Fic - "These Haunting Dreams" - Ao No Exorcist R/Y, R/B (R) Part 2
Part 1
~~~
As the sun descended, it pulled along a layer of steely clouds, obscuring the sunset and emerging stars. A sharp wind hissed through the leaves of the cherry tree, causing its branches to dip and rise in a sporadic ballet.
"Looks like a storm," Konekomaru said, shielding his eyes from a gust of wind.
Izumo pulled tight the ribbon holding back her hair. "No shit."
Renzo glanced at his watch, an incongruous interruption of his archaic costume. "Everyone to your places. Time to start the show."
Rin waited within the concentric circles that had been constructed earlier by Shiemi and the monks. Along the arc of the white lines were candles every few inches, planted in bowls of white sand. Between the outer and inner circles kneeled the chanters on opposite sides. Shiemi waited near the first candle, smoldering stick and satchel of sacrifices at the ready. Rin stood nearest Renzo, Bon nearest Konekomaru, and Izumo had her paper ready to call her familiars to protect Shiemi.
Inside the inner circle was the hole, the pit, the passage into Gehenna. It was visible now, though the light of the full moon couldn't penetrate the thickening clouds. It was a black scar on the shadowed ground, only noticeable by his absence of any detail. Thousands of soot demons filled the air, floating gleefully within and without the circle. Such minor demons drew nobody's concern.
Renzo stopped tracking his watch and lifted up his hands in prayer. "Let's get this party started," he said and began to chant.
At first nothing happened. It was a snooze-fest. Renzo would chant for fifteen minutes, then Konekomaru would pick up the chant for another, and they would switch off. Shiemi paced the circle counter-clockwise, lighting candles and tossing bits of dried herbs and paper wards onto the flames. Each time a sutra came to ash, Rin's gut twisted. Bile lashed against the back of his throat. It was a cold reminder that he was a demon too.
Then the soot within the circle began to pop. One by one. Little puffs of black smoke dashed away by the rising wind. The silence was punctuated by the sound, like popcorn left on a hot stove. The outer soot didn't seem to notice, and bopped along like children on the first warm day of spring.
Then the growling came, followed by the green mist.
Rin gripped his sword as the feral cries tore themselves from the hole in the ground, charging forward like eager hounds on the hunt. Vicious, hungry. Gaining a fighting stance, Rin waited, ignoring the acid in his mouth. Then his bones began to vibrate and his teeth clacked against each other. Renzo's chant had shifted, the tone somehow splitting into two, creating a discordance that made Rin itch.
He said unto them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.
The chant ripped frantic groans from the pit. Rin clenched his jaw, locking down his own chorus. The words echoed off the low buildings, funneled toward the Gehenna passage.
Beginning to pace, Rin ground his fist into his ears. Gripping and re-gripping his sword, he assured a solid hold on the hilt. His tail beat against Renzo, so he paced farther away. As the Aria prepared for the next passage, the hordes began to crawl over the precipice and into view.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense…
For a few seconds Rin stared at the claws as they gripped the tile and pulled their demonic forms into Assiah. First through were goblins and imps. Then the pit burped up a swarm of Jikininki, gaunt arms and legs, pale skin glowing in the twisting candle light. Then he leapt forward, swiping his sword through the air.
It bit through the goblins, cleaving them in half with a hint of effort. Behind him, Renzo kept speaking the words of power. Shots barked across the circle, but Rin couldn't see anything for the balefire and acrid smog that oozed up from the hole. From the edge of his sight flashed images of a spirit fox, its snarl mostly lost in the white noise of battle.
With ease he dispatched the minor demons, slicing and dicing like a classic samurai. His fight against the spell proved to a greater contest, however. One he intended on winning. Blue flames danced along his sword as demon after demon fell, writhing under the blade's bite until their bodies dissolved into brimstone and ash. Kuro jockeyed with Izumo's fox spirits, catching the demons who tried to penetrate the inner confines of the temple.
The chanting continued; Rin felt pressed into a two-dimensional space. Konekomaru lead the words of power while Renzo let his voice rest. With a glance, Rin saw the sweat streaming down the man's face, the slump to his shoulders. Rin didn't understand how chanting a few words could wear you out like that. He thought the kneeling might kill him, but not the speaking. Still, Konekomaru's voice didn't falter, and it came through solid and clear.
But the demons kept coming, weak gafflings that posed a tad more of a threat than soot. Rin cut the air with his blade; gun shots reverberated in the confined space of the courtyard, and the cries of fox and cat mingled together in a constant song of battle.
Renzo picked up the incantation again, the double layer of tones sinking deeply into Rin's body. The air had become thick, tacky against his skin. His chest felt compressed, a full breath of air nearly impossible, and part of him wanted to just split, ditch this place, let the wind catch him and carry him away.
The chant switched to Konekomaru, and Renzo leaned forward on his hands. His entire body heaved with the chore of breathing.
"How much longer?" Rin asked, the words snatched up by the wind. His blade pierced a fat, slug-like demon. Ichor slid down the blue blade, singing in the flames.
Renzo lifted his head and faced the pit. Candle light danced across his glistening features, shadowing the furrow between his eyes into a deep chasm. "We've barely started."
Shit.
“You know, Renzo...” Rin threw out his fire and charred a swath of goblins to ash. His flames fizzled with nothing left to fuel them. “This whole ritual thing... It's getting to me too.”
Renzo blinked, his frown deepening. “Shit, Rin. Can you last?”
Rin tossed Renzo a grin, one he hadn't worn in years since he sent his brother to the heavens in a chariot of blue flames. “Don't worry about me. I can handle it. You just focus on your chanting, yeah?”
