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Chapter Text

Rin grumbled to himself, trudging through Gehenna clumsily, trying to keep sleep from overpowering him.

"Damn defiant demons," he muttered tiredly. "I can never catch a break."

Rin paused, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He stretched and continued on.

His eyes slipped shut for a few moments, but he opened them immediately afterward.

Those few moments were just enough.

Rin stumbled, tripping, and sent himself flying forward.

Unfortunately, defeating his father, Satan, and becoming King of Gehenna didn't make him less clumsy when he was tired.

Rin was awake in seconds, eyes wide in panic as he fell through a black hole.

A portal, it was. Gehenna existed in all dimensions and different portals led to different portions of Gehenna that lied in other universes.

Some portals led to other parts of Gehenna that lied in other worlds. Some led straight to the other worlds, landing demons in the other worlds on Assiah. Rin prayed he landed in the other portions of Gehenna.

Sadly, he had horrible luck. Maybe it was the curse of being Satan's son.

Rin blinked slowly, blurriness fading from his vision.

He stood up and dusted himself off, glancing at his surroundings.

He'd landed himself in Assiah. A different universe, though.

Rin's eyes caught the sign 'Amity Park' and cursed to himself.

He did not have time for things like this. Rin wondered if he could create a Gehenna Gate back, but abandoned the idea the moment it was created.

That would surely lead demons to the area. Rin couldn't feel any demonic presences in this world, leading him to believe that demons didn't come here often, if at all. Rin didn't want to be the cause of helping demons invade this world.

Bad luck seemed to trail him, for it was light out, not dark. It would be harder to hide now, if somebody hadn't seen him yet, at least.

Rin checked around, making sure nobody had seen him. Luckily, he was alone.

He looked down at his attire and grimaced. If someone saw his clothes, he was going to get some weird looks.

He wore a flaming, blue crown, along with a dark, navy cloak. He had a black, long-sleeved shirt with dark combat boots. Dark jeans with a chain hanging off one side hugged his legs. His sword was hanging off his shoulder in its sheath and red covering.

Rin scowled at how he was still in his demonic appearance, and scolded himself. What if someone had seen?

His ears were long, narrowed, and pointed. His teeth long, sharp, and prominent. Blue flaming horns adorned his head, and a blue flame flickered at the tip of his tail.

His nails were sharp, iris's jagged and sharp, as well. His pupils were a bright, slitted, blood red.

Rin's tail lashed back and forth behind him in annoyance.

During his battle with Satan, Rin had snapped his sword and took back his demon heart.

He'd always lost control before because he tried to reject them or control them. During Satan and his battle, Rin had accepted them instead.

When he rejected them, it meant Rin had feared the flames, allowing the flames to consume him. Doing this, his fear skyrocketed, not letting him be able to tell friend from foe, making him attack everything and everyone.

When he tried to control them, it was under the same circumstances. He tried to control them before accepting them. He had to accept them before he could control them.

Kurikara was mended afterward, and Rin was able to cover the sword in his flames, allowing the sword to be just as it had been before. It was now just a blue flaming, powered weapon. Rin was able to control his demon and human transitions by his own will now.

Unlike any other transformations, both his demon and human forms were his, meaning that even if he was tired or unconscious, whichever form he was in would stay intact unless he forced himself to switch.

Rin switched to his human appearance, flames and crown disappearing, ears shrinking, fangs shortening, and eyes going back to normal.

His iris's lost their jagged edge, as well as the pupils lost their blood red color.

His ears turned normal, but they were still pointed like an elf's.

His top and bottom canines weren't as long now, but they were still inhumanly sharp and pointed, but it could be easily passed off as a deformation, as well as his ears.

His tail was still visible, but the flames were gone, so he easily tucked it beneath his shirt and wrapped it securely around his waist.

His attire was still a problem, but not as big of one anymore since the crown was gone.

He took off the cloak, activating his flames to burn it. He would get a new one later.

Rin took Kurikara from its small, red bag and shoved the cloth into his pocket. He grimaced and pulled up his shirt, slowly pushing the sword into the seal that adorned his stomach. It was still a weird feeling.

Rin hummed and decided that his other clothes were suitable.

He glanced around and figured this part of the city was obviously very secluded, thankfully.

Rin walked about and found his way to the busy part of the city.

The first thing that caught his eye was the giant 'Fenton Works' sign on a UFO-type building. Below it was what Rin figured to be a house.

Before Rin could have anymore thoughts, screams were heard.

"Ghost!"

"Ghost?" Rin muttered, confused.

He looked up and followed the scream, only for his eyes to fall on a woman and a floating, green blob with red eyes.

"It's Invisobill!"

Rin raised an eyebrow, utterly amused by the idiotic name.

Rin saw the person dubbed 'Invisobill'.

It was another ghost, obviously. He looked very human, but he glowed and had toxic, glowing green eyes with snow white hair. He wore a black tunic, and white cargo pants with black stripes going down the sides. He wore black combat boots and white, fingerless gloves with a belt that had some kind of thermos attached to it. A white 'D' with a black 'P' hung on a small chain around his neck.

His demon hearing picked up on the ghost's mutterings. "It's Danny Phantom. Get it right. Gosh, that name is so ridiculous..."

Rin chuckled to himself, realizing quickly that Danny Phantom did not choose to be called Invisobill.

Phantom punched the green blob and sent it flying. It hit the street, and Phantom unhooked the thermos, opening it and pointed a beam of light towards the blob. It was sucked into the container, and Phantom flew off.

'So, this universe has ghosts? And it's own ghostly superhero?' Rin thought.

Rin frowned when he recognized the scents. The green blob gave off a rotting corpse scent, a dead scent. Phantom gave off the same, but only half. The other half of his scent was an alive smell, nature and life.

It was possible that the boy was only half ghost, but Rin didn't have any proof, so he was going to make no assumptions.

Rin wandered the streets, glancing at everything he could set his eyes on. Knowledge of this world and town could prove useful in the future.

Rin wasn't paying attention and slammed into a person.

Rin wobbled, but regained his bearings and caught the other person that was still falling towards the cement.

His hand clutched a petite, pale one. A girl, he realized.

Rin pulled her upright and blushed. "Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

The girl laughed. "Me neither. We're both to blame, I guess."

She had short black hair, and a portion was pulled into a small ponytail at the back of her head near the top. She had violet eyes and a black crop top with a people circle in the center, a black skirt lined with green on her hips. She wore purple lipstick and black combat boots.

Before he could say anything, two boys came running up behind her. "Sam!" They both cried, "Don't go running ahead!"

One was cocoa skinned with a red beret placed atop his head. He had forest-green eyes and glasses, some type of tech in hand. He wore green cargo shorts and a yellow, long-sleeved shirt. His boots were brown.

The other boy smelled exactly like Phantom and looked exactly like him, only inverse. He had messy, raven black hair and bright, ice blue eyes. He wore a white tee with a red circle, normal jeans, and red and white sneakers.

This confirmed Rin's theory. This boy was definitely Phantom. He was definitely half ghost. Rin could hear the boy's slow, but existing heartbeat.

"Sorry," the girl apologized to her friends. "but you guys are slow."

"I'm tired for a reason," the boy, Danny, whined. "You know that."

"Okay," the girl rolled her eyes. She turned her attention back toward Rin, speaking, "Sorry, again. I'm Sam Manson."

"Rin Okumura," Rin replied, nodding his head.

"Who's this?" The brown-skinned boy asked.

"We bumped into each other." Rin blushed. "I wasn't paying attention."

Danny laughed. "Well, I'm Danny Fenton. Nice to meet you."

Rin grinned, much to the three friend's astonishment. Rin was sure he looked feral, smiling like that with his fangs. Danny Phantom? Danny Fenton? Rin supposed the only reason the kid could keep his secret was because nobody would ever expect someone to be half dead, half alive.

"I'm Tucker Foley. TF as in Too Fine to the ladies." Tucker grinned.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Shut it, Foley. Girls don't like you, and you know it."

Tucker pouted, but didn't object.

Danny chuckled. "You know it's true, man."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Tucker mumbled.

Rin found a nostalgic feeling from Tucker. He reminded Rin of Shima.

Rin suddenly remembered the 'Fenton Works' building he'd seen. "You live in that giant UFO? No offense."

"Yeah." Danny sighed. "My parents are ghost hunters."

'Oh!' Rin cringed. 'Tough luck, ghost boy.'

"Are you new? I've never seen you around school," Sam asked.

"Uh, yeah. I just moved here." Rin smiled awkwardly.

"Well, we'll be seeing you." Danny waved. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Rin copied, and the trio was off.

"I don't have time for school," Rin murmured, "So, I guess we won't be seeing each other again."

Chapter Text

Rin didn't notice how time swept by him so quickly. It was dark before he knew what hit him.

"Damn, I'm getting distracted," Rin muttered, "I need to find a place to sleep, first off."

Rin wandered for a short amount of time, searching for any place that was secluded and where nobody stepped foot in.

He wandered around the back of the city, finding a small, abandoned, dirty wooden shack. It looked as if it was once used as a shed. It wasn't much, but it would do. He'd had much worse sleeping conditions before.

He stepped inside and searched for the cleanest spot he could manage to find. He swept away the dust and curled up in it.

It was uncomfortable, curling up like that. Rin had a better idea, but didn't know if he could master it.

Supposedly, Rin had some sort of animal form. Mephisto's was a dog, Amaimon's was a hamster, and from what he'd heard, Satan's had been a white wolf.

He'd been practicing and it had gotten easier to transform into it, but it was still a skill he had yet to completely master.

Rin shrugged it off, transforming anyway.

His animal form was a wolf, like father like son, but his wolf was black like his hair and had the same, deep, blue eyes his human form held.

He curled up again, this time more comfortably, and drifted off, pushing away his worries for tomorrow.

The bright sun awoke him, streaming through the cracks in the small shack.

Rin yawned and stretched, blinking away the sleepiness. He shook his fur, padding out the front of the shack.

He shifted back to his human form and cracked his back, the bones being shifted back into proper place.

Rin surveyed the area, but his stomach growled before he could do anymore searching.

He frowned, wondering how he was going to get food without any money. He never carried his wallet with him in Gehenna. That was a stupid idea, since he now regretted that.

Rin continued to rack his mind for any way to find easy money, but the only idea that came to mind was getting a job, pick pocketing, or searching for some on the streets.

He needed an ID to get a job, and even if he had one, his age would consider him to be in school, meaning he'd only get part time.

Rin didn't want to pick pocket. That's the last thing Rin wanted to resort to. He wasn't a thief.

Picking up money off the streets was a luck's game. It was highly unlikely Rin would find anything more than a couple quarters or pennies.

Rin huffed. He didn't have many options, and Rin was sure he'd starve to death in a week if he didn't get food soon.

Rin, in desperation, searched for loose change in his pockets, but came up short. His pockets were empty of anything except the red bag he'd stuffed into one while trying to hide his sword and other attire.

Rin refused to beg for money on the streets. Maybe it was his stubbornness, or maybe it was just his pride that kept him from degrading himself like that.

Rin tugged at his black, navy blue-tinted hair. He was supposed to find a way home, and he couldn't do that without having some sort of food source. He needed some type of energy.

