It was early in the morning when Rin Okumura looked upon his home for what might be the last time. Dressed in warm clothes and ready to leave, Rin idly clenched Kōttatenshi, the sword kept within a kendo bag.
After he was done reminiscing for the moment, Rin went outside into the spring breeze and almost receiving a faceful of sakura petals.
"It's time to leave, isn't it?" Seishiro greeted as he opened the gate, he and Maruta having come to see him off while still in their bandages.
"I already feel so lonely." Maruta agreed sadly.
"Well, feel free to drop by anytime!" Izumi called out from where he and Naoya were cleaning the windows.
"This is your home, after all." Naoya added.
"Sure." Rin smiled softly before realizing his brother's absence. "Where's Yukio, by the way Did he go back to the dorm already?"
"No, but I haven't seen him today." Maruta replied before turning to regard something behind the building. "By the way, did you have something to do with that?"
Rin chuckled nervously as he turned to regard the huge mound of ice and snow that was barely visible from this side of the monastery. "Uh, it'll melt... eventually..."
"Sir Pheles, I mean no offense, but that sounds like a terrible idea." Yukio protested into his phone with clear disbelief and distress in his voice. "There's no way it'll go as smooth- ...what?! You're sending her over, too?!"
Book of Genesis, Chapter 03: Be Prepared!
Rin frowned as he looked down the street again while standing outside the monastery. He'd taken a quick breakfast because he didn't want to cause Pheles to be late, only to find that the clown was the one delaying him!
"That one-man clown act sure is late." Rin complained as he looked around. "And Yukio never showed up, either."
Suddenly, Rin could hear a particularly loud car rushing towards him. Turning around, Rin balked at the sight of the pink limousine speeding towards him-
"Oh, shit!" He yelled in shock and flailed out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting hit. Rin stood leaning over, panting in shock and relief before spinning around and yelling at the unseen driver. "That was close! Where do you think you're driving?!"
"Well, I believe that it was on this road on such a sunny day." A familiar voice spoke out as the backdoor opened, allowing Mephisto Pheles to step out with a smirk. "Isn't it such a wonderful day to runover a stupid teenager who'd been standing in the middle of the road?"
"Well, fuck you, too." Rin deadpanned. "So where the hell are you planning to take me to?"
"To True Cross Academy, of course." Mephisto replied like it was obvious, causing Rin to blink in surprise.
"Huh? True Cross Academy?" Rin asked in confusion.
"Indeed. To the general public, I'm the Principal of the academy." Mephisto nodded while ignoring Rin's vocal disbelief. "And thus from today, you will be a student of True Cross Academy as well."
"...what."
"Sorry for the wait!" Yukio's cheery voice as he approached them with his own bag caused Rin to ignore Mephisto for the moment, a little surprised at his brother's smile. "I'm glad I don't have to be separated from you, Nii-san! Thank you for going through all this trouble, Faust-san."
"'Faust'?" Rin turned to regard Mephisto. "Weren't you 'Mephisto Pheles'?"
The man leaned down close to whisper to the boy. "My public name is Johann Faust V, which I suppose you could consider it like an author's penname."
Then Mephisto did a dramatic twirl and pointed forwards, much to Rin's disgruntlement. "Now onwards to my True Cross Academy!"
From then on, the clown had (literally!) tossed them into the limo, dumped Kōttatenshi in the boot(despite Rin's protests) and had his personal driver take them there. Mephisto was definitely weird as hell, but Rin wouldn't him incompetent.
(One sad thing about awakening his powers was that his already high strength had kicked up even further, necessitating Rin in learning not to break he gripped or tapped against.
And the fucking clown didn't seem to have felt the sharp elbow he got in the ribs, which even had Yukio flinching in alarm.)
As for True Cross Academy, the whole place turned out to be a whole damn city.
"This is our Academy Town with all of our educational institutions." Mephisto introduced the area to them as the limo drove inwards. "Be sure to study to your heart's content!"
