When in Gehenna

A Line in the Sand

To those without the sight, the war was only visible in an increase of people in strange outfits fighting things that couldn't be seen.  The police were busy fielding these calls, and often had to use force to subdue them before sending them to psychiatric wards.  An empty building was converted into a containment center so these people could be studied and helped.  There were rumors of biological attacks and batches of drugs gone very wrong.  

The Vatican had decided to side with the rogue element in subduing the citizens of Gehenna, who they claimed had broken the treaty.  Rin was hardly surprised at this, having experienced first-hand how quickly humans would betray and think the worst of those they considered to be "evil".  The exorcists were never going to side with demons in this conflict.  The most they could hope for is that some exorcists saw the truth and chose to stay out of the conflict.  Although he wasn't going to hold his breath, Rin hoped that his old classmates would be among that group.  Shiemi in particular was ill-suited for conflict.

He and Amaimon were quickly gaining a reputation among the enemy.  When the two fought together they worked as one with hardly a word passed between them.  Those who followed them were always inspired and fought more fiercely as a more unified force.  The missions they led were almost always successful and had the fewest lives lost.  Rin had quickly lost track of the number of exorcists he had killed.  The worst part was fighting the summons that the tamers used.  It tore at him to hurt his own kind, but he knew that there was no choice. He was always quick to kill every tamer he fought, showing no mercy for those who forced demons to fight for them.

The peoples of Gehenna were careful to leave the "normals" out of the fight.  The normals were those humans who were unable to see Demons and Fae, or who had consciously chosen to stay out of the conflict.  They tried to take any fights into less populated areas.  The exorcists were less careful, resulting in the rising arrest rates.

After leading many missions and battles around the world, Rin and Amaimon found themselves once again fighting in Japan.  So far, they had not come across any of his old classmates, but Amaimon figured it was only a matter of time.  He was a little worried about how Rin would react if he had to fight one of them, but knew that nothing would sway him from their cause.  Finally, about a week after they returned, Rin was brought face to face with Kamiki Izumo.  He was almost shocked when she approached the army from Gehenna, asking for an audience with Rin and allowing herself to be captured and bound.  After a quick discussion with Amaimon, Rin agreed to grant Kamiki and audience.

"Hello, Rin." Kamiki's voice was level as she addressed her old friend.

"Kamiki, what brings you here?" Rin maintained a neutral tone, giving no hint as to what he was feeling inside.

"I want to help you.  The Vatican was wrong to leave the rogue exorcists unchecked, and even more wrong to cover their mistake by siding with Angel and his followers.  Your people did nothing to provoke attack, and only fought to defend themselves." Kamiki's eyes were bright with the uncharacteristic passion she was displaying.

"Why should I believe you?  Why would you want to side with such "unnatural" and "evil" beings?" Rin's voice was as hard as his eyes.

"Because you have as much right to live as we do, and you are not evil!  We were wrong to treat you the way we did.  I have been speaking with my fox spirits and learning more about life in Gehenna.  They explained that many of the Seelie and UnSeelie races need to spend time in Assaiah to survive.  They were also the ones who suggested speaking with you and siding with you.  I never told anyone, but I have demon blood as well.  It is extremely diluted, but the blood of a Fox Demon flows in my veins. I am choosing to embrace my heritage and stand with the friend that I once wronged so horribly.  After you left I swore that I would never make that mistake again, and I intend to keep my word as your prisoner or as a member of your forces." Rin couldn't miss the conviction that Kamiki's words held.  He could see in her eyes that she believed everything she was saying.  He and Amaimon went into a corner to discuss the situation.

"What should I do, Amaimon? I want to believe her, but I don't want to risk being hurt again." Rin's eyes spoke volumes to Amaimon, revealing the turmoil he was feeling.

"I can't believe I am saying this brother, but I think you should trust her and let her fight.  You could also strengthen her demon blood if you are worried about her working against us or changing her mind."  Amaimon placed a comforting hand on Rin's shoulder as he spoke.

Rin turned back to Kamiki, his mind made up.  "I will allow you to join us on the condition that I strengthen your demon blood, making you mostly, if not fully, a demon.  That way you will be unable to go back to the Vatican."

"Do it."  With those words, Kamiki sealed her fate.  Rin used the blood of her summons to strengthen the fox demon blood that already ran through her veins.  By the time the painful process was over, Kamiki had much more demonic features and a fox-like tail.

Once Kamiki had recovered from the ritual to strengthen her demon blood, she spoke with Rin about their other classmates.  She told him that Shiemi had refused to participate in the conflict, returning to her mother's shop and her grandmother's garden.  The boys had also stayed out of the conflict, but she wasn't sure where they were currently.  Rin decided not to worry about them and focused instead on the one person she hadn't mentioned.

"What has Yukio decided to do?" Amaimon gave voice to the question that was on Rin's mind.

Kamiki looked away, refusing to meet Rin's earnest gaze.  Whatever she was about to say would be hard to hear.