A/N: Guess who's back? Back again. 2016 was a very hectic year, and if I were being honest, probably one of the most difficult years of my life so far. I didn't have the time or drive to write much at all that year. But with the fresh start of 2017, I hope things get better. Blue Exorcist is getting another season, so already that's some good news. I'm very excited to watch it, so think of this as a celebratory chapter lol. Anyways, hope you like it.

Also, THANK YOU TONS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS, FAVOURITES AND REVIEWS. I never expected this story to get so much attention since it was one of my more spontaneous plotless ideas in the beginning. I really appreciate all your support and patience. I know I'm not the best updater but I do try to sit down and write for ALL of my stories.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Blue Exorcist or any of its characters.

Chapter 5:

Mephisto watched with narrowed eyes as Amaimon left the scene, taking with him their injured brother. Sighing wearily, the demon principal turned to face the carnage before him. Skewed across the field were the bodies of four students. Two dead, one knocked unconscious from his spell and the other faking sleep. To think this had all happened under Amaimon's watch. It was quite bothersome. He remembered establishing distinctly to the demon that the humans at his school were to be left untouched in his bouts of extreme violence, unless ordered otherwise of course. And though the young Earth King was rather impulsive at times, he knew when to follow through with orders – living under their father drilled that harshly into them after all. There must have been other factors in play resulting in this incident, and though he had many questions for Amaimon swirling in his head, his attention for now was focused on cleaning up the mess in front of him. Damage control was always such a chore.

He could already sense the approaching presences of those silly little exorcists.

With a simple wave of his hands, the stone spikes summoned by Amaimon quickly crumbled away, allowing the corpse impaled on its point to slump to the ground. Though he would have preferred to wipe the existence of these boys and their families completely from this world, permanently ridding himself of any incriminating evidence, it was unfortunately not possible at this point. A lack of time and proper planning guaranteed that. The exorcist would have already sensed Amaimon's admittedly impressive demonic aura flaring out within school grounds, and were no doubt scrambling to locate its source. They would be sceptical if things were to 'disappear' so cleanly and he didn't need the further suspicion added on to his already shaky relationship with the Vatican.

Though the fools of the True Cross Order were still ignorant of his familial connection to their biggest adversary Satan, it didn't quite mean they trusted him either. Rather, he was viewed as an unpredictable presence within their organisation, one they acknowledged as potentially dangerous but also useful enough to be kept around. It humoured him greatly to watch as the arrogant exorcists danced around in his palm, unable to recognise the demonic hand influencing their beloved order right under their noses. He truly thrived on deception and trickery, and this time was no different. He needed to redirect his and Amaimon's involvement in this incident to another, allowing the exorcists to believe it was they who came to that conclusion though.

His heightened hearing picked up on the clicking boots of Shura and her accompanying posse just beyond the tree line. He'd have to work efficiently. Snapping his fingers, Mephisto watched calmly as time around him slowed to the point it appeared to stop completely. The sounds of footsteps quietened. Perfect. This would buy him the few precious minutes he needed to get things in order. Being the King of Time and Space certainly had its perks.

He calmly approached the only conscious person in the field, umbrella twirling.

"I know you're awake over there boy. Its best you stop this game of pretence for I am not in the best of moods."

The child twitched, his fear and anxiety immediately permeating the air, unknowingly feeding Mephisto and his powers. The demon principal smirked coyly as he absorbed the delicious negative emotions his kind thrived so highly on. Ah humans… Though they were practically useless in every other aspect, no demon could deny the vitality of their soul and emotions. A single human soul in the grasp of the right demon was a dangerous combination. The soul had a way of intensifying the potency of demon magic, and those who knew what to do with it could accomplish things unimaginable to the human mind. It was the reason crossroad deals so often ended with a contract for one's soul.

Pulling away from his musing, he saw the child shift. The boy turned his body to face him, spitting harshly before lifting the back of his hand to wipe at the residue blood on his chin. Despite his terror still filling the air, he had the gall to laugh sarcastically, looking Mephisto straight in the eye.