Well, Rin was pretty sure that last bit would apply more to Yukio than him. As the limousine pulled up to the front entrance, Mephisto then said something he should've a lot earlier.
"Okumura-kun, change into your uniform."
Thankfully, Yukio graciously acted as a shield between Rin and the clown as he changed quickly, ignoring Mephisto's comments on his neck-tying skills. "...hey, Yukio. Aren't you going to ask how a dropout like me's joining you at True Cross Academy?"
"Huh? Sorry, I'm a bit nervous..." Yukio certainly didn't look nervous, returning his attention to his papers.
Later on, Rin had to accept that he was being sincere about that at least, the nephalem in shock about his twin being named the Freshmen representative. It seemed that he'd been rereading his speech over and over back at the limousine.
So after watching Yukio interact with others and remembering his dream of becoming a doctor, Rin's resolve was set once more. 'The clergy guys were one thing, but Yukio's still not mentioned anything related to that night. Throughout the week, they've all been checking on if I was okay after unsheathing the sword, but I've honestly never felt better.'
And Rin wasn't making that up. After settling down, it had felt like a piece of him had finally come home, along with several surprising benefits. Benefits that Rin knew would help to deal with Satan and others like him down the line. And speaking of said benefits...
'Hey, Tomo? Are you... online or something?'
[Answer: I am present. Also, the mental link connecting you to Kōttatenshi has been properly established as well.]
["Ah? It seems that we really can speak in such a manner, my liege."]
'Talk about the pros of having a mental PA right in my head.' Once again, Rin was grateful for deciding to fiddle around his powers that night, having wanted to see what else he could do beyond shooting infernal flames and celestial lightning.
Tomo was a big help, the accidental creation of a separate ego had certainly gone far in helping to categorize and manage all of his new abilities for him. He wasn't sure how exactly Tomo worked, but it seemed that they basically shared the same knowledge and senses.
Basically, Tomo would always remember whatever Rin might forget or not be paying attention to, as well as being properly aware of all his supernatural abilities. One con however was just how robotic Tomo acted. Even Kōttatenshi, who acted like a samurai brought into the modern age, emoted way better.
Now having been released from class, which would properly begin in the next week, Rin was snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing a whimper, seeing a white-furred dog behind him. "A dog?"
[Alert: The canine is emitting an energy signature that closely matches that of Mephisto Pheles.]
"What?!" Rin snapped in shock. "You're Mephisto?!"
The dog made a clearly human expression of intrigue before gesturing for Rin to follow. Eventually, Rin was led out of the school and he watched as the dog clambered up to the top of a nearby street lamp.
Once secure in it's footing, a cloud of black smoke enveloped it, causing Rin to balk as Mephisto's human self was revealed. "Pardon me, but the Principal can't just meaninglessly wander around the campus."
"I didn't know Exorcists could shapeshift!" Rin asked in bewilderment.
"They can't, at least not without special caveats." Mephisto replied. "However, I'm surprised that you could identify me. You're far more in tune with your inner instincts than I'd expected."
'Best not let him know about Tomo.' "Well, that's just I am." Rin scoffed. "So, are you here to finally tell me where I can really begin training as an Exorcist?"
"Actually, yes, I am." Mephisto pulled out a golden key and threw it to the boy, who managed to catch it. "As you've now undoubtedly learned just how large this academy is, that key will allow you to conveniently reach your cram school classes from any door."
"Cram school?" Rin questioned.
"Cram school for Exorcists." Mephisto clarified as he hopped down next to Rin, adjusting his hat. Rin's confusion turned into laser focus as he listened to the adult talk. "While you will be attending high school classes just like everyone else, the Exorcist training will take place in the cram school. Each day, you'll attend normal high school classes. But afterwards, you'll train at the cram school to become a Page. While you study Exorcism, you'll be considered an Exorcist-in-training. While the high school classes begin next week, your cram school starts today."
'So we're starting off immediately?' Rin clenched his fist in determination. 'Perfect.'