Then they heard the Konekomaru's chant falter. Rin looked up, and cursed the wind and smoke that blocked his view of the other side. A bullet bit the air, then another.
Then a cry.
Renzo began chanting, hands pressed together securing his prayer beads within.
“You okay?” Rin screamed.
“Rin!” Konekomaru's reply was nearly squashed into a whisper. Rin's ears twitched to catch the words. “It's Bon! He needs help.”
Rin and Renzo exchanged a glance, then Rin squinted into the smoke and mist, hoping to catch some clue as to what happened.
"I’m here!" Around the east side of the circle, Izumo came running, her foxes snatching up demons as they bounded before her. "Go help Bon," she ordered.
Rin charged around the circle, locked onto the zenith of the arc where he expected to see blood and death and held his breath until he could see Bon, staff in hand, slashing at a large Engrid demon scrambling for Konekomaru.
An incantation tumbled from Bon's lips as he jabbed out his staff. The guns lay on the ground a few feet away, beyond Bon's reach. Pushing himself off the ground, Rin leapt at the beast, sword poised to bite deep, but the Engrid lifted up one huge, clawed hand, blocking the strike.
A million eyes scanned Rin, blinking in a breezy pattern, creating a wave across its face.
Rin searched the creature for a spot not covered by its bony plates. Not the back. Nor the arms. The belly looked just as sturdy. The large Engrid reminded him of old hand-drawings of dinosaurs he'd seen in the church's library, but only remotely. "Bon, if you can, weaken it."
"What do you think I'm doing, Jackass?" Bon managed to say between chants from the Book of Mark.
The demon turned on Bon, lurching and tugging against the invisible bindings created by Bon's chant. Rin darted in and out, slashing and striking at any spot he could where those deadly claws weren't within striking range. His strikes skimmed across the hard plates, bouncing against its ultimate defenses.
The Engrid twirled, lashing out with its tail, striking Bon square in the gut.
“Fuck!” Rin screamed and threw himself into a piercing lunge. The sword passed through the scales, deeper into flesh and a gush of green blood surged from the wound, washing Rin in pungent warmth. He twisted the sword, his grip slipping in the blood. His shoulder pressed into the demon's side, he twisted again, coring out a portion of the demon's interior.
It screamed, a deafening wail of pain as it tried to claw at Rin, but he released his sword and darted out of the way, ducking a desperate swipe from the demon. As it thrashed, a dying throe if Rin had ever seen one, he raced to Bon's side. His ears were ringing. The chant surged on. He wondered if he'd ever hear normally again.
Bon had pushed himself up on his hip, arms planted on the ground as he coughed and gasped for breath. Nearby, Konekomaru chanted, eyes huge with worry, bald head splattered with demon ick.
“Izumo!” Rin called out. “All good?”
He didn't hear an answer, but he could barely hear himself. Nothing but the words of power and the furious roar of their enemy.
“Bon?” Bon waved him off, still trying to gain his breath. Rin gathered the man's pistols and set them within his reach. “You okay? Can you continue?” Then in a louder voice, he called over his shoulder. “Shiemi, we need some help here!”
Bon looked up. Rin saw blood dripping from his mouth and he wondered if it came from some damage within, or from a bitten tongue. He prayed it was only his tongue.
“Yes, I can continue.” Bon looked away. “But I can't take another hit like that. I'll be useless as a defender if I do.” He jerked his chin towards the still Engrid demon. “Hope we don't get more of those.”
The sound of Konekomaru's words rang through Rin's ears, and he scratched at them as he nodded at Bon. He looked like he'd fall over from a goblin nip. Then a deep grumble came from within the pit, reverberating almost below levels of normal hearing.
Rin pushed one of the guns into Bon's hand, wrapped his stiff fingers around the grip. “I'm afraid we are going to get worse. I think worse is knocking right now.”
A flash of something-panic, fear-fluttered over Bon's eyes, but then he steeled them, drew his brows together and nodded. “I won't let you down.”
Rin laughed, a flash of desperate amusement. “You better not, Bon.”
Then a roar burst from the Gehenna pit, and with it the many horned head of Belial.
“Oh fuck me. This is not possible,” Bon said, almost too quiet for Rin to hear. Clearly, Rin could hear the monster's undeniable challenge and the last gasping breath of his brother, three years ago.
Belial peered down at them. Fifteen feet tall, a crown for every horn, a mouth of molars made to grind and grind and grind, the demon held title in the lands of Gehenna. A lackey of Satan's, a force that had defeated them once before.
The demon lord smiled, and laughed, the sound almost as painful as the chant the Arias kept up. It pulled at something deep within Rin. Pulled at his demon, the other identity that had been pushing at Rin's human side for years. The part he struggled against, the part Yukio saved him from.
“I see,” the demon said, the sound superseding all other noise, “the brother has come to take his turn.”
Rin saw blue. He could feel the changes coming over him, but it was all so surreal, as if it were happening to some other person on an entirely different planet. Every time his demon swallowed him up, Rin could only drown in its overwhelming power. His ears stretched, the fine hairs on their pointed tips keenly catching any stray sound. Blood bloomed on his tongue where his teeth punctured his lips. Claws of some feral creature ripped from his fingertips, ready to rake and gash and tear apart.
But he was not a complete beast. He knew, with the human mind he still wielded, that he could do nothing against this ranking demon without his sword. In a dash, faster even than Shura now, he skip-stepped to the fallen Engrid demon and unsheathed his sword from the demon's flesh. Covered in ichor, the grip was slippery, but Rin's hold was so tight, the patterns in the hilt would take weeks to leave his palm.