"Well this sucks. First those bullies, now this." He swallowed loudly. "If you're going to kill me, I'd appreciate if you did it quick."

Mephisto raised his brow internally.

Bullies? For a moment he wondered what the boy had meant with that, but dismissed it to a corner of his mind as the ramblings of a panicking child. His bravado was rather notable, not a single drop of his fear slipping onto his face. If Mephisto were not a demon with the unnatural ability to read emotions, he'd have a hard time believing the kid was even scared at all. The only physical give away of his trepidation was the slight quivering of his hands. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat impressed. His mental fortitude at the face of such violence and danger would have to rival that of an experienced exorcist.

He chuckled lightly, earning him a strange look from the boy, before outright laughing.

"Ah, I'm not going to kill you. At least not yet. It depends on your answers really." He wasn't going to kill the kid. Might as well keep the body count low if he could. Besides, he was an interesting individual. And if there was one thing Mephisto loved, it was an interesting character. But the boy didn't need to know that. People tended to be more obedient and overall easier to handle when they believed their lives were in danger.

"Now, your name boy." He demanded. The child hesitated, but soon his fear won out.

"Alfred. Alfred Vathek." So he was a foreigner. Interesting but not surprising. As a prestigious academy, True Cross often accepted students from all continents, both in its regular and exorcist programs.

"Well then Mr Vathek, listen and listen closely, for I will only say this once."

"I am going to send you to the nurse's office, where you shall explain how the both of you," he said pointedly, indicating to the other living but currently unconscious person in the field. "were involved in a typical schoolyard brawl."

"The nurse will treat you, but also contact my office to inform me of your misconduct. Until I arrive, you are to remain silent, and speak to no one of the things you have witnessed today. Know that your knowledge on what has transpired is keeping you alive right now."

"Do I make myself clear?"

The child, Alfred, nodded nervously.

"I said, do I make myself clear boy?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Now off you go!" With a wave of his hands, both boys were sent away in a poof. He would have preferred to seal Alfred's tongue, to ensure his silence. But the risk of a nurse reporting it and having the exorcists catch wind was too high. There needed to be as little demonic evidence and taint as possible. Nevertheless, he was confident in his threat, and if Alfred was as intelligent as he appeared, he'd listen to the warnings and instructions given to him. The other child would not wake from his slumber until he commanded it, so his silence was ensured.

Just in time too, as he felt the effects of his spell wear off. A few seconds later, Shura burst into the field, her demon blade drawn and pointed. Her team jumped into formation behind her. Scanning the surroundings, she lowered her sword upon seeing and sensing no demons. Instead, she approached him, glaring suspiciously as she shoved an accusing finger to his face.

"What have you done?" she questioned acidly.

Mephisto raised his hands in the universal peace gesture, brushing off Shura's accusations with a chuckle.

"My, my, such allegations Miss Kirigakure. I like yourself, immediately rushed here when I felt the demonic disturbance. As the good and caring headmaster of this school, I went to personally ensure the safety of my students."

Though Shura's suspicion did not disappear from her face, she stepped back and sighed. "Well?" she demanded, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Unfortunately," Mephisto continued, faking a face of concern. "By the time I arrived, whatever it was had already hightailed it out. There was only this left."

He pointed at the corpses behind him, and Shura grimaced. She nodded her head in the general direction, prompting her team to quickly move in to assess the bodies. It was a pointless process in Mephisto's opinion, but if it made the exorcists feel as if they were doing something, he would not voice his complaints. Eventually she sent half the team to investigate the area, mostly likely knowing they would find nothing.

"How did a demon of such calibre even get in?" She asked, a hand rubbing at her chin. "I thought you warded the whole academy with barriers. And I haven't sensed any cracks in it, even now."

Shura had always been a sharp one. But considering Fujimoto had a hand in her upbringing, he wasn't at all shocked by her perceptiveness.

"Whilst I am flattered by your trust in my ability, even I can't cover an area as big as True Cross Academy without there being weak spots in the barrier."

