The day started off great - building a better relationship with Kamiki and then having a little bonding moment with Rin over some delicious breakfast as they watched the sunrise. But everything went downhill from there. What started with Kamiki messing up the lines she was told to study quickly developed into an Aria bashing and then the start of a physical fight between Bon and Kamiki. Fortunately, Yukio arrived and quickly stopped it. Unfortunately, now the entire class was being punished. And that's how [Y/n] found himself kneeling on the ground between Kamiki and Konekomaru with a Bariyon on his lap that was way too close to his private area for comfort.
"W-What the hell's up with this damn pickling rock?" Rin complained in a strained voice, trying to maintain a regular breathing pattern as the Bariyon on his lap got heavier and heavier by the second. [Y/n] hissed in pain as he did the same. "It's getting heavier by the second!" Rin continued, whining as the little demon slowly crushed his upper legs.
"It's a demon, one of the lower-level ones! The longer it sits on you, the heavier it gets!" Koneko answered between the quiet prayers that he was muttering to himself in an attempt to focus on something besides the pain. Bon turned to Rin with an annoyed and bewildered look.
"You don't know what a Bariyon is?!" Bon asked, almost sounding offended as he scoffed at Rin's obliviousness. "You really are pathetic!" He sneered, looking away when Rin whipped his head to the left to glare at him.
"Oh, yeah?! Well, it's your fault we're here so why don't you-"
"It's everyone's fault." Yukio cut his brother off as his eyebrow twitched in irritation. Everyone turned to their teacher with looks of betrayal. Actually, it was only Bon and Kamiki's fault but, of course, the rest of them got dragged along into this mess. "One of the objectives of this boot camp is to strengthen your academic skills." Yukio started, looking around at all of his students before his gaze focused and Kamiki and Bon. "The other is to get you to start becoming closer as a team." He finished, pushing up his glasses. The class gaped at the second objective while Kamiki scoffed at the idea.
"I'd rather die than be friends with these losers." She spat, looking away with her nose turned up. An irk mark appeared on the side of [Y/n]'s head as he turned to his left.
"I thought we agreed that you were going to extend an olive branch?" [Y/n] asked, fighting the urge to remind her of everything she said during their little heart-to-heart on the roof that morning. Kamiki creaked an eye open but just huffed, not even looking back at him.
"I said I'd try and I did! It's not my fault he's an idiot!" She spat, giving Bon an irritated and uninterested side-eye.
"What did you say?!" Bon snapped, causing Rin to growl in annoyance as Bon's yelling filled his ear.
"I will shoot you both!" [Y/n] snapped, glaring down at the stupid demon in his lap that was the only thing actually preventing him from smashing Bon's and Kamiki's heads together.
"You need to learn to get along!" Yukio snapped, instantly stopping the spat his students were having. They all turned back to him as he sighed in disappointment. "Exorcists do not go into battle alone! We fight in groups of two or more, that's basic procedure, it covers your weak spots and enhances your strengths. In a real combat situation, this ridiculous in-fighting could get you or someone else killed!" Yukio scolded, looking around at his students, who were half-listening to him and half-struggling to handle the weight of the Bariyon. "You keep that in mind." Yukio ordered before glancing down at his watch. "Okay, I have to leave for a mission and I won't be back for about three hours. Now, because of that attack yesterday, I have to take extra measures. I'll be locking all the entrances and placing a powerful demon-warding charm on the building." Yukio explained casually. It took a moment for the students to process what he was saying but, when they did, they all went wide-eyed.
"You're locking us in? Then how are we supposed to get out of here if we need to?" Bon asked, his mind instantly flashing back to what happened to Paku the night before.
"You're not going anywhere!" Yukio exclaimed, shocking all of his students. His little outburst disappeared almost instantaneously as his annoyed expression was replaced with a calm one. "I'll only be gone for three hours. So cool off and get along until I get back." He ordered with a small wave before turning on his heel and heading straight out the door without another word. And, with that, he was gone, leaving his students to just sit there in pain as they waited for him to return.
"Three hours..." Shima repeated, letting out a groan of pain as the Bariyon got heavier again. "He's evil." He hissed, shrinking his head as he tried to ignore the demon that was tormenting him.
"Someone kill me!" Bon groaned, throwing his head back before turning to Rin. "You know, I find it hard to believe that you and that teacher are related!" He yelled and [Y/n] couldn't help but find himself agreeing with him. Rin sweatdropped as he shuddered.
"But he's a good guy... I know he is... Really..."He forced out, taking deep breaths as the Bariyon got even heavier even faster. [Y/n] growled as he did the same.
"Are you sure?" He hissed, sending Rin a side-glare. He was seriously starting to wonder if Yukio was actually a sadist who pretended to be nice or a nice guy who was pretending to be a sadist. Either way, he was currently pissed.
