room was tense, choking everyone present under the sheer intensity they couldn't properly understand. It was the feeling of static dancing on the skin, of coiled muscles and tension ready to be released. It would build, poked and prodded by Satan until it was as high as the sun, filling with burning feelings and boiling blood.
It had been too long since he had really fought anything.

And, like a cool breeze that toppled a child's tower, Yukio stepped forward, hand raised, "If you won't do it, then I'll take responsibility for my brother's actions."

The word 'responsibility' sent an icy shard of fear straight to Satan's core. That was a…a very dangerous and slippery slope that Yukio couldn't possibly understand the implications of. Even just 'Rin Okumura' had done plenty of illegal things, including murder (that filth deserved it, how dare they be even a peripheral threat to Yukio, inexcusable, intolerable, howdaretheyhurt-) and though he was sure no one could connect such things back to him, the demon was sure that the Exorcists had an entire file room dedicated to charges against Satan from the Blue Night alone.

Modern courts might have finally discarded the idea of passing the father's sin to their children, but religion had always lagged behind. They apparently still thought burning witches was acceptable (red, red, redredred- Blue.), so he was pretty damn sure that they would dig up whatever archaic rules they could to crush his last hope, his last tie to Yuki, his very last reason to-

Satan shook his head so violently the room spun, squashing terrible thoughts before they could swell. No, he had the here and now, he had to stay 'awake' for now, "Yukio, you don't have to do that!"

Yukio frowned at him, obviously catching the sudden strain in his voice, "Yes, I do. Like it or not, I'll take responsibility for your selfishness." The younger boy might have said those words, but really, Satan could read him easily. There was obviously worry there.

Satan huffed, looking away until he could lock away his darkness again. In lieu of answering the unasked question, he shrugged, and worried his lip as he sorted out his chaotic thoughts. "…I just don't fin-"

Blood.

His mouth was filled with blood.

Satan covered his mouth quickly but just ended up smearing blood all over his hand. It wasn't much, but it still made an ugly sight.

"Rin, you're bleeding-!"

"-'m fine-fucking-!" Satan hissed, cutting off his swears as he did nothing but exacerbate the cut. Honestly, if anyone knew what was actually happening, he would be seen as an absolute idiot and his reputation would take years to recover. But they were ignorant, so instead the class looked at him, worried, as he seemed to be suddenly spitting blood to them.

"I'm leaving," Satan mumbled, barely suppressing the heat trying to combust his face. A few of them called out after him, but Satan pushed forward- he had to get away so he could sulk in peace.

Splitting his lip open on his own fangs, just what kind of demon was he!?

Well, the better question was exactly when he grew fangs.

Five minutes later saw Satan pulling his lips back, baring his teeth at the mirror. His reflection snarled back at him, his teeth just a bit sharper, a bit deadlier as they tapered into points. He frowned at the reflection, feeling his scalp for lumps, checking his ears for a point, and staring into his own eyes for any reflection of hellfire. He saw nothing, but his teeth were definitely just a bit sharper. Idly he ran a finger over the sharpest canines and could feel the edge ready to cut his skin if he pressed a tiny bit harder.
They weren't fully developed, but Satan was pretty sure he hadn't had even these baby teeth just last night. At this rate, he would have a pretty impressive set by next week. As a test, Satan pulled his fire from his heart, and let a small flame dance on his finger. It comes easily, with only the faintest tug.

Well, that was probably a bad sign.

The bathroom door burst open, and Yukio stormed in. Satan crushed the ember in his hand, but words still fail him at the determined look on Yukio's face. Oh boy.

"Open."

"Err…"

"Your mouth, Rin. Open it now."

Satan forced a grin instead, and nearly swallowed his tongue when Yukio grabbed his jaw and forced it open. Satan holds himself as still as he can as Yukio carefully examined his teeth, prodding the noticeable pointed incisors enough that he's afraid his kid is going to cut himself. But Yukio is very nearly a professional Doctor as it is, and he's careful enough despite the rough treatment.

But the boy isn't happy with what he sees and he pulls away with a growl, "Damn it Rin, when were you going to tell me about this!"