Food source! That was it! He didn't need to buy any food, he could hunt for some!

The problem was, he didn't know if the city had any wild animals. Rabbits, birds, and squirrels would do, but Rin wondered if there was any bigger animals around, like deer.

Rin stopped himself from drooling, shaking off the thoughts of a big, juicy, deer.

'Focus, Rin!' He yelled mentally.

From the looks of it, there wouldn't be many big animals, only smaller ones. Maybe farther out were some deer, but Rin wasn't going to travel a few miles just to get a deer when a few rabbits and birds would do the trick.

Hunting for food was not a new concept for Rin. Plenty of exorcist missions led his friends and him to learn to hunt for food, since some missions lasted for days, even weeks or months. Rin had always suggested using his flames to make the fire, but it usually attracted demons, and the group agreed that it was better to learn how to make one naturally since Rin wouldn't always be there to light one for them. Rin didn't object, since the statement was very true.

Fortunately, demons didn't come to this world and his group wasn't with him, so he would be able to cook the food with his flames.

Rin came across an oblivious rabbit. It was just sitting there, nosing the ground and slowly hopping. Rin drooled at the sight of meat, creeping up behind the small beast. His stealth had improved immensely over the past few months. He had the Demon Kings' help for that. After becoming King, Rin demanded training with his flames and other yet-to-be-discovered demon abilities. He had discovered quite a few with the training his half brothers provided him.

He also discovered he was able to turn himself into a floating orb of blue light. It was used to travel quickly, slip through small spaces, and even possess. Rin would never have the nerve to do that though, since he didn't know if his power would kill the host like Satan's power did. He'd never tried to possess anyone or anything before, and he didn't want to get negative results, so he skipped the topic of possession.

Rin lunged, easily killing the small mammal by sinking his fangs into its neck. The rabbit went limp and Rin detached his mouth, spitting to get rid of the hair that clung to his tongue.

He carried the bunny back to his small hideout and placed it on the grass behind it. He grabbed lose twigs on the ground and picked up multiple small rocks to make a small circle to contain the fire. Once that was complete, Rin let a blue flame light the twigs, but kept it at low power as to not melt the stones or disintegrate the twigs and ground.

Rin pulled his sword from the seal on his stomach, impaling the body onto the blade and held it over the fire, turning it back and forth slowly, just so it cooked evenly.

Rin was glad for his talent of cooking. Too bad he had no seasonings.

On the way to Casper High, Tucker suddenly stopped, causing Sam to crash into his back.

"What-? Tucker, keep moving!" She growled.

Danny paused and turned around to face his two friends. "What's up?"

"I smell meat," Tucker told them, sniffing the air. "It's rabbit."

"Rabbit?" Danny raised a brow. "Who cooks rabbit nowadays?"

"It's rabbit," Tucker said in a firm tone. "I know it is. My nose has never failed me before. It's definitely rabbit."

"Even if it is rabbit," Sam sighed. "who would cook rabbit for breakfast? It's about 7:00 in the morning."

"I'm not sure." Danny shrugged. "Tucker, can you tell where it's coming from?"

Tucker sniffed the air again. "It's coming from the east. Not even a mile away."

"Why do you two even care?" Sam huffed. "Let's get to school."

Danny nodded, and the group was walking towards Casper High again.

'Whoever's cooking that rabbit, they've got talent,' Tucker thought, trying to keep from drooling. 'It smells really good!'

Chapter Text

Rin licked his lips after finishing his meal.

"Mm." Rin hummed. "Juicy!"

The King of Gehenna stood up, stretching and put out the fire.

He ruffled his own hair, trudging back towards civilization.

He had some exploring to do.

Danny's ghost sense went off, and his hand shot up immediately.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton?" Mr. Lancer asked, his tone irritated.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Danny asked desperately. Sam and Tucker looked at him, concerned, but knowingly.

"Yes, Mr, Fenton." Mr. Lancer sighed, knowing that denying the boy would lead nowhere.

"Thanks!" Danny exclaimed, out the door before the word was even finished.

Once Danny made it to the stalls, he went ghost and flew through the ceiling, scanning the area for any enemies.

"Which ghost is it this time?" Danny questioned quietly.

A whirring noise grabbed Danny's attention, and he ducked before being hit by a flying ecto-gun shot.

"We have you now, Phantom!" Jack exclaimed in triumph.

"Oh no," Danny muttered dejectedly. "Mom and Dad..."

Danny zoomed off in the direction his ghost sense was pulling him, his Mom screaming at him.

"Come back here, ghost scum!"

Danny ignored her, continuing to fly in the direction of the ghost.

Rin strolled through Amity, surveying the seemingly normal city.

People bustled about, mostly adults since teens and kids were in school at this hour.

Rin, though he didn't want to admit it, was excited about the prospect of a different universe.

This dimension's ghosts were different from the ones exorcists in his world took care of, but they were still ghosts, and Rin was sure he could handle himself against one if need be, even without his flames.

That was the other thing. He'd been forced to train his combat skills without using his flames, since there was always a chance he'd have to fight in front of someone who didn't know his secret. Yukio encouraged it enough before, but Rin hadn't really doted on the subject much until he realized how defenseless he was without his flames after his battle with Satan.

Rin heard a slight whirring sound with his enhanced demon hearing, looking up to see some type of robot.

It looked male. He had a few weapons on him, but Rin suspected he had more than just the visible ones stowed away. He was tall and bulky with green eyes and a flaming green Mohawk and goatee.

The ghost robot spoke in a deep voice. "Where is the ghost child?"

"Right here, metal head!" An echoing voice mocked.

Rin turned his head to see Danny in his ghost form. He had his fists up, blazing with green energy and ready to battle.

"Don't you ever give up?" Danny rolled his eyes. "I mean, seriously, Skulker! You're never going to catch me! It's just not what destiny has in store for you."

"Your destiny is being the pelt at the foot of my bed, whelp!" Skulker roared.

Skulker activated two cannons from his shoulders and shot them, sending two large, green blasts at Danny.

Danny gracefully dodged, grinning. "Is that really all you've got? I think you're losing your touch."

"The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter never loses his touch!" Skulker raged and attacked again.

Danny easily dodged, throwing a super strength-induced punch at his opponent.

It landed on Skulker's head, sending the metal appendage flying.

Rin momentarily wondered if the ghost's head was gone, but the robot's body fell, and Danny pulled out a small, green, frog thing from the severed head.

"I am Skulker! The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter! I will not be defeated!" Skulker screamed, his voice now squeaky and high.

Rin tried to hold back his laughter.

"Yeah, yeah." Danny chuckled and waved his spare hand. "Whatever you say."

Danny uncapped the thermos and sucked Skulker in, flying away right after.

Rin stared after the half ghost. 'You're a real hero, Danny,' Rin thought proudly. 'Throwing your grades away and being hunted by your parents, yet still trying to do the right thing.'

"I saw Rin when I was fighting Skulker," Danny told his friends during lunch.

"Really?" Sam asked in shock.

"Shouldn't he be in school?" Tucker wondered.

"Well, we haven't seen him today," Danny said dismissively. "He might be homeschooled."

"If he's homeschooled, I wonder how his parents teach him," Tucker said aloud in thought.

"I wonder what his parents are like," Sam grumbled, "I mean, who lets their kid go wandering around a town they just moved to by themself, especially with ghosts attacking every minute!?"

Tucker shrugged, shoving what was supposed to be the cafeteria's lunch meat into his mouth. "Everyone else is usually okay, so it can't be that bad. Besides, Rin seems like someone who can take care of himself."

"What was Rin's reaction?" Tucker asked, "Seeing two ghosts fighting?"

"Honestly," Danny chuckled. "he looked very amused."

"Not the least bit frightened?" Sam wondered in slight shock.

"No, not really. He seemed particularly calm," Danny told them.

"Maybe he's used to weird stuff," Tucker theorized.

"Weirder than ghosts?" Danny laughed. "I doubt it."

Rin became perplexed when a similar scent to Danny's hit him.

Danny's was dead and alive, smelling of a mixture containing a smoldering, rotting corpse and pine with a bit of lemon.

This scent was also dead and alive, but it smelled of a mixture containing a contaminated, toxic rotting corpse with a smell that was disgustingly bitter.

Rin followed the scent with his eyes, and they landed on a man.

He had silver hair that was tied into a ponytail and a silver beard. He had dark, blue eyes and a smug look on his face. His eyes had an evil intent lingering in them. The man wore a fancy suit as well.

One look into the man's soul sent Rin reeling. This man was on a one-way trip to Gehenna.

Despite this, Rin was curious about the older male. Screwing with him would be good fun to occupy Rin's time.

Rin discreetly made his way toward the man, not directly, pretending to wander on the sidewalk just behind him.

He looked vaguely familiar and realized that this man was Vlad Masters, the mayor of Amity Park.

Rin had seen him on a couple of billboards around town.

An evil half-ghost mayor? Danny definitely knew about this. Rin didn't doubt the kid's knowledge.

Rin stared at Vlad's back and grinned mischievously. This would be good.

"Excuse me, Mr. Masters?" Rin spoke up.

Vlad spun around to face Rin, his face was one of slight surprise.

"I'm sorry, my boy. I didn't see you there. I don't quite recognize you either. Are you new here?" Vlad asked once he'd regained his bearings.

"Yeah," Rin replied, "My parents and I just moved here. Anyway, I couldn't help but notice you from the other side of the street. You're the mayor, right?"

"Yes, that's me," Vlad answered, nodding.

"Well, I came over here to tell you something important. I actually just figured it out a few seconds ago," Rin said innocently.

"Oh? And what's that?" The elder asked.

"You're going to Hell," Rin bluntly replied.

Vlad's eyes widened, spluttering for a moment before deciding on the simple word, "What?"

"You're going to Hell, Mr. Masters." Rin grinned, fangs flashing dangerously.

Rin walked past the man, whispering one last thing before leaving. He was positive Vlad heard it.

"And I'll be waiting for you."

Chapter Text

Rin wasn't too worried about the stunt he'd pulled on Vlad. It could easily be put off as a stupid joke or prank. Scaring the man was well and fun, and nobody was hurt in the process, so Rin didn't mind too much that the man might be the slightest bit suspicious. Rin figured Vlad would put it off as some stupid joke anyway.

Vlad watched the kid walk off, mildly disturbed.

It was just some kid, most likely around Daniel's age and definitely not a threat. The 'going to Hell' statement was probably a childish joke the boy had wanted to pull.

Despite these reasonable assumptions, something about the kid gave Vlad goosebumps, and a slight doubt that it was all just a joke was implanted into his head.

Against the boy, Vlad somehow felt useless and weak. It was a feeling Vlad did not like and hated himself for feeling when faced with some harmless teenager.

Vlad inwardly scowled, temporarily convincing himself that maybe the nerves were caused by the teen's inhumanly sharp teeth.

Rin may have found the solution to food, but water and clothing was another thing entirely. There were no fresh-water sources for a few miles, and he only had one set of clothing.

He'd have to somehow find a job, but that thought made Rin cringe. Getting a job would set the Demon King back entirely on his mission to travel home. He'd have less time to figure out his game plan, but it was a necessary evil, Rin supposed.

