Narratives of a Lone Wolf [Rin Okumura x OC]

4.. Who Raised You?

I couldn't believe this. I knew he was an idiot. I didn't think he was crazy too.

"What do you mean you have cram school?" I asked as I stalked behind the elder Okumura twin. It was the end of the school day and we were currently making our way through the long, ornate hallways weaving through throngs of students. I was looking forward to returning to the dorm, but apparently Rin had other plans.

"What? Do you need me to spell it out for you too?" He jeered. We rounded a corner and the crowd thinned immediately. This was a dead end, adorned on each side with trophy cases. The only room in this stubbed wing was the men's toilet.

"You're Satan's son. Why the hell would you want to become an exorcist?" I asked, completely perplexed by his desires.

"Simple. Because I want to beat the shit out of him."

I froze then. He had zero reservations about it. Didn't even think twice before answering. He was dead ass serious.

I growled. How could he say it so flippantly? Satan had created him. The blood in his veins, the power of his flames, he owed all that to Him. How could he just decide to turn his back, to cut off all ties, just like that.

"Don't you feel guilty? He's your dad," I blurted out. I couldn't help it. I needed to know. Because this was a personal problem too, one that I struggled with.

"He's not my dad," Rin said adamantly.

"Huh?"

"I may owe my existence to Him, but He's not my dad."

I thought a bit about what he was saying. My father was a half wolf demon. But I practically knew nothing about him. He died a few months after I was born. Mephisto had raised me. And he was a full-fledged demon. Yet Mephisto had chosen the path of an exorcist. I didn't get it. How could they do that? It was like choosing to kill family. I wondered if knowing more about Rin's dad would give me insight into his choices.

"Who was your dad then?"

"Shiro. Shiro Fujimoto."

My mouth fell open.

"Like the paladin?"

"The what?"

He was going to exorcist cram school and he didn't know what a paladin was. Unbelievable.

"Give me your textbook."

He stared at me quizzically.

"The cram school one." A reluctant clarification, but much needed because I wasn't sure just how big of an idiot he really was.

Grumbling in annoyance when he realized I wasn't going to explain further, he rummaged through his messenger bag and procured what I'd asked for.

I flipped to the first lesson, finding the flowchart with ease. I'd read the book a hundred times already. I just never committed myself to its licensed study. Again, it was a personal issue; one that I didn't quite know how to get over yet.

"The paladin is the top-ranking exorcist. It's a title given only to one person at a time. Shiro Fujimoto held it for the past 15 years."

Rin's jaw dropped.

"What the hell, how come Yukio never told me that," the half demon mumbled sourly.

"Maybe he thought you couldn't handle it," I teased.

"That bastard. I'm definitely going to make him eat my dust one day."

And there it was. That beacon of resilience. It was like he didn't care if nobody believed in him. Like he didn't care how unfair it was. Maybe he was used to it, fending for himself, sticking up for himself. Maybe he didn't have a choice. Because no one else would do it for him. Because he was Satan's son. His determination to fight the odds stacked against him was blinding to say the least. Rin didn't need flames to glow. He did that all on his own.

"I'll believe it," I whispered.

"What?" Rin asked, unable to make out my mumbling.

"I said, it's strange," I lied, "Why would the paladin want to raise Satan's sons? Wouldn't it have been smarter to kill them off when they were young and relatively powerless."

"Hey, have some tact! That's my old man you're talking about," Rin griped.

"Am I wrong though?"

Rin hummed in thought, resting his chin on the junction of his thumb and index finger.

"My old man was a lot of things. But he wasn't a follower. He wouldn't do something if he didn't think it was right. Sure, he was an exorcist. But maybe killing Satan's sons just didn't feel right to him somehow. Come to think of it, my dad actually just loved kids..."

"What, so he took you both in because he couldn't stand the thought of killing Satan's babies?"

"But that's what I'm saying. Satan's got nothing to do with it. He never did. Heck, I didn't even know the guy existed until a couple of weeks ago. Shiro was the one who raised me and Yukio. Not Satan. So, don't go lumping me in with Him."

By that logic, I could see how it was so easy for Rin to decide on killing Satan. He made Him the outsider. Something I couldn't afford to do.

"You're lucky you were raised by a human."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"It makes deciding to be an exorcist easier, to swear off your demon half. I don't have the luxury of doing that. I was raised by a demon. If I become an exorcist, I feel like I'm betraying them, like I'm betraying a part of myself."

"Yoko, are you stupid?"

"Excuse me?!"

"It doesn't matter whether you're human, demon or both. It doesn't matter who raised you either. You're not defined by them. You're defined by your actions. And only you get a say in that."

My eyes widened. I wasn't sure if autonomy was the answer I had been searching for.

"I'm a quarter wolf, Rin. What if I get orders to kill a wolf demon. They could have easily been my ancestor. Or what if I kill a coal tar not knowing it was my familiar's friend? Or what if circumstances lead me to have to hurt Amaimon's Behemoth? Oh hell, he'd never forgive me. Or what if..."

Rin cried out in aggravation.

"Stop with the what ifs already. You're making my head hurt."

Seeing my flustered expression, he furiously scratched the back of his head trying to find words for something he had known all his life. Something that was second nature. Something he had learned innately from all the years of watching Shiro.

"For someone so smart, you can be incredibly dumb," he grumbled. "Just trust yourself. Go for it if it feels right. Don't if it doesn't. Simple as that."

I liked how straight forward he was about everything. Almost like he used his gut rather than his head. But maybe that's what made him so charming. To know that, although he was half demon, he wasn't interested in deceiving anyone. Maybe he just wasn't smart enough to. Or maybe, having been lied to his entire life, he just didn't want anyone else to have to go through what he did. Whatever the case, Okumura Rin, although not the brightest student, wasn't a bad guy. I could tell. Because no one else ever thought less.

I chuckled.

"What would it be like to see the world through your eyes?"

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. We should go. You'll be late for cram school."

Rin's eyes widened as if he just remembered he had another class to attend.

"Damn it. This is your fault, Yoko!" He grumbled, digging around in his pocket. "Dragging me down memory lane like that."

I shrugged.

"You didn't have to entertain me."

Rin stopped digging, pulling a brass key from his uniform.

"And risk getting my tail pulled, instead? Forget it. I know you don't like repeating yourself."