The Rogue Half-Demon

Ao no Exorcist/The Blue Exorcist Fiction

By chance, Rin hears that there was a big chance that he could be killed for being the Son of Satan. Not taking any chances, for exacting vengeance for his father he leaves his home and sets out alone in a world that seems just a tad bigger than he imagined.

"Talking" Normal Speech

"Talking" Thinking

"Talking" Demon Speaking

"Don't you ever act like you're my father again!"

Those were words he couldn't take back.

"Son… of mine… How I have waited for this moment…!"

The voice of that Demon that took it all away, smiling and laughing cruelly all the while.

Ancient voice, of eldritch tone spawning words that made no sense but whose meaning he could somehow understand. The man that wasn't his father yet called himself such turned to him.

"I'm the only Demon there is with the power to create this." His hand turned in a wide gesture towards the door that once housed his father's blood. How it lay in, out, on, under, and off the floor and was yet wasn't there, his mind couldn't process at the moment. "The Gehenna Gate!"

The large, macabre and ornate door, gateway, portal, entry, access, exit gave and exuded a feeling that sought to send chills down his spine.

"You exist in the world of Assiah… and yet you bear the blood of the god of Gehennna…!" That voice only served to send him down into further panic, as even then he could hear the undertone of what his father's human voice sounded like. Yet somehow behind it all the crypticness, Rin could understand what it was all about. "You are exactly what I need to make Assiah mine!"

Rin's screams were loud and desperate, wild as he struggled to escape, but none were answered. None in the way he expected.

Satan's voice was cut short as Rin saw his true human father fight against the possession and stab himself… right in the heart. Effectively killing himself.

Never would he forget that scene. With a smile on his face, and absolute determination to see it through, he had called Rin his son, after all was said and done .after making his own father commit suicide.. Rin till the end would probably never understand why he was smiling. At that moment, all he wanted was to take his father and leave the thrice-damned gate.

With the words his father had mentioned he understood what it meant to use his sword, to leave it all behind, his life, his few friends, his whole humanity it.. to never be human after it was drawn was...

But.. to leave his father in the goop, mud, sludge, mire, that would transport them to another world was unforgivable.

Yukio would never forgive him.

"Don't you dare die!" he said as his voice changed and small changes began to happen to his body. He didn't care for any of it, not the voice or his ears and tail, and certainly not the blue flames that sprung from his body. Blue flames that had drawn upon his emotions. Strengthening them and in turn giving him power he had never imagined he would be able to possess. He pushed such thoughts aside though; saving his father was what only mattered now.

As a human with demon-sealed powers he could only watch as he was dragged deeper unto the gate; as the Son of Satan, he had just enough power to save his father. To jump out of the mush and instinctively attack the most vulnerable position he could see: The Eye.

At any other circumstance he would have laughed and whooped about doing such incredible feet. That day none of it mattered because he knew that as soon as he turned his head… his father would be dead. And once again… the tears fell.

He opened his eyes to obnoxious rays of the sun that shone barely through the cloud covered sky. His room was trashed and pieces of broken toys, photos, gear, personal trophies were scattered indiscriminately all around.

It had taken a few days to process the necessary papers for the church and wait for the messages to be sent for all those that knew or were once helped by his father. Yukio was, as usual, in the lead about those matters since he himself could hardly come out of his room without snapping or glaring at anyone.

Rin couldn't help but wonder if any of those coming were exorcist as Satan claimed his father to be, it seemed possible and while the others working at the church seemed reasonable people he was a bit reluctant to give them the same caliber of power as his father held for a capable exorcist.

If so, then who had called the exorcists? Was it the readers? Some other churchwarden? Someone who heard that Fujimoto Shiro was dead and told Yukio that he would take care of it and called the secretive demon-killing branch? Or possibly… his own brother?

Rin wouldn't know as they hadn't spoken since that night and to Rin it was painful to even imagine the thoughts that his own brother would have about him.

Well, actually, those he already knew.

He had gotten hungry; not having left his room all day would probably have something to do about that. His father having died just two nights earlier might have been another reason.

Yukio hadn't come speak to him or any of the other guys as well. Which served him just as well, he didn't want anyone near him. He had heard them scurry around, probably making the preparations for the funeral parlor the next day but none had dared to ask for his help.

