When in Gehenna

A Rock and A Hard Place

Yukio was torn.  He could see the war that was already starting, but he didn't know what to do.  On one side, there was the Vatican.  Yukio had been training to be an exorcist since he was a small child, telling himself that he wanted to be able to protect his brother.  However, deep down, Yukio realized that what he really wanted was to be able to protect his brother from himself.  He had known that should Rin ever discover the truth, the only way to protect him from demons would be to kill him.  On the other side of the war, there was his brother, Rin, the boy he had betrayed.  Yukio believed it was his fault that Rin embraced his demonic heritage.  If he had only tried to help his brother, risking the emotional attachment that could form, Rin would never have willingly stepped through that portal.   Part of Yukio felt that he now owed it to the only family he had left to join Rin's side.

As Yukio debated his course of action, he was forced to come to terms with the fact that he had betrayed and hurt Rin in the worst way.  Even worse, he didn't really regret his choices up until the day Rin left.  On that day, he should have killed Rin before it was too late.  Ever since he had been trying to convince Rin that the Demons were wrong and the Exorcists were right.  Although he did love his brother, he loved the Human in his brother.  If Rin had chosen to embrace his humanity again and suppress his demon side, Yukio would have welcomed him back to the Exorcist program and helped him with the Vatican.  However, Rin had clearly fallen too far and now wanted nothing to do with Yukio.  Yukio had wasted his last few meetings with Rin chasing  a dream that could never be.  

A few weeks into the war, Angel approached Yukio directly.

"So, young exorcist, have you come to a decision yet?"

"How can I choose?  I know what I need to do, but I have never been able to do it in the past.  I gave my life to the Vatican and abandoned my brother.  How can I side against either of them?"

"We need you.  You knew Rin best, and his classmates have refused to work directly against him.  Help us stop the terror before the demons and their friends take over the world.  Shiro would never have wanted this."

"I honestly don't know if I can kill my brother.  I have aimed my gun at him twice, and he walked away both times.  Why would now be any different?" Yukio hung his head in shame.

"You know you can do this.  That demon is no longer your brother.  They say that he is now Satan's heir, the Crown Prince of the Demon Realm.  Shiro warned you when you chose this path that you would need to protect Rin.  Now, you need to protect him from himself, from the demon within him." Angel's voice was soft and coaxing.

Yukio didn't reply.  His mind was whirling.  It all came down to this: should he take action in this war, or should he stay to the side and let things happen as they may?  Yukio knew he could never side with Gehenna.  It would go against everything he believed in and everything he was.  So was he now ready to kill his brother, or was he ready to step aside and do nothing, betraying the cause he had dedicated his life to since he was so very young?  Deep down, he knew that the choice he faced was not really a choice at all.  From the day he decided to become an exorcist, wanting to protect others from the horrors he had seen, his choice had been made.  If demons were allowed free reign on Assaiah, without the Vatican to police their activity, the world would fall into chaos.  Demons were unable to coexist peacefully.  The very idea went against everything he had been taught and everything he had experienced.  To do nothing would be almost as bad as joining the armies of Gehenna.

"I  will help you.  I choose to side with the Vatican in this war.  Rin must be stopped.  Before, I was weak and lacked resolve.  However, I now know that I was lying to myself.  The moment Rin's demon blood was awakened, he needed to be put down.  Nothing will stop me from doing what I must this time.  The only way to save Rin is to destroy him."  Yukio's eyes hardened with resolve as he spoke.

Angel smiled as he placed a hand on Yukio's shoulder, guiding him to the door.  He couldn't wait to see the look on that demon scum's face when he was brought face to face with his brother.  Things were really starting to look up for the exorcists.