“Belial. I will kill you.” The words were spoken quietly, but held the full force of a vow.
Belial laughed again. A tingling settled between Rin's shoulders, just along his spine. His tail held still for once, poised, ready, an extension of his entire body. Blue flames soared above him, around him, within his very heart.
“Son of Satan, you have failed here once. I shall see you fail here again.”
Rin charged, sword striking with the blind force of his hate and determination. The Lord of Gehenna lifted a finger, stalling the sword with a flick of tiniest effort. Backflipping, Rin receded from striking range, then went in again towards the feet. In a flash of speed he struck once, twice, three times to the demon's ankle and managed a scratch. A thin strip of red blood budded along the hairline wound.
“I see you bleed.” Rin brought up his sword and drew the flat side along his tongue, tasting his enemy's blood. And in he went again. Like an arrow let loose from a bow, Rin sped straight for the demon's legs. He had a plan, not a very good one, but a plan nonetheless.
The wind surged up carrying ashes and the terrible miasma flowing from the demonic hole. It swirled around him, stirred by his speed as she slashed and slashed, carving away tiny divots within the demon's hard hide, dodging the swipes the oversized beast sent his way.
Blood and wind and the green mist: it was all there was in his world. That and Satan's blue flames.
And it happened, as it inevitably would, he misstepped, misread the body language the giant demon had been telegraphing. Instead of the slow swath of his great claw from the left, he twisted and caught Rin on the side, nailing a fist-sized claw into his lower ribcage. He felt muscles tear and bones crush behind the mighty blow. Something inside pained him, something vital and necessary and hidden behind skin and flesh.
Three years ago his brother took a similar hit. Three years ago Rin watched Yukio mauled by this demon's claw, saw him sent through the air until he met the trunk of the cherry tree. There he rested at the base, feeding its roots with his own blood.
Three years ago Rin lost his brother, lost his reason for playing it good and right.
Tonight Rin would not fall. Tonight he'd deal the demon the same hand Belial had dealt his brother. Nothing would stop him.
Belial reached for Rin; Rin ducked below the grab, under the elbow and struck the demon's side. Pain shot along his right side. His blade bit a little deeper this time. Perhaps Bon was chanting something to weaken the Lord, maybe Rin's stab was more precise. Maybe the stars were aligned just right. He skipped out of reach, rounded around the demon and cut at its tail.
The blade sliced right through.
A roar ripped through the chanting, through the ringing in his ears. Blood seeped from the severed limb, the end of the demon's lizard tail twitching on the stained, temple tiles. But Rin didn't stop there. He jumped upon the demon, striking his shoulder, only to have to his sword scrape along the thick hide.
Fine. I'll just wait a little longer.
But Rin knew he was slowing down. His own injury sent pulses of agony throughout his torso.
Belial's yellow eyes narrowed, then he smiled, showing off a parade of massive teeth.
Rin couldn't let this bastard survive. He squared his stance. He knew he couldn't do this alone.
“Kuro! Help me!”
Yes!
His demon familiar leapt from the mist and landed on Belial's back. Raking his claws down the beast's back, Rin saw Kuro's claws cut through the demon's armored skin. Fillets of pink flesh glistened in the sickly green lighting.
Clawing at the cat demon on his back, Belial ignored Rin. Stupid mistake. Rin lunged, striking fast and furiously at the ankle, the place he'd poured so much effort into, and finally the blade slid in, cutting right through the rear tendon, causing the Demon Lord to fall to his knee.
Kuro bit, his sharp cries competing with those of Belial's. Then the silver foxes soared in, snapping and harrying Belial while Kuro paid no mercy to his neck and back.
Rin threw his head back and laughed. Laughed at the weakened Demon Lord. At his pain. At his expectant death.
“This is for my brother, you bastard. Know this, Belial, I dedicate your death to Yukio.”
Rin came in, no longer dodging, no longer playing the darting mouse taking down the tiger. Screaming like a charging samurai, Rin raised his sword high over his head, adding maximum swing to his strike. The demon's yellow eyes crinkled at the edges, his teeth flash in a grin, and he turned, throwing off the foxes, throwing off Kuro, and brought one hand down toward Rin.
Bang. Bang. Shots resounded, cutting through the cacophony of the battle. Belial shifted his focus, reached out for Bon, strong, resilient Bon, and with that one careless move, Rin struck with his sword, driving it through the now exposed side, the force so strong his hands went numb from the impact. Pain lashed his body, the kind of pain delivered when your heart is ripped out and squished in the grip of a heartless god.
Rin dropped the sword, stumbling backwards, clutching his side.
Belial stopped. Slowly, he looked at Rin, then the sword protruding from his side. The demon shuddered, took a step, and with an expression of shocked dismay, dropped with a thud to the tiles.
All was still. Rin didn't move, didn't think. He watched the demon, ready for his tricks. Ready for him to rise again, pull out the sword from his side and toss it away with a laugh.
“Die you bastard,” he muttered through clenched teeth. "Die."
That was when he noticed, the battle had gone quiet. The minor demons had fled. As the wind swelled, it caught up the disintegrating demons and the body of Belial was slowly carried away. With a clatter of metal on stone, the sword fell to the courtyard. The only sound was Konekomaru's chant to close the passage as Rin sat carefully on the hard tiles. Holding his side, he lay down.
He shut his eyes against the green mist and violent sky. Against the memories. The pain. He inhaled; the air tasted of soot and the metallic tang of blood. He swallowed and tried to sniff away the dam in his sinuses. He sighed, a half exhausted cough. It was over.