"I just noticed them today. It was a slow enough process that I didn't realize they were there!" Lies, lies, but it'll be worse to say that they just grew overnight.

"I managed to convince the class that you bit your tongue, but what are we going to do about…" Yukio gestured vaguely at Satan's face, "about this?!"

Nothing, because there was no way to stop a failing seal this far in, "It's not a big deal, Yukio."

"Not a big deal? You're growing fangs Rin! Fangs that you just hurt yourself with!"

"Hey now, I wouldn't call this 'hurt'!" Severed limbs or sharp objects making friends with his ribcage was usually the bare minimum of injuries needed for Satan to think of himself as 'hurt', "I'm just not used to them yet. It's not like they're going to get long enough to rip through my jaw or some shit." Though, he had noticed some acute aches in very specific parts of his back recently that might cause some… 'growing pains' if things kept progressing. The damn seal was doing next to nothing now.

"And what if they do? What if they never stop growing and you end up ripping apart your own mouth? What then?" Yukio countered, nearly hysteric.

"That's not going to happen, and you know it! My teeth will just be a little sharper, so what?" Satan countered though the thought of the failing seal sobered him quickly. Yukio was afraid, had every right to be, and, to be completely honest, Satan was a bit afraid himself. The glass house he had lived in for a decade and a half was going to crumble very soon, and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.

So, all he could do was mitigate the damage, "Yukio, you had to know that this was going to happen, right?" The nod was hesitant, but still there, "But in the end, it doesn't matter because it's just my body. Even if I grow a tail and sprout horns and wings and start spitting fire, it'll still be me under all that shit. So, you'll still love me even then, right?"

Yukio refused to look at him still, shifting nervously and fiddling with a loose strand of his uniform. The stretching silence was crushing, every nanosecond without an answer threatening to break Satan. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't blink, he couldn't even properly continue existing until he knew, until Yukio said those words, until Yukio reaffirmed the faulty world he had built.

"'Love'…is a strong word to use some days…" Yukio started slowly, coy enough to widen Satan's eyes, "But yes, so long as you stay yourself, I'll still love you. And even if you somehow lost yourself, I'll drag you back kicking and screaming."

"And spitting fire," Satan added, glad his voice didn't betray the sob of relief he felt building in his chest. Choking him once more, but this time in a way that made him want to hug and squeeze Yukio breathless. But he would worry if he did that.

Yukio sighed, and they both politely ignored the way it shook just a bit, "You just want to be able to burn your homework at will, don't you?"

"And burn the shitty priest's eyebrows off! Do you know how long those things take to grow back? It'll be hilarious."

"As 'hilarious' as using mace on a Demon King…"

"I still have the bottle, for memories!"

Yukio rolled his eyes, and Satan could see the tension falling away from him with the motion, "Smile for me for a second…They don't look too noticeable at least, and I don't see any other changes in things like your eyes or ears."

"Why there?" Satan knew exactly how he was going to change, but Yukio?

"Mr. Pheles said to keep an eye on all of those spots and to notify him if we notice any changes. It could mean that the seal is getting especially weak," Yukio explained, examining a strand of his twin's hair. It really was turning blue.

Satan pulled away and made a face at Samael's stupid made-up name, "You aren't actually going to tell that creep, are you?"

"No, of course not." Yukio declared vehemently, "It might have been a few years, but I haven't forgotten what happened that day. He outright admitted that he wants you to act as a puppet ruler for him, and he needs you to be a demon for you do that, doesn't he? I wouldn't trust him to not somehow accelerate the decay of the seal instead of reinforcing it."

Satan couldn't help but grin at that. Well, there was one problem taken care of before it could even begin. Sadly, he was sure that Samael would figure things out on his own soon enough, but Satan would take every shred of faux normalcy he could get, "I didn't realize you had such a problem with authority, Yukio."

"I'd normally blame you for being a bad influence, but Mr. Pheles has all but said that we shouldn't trust him. We might all want to protect Assiah, but he's already hinted at some sacrifices I'm not willing to make."