Night had come and no longer were there noises crossing the hall, or orders been yelled by Yukio, or tumbles and crashes as everyone other than him set out to prepare so he set out of his room, to the kitchen to prepare himself something big enough that would serve for the night and fill him for the next day.

It was possible he wouldn't be able to keep anything down tomorrow anyways.

He trekked down the stair rather silently, even stepping over the rickety step that groaned under any small weight. As he reached the landing he heard a few voices in a deep conversation. The topic… was him.

"…I have nothing more to say about this…" it was Yukio's voice, he realized. "At any rate, I am busy until after the funeral, so I really should be heading to bed at the moment. We can talk of it after the funeral." There was a sound of a chair slightly scraping against the floor and Rin had almost jumped back the stairs and back to his room before one other voice responded undeterred.

"What about your brother?" That stopped both brothers short, though not for the same reasons. To Rin, the man, for it was certainly nothing else, sounded oddly emotionless."He's awakened to his full powers, that boy, and while they seems truly unrefined, in the end he is Satan's son and as such should not be underestimated."

Rin was shocked. How and for how long had all those people known of his heritage.

'Did you know Yukio? Did you sell me out?' were his thoughts.

"Is that not obvious? Nii-san is a Demon. He is dangerous to all of us." Unheard to all in the room Rin took a sharp intake of breath at his brother's hurtful words. "Nii-san is an utter fool. He is emotional, uncontrollable, headstrong, and most likely right now feeling vengeful. He has always felt that he should right his wrongs, even when he would bring havoc through them. Right now he possibly wishes to atone for killing father."

Killing father. Yukio truly did think he had done it.

"Even so, Meister, your personal feelings shouldn't get in the way. You have already said the boy is dangerous and while I may applaud his want to avenge his father, his ultimate target is probably Satan himself. An impossible feat. For all we know before he could even try to he could lose control over himself and kill others around him. In the end, we'd come back to killing him, yet now deaths would be attributed to him. Deaths we could prevented." That was a second gruff voice, possibly a very experienced exorcist by Rin's estimate and sounding partially knowledgeable about what he spoke.

But Rin didn't want to give the man reason. To kill another person? That was beyond what he'd ever thought to do. Sure, he had fought others, maybe once or twice broken a few bones, but he always felt slight guilt over the facts, confessing all that to his father. But now.. he wasn't just a human. He was also a demon, and he was woefully ignorant of what that entailed. Would it be true? Would he one day be practicing his powers, trying to reach that impossible goal, when all of the sudden he could lose control? Berserk through his surroundings and hurt others? Kill others?

Rin waited for his brother's response, secretly hoping that he would come to his aid. "…Father spent all those long years protecting Rin, I should know having watched it all. And possibly the only man in the world able to sustain possession by Satan himself through pure willpower alone… he was the ultimate exorcist.

Father would have never allowed Satan to invade his body like that. Not without some kind of fatal blow to his mind. And if father could ever have a weakness… it was Rin. So yes, you are right that he has shown himself to be dangerous, but if I ever felt that he was to go out of control in this last few days… I would have personally giving him to headquarters and requested to kill him myself."

"Brave words, Okumura-kun," Rin heard them, from a new third voice, as unknown as the others. "But even I wouldn't be as callous as to ask to kill my own family to my superiors". His tone implied they were at least close, or the man spoke as such to anyone. "As an Honorary Knight I have certain responsibilities, but as Shiro-kun's friend I have to uphold my promise to take care of both of you. So you killing your brother is a big no-no in my book.

So here's what I'll do: I'll give him a choice, he could forfeit his life" Rin's eye widened at how simple the man dropped that, as if such a thing, as if seeing the lose of another human being was nothing to him, "but that would be terribly meaningless, not to mention Shiro-kun would kiiill me when we saw each other again." There was snort of amusement from one of the men, but from what Rin didn't know.

"He could kill us," he continued without comment, "but i rather doubt that," surprisingly the man's voice dropped to a dry tone, a huge contrast of how cheerful he sounded just before. "Or, we induct him into the Order!"

The room was silent for a few seconds before the other two men asked a simultaneous 'What?!'