Then he caught a new scent. Something sweet, and clean. On the air was spring. No longer did blood coat everything, but he could smell cherry blossoms, and gun metal.... and… Yukio.
“You did it, Rin.”
Rin crammed his eyes tighter, afraid to dispel this vision, so real, as if Yukio lay there next to him.
“I did it for you,” Rin said.
“I know, my brother. Now you can stop. Stop running away. Find happiness again. You used to be so happy.”
Rin felt his eyes burn; he hiccupped. The pressure behind the dam held an ocean's worth of emotions.
“You were my happiness.”
“And now I'm laid to rest. You still live. So live. I will always love you.” Rin felt heat on the sides of his face. His brother continued, the words fading. “On the other side I await. But I have no wish to hold you back. I want you to live strongly, passionately like I know you can. Until we meet again on the High Plains, do not worry for me, my brother.”
Unable to stop, even for fear of dispelling this dream, Rin popped open his eyes. His vision was blurry so he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his wrist. The mist had gone. Now Renzo continued the chant, the Aria sitting each on opposite sides of the white circle. Izumo stood by Renzo's side, her foxes casually hover-loping around them without anything to attack. Shiemi was rubbing medicine into Bon's wounds, and he, well, Bon was looking right at Rin. He looked beaten, bruised. Guns dangled from his limp hands. But he stood, and he stood firm. He nodded once at Rin, and then grinned.
Yukio was nowhere to be seen.
But in the distance, the cherry tree bloomed.
~~~
Rin stood, palms planted on his hips, staring at the Cursed Temple's courtyard. The Aria had finished, their incantations breaking into the pale, morning light, effectively sealing off the tear between Gehenna and Assiah. The monks had been busy the following day cleaning up the evidence of the battle, most of which had floated away as ash on the wind. Though only a day had passed, the place no longer held onto its past grievances and a tranquility had taken its place. He inhaled, pulling as much air through his nose as he could. The tree still bloomed. The scent distilled his memories into distinct emotions. Happiness. Sorrow.
Rin wished he could make up his mind. He wondered… no, he feared that he would always be seeking out that scent.
"Yo."
Behind him Bon approached. His arm was wrapped up in a kilometer of gauze and bandages plastered his skin, giving him a patchwork look. A constructed doll animated with boyish charm.
"Shiemi sure did a number on you."
Bon kicked his toe against the tile, and grinned a half smile, popping out a dimple on his left cheek. "I'm sure to recover soon." He caught Rin's eyes. "Half as fast as you… No, a quarter fast as you and I'd be whooping it up."
Rin shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up like a soot demon sat on his head. His side still hurt, that broken thing inside of him taking its own sweet time in mending, but it would mend, with little outside help necessary.
Bon stepped forward. "Don't be a dork. I didn't say that so you'd clam up." He mock-punched Rin in the shoulder. Rin shoved him back.
Bon clutched at his chest and cried out in pain.
"Oh shit!" Rin grabbed for Bon, pulling him close, patting him down to find out if he'd broken something. He didn't think he'd touched him that hard. Sometimes he didn't know his own strength, and he'd fucking kill himself if he hurt Bon and then he heard the laughter.
He stopped patting and stared at Bon. Bon's cheeks were pink and he was grinning like a man on toad weed. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I was just pulling your leg." He clutched Rin to his chest, laughing even harder. "You were so freaked out. Oh man!"
This close he could smell him. The scent of cherries unceremoniously shunted away by green tea and incense. The scent of Shiemi's herbs. The stark burn of disinfectant. Under it all was Bon, maybe a mix of his shampoo and aftershave, but it was somewhat musky and all together comforting. Rin leaned into him, pressing his nose against Bon's warm skin.
"Bon," he said, a knot in his heart suddenly untying. He felt a million pounds lighter.
"Yeah?" The reply was steady and calm.
What did he want to say? I like you? You can never replace my brother, but I think I want to be with you? I want to get to know you and spend time with you and find out if I could love you? Instead of all that, he simply said: "You smell really good."
Bon laughed, pulling away. Then in the next instant, he pressed their mouths together, his laughter bubbling between their lips. Frozen by the unexpected act, Rin forgot to breathe and simply received the gentle kiss. Until Bon's lips moved against his, then the laughter died away and Rin's body reacted on auto pilot. Teeth and tongue and a mountain of moans, Rin felt Bon everywhere. Felt him with his hands, his tongue, the press of body against body, felt him frantic and needy with a rush of blue fire that howled of Gehenna and a heart that was so fucking tired of being alone.
The way Bon moaned, the play of his hands against Rin's back, how their bodies fit: all fantastic. It was electrifying, like facing down evil and living to see the next sunrise, like defeating demons.
"You know," Bon said, their foreheads pressed together, "I don't plan on letting you slip away."
"You know," Rin replied, "I'm fucked up. You sure you want to even…" He ended with a shrug, still afraid to suggest Bon wanted anything more than a snog in the temple courtyard.
Bon leaned back to stare into Rin's eyes. A furrow showed between his thick brows. "I know you. And I’m no angel, either." A wicked smile settled on Bon's glistening lips. "And I expect you to learn to deal with my quirks, so I'll deal with yours."
They stood silent for a moment, arms wrapped around each other's waists, noses inches apart.
Rin looked away, eyes half focused on the out of season blossoms. Toward the shadow of Memories Eternal. Those final words of Yukio's imprinted on the forefront of his mind. I want you to live strongly, passionately like I know you can.
He returned his attention to Bon, who looked ready to ask a question, but held his tongue. Rin nodded, smiled, and kissed him.
