The Forgotten Prince

Summary: AU When our favorite group of exwires stumble upon an injured boy in the wake of disaster, they take him in without a second thought. Now harboring the rumored half-demon son of Satan, the exorcists must keep the teen away from both the armies of Gehenna and those in the Order who would wish to abuse his power. But no one said hiding a demon would be easy… Pairings inside.

Genre: Drama, Supernatural, Comedy, Angst, some Romance, and a dash of Horror; so basically everything XD

Pairings: Rin/Shiemi, Shima/Izumo, and Mephisto/Shura (minor)

A/N: I swear this is my last plot bunny I will post in a while :P I really need to work on already existing stories (i.e., House of Wolves, Sleepwalkers, etc.) so… yah XD

Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist is owned by Kazue Kato, not me.

Chapter 1- From the Ashes

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"This is so boring! Okumura-sensei, why are we going out to the middle of nowhere again?" The pink-haired teen complained, swatting at a fly in slight repulsion. Bon grunted in agreement. This was not how he wanted to spend his three-day weekend either; trekking up a mountain to God knows where.

Yukio sighed, pushing up the brim of his glasses. "It's like I said before. There has been a spike in demonic activity in Mononoke forest. We are to find the source and destroy it, before neighboring villages are endangered."

"So is the source an object?" Shiemi spoke up, toying shyly with a lock of platinum hair.

"It could be. Perhaps a forgotten shrine which had harbored a benevolent spirit has fallen and become a demon. Or a particularly high-level demon has taken up residence in the forest, attracting lower-level demons and those of its kin." He replied, fingers subconsciously reaching towards the holsters at his sides.

Ryuuji growled irritably. "Then why are they asking us to do this? Doesn't it seem like something that at least an upper-second class exorcist should handle, not exwires?"

Before the young teacher could respond a flash of cyan illuminated the darkening sky, bathing the surrounding forest in a dim cobalt. The lights sparked and crackled like electricity, toppling the towering oaks to snake towards the clearing where the students were standing. The ground began to rock in time with the flashes, dark clouds drifting in to swallow any sunlight from the setting sun.

"Everyone, get down!" Yukio ordered, immediately unlocking the safety on his guns as he crouched against the nearest tree. The teens quickly obeyed, huddling together as the three Arias-in-training whispered protective sutras. Moments passed in silence while smoke billowed into the clearing, causing many of the students to cough at the unfamiliar sting of ash.

"Damnit, I can't see anything!" Bon cursed, interrupting his chant in favor of running blindly into the hazy smoke. It was obvious that whatever had caused the destruction wasn't going to be stopped by petty spells and incantations.

"Where are you going, you stupid gorilla?!" Izumo called out, running after his retreating form. The rest of the exwires glanced at each other wearily before reluctantly following the pair.

Yukio strained to see the form of his six students running further into the smoke and cursed, moving from the safety of the tree and deeper into the smoke. He continued forward until he saw a single wave of blue, shielding his face instinctively with his arms. The flames licked at his clothing and skin, but did not burn. It felt surprisingly warm… and familiar. He continued to stand frozen in shock, even after the clearing had returned to its natural color, once again a land of viridian and mahogany.

It can't be—

"Hey, Okumura-sensei, you should probably come over here!" The familiar voice of the studious exorcist called out once the ground has stopped shaking. The blue flames and sparks had disappeared entirely, along with the rolling grey clouds to reveal a violet sky. In the remnants of ash and smoke laid an unconscious teen with dark blue hair. His clothes were ripped and torn, face peppered in cuts and bruises. For a moment the teacher feared he was dead, relief immediately washing over him when he noticed the gentle rise of his chest.

Shiemi was already fussing over the boy's wounds, summoning her greenman familiar to produce healing aloe leaves. The little demon squeaked in surprise at the wounds but immediately went to work, helping the blonde tamer place healing herbs on the exposed wounds.

"He looks kinda like you, doesn't he?" Shima questioned offhandedly, studying the dark-haired boy's face. His ears were slightly pointed, but other than that he didn't see anything too unusual. In fact, he looked to be around their age, if not a little older.

There was a sudden intake of breath as Bon picked up the sword that lay a few feet from the unconscious teen, buried slightly in the dirt. "This is… Kurikara." He whispered, fingers trailing against the indigo hilt.

"You are not an only child, Yukio. You had a brother. But, he was taken from us when he was a baby."

"Why?"

"Well, that's because—"

"Are you alright, Yuki-chan?" The emerald-eyed tamer asked worriedly.