"Anyway, we're stuck here thanks to a certain someone!" Bon spat, glancing at Kamiki, who leaned forward to look at him.
"Huh?! I didn't go and grab you by the collar, did I?!" Kamiki retorted, furrowing her brows in disgust as she looked at Suguro.
"You're the one who picked a fight with me in the first place!" Bon snapped back. The irk mark on Rin's head got bigger and bigger until he finally snapped. His head shot up as he growled in frustration.
"Would you guys quit fighting with me in the middle again?!" He screamed, hitting his hand off the ground as he yelled. He was seriously getting tired of this. As was [Y/n].
"The shooting threat still stands!" [Y/n] shot in, seriously considering grabbing the case off of his back. Both of them ignored him as they continued their little spat.
"You're really one twisted witch, you know that?!" Bon hissed and Kamiki laughed sarcastically.
"Thanks for stating the obvious." She rolled her eyes, looking down her nose at the male. "Anything else?" She asked sarcastically and Bon growled again.
"With a personality like that, it's no wonder you're all alone!" Bon scorned, causing Kamiki to freeze in place as her face suddenly distorted into a shocked and guilty one. That last comment must have actually hit deep. Before Kamiki could throw in another snide remark and continue the argument, all of the lights in the room suddenly shut off. At the same time, all of the Bariyons returned to their normal weight. Everyone looked around in confusion before pushing the Bariyons off of their laps.
"What the-"
"Ow!" Rin's yell of pain cut off Shima and [Y/n] turned to see Rin clutching his foot with small tears welling in his eyes. "I dropped the Bariyon on my foot!" Rin complained and [Y/n] sweatdropped. He was actually worried about him for a second.
"You've gotta be kidding! Did he turn the lights off on the way out?!" Bon asked, looking toward the gap at the bottom of the door to see that the lights in the hallway were off too.
"No way!" Koneko panicked putting his hands on his head as he paled.
"Is it a blackout?" Kamiki asked, looking around for any sign of electricity.
"I can see lights on outside." [Y/n] replied, shaking his head as he pointed to the window, drawing everyone's attention to the view of True Cross Academy and the sorrowing buildings, all lit up normally.
"You mean our building's the only one without power?" Rin asked and [Y/n] nodded in confirmation. They were all just glad that they could still kinda see in the dark. It, at least, wasn't pitch-black. After a brief moment of silence, Shima got to his feet.
"I'm going outside." He announced, turning toward the door.
"Shima... be careful..." Koneko warned worriedly, shaking at the thought of his friend walking around the already creepy dorms alone in the dark. Shima just laughed as he waved him off.
"I love stuff like this. It's like a real-life test of courage." He laughed as he reached for the door and opened it stepping back so that everyone could see. "There's nothing here. See?" He asked and everyone paled at the fight of a distorted face looking right at Shima through the narrowly opened door. Shima seemed oblivious for a moment until his eyes slowly opened and he shut the door. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me..." Shima chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head before he turned to his horrified classmates. "Either that or we have a dea-" He was cut off by his own scream of terror as a demonic arm punched straight through the door. He narrowly dodged the attack and immediately sprinted back to the group, hiding behind Rin. Everyone watched in panicked horror as the demon that attacked them the night before freakily limped into the room. [Y/n]'s eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as he noticed that the spot where the middle head was previously was now completely stitched up, as was the head on the right.
"Not again!" Rin yelled, glaring at the demon as it slowly edged its way into the room.
"The ghoul came back?!" Kamiki panicked, her mind instantly flashing to the image of Paku lying unconscious on the ground while that thing burned her skin with its blood.
"What about the demon-warding charm?!" Koneko exclaimed, reminding everyone of the extra procedures that Yukio claimed he was putting on the building. Rin tried to get through to his brother but had no luck. As he lowered the phone, everyone noticed that the ghoul's stitched-up face was starting to bulge, putting sarin on the stitches. Just as everyone realised what it was doing, it was already too late. The face busted open and black ooze sprayed all over all of the students.
"What the hell is this?!" Rin asked as he tried to brush all of the disgusting gunk off of him.
"It's its fluid!" Kamiki replied frantically, doing the same as Rin. The demon let out a deafening roar before taking a threatening step toward the students. [Y/n] gritted his teeth as he threw Sema's case to the ground.
