Present Day…
The weather was finally starting to change and the summer breeze had turned into a chilly wind. The leaves are turning different shades of brown, bright orange and reds creating a vivid picture of color surrounding the city of Roth.
Rin was outside tending to his plants that he decided to plant over the summer. It wasn't much but it made his shabby home look a little nicer. Over the summer he had been tending to his plants in between the times he would train with Nessa or go out on dates with Leah.
Over the last couple of months, he and Leah grew even closer and as he squatted in the yard pruning the baby rose bushes that grew in the yard, Rin couldn't wait to see Leah again in just under an hour.
When Leah would come over Rury and Arty would tease Rin relentlessly but it made Rin smile. He was beginning to enjoy opening up to not only Leah, but his makeshift family as well. However, his situation with Kief had remained the same. Whenever Rin saw Kief, he would be short and curt with Rin and otherwise would make himself scarce. Not that it was out of the ordinary but he rarely saw Cura either. Over the summer the two of them would act distant and Rin couldn't help but feel at a loss over what the cause could be.
Rin put the gardening shears down and called out to Rury and Arty who were playing in the yard. "I'm going to go in now to get ready for tonight. You two make sure you head back inside before it gets late." He only got giggles in response as both Rury and Arty were too engrossed in their game of tag to pay attention to Rin. He shook his head and headed inside to change.
Passing through the narrow hall he almost ran straight into Kief as he was exiting the dining room. The two stared at each other before Rin shifted on his feet, at a loss for what to say. Kief pursed his lips and then said, "Rin, be careful on your way out tonight." And with that Kief bypassed Rin and headed out the door. Rin looked at the empty space which Kief just preoccupied and felt a slow sense of alarm creep into his heart but decided to swallow it back down and get ready for his date with Leah.
.
.
.
Rin was walking to the meeting spot he and Leah picked to meet each other. Upon arriving he sat on a bench in a courtyard waiting for Leah's arrival when his phone chimed. Pulling it out he saw it was a text from Nessa.
Rin smiled as he put his phone back in his pocket. Just then he heard a familiar voice which made his heart skip a bit.
"Rin, you're early," said Leah as she plopped next to him. She wrapped her arm around his and leaned into Rin.
Rin couldn't help but look down and place a kiss on top of Leah's head. He was the happiest he had ever been. Being in Human Plane had caused significant changes in the demon. He wasn't sure that he would be welcomed here, but he wanted to stay. Even if his powers never fully returned, as long as he had enough to protect what really mattered to him, he would be content.
Standing up, he reached a hand out to Leah and said, "Let's go." Leah took his hand with a smile and they set off to enjoy their time together. They went to get some early dinner, watched another shit movie that Leah suggested, got ice cream, and took a walk around the park. They talked about everything that they could not wanting the blissful moment to end. Mostly, it was Leah telling Rin how she grew up, her distant parents, and what her plans for the future were.
"I want to get out of this city one day Rin," Leah said as she held his hand firmly. "I'm preparing to take my university entrance exams and even though the one I want to get into is an hour away, I've never wanted anything more." Leah told Rin this while staring at the ground before she spoke again. "What do you want to do after high school Rin? You never told me where you want to go."
"I haven't decided Leah," Rin said as they walked around the park holding hands. "There's a lot to consider."
"Don't you want to be near me? Why don't you just take the entrance exam for my university?" Leah asked.
"I…don't know Leah. I can't just leave Ruru and Arty since they depend on me so much and besides…" Rin couldn't tell Leah he was a demon currently training with a former god to stop an imminent threat.
The two walked for a while before they walked through the trees in a secluded part of the park. It was right on the river that ran through the city and near the bank there was a large tree. They beelined for the tree and sat down taking in the sounds of the rushing water and crickets chirping.
"Rin, how come you never tell me anything about yourself?" Leah suddenly broke their silence and looked at Rin. "You never told me how you grew up, how you came to live with Mr. Raggon, what you want to do in the future! You never tell me anything…Do you not trust me?"
Rin could feel the anxiety building in his chest. He shook his head before saying, "It's not that I don't want to Leah…It's just that I don't want to put you in danger. If you knew who I really am…You'd run."
Leah looked confused before speaking, "Rin, how could you ever be anything other than the boy who I love. You mean so much to me and you don't see that. I could never be an any danger, not while you're by my side." Leah grabbed Rin's face and stared into his eyes.
Rin was at a loss for words. Leah had confessed her love to him and he had not counted on the fact that he would feel like his whole world had suddenly turned upside down. Someone loved him and it was a human at that. He didn't know how to reconcile his feelings so he acted impulsively.
Grabbing Leah's hands that rested on his cheeks, he tilted his head down and kissed her. He kissed her feverishly and leaned into her. Lowering Leah to the ground he slid his mouth over hers wildly as he lay on top of her. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as their tongues danced. A moan escaped Leah as she deepened her kiss with Rin. All of Rin's senses were in a state of disarray before his back stiffened and he suddenly broke the kiss.
