Flames of Blue and Green

Chapter 18: Helpless

RIN'S P.O.V.

"WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry, Rin," Mephisto says with a shrug, "but there's nothing we can do to help Brie."

"You said you had a plan!" I yell at him angrily.

He nods his head. "Yes and the plan is to wait and see what happens."

"We can't just sit and wait!"

Mephisto's eyes narrow as he looks at me. "Do you have a better idea, Rin? Please enlighten us of your plan to sneak into Heaven and save Brie."

"Well, it's simple really," I say nervously, scratching the back of my head. "We just, uh...We..."

"Exactly," Mephisto says. "There's nothing we can do."

I can only hang in disappointment. I know that he's right, but there has to be something we can do. Anything. I look at Mephisto desperately. "Can't you, like, open a portal that leads to Heaven?"

He nods. "Of course, but they would know we were there as soon as we arrived."

"Then I'll just fight 'em all!" I yell, tears of frustration beginning to form in my eyes. "I can do it!"

"Are you and idiot?" Bon yells back at me, standing to get near me. "Those are angels up there, Okumura! I saw what Brie did to that goblin! You wouldn't have a chance against an entire city of them!"

Miwa steps forward also. "Not to mention if you were to fight too hard...well, we all remember what happened last time..."

"You lost control," Shiemi says with a slight shiver.

"We can't afford to let that happen again," Izumo says, glancing toward Shiemi with approval. "You were nearly sentenced to death."

Shura sighs as she puts a hand on my shoulder. "They're right, brat. I wish there was something we could do, but if there was then Mephisto would tell us." She glares at the demon. "Right, Mephisto?"

Mephisto smiles and waves off the comment. "Of course, dear. I'm just as fond of Brie as the rest of you."

"I can't just sit around and wait for her to come back," I say quietly, staring at the floor. "What she never does come back? What if she gets her memories back and hates me?"

Everyone is silent, not knowing what to say. I know they want to tell me that that won't happen, but we all know that it very well could. My heart aches just at the thought of it and I don't even bother to stop the tear from running down my face. I feel someone pat my shoulder and the sound of footsteps, signaling that people are leaving. When I hear the final pair of feet I look up. Mephisto is still there, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"I apologize," he says with a sigh. "What I said earlier was not fair of me. I know very well how easy it is to fall in love."

"I'm sorry, too. It wasn't fair of me to say those things about you not being capable of love," I reply quietly.

He smirks. "Listen to us, apologizing. What kind of demons are we?"

"The good kind," I reply with a small smile.

"Rin?"

I turn toward the door and see Ren standing there, tears glistening in her clear blue eyes. I give a sad smile and walk toward her, scooping her into my arms. She hides her face and snuggles into my shirt.

"I'm scared, Rin. I miss Brie..."

"I know," I say quietly, looking at Mephisto, who has a somber expression. "I miss her, too."

"She's gonna come back...right?"

She buries her face further into my chest, staining it with tears. I sigh. "I don't know, Ren...I just-" My voice breaks at that instant and I hide my own face in the cat sith's white fur. I hold back the tears until I hear Mephisto leave the room, shutting the door behind him. I lean against the wall and slide down it, cradling Ren the whole time. At last, I let the tears free from my eyes and the sobs out of my throat. Together we sit and cry, me and Ren. There are no other sounds in the room, just my sobs and her howls of despair. True, we hadn't known Brie for long, but, somehow, she had made a large impact on us.

I laugh suddenly and Ren jumps at the sound, showing her face only to look at me curiously. "I was just remembering when I first met Brie. I thought her and Amaimon were dating." I pause to laugh again. "And then I called her cute. You should've seen her, Ren. She was so flustered, she had no idea how to respond. And then later, she came over to the dorm and I made her dinner."

"What a gentleman," Ren says jokingly, also starting to smile as she begins to remember Brie.

"Right? She wanted to help with it, but I wouldn't let her," I say with a smile. "And then, when I was walking her to Mephisto's office, she stopped."

"Why?"

I laugh again. "She was admiring the sunset. She said it was beautiful, but all I was looking at was her. She really is beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

"Well, she is an angel," Ren snickers at my sappiness.

"True, I guess," I say quietly. "As she was looking at the sunset, I got close to her, and when I called her name she looked to me. I thought she would back away, but instead, she leaned in." I pause and touch my fingers to my lips, remembering what the kiss had felt like. It had been so soft and light, like a caressing breeze on a summer day. "I know we barely know each other, but I just feel something when I'm around her. I might love her, Ren..."

We are both silent, small smiles on our faces. I'm sure Ren is remembering when she met Brie also. I lean my head against the wall behind me and sigh, still thinking about Brie. Her sassy attitude toward everyone, how shy she was when I first met her, how happy she was when she found out her meister types, and her smile. Her smile, I would do anything to make her smile.

"Rin?"

"Yeah, Ren?"

"What if Brie already has someone she loves...in Heaven?"