"Get behind me!" [Y/n] yelled as he raised Sema, pointing it right at where the ghoul's core should be. The others immediately followed his orders, understanding that, at his moment, he was the only one with a decent chance. Kamiki's familiars weren't listening to her and the Arias-in-training didn't know the ghoul's fatal verse. [Y/n] narrowed his eyes at the ghoul before smirking. "So, you came back for more?" [Y/n] asked cockily, closing one eye as he took aim. The monster in front of him roared as it remembered their last encounter. [Y/n] gulped silently. He honestly didn't even know if this would work. It was way too dark. The ghoul will be more durable and will regenerate way faster. But he had to try. A faint red light began to form at the end of Sema's sharp-tipped barrel. "Alright then! Eat this!" [Y/n] yelled before the light suddenly expanded, shooting off a volley of mid-sized shots of red light. The other students watched as the demon screamed in pain, stumbling back as it used its arms to cover its vital points. [Y/n]'s assault slowly died off as the demon was pushed back against the wall, collapsing to the ground.
"Holy shit!" Shima exclaimed with wide eyes, watching as [Y/n] slowly lowered his weapon.
"Those two pissing me off earlier actually helped out? Go figure." [Y/n] shrugged cockily, glancing back to Bon and Kamiki, who paled at his little comment. Despite his confident claim, he was internally panicking. The ghoul was already starting to regenerate. Even though he did some damage, he really only slowed it down. Sema's shots produced some light but not enough to slow down a high-ranking ghoul's regeneration speed in the dark. Within a couple more seconds, it was already back on its feet. Everyone panicked as they realised that [Y/n]'s blasts didn't stop it.
"Nee! I need some Mr Una-Una!" Shiemi yelled. Nee immediately jumped out of her pocket excitedly as he nodded, extending his arms before gigantic roots shot from his torso. The ghoul was still too injured from [Y/n]'s attack to react and the biggest root impaled it straight through the chest while the others created a maze-like barrier between the students and the demon. Everyone stared on in awe completely, amazed by Shiemi's display.
"Holy crap..." Rin breathed out as he and the others stared at the barrier with wide eyes. [Y/n] nervously took a step toward the barrier, curiously looking inside to make sure that they were safe.
"Thank you, Nee! You're the best!" Shiemi praised, affectionately petting Nee, who happily accepted the praise. As [Y/n]'s eyes finally adjusted to the dark space inside the barrier, he paled. The demon split straight down the middle, forming two equally disgusting abominations.
"You two really saved us! Nice work!" Bon thanked, looking from [Y/n] to Shiemi and back. His eyebrows furrowed in concern when [Y/n] suddenly jumped back in shock.
"It split in half?!" [Y/n] screamed, alerting everyone of what he had just witnessed. Just as everyone processed what he had said, the two demons began violently banging against the roots, desperately trying to escape their cage.
"It's trying to break out of there!" Shima panicked, taking a nervous step back.
"Damn it! For a dead thing, it's pretty lively!" Rin sneered, glaring into the dark abyss in front of him.
"That's because ghouls are more powerful in the darkness." Bon explained, sneering in annoyance. As everyone tried to think of a plan, Shiemi suddenly dropped to her knees before she fell into a violent coughing fit. Everyone whipped their heads toward her worriedly.
"What's the matter, Shiemi?" Rin asked, his concern setting in.
"I'm feeling... dizzy..." Shiemi shakily replied as she began to sway slightly on the spot. Nee turned to look at her in concern. Before anyone could question her further, [Y/n]'s hand shot to his mouth, covering it as he started to violently cough too.
"Shit..." He hissed in pain as he felt his chest start to get hotter and hotter. Everyone paled before they began to experience the same strange and sudden sickness.
"What's going on?" Bon asked frantically, clutching his chest as he started to cough too. "I feel like I'm burning up!" He exclaimed, looking around to see that everyone except Rin was in the same boat as him.
"What's wrong with you guys?!" Rin asked worriedly, putting his hand on [Y/n]'s back as he coughed and hacked.
"That ghoul sprayed its fluids all over us! How come you're not affected?!" Kamiki asked through her own fit of coughing. Rin seemed to freeze at the question, not really seeming to know the answer either.
"Once Moriyama loses her strength, the barricade she put up is gonna disappear!" Bon suddenly announced as everyone's coughing slowly subsided. [Y/n] let out a relieved breath as his chest returned to normal and his coughing stopped. But the damage was done. They were all way weaker than they were just moments ago. "Then it's over for us!" Bon warned and the group nodded in agreement, nervously watching as Shiemi's breathing got gradually heavier and heavier. The sound of movement pulled everyone's attention to Rin, who was standing by the barrier, looking in. [Y/n] didn't like this. Before anyone could register what he was doing, Rin started to climb between the roots. Everyone's eyes went wide as they paled.
"What are you doing?!" [Y/n] screamed, his mouth hanging agape as his friend turned back to him, still sitting on one of the roots.
"I'm gonna go outside and try to draw it away." Rin explained with a small smile, holding his index finger up as he spoke. Everyone just stared at him like he was insane. "If I can get it to follow me, it'll give you guys a chance to get out of here." He finished with a smile as he tried to turn back toward the roots.