The brown-haired boy coughed, adjusting his glasses. "It's nothing. He's probably a regular civilian. We should take him back to the nearest village and see if anyone recognizes him." He turned to walk away only to hear a strange, foreign noise, reminding him faintly of an ancient language. It sounded too much like the droll that poured from lower-level demon's lips and as he turned around, he was surprised to see that the boy was standing. He appeared virtually unharmed, all previous cuts and bruises gone.

The boy spoke again, this time confusion apparent in his voice. He eyed each person wearily, bristling slightly. It was a movement that reminded the bespectacled man of a cornered animal.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't have a clue as to what he's saying." Shima piped up, casting a nervous glance to Izumo. She huffed in response.

"Does it look like I know? What language is he even speaking? It sounds… old. Archaic even."

The blue-haired teen suddenly leapt into the nearest tree, letting out a feral growl as an automatic defense-mechanism. He shuddered at the new stimuli, body growing accustomed to the new climate. Eventually, he was able to form human words, exposing a set of sharp canines. "W-who are you?"

"Please, calm down. We are exorcists of the True Cross Order. We are here to help you. Could you tell us your name?" Yukio reasoned, approaching the boy cautiously. Usually he'd be the type to shoot first, ask questions later, but there was something familiar about the teen. Something that almost made him lower his guard.

"My name? It's Rin." He responded, a flicker of understanding passing his cobalt orbs. Great, I was found by exorcists of all people. Well, at least they haven't tried to kill me yet.

"Rin? Do you know how you ended up in the clearing?" The blonde woman questioned softly, also approaching the blue-haired youth.

He sighed. There was no reason to lie. Jumping from his perch, he landed gracefully to the ground, eyes cast nervously to the teen with his sword in his hands. It was where his demon heart was hidden, after all.

He had been disoriented when he first awoke, resulting in him responding with his natural tongue and that of a cornered demon. But now, as he approached the group of exorcists, apprehension rose in his stomach. I don't really wanna kill these kids. I guess that's why Satan always said I was too soft.

Slowly, he spoke, eyes focused to the leave-trodden ground. "I traveled here using a Gehenna Gate."

"You did what?!" The group yelled in unison, all inching away from the blue-haired teen. At that moment his tail freed itself from its confines as he let out a shaky laugh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah, I might be a son of Satan." Sorry, he added in his head, waiting for the exorcists to attack him. Instead, a series of chuckles followed. The pink-haired boy covered his mouth with his hands, leaning on Bon for support as he snickered.

"Hah, the son of Satan? Are you kidding me?! Very funny, kid."

The youth blushed slightly. "I-I'm serious. I am the hidden—well, used to be hidden, ninth prince of Gehenna." My first time talking to humans—err, living humans, and I've already embarrassed myself. Wonderful.

Izumo stepped forward, crossing her arms. "You're lying. There are only eight recorded princes. And how can a prince hide? Aren't you revered by other demons?"

Before Rin could respond Yukio interrupted, "He's telling the truth. He is… my twin brother."

The words brought a shocking silence to the group as all eyes turned to the brown-haired teen. The very cicadas seemed to stop chirping as everyone remained frozen in place. Rin cocked his head to the side. "Brother? My father never mentioned a full-blooded brother. Are you sure?"

Yukio nodded. "Yes. You were taken back to Gehenna as a baby. I… I didn't think I would ever see you again." At least not without the barrel of my gun pointing at your face. His long-lost brother seemed a lot less… evil than he imagined he would be. In fact, he almost seemed normal. Perhaps even too normal.

The boy's cobalt eyes lighted up immediately as he gave a fanged grin, tail wagging happily. "How cool! I never got to interact with any of my other brothers! Satan always said it was better to keep my presence hidden! So, do you know if I'm the older brother or the younger? I've always wanted a younger brother!"

His exuberant reaction surprised the teacher, but he immediately collected himself, coughing. "You are the older brother, or so I've been told."

"Sweet!" He raised a fist in the air, laughing happily.

"Ah, aren't you being a bit too naïve? What if Yukio was lying about being your brother?" Shima noted, disbelief apparent in his sienna eyes. How could a son of Satan, someone who is known for his treachery and deceit, believe a statement like that so easily?

"Hmm? Oh, well, I guess he could be lying…" Rin realized, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"Can someone please tell me what the Hell is going on? First we find some unconscious brat in the middle of freaking nowhere and he tells us he's the half-demon son of Satan? And then Yukio is related to him? I'm sorry but that's all a bit hard to believe." Bon fumed. How could everyone be taking the situation so calmly? If he truly was a son of Satan he needed to be captured and taken to the Grigori* and—

"Throw me my sword. I'll show ya." The demon gave a cocky grin, tail swishing behind him wildly.

