Full summary: "One of the few humans left alive in Japan, Ren is the latest in line of a long generation of shinto priests and priestesses. She has never believed in holy powers- how could she when she lives in fear of Akumas every day?- But life proves her wrong and she loses the last things she holds dear. Yet in spite of a childhood spent cowering in a cage, she survives with the help of a mysterious man and escapes her prison. She will live, and she will fight to purify this beautiful and horrible world with other exorcists."

I finally got back into DGM after several years and it's like I never left. This is my first fanfic in DGM so please do give me a read!

I know OC fics carry a certain stigma to them because the OC usually either ends up as a stereotype or a mary sue/gary stu. I will definitely do my best to avoid that, but with a series like DGM where there's magic, ninja-like acrobatics, and different uses of power, Ren may have certain traits that could be characterized as unique.

This story begins several years pre-canon and will eventually make minor and huge divergences in the plot. It also contains mentions of alcoholism, prostitution, and graphic depictions of violence. This story is meant to be a slow burn to an eventual romance. There will also be huge mentions of Japanese mythology and Shinto customs, as well as Christianity.

"Ren."

The young girl, barely a preteen, knelt on the worn mat and kept her head down. "Yes, Ojii-sama?" Ren answered quietly, her choppily cut hair hiding her face in a wave of ebony. As she kept her head down, she took in the details on her person. Her hands were rough, with callouses building on the fingers of her right hand. Her legs were skinny, too skinny, but it was common here where food is scarce and monitored. Her miko-in-training kimono and hakama have long since faded from its pristine white and red, and were now a dull gray and brown. It's hard to get new clothes when there are so few humans around.

When all there is in Japan are demons.

The elderly man sat in front of her on the veranda sighed deeply, his wrinkles creasing his face further. He wasn't even that old, a mere 52 years, and yet their lives and situation had stressed him beyond his current age. "It is almost time." He whispered in a gravelly voice. "You must take over my duties."

Ren clenched her hands on her lap. "...What is the point?" She asks bitterly. "No gods will save us. Ookuninushi-sama, Amaterasu-sama, even Inari-sama has forsaken us. We're only doing this to distract us from reality." She gritted her teeth and glared up at him with a tear stricken gaze. "We'll all die soon!"

Her grandfather quickly shushed her, a panicked expression covering his face. "Be quiet!" He hissed, placing a finger in front of his mouth. "Do you want the demons to hear us?"

"Maybe I do!" Ren argued, though she did lower her voice. Even though she's angry, her fear was stronger. "They're going to kill us sooner or later, might as well get it over with-" Her breath hitched and she fought the urge to break down in tears. It's already happened too many times. "...We're not free, Ojii-sama. Our life is only an illusion."

He watched her forlornly and looks up at the night sky, flinching when he noticed something flying in the distance. "...You must believe." He implored gently. "Even though the gods do not answer us, the fact that we are even in this world says something of them."

"That they're cruel maybe."

"Watch your mouth." He warned, narrowing his tired eyes. "You are still the next Miko of this shrine and you will conduct yourself accordingly. The people here need hope, and you are it. Please, Ren-chan. You must believe that some day, everything will change." He reached out and clasped her shoulder with a strong hand. "Go practice your koto and then sleep. You will need the rest for tomorrow during your ceremony."

Sighing in defeat, Ren nodded reluctantly. "Yes, Ojii-sama." She mumbled, bowed low to the floor, and got up to leave the room.

When the shoji door slid shut, the elderly man brought a hand to cover his mouth, disguising his coughs in his skin. His whole body trembled as he forced the air out of his lungs, and he tried his best to be quiet, even when the sharp twangs of the traditional Japanese instrument echoed throughout their small shrine house.

After a few minutes, he took his hand away and looked at it in sorrow. "My end is near..." He whispered to no one. Standing up from his seiza position, he went to a nearby wash basin and washed away the black blood. "You better arrive soon, Marian..."

"Ren has to be compatible."

Her fingers dancing over the strings of her worn koto, Ren let her mind drift in the darkness of her small room, not caring about the mid-spring chill. No one was allowed to keep the lights on. It would attract the demons that preyed on humans for sport.

Her country was a hellhole, almost uninhabitable. Everyone went about their days as if there weren't demons at every corner, in every shadow. Every day, more and more people would just disappear, leaving their clothes and a cloud of dust in their stead.

Her parents had went the same way.

The koto screeched from a wrong flick of a finger and she flinched. They had believed in the gods, but the gods never cared about humans. There was no hope, and she knew her induction as the new Miko wouldn't bring any life back in her community's eyes. Everyone knew they would die soon enough, they just hide it behind sake and false prayers.

She bit her lip, hard enough that she felt warm liquid travel down from where her teeth pierced her skin. She hates this. She hates living in this cage, knowing that any day, any minute now, she could die.

Her grandfather was wise but he's also a fool for thinking anything would change. Just because he had a taste of freedom decades ago doesn't mean she would.

Giving up playing for the night, Ren moved to her small window and slid the rice paper, showing a peaceful image of the moon. Tomorrow, she will be inducted as the new Miko. She will perform the traditional kagura dance, swear her oaths to the gods, and begin her duty. A lifetime of "banishing" evil spirits and blessing her people.

Ren closed her eyes, letting the moonlight bathe her face. She knows that the little magic she possessed isn't enough to fight against the demons. Her grandfather had taught her all she knew, but she just...doesn't have the power. Maybe because she's too young right now, or maybe her "faith" affects it.

Either way, she knew being a Miko would change nothing. She would be caged here like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

Any day now could be her end and the one thing she believed, is that there is no escaping.

A boot slammed down on the docks as soon as the boat reached the shore. No one was around to witness this, letting the man climb up onto the wooden dock without any trouble. The cherry blossom trees nearby rustled from the breeze, blowing its ethereal pink petals in the night. A golden blur zoomed around its owner, looking around curiously.

Now finally on land, Cross Marian made a tsk sound and fingered his weapon, his sharp eyes already making out several shadows in the trees. "This damn place again...This trip better have been worth it." He muttered as he pulled out Judgement and took the safety off. "He promised me several bottles of his finest sake, after all."

A howl echoed in the distance, followed by several more. They were hungry for human death.

A green glow emanated from within his jacket, thrumming with anticipation. Soon...

Ren - Lotus (winkwonk)
Hakama - traditional Japanese trousers
Miko - a japanese shrine maiden who specializes in banishing evil spirits, blessings, and magic
Ookuninushi - Considered god of nation-building, farming, business, and medicine.
Amaterasu - the sun goddess, considered the most important goddess, and is also the goddess of mikos
Inari - god of rice, fertility, tea, and foxes
Koto - a traditional string instrument, commonly called an asian piano.
Seiza - traditional japanese sitting position where you sit with your legs tucked beneath you
Shoji - rice paper doors
Sakura- cherry blossom
Sake - traditional rice wine

Let me know what you think! I'm really excited in continuing this fic, and it probably won't reach the canon storyline for a while so that Ren can grow into her own character.