"Are you insane?!" [Y/n] snapped, shaking his head as he looked at his friend like he was a complete and utter idiot. Which he was for even suggesting that idea. Rin just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, you don't need to worry about me. I'm pretty strong, y'know." He assured but no one was buying into whatever the hell his little suicide mission was. Without another word, Rin turned back to the roots and began to climb through them. [Y/n]'s stomach dropped.
"Idiot!" [Y/n] yelled, taking a step forward in an attempt to grab his ankle and stop him. But he narrowly missed him.
"Come back!" Bon ordered frantically, worriedly staring into the dark maze of roots.
"Okumura!" Konekomaru called out, panic setting in as they lost sight of their friend. [Y/n] growled before stepping forward again.
"It split in half, remember?! There's two of them now!" He screamed, reminding everyone of what had happened after Shiemi impaled the ghoul in the chest. [Y/n]'s chest tightened and his stomach dropped when he didn't get a reply.
"Damn it!" Bon hissed, looking around the group as he frantically tried to think of some kind of plan for when Shiemi ultimately collapsed from exhaustion. "What do we do?!" He asked, receiving no answer. No one knew what to do. [Y/n] gritted his teeth in frustration, every part of his mind screaming in concern for Rin. What was that idiot thinking?!
"I'm going after him!" [Y/n] suddenly announced, shocking the whole group.
"Not you too!" Shima yelled, paling as he grabbed his friend's arm worriedly. The rest of the group seemed to disagree with his decision too. [Y/n] groaned in annoyance
"Look, I don't want to sound like a prick but, right now, Shiemi and I are our best bet for beating those things." He started and the group all grew tense. They knew that he was right. "She can hold that one back and I can use my fear, anger and adrenalin to make more power for Sema. But Rin's fighting by himself right now!" [Y/n] continued, reminding them that there were seven of them facing off against the ghoul in front of them but Rin was fighting his alone. No one else spoke up until Bon took a nervous step forward.
"But-"
"We don't have time to argue!" [Y/n] cut him off, pointing toward Shiemi, who was getting weaker by the second. "In her current condition, Shiemi can't hold that thing back for much longer. But Shima and Kamiki can protect you guys while you and Koneko can try to find its fatal verse." He explained, not even bothering to talk about Yamada or Takara since they've both been completely useless since the first day. "You guys take care of her and I'll help Rin, okay?!" [Y/n] ordered, looking around at the group. They all seemed extremely hesitant, none of them even moving, until Bon shook his head with a frustrated growl.
"Fine, but you better be careful!" Bon ordered worriedly and [Y/n] nodded, immediately heading toward the barrier.
"Right!" He exclaimed as he started the carefully weave his way through the roots. He caught a glimpse of the other half of the ghoul and tensed as he gripped Sema's handle, his hands trembling. Luckily for him, the beast was too distracted by its escape attempt to notice him. Once he successfully made his way out of the room, he broke off into a dead sprint, heading straight toward the generator. He knew that's where Rin was because the entire way there was covered in ghoul fluids and broken furniture. 'What the hell is that idiot thinking!?' [Y/n] thought as he shook his head, quickly weaving through the winding corridors of the dorms. 'I don't have any summoning paper, so I can't summon Flor...' He continued internally, silently cursing himself for not keeping some on hand. As he reached the generator room, he knew that he didn't have time to dwell on his forgetfulness. As he skidded into the room, he saw Rin being held up in the air by three tentacles that were coming out of the demon's mouth. Two held Rin's arms tight behind his back while the third one wrapped around his ankles. "Rin!" [Y/n] called out, gaining both the student's attention and the demon's.
"[Y/n]!" Rin panicked at the sight of his classmate. The ghoul instantly recognised the boy who blasted off its head yesterday and put countless holes through its body a few minutes ago. It roared angrily at him, taking a step forward. [Y/n] sneered at the monster as he raised Sema.
"I've had enough of whatever the hell you are!" [Y/n] snapped, releasing another volley of energy blasts. The demon whined as it was sent stumbling back again, trying to regenerate its missing flesh. [Y/n] took his opening and quickly shot the demon's tentacles, severing the bindings around Rin, who very unceremoniously fell to the ground with a thud. [Y/n] let out a quick sigh of relief when he saw that Rin was safe but his moment of success was quickly cut off when the ghoul's hand extended toward him, wrapping tightly around his throat. "Shit!" [Y/n] choked out as he tried to hit the hand away. But the ghoul only tightened its grip. [Y/n] tried to raise Sema but the gun was immediately slapped out of his hand by one of the ghoul's other limbs. [Y/n] began to panic. His vision was slowly starting to go black.