"The stronger the demon, the easier it is for them to exploit these weaknesses and temporarily force open a gap to enter the school. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case today. But whatever it is, it won't be able to escape. I assume exorcists have already secured the perimeter and are on patrol as we speak."

Shura nodded grimly. "You're right."

She eyed the corpses currently being placed into body bags and sighed heavily. "They're civilians aren't they? It's going to be a real treat trying to explain what happened to their family."

Mephisto agreed with her in that regard. Civilian humans were always the worst to deal with. He was thankful such duties would not fall on him. Whilst a letter of condolences would be necessary on his half, and perhaps an address to the school at assembly, he would not personally need to deliver the news.

"Whilst it is a tragedy, my presence here does no good." He spoke calmly, making sure to place a little remorse into his tone. "Its best I return and further inspect the barriers."

"I leave things to you Miss Kirigakure." He said walking away, ignoring the feeling of her eyes boring into his back as he left.

Upon reaching Mephisto's residence, Amaimon immediately lowered Rin onto the man's king-sized bed, displaying a careful gentleness he didn't even realise he possessed. Such tenderness from him was rare – practically non-existent some would say – as even amongst his cutthroat family, he was notorious for his callous and destructive nature. As a child, only a few decades old, he had already developed a tendency of breaking the various toys and trinkets gifted to him. It ranged from meaningless inanimate objects to the very servants assigned to him, and it drove his father up the wall. When staff actually began dying in a bid to entertain him (read: he picked fights with them and they held back in fear of harming their king) Satan was forced to step in.

It was then he learnt just how terrifying his father could be once his patience had reached its limit. It wasn't like Satan particularly cared for the lives of his servants (in fact he killed many himself on bad days) but being forced to constantly replace staff was too troublesome for the king of demons. It marked the first time Amaimon had been disciplined by his father – certainly not the last – and was one of the few impacting memories that stuck with the ever fickle Earth King. However unlike Mephisto, who he knew harboured some resentment towards Satan for the way he treated his sons, Amaimon never blamed his father for his harsh handed ways in dealing with him. Raising demon offspring was not an easy task – they were wild, antagonistic and prone to violence at a young age – and Amaimon knew when father punished him, it was his own shortcomings that prompted it. Besides, he wasn't the type to practise obedience unless one really showed him they meant business. Had his father disciplined him any less, the respect he held for the man today would be non-existent.

And though Satan was a cruel, cruel demon, unless pushed to the limit, he generally left his sons untouched. As long as their loyalty was never misplaced and they served him dutifully, he let them be. In fact, he didn't shy away from spoiling his children. Amaimon was still allowed to 'play' with his servants following his father's intervention. Only as long as they were still able to continue their duties at the end said entertainment that is. Iblis said it was time that softened the old man. And though he had seen glimpses of his father's true temperament and power, it was nothing compared to the Satan of the past apparently, who he was told had been an active beacon of destruction wherever he went.

He hadn't even been created at that point, being the youngest of his siblings and all, but part of him longed to see that side of his father. However, as audacious as he was, even he knew the dangerous consequences should that ever happen and the desire was pushed to the back of his mind. He wouldn't call it a period of peace, but Gehenna had entered a time of stability and order the moment their father quelled the last of the rebellion centuries ago and instated his brothers as the Sub Kings. It was a complex structure and an ancient dominion even he didn't dare meddle with.

Randomly, he wondered what it would have been like had Rin been raised alongside their demonic family in Gehenna. A strange thought for him to be having, but as of lately not uncommon, seeing how his younger brother had an innate knack in drawing out these unusual reactions from him. He bit his nail. One's thing for sure, he wouldn't be bleeding out on a bed in pain. No harm could have possibly befallen him under their father's rule. He would have been raised as a prince, pampered and spoilt beyond imagination, living a life worthy of royalty.

Perhaps Rin would have developed a better understanding of himself too, he thought. Despite Rin's stubborn refusal to acknowledge it, he was part demon, and his ignorance regarding his heritage really showed. It didn't escape Amaimon's notice that the small child always looked so confused, lacking direction and certainty in his actions that could only be from years of insecurity and ostracization. He stood out like a sore thumb with the exorcist trash, but a demon and a son of Satan at that, could have never possibly found acceptance with such a group in the first place.