"I trust you're ready to begin?" Mephisto asked, leaning down and looking Rin in the eye.
"Of course."
"Fabulous!" Mephisto cried, walking toward a low wall and standing on top of it, before turning back towards Rin and holding his hat on his head with one hand. "Then, let us be off!"
"W-Whaaaa?!" Rin balked as the man backstepped off it, rushing and looking over only to find that it wasn't that high off the ground and the principal was waiting for him.
"Now, try opening this door with your key." Mephisto instructed.
"R-Right." Rin leapt over, landing with a prominent crack spreading out into the asphalt below him. Putting the key in and twisting it, Rin frowned at the ridiculously fast instant of darkness that had appeared over the door as he opened it to reveal a huge corridor, yawning off into dark depths yet unknown. However, hundreds of doors lined the walls of said corridor, Rin entering through one of them and staring in amazement and shock. "Amazing!"
"The first year classes are held in classroom 1106. Let's go." Mephisto explained, beginning to walk down the hall. Rin followed the man, still in awe of the huge hallway.
"Here we go." Mephisto said while stopping before one of the doors. "Just for today, I'll stick around to see your reaction."
"My reaction?" Rin asked warily.
"Do you not remember what I said back at the hospital? 'Orthodox rules no longer hold any precedent on this', therefore I have elected to be as unorthodox as I can get away with." Mephisto grinned cheekily. "Besides, it'll give you a preview of just how much contention you'll be getting from the True Cross Order. So right from this place and time, you will learn the valued lessons of choosing your allies and enemies. Einz... Zwei... Drei!"
Mephisto snapped his fingers, returning to his dog form in another burst of black smoke. "Alright, let's head in."
"Wait, you can talk like this?!"
"Just to be clear, are you sure that you desire to become an Exorcist?" Mephisto asked seriously, causing Rin to gulp at his tone. "If you go past this door with half-hearted resolve, you'll regret it."
["My liege isn't so weak-willed."]
Bolstered by Kōttatenshi's faith in him, Rin opened the door to see six other students in the room at various tables. Two girls together, one boy alone with a rabbit hand puppet, and the final three... looking so unfitting together.
["Don't stare so crassly, my liege. Straighten up and introduce yourself."]
"I'm Rin Okumura. Nice to meet you." Not getting any response, Rin sighed and walked towards an empty spot, taking his seat just as Mephisto did the same next to him. "What's up with these guys?"
"They're fellow Exorcists-in-training like you." Mephisto answered quietly. "Some haven't received a Temptaint yet, while others have already been afflicted."
"Temptaint?" Rin frowned.
"It's a wound or affliction caused by supernatural creatures. To receive a Temptaint is to gain the ability to see beyond the Veil that separates all planes from each other. An aspiring Exorcist without a Temptaint won't even qualify as a Page." Mephisto clarified, before closing his eyes. "Well, I suppose you don't need it yourself."
But Rin wasn't listening to him, instead thinking back to that day at the mall with that little girl and her scarf... and the small creature that faded into view right then and there.
Had that moment been right when the seal of his powers had begun leaking?
Suddenly the sound of the door opening and closing could be heard, causing Mephisto to pull out a handheld camera from thin air. "Ah, the teacher has arrived."
Rin looked up, but gaped in shock at the sight before him.
"Good afternoon." The twin of Rin Okumura walked across the floor towards the podium and placed his briefcase down on the table there, a bikini-clad babe walking in hanging off of his shoulder. "I'm your teacher, Yukio Okumura."
Rin choked on his own spit, before leaping up from his chair in complete shock. "Y-Y-YUKIO?!"
(Mephisto grinned as he took the snapshot. 'And now for the second wham of today~')
"I will be teaching you Anti-Monster Pharmacology starting today." Yukio continued on with a smile, disregarding Rin.
A few of the students greeted back, their puzzlement just as obvious.
"Pff!" The bikini babe snorted. "So much for a first impression."