There were three problems that came along with it. First, where would he find a job that he was good at? Second, was anyone hiring? Finally, where was he going to get an ID?

He could look around Amity to search for any hiring places, but the only job Rin could think of that he would be able to do at full ability was cooking.

He remembered seeing a place called 'The Nasty Burger' when he was wandering. It wasn't a very appealing name, but he'd seen the amount of teens there after school the day before. It was probably a popular hangout, and the food there couldn't be drop-dead disgusting if people went there so often.

On the other hand, Rin preferred to work somewhere where there was multiple food choices and different platters. Rin loved to expand his options on food, and cooking new dishes was always a welcomed challenge.

The Nasty Burger really only sold meat and the occasional salad. It wasn't very big on expanding its menu.

Rin licked his lips anxiously. He hadn't searched the whole city, and there were probably other places he could cook at.

Rin's eyes glinted with determination. It was time for him to get a job.

Rin smiled brightly when he came across a restaurant with a sign in the window that said 'Now Hiring.'

The restaurant was called 'Eclipse.' It was a modern restaurant, but when Rin took a look on the interior, it was nice.

He looked at the menu from the counter, reading over the almost endless list of dishes.

There were options for vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters, all of it!

Rin grinned eagerly. This was perfect! He wondered if they needed any cooks.

Rin cleared his throat. "Excuse me? I was wondering if I could get a job here?"

The woman at the desk raised an eyebrow. She had short, red hair and brown eyes. "Oh? You look a bit young."

"I'm sixteen," Rin said nervously, shifting on his feet.

"Sixteen?" The woman pursed her lips. "Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but the people who work here are professionals. You wouldn't fit in well. Start out with something easier."

Rin frowned and stared the woman in the eyes. "Look, I may be young, and I may not be a professional, but I can damn well cook. Give me a trial run. I won't let you down."

The woman stared into his eyes. She'd never seen such determination in one's eyes so young in a long time.

The deeper she looked, the boy's eyes seemed to bare the resemblance to a person who had seen war, death, and sorrow. His eyes looked like the eyes of a soldier who watched all of his comrades die in front of him. Despite looking fine, this boy had deep scars. Emotional, and hopefully none were physical.

He looked lost, in more ways than one.

"Let's see what you've got, kid." She agreed. "What's your name?"

"Rin Okumura," the boy answered, "What's yours?"

"You can call me Lizzy."

She brought him to the back of the kitchen, ignoring the looks her coworkers were giving her.

"Now," Lizzy started, "I want you to make something you know how-"

Rin cut her off, speaking, "If it's alright, I'm willing to try a new recipe. If I want to prove myself, then I guess I'd better prove myself capable of making a dish I've never made before. Besides, I welcome the challenge."

Lizzy stared at him, unblinking, before smiling. "You got it, kid. I'll get the ingredients and the recipe. You ready?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here," Rin smirked, teeth bared. It took a lot for Lizzy not to become shocked at his sharp teeth. She'd noticed them, but he hadn't bared them as much as he was doing so now. He looked like he was challenging her.

"I was born ready."

Coworkers had gathered around to watch Rin cook something he'd never had the pleasure of cooking before. They were all eager to see what kind of cook Lizzy had brought in, considering he looked so young.

Rin took a deep breath and started. He scanned the recipe, his mind drawing the card in his head, memorizing the whole thing in minutes.

He went to work, speedily and carefully, everything feeling like a second nature to him as he stirred and poured.

His hands moved on their own, chopping and swiping ingredients into bowls and pans.

In the middle of the recipe, Rin paused, staring at the half-finished dish.

"You're not done yet, kid," Lizzy told him.

"I know," Rin muttered. The whole kitchen was silent now, no banging or clanging of pots, no sound of a knife hitting the wooden cutting board since Rin had stopped.

"Then why are you standing there?" She asked him.

"Something's missing," Rin told her.

"You've done everything perfectly so far," Lizzy told Rin.

"I know I have," Rin said, frustration clear in his voice. "But it needs something..."

Nobody objected, letting the young cook do what he pleased with his dish.

After a few more minutes, the dish was finished. During the preparation, Rin had added different things in that weren't in the original recipe, but everyone was eager to know why he had done it.

Rin served the first plate to Lizzy. "Tell me what you think."

Lizzy took the plate and used a fork to put the first bite into her mouth.

All of the cooks stared, waiting and watching her expression.

Rin looked smug, arms crossed and apron on.

Lizzy chewed and swallowed slowly, setting the plate and fork down on the counter next to her.

"Well? How was it?" One cook asked, urging her to tell them.

Lizzy turned to face Rin. Her face turned into an exciting, shocked, and joyful expression. "It's delicious! It's better than any other dish I've ever had! I underestimated you, Rin Okumura."

Rin grinned, silently wishing his tail could be unfurled from his waist so he could wave it around in pride. "Told you so."

"You're hired!" She laughed.

The other cooks took turns taking bites of Rin's dish, and all had the same opinion as Lizzy did.

Rin Okumura was a damned good cook.

Chapter Text

"Do you really need my ID? I mean," Rin laughed nervously. "it's not like you need it."

"I do need it," Lizzy mocked the young cook. "I need verification."

"Well, I kinda lost it." Rin gave a sheepish smile.

"You lost it?" Lizzy gave him an incredulous look. "Why don't I believe that?"

"I'm clumsy, okay!" Rin whined, "Sue me!"

Lizzy raised a brow at the kid. "Okay."

"Wait!" Rin spoke in hurried tone. "Don't sue me! I don't have that kind of money!"

"I was kidding," Lizzy deadpanned.

"Oh, thank god." Rin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I still need that ID, though," Lizzy said.

"What?! But I-" Rin fumbled for an answer.

"Kid," Lizzy narrowed her eyes, a concerned glint in her chocolate orbs. "why are you so against giving me your ID? You're sixteen, right? You have to have one."

"I do have one! I swear! It's just," Rin paused. "at home."

"Then go get it," Lizzy told him.

"I can't!" Rin threw his hands in the air.

"Why not?" Lizzy didn't raise her voice. She kept calm.

"I just- can't!" Rin stumbled over his words.

Lizzy stared at him for a moment, analyzing him. "How badly do you need this job?"

Rin jerked slightly, surprised at the sudden change in topic, but he figured it had something to do with the ID complication. "Badly. I-my family isn't doing well right now, I guess you could say we're living in the gutters."

"Okay," Lizzy sighed. "I'll trust you. You don't need to give me your ID, but kid?"

"Yeah?" Rin hesitantly replied.

"Don't try and lie to me." She stood up as she said this, turning around and staring at Rin. "If you're homeless, you could've just told me."

"How'd you-!" Rin couldn't finish.

"You look dirty, you don't smell very good, no offense, and you were strongly against giving me your ID, but despite that, you were desperate for this job," Lizzy explained.

"So what if I don't live anywhere?" Rin hissed bitterly. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"You probably can," Lizzy agreed, "but if you're going to be working here, you need clean clothes, a shower, a toothbrush, and a stable roof over your head."

"I don't exactly have access to such luxuries," Rin grumbled.

"You don't, but I do." Lizzy smiled.

"Are you asking me to-?" Rin stopped. "I can't!"

"Why not?" She asked him.

"I'd just be in the way! I'd be invading you and your personal space! I don't want you to pity me!" Rin frowned.

"I don't pity you," Lizzy said, "I'm just being generous. Now, take the offer or I'll squeeze those elf ears so hard they'll fall off."

Rin gaped at her before slowly smiling. "Are you mocking me?"

"If I am?" She smiled.

"I'd say thanks that you aren't so awkward around me. A lot of people tend to find my attitude intimidating." Rin's mouth was upturned softly.

"Really? You seem more like a flustered puppy to me. Come on. When we get to my house, the first thing you're doing is taking a shower," Lizzy said.

Rin laughed.

After Rin took a shower, Lizzy gave him his newly washed clothes and let him take the guest room.

As Rin plopped on the bed, he tried to keep his eyes open. "Being able to sleep on an actual bed feels good."

"I'm sure it does," Lizzy said softly. "Why are you homeless? Did you run away?"

"I didn't run away," Rin denied, "I didn't even mean to end up here. I got lost."

"Lost? Where were you before?" She asked.

'A few universes away,' Rin thought.

"Far away from here," Rin admitted. "Look, it's complicated. I'm still trying to find a way home, and when I do, I'll be leaving. That's that. The details are off limits."

"Okay," Lizzy sighed. "I can't make you talk. Goodnight, Rin."

"Night, Lizzy," Rin murmured as he fell into a blissful sleep.

He silently hoped his tail wouldn't slip out in the middle of the night.

Rin awoke to the bright sun streaming through the windows and a voice.

"Wake up, kid! It's breakfast time! We're opening up in a few hours, too, so get your butt up and into the bathroom to get ready!" Lizzy demanded.

Rin was reluctant to do so, unhappy he had to wake up so early, but respectfully obeyed her.

Rin blinked and felt his tail give a slight tickle to his stomach, sending relief through him, thankful his tail hadn't unfurled during the night.

"Fine," Rin replied, "Just get out!"

Rin spent the rest of the day preparing meals, and every once in a while waiting on tables.

All in all, the job wasn't bad, and Rin liked the pay rate plan so far.

Lots of customers were very kind to him, and always left him a decent tip, for which Rin was always grateful for. Sometimes he spent a few minutes in the kitchen contemplating how to thank the people before they left.

It was dark by the time 10:00 PM rolled around, and the restaurant was still open and running, but Rin figured the restaurant would be open late.

Rin sighed, picking up a tray of food, walking straight into the room of chatting people and refused to pass out on the floor.

Getting up at 5:00 AM to eat and do errands, then go straight to the restaurant until 10:00 PM was very tiring. It didn't help he barely got any sleep, since his worries haunted his mind even as he was sleeping.

Being the King of Hell was hard work.

"Mom! That's not fair!" Sam complained.

"It's perfectly fair, Samantha." Pamela sniffed. "You will go to this restaurant with us, and you will wear this dress!" To emphasize, Pamela held up a pink, frilly dress.

"No way!" Sam growled. "Over my dead body!"

"Pamela," Sam's grandmother, Ida, chided, "Cut the girl some slack. If you're going to force her to go with you, then at least get rid of the dress. In my opinion, it's a monstrosity anyway."

Pamela turned away, huffing. "I don't care. You will wear this dress, Samantha, and you will like it."

"No I won't!" Sam hissed. "And it's Sam!"

"I've got an idea," Ida chimed, "Pamela, how do you feel about letting Sam's friends come along?"

"Not highly." Pamela frowned. "Those boys are just riffraff."

Sam growled, but suddenly smirked. "I'll go, and I'll wear a dress, but it has to be black, and Danny and Tucker get to come!"

"Absolutely no-" Pamela gasped, but Jeremy cut her off.

"We can make an exception just this once, dear. Maybe she'll start to like it if her friends can come along," Jeremy reasoned.

Pamela kept glaring, but finally sighed dejectedly. "Fine. Your 'friends' can come, and you'll get your choice of dress."

"Why are we here again?" Tucker asked, staring at the restaurant as they walked inside.