In return, the too cheerful man one responded. "Well, I think it's fairly obvious. Rin-kun –as you said- will want to kill his blood-father, but we all know that there isn't even a remote possibility at his current level, so we train him. We train him to exorcise and draw the same demon blood that runs in his veins. He has immense potential, truly he could stand against demons that few other exorcist could stand against, so we use that. A few words of coercion, a few promises of hope and training, and he will undoubtedly feel pressured. He can't run away, we'd kill him; he can't fight us, we'd kill him, and he can't take on Satan by himself, he'd die."

There was silence from all others, silence from his brother as well, and Rin truly, truly wanted his brother to stand up for him, to stand up and fight that crazy fucker for even daring to insinuate about it, but nothing was said.

"Yes, I see," the first or second said, Rin couldn't be bothered to discern between them, they were starting to feel the same. "We train him, and in turn he becomes our tool. A sword to draw against all those demons in ludicrous irony. If at any moment he were to fall of the wagon as it were, then there would be no choice but to kill him which would not hamper us in the long run, something I'm sure that even him would realize."

Rin couldn't help but gape at their insinuations. How dare they classify his life so easily as a tool?!

But would his brother stand up for him? Would he protect him? It seemed-

"… That's fine… But you better be sure of what you are doing… Mephisto." Rin couldn't recognize that tone. Was it acceptance, reluctance, resignation? Did his brother really mean it? Or did he say it only because he was in front of his superiors? "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go to bed… tomorrow will be a heavy for us all."

Rin decided not to tempt fate anymore and jumped back the stairs as quickly and silently as he could, he couldn't face his brother right now.

The rest of the night had been a fruitless endeavor for sleeping as he either spent it replaying the conversation or the few minutes he could find sleep he would dream of his brother or those exorcists killing him. Rin wasn't the smartest person in his family (that was Yukio), but he wasn't stupid. He realized that had he not listened to that dialogue he probably would have asked to join them.

All part of their plan.

How stupid he was to think that just because he believed himself a good person that they would bend back over knees to enter him into their ranks no strings attached. The question that he was drawn to back and back again was, would he follow along? Would he become their tool, the dog of the exorcists? They planned to pin him against strong demons, against difficult opponents, he could grow strong possibly as strong as his father. The downside… the downside was that he knew they weren't doing this for his wellbeing, they could at any moment betray him, and his brother… could attempt to kill him. That he would probably be a prisoner wherever he went, a minder digging at his heals every time he went out, and limited contact with others was a very real chance.

He didn't imagine they would do all that, if they wanted to keep him amiable, but he knew how criminals were treated in prison, how limited their lives were, and the similarity was too close for comfort.

What could he do then? The funeral was in a few hours and that man Mephisto would probably confront him afterwards,when he would be most vulnerable. Could he continue the day knowing that he at the end would be coerced into submission, that if he didn't heed their orders he could be dead? What about the other exorcists, would they know of him? What if they attempted to kill him, deemed him too dangerous? It was a high gambit and Rin honestly didn't know what to do.

Throwing his pillow over his head he screamed into it full of frustration. Right now, there was only one question that dominated all others. What would his father do?

"Rin, I want you to be a respectful man."

"Someday you will have to make it out there on your own."

"To me, both of you boys are my all. I do everything for you."

"This boy is my son! And I'm taking him back!"

"Rin, you and your brother… you are all you have. When I'm gone, take care of each other, don't fight much, and get each other to live. Don't do stupid things, like dying and making the other sad. The best thing to do… is to live free so you can live, do you get it Rin?

He threw away the pillow which landed somewhere in a pile of broken items, the sounds reverberating across the room hollowly. If it was on his father's wishes he would strive to become a respectful man and make it out there in the world. Strong enough that he would be able to truly live and make him proud. He and his brother would patch things up in the future and he'd avenge his adoptive- no, his real father; he had a great hope that all would happen.

A knock at the door jolted him out of his musings. "Okumura-san? You awake yet? If you are, get ready we are heading out in an hour." Rin looked at his clock. Indeed now noticing that the sun had risen pretty high up from the last time he looked. "Okumura-san?"

"I'm up, I'm up." He groused.