"Yukio, what are you doing here?!" Rin demanded.
"Although I'm the same age as all of you, I've been studying Exorcism from the age of seven." Yukio continued to ignore Rin, the elder brother just staring at him in shock. "I finished my studies two years ago. "So please address me accordingly while in class."
["That's quite young, even by my standards..."]
"Seven?" Rin whispered in disbelief. "You're kidding me..."
"He's a genius in Anti-Monster Pharmacology, and the youngest ever to get their Exorcist certificate." Mephisto added.
"Is there anyone among you has yet to receive a Temptaint?" Yukio asked, seeing two students raise their hands. "Okay, two. Then let's begin the class with that. This classroom is usually vacant, so it has become the nest for goblins."
"A-Are we going to be alright?" The brown haired girl who'd raised her hand asked in fright.
The bikini redhead snorted again.
"Don't worry." Yukio sounded slightly amused himself as he opened his suitcase. "Goblins are low-class monsters without much power in particular, which makes them perfect for being the source of today's Temptaints."
'Hold up a second.' Rin suddenly realized something about Yukio's earlier statement. 'If he's been training since he was seven, there's no way the old man would be unaware of it... So that means...' "You knew, too?!"
(Mephisto took another snapshot. 'There's that expression of late realization.')
"Class is in session, Okumura." Yukio replied calmly, not raising his head from whatever he was doing in his briefcase. "Sit down."
"Like hell, I will!" Rin rebutted. "We're not postponing this talk!"
His walk towards his twin was interrupted by something cold pressing against his throat. The bikini babe, with a weird purple katana pulled out of nowhere, looked ready to run his neck through.
"Rin Okumura." The way she pronounced his name like she was tasting vomit did nothing to dampen Rin's anger. "If you know what's good for you, you will return to your seat."
Hot rage stoked up from within Rin and out his lips before he could force it back down. "Don't call my name in such a manner, human."
The woman's eyes widened before she was suddenly sent flying into the wall hard enough to crack it, clearly being held there by an invisible force. By now, the other students were making sounds of clear alarm.
[Alert: Attraction & Repulsion is hereby recorded and categorized as a Lesser Skill.]
'Tomo, not now.' Rin turned to regard Yukio, who'd raised a hand to rest his hand atop a gun holster he hadn't noticed yet. The fact the gun was still holstered gave him some hope and had him repeat his earlier words. "Yukio, we're not postponing this talk."
"Guess this can't be avoided." Yukio sighed before pointing at the woman. "However, undo whatever's keeping her there. Shura Kirigakure is a Duchess rank within the Order, which is two ranks beneath Father's own. Don't just casually attack people who can order your death."
"You say that like I normally cooperate with authority figures." Even as Rin said that, 'Shura' coughed as she was released from the wall.
"You little-" Shura began, only to choke when a pale hand clutched her face and flung her at the door with enough power to shatter it on her way out.
"Don't worry, my liege. I'll keep her busy." Having materialized on her own at the hint of a fight, Kōttatenshi gave him a quick nod before following after her victim- opponent with her own. Two seconds later, the sounds of clashing steel rang out from outside.
"What the?" The boy with rooster hair muttered. "The hell's wrong with this guy?!"
"Nevermind that!" The bespectacled baldie behind him whispered loudly as he glanced at the kendo bag that Kōttatenshi had ripped her way out of. "That's a tsukumogami! And a very powerful one, too!"
"I'm sorry, but would all of you please wait outside the classroom while I speak with my brother?" Yukio requested to the students.
The pink-haired boy whistled as he was the first to leave. "Just when I needed an excuse to watch hot babes fighting each other."
"Shima-san, a high-grade tsukumogami and a Duchess in battle should be breathtaking in a whole other context." The baldie complained as he and the rooster guy followed after, the latter giving Rin a glare as they passed.
"Now, then." Rin crossed his arms. "Explain."
"Nii-san, I..." Yukio sighed. "We did it to protect you."