"So, we both agree that we aren't telling him, right?" A nod. Good, now for the hard part, "So that means we can't tell Shiro either. Oh come on, don't give me that look! The moment something went wrong, he called Mephisto for help explaining everything to us! There's no way he wasn't planning for that day, which means that those two have to be pretty close for the supposed principle to come running over." Or Samael just wanted to avoid his duties and jumped at the chance to leave. Either way, Satan couldn't afford for the Paladin to be breathing down his back, or for the shitty priest to do something rash.

"I guess you're right…"

"I'm not saying that Shiro is bad like…Mephisto is, just that he's been tricked into trusting him. Shiro will always be a shitty priest, so of course, he probably asked another demon about what to do when it comes to me…" It actually made a lot of sense in hindsight. Shiro would have no one he could trust, but Samael would have enough overlapping interest in him that, if nothing else, he wouldn't try and kill the son(s) of Satan by default. He already helped with the sealing, so he was invested enough to not ruin his own plans.

Hopefully.

The demon crashed to the ground, its great and powerful bestial body crippled and twisted. Wings were shattered, its chest caved in, and its tail had been broken in several places. It was doomed, and yet the once great Manticore demon tried to crawl to its feet and escape.

It was much too slow, and a great meteor crashed into its head, powdering bone and turning brain to mush.

Amaimon stood slowly, shaking off the blood from his hands. He kicked the demon's crushed head, sighing as he realized it was already dead. He had hoped that with all the fuss the Exorcists were making, the demon might have been at least a little challenging, but…

Weak.

He looked up and could see all of the black-clad Exorcists shy away from his dull gaze. Well, all but one, but he didn't even bother to wear that stuffy-looking uniform, so he didn't count. He was a weird human, but Amaimon didn't completely hate him anymore. He only wanted to crush his skull a couple of times a week, instead of every single day.

Lewin Light waved, willfully oblivious to the disturbed look his comrades gave him. He supposed their shock at a Demon King's power was understandable- even he would have had some trouble with the Manticore, but the Earth King hadn't even needed to release his heart even with the disadvantage he had. It was only natural that humans would be scared of such power, but Lewin had long stopped being afraid of such trivial and unchangeable things, "Come on, Amaimon, it's time to head back. These guys will handle the small fry for us."

"Small fry" being a slew of golems of varying sizes and shapes that a magically-inclined Echidna had created. There had been other, much more dangerous demons, but…Lewin glanced at the smear that had once been said Echidna.

Demon Kings were something else. And maybe he really had gone mad, but Lewin really wanted to properly tame Amaimon. It was something that went against common sense, but so was shortening chats and fatal verses.

Amaimon frowned at the strange human. Even if he had only started listening to Lewin because Mephisto had told him to, he could admit that the human wasn't that bad. He wasn't properly afraid of him, wasn't properly respectful enough, but he also liked Amaimon for what he was: a powerful demon. Fascination wasn't proper awe, but it made the human tolerable.

And in the end, Amaimon still held the power, and would wield it as he saw fit, "But I want to mess around a bit more. I'm bored," The Earth King drawled, making sure the stretch out the word just enough. He didn't actually want to fight some weak golems, but there was plenty of other fun to be had, "You keep saying you need me for the war, but I haven't gotten to fight anything fun yet. I really wanna kill Iblis now that father is gone."

Amaimon's voice hadn't fluctuated much from its usual bored tone, but the lower Exorcists around Lewin still flinched at the obvious threat. The Demon King hadn't always been as willing to play nice. Lewin just nodded, cheer never fading, "Yes, yes, we're all frustrated waiting for Iblis to finally kick things off. But the ice cream store closes soon, so you can either keep playing or get a treat. You decide, of course!"

Amaimon didn't smile, but he still internally preened that he had trained his human so well. Now he could pretend to be ready to cause trouble, and Lewin would rush for a way to keep him calm, "...I want a milkshake."

"It is hot out, isn't it? Well, follow me."