"Ah, good." the voice on the other side seemed oddly relieved. "Well, Yukio-san asked to tell you that the march starts at the hour's end and the funeral half an hour later."

"Ok.. Tell.. tell Yukio I'll be at the funeral. I'll see him then."

"Oh," the man seemed understanding. "Ok." And then he left.

He raced out of bed, into the shower, and out in record time. Outside his door was the suit he had wore that day and he hesitated for a second, the memories coming back to surface, before pushing on and entering the room. He debated on whether to put it on or not, before deciding that Yukio would get mad if he went out without it.

A problem was raised when he went to put on his pants. In simpler terms, he had a tail.

The day after Satan's possession of Fujimoto he had woken to find a damn black, fur-tufted tail attached right at his tailbone. The thing had a mind of its own at first, and even now he couldn't control it completely. It actually was the secondary reason for his broken objects.

The first were his own temper tantrums.

Instinctively he knew that it was both a weakness and an asset. How he didn't know, maybe his demon blood carried that knowledge for every demon. In any case, he kept it hidden from anyone else.

Wrapping it around his stomach, he got ready by adding his own style to the clothes with his trademark fingerless gloves and a chain hanging from the top of the pants on the front and going to the right side.

Looking in the mirror he considered himself looking really badass. Slightly grinning to himself he looked down, smile faltering a bit, as he saw that he was without a necktie. For a few seconds he tried, frowning as his movements became agitated. The agitation turned into distraught as tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't tie it himself.

Choked sobs threatened to escape him as he suddenly remembered, more vividly than ever before of his father. His smile, his smell, his laugh, his gifts under the tree, everything about him, everything he would always think to have by his side, right until he died, and never in a million years did he think he would have lost so soon.

He was too spent to be angry, too hurt to think straight and frankly too tired to continue on, but he knew that if he stopped there he would never be able to forgive himself, never be able to look into his brother's eyes and ask for forgiveness, and never be able to see his father again with pride in his eyes.

Wiping out the tears and snot, he climbed back to his feet, a new burning ember in his soul, and a goal he wanted with all of his life to strive forward.

Remembering his father's words he took the sword, draping it over his head and leaving it hanging to the side on his back. His black sneakers on, he took to his window and jumped.

Rapidly, he noticed the changes that releasing the sword for the first time had done. A week ago, he would have jumped in a safer way, doing small jumps between the roof and the back wall of the backyard. Now he could freely see from the moment he jumped that his body was intuitively prepping for the landing, thudding rather softly on the ground.

Moving on, he walked the back alleys that he knew like the palm of his hand. The little demons he had seen filling every space imaginable worried him at first, but they just passed by, aimlessly drifting. Some looked at him and recognized who he was and drifted after him, but he walked too fast for them to keep up. None of them matter then.

He had plenty of time for getting there, but he didn't know if the exorcists would be there, or if he met someone that got there early. So he left that early, he wanted to have some time alone at the grave to talk and grieve for possibly the last time.

The graveyard wasn't that far away, hence his alacrity. It was small, no more than a hundred tombs, but it was kept clean and organized by his father's church and he knew that a better one he wouldn't find anywhere near.

He trekked up the hill, slowing as he reached the top. There wasn't anyone there not even the cask, but then again he imagined that would happen. There was a small tent for those that couldn't stand the direct rays of the sun and a podium for those who would speak.

He went directly for the empty grave. Looking down at the hole, knowing that in an hour's time it would be filled with his father's remains. He tried to give out words, hoping they would fall down and stay there where once filled would reach Fujimoto's body and convey how much he was sorry, how so sad he was for his death, how the exorcists could and probably would try to kill him, how Yukio didn't defend him, and how he didn't know what to do about that.

But none of the words got out and he just stayed there, standing still looking lost as the minutes passed. Rain clouds gathered close and in seconds a drizzle began. He just kept looking down, trying this time to convey his words via his gaze.

It didn't seem to work.

Thrusting his hand into his pockets he drew a small paper and a pen, his resume and an accidentally stolen pen from the supermarket. He was stalling for time, thinking of the right way or different words he would write, words he already knew would be printed forever at the depth of the tomb. He smiled sadly at everything he remembered from his childhood, his scrapes, his fights, his studies, teachings followed or there he was by his father's side.