"Dad already tried that bullshit with me." Rin rolled his eyes. "Now try again, but with your spin to it."
Yukio took a deep breath. "I was born with a Temptaint from you, so I was always able to see monsters."
[That is very unlikely. You have injured many people and none of them ever sparked rumors or showed signs of sighting monsters, especially regarding Reiji Shiratori and his underlings during their most recent encounter with you while your powers had begun to leak out.]
'Hey, that's true! All of their injuries came from me, and they certainly didn't notice shit!' Acknowledging Tomo's point, Rin realized with an increasing frown that either Yukio was lying, or his brother had been deceived by somebody else.
"Can you understand what it was like back then? Even when they were disinterested in me, I was just so... weak." Yukio recalled with a clenched fist. "Father noticed one day when I was seven and decided to train me in protecting myself. He told me that we were both miracles in how we existed, considering the nature of our births-"
"Speaking of which, I wanna ask something." Rin cut him off. "The old man said that he was only allowed to raise me if I grew up human. From what it sounded like, there were very strong chances of Exorcists coming to take my head regardless of anything, so why were you the only one of us in the know?! I'm glad that you were able to protect yourself, but how does keeping me ignorant keep me safe?!"
"Do you expect me to believe that you if you learned that you potentially had superpowers, you wouldn't be constantly testing it out?!" Yukio snapped back. "That you wouldn't always be testing your limits?! Look!"
Yukio pointed at the damaged part of the wall that Kirigakure had been smashed into. "It's only been a few days and you got... whatever that was already! Many people including yourself may consider you dumb, but I know you! You! Lack! Restraint!"
With every word of that last sentence, Yukio tapped Rin's chest hard, the last one sending him stumbling back a little from the truth of his words. 'He's right, but even so...!' "Then why didn't you talk to me after Dad got hospitalized?!"
Yukio flinched. "Because... Because you terrify me, okay?!"
Rin choked in shock. 'Of all things to say... Yukio...'
"Intellectually, I know you're still my brother. That you're still the stubborn jerk who'll always do his best to protect me." Yukio frowned in clear distress. "But instinctually, I feel the urge to either kneel in servitude or put a bullet in your head! Do you realize how fucked up that is?! To think that of my other half?!"
(Mephisto sorely regretted having emptied his personal stash of popcorn earlier. It would've been the perfect compliment to this!)
"...well, suck it up." Rin decided. "I'm Rin Okumura, and I never stopped being so even after pulling that sword free. If you ever feel like kneeling, I'll pull you back to your feet. If you ever feel like killing me, I'll just become unkillable. Nothing in the world's ever gonna make me stop being your brother."
"Well, this is just peachy."
Both brothers snapped towards the door to see Kirigakure there, moderately injured with patches of frost all over her body... but with Kōttatenshi's sheathed sword clenched tightly in her hand.
'Kōttatenshi lost?!' Rin's jaw dropped. 'Just who the hell's this chick?!'
Behind her, the students were shivering as they all looked at her with expressions that varied between awe and shock.
"Well, Yukio, it's all nice and all that you made up with your brother, but I've got both good and bad news for you." Kirigakure sighed. "Good news: That sword tsukumogami wrecked up the hallway well enough that the students all definitely have Temptaints from just the colds she's given them."
The brown haired girl chose that moment to sneeze cutely.
"Bad news: I'm reminding of Mephisto's orders." Kirigakure's eyes darkened immensely as she switched her gaze from Yukio to Rin. "It's either you and me, and you're less likely to your head ripped off."
Rin didn't like how much Yukio paled at that, idly noting Mephisto now absent from the classroom. "That's... There's got to be another way."
A shake of Kirigakure's head seemed enough to kill Yukio's reluctance, his twin shuddering as he took a deep breath and turned an opaque gaze towards the students. "What I'm going to say may not leave this room. No matter your opinion, you are not allowed to share the information you are about to learn with anyone outside this classroom. It is only for your own safety that Sir Pheles has decided you be made privy to it. Am I clear?"