"I just need you and Danny to be here. It makes my mom mad, and I get to have some decent company. My parents aren't all that exciting." Sam shrugged.

"Amen," Danny agreed.

A waiter seated them and told them that their waiter would be right out.

"Rin!" Lizzy called, "Get your butt out of the kitchen! You've got Table 12 to wait!"

"I'm not done with my dish yet!" Rin replied loudly in a panic.

"I'll finish it," Lizzy told the boy, walking up behind him and pushing him towards the doors. "Go."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Rin surrendered. "Make sure to add the-"

"Yeah, yeah, you've already wrote down all the changes to the recipe." Lizzy chuckled.

Rin nodded, grabbing his notepad and pen, and walked to his assigned table.

"Excuse me? My name's Rin, and I'll be your waiter for tonight," a man announced.

The table all looked toward him, and the trio gasped, "Rin?!"

Rin blinked, and his eyes went wide. "Sam? Danny? Tucker?"

"Man, what are you doing here?" Tucker asked the teen.

"Working, obviously," Rin replied, rolling his eyes.

"Samantha, you know him?" Pamela asked, eyeing the waiter.

"It's Sam," Sam answered, "And we ran into each other on the sidewalk. Talked a bit, but that's about it."

"You look no older than sixteen," Pamela said.

"I am sixteen, ma'am," Rin told her.

"Who hires an irresponsible teen to work at a restaurant that is such high caliber as this?" Pamela huffed, miffed.

Rin frowned. "Well, I'm-"

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses." Pamela waved him off. "I do not have the time to listen to someone below me."

Rin clutched the pen and notepad tightly, angered. 'Below you? Bitch, I could own you!'

"Well, I'm still here to take your orders," Rin said, composing himself. "What would you like?"

The group ordered, Sam very angry at her mom for being so rude.

Once that was done, Rin nodded and walked off to deliver the orders.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Pamela said.

"Me, too," Jeremy said.

"I suggest you behave! And no funny business!" Pamela warned, scurrying off with Jeremy following.

"She's infuriating!" Sam growled. "She was so rude to Rin!"

"He seemed to take it well, though," Danny admitted.

"He probably would have gotten in trouble for attacking a customer," Tucker added.

"Only if we reported it, which I wouldn't have. I would have kept my parents' mouths shut and let him maul her," Sam said.

A chuckle was heard by the trio. They turned to see Rin with their food and drinks. "Thanks, but others would probably witness it."

He set the food down, handing each individual plate to each of the group.

"Sam, are you a vegetarian?" Rin asked the goth.

"Yes," Sam replied, "I'm an ultra-recyclo vegetarian. It means that I-"

"Don't eat anything with a face," Rin finished for her, smiling. "I know."

"I'm sorry for my mom. She's not well known for her manners, no matter how many times she protests," Sam apologized.

"No problem." Rin gave Sam a soft smile. "It's not like it's your fault. Your mom actually reminds me of my father, but a bit more domestic."

"Really?" Tucker asked, "Are your parents stuck up snobs?"

"Well," Rin sighed. "my mom died while giving birth to me, and I was raised by a priest. He was the best dad a person could have asked for. My real father, he didn't make a very good first impression when I first met him."

"What'd he do?" Danny asked.

Rin furrowed his brow, frowning. "It's not something I like to talk about."

"I'm sorry," Danny apologized, "I didn't mean-"

"I know." Rin sent him a sad smile. "It's okay, really."

"Anyway, I better get going before your parents get back." Rin winked at Sam, flashing his teeth cheekily.

Just as Rin started to walk away, the trio called back at him.

"Hey! Who made this food? It's awesome!" Tucker laughed, shoving the whole steak into his mouth.

"Could you give the chef our thanks?" Sam asked.

Rin stared back at them, suddenly starting to laugh. "Thanks! I'm told a lot that cooking is one of my best skills, if the only."

"You made this?" Danny's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Rin answered.

"Dude, that's cool! Well, I guess we'll see you?" Tucker laughed.

Rin gave the trio a thumbs up, walking back towards the kitchen.

"Maybe," Rin whispered.

Chapter Text

It didn't burn. Maybe that's what scared him.

He needed to get home, back to Gehenna, back to his own universe.

His flames licked at the surface, searching the air and ground for anything that was a way home, a portal, anything, but that was impossible.

His eyes shut, concentrating, before he heard shrieks of terror.

His eyes snapped open, taking in the sight of Lizzy, Danny, Sam, and Tucker burning.

"Demon!"
"Evil!"
"We can't trust him!"
"He's not even human! It's sick!"
"He's more of a freak than I am!"

Rin's head hurt, his eyes watery. He held his head, and he tried to scream, but his voice was a whisper.

"I'm sorry...I'm not a monster...Please, forgive me..."

Rin's body jerked, and he exploded into pieces.

Rin bolted awake, gasping, and he quickly realized the whole bedroom was aflame, burning with dangerous, blue light.

He willed them to disappear, and rubbed his temples. Why did the dreams come back? He had control, he'd never hurt anybody ever since. His flames were in check, he trained and observed them everyday to make sure.

Recently, he hadn't been able to, though. Maybe that's what his dream was telling him.

It wasn't a dream, though. It was a nightmare.

The door burst open and Lizzy screamed, her hair tangled and frizzy from just waking up. "What the hell?! The bedroom is burnt!"

Rin flinched, observing the room, realizing that, yes, the bedroom was indeed singed everywhere, walls, curtains, and bed included.

"Are you going to explain this?!" Lizzy shrieked.

"I'm not sure how..." Rin trailed.

Lizzy groaned, "Fine! Have it your way! I'm going back to sleep!"

She stormed away, slamming the door behind her.

Rin grinned slightly, grateful that she didn't push for answers, even though she was most likely entitled to them. "Definitely not an early bird."

Rin couldn't get back to sleep. He didn't know if it was from the recent nightmare, or if he was just more awake than he'd previously thought.

Either way, Rin knew that he wasn't going to get any shut eye and lying there was making him uncomfortable.

Stealthily, Rin made his way into the hall, keen on avoiding waking up Lizzy. He didn't need any more headaches.

He made his way to the kitchen, his glassy eyes finding their way to the clock. It was midnight, still a few more hours before it was time to get up.

Rin sighed and scrunched his nose. He needed something to occupy his time.

He could always practice his flames. That would be a good way to pass time.

His eyes drifted toward the front door.

He couldn't train in the house, now could he?

He walked about the quiet night, the darkness welcoming. He felt at peace, the silence comforting, finally relaxed and free. He could do whatever he pleased when he was alone, no fear that he would be judged.

He loved his friends, his brother, but sometimes even they were uncomfortable when he used his flames without hesitation. They didn't seem to understand that just because he had the flames because Satan was his father, that didn't mean that the flames were Satan's.

Though blue, the flames were his and his alone. They belonged to him. They were Rin's flames. Rin controlled them, produced them, used them, not Satan.

Not many seemed to understand that.

His mind drifted to the one who did, who didn't fear his flames like most humans and demons. Kuro, his Cat Sith. Kuro, his best friend.

His heart clenched, the homesickness hitting him hard and digging deep.

Kuro was probably worried, missed him, too. Rin missed the little fuzz ball of a demon himself. He frowned to himself, wishing that Kuro could be there with him, so he wouldn't have to go through this alone.

"Oh Kuro," Rin whispered to the skies. "I wish you were here. Then I wouldn't be alone."

Rin shut his eyes, walking deeper into the comforting darkness that would only last for so long.

A voice among the wind drifted through the air, but Rin was too absorbed into his own thoughts to pay any attention to it.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be."

Rin sat on the damp grass, legs crossed, eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face.

His flames spread across the grass, not burning, just glowing, quickly skimming the surface and running towards the trees to climb.

The grass and trees around him glowed with blue tongues of light, though nothing burned unless on command of their master.

Rin breathed in and out, slowly and deeply, before letting the fire dissipate, leaving no evidence of anything ever being there.

Rin's eyes opened quickly, a familiar presence making itself know.

It was a demon, no doubt. The presence was painfully familiar, and in seconds he was calling their name.

"Kuro! Kuro, over here!" Rin called, hands cupped around his mouth.

Before he knew it, a small black and white cat with two tails, yellow horns, and big green eyes came racing towards him.

"Rin!" Kuro's voice echoed in his head as the small demon cat meowed and leapt into Rin's outstretched arms.

"I don't know how you're here, but I'll try my best to explain what's going on," Rin told his friend.

"You better. I've been worried sick! Then, on top of that, I appear here and smell your scent! I was so scared you were hurt!" Kuro whimpered.

"I'm fine. Let's catch up." Rin smiled.

Kuro purred in agreement, snuggling against Rin's chest and balling tighter into his arms.

The Cat Sith would be damned if he ever let Rin out of his sight again.

"Wow. So, this universe has ghosts, and you've already met two people who are half ghost?" Kuro summarized.

"Yup! One of them is the mayor, and I'm 99.9% sure he's evil. The other one is actually about fourteen years old and goes around saving the town from other ghost attacks." Rin laughed.

"Like a superhero?" Kuro's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, Kuro. Like a superhero," Rin replied, amused.

"So, are we going back to this 'Lizzy' you mentioned?" Kuro's curious eyes stared at Rin, tails swaying.

Rin pursed his lips. "I'm not sure. I mean, Lizzy's nice and all, but I'm not sure how she'd react to a two-tailed cat with horns. She's already had enough scares. I mean," Rin laughed sheepishly. "I kinda burnt the room a bit while she was sleeping, but thankfully, she didn't pressure me on it."

Kuro gave Rin a curious stare for that one, but didn't say anything on the subject. "You can always hide me."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Rin raised a brow at the small demon.

Kuro have a shrug. "Beats me. I'm just throwing out ideas. Never said I had any idea on how to complete them."

Rin huffed. "Useless," he muttered.

Kuro gave an indignant meow, "Hey!"

Needless to say, both spent about an hour wrestling each other and rolling around in the grass.

Rin tucked Kuro inside his jacket in the under arm area at around 1:30 AM, quietly creeping back to Lizzy's house, also known as Rin's temporary living space.

Kuro curled into Rin, trying his best to hide himself under the arm and inside Rin's jacket.

Rin quietly crawled around the back, climbing a tree and leaping to the window sill. His feet landed on the ledge, balance keeping him from wobbling or falling.

He opened the window and climbed inside without making too much noise aside from the the sound that echoed from the window as he lifted it.

He clambered inside, and gently closed the window.

Rin set Kuro on the bed and sighed, "How am I going to explain you to Lizzy?"

"Just say, 'Hey! I found my cat! He must have followed me!'" Kuro meowed.

"You have two tails and horns, Kuro. I need a better cover story than that," Rin told the demon, unamused.

"It's not like she needs to know I'm here." Kuro shrugged, "I mean, I can always hide when she comes in here and stay home when you're working."

"Uh huh," Rin replied monotone. "That's not a very good plan either."

"And you have a better one, My King?" Kuro asked sassily.

"Not funny, Kuro." Rin scowled. "I guess you have a point, though. Okay, we'll go with your plan."

"Yay! Now, I'm hungry!" Kuro complained.

"Yeah, yeah, quiet down. Lizzy's gonna wake up from all the noise you're making. I may be the only one that can understand you, but your meowing is loud enough," Rin told the feline.