"I think I can learn."
The end.
~~~
As the sun descended, it pulled along a layer of steely clouds, obscuring the sunset and emerging stars. A sharp wind hissed through the leaves of the cherry tree, causing its branches to dip and rise in a sporadic ballet.
"Looks like a storm," Konekomaru said, shielding his eyes from a gust of wind.
Izumo pulled tight the ribbon holding back her hair. "No shit."
Renzo glanced at his watch, an incongruous interruption of his archaic costume. "Everyone to your places. Time to start the show."
Rin waited within the concentric circles that had been constructed earlier by Shiemi and the monks. Along the arc of the white lines were candles every few inches, planted in bowls of white sand. Between the outer and inner circles kneeled the chanters on opposite sides. Shiemi waited near the first candle, smoldering stick and satchel of sacrifices at the ready. Rin stood nearest Renzo, Bon nearest Konekomaru, and Izumo had her paper ready to call her familiars to protect Shiemi.
Inside the inner circle was the hole, the pit, the passage into Gehenna. It was visible now, though the light of the full moon couldn't penetrate the thickening clouds. It was a black scar on the shadowed ground, only noticeable by his absence of any detail. Thousands of soot demons filled the air, floating gleefully within and without the circle. Such minor demons drew nobody's concern.
Renzo stopped tracking his watch and lifted up his hands in prayer. "Let's get this party started," he said and began to chant.
At first nothing happened. It was a snooze-fest. Renzo would chant for fifteen minutes, then Konekomaru would pick up the chant for another, and they would switch off. Shiemi paced the circle counter-clockwise, lighting candles and tossing bits of dried herbs and paper wards onto the flames. Each time a sutra came to ash, Rin's gut twisted. Bile lashed against the back of his throat. It was a cold reminder that he was a demon too.
Then the soot within the circle began to pop. One by one. Little puffs of black smoke dashed away by the rising wind. The silence was punctuated by the sound, like popcorn left on a hot stove. The outer soot didn't seem to notice, and bopped along like children on the first warm day of spring.
Then the growling came, followed by the green mist.
Rin gripped his sword as the feral cries tore themselves from the hole in the ground, charging forward like eager hounds on the hunt. Vicious, hungry. Gaining a fighting stance, Rin waited, ignoring the acid in his mouth. Then his bones began to vibrate and his teeth clacked against each other. Renzo's chant had shifted, the tone somehow splitting into two, creating a discordance that made Rin itch.
He said unto them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.
The chant ripped frantic groans from the pit. Rin clenched his jaw, locking down his own chorus. The words echoed off the low buildings, funneled toward the Gehenna passage.
Beginning to pace, Rin ground his fist into his ears. Gripping and re-gripping his sword, he assured a solid hold on the hilt. His tail beat against Renzo, so he paced farther away. As the Aria prepared for the next passage, the hordes began to crawl over the precipice and into view.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense…
For a few seconds Rin stared at the claws as they gripped the tile and pulled their demonic forms into Assiah. First through were goblins and imps. Then the pit burped up a swarm of Jikininki, gaunt arms and legs, pale skin glowing in the twisting candle light. Then he leapt forward, swiping his sword through the air.
It bit through the goblins, cleaving them in half with a hint of effort. Behind him, Renzo kept speaking the words of power. Shots barked across the circle, but Rin couldn't see anything for the balefire and acrid smog that oozed up from the hole. From the edge of his sight flashed images of a spirit fox, its snarl mostly lost in the white noise of battle.
With ease he dispatched the minor demons, slicing and dicing like a classic samurai. His fight against the spell proved to a greater contest, however. One he intended on winning. Blue flames danced along his sword as demon after demon fell, writhing under the blade's bite until their bodies dissolved into brimstone and ash. Kuro jockeyed with Izumo's fox spirits, catching the demons who tried to penetrate the inner confines of the temple.
The chanting continued; Rin felt pressed into a two-dimensional space. Konekomaru lead the words of power while Renzo let his voice rest. With a glance, Rin saw the sweat streaming down the man's face, the slump to his shoulders. Rin didn't understand how chanting a few words could wear you out like that. He thought the kneeling might kill him, but not the speaking. Still, Konekomaru's voice didn't falter, and it came through solid and clear.
But the demons kept coming, weak gafflings that posed a tad more of a threat than soot. Rin cut the air with his blade; gun shots reverberated in the confined space of the courtyard, and the cries of fox and cat mingled together in a constant song of battle.
Renzo picked up the incantation again, the double layer of tones sinking deeply into Rin's body. The air had become thick, tacky against his skin. His chest felt compressed, a full breath of air nearly impossible, and part of him wanted to just split, ditch this place, let the wind catch him and carry him away.
The chant switched to Konekomaru, and Renzo leaned forward on his hands. His entire body heaved with the chore of breathing.
"How much longer?" Rin asked, the words snatched up by the wind. His blade pierced a fat, slug-like demon. Ichor slid down the blue blade, singing in the flames.
Renzo lifted his head and faced the pit. Candle light danced across his glistening features, shadowing the furrow between his eyes into a deep chasm. "We've barely started."
Shit.
“You know, Renzo...” Rin threw out his fire and charred a swath of goblins to ash. His flames fizzled with nothing left to fuel them. “This whole ritual thing... It's getting to me too.”
Renzo blinked, his frown deepening. “Shit, Rin. Can you last?”
Rin tossed Renzo a grin, one he hadn't worn in years since he sent his brother to the heavens in a chariot of blue flames. “Don't worry about me. I can handle it. You just focus on your chanting, yeah?”