Against his better judgment (the boy could try to kill them for all he knew), Bon complied and threw the sword, mumbling out a string of annoyances. "To hell with this stupid mission. Let's just go home…"

Rin immediately unsheathed his blade, blue flames erupting onto his skin. The students gasped in fear and slight awe as he gave a fanged grin, increasing the intensity of his flames. And suddenly he sheathed Kurikara, letting the flames evaporate in the air. "Sorry guys, but I don't really want to go back to Gehenna anytime soon. I'll have to lay low for a while. I'm pretty sure blue flames are a trademark of Satan. Wouldn't want any of his lackeys finding me, ya know?" He chuckled, keeping the blade in his grip.

"Technically, we should bring you to the Grigori… but, I'm afraid on what they might do to you. In the meantime you will need to stay with one of us, until we are sure you aren't a danger to society." Yukio observed as the rest of the students stood in shock. Rin was his brother; he wouldn't simply turn him in to the Order to be killed.

"Are you saying one of us has to harbor the son of Satan?! Have you lost your mind?" Bon yelled, eyebrows knitted in anger.

"D-don't you remember the Blue Night of sixteen years ago? It was all Satan's fault. What if he did something like that again because his son ran away?" Konekomaru added, agreeing with the fuming teen.

Yukio sighed. "That is why I would prefer one of us to watch over him. We need to keep an eye on Rin; he may be our best bet in defeating Satan. Watching him will also decrease the likelihood of another catastrophe happening."

Shiemi raised a hand hesitantly, stuttering out a response, "Ah… h-he could live in the old guest house for a while—it was where my grandmother lived. It's small and secluded from everything else. I-I mean, it would be easy to keep him hidden there."

The dark-haired boy immediately lightened up. "Wow, you would really help me? You guys are pretty nice, for exorcists!"

"And you're pretty strange for a demon…" Shima muttered, letting out a sigh.

"Regardless, it would do no good to stand around here. There was definitely a spike in demonic levels from Rin opening a Gehenna gate; it won't be long until those of the Order realize a high-level demon has made its way into Assiah." Yukio motioned for the students to follow, walking back through the tree-lined path.

Rin followed after them with interest, doing his best to remain normal and non-threatening, keeping his grins from exposing his canines too much. The group took the time on the trek back to the hotel (and subsequently, a door where they could use an Infinity key to return home) to introduce themselves. Rin memorized their names immediately, joy spreading in his heart.

Being secluded in Gehenna meant that he rarely had a chance to talk to sentient demons. Other than the servants and the occasional horrible visit from his father, he had rarely spoken to anyone. Everything he had learned about humans and their languages came from one of the old tomes in the castle's library. To see everything in real life and have a chance to talk to living, breathing humans… it made the half-demon giddy with happiness. So what if they were exorcists and were supposed to kill him? It wasn't like any of his kin (if they had known he existed) in Gehenna wouldn't have tried to murder him as a friendly gesture.

And as he chatted happily with the blonde tamer known as Shiemi, he felt only a slight tug of worry in his chest. I'm sure everything will turn out fine; I just have to hide again, after all! What's the worst that could happen? He thought, cobalt eyes fixed to the path ahead.

I will not accept failure! You were to keep the boy in the castle until it was time for the war on Assiah. It will be infinitely difficult to possess him in Assiah and I can't have too many demons knowing he exists. For now, search for a boy with blue flames. He shouldn't be too difficult to find." A voice bellowed, shrouded in malice and contempt.

The lower level demon bowed, stuttering out a response, "Yes, milord. We will bring the young prince back shortly."

Before the demon could leave he suddenly erupted into blue flames, turning instantly to ash. The darkened figure glared at the rest of his servants, letting out a feral growl. "Let this be a warning: any who disobey my orders will be killed."

"Yes, milord." The familiars echoed, quickly slipping away from the King of Gehenna.

A/N: In case you guys haven't seen Princess Mononoke (which I also claim no ownership of), Mononoke is like an alternative way of saying 'spirit.' So the forest they were in is literally a 'forest of spirits,' or something XD

*Grigori= it wasn't really mentioned too much in the anime or the manga, but the Grigori was the Council of three (we saw them in the scene right before Amaimon attacks the Exorcist Order) and are described as upper echelons; anyway, they hold a lot of power and jurisdiction in the Exorcist Order. That's all I really know though ^^'

P.S. sorry if Rin seems a bit OOC; he had been transported to a whole new world and like many, got caught up in all the novelties and fun XD he'll be a bit more serious later, or at least when it's necessary. I was thinking of making this AU Rin be a bit more cruel and cynical but trashed the idea cause Rin's just too much of a cutie to make evil :P

Anyway, I'll see you guys in Chapter 2, where Rin learns about human inventions and customs, if you want me to continue it ^^

Review?

-Isis