Kuro just grinned.

Chapter Text

Rin yawned, stumbling around the restaurant, trying his best not to trip and drop trays.

Lizzy had her hands on her hips in the kitchen doorway when Rin came back, eyes droopy and body swaying.

"Hey, Lizzy," Rin yawned to the adult. "What'cha need?"

Some customers near the kitchen turned their heads to watch the conversation.

"You're tired." Lizzy pointed out the obvious.

"No, I'm not," Rin denied, but he yawned again, betraying himself.

"Sure," Lizzy drawled in a doubtful manner. "Kid, did you go back to bed after I came into your room?"

"...Yes?..." Rin replied uncertainly.

"Is that 'Yes, I went to bed immediately after you left the room' or 'Yes, I went to bed at three in the morning after you left the room'?" Lizzy asked, brow raised, waiting for his reply.

Rin rubbed his eyes. "Second one."

Lizzy stared at him before sighing and dropping her hands from her hips, expression softening.

"Do you know why I came into your room last night?" Lizzy asked.

"Not really," Rin replied.

"You screamed, Rin. Did you know that?" She asked softly.

Rin went rigid. "I did? I don't-I didn't think I did. My dream-I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I couldn't have screamed."

"You did, kid. Are you sure you're alright? Your scream, it scared me. You sounded like..." Lizzy trailed off.

"I was dying," Rin finished.

Lizzy nodded, concern clear on her face. "You can take a break. Go back to the car, take a nap."

"No!" Rin rushed. "I'll be fine, honest. I'm not going to let a little nightmare and lack of sleep stop me. I'm an employee, and it's my fault I didn't get enough sleep."

Lizzy frowned, but gave a dejected sigh. "I'm going to lose this argument, aren't I?"

"Count on it." Rin smirked.

"...Get back to work, kid. Don't push yourself too hard, though."

Rin grinned cheekily, fangs glinting.

"I can't believe Rin works at Eclipse!" Tucker said in disbelief.

"Me neither." Danny laughed. "Hey, Sam. Why didn't you tell your parents that Rin was the one who made their 'unbelievably delicious, high quality dinner'?" Danny repeated what Sam's parents had said.

Sam shrugged. "They would have had a fit, and despite the fact that it was delicious, they would have told the staff it was garbage. If something's made by someone they think is lower than them, they'll flip their shit, no matter how good it is."

"That's sad." Tucker shook his head in disappointment.

"I hate them." Sam scowled. "They try and control me, make me into something I don't want to be. On top of that, they insult everyone who is lower than them! I hate what they did to Rin! Honestly, I'm surprised he was able to keep calm."

"Calm?" Danny chuckled. "You think he was calm? I could hear his heartbeat, his hands were practically shaking, trying to refuse ripping his notepad apart, and most likely your mom."

"Oh yeah," Tucker snapped his fingers. "I forgot you could do that."

"Still surprised he managed to hold back." Sam shrugged.

"Anyway," Danny changed the subject. "I need to make another visit to Clockwork after school. Thankfully, it's Friday. If I don't get back before curfew, can you cover for me?"

"No problem, man," Tucker responded, "Though, why another visit so soon?"

Danny scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, I have a gut feeling about something. What, I don't know."

Danny hesitated slightly, as if he wanted to say something else but held back.

"Danny?" Sam coaxed, "You have anything else you want to get off your chest?"

"I don't want to worry you," Danny sighed.

"We'll be fine. You don't have to do everything on your own," Tucker told him.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want you guys to panic or do anything rash, alright? It's probably just some paranoia."

"We get it, Danny." Sam huffed. "Go on."

"When we first ran into Rin," he started, "His aura felt...off."

"Off?" Tucker sucked in a breath. "What do you mean 'off'?"

"I mean, his aura didn't feel human, but at the same time, it did. There was a human aura, but it was also coated with an inhuman burning sensation of some sort, the feeling of danger, and slight malevolence, but the malevolence wasn't evil. It was more...lost? Confused? As if it was only there to warn off something Rin wasn't accustomed to. I'm not sure I can explain it. You'd have to be a ghost or halfa to understand, I guess. It's complicated, even for me," Danny explained.

"That's...unsettling," Tucker replied.

"Maybe it's nothing. Besides, Rin might just have something left over from a supernatural encounter. He hasn't done anything wrong yet, so we have no right to accuse him of anything," Danny said, "Though his aura is off, his heart is kind. He's experienced rather horrible things, and he's suffered, but his intentions and thoughts are far from malicious."

"We're not going to accuse Rin of anything, but it might be best to keep tabs on him," Sam requested.

"I don't want to stalk him." Danny frowned.

"We won't. We'll just make sure to keep an eye out for anything unusual that occurs around Rin."

"Okay," Danny reluctantly agreed. "If you ever have another close encounter with him, act normally. He's done nothing wrong, and I don't want us to make him feel uncomfortable or feel like we're going to shoot him the moment we lock eyes."

"Got it," Sam and Tucker chorused.

"Oh, Friday!" Rin sang, "Honestly, Lizzy, I love cooking and everything, but even I need a break."

"How are you awake? You were stumbling around like a drunk zombie just this morning." Lizzy scrutinized the demon.

"It's a mystery," Rin whispered.

It wasn't, really. Rin had just given himself some temporary fire power, literally. He temporarily used his flames as energy, but once he stopped, he was just as tired as he would have been had he not used them at all.

This meant that once he stopped fueling himself with his flames, he'd pass out in half a second.

"Hey, Lizzy?" Rin asked.

"Yeah?" Lizzy replied.

"I'm going to pass out in 3...2..." Rin counted down.

On the one mark, Rin's body went limp, and he flopped onto the seats.

Lizzy stared at him through the rear-view mirror. "You've got to be kidding me."

Rin was not, as his soft snores gave it away.

Lizzy turned her attention back to the road, a fond smile on her features. "What am I going to do with you?"

Chapter Text

Kuro waited patiently for Rin to get back as he lay on the bed.

When the handle jiggled, Kuro clambered to all fours, tail swaying eagerly to see his master and friend again.

Kuro was quick to leap off the bed and scamper under it when Lizzy came into view, a sleeping Rin in her arms.

Kuro peeked out from under the bed to watch as Lizzy set Rin onto the comforter gently.

She stood back and observed him. "You're just a child, young and lost, aren't you? Yet, your eyes tell stories of which only soldiers should hold. Why are you, one so young, going through something that obviously isn't what you want? Who are you, Rin? Who are you really?"

Kuro smiled to himself. Despite this woman being human and having just met Rin, she had grown to care and worry for him. Kuro was sure that she would still feel the same even after she found out about Rin's true nature, if she ever did.

Kuro desperately wanted to climb out from the shadows beneath, jump onto the bed and curl up beside Rin in front of Lizzy, but thought better of it.

Maybe some other time he would, but for now, Kuro was content watching Lizzy leave, and then curling up beside Rin.

Unconsciously, Rin's arms wrapped around Kuro's small body.

Kuro didn't mind, snuggling up against Rin happily.

Lizzy had a point. Rin wore lots of masks.

At times, he could be a brave, strong soldier, fearing nothing, not even death.

He could be the weakling, the small, pitiful boy everyone bullied.

He could be the smart, talented, responsible, and rational boy that everyone agreed with.

He could be the freak, the hot-headed demon that everyone feared with their lives.

He could be an idiot, a kid with no brain, a teen who had the mind of a five year old.

He could be a kind boy with nothing but purity in his heart.

Rin pretended to be lots of things for his friends' safety and happiness, sometimes his own.

Rin was much more than those masks, though. Rin was childish, but was serious when it came time to be. Rin could be very scary, but he was truly kind to those who deserved it. Rin acted like an idiot, but he was much smarter than many took him for. Rin was always brave and strong, ready to face anything that came his way, but he still feared things. Rin was rational, but also impulsive and very hot headed.

Few knew who Rin really was, and Kuro was glad to admit he was one of them.

Rin woke early in the morning, having no help from Lizzy, but Kuro's fur tickled his face in a comforting way.

"Did Lizzy see you?" Rin yawned.

"Did you hear a scream?" Kuro asked lazily.

"No," Rin replied calmly.

"Then I think we're in the clear," Kuro rolled his eyes, stretching and leaping off the bed onto the wooden floorboards.

Rin propped his head up with his hand, staring at Kuro. Slowly, a grin made its way to the corners of Rin's mouth.

It was nice to have Kuro with him.

"Clockwork? Are you here?" Danny called as he floated about Clockwork's tower.

"The door wouldn't have opened if I wasn't," a familiar voice replied.

Danny whipped around, startled. "You think I'd be used to you sneaking up on me by now."

"Practice makes perfect," Clockwork replied.

"You know why I'm here," Danny said, as it was obvious.

"I do." Clockwork nodded.

"Am I paranoid? Or is something actually going on?" Danny asked.

"You know I can't tell you that, Daniel." Clockwork sighed.

"I know, but can you at least give me a hint?" Danny asked.

"I suggest you make allies with a certain someone, or the Ghost Zone is doomed."

"What?! Why?!" Danny asked.

"The person is powerful, even more so than you. If you decide they are an enemy, the person will not hesitate to defend. I suggest you choose your choices wisely," Clockwork answered.

"Another ghost I have to deal with," Danny whined.

"Now, Daniel," Clockwork reprimanded, "Who ever said anything about the person being a ghost?"

Cue the panic.

"A threat that's not a ghost?" Tucker gaped. "Really?"

Sam whacked Tucker. "Did you not hear Danny? This person isn't a threat unless we want them to be. They're a potential ally if we make the right choices."

"How is the person powerful if they're not even a ghost?" Tucker wondered.

"There are more supernatural things than just ghosts, Tucker," Danny reminded him, "We can't rule anything out."

"What do you think the person is?" Sam asked.

"Not sure," Danny answered, "I just hope he's not going to be a complete jerk."

"Hey!" Sam protested, "They could be a girl!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Danny agreed.

"How are we going to find this person anyway?" Tucker asked.

"I guess we'll figure that out along the way. We'll run into them one way or another." Danny shrugged.

Rin welcomed the chance to have a break from work on the weekends.

He loved cooking, but even he had his limits.

Rin didn't want to leave Kuro home alone while he went out, so he settled on bringing Kuro with him into the woods on the edge of the city.

Rin gently plopped Kuro into the grass once they made it to the edge.

"Ready?" Rin smirked.

"Let's play!" Kuro cheered.

"Ready, set, GO!" Rin barked.

Kuro and Rin set off, sprinting as fast as they could go. They were blurs, like a mirage or a drawn wind.

Over the whizzing sound in his ears, Rin called to Kuro. "Is that as fast as you can go?!"

"I'm just warming up!" Kuro called back, his tone confident and smug.

"Good! It wouldn't be much of a challenge then, would it?!" Rin laughed.

It was nice, to finally be able to let go, be himself, Kuro by his side.

It was nice to be free.

Lizzy stared thoughtfully at the singed walls of the guest room.

She remembered his screams, like he was dying, burning and being torn through.

"I'm sorry! I'm not a monster! Please, forgive me!"

She shuddered at the memory.