The timing was terrible and it made him angry. Leah, still left breathless from their kiss, started to ask Rin what was wrong when she saw the look on Rin's face. He looked positively pissed off. She didn't know what to make of his sudden change in demeanor when Rin suddenly spoke.
"I can sense you asshole." Rin said softly.
Letting go of Leah, Rin got to his feet scanning the surrounding area. Suddenly, he looked back and took a defensive stance. There was a demonic presence lurking nearby. It had been watching him and Leah and wasn't trying very hard to conceal it's presence. It wanted to make itself known for some reason. Rin knew that if he fought the demon here, he would be outed as a demon to Leah and potentially the others. It was the worst case scenario.
Leah slowly got to her feet and pressed herself against Rin's back. She was scared at Rin's sudden change and had no idea what was happening.
"Rin, what is going on?" Leah asked as she held onto Rin. "Is someone here?"
Rin ignored Leah's question and waited for the demon to make its move. Knowing they were in a stalemate Rin looked down at Leah and finally spoke.
"Leah, I can only apologize for keeping secrets from you. I didn't want you to get involved in this because I wanted to keep you safe." Leah's face grew concerned but before she could respond, Rin had shook off her grip and lifted his right hand.
Closing his eyes, Rin focused on gathering dark energy in his right palm. Leah stared at Rin's palm until she could finally start to see something forming there. It looked like charging energy, but it was black and heavy. The hairs on her arms stood up and she suddenly felt dread. As if her legs started to move on their own, she backed away slowly from Rin.
The black orb of energy in Rin's palm was growing bigger and bigger until it was the size of a basketball. Suddenly Rin let out a yell and threw his hand forward aiming at bushes straight ahead of him. The ball of energy exploded on contact and soon nothing was left in that direction but branches and leaves. Birds that were nested in nearby trees suddenly took flight creating a chaotic scene.
Leah screamed and dropped to her knees. Her hands were on her face as she stared in disbelief. Rin wasn't human. Fear crept into her heart as she looked to Rin to see him focused on a spot to the left of them. She turned to see what Rin was looking at and saw it was a tall man. He seemed to be out of place, his style of clothes was at least five centuries old. The robes he wore were the purest of black and the sash he wore was just as dark. His hair fell in a curtain around his gaunt face. His eyes were sunken in, making him look ill. He had a smile on his face as his eyes darted between Rin and Leah.
Rin couldn't believe his eyes. This being wasn't from Human Plane standing before him but a demon from Demon Plane. It wasn't just any low level demon like the one he encountered at the temple burial grounds, but this one was strong. Too strong. There was no way Rin could defeat a demon of this caliber at his current state. He could call Nessa but he doubted his knew foe would give him the opportunity. He had to find a way to send the demon away or at least damage him, so he could escape with Leah.
Leah was shivering as she sat on the cold hard ground. Looking between the man and Rin she couldn't make sense of it. Rin had shot energy out of his palm! She was about to hyperventilate when she finally snapped out of it and calmed herself down. Rin was trying
to protect her. He's not going to harm her. She had to hang in there until the threat was gone. Assuming Rin wasn't also a threat…
"What do you want demon?" Rin finally said. "You come here clearly to taunt me. What business do you have with me?" Rin had lifted his palm again and concentrated on gathering energy while he spoke. He wanted to get rid of this demon as quickly as possible.
The demon smiled and spoke. "Oh little demon has questions. There's a lot eyes on this demon. Does he not know?"
Rin's brows furrowed in confusion. Nessa had mentioned Rin had enemies but was this demon before him one?
"Explain. I don't have time for games. What is your purpose here?" Rin was growing tired of this demon, but he needed to stall to gather more energy in his palm.
The demon smiled once again but now, the smile was strange. It's teeth were now covered in black blood, which now seeped out the sides of his lips. His eyes became bloodshot and when the demon blinked black tears now streamed down his face.
"I'm here to make your life hell little demon. I will make sure you make your way back home for good. But for now…let's play."
The demon then held out his hands in front of him and suddenly a black scythe sword appeared in his hands. Without missing a beat, he came charging at Rin with such speed Rin only had a second to pick Leah up and leap into the tree above. The tip of the sword had barely missed Rin and only the disturbed ground remained where Rin once stood.
The sword was embedded into the ground when the demon grunted and pulled the sword back up staring up at the tree with a dark smile. Rin didn't waste any time. He retreated deeper into the forest while carrying Leah. She would scream every time Rin used a tree branch for leverage to kick up and sail through the air in their escape.
"Leah I'm sorry," Rin said between pants, "I will get you out of this alive, I swear."
Leah was too frightened to speak. She just held on to Rin's neck and said a silent prayer. They retreated for quite a while before Rin landed on a branch and looked back. He didn't sense the demon anymore. Odd, the demon came only to toy with Rin. He didn't really want to fight seriously. This frustrated Rin more than anything, but he decided Leah's safety was more important.