Brushing aside images of what could've been, he chose to inspect Rin. His head seemed to have healed a bit more, but still at an alarmingly slow rate for a demon like himself. Amaimon didn't like it. Grinding his nails between his teeth, he watched as the blood slowly began to colour Mephisto's 'Magical Girls' bedsheets. The old coot would have a fit after things settled down. Amaimon would have to avoid being around the man for a while lest he endured an earful of whiny complaints. Perhaps it was about time he returned to Gehenna?

A weak moan pulled him from his thoughts, and Amaimon's eyes flickered back to a grimacing Rin. The boy was beginning to sweat, chest rising and falling heavily as he struggled to breathe. Amaimon clenched his fist. He usually enjoyed the suffering of others. Rin should be no exception. But yet, the circumstances were different this time, and it was simply no longer fun. Instead, he was left with an uncomfortable uncertainty on whether Rin would be okay and whether he'd be able to gaze into those intense (beautif – Amaimon stopped the thought) blue eyes again. It all left him strangely tense.

And to think just a few months ago, he'd been in Gehenna, ignorant of the little brother he knew existed in Assiah. If one were to tell him he'd be lingering at his bedside – on edge – back then, he'd have killed them. And maybe gone after their descendants for good measure too. He had responded to Mephisto's invitation to visit Assiah in hopes of quelling his boredom, but the last thing he anticipated was an underlying plot revolving his youngest sibling. He wasn't quite as daft and unobservant as others liked to believe, and it was apparent Mephisto was playing a different tune to Satan. Did he mind? Not really. The man would either succeed or suffer at the hands of their father, though he placed his bets on the latter. Father was a terrifying demon when he wanted to be, and his obsession with Rin wouldn't let the halfling slip so easily from his grasp. Either way, Mephisto's games were risky, and in moments of rare negligence, pawns like him and Rin often paid the price of collateral damage. He himself wasn't worried about it, being a powerful Sub-King and all. But he did wonder if Mephisto really registered the fragility of their half human brother that he himself had only just come to realise recently.

That being said, Mephisto was particularly diligent regarding their youngest sibling, more so than anything else in his schemes. Rin's exwire exams and mission were always monitored, and there was a reason his first encounter with a high ranking demon had been with him. As brutal as others liked to peg him, Amaimon at least knew what to strike for non-lethal blows, being a skilled combatant and all (whether he chose to display such level of control was up for debate though). Their fights were seen as good opportunities to push Rin's limit without the risk of accidental death. Had he taken any of their previous encounters as legitimate battles, Rin wouldn't have had the chance to draw Kurikara let alone summon his flames. And should it come to it, the child's death would at least be by his hands. If Rin were to die, it would be under circumstances worthy of his status and title.

And though death wouldn't be claiming Rin today if Mephisto had anything to say about it, his pain didn't appear to be subsiding any faster. Amaimon frowned. For some unfathomable reason, doing nothing as Rin currently endured agony didn't sit so well with the normally idle demon. He sighed internally. Might as well avoid giving Mephisto more reasons to get mad at him by lending a hand. Spreading open his palm, he concentrated his powers to its centre, watching with bored eyes as a plant slowly emerged above. It held multiple large green leaves, which he plucked carelessly from the stem. Securing the leaves, he began to wrap them around the Rin's injury, allowing the gooey liquid they excreted to seep into his system.

The leaves were rare Gehennian flora, known to possess healing properties that assisted a demon's regeneration process once the potent liquids were absorbed. Though difficult to acquire in Gehenna, privileges as Earth King allowed him to summon them at his leisure. The ability had its limits however, and he just threw away a shot for his younger sibling. Rin better show some gratitude once he woke up. He knew the amount he called would be enough for the boy's current predicament. And he wasn't wrong. Soon enough, the plant's effects kicked in, prompting an immediate shift from Rin's pained expression to a more peaceful one.