"[Y/n]!" Rin screamed, his eyes widening in horror as a strangled cry escaped [Y/n]'s throat. He froze in place, not knowing what to do. His mind was racing. His head was pumping wildly in his chest. But he still didn't move. He didn't even see the ghoul raise another arm, tightening his grip around [Y/n]'s shoulder. It wasn't until he heard the faintest crack followed by [Y/n]'s scream of agony that his eyes went wide and he snapped. "Let him go!" Rin screamed at the top of his lungs, lunging forward as he drew his sword, not even thinking. [Y/n]'s eyes widened in horror as a wave of blue fire suddenly engulfed the room. In an instant, the arm holding his was severed, causing the ghoul to scream in pain. [Y/n] fell to the ground, clutching his throat as he coughed at hacked, silently relishing the feeling of oxygen filling his lungs again. As his vision slowly returned to normal, he looked up at Rin in utter horror. His friend was standing in front of him, looking down at him worriedly. His pointed ears and sharp teeth were even more prominent now. A navy tail whipped around behind him. But the worst part... His whole body was covered in blue flames.
"B-B-Blue f-flames?" [Y/n] stuttered out, fear taking over every part of his mind. Rin's gaze softened as he took a nervous step toward his friend. His heart broke when [Y/n] jumped back, grabbing Sema with a shaky hand. He didn't point it at Rin, but every part of his body told him to. "No..." [Y/n] breathed out, looking his friend up and down. The ears, the tail, the fangs, the fire. Rin was a demon. But that fire... He wasn't just any demon. "Y-You're... You're..." [Y/n] tried but the words wouldn't leave his mouth, he couldn't think straight. Every fibre of his being was panicking. Rin looked utterly heartbroken as he stared down at his terrified classmate.
"Excellent." A deep voice called out before Rin could say anything. Both boys whipped their heads up toward the raised floor behind them. "That's what I've been wanting to see." The voice began, slowly stepping out of the shadows. Rin tensed in anticipation while [Y/n]'s whole body continued to violently tremble. "Those brilliant blue flames you keep hidden." The man continued and [Y/n]'s eyes widened even further at the sight of their attacker. Mr Neuhaus... That ghoul was his Naberius. It all made sense. But why did he attack them? For Rin? Rin turned to the teacher with an angry growl.
"Are you the one who-"
"Since you won't use your powers in front of the others, I decided to lure you away." Neuhaus cut him off, snapping his fingers. The instant he did, the ghoul obediently trudged over toward him, standing at attention as it stared at its prey. [Y/n]'s mind froze as he watched the two stare each other down. Neuhaus sighed as he glanced down at [Y/n]'s terrified form before turning his attention back to Rin. "Although, I see it didn't work as well as I'd hoped-" He was cut off when a huge beam of red light completely eviscerated the head of the ghoul. Rin and Neuhaus both froze in shock as the ghoul slowly crumbled to the ground. Both of them slowly turned to the [h/c]-haired male who was standing behind Rin with Sema raised, pointing at the ghoul's deathly still body. His hands were shaking and tears were streaming down his face.
"What the hell is going on?!" [Y/n] screamed, his voice hoarse and cracked. His mind was racing at a mile a minute and angry tears clouded his sight. But he didn't care. He needed answers. He needed something. Rin felt his whole body tense up as he looked over [Y/n]'s expression. Neuhaus chuckled before raising his arms out.
"Isn't it obvious?" Neuhaus started, giving [Y/n] a sinister smirk. "Your little friend..." He continued, gesturing toward Rin while the boy frantically shook his head, begging Neuhaus to stop. "Is the son of Satan!" Neuhaus finished and [Y/n] felt his whole body shut down. He already knew. The blue flames were a dead giveaway. But he still didn't want to believe it. There had to be some other explanation. But, no matter how hard he wanted to deny it. He knew it was true.
"[Y/n], I-" Rin started, raising his hand toward [Y/n] but pulling it back when [Y/n] instinctively recoiled. He was scared of him. Rin was ready to fall apart. "Please..." Rin begged, his voice cracking as he looked down at his trembling friend as he fell to his knees. The one who he had an amazing morning with. The one who saved his life yesterday. The one he wholeheartedly trusted. When [Y/n]'s distressed state didn't change, he growled and whipped his head toward the source of this whole problem. Neuhaus. "How'd you find out? Who told you about me? Are you the scumbag responsible for these attacks on us?!" Rin asked, firing question after question toward the teacher who just stared down at him with a malicious grin on his face.
"Actually, I am." Neuhaus replied calmly, crossing his arms over his chest as the headless body of his Naberius slowly and awkwardly pushed itself up. [Y/n] felt sick to his stomach. That thing was still fighting?! "But enough about me, I want to see more of that power of yours." Neuhaus announced and, in an instant, the ghoul shot forward. But it wasn't going for Rin. It was heading straight for [Y/n]. Time seemed to move in slow motion. [Y/n] didn't know what to do. He couldn't think. Nothing was working. His arms wouldn't move. As the Naberius got lower and closer, [Y/n] couldn't do anything but stare at its grotesque form in fear.