Then they heard the Konekomaru's chant falter. Rin looked up, and cursed the wind and smoke that blocked his view of the other side. A bullet bit the air, then another.
Then a cry.
Renzo began chanting, hands pressed together securing his prayer beads within.
“You okay?” Rin screamed.
“Rin!” Konekomaru's reply was nearly squashed into a whisper. Rin's ears twitched to catch the words. “It's Bon! He needs help.”
Rin and Renzo exchanged a glance, then Rin squinted into the smoke and mist, hoping to catch some clue as to what happened.
"I’m here!" Around the east side of the circle, Izumo came running, her foxes snatching up demons as they bounded before her. "Go help Bon," she ordered.
Rin charged around the circle, locked onto the zenith of the arc where he expected to see blood and death and held his breath until he could see Bon, staff in hand, slashing at a large Engrid demon scrambling for Konekomaru.
An incantation tumbled from Bon's lips as he jabbed out his staff. The guns lay on the ground a few feet away, beyond Bon's reach. Pushing himself off the ground, Rin leapt at the beast, sword poised to bite deep, but the Engrid lifted up one huge, clawed hand, blocking the strike.
A million eyes scanned Rin, blinking in a breezy pattern, creating a wave across its face.
Rin searched the creature for a spot not covered by its bony plates. Not the back. Nor the arms. The belly looked just as sturdy. The large Engrid reminded him of old hand-drawings of dinosaurs he'd seen in the church's library, but only remotely. "Bon, if you can, weaken it."
"What do you think I'm doing, Jackass?" Bon managed to say between chants from the Book of Mark.
The demon turned on Bon, lurching and tugging against the invisible bindings created by Bon's chant. Rin darted in and out, slashing and striking at any spot he could where those deadly claws weren't within striking range. His strikes skimmed across the hard plates, bouncing against its ultimate defenses.
The Engrid twirled, lashing out with its tail, striking Bon square in the gut.
“Fuck!” Rin screamed and threw himself into a piercing lunge. The sword passed through the scales, deeper into flesh and a gush of green blood surged from the wound, washing Rin in pungent warmth. He twisted the sword, his grip slipping in the blood. His shoulder pressed into the demon's side, he twisted again, coring out a portion of the demon's interior.
It screamed, a deafening wail of pain as it tried to claw at Rin, but he released his sword and darted out of the way, ducking a desperate swipe from the demon. As it thrashed, a dying throe if Rin had ever seen one, he raced to Bon's side. His ears were ringing. The chant surged on. He wondered if he'd ever hear normally again.
Bon had pushed himself up on his hip, arms planted on the ground as he coughed and gasped for breath. Nearby, Konekomaru chanted, eyes huge with worry, bald head splattered with demon ick.
“Izumo!” Rin called out. “All good?”
He didn't hear an answer, but he could barely hear himself. Nothing but the words of power and the furious roar of their enemy.
“Bon?” Bon waved him off, still trying to gain his breath. Rin gathered the man's pistols and set them within his reach. “You okay? Can you continue?” Then in a louder voice, he called over his shoulder. “Shiemi, we need some help here!”
Bon looked up. Rin saw blood dripping from his mouth and he wondered if it came from some damage within, or from a bitten tongue. He prayed it was only his tongue.
“Yes, I can continue.” Bon looked away. “But I can't take another hit like that. I'll be useless as a defender if I do.” He jerked his chin towards the still Engrid demon. “Hope we don't get more of those.”
The sound of Konekomaru's words rang through Rin's ears, and he scratched at them as he nodded at Bon. He looked like he'd fall over from a goblin nip. Then a deep grumble came from within the pit, reverberating almost below levels of normal hearing.
Rin pushed one of the guns into Bon's hand, wrapped his stiff fingers around the grip. “I'm afraid we are going to get worse. I think worse is knocking right now.”
A flash of something-panic, fear-fluttered over Bon's eyes, but then he steeled them, drew his brows together and nodded. “I won't let you down.”
Rin laughed, a flash of desperate amusement. “You better not, Bon.”
Then a roar burst from the Gehenna pit, and with it the many horned head of Belial.
“Oh fuck me. This is not possible,” Bon said, almost too quiet for Rin to hear. Clearly, Rin could hear the monster's undeniable challenge and the last gasping breath of his brother, three years ago.
Belial peered down at them. Fifteen feet tall, a crown for every horn, a mouth of molars made to grind and grind and grind, the demon held title in the lands of Gehenna. A lackey of Satan's, a force that had defeated them once before.
The demon lord smiled, and laughed, the sound almost as painful as the chant the Arias kept up. It pulled at something deep within Rin. Pulled at his demon, the other identity that had been pushing at Rin's human side for years. The part he struggled against, the part Yukio saved him from.
“I see,” the demon said, the sound superseding all other noise, “the brother has come to take his turn.”
Rin saw blue. He could feel the changes coming over him, but it was all so surreal, as if it were happening to some other person on an entirely different planet. Every time his demon swallowed him up, Rin could only drown in its overwhelming power. His ears stretched, the fine hairs on their pointed tips keenly catching any stray sound. Blood bloomed on his tongue where his teeth punctured his lips. Claws of some feral creature ripped from his fingertips, ready to rake and gash and tear apart.
But he was not a complete beast. He knew, with the human mind he still wielded, that he could do nothing against this ranking demon without his sword. In a dash, faster even than Shura now, he skip-stepped to the fallen Engrid demon and unsheathed his sword from the demon's flesh. Covered in ichor, the grip was slippery, but Rin's hold was so tight, the patterns in the hilt would take weeks to leave his palm.