His words were ragged, blurs in the rain, and some were cut off as if the train of thoughts was replaced by another sentiment, another moment, and another memory.

He finished minutes later, the whole page written with hardly a place left without ink. They were thoughts, ideas, dreams; it was promises for the future,and his goals above all. To Control his Powers. To Kill Satan. To Live.

He had noticed he had stayed too long, some long time friends of his father were beginning to show up at the gate. The exorcists would be there soon.

Hurriedly he walked back down at the other way. It seemed none noticed him, but he wasn't sure so he went back to the alleys, the little demons no longer scaring him. They seemed pacifist, or at least non-threatening at the moment.

"It's the prince! The prince! The prince!" Their voices melded together, a cacophony of low, whining voices. It irritated him to no end and each second that passed made him want to turn back and yell at them to leave him alone. He so wanted to destroy them, vanish their taint from the world, and start his crusade, but not yet.

But first, he would have to escape.

Rin was under no illusion that it would be an easy task. The exorcist having the advantage in many things, so many it wasn't even funny, but he had a few things off his sleeves. Surprise, for one. None yet knew that he knew of their plans, or at least he seriously hoped not. Time, wasn't one he was willing to bet on, but for the moment he had the edge. He had already said his goodbyes to his father and while he so wanted to see Yukio one last time, it was in no way advisable. Knowledge, knowledge was in the eye of the beholder in this case. While they were certainly more knowledgeable in demons, fighting, and whatever else Exorcist did, Rin knew the streets of his hometown, he knew every crook and cranny, every hiding spot and shortcut. They were lost lambs in this maze and while Yukio could certainly help them in one or two things, he had never been the one that ran every inch of the place.

Rin wasn't the smartest of boys, but he did have a special kind of cunning. He knew he had always been good in a fight, always knowing the best ways to get in, hurt them as hard as he could, and get out. Now, he understood it was probably a sign of his demon heritage, but for once in the last three days, he thanked such a thing instead of cursing it.

His fast trot throughout the alleys slowed down as he came into sight of his home. For the first time in a long while it was deserted. None of the regular guys were up front, cleaning and shining the front gates or lighting the gas lamps for the gathering storm. Where the few neighboring shops and streets had filled with people and his home had the rare passerby on a weekday on this day where only a few milled around in the rain the entrance to the church seemed wrongly deserted.

He couldn't see that view now. He wouldn't see it ever again.

He wiped his eyes, rain in his eyes was his excuse. It wouldn't do to falter now.

He entered by the side alley, his room's window too high for him to believe he could make the jump, even with his newly discovered abilities. No need to unnecessarily risk himself until he knew better. He jumped over the wall. A wall that three days ago would have made him scurry his feet as soon as his hands held.

It was easy, surprising really, but not by that much. Like before he felt as he already knew he would make the jump, as his body was from the very beginning predisposed to those kinds of motions and possibly more.

He easily made into the house. No one in or out on the perimeter, which was extremely good -no matter how much he hated how that felt. It didn't even matter that he had done it before. It didn't even matter that he had been caught every single time by Yukio or or his father, at those times it was more of a game to him, a childish way to see how he could evade them. Now he would have to hone those skills, it was a true matter of life and death, and he didn't find it funny or ironic.

Neither that he had no idea how he would escape Yukio's clutches. That's why he hadn't stayed, why he went to his father's grave earlier than anyone would expect, and why he returned well before Yukio or any of the exorcists would hopefully notice. He didn't expect them to forget his presence, in fact he imagined that right about now he was probably being hunted throughout the crowd, or if not, on their way back.

He didn't have that much time, or that much of an idea, but he knew that whatever he did he needed to do it fast.

He raced up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. In the back of his mind he realized he wasn't even tired, or huffing over that stretch. He shouldn't be that astonished, but he felt that it still wasn't time to just take it all up without shock. Rin felt that it was too soon for that. Too soon to become comfortable with this kind of world, and even sooner to get accustomed to it.

It was a world he wasn't prepared for in any way, and knowledge he barely gleamed or thought he'd understand. He was certainly playing it fast and loose now, in a way, but he was gonna be the Rin that he never was in front of his family. The Rin from the streets. The Rin that took care of where he went on the streets, of who was who, of where the dangers were, of were drug-carriers, purse snatchers, pimps, and any other troublemaker dwelled.