Lizzy barely knew anything about the boy. He was lost, he knew how to cook, and his name was Rin Okumura, if that was his real name, she didn't know.

He was an enigma. You think you've figured him out, and then something happens which proves you wrong.

Rin was the definition of mystery. Lizzy trusted the boy, more than she probably should, and she'd come to think of him as her foster son.

Lizzy never told Rin this, however. She didn't know how trusting the boy was and if he'd be comfortable with her thinking as such.

There were plenty mysteries surrounding the boy. The haunting nightmares, the unexplainable singed walls, the way he'd told her he was lost, as if it was almost impossible to get home, that it was so very far, which made it his own fault he was hopelessly lost.

She wondered what had happened to him, for the nightmares to be so horrible, for his eyes to hold the pain and loss of war.

She wondered why the walls were singed, how they'd gotten burnt in the first place, being Rin had nothing to set or put out a fire.

She wondered where he lived, what his family was thinking, and how he'd gotten so lost if his home was so very far away like he'd said.

Lizzy sighed and picked up the small, slightly crumpled piece of paper that had a short message written in messy handwriting.

'I'm going out for a run! Be back before dinner!' -Rin

Lizzy smiled slightly. "Sure you will."

Chapter Text

Rin could smell Vlad's scent before Danny's.

Vlad Masters was close by, but his scent was farther into the sky, signaling that he was in his ghost form and flying, most likely.

Danny's wasn't too far behind, and Rin was pretty sure the ghost boy was after the man, or at the very least had sensed him a short time before and came to see what ghost was causing trouble this time.

"Kuro, hide! Danny and Vlad are nearing!" Rin told his cat.

Kuro didn't respond with anything except a loyal nod, bounding off just seconds afterward.

Despite Danny and Vlad being half ghost, they were still human, and Rin knew Danny a bit more in his human form. If Danny or Vlad were to see Kuro, things were going to go down hill far quicker than Rin had anticipated.

Rin was about to follow Kuro, just to get out of Danny's way when the kid battled Vlad, but fate had other plans.

"And what are you doing here, boy? You shouldn't be out here." Vlad's voice echoed behind him.

Rin scowled to himself, facing away from Vlad.

Rin turned around to face Vlad, and Rin could tell the man was slightly bewildered at the fact that he didn't run once he got a full view of the ghost.

"Uh, taking a nature walk? Ever heard of it? Besides, it's not like I have to do what you tell me. I can be here if I want to be," Rin sassed.

The man's anger rose. "The name's Vlad Plasmius. If you're smart, you'll run."

Rin snorted. "Vlad Plasmius? Seriously? And whoever said I was smart? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm just as smart as you."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Vlad raised a brow, incredulous about the implied insult.

"If I am? What're you gonna do? Bite me, Mr. Vampire?" Rin laughed, grinning.

"Says you." Vlad eyed the boy, remembering his abnormally sharp canines.

Before Vlad could respond, Danny swooped in from the tree tops, eyes widening.

"Ri-I mean, leave that kid alone, Plasmius!" Danny ordered.

Rin would have laughed at Danny's failed attempt to cover up his obvious panic, but he was too busy grinning at Vlad like a child who just won a bet.

"Daniel," Vlad replied smoothly.

"What are you doing here, Vlad? What business do you have with him?" Danny demanded.

"I just ran into him is all," Vlad hummed. "but I don't deny that he is very interesting."

"I'm standing right here, you know," Rin chimed, "Seriously, I'm like way too young for you, dude."

"That is not what I meant, and you know it!" Vlad spluttered angrily, losing his composure.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I am an idiot, after all." Rin grinned cheekily.

"Why you-" Vlad's hand lit up pink, but was cut off by a green blast hitting Vlad in the chest and sending him flying.

"Go!" Danny ordered.

Rin jerked a bit, not wanting to leave the half ghost alone, but decided against arguing and ran off to find Kuro and go back to Lizzy's.

Danny phased through Sam's window and landed on the floor as a white ring washed over him, turning him human.

"Who was it?" Tucker asked.

"Plasmius," Danny answered, "He flew off, and it was pointless to chase after him. Though, that's not what I wanted to tell you guys. Rin was there."

"He was?!" They chorused in shock.

"Yeah," Danny replied, "I think he was just walking around. Vlad said he ran into him. Then again, Vlad didn't look too pleased either."

"That means?" Sam urged.

"I think Vlad was a little irritated. I didn't hear the whole conversation, but I'm pretty sure Rin was sassing him." Danny smirked.

"Rin was sassing Plasmius?" Tucker gaped. "Why?"

Danny shrugged. "No idea. Rin's emotions were slightly worried, but it wasn't focused on Plasmius or himself. Otherwise, Rin was just amused and very cocky."

"I guess Rin's not as afraid of ghosts as we assumed he'd be," Sam said.

"I told you Rin's aura felt weird. It might not be the first time he's encountered something supernatural," Danny reminded her.

"True," she conceded.

"Anyway," Danny started, "I'm just going to bask in the fact that Vlad got his butt handed to him by a human, a teenager no less. That'll be some fun stuff to tease him with later on."

Rin slammed the door open and tried to dart past Lizzy up the stairs in attempt to hide Kuro in his room before dinner time.

"Woah there!" Lizzy called, grabbing his arm. "What's got you in a rush?"

Rin flinched, feeling Kuro tense underneath his arm and jacket. They were both screwed if Rin didn't hurry.

"I, uh, need to go to the guest room 'cause I, uh, left my phone in there! Gotta go!" Rin jerked away from her and raced to his temporary room.

"You don't even have a phone!" Lizzy shouted after him, exasperated.

Dinner went on in a quiet, slightly awkward manner.

Rin had nothing to say or ask Lizzy, and Rin feared that if he said anything, she would bring up the incident just a few hours before.

Lizzy had many things she wanted to say and ask Rin, but Lizzy feared that if she said anything, he would shy away or get angry with her.

Lizzy knew Rin was a good kid, but with the secret-keeping habits, she was afraid he would panic or yell if she asked a question that was too personal. He barely explained to her why he ran away or how he got 'lost.'

Despite these musings, Lizzy knew she couldn't let dinner go on so silently. She didn't want a gap between Rin and her.

"So, Rin. What's your family like?" Lizzy asked suddenly.

Rin jerked, surprised by the sudden question, but glad that she hadn't brought up the 'phone' incident. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm not trying to pry into anything personal," she told him politely. "but I just wanted to know a bit more about you."

Rin's lips twisted slightly in thought. "Well, I have a younger twin brother, although we don't look much alike. He's a lot more calm than me and can't get angry very easily. He's smart, smarter than me, actually. He's taller and a lot more level headed and responsible, so people usually mistake him for the older one. When we were younger, I used to protect him from all the bullies," he said with a fond tone, chuckling slightly.

"I had a dad. He was a priest. He was the kindest man I'd ever known. My mom died at childbirth, and my real father is a complete jerk, but he died around a year ago. My dad, the adoptive one, was killed just after I found out I was adopted, actually. The only family I really have left is my brother, but I guess my friends are my family, too."

"If it's not too much to ask, how did your dad and real father die?" Lizzy asked.

Rin pursed his lips in distaste. "Murder, both of them."

Lizzy figured the boy didn't want to talk about the culprits, so she didn't ask. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Rin replied evenly. "My dad may not have deserved to die, but my real father was a bad person. I'm glad he's dead."

They sat in silence for the rest of dinner, no one daring to say more.

Secrets were spilling, and soon, the truth would be bare.

Rin stared at the ceiling that night, Kuro awake at his side.

"Are you okay, Rin? I heard the conversation," Kuro meowed.

Rin smiled softly, but there was a certain bitterness to it, eyes never straying from the ceiling. "I'm fine, Kuro. I took a gamble when I answered her tonight, but I said a bit too much."

"Just a few more pieces need to fall before I've lost it all."

Chapter Text

When Danny woke up, he really didn't expect to be face to face with Fright Knight.

"Agh!" Danny yelped, tumbling off of the bed in a tangle of covers. "Fright Knight!? What are you doing here?!"

"The Far Frozen wish to speak with you, My Liege," Fright Knight responded.

"Now?" Danny groaned, rubbing his eyes. "It's six in the morning on a weekend. Besides, it's the first time I've actually gotten a full night's sleep with no 'interruptions.'"

"It's urgent, My Liege," Fright Knight explained.

Danny blew a deep breath. "Fine. Let's go."

Rin didn't exactly expect much to happen, but wandering into a swirling, green vortex was not it.

It wasn't his fault the thing literally popped up right in front of him!

Rin cursed all the bad luck and looked around.

The sky was a swirling green mass, but the rest was a frozen wasteland. Snow and ice covered the ground and the few icy mountains.

"What is this place?" Rin muttered.

"What are you doing here, human?" A booming voice asked threateningly.

Rin turned his head to see what looked to be a yeti with white fur, ice horns, an arm made of ice, and a blue cape that was slightly torn.

Rin had seen many scarier looking demons before, so this was child's play. "I'm not really sure. I was wandering, but a portal popped up in front of me and sent me tumbling here. Where am I?"

The yeti seemed to calm down a bit. "You are in the Ghost Zone. It seems that you've fallen prey to a natural portal. They are rare, but they happen. What is your name?"

"Rin. Yours?" Rin responded.

The yeti smiled slowly. "Frostbite. It's nice to meet you, young one."

"Likewise." Rin smiled.

When Danny landed, he was greeted by Frostbite.

"What's the matter? I was told it was urgent," Danny said.

"I suggest you keep your ghost form, Great One, for a human has stumbled into the Ghost Zone." Frostbite sighed.

"How?" Danny asked.

"A natural portal. They have not yet caused any trouble and seem to only wish to return back to the human world," Frostbite informed him.

Danny walked with Frosbite as they talked. "Have they said anything that hurt you? I know humans can be fearful of ghosts."

"Not at all," Frostbite said, "In fact, they have been kind and helpful so far while we were waiting for you. He was polite the first time he saw me."

"Really? That's unusual," Danny mused, "but not unwelcome. Did you get his name?"

"Rin," the yeti ghost replied shortly.

"Rin?!" Danny gasped. He could remember how Rin was hardly phased by Plasmius. If this boy hadn't been scared of Frostbite, then it was likely to be the Rin Danny knew.

"Yes." Frostbite nodded.

"You want me to take him home?" Danny figured.

"Precisely," Frostbite agreed.

When Danny entered the Far Frozen headquarters, he saw Rin standing beside Permafrost.

"We are users of ice. The Far Frozen is specialized in that." Danny heard Permafrost explain.

Permafrost cupped her hands together, and an ice crystal was formed. "See?"

"That's pretty." Rin smiled. " I happen to be a bit of a pyro myself, but I do like winter and snow. It's beautiful."

Danny shook off any shock and any mindset that he knew Rin. He was Phantom right now, and his job was to get Rin home.

Danny floated over. Permafrost was the first one to spot him. "Great One! You've come to take the boy home?"

"That's right." Danny nodded.

Rin's eyes caught him, and there was an amused twinkle in them. "Back to Assi- I mean Earth, right?"

Danny narrowed his eyes at the slip up, but didn't think too much on it. "Yeah. I'll create a portal."