Rin jumped from the branch down onto the ground and set Leah down on her feet. She was wobbly and disoriented so he placed his hands on her shoulder to help steady her. She snapped her gaze to Rin and her expression was mixed with a look of awe and fear.
"Leah…," Rin started but didn't finish his sentence.
"Rin…just what are you?! Who was that man? Tell me what's going on?" Leah looked desperate and Rin could see fear was starting to win in her face. Before Rin could answer another voice answered instead from behind Rin and Leah.
"He's a demon, Leah. Can't you see?" A figure suddenly appeared and another wave of anxiety hit Rin. It was Zel. Just when did he show up? Rin thought to himself. This wasn't good. Leah, he could deal with but Zel had been cautious around Rin for quite some time now. Even more so, since Leah and Rin started to date. He kept his distance from Rin but would still occasionally speak to Leah. It was if Zel had cut Rin out of his life.
Zel walked to where Rin and Leah stood before speaking again. "Leah, I told you to stay away from Rin, for good reason. He's dangerous." Zel looked to be angry. His fist was shaking at his side and the look he was giving Rin told him everything he needed to know. Zel hated him. The look Zel gave Rin was one of full contempt.
Rin didn't back down and instead asked Zel, "how long did you know?" Rin was curious as to when Zel had known Rin was not human. No ordinary human would be able to notice unless they had seen Rin use his powers like Leah had.
"For quite a while. I knew you were always different from the moment I set eyes on you. You're so mysterious," Zel said mockingly before continuing, "But even then, you seemed normal. It wasn't until that day I went to your house, when that strange woman spiritualist showed up. Your reactions and the way you were nervous around her made me suspicious. But I pushed it to the side because I thought of you as my friend. But after watching you seduce Leah and get her into you clutches, I began to keep tabs on you. And I'm glad I did."
Zel stepped closer to Rin and was now inches from his face when he spoke. "I saw you that day in the woods with that woman."
Rin's face paled at this. How did he not know Zel was close. He admittedly was shocked by Nessa's presence and her attack, so it was possible he overlooked Zel's presence. After all he was nothing more than a human. Nessa's aura was such a force that night, it was all Rin could think about in the moment.
Rin frowned and pushed Zel away from him. "Zel, you like sticking your nose in other people's affairs. This has nothing to do with you, so back off," Rin said through gritted teeth.
Zel let out a small laugh before saying, "Leah is my business! You are no good for her! You're only going to get her killed. And it'll be a cold day in hell before I allow you to do that Rin."
Rin laughed and said, "You don't know what you're saying Zel. You couldn't protect her even if you wanted her. I'm the only one who can. You're nothing more than a mere human! What can you do?"
"I'm a human too Rin…," Leah finally spoke in barely a whisper. "What does that make me in your eyes." Leah looked at Rin with all seriousness as she spoke those words and Rin couldn't help but feel chaffed at her words.
"Leah…I just meant that I could protect you. I'm sorry I've been lying to you all this time. I just wanted to keep you from getting mixed up in everything." Rin was trying to explain and was sounding more and more desperate.
"Then start by telling me who you really are and where you really come from," Leah said sternly.
Rin waited a beat and then closed his eyes. "I…I come from Demon Plane. I came to Human Plane almost nineteen years ago." This was not something he wanted to discuss with Leah but had no choice.
Rin grabbed Leah's shoulders and continued, "I possessed the embryo of a pregnant human woman. I devoured its soul and took over its growing body…"
Leah backed out of Rin's grip and covered her mouth with her hands in shock, while Zel stood there with a wide-eyed expression as Rin continued.
"I had no choice. I had to recover my body from an attack in Demon Plane, so I had to obtain a host body. An embryo was just an obvious choice."
Rin swallowed before continuing his story, he had to leave out some other parts as he wasn't so sure as to how they would react to his story after being born. How do you exactly tell your girlfriend and friend that you murdered your own parents and went of to live with a demented old man who found you and looked after you for four years?
"After I was born, me and my parents didn't get along. They were former Spiritualists and knew who I was shortly after I was born. They hated me. After some time I went to live with an old man, who took care of me until he died. After that, I went to live with Kief. That's all. There's nothing more to tell." Rin prayed that would be enough.
"I know you're lying," Zel sneered and walked past Rin and stood next to Leah. He extended his hand to her and said, "Leah, we are leaving. You need to come with me."
Leah looked torn and didn't know what to do. She looked at Rin and back to Zel as tears slipped past her cheeks. She finally looked at Rin and asked, "Rin? Are you still lying to me?" Her eyes were pleading.
Rin swallowed and finally said, "Everything I do is to protect you." He said nothing more.
Leah looked angry at this and said through angry tears, "then how can I trust you Rin?" taking Zel's outstretched hand she turned to leave with Zel before turning her head looking Rin in the eyes once more.
"You scare me, Rin. You scare me because you can't be honest with me and tell me the truth. You can't protect me."
Leah turned around and faced Zel with hot tears streaming down her face.
"Let's go, Zel."
Rin could only stare and watch as Zel lead the girl he loved away.