“Belial. I will kill you.” The words were spoken quietly, but held the full force of a vow.
Belial laughed again. A tingling settled between Rin's shoulders, just along his spine. His tail held still for once, poised, ready, an extension of his entire body. Blue flames soared above him, around him, within his very heart.
“Son of Satan, you have failed here once. I shall see you fail here again.”
Rin charged, sword striking with the blind force of his hate and determination. The Lord of Gehenna lifted a finger, stalling the sword with a flick of tiniest effort. Backflipping, Rin receded from striking range, then went in again towards the feet. In a flash of speed he struck once, twice, three times to the demon's ankle and managed a scratch. A thin strip of red blood budded along the hairline wound.
“I see you bleed.” Rin brought up his sword and drew the flat side along his tongue, tasting his enemy's blood. And in he went again. Like an arrow let loose from a bow, Rin sped straight for the demon's legs. He had a plan, not a very good one, but a plan nonetheless.
The wind surged up carrying ashes and the terrible miasma flowing from the demonic hole. It swirled around him, stirred by his speed as she slashed and slashed, carving away tiny divots within the demon's hard hide, dodging the swipes the oversized beast sent his way.
Blood and wind and the green mist: it was all there was in his world. That and Satan's blue flames.
And it happened, as it inevitably would, he misstepped, misread the body language the giant demon had been telegraphing. Instead of the slow swath of his great claw from the left, he twisted and caught Rin on the side, nailing a fist-sized claw into his lower ribcage. He felt muscles tear and bones crush behind the mighty blow. Something inside pained him, something vital and necessary and hidden behind skin and flesh.
Three years ago his brother took a similar hit. Three years ago Rin watched Yukio mauled by this demon's claw, saw him sent through the air until he met the trunk of the cherry tree. There he rested at the base, feeding its roots with his own blood.
Three years ago Rin lost his brother, lost his reason for playing it good and right.
Tonight Rin would not fall. Tonight he'd deal the demon the same hand Belial had dealt his brother. Nothing would stop him.
Belial reached for Rin; Rin ducked below the grab, under the elbow and struck the demon's side. Pain shot along his right side. His blade bit a little deeper this time. Perhaps Bon was chanting something to weaken the Lord, maybe Rin's stab was more precise. Maybe the stars were aligned just right. He skipped out of reach, rounded around the demon and cut at its tail.
The blade sliced right through.
A roar ripped through the chanting, through the ringing in his ears. Blood seeped from the severed limb, the end of the demon's lizard tail twitching on the stained, temple tiles. But Rin didn't stop there. He jumped upon the demon, striking his shoulder, only to have to his sword scrape along the thick hide.
Fine. I'll just wait a little longer.
But Rin knew he was slowing down. His own injury sent pulses of agony throughout his torso.
Belial's yellow eyes narrowed, then he smiled, showing off a parade of massive teeth.
Rin couldn't let this bastard survive. He squared his stance. He knew he couldn't do this alone.
“Kuro! Help me!”
Yes!
His demon familiar leapt from the mist and landed on Belial's back. Raking his claws down the beast's back, Rin saw Kuro's claws cut through the demon's armored skin. Fillets of pink flesh glistened in the sickly green lighting.
Clawing at the cat demon on his back, Belial ignored Rin. Stupid mistake. Rin lunged, striking fast and furiously at the ankle, the place he'd poured so much effort into, and finally the blade slid in, cutting right through the rear tendon, causing the Demon Lord to fall to his knee.
Kuro bit, his sharp cries competing with those of Belial's. Then the silver foxes soared in, snapping and harrying Belial while Kuro paid no mercy to his neck and back.
Rin threw his head back and laughed. Laughed at the weakened Demon Lord. At his pain. At his expectant death.
“This is for my brother, you bastard. Know this, Belial, I dedicate your death to Yukio.”
Rin came in, no longer dodging, no longer playing the darting mouse taking down the tiger. Screaming like a charging samurai, Rin raised his sword high over his head, adding maximum swing to his strike. The demon's yellow eyes crinkled at the edges, his teeth flash in a grin, and he turned, throwing off the foxes, throwing off Kuro, and brought one hand down toward Rin.
Bang. Bang. Shots resounded, cutting through the cacophony of the battle. Belial shifted his focus, reached out for Bon, strong, resilient Bon, and with that one careless move, Rin struck with his sword, driving it through the now exposed side, the force so strong his hands went numb from the impact. Pain lashed his body, the kind of pain delivered when your heart is ripped out and squished in the grip of a heartless god.
Rin dropped the sword, stumbling backwards, clutching his side.
Belial stopped. Slowly, he looked at Rin, then the sword protruding from his side. The demon shuddered, took a step, and with an expression of shocked dismay, dropped with a thud to the tiles.
All was still. Rin didn't move, didn't think. He watched the demon, ready for his tricks. Ready for him to rise again, pull out the sword from his side and toss it away with a laugh.
“Die you bastard,” he muttered through clenched teeth. "Die."
That was when he noticed, the battle had gone quiet. The minor demons had fled. As the wind swelled, it caught up the disintegrating demons and the body of Belial was slowly carried away. With a clatter of metal on stone, the sword fell to the courtyard. The only sound was Konekomaru's chant to close the passage as Rin sat carefully on the hard tiles. Holding his side, he lay down.
He shut his eyes against the green mist and violent sky. Against the memories. The pain. He inhaled; the air tasted of soot and the metallic tang of blood. He swallowed and tried to sniff away the dam in his sinuses. He sighed, a half exhausted cough. It was over.
