What even is this chapter? O/.\O
Rin was done with the Vatican. From their holier than thou attitudes to the drivel they served and had the audacity to call cuisine. If they hadn't subtly threatened to place him in the demonic hands of Samael, he would have given them hell on earth. Metatron hardly liked it either as Azazel seemed to love sending spirits to toy with him.
The only possibly tolerable thing, was the actual training. Angel seemed insistent on training Rin himself. The man was good, but it seemed above all else, he favored a blade. Rin had to hide a smirk as he was given a dull blade to practice the "basics" with against Angel. The blade was rather simple and the techniques, pitifully beginner as he gracefully used them to sweep Angel off his feet and onto his butt. Multiple times. From simple parries, to blocks and strikes.
Angel had been rather vocal about putting an actual blade in his hand.
Rin brushed it off, as Excalibur was kept thankfully on his person, seen as just a small pocket knife to keep him comfort.
It had been mere days after his meeting with Azazel that Rin had been dubbed a prodigy of the blade.
"Rin, it is time for your lesson. Come."
Rin goramed in his bed but rolled out. He answered the door in his pajamas with a yawn slipping past his lips.
"Do I have to?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. A large and growingly familiar hand placed itself on his head. He grumbled but didn't try and remove Angel's hand. He took great comfort in Metatron's own vocal irritation. He didn't seem to like Angel, more so than for just kidnapping Rin. Though he wasn't vocal about it, Rin was certain it had something to do with Caliburn. His wings fluffed their feathers in an agitated manner when he heard the blade speak.
"Yes Rin. I do think you are in for a pleasant surprise though. So do keep up."
Rin rolled his eyes but followed the armored long haired blond. He was sadly slowly getting used to the echo of his footsteps down the stone halls. Traveling down them day after day to "learn" how to use a sword made it tedious at best. It was fun seeing Angel keep landing on his butt though. Man still was underestimating him.
The room they worked and trained in was a large room, larger than a gymnasium and the style more akin to a cathedral with the high ceilings and gothic architecture. The room was oddly filled with various people he had casually been walked past in the halls, or had trained at a distance, or had brought him his sad meals.
Rin focused his attention back on Angel. The people only made him antsy when paired with Angel's comment of a pleasant surprise. Angel didn't falter in his steps as the various individuals turned to stare at the duo, one standing tall, proud and collected, the other slouched and irritated.
"Can't believe it-"
"Some sort of prodigy-"
"Fastest to become-"
"I heard he's blessed-"
All soft spoken comments from the exorcists. Metatron flew behind him, nodding his head to a few of the exorcists much to Rin's confusion.
"There are active angels here Rin. Focus a little."
Rin held back from rolling his eyes. He did look to where Metatron was waving, and he did briefly see etheral looking men and women where he waved with soft and almost see through wings.
They were, in a word, enchanting. Rin could feel his cheeks hear up as they smiled gently down at him and Metatron, not once giving a judgmental look for his training, his skills or even his bloodline as people normally did once they learned of one of the three. Normally the former two, given how close he held his bloodline to his chest.
"Aw! Look he's embarassed!"
"I would be too if I had to follow my dad around like tha-"
Rin's head whipped towards the person who made the dad comment.
"Excuse me!? He is not my dad!" he growled. Angel grabbed his shoulder and held him back from approaching the exorcist. Rin slipped out and Angel put his arms under Rin's and lifted them upward to Rin's annoyance. He was pulled off the ground and was flailing his legs wildly, kicking Angel's armor.
"Rin control yourself! This is no way for a young man to be acting!"
"Says who!?"
"Says me. Now, if you're going to act like this, I can always take you back to your room."
Rin glared at him but stopped kicking. Angel put him back on the ground but placed his arm over his shoulders, his hand holding him from potentially going after one of the exorcists for an off handed comment.
He could hear the angels giggle at the antic even as Metatron sighed.
"I bet Azazel has something to do with this room being filled..."
"Rin," Angel interrupted, "You stand here before us having been blessed against demons. You stand here having shown exemplary skill with your blade. As such," he said as another exorcist handed him a sword and it's scabbard, "Despite not having been a page or Exwire, you are being recognized as a Lower Second Class exorcist."
Rin froze as the sword was presented to him. He numbly grabbed it and felt a jolt of energy travel up his arm. Warmth welled up in his chest. It felt right, but also terribly wrong.
"With your blessed status, it was suggested by the Grigori, you should wield the blade Clarent."
There were waves of murmurs from the humans as the angels fell oddly silent. Rin carefully grabbed the hilt of the blade and gave a slight pull. Immediately he could see it's silvery gleam and almost smell the smoke of a roaring campfire. He was a bit perturbed at how much it looked like the blade Excalibur.
"You should be honored Rin. No one else has become an exorcist so soon after beginning their training. Why, even the paladin was surprised enough to schedule a visit."
Paladin... visit?
"Paladin?"