"I won't let you hurt him!" Rin screamed, jumping into the air with his sword drawn. [Y/n] watched in a mix of terror and wonder as a blast of blue flames completely engulfed the remainder of the ghoul, destroying what was left of Neuhaus' familiar. [Y/n] couldn't take his eyes off those flames. Those blue flames were supposed to be hated and cursed. But, for some reason, he couldn't see them as anything other than beautiful. They were amazing to him. "Damn it! Where the hell did he go?!" Rin's voice snapped [Y/n] out of his trance as he slowly looked up, noticing that Neuhaus was gone and so were Rin's flames. His tail was still there but his ears and fangs shrunk again. "[Y/n]?" Rin asked softly, his chest tightening when [Y/n]'s head slowly fell, his gaze fixated on his lap.
"It's true, isn't it?" [Y/n] stared quietly, shaking his head as he tried to process everything that he had just witnessed. Rin's breath caught in his throat. He stayed completely silent. His silence only made [Y/n] angrier as he jumped off the ground, got to his feet, and stared into Rin's eyes. "You're Satan's son?!" [Y/n] screamed, his voice cracking as tears started to flow down his pale cheeks. Rin's hands balled into fists by his sides as he bit his lip nervously before slowly nodding in confirmation.
"Yes." He replied quietly, looking right into [Y/n]'s eyes. [Y/n] gulped and took a deep breath before continuing.
"And Yukio?" [Y/n] asked quietly, wanting to know if their teacher was the same as his brother. Surprisingly, Rin shook his head.
"He technically is but he didn't get any demon powers. He's fully human." Rin explained, silently weighing that was the case for him as well. [Y/n] silently nodded, accepting what Rin said as the truth. "Please don't tell the others! Please!" Rin begged, taking a nervous step forward. He cheered internally when [Y/n] didn't move away but his little moment of relief was gravely overshadowed by everything else about the situation. [Y/n] remained completely silent as he shook on the spot, still not even knowing what to say. When [Y/n] didn't respond, Rin felt another shooting pain in his chest. He gritted his teeth and shook his head as tears began to well in his eyes. "I didn't ask to be born like this!" Rin snapped through a chest-racking sob, instantly pulling [Y/n] from his internal discourse. The pain in his voice... "I told you, I'm gonna beat the shit out of Satan!" He reminded, grabbing [Y/n]'s shoulders while the [h/c]-haired male stared at him in shock. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I promise! Please believe me!" Rin cried, staring into [Y/n]'s shocked eyes while his own became clouded by his tears. "I'm begging you..." Rin tried one last time, shaking his head as his voice cracked and tears began to flow down his face. [Y/n] stared at the half-demon in front of him, frozen in place as he wondered what to do. He was so conflicted. A minute ago, Rin was engulfed in blue flames, effortlessly destroying a high-level Naberius. But that morning...
"I thought you and I could eat breakfast up here today."
"I just want to make sure you're okay."
"But, if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here."
"You think I'm cool?!"
"To be honest, since I started talking to you the first night we got here... I'm pretty sure that you're actually my first-ever friend."
"You know... I think I get why you like it up here."
[Y/n]'s chest tightened as the memories of their time together flowed back to him rapidly. Not just that morning, but everything since their first interaction. As he finally forced back on the half-demon in front of him, his heart broke. Rin looked completely broken. That was when [Y/n] realised that he wasn't just looking at a half-demon or Satan's son, he was looking at his friend. He was looking at Rin. He shook his head, silently cursing himself for lashing out at Rin the way he did. Of course, he had the right to be confused, but he didn't even know the full story yet. Taking a deep, shaky breath, [Y/n] quietly spoke up.
"Did you mean it?" [Y/n] asked softly, instantly gaining Rin's full attention. The navy-haired teen tilted his head to the side in confusion and [Y/n] took the hint that he needed to elaborate. He almost wanted to laugh. Even in a situation like this, Rin was just as clueless as ever. "What you said this morning. Did you mean it? Any of it?" [Y/n] clarified, keeping his voice level as he watched Rin carefully. The second Rin understood, he nodded frantically, taking a deep breath.
"O-Of course I did!" Rin stuttered out, looking right into [Y/n]'s eyes. "I swear!" Rin promised through another sob, a faint feeling of hope returning to his chest. As Rin made his promise, a strained but still sincere smile made its way onto [Y/n]'s face. He knew Rin well enough. And he knew that that promise was sincere. So that was all he needed.
