When in Gehenna

Behind Closed Doors

The news of the agreement quickly spread throughout the Vatican.  Throughout the building, small groups were meeting and discussing the news.

"I can't believe the Vatican made an agreement with those vermin!" Angel was one of the more vocal dissenters.

"I know.  It is obvious that we had the beasts scared and were winning the war in Assaiah, so they managed to trick our leaders into allowing them access to our realm.  As if the demons could ever peacefully coexist with us." Another member of this particular group chimed in.

"We will have to be extra vigilant.  It is obvious that the creatures are up to something, and I for one refuse to be caught off guard when they finally decide to make their move!" This time the speaker was a young woman.

"Keep an eye and ear open for those who seem dissatisfied with this.  Try not to go anywhere alone and let me know if you find anything suspicious." Angel was quick to take charge.  After the conspirators agreed to his plan, the group broke up and began wandering the halls, listening to the various opinions being expressed.

Although many people were frustrated with the cease-fire, most of them expressed faith in the Vatican to protect and guide them.  However, there were some who felt that the Vatican had been tricked or charmed, and a few even spoke of rebellion.  The names of these people were brought back to Angel as potential recruits.  

There were also a small number of exorcists who were happy about the treaty.  Many of these were tamers who worked closely with their demon summons.  They felt that demons were not inherently evil and could be trusted to coexist.  Angel's people also made note of them as people to watch out for if and when the confrontation occurred.

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Yukio and the cram school were having their own discussion about the news.  Their knowledge of Rin and Yukio's heritage, as well as the presence of Mephisto as the principal of Cross Academy made them slightly more open to the idea of demons being capable of good as well as evil.  Although the discovery of the Fae Courts was still new to them, they believed that the Seelie Court at least could be trusted to not harm humans.

"So what does this mean for the Exorcists?  If we are no longer fighting the demons who come to Assaiah, then what is our purpose?" Kamiki bluntly put forward the question they were each asking themselves.

"I don't know, but I am sure the Vatican will inform us of what our new role will be." Yukio calmly replied, hiding his unease with the situation.

"Maybe they will have us patrol and watch out for demons who break the oath," Shima speculated.

"Perhaps we will be able to trade knowledge and goods with the people of Gehenna.  I would love to learn more about their culture and history!" Shiemi was quick to find the opportunities that might be available to them all.  She was very close to her summon, and looked forward to getting to know more peaceful demons and seeing what she could learn from them.

The boys were slightly more skeptical, quick to examine the various problems that would most likely arise from an increase in demons in Assaiah.  Kamiki was rather indifferent to the entire thing, choosing to sit back and see what happened before making any judgments.  Yukio, on the other hand, was conflicted.  On one hand, he had been raised to hate demons and everything he had been taught that they stood for.  On the other hand, he hoped this would encourage Rin to spend more time in Assaiah with him, since he would no longer be under pressure from the Vatican to control himself and train to defeat Satan.

Eventually, the group split up to return to their separate dorms, or in Shiemi's case her home.  They agreed that things were going to change, but there was very little they could do about it at the moment.

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As Yukio entered the old dorm building, it quickly became obvious to him that Rin and his group had already left.  The building was silent and felt empty.  He sighed as he began to prepare himself a sandwich, wondering what he would do with his life if Exorcists were no longer needed.  He remembered telling Rin that he was going to go to school to become a doctor in order to help people.  Rin had told him that he would be a great doctor and be able to help a lot of people.  The innocent support that Rin had always given him was a precious gift that he had once taken for granted and would now do anything to get back.  Yukio let out a sigh as he finished his sandwich before tidying up the kitchen and getting ready for bed.  His sleep that night was dreamless and he woke up the next morning feeling rested and resigned to whatever the day held  in store.

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Meanwhile, in Gehenna, after the delegation members returned to their various homes and reported on the outcome of the meeting, parties broke out all across the kingdoms.  All of the races were gathering together and rejoicing in the good news.  Those who were more dependent on Assaiah for their survival were especially exuberant in their rejoicing.  In Satan's palace, Amaimon and Rin were the guests of honor, with endless streams of people coming up to congratulate them and shake their hands.  Although both young demons were fairly used to such treatment and would often sneak out of such functions in order to take a break, they were forced to remain in the ballroom the entire evenings since they were the celebrated guests of honor.

When they were finally able to retire the next morning, both boys tumbled into their respective beds, barely managing to change into their pajamas, and were almost instantly asleep.  Although the first step was complete, they knew that there was still a long road ahead of  them before the peoples of Gehenna would be able to freely and safely travel through Assaiah once more.