He now slept soundly, swabbed by the many pillows and blankets on Mephisto's bed. Amaimon suspected the sealing of Rin's demonic half played a major part in his power's instability. There was a reason Rin struggled so much with control, other than the obvious lack of training. He could never understand why Mephisto had argued so strongly for their younger brother to be educated in Assiah. What could an exorcist possibly teach him that a demon couldn't do ten times better? Either way, his human body and demonic essence were at a dissonance, the latter still trying to synchronize with his body from years of absence. It was the only plausible explanation for his current failing regeneration. It seemed Rin's powers would continue to fluctuate until his demonic essence and body were properly adjusted. How unnecessarily inconvenient.

Amaimon let himself collapse onto one of the close chairs, shoulders slumped. Staring at the ceiling in reflection, he concluded Rin was definitely more trouble than he was worth. Was this what it felt like be an elder brother? Being the youngest sibling in Gehenna meant he rarely had to worry about responsibilities (that didn't relate to his duty as a sub-king of course) let alone involving himself in the life and wellbeing of another. The same could not be said for his brothers though, who each had a hand in his upbringing with varying degrees of success. Mephisto and Egyn like to blame Iblis for his current devil-may-care attitude and insatiable need for entertainment (in the form of violence).

He turned to Rin. Now that the confusing uneasiness at seeing his injured brother had settled, he felt a far more familiar emotion climb to the surface. Annoyance. A human of all things? To think that Rin, a member of their royal family, would lose to such a pathetic, useless and feeble group of humans was insulting. And for the child to lay there so peacefully. It pulled him back a few hours, to when he had been ordered to watch over his pathetic sibling. Except instead of lurking in a tree like some hunting predator, Amaimon sat right by his side. Rin was within his grasp, and more importantly, Mephisto was occupied. It would be so simple. All he needed to do was reach out and crush his throat. With his usual nonchalant facade re-established and that irritating uneasiness gone, he was sorely tempted to do so.

Despite his pride in their shared royal blood, Rin certainly deserved such a quick and pathetic death. He clenched his fist, eyes narrowing. For someone he believed with so much potential and viewed as a possible equal down the path to suffer such defeat by a bunch of ordinary humans…it made his blood boil. They weren't even exorcists for Gehenna's sake, and that in itself had to be the most offensive part.

But even as irritated as he was, he did retain some level of preservation. If he were to kill Rin, father's plans would be forced to a halting stop, and the man would not be forgiving. He'd prefer not to be burnt to a crisp if possible. Mephisto should be proud. He was practising a lot of self-control lately.

Leaning back into his chair, Amaimon stared lifelessly at the ceiling. With Rin unconscious, all he could do now was wait for his elder sibling to return from his duties. How utterly dull.

A/N: Ah, in this chapter I did something I never thought I would do. And that is create an OC who will reappear in the story. Do not be alarmed though. The OC WILL DEFINITELY NOT TAKE OVER THE STORY. This is still a rin-centric family story. I strongly believe that an OCs sole duty is to push along the plot. And though Alfred will play a somewhat essential role, he will still remain in the background and never overshadow any of the canon characters.

Anyways, can we talk about the lack of fan content for Blue Exorcist? As a person who can become intensely obsessed with a series, the lack of stories and art makes it hard to remain invested in the fandom. *cries* I don't see many stories revolving around the demon brothers (or Gehenna or even Satan) and that makes me sad. I'm so deprived. I hope with the new anime release; it will bring in more fans.

And I'm pretty sure my story no longer follows the canon universe lmao. With the recent chapters we've gotten some nice details on the demon kings and Satan that are definitely interesting, but far different to what I had in plan. I already have so much lore and plot developed for my interpretation of Gehenna and its demons. I'll try to incorporate any new canon facts the manga releases into the story but in the long run things may be inconsistent to the actual manga. Hope it doesn't bother anyone.

To end the author's note, a big thanks to all my readers. I really do appreciate your patience with my update schedule. I don't know when my next update will be but please do not assume I am giving up on a story unless I explicitly say so.

Nonetheless, PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think of the story so far and what you would like to see in the future.