Then he caught a new scent. Something sweet, and clean. On the air was spring. No longer did blood coat everything, but he could smell cherry blossoms, and gun metal.... and… Yukio.
“You did it, Rin.”
Rin crammed his eyes tighter, afraid to dispel this vision, so real, as if Yukio lay there next to him.
“I did it for you,” Rin said.
“I know, my brother. Now you can stop. Stop running away. Find happiness again. You used to be so happy.”
Rin felt his eyes burn; he hiccupped. The pressure behind the dam held an ocean's worth of emotions.
“You were my happiness.”
“And now I'm laid to rest. You still live. So live. I will always love you.” Rin felt heat on the sides of his face. His brother continued, the words fading. “On the other side I await. But I have no wish to hold you back. I want you to live strongly, passionately like I know you can. Until we meet again on the High Plains, do not worry for me, my brother.”
Unable to stop, even for fear of dispelling this dream, Rin popped open his eyes. His vision was blurry so he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his wrist. The mist had gone. Now Renzo continued the chant, the Aria sitting each on opposite sides of the white circle. Izumo stood by Renzo's side, her foxes casually hover-loping around them without anything to attack. Shiemi was rubbing medicine into Bon's wounds, and he, well, Bon was looking right at Rin. He looked beaten, bruised. Guns dangled from his limp hands. But he stood, and he stood firm. He nodded once at Rin, and then grinned.
Yukio was nowhere to be seen.
But in the distance, the cherry tree bloomed.
~~~
Rin stood, palms planted on his hips, staring at the Cursed Temple's courtyard. The Aria had finished, their incantations breaking into the pale, morning light, effectively sealing off the tear between Gehenna and Assiah. The monks had been busy the following day cleaning up the evidence of the battle, most of which had floated away as ash on the wind. Though only a day had passed, the place no longer held onto its past grievances and a tranquility had taken its place. He inhaled, pulling as much air through his nose as he could. The tree still bloomed. The scent distilled his memories into distinct emotions. Happiness. Sorrow.
Rin wished he could make up his mind. He wondered… no, he feared that he would always be seeking out that scent.
"Yo."
Behind him Bon approached. His arm was wrapped up in a kilometer of gauze and bandages plastered his skin, giving him a patchwork look. A constructed doll animated with boyish charm.
"Shiemi sure did a number on you."
Bon kicked his toe against the tile, and grinned a half smile, popping out a dimple on his left cheek. "I'm sure to recover soon." He caught Rin's eyes. "Half as fast as you… No, a quarter fast as you and I'd be whooping it up."
Rin shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up like a soot demon sat on his head. His side still hurt, that broken thing inside of him taking its own sweet time in mending, but it would mend, with little outside help necessary.
Bon stepped forward. "Don't be a dork. I didn't say that so you'd clam up." He mock-punched Rin in the shoulder. Rin shoved him back.
Bon clutched at his chest and cried out in pain.
"Oh shit!" Rin grabbed for Bon, pulling him close, patting him down to find out if he'd broken something. He didn't think he'd touched him that hard. Sometimes he didn't know his own strength, and he'd fucking kill himself if he hurt Bon and then he heard the laughter.
He stopped patting and stared at Bon. Bon's cheeks were pink and he was grinning like a man on toad weed. "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I was just pulling your leg." He clutched Rin to his chest, laughing even harder. "You were so freaked out. Oh man!"
This close he could smell him. The scent of cherries unceremoniously shunted away by green tea and incense. The scent of Shiemi's herbs. The stark burn of disinfectant. Under it all was Bon, maybe a mix of his shampoo and aftershave, but it was somewhat musky and all together comforting. Rin leaned into him, pressing his nose against Bon's warm skin.
"Bon," he said, a knot in his heart suddenly untying. He felt a million pounds lighter.
"Yeah?" The reply was steady and calm.
What did he want to say? I like you? You can never replace my brother, but I think I want to be with you? I want to get to know you and spend time with you and find out if I could love you? Instead of all that, he simply said: "You smell really good."
Bon laughed, pulling away. Then in the next instant, he pressed their mouths together, his laughter bubbling between their lips. Frozen by the unexpected act, Rin forgot to breathe and simply received the gentle kiss. Until Bon's lips moved against his, then the laughter died away and Rin's body reacted on auto pilot. Teeth and tongue and a mountain of moans, Rin felt Bon everywhere. Felt him with his hands, his tongue, the press of body against body, felt him frantic and needy with a rush of blue fire that howled of Gehenna and a heart that was so fucking tired of being alone.
The way Bon moaned, the play of his hands against Rin's back, how their bodies fit: all fantastic. It was electrifying, like facing down evil and living to see the next sunrise, like defeating demons.
"You know," Bon said, their foreheads pressed together, "I don't plan on letting you slip away."
"You know," Rin replied, "I'm fucked up. You sure you want to even…" He ended with a shrug, still afraid to suggest Bon wanted anything more than a snog in the temple courtyard.
Bon leaned back to stare into Rin's eyes. A furrow showed between his thick brows. "I know you. And I’m no angel, either." A wicked smile settled on Bon's glistening lips. "And I expect you to learn to deal with my quirks, so I'll deal with yours."
They stood silent for a moment, arms wrapped around each other's waists, noses inches apart.
Rin looked away, eyes half focused on the out of season blossoms. Toward the shadow of Memories Eternal. Those final words of Yukio's imprinted on the forefront of his mind. I want you to live strongly, passionately like I know you can.
He returned his attention to Bon, who looked ready to ask a question, but held his tongue. Rin nodded, smiled, and kissed him.
"I think I can learn."
The end.