He wasn't seen. Rarely known, and the few that knew him liked him well enough that they helped him out over the few tight spots he couldn't. It wasn't perfect, he got into some horrible fights upon the streets, and it was rare that his family see the full extent of his abilities. It was purely luck that he held out, that he learned how to fight, no matter how dirty -and now that he looked back, it always did seem freaky how fast he healed…

In the end, all that mattered was that he had a barely made planned. An idea of an idea. But he wasn't Rin Okumura for nothing! He'd make it out there alive and then.. and then..

His grip on his sword tightened.

He threw his knapsack on his back, most of the essentials within it. His saved up money for a rainy day hidden in his person, and his sword strapped to his side, the sword's scabbard itself covered by a black and dark blue umbrella sheath. He wasn't to keen on having the scabbard by his hip, like he was some kind of samurai, but for the moment, as he ran out of his house and into the street, it hardly swung or got in the way. It, of course, felt a bit awkward, but he was sure that he would either get used to it or find a new way to strap it.

He stopped, just for a second, he thought as he looked back. it would be some time, possibly the last, since he would see his home.

The place I lived for fifteen years…

There wasn't anything special happening. There was no Yukio coming around the corner, a whole slew of Exorcists behind him, yelling for him to come back, apologizing, and crying. There wasn't a ghost of his father watching from the church's entrance, the damnable smirk on his face or a nod to show that thing was doing the right thing.. it was just.. him.

It dawned on him then that he was truly alone. That everyone else could and would be an enemy unless he had known the personally from before the possession and even then he would never be able to be truly sure if his acquaintances could have been possessed as well. The streets were his enemy. The open spaces, the too small groups of people, the kind of people he usually would hang around with. Everything and anything else could help the Exorcists find him.

It was a terrifying thought.

It was an oddly humbling thought.

About a mile away from the church he stopped running, people had looked at him funny, and he started to remember that that would be more of a reason for someone to point the Exorcists in his direction. A few minutes later he turned a corner, walking it all off and making himself look like he knew exactly where he was going, which he sort of was, but it was the look that made it work.

Soon he arrived at the lower end of the city, where many trains went to and fro. He wasn't gonna get on one. There was a big chance they could be watching the big exits around the city, but to someone like Rin those weren't the places one used to escape.

A few streets away from the railway station he turned once again, the streets narrowing and curving. Houses and business mixed together to form a strange sight. Somewhat nice looking houses interchanged with crumbling derelict buildings, some streets were covered in potholes while others flourished as the rain washed away the dirt. The people here were poor, yes, but they were tight-knitted. Hardly anyone strived alone. Either a man, a woman, a gang, an orphanage would take others and none fought between themselves, even the gangs just taking their share of the areas with some-to-no fighting. It was an apt situation for the slum called True Care Residential Area.

He had years of knowing the people that lived there, the dangers and restricted areas where gangs dwelled. He had no small amount of luck to be able to connect with these people and in turn learn many, many things that he would had otherwise never known. Here he had 'friends' and colleagues that owed him a few favours and that he knew that if he really wanted to, he could disappear in it for a long, long time.

Here he would find a way to get out of the city, if possible he would try to gain a deeper level of understanding his powers and hopefully, somewhere in the future, he would find somebody he could trust that would teach him all they could about demons, so that some day, and Rin didn't care when, he could kill Satan.

Author's Note: Had it on my laptop before it got fucked up, and never seemed to get it out of its 2,000 something words, but after some weeks of waiting for my laptop to be updated and shit, i got back on the horse and finished this one.

To those that follow my other stories fret not that i'll come around them soon. Need to get back into the headspace and try to find some time to do it, since i have college and a part time job now. To Free the Biju is some 8-9,000 words in, but i don't feel its done, so that one is still in the sides, being finished.

This is a one-shot, and there possibly won't be anything else, unless i get a sudden inspiration. It was just a premise i liked and if somebody wants to run with it just pm to tell me. This will stay in the Blue Exorcist page for some three months and then i'll have it passed on to my short stories and drabbles fic. You can check it out on my profile.

So read and review please.