Rin was suddenly struck with a horrible sense of foreboding, even as the other students nodded in varying degrees of understanding and confusion.
"Rin Okumura, your classmate and my twin, is the nephalem child of Satan and an unidentified angel. Despite our shared origin, he is the only to inherit their powers. He has chosen to join the True Cross and become an Exorcist out of his own free will. However, if he ever steps out of line and becomes an enemy of Humanity, he will be swiftly taken care of." Rin froze at the sheer ice in his brother's tone during this declaration. No warmth, no worry, just facts. "Kirigakure will be shadowing your class and keeping a watchful eye on Rin. She has orders to act if he ever threatens your safety."
[She is very inadequate.]
Not even Tomo's logic-driven attempt at comfort did much to assuage Rin's rising panic, especially after what Kirigakure did next.
Just as the roosterhead opened his mouth to speak, not a single escaped his lips once Kirigakure pulled Kōttatenshi free of its sheath.
Compared to the usual explosion of electric flames, the release of his otherworldly nature was much more subdued. But even the crimson blaze and the golden lightning did little to hide the expressions the students took until the katana was sheathed again.
"Class dismissed." Pausing only to rip Kōttatenshi out of Kirigakure's offering hand and passing it to Rin, Yukio immediately left the class, leaving both his briefcase and his unbalanced brother who rushed after him.
"You're not going to ask me what that was about?" Yukio asked as his brother followed after him.
"Hell, no." Rin replied as he kept pace. "It was obvious that you got forced into it. If anything, it's that Mephisto bastard I gotta deal with!"
"Sir Pheles told us that the class should know about you, ignoring my arguments against it and saying it would help you learn who to choose as your friends and enemies." Yukio noted Rin suddenly freezing, causing him to realize that his twin might have been forewarned in a manner about the reveal. "It will make it easier to explain any issues as well as Shura-san's presence in the classroom."
"So this is what that clown bastard meant?!" Rin growled even as Kōttatenshi idly patted the back of his head. Speaking of which, to think that the sword Father had sealed Rin's powers into had become a tsukumogami... "602, 602, Let's see..."
Finding their shared room, Rin opened the door and looked inside with zero apparent issues in the darkness.
'Did he get night vision along with all those powers? How lucky...' Yukio thought as he surprised his brother enough to make him flinch and turned on the lights. "I insisted and Sir Pheles put us in the same room. Also, we're the only ones in this building. If anyone has to survey an entity as dangerous as you, it might as well be me."
"K-Keep an eye on me?!" Rin gawked. "Is this a prison or what?!"
"Yeah, and I'm the warden." Yukio replied with brutal honestly, his smile spreading. "Despite having almost every one of the True Cross Order as your enemy, you want to become an Exorcist, right? Then you should be able to bear with this."
Rin was twitching in agitation, before smiling weirdly. "Fine, then. However, get this straight, little brother. I'm gonna become a Paladin. Plus, being a villain to a bunch of strangers isn't anything new."
'It shouldn't be.' "Keep up that spirit!" Yukio replied cheerfully. This was how his brother was supposed to be. While he was hot-headed and a little demanding for attention, Rin was always vibrant and cheerful enough that Yukio could almost believe that his twin held a personal sun within himself. "Now, let's do today's homework."
"E-Eh?" Rin's bravado immediately died. "H-Homework?"
"You want to become a Paladin like Father? Then you need merit." Yukio's tone grew stern, hoping he was properly conveying just how far the road ahead was for Rin. "That's what Exorcists demand of a Paladin, merit that proves that they're the best among the rest. Continuously gaining merit is everything. If you can't manage that, don't even think of trying to approach Father's level. I don't know about others, but there're exactly 509 Exorcists in Japan's branch alone, which means 508 Exorcists between you and that seat."
The grin on Rin's face was much better now. "Bring it on!"
KingVessel: Good luck, Rin! ...you'll need it.