Lewin grinned. Amaimon really did think he was clever and subtle, proud that he had once again 'tricked' the great Lewin Light. Well, it was certainly better than dealing with the naked threats and demands, and he wasn't going to complain when Mephisto had dumped effectively infinite money in his lap to keep his little brother under control.
Besides, the best way to get someone to do something you wanted was to convince them that it was their idea in the first place. And if he was seen as a source to easy treats and fun (fights), then all the better.

Amaimon sipped on the milkshake, idly watching the weak humans walk past the store window. It wasn't one of the nicer ones with chocolate painted on the sides and a slice of cake on top since apparently Lewin didn't have enough money on him, but it would do. For now. He was half tempted to rob a couple of the passing humans for the extra money, but that would have led to a fight in a very public place. And while he was pretty sure he could take out Lewin if he was quick enough, Mephisto wouldn't be happy. And he would be stuck with a stuck-up Exorcist who probably thought demons were nothing but tools and expected his complete obedience and a proper contract.
So, he would settle. For now.

"Hey." Amaimon started, the thoughts of bloody conflict with Lewin reminding him to a certain day not too long ago when he had misbehaved. He had thought about killing the human for yanking him around that day, but decided it wasn't worth it, "When do I get to meet my littlest brother. For real, this time. Mephisto seems to think he's interesting but you dragged me away before I could talk to him."

"Ah, well it's rude to interrupt class you know!" Lewin laughed, though in his head he was ready to pull forth a demon or six at a moment's notice. This was always a tricky topic considering the, frankly, nightmarish logistics, "But not everyone can know he's your brother just yet, so you can't talk to him yet. Besides, he isn't even a proper demon yet, so if you try to play with him, you just might break him."

"Humans are weak." Amaimon nodded as if he had just stated a fact of the universe.

"Yes, well, once he awakens, I'm sure Mephisto will arrange something for you." Lewin deflected. It was probably for the best to shove responsibility for this onto someone else, and who better than another demon?

"Why can't he just wake up then? This is taking too long."

Lewin sighed, not sure how to explain everything, "Well, this is an important step in his life that he has to do willingly or he might get devoured by his own fire, at least according to Mephisto...and he's not very well behaved either, and…I'll just shorten the rest and skip to the end: The Grigori don't want another son of Satan running around if he won't be useful."
It was a whole lot more complicated than that, but Lewin had quickly learned that Amaimon didn't like complicated things.

The Earth King stared at the scruffy man for a long moment, gaze as unnervingly unblinking as ever. But he seemed to understand at least one of the excuses Lewin had rapid-fired in hopes that one would stick, and slumped, "I hope the war happens soon then."

"The sooner it happens, the sooner we can be done with it, yes!" Lewin agreed. Honestly, everyone was so tense and scattered as they dealt with upstart demons and increasing reports. He hadn't seen Arthur in months and was pretty sure the man was stuck culling weak demons before they could get out of hand.
Lewin watched the Demon King play with his straw, drink long finished. Others might have dismissed him, as his lower intelligence was well-known now. But, just because he wasn't a genius like Mephisto didn't mean he wasn't a threat in his own, erratic way. And He could see the clear spark of intelligence, of cunning and plotting as the demon stared with an expression anyone else could call dull at his empty glass.
"Oh and, Amaimon?"

"Hmm?"

"You aren't going to do anything, ah, rash to try and make your little brother wake up sooner, are you?" Lewin asked, light as the Sylphs he liked the summon, and just as sharp as their wind, "Because I like you, and I don't want to have to be mad at you, ok?"
Disobedient demons needed to be exorcized, lest they get cocky.

Amaimon looked at him without moving, eyes sliding the rake of a claw over the Arc Knight's form. It was obvious how he was judging and sizing up Lewin, like a cat with prey.
How anyone thought Amaimon a hopeless idiot, Lewin would never know. He might not be a thinker, he might get confused by the complexities of the world, but he knew exactly how far up the food chain he was.
"Ah, no. Big brother would be mad at me. Iblis is an idiot, so he'll do something stupid soon anyway."

"Good, good. I wouldn't want us to have a spat after we've been getting along so well!"

"Humans break easily, so that would be bad."