Danny's hand waved over air, and a portal appeared.

"Handy," Rin hummed, then stepped through.

Danny followed.

After they left, Permafrost turned to Frostbite. "His aura. It was different, powerful, dangerous. His slip up sounded familiar."

"It did," Frostbite agreed, "It sounded as if he was going to say Assiah."

"But only demons use that term!" Permafrost gasped.

"He didn't seem very indifferent to us, Permafrost. His aura was also a sign. It is most likely he is a demon. Despite looking human, his ears and fangs are dead giveaways to those who know of Gehenna. It does not matter anyway. If Rin is a demon, he is a kind one. I do not doubt the Great One will be safe."

Permafrost sighed, but silently agreed. Rin was nice and never once tried to hurt them.

The Great One was in good hands.

Rin blinked at the once again, normal surroundings. "We're back."

"I know." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Well then," Rin cheered, "It's time for me to go home!"

"After all of that, all you can think about is going home?" Danny stared at the boy incredulously.

"Of course! I'm starving!" Rin huffed.

"I seriously do not get you." Danny shook his head.

"Are you supposed to?" Rin asked, "You don't even know me."

Danny froze for a split second, then regained composure. "Yeah. You're right. I'll see you. Don't get into any more trouble."

"Can't promise anything!" Rin laughed.

When Lizzy walked into Rin's temporary room, she planned to clean it. The boy picked up after himself, but it needed a good vacuuming either way.

Lizzy bent down to empty out the underside of the bed, but when she saw a cat with two big, green eyes, two tails and horns, she screamed.

Rin walked in through the front door. "Lizzy! I'm-" His voice was cut off by a shriek.

Rin raced up the stairs and followed the sound of her heartbeat into his room, slamming the door open.

"Lizzy! Are you okay!? What happened?!" Rin rambled.

Lizzy was on her butt, pressed against the wall. "There's-there's-it's-it's-I don't know!"

Before Rin could ask, Kuro climbed out from under the bed, a sheepish look on his face.

"Sorry, Rin. She kinda saw me," Kuro meowed.

Rin stared at Kuro, wide eyed, before blanching. "Goddamnit."

"Rin! Explain! What is that?" Lizzy shrieked.

"He's a cat," Rin said plainly. "A two-tailed, horned, cat."

"Rin whatever-your-middle-name-is Okumura! Explain this! How long have you had him here?!"

"I've had him since I was fifteen. He was originally my dad's. He found me again a little while after you took me in," Rin said, "I tried to hide him 'cause I knew you would freak out."

"Of course I would freak out! He has two tails! And horns!" Lizzy stood up, more composed, but still slightly winded.

"He's just a cat, Lizzy. His horns and extra tail don't make him any less adorable!" Rin held Kuro up and shoved him in her face. "Look! He's not so bad!"

Lizzy stared at the cat, and Kuro cocked his head, meowing a bit.

Only Rin could hear the words, "Really?"

Lizzy blushed a bit before taking him from Rin. "He is cute..."

"Yes! This means I don't have to hide him anymore!" Rin cheered.

"You shouldn't have in the first place," Lizzy scolded as Kuro jumped from her arms. "What's his name?"

"Kuro." Rin grinned.

"Alright, but he better not ruin anything," Lizzy warned.

"He hasn't yet, has he?" Rin smirked.

Chapter Text

After the incident with Lizzy and Kuro, Rin decided to eat out somewhere for lunch. Of course, Eclipse was open, but Rin and Lizzy had the weekend off, so he was not going to ruin it by eating there.

The mall or the Nasty Burger seemed like some good options, considering if Rin went to either place, it would be filled with teens, a good environment to blend in. If Rin went somewhere like Eclipse, he would stick out like a sore thumb.

After some contemplating, Rin decided that the mall would provide some decent food. Besides, he was not ready to take the risk of going somewhere called the Nasty Burger, no offense to anyone who eats there. He still remembered the time he ate something Mephisto made, and that was very worrying. Rin swears he saw a light! He did not want that to happen again!

Maybe he'd see Danny, Sam, and Tucker again.

"Really? Man, that's insane! What kind of person doesn't freak out about that?!" Tucker gaped.

"Uh, us?" Danny raised a brow. "You know, Amity can't be the only place that has supernatural activity. Where he moved from, it's possible he's had his fair share of weird, supernatural encounters."

"Danny's got a point," Sam conceded as she sipped her smoothie. "I mean, Rin hasn't given any signs that he's afraid of anything unnatural as of recently. He's been pretty calm about all of it, considering what he's seen so far. Stumbling into the Ghost Zone and meeting a giant yeti? If I were him, I would definitely be questioning my sanity at that point."

"Maybe he's so calm because he's already lost his sanity. Seriously, I get that he doesn't really care that Plasmius was there, but talking back to someone who could possibly kill you easily? Not so smart," Tucker concluded.

Danny chuckled. "Tucker, that doesn't mean he's crazy."

"It just means he's not a wuss," Sam finished.

Tucker shrugged. "I'm just saying, Rin probably could have handled that a bit better."

"Handled what better?" A familiar voice asked.

Okay, so Rin heard the entire conversation. It wasn't as if he was right next to them to whole time though. He was a good ten or fifteen yards away and there was enough chatter at the food court. It was impossible for him to hear them, if he didn't have demonic hearing.

The three jumped and whirled around to face him, shock and slight fear written on their faces.

"Rin!" The three chorused.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "What was I supposed to handle better?"

Sam thought quick. "The situation with my mother. You looked like you were going to throw her across the room."

Rin laughed. Sam was good at thinking quick on the spot. "Ah, but I didn't. I say that deserves me some praise."

"Oh, definitely," Sam agreed.

"No offense or anything, but what are you doing here?" Danny asked.

Rin smiled brightly at them. "Well, I came here because I felt like I needed to get out of the house a bit more. Since I'll be staying here, I've got to get used to the city. Although, I've run into some real weird things lately."

Rin smirked internally when the trio shared a look and Tucker laughed nervously. "Really? You mean the ghosts? Yeah, they're the norm around here."

"Yeah," Rin said slowly, smirking. "You could say that."

"Well," Rin continued, "I don't want to be a bother, so I'll leave you to it then."

"You're not a bother," Danny disagreed.

"Sure." Rin laughed. "Whatever you say."

Rin gave them a short wave and walked away, picking a table by himself a good distance away, but close enough to where he could still see the trio.

He only ordered a small soda, cheeseburger, and small fries since he didn't want to use up all of his money.

He was about to take a bite of his cheeseburger when a accented voice was directed toward him only about a foot away.

"Hey, cutie!"

Rin furrowed his brow, confused, and looked toward the voice.

A girl was standing right next to his table, smiling at him flirtatiously. She had long, black, wavy hair with a pink barrette. She had teal eyes, light purple eye shadow, and wore a pink crop top, skinny jeans, and white flats. She looked Hispanic. She was pretty, Rin would admit, but not anything to drool over.

"Hi?" Rin greeted, slightly confused.

She just smiled. "The name's Paulina. What's yours?"

"Rin," he answered, "Why are you asking?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out sometime," she purred.

Rin felt a gag in the back of his throat. He definitely sympathized with Yukio now. Having girls, or a girl in his case, fawn over you was just plain weird, uncomfortable, and mildly gross.

"I don't even know you, so thanks, but no thanks," Rin told her as politely as he could.

He watched as the girl gaped at him, not believing that she had just been rejected. "What?! But I'm the prettiest girl in Casper High! And the most popular!"

Rin could already tell that she was shallow, and he didn't need to see her soul to tell. "Uh huh. Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm pretty sure there are much prettier girls in the world. Actually, I've met quite a few of them, and they're a hell of a lot nicer than you."

The whole food court was staring at them, the scene probably looking quite entertaining. He could feel the stares of all of them, including Danny, Sam, and Tucker.

"Excuse me!?" She spluttered. "You have no right to talk to me like that! I'll tell my daddy!"

"Oh no!" Rin put on a mocking scared face and threw his arms in the air. "I'm so scared!"

Paulina turned red with embaressment and anger. "Who do you think you are?!"

Rin put a finger to his chin in a mock-thinking pose. "I think I'm not in the mood to deal with you. I politely rejected, and if you want to make a big deal out of it and cry over it, then I'll gladly give you something to really cry over."

Paulina was about to shout again, but a voice cut in. "Leave him alone, Paulina!"

It was Sam. "He said no, so don't pester him anymore. It's obvious he doesn't want to deal with you."

Paulina scoffed. "This isn't any of your business, goth freak."

Rin clenched his teeth, and he could hear Danny's heart start to beat faster from a few tables over.

Heat simmered beneath his skin, anger fueling his flames. He wanted to burst and burn the stupid bitch. Despite his feelings, bursting into flames would be no help. It would only cause chaos.

Rin settled for narrowing his eyes dangerously, teeth grit and knuckles white. He suddenly shot up, almost knocking the seat over in the process. He slammed his hands on the table in outrage. "Who do you think I am? More like, who do you think you are?! You have no right to call her that! She's a hell of a lot nicer than you and definitely not a freak! Don't insult my friends!"

Rin could feel the same feeling he used to have when he was younger, when the kids said mean things to Yukio and bullied him. He felt angry and protective, like someone had just insulted his own pride.

Rin had never retaliated when people insulted him or tried to hurt him. Only when they targeted his brother did he get violent. The only time he'd ever lashed out at kid for bullying him was when the kid had called him a demon. It had struck a cord in Rin for some reason, and maybe deep down, Rin always knew the truth about his heritage.

Rin hated people who judged, who were judgmental to people who were just a little bit less normal than others. People judged him for being a demon all the time, and he hated it when they compared him to Satan.

Sure, Rin was different, but that didn't mean he didn't have feelings.

Paulina looked disgusted. "She's your friend? I was obviously mistaken when I thought you were worth my time!"

"You're right!" Rin growled. "I'm not worth your time, and you're not worth mine! So take your little temper tantrum somewhere else, preferably somewhere where someone actually cares!"

Paulina's lip trembled, but she kept her composure, whirled around and stomped away. Rin called after her. "Just so you know, if there weren't so many people around, I would have decked you, girl or not!"

The crowd gaped as Rin bared his teeth at the turned girl, then turned around to face them. "What are you staring at? It's my business, don't get involved!"

The boy snarled one last time before turning the opposite direction of the girl, walking away.

Rin was half a mile away from the mall when he heard yelling. "Wait up!"

Danny, Sam, and Tucker ran to catch up with him, holding a bag with something in it. It smelled like food.

"You left your lunch. We didn't think you'd want to waste your money on something you weren't going to eat," Danny said as he held the back out to Rin.

Rin blinked slowly for a moment, then gave them a small smile, taking the bag. "Thanks. I'm sorry about my outburst. I have a short temper, and that bitch pissed me off."

"We completely understand," Sam told him.

"It might be taken the wrong way," Rin started, "as to how I defended you. When she insulted you, it reminded me of my childhood."

"Childhood? What do you mean?" Tucker asked.

"All my life up until I was fifteen, I had no one except my brother, my father, and the other adults at the monastery. I was protective of my brother. I never lashed out at anyone, not even when they yelled at me and hurt me. I only got violent when they insulted him. I never liked anyone bad mouthing my little brother. I remember a few times I attacked kids when they insulted me. They said a word that was like a trigger to me, a trigger to defend and protect myself, a trigger to attack."