"Why yes. He is currently the top Exocist. Fujimoto Shiro."
Rin stood dumbstruck. All he could think was, shit.
"Damn Azazel!" Metatron grumbled once they were out of the other angel's sight, "He knows Shiro has cared for you and Yukio since you were babies. I would expect this from Samael not him! Maybe I underestimated his boredom?"
Rin remained silent until he was safely back in the room he was staying in.
"Oh heavenly lord above give me strength to deal with this demonic king."
Rin flopped on the bed and looked over at Metatron.
"You know, in all my life, I don't think I've ever heard you pray."
"The lord never gives us more than what we can handle. But sometimes we must pray to be reminded of that."
"Good to know. It's kind of nice."
"What is?"
"To know that even angels pray to God."
Metatron stared at Rin, an unreadable expression on his face.
"So why don't you pray more often?" Rin asked. Metatron's face flushed slightly.
"Well, all prayers of Archangels are heard by the watcher of the archangels as well as God's little personal helper."
Rin raised a brow, urging him to continue.
"So any prayer I say is heard by Raguel and Raziel."
"No way," Rin chuckled thinking of the raspy, red headed, and bearded angel. "He hears them?"
"Yeah. So if he thinks we need help, he can send some back up. And loom it over us for a century or so..."
"Oh wow. I see why you rarely pray."
"Mmhm. See that be told in the bible."
Rin was quiet for a moment.
"Hey Metatron."
"Yes?"
"What does god think of nudity?"
Angel began his morning as he normally did. Rising early to perform his usual daily grooming, polishing his armor and Caliburn, as well as now retrieve Rin's breakfast. While the day began normally, he knew it would be anything but so.
For today he would show the Paladin the blessed boy that he had found. Not his little red haired half nude hellion.
Speaking of, he gave a courtesy knock on Rin's door.
"Rin. I have breakfast."
"Door's unlocked."
Angel rolled his eyes. Lazy boy wouldn't even open the-
"Argh!" Angel cried out, dropping the food on the floor of Rin's room as he slammed the door shut. "Rin! Have some decency! Put some clothes on!"
"Morning to you too," Rin yelled back through the door. Angel heard footsteps in the room, no doubt from him getting off his bed.
"Rin this is not funny! Why are you naked?!"
"I was just thinking. If god wanted us to wear clothes, wouldn't we have been born with them?"
"Rin it is indecent! It is offence to people's sensibilities!"
"But didn't god cast Adam and Eve out of Eden when they started wearing clothes?" he asked in an innocent tone. "Therefore isn't clothing a sin?"
"Clothing is not a sin Rin. It encourages chastity."
"Does it? Shouldn't we just self discipline? Clothing hasn't stopped bad people before."
"Now is not the time to be having this discussion Rin. Get dressed. The paladin will be arriving shortly."
"Then he can see me as I am. I'm sure it's nothing he hasn't seen before!"
Angel's face flushed red in embarassment and annoyance. He opened his mouth once more to yell when a new voice broke in.
"Angel. Is there a problem?"
"Ah, Paladin Fujimoto. No need to worry. Our newest exorcist is just being a little difficult this morning.
While the paladin was known for normally being in a good mood and having a wide sense of humor, he seemed exhausted and down right impatient at the moment.
"Then perhaps I should meet him another time. I have other duties I must return to."
"But Paladin Fujimoto, It should only take a moment-"
His words dies in his throat as they both heard the shower water turn on. Angel's words died in his throat.
"Another time. I'm sure I will have a chance to meet him at a later date."
"Yes sir."
Shiro Fujimoto wasted no time in leaving. Angel glared at the door. Making up his mind, he clenched his eyes shut and entered the room after the water had stopped running. He blindly and stubbornly made his way to Rin's closet and pulled out what vaguely felt like a shirt and some pants. One way or another, the kid was going to be dressed. He then went to go find his drawers containing under garments when he slipped on an apple, a part of Rin's breakfast. He fell on his back in an ungraceful heap.
"Sup."
Instinctively he opened his eyes only for his irritation to come back in spades. Standing above him was a slightly damp but fully dressed Rin.
My work is a strange place that gives me strange ideas. The idea of Rin using the bible to do well, what he just did in order to hide seems like something he might have been crazy enough to do.
So Excalibur is by legend one of the four swords of power. Specifically, it is the sword of water. It's twin blade is, you guessed it, Clarent, the sword of fire. So where Excalibur will cool the fire, Clarent will stroke it. Some legend stories state that while Excalibur was bestowed on Arthur by the lady in the lake and Clarent may have been the sword in the stone and known as a ceremonial blade of peace. Other tellings say this sword was stolen by Mordred and was the blade of a coward for killing Arthur.
But Excalibur was given to Arthur after Mordred stole it. A holy sword to counter the Coward's sword. These swords are said to look identical.
Caliburn is an english variant of the french name of the sword Excalibur.
So information dump and a slight explanation for the chaos. Beautiful.