"Then I'll believe you." [Y/n] replied softly, watching Rin's panicked face instantly turn shocked. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung agape as he stared at his friend. [Y/n] flashed him a small smile as he glanced down at Rin's tail which was excitedly waving back and forth. "I'll keep your secret." He assured, watching as the corners of Rin's lips slowly turned upward. "I care about you, more than I think you realise. I don't want to ruin that because of something that you can't control." [Y/n] admitted shyly, not fully sure what he meant himself. But after everything that Rin had said and all the time they spent together, he knew that he didn't want to give up on all of that. Especially if Rin was still Rin. The navy-haired male seemed shocked by [Y/n] announcement, not really knowing how to reply. He knew that he cared about [Y/n] too but he wasn't entirely sure how he cared about him. It was different than how he thought of Bon or Shiemi or Yukio. It was something different. "But, Rin..." [Y/n] started, pulling Rin from his internal debate.
"Yeah?" Rin asked nervously, prepared to answer or accept whatever it was that [Y/n] was about to say. [Y/n] thought back to what he had just seen. The flames. The Naberius. Everything. And as he thought about it, the one thing that stuck out to him the most was something that Rin said. One line that gave [Y/n] that little bit of hope he needed to try and trust Rin again. Those six words replayed over and over in his head. The one line that let him know that, even among those blue flames, that was still Rin.
"I won't let you hurt him!"
"Promise me that you won't change, that you'll stay you." [Y/n] requested, giving Rin a serious look while the other just stared back at him with his mouth agape. "Not Satan's son or some ferocious demon, just Rin Okumura." [Y/n] continued, studying Rin as he watched him process the request. After a couple of seconds, Rin nodded with a determined look in his eyes.
"I promise." Rin said with a small yet sincere smile, putting as much emotion behind that small gesture as he could. [Y/n] took a moment to study his expression, making sure it was sincere. Once he fully believed him, he let out a shaky breath and nodded before he silently turned around, picking up Sema and sliding it over his shoulder as he made his way to the generator, turning all of the building's electricity back on. In an instant, the entire room lit up. [Y/n] let out a sigh of relief as he turned toward the door.
"Let's head ba-" He stopped himself when he felt Rin's arms slowly wrap around him from behind, resting on his waist. [Y/n] froze and tensed for a moment, not really knowing what to do or say. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, glancing back at the male from the corner of his eye. He felt Rin nod slowly against the back of his neck. [Y/n] didn't move, letting Rin take the little bit of comfort that he clearly needed, until he felt something begin to dampen the skin on the back of his neck. [Y/n] froze for a second when he felt it but acted as soon as the shock wore off, turning his body around so that he and Rin were facing each other before pulling him into a real hug. He felt Rin practically go limp in his arms as he buried his face into the crook of his neck.
"I just-" Rin started, cutting himself off before he sniffled softly. "I thought that everyone would hate me when they found out." He admitted, trembling as he spoke. [Y/n] responded by tightening his hold on him, letting Rin let out everything he was holding in. "Even just having you accept me..." Rin started, shaking his head as more tears fell against [Y/n]'s neck. Now [Y/n] was crying again too as he gently ran his fingers through Rin's hair to help him relax. "Thank you..." Rin finished, gripping the back of [Y/n]'s shirt as tight as possible. As he watched Rin let out everything that he had been holding back, [Y/n] became disgusted with himself for the way he treated him. It actually infuriated him.
"I told you that if you ever needed help, I'd help you." [Y/n] reminded him softly, brushing a stray strand of navy hair out of Rin's eyes. "I'm a man of my word." [Y/n] assured, offering Rin a small smile as he looked up at him with teary eyes and nodded gratefully. After a moment, they both pulled back, wiping their eyes. Rin quickly tucked his tail back under his clothes while looking into [Y/n]'s eyes. The [h/c]-haired teen flashed him a reassuring smile while gesturing toward the door. Rin nodded in understanding.
"Let's get back to the others." Rin suggested and [Y/n] nodded, immediately heading straight for the door. The pair sprinted through the hallways, making their way back to the room the other students were likely still in. Once they arrived, Rin burst into the room. "Hey!" He called out, gaining everyone's attention as they all turned to the pair in complete and utter shock. "What happened to the other half of the ghoul that-"
"But... Your ghoul..." Bon cut him off, staring at Rin with wide eyes. [Y/n] raised an eyebrow at Bon's expression. He looked completely shell-shocked. "What happened?!" Bon screamed, pushing himself to his feet as he stared down his two friends. Rin glanced at [Y/n] before turning back to Bon with a smug smile.
"Oh, we killed it! [Y/n] took its head off and I took care of the rest. I guess you killed yours too, huh?" He explained confidently, putting his hands on his hips as he spoke. [Y/n] sweatdropped at how fast Rin was back to normal. He just sighed and shook his head, happy that Rin seemed okay. Just as he thought that, Rin was sent flying back against the wall by Bon.
"What's wrong with you?! You wanna get killed?!" Bon screamed glaring down at Rin while he frantically waved his hands in front of him defensively.
"H-Hey! Wait! Stop! Why do you wanna kill me?!" Rin panicked, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid a kick from Bon. [Y/n] just stood off to the side, watching them both with a blank expression as Bon angrily chasted the panicked Rin around the room.
"Are you alright?" [Y/n] turned to his right to see Kamiki looking at him worriedly. [Y/n] just sighed, rubbing his arm and nodding.
"I'm fine." [Y/n] replied quietly, flashing the girl a grateful smile, thankful that she was putting her attitude aside to check on him. He knew there was good in there. He saw that Sema's case was still on the ground and undamaged. He let out a sigh of relief before grabbing it off the floor and putting his gun back in its container. Kamiki watched him carefully, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.
"You sure?" Kamiki asked worriedly, causing [Y/n] to slowly turn to her. "You look pretty shaken up." She commented, taking note of his pale skin and the obvious tear stains on his face. [Y/n] tensed slightly but nodded nevertheless.
"I'm fine. Just a little shaky from using Sema." He lied, albeit very well. He promised that he'd keep Rin's secret and he was going to. Kamiki still seemed sceptical but decided to leave him be as she nodded and walked back over to Shiemi, who was completely exhausted. "I'm glad that everyone's okay." He muttered to himself, smiling softly as he watched Shima and Koneko hold Bon back while Rin backed away in fear.
"What happened?" Everyone stopped what they were doing at the sound of the familiar voice. They all whipped their heads toward the source, eyes widening as they saw their teacher standing in the destroyed doorway.
"Yukio?!" Rin exclaimed, stomping his foot on the ground as his brother finally came back. "Where the hell have you been? We-" He cut himself off when a disgustingly familiar face entered the room behind Yukio. Everyone else seemed unphased by his presence but [Y/n] and Rin's eyes darkened at the sigh of the bastard.
"Neuhaus..." [Y/n] growled quietly, glaring at the man who looked completely indifferent about him.
"That guy..." Rin started, addressing his confused brother. "He's our-" He tried to explain but was cut off again, this time by a boot to the face. Everyone panicked as Rin was sent flying across the room before leaning on his back, and looking at the mystery attacker. Everyone's eyes went wide at the sight of who it was. "Mephisto?!" Rin exclaimed, staring up at the principal who had just dropped down from the ceiling.
"Hola, my young pages! Many thanks for all your hard work!" Mephisto praised extravagantly as he hit the floor, landing gracefully.
"It's the director..." Bon commented in confusion, trailing off as he eyed the man up and down.
"What's going on?" Shima asked and Mephisto chuckled, turning to him with a raised index finger.
"You didn't think I'd just let an upper-level demon waltz onto my campus, did you?" He teased, snapping his fingers. The instant he did, floorboards, wardrobes and cupboards all flew open, revealing almost all of the Cram School teachers. All of the students looked around in shock as their teachers suddenly emerged from their hiding places. "Instructors with Doctor credentials, tend to the wounded." Mephisto ordered and the Doctor exorcists all complied. One of them took Shiemi in her arms while the others got to work patching up wounds. [Y/n] just looked around in complete and utter confusion. He barely even another that someone had already wrapped a medicinal bandage around his throat where the ghoul had grabbed him.
"You guys were..." Bon tried to form a sentence but completely failed, way too confused to understand what the hell was going on. Mephisto smirked at him and nodded.
"Surprise!" He exclaimed, extending his arms extravagantly while looking out at the students. "This was no ordinary boot camp kids! In fact, you've just completed your Exwire Authorisation Exam!" He announced and everyone's eyes went wide at the news. [Y/n] felt his stomach drop as his jaw did the same. "It's rather sneaky, I know. This whole time we had a team of instructors hidden throughout the building in places where they could observe your every move." Mephisto explained, subtly glancing to Rin and [Y/n]. [Y/n] flinched under his stare and Mephisto just chuckled quietly before turning back ahead. "After I have a chance to review their reports, I'll be the one to determine who passed and who failed." Mephisto announced, brushing some stray lint off of the shoulder of his jacket as he looked from each student to the next. "I'm sure you're as anxious as I am to see how you did." He finished with a smile, tapping his umbrella on the floor as he watched the Doctors tend to the wounded students. While everything else was happening around him, [Y/n] internally panicked as one thought raced through his mind.
'Does that mean that they saw Rin's fire?'
"Now then, if you'd all kindly follow your instructors to the infirmary and await further instruction." Mephisto ordered with a clap and suddenly all of the teachers began ushering the students out of the room. [Y/n] couldn't do anything but comply as he followed the group out of the room, silently wondering what would happen next. As he was pushed out of the room, his eyes briefly med Neuhaus' one good one. The second they did, [Y/n] felt sick to his stomach. He didn't know what was going to happen next but, whatever it was, something in his gut was telling him that it wasn't good.