"What was it?" Danny asked.

"Demon," Rin answered, "The word was demon. The first kid who called me it was sent to the hospital with a broken arm. I destroyed the whole classroom, and my dad had to come to school to calm me down. I wouldn't stop throwing things. I threw chairs, tables, toys, anything I could find. Everyone was terrified, except Dad. He tried to calm me down, but I wouldn't listen. I kept screaming nonsense, chucking everything at the children. The old man knew I wasn't going to listen, so he dodged what I threw and hugged me. I remember freezing, not understanding why he was hugging a monster, then I got angry, so I punched him in the chest. His glasses flew off and I started to cry, fearing that I'd hurt him. He started to tell me that I wasn't a demon, that I could use my abilities for good. A few minutes later, he collapsed. I'd broken his ribs when I punched him."

"You broke his ribs?! How old were you?!" Tucker asked.

Rin sighed. "Seven. I had a hard childhood. Everyone in town knew who I was, the demon kid. The children and adults feared me, hated me. I've always been abnormally strong and I never knew why. I've always been different. I look different, I act different, and I'm just not normal. I've accepted that, but there are times when I wish others would as well."

Rin paused for a moment before giving a shaky breath, flashing them a similar smile. "I've got to get going. I'll see ya."

As Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked home, Sam spoke up. "Abnormal strength. He said he's always had abnormal strength."

"Yeah, what about it?" Tucker asked.

"Danny said Rin had a different aura. What if Rin's not even human?" Sam wondered.

"Sam, that's ridiculous. I'm pretty sure Rin would have given something away by now if he wasn't human," Tucker said.

"That's the thing, though," Sam began, "What if Rin doesn't know either? What if Rin thinks he's human, but he's not?"

An unidentifiable expression passed over Danny's face. "That's not a very pleasant thought. Look, like I said before, keep an eye on him, but don't immediately accuse him."

"Got it."

Rin opened the door as he got home and closed it behind him quickly.

Lizzy peeked around the corner. "Rin, you're home. What's the matter? You look pale."

Rin didn't say anything, but his trembling lips, pale complexion, and glassy eyes had Lizzy concerned. "Rin?"

"I messed up, Liz," Rin said in a breathy whisper.

"Why? What's going on?" She panicked, rushing over to him and placing a hand on his forehead. "Are you sick?"

He gently pushed her hand away, and looked her in the eyes.

Lizzy suddenly saw what she saw the first time they'd met. She saw the look of a soldier's eyes, the look of pain, war, death. She saw the look of a soldier trapped inside a young teen's body. She saw the weight he carried on his shoulders, and it was heavier than the world itself.

But this time, Lizzy also saw a young boy who was scared. Scared of himself, of others, of the world.

"Lizzy," he breathed, eyes watering even more. A stray tear escaped, cascading down his pale cheek. "He's gone. I hurt him, I yelled at him, and now he's gone. It's all my fault."

Lizzy said nothing and pulled Rin into a hug, petting his hair. He sobbed into her shoulder.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

Chapter Text

"How is this possible?!" Yukio screamed.

Satan stood there, blue flames surrounding him, long white hair and bright blue eyes. He grinned psychotically. "Assiah may not be able to handle my power, but there are loopholes to bend the rules a bit."

"Bastard!" Rin charged, swinging his sword wildly in rage.

Satan dodged easily. "Reckless. You're weak. You're so weak, you can't even control your demon side, your own heart. These flames are a candle compared to mine. Your power is locked, son, and you'll never defeat me."

Satan kicked Rin, sending him flying through trees, grunting as he landed and rolled.

Rin got up with a new determination. "You killed my father, asshole! You're nothing to me! You're only a demon who helped in giving me life! My dad was Shiro Fujimoto! Screw everything! I swore that I would defeat you! If that means killing you, if that means sacrificing everything, then so be it!"

Yukio gasped in realization. "Rin, no!"

"What's that idiot doing?!" Bon asked in a panic.

Shura stared, eyes wide. "He's going to take his heart back."

"Wait, but then he would have to-" Shima stopped himself.

"Break his sword," Izumo finished.

"Last time he did that, he lost control! He couldn't tell friend from foe!" Konekomuru gasped.

"In theory," Mephisto grinned behind them. "when Rin breaks his sword, he always tried to push away or control the flames. By rejecting them, he showed fear of them, which made his fear take over. When he tried to control them, they refused to listen. The simple fact is, unless it is accepted, it can not be rejected."

"What's that supposed to mean, clown?" Shura snapped.

"It means that unless Rin accepts his flames, he can not control them." Mephisto laughed.

"Does the moron know that?" Bon asked.

Mephisto just laughed and disappeared.

They turned their attention back to the battle as Rin stared Satan in the face.

"I'm not a child anymore! I've trained, I've worked hard for this, and I won't let it all go to waste!" Rin heard their conversation. He knew what he had to do.

Rin lifted his knee and jerked the flat side of his blade onto it, snapping it.

A flood of blue light surrounded the area, blinding everyone for a moment. Once it cleared, everybody gasped at Rin.

He still looked like he usually did when he unsheathed Kurikara, but his red pupils were slitted, irises jagged at the edges. His nails became claws and all of his teeth became pointed, while his normally sharp canines became even more prominent.

His flames glowed brighter than ever, and his eyes held a great deal of determination and braveness.

"Am I weak now, bastard?! Come and get me!"

Rin jolted awake, gasping as the memory vanished.

That day was still clear and fresh in his mind. It was the first time he'd actually felt whole, complete.

That day was when he'd defeated Satan, became King of Gehenna, and become more powerful than ever. It was the day he'd taken his heart back.

It wasn't all good, though.

That day, people had also died, exorcists and innocent bystanders.

Teachers, students, children, dwindling each second as they all fought on.

Rin remembered their screams, watching as they were all killed in front of him. Rin remembered the blood, the fear, and the trauma.

Rin had been through war, a bloody war. They all had.

Kuro meowed quietly next to him. "Rin? Are you okay? Was it a nightmare again?"

"No, Kuro," Rin assured the Sith Cat. "It wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory. A memory of the war. It was just a part of it. I'm glad I didn't see anymore."

"Oh, Rin," Kuro whimpered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Rin said, "You were there by my side, fighting along with me. It's over now. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

"I wish you didn't have to suffer, Rin." Kuro felt tears threaten to fall.

Rin saw this. "Me, too. I wish none of us had to suffer. I wish none of us had to go through the aftermath. There was so much bloodshed, so much death."

Rin looked Kuro in the eyes. "I know you have nightmares, too, Kuro. I've seen you thrash around sometimes."

Kuro gave Rin a sad smile. "We all have nightmares about it. It's just the way it is."

"I know, Kuro." Rin stroked the demon. "I know all too well."

Lizzy didn't ask Rin what had happened or why it had.

She knew, anyhow. Rin blamed himself for his dad's death.

Lizzy's heart clenched at the thought. Whatever that boy had been through was not pretty, nor was it joyful.

The mystery that was Rin kept getting bigger and bigger by the minute.

She yawned and made her way through the halls, but paused beside Rin's door. She could hear him speaking.

"It wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory. A memory of the war. It was just a part of it. I'm glad I didn't see anymore."

Lizzy froze. The look in Rin's eyes, the look she'd gotten a glimpse of many times before. It looked like a soldier's, someone who's seen war, because he had been in a war.

What war, though? It would have been all over the news.

Lizzy's thoughts were cut off again by Rin's voice, and when he spoke, she realized she missed some of his musings.

"Me, too. I wish none of us had to suffer. I wish none of us had to go through the aftermath. There was so much bloodshed, so much death."

Lizzy's eyes burned as she hurried away, down the hall and into her room, closing the door quickly and quietly behind her.

Her hands found their way to her eyes to wipe away the tears. "Oh, Rin. What's happened to you?"

She looked over to her desk. A picture sat there, one she'd taken when he wasn't awake. She knew he would have whined if she had taken a picture of him with him noticing.

When she'd first looked at the photo, he looked cute and peaceful.

Now, as she looked closer, his face was guarded, alert, and ready to face anything that were to attack him as he lay, asleep. The peaceful facade was just that, a mask. Where he was supposed to feel safe, he felt vulnerable and bare.

Lizzy's hands shook as she turned the lamp off. Her tears dried to her face as she closed her eyes.

'Who are you, Rin Okumura?'

Chapter Text

It was Monday. Rin and Lizzy were both ready to get back to work.

Rin hummed as he flipped the pancakes and hurried to go add the next ingredient to the bubbling pot of stew he'd let sit for a few minutes.

The cooks were used to watching Rin take on more than one order at a time. It was a special talent of his.

Lizzy watched Rin in a new light. She used to see a bright kid with a talent of cooking.

Now, she saw a wise adult, doing something that he enjoyed, something that took him away to a different world, a world filled with joy and no worries, no war.

Cooking was something that allowed Rin to feel normal, to feel safe and happy. Lizzy saw that now, and her heart reached out to him.

She swallowed as she saw him smile at one of the newer cooks, laughing when the cook raised a brow as he saw Rin dance around goofily.

That smile was one of joy, but it was guarded, giving nothing away that would lead to betrayal.

Lizzy watched the boy serve their customers, a content look on his face. It seemed to be the only thing that was exposed. He felt content, okay then. He didn't feel so worried. He was okay, for now.

Lizzy made sure to tell herself that the words 'for now' meant exactly what they were said for.

For now wasn't forever.

As Rin served tables, he could still remember his dream, his memory. That memory brought even more flashbacks.

As he set the drinks on the table, the woman sitting there spoke up, her voice curious, but kind. "Aren't you a bit young to be working here?"

Rin froze, eyes flashing.

Rin raced through the trees, zig zagging his way through the obstacles. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the woods, a road in sight with a broke-down car on it.

A mother and her child were there, as the mother looked through the hood for the problem, and the little girl patiently rocked back and forth on her heels. She couldn't have been older than seven.

The mother lifted her head at the rustling of leaves and turned her head to face Rin. "Who are you? Are you lost?"

The little girl looked at him, too. "Who's he, mommy?"

Rin stared at them, wide eyed. "No..."

"Are you okay?" The mother walked toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you hurt? Lost?"

Rin was about to warn them, but Satan's voice drifted toward them. "Putting innocent people in danger, now?"

The mother and Rin looked back to see Satan, grinning insanely, with the little girl's throat in his hand.

"Kaui!" The mother cried, fear circling in her orbs as she stared at the demon threatening her daughter.

Satan laughed. The girl struggled. "Let me go, you stupid meanie!"

Satan grinned. "Aren't you a bit young to be ordering me?" His fingers twitched and blood exploded everywhere, Kaui's head rolling off her shoulders.

"No!" The mother screamed in horror and despair.

Satan wasted no time in doing the same to the mother.

Blood and guts covered the road and the broken-down car, detached heads with bloody, severed bodies lie lifeless on the black pavement.

Rin stared in horror. "Bastard..." Rin started to scream. "Leave everyone out of this!"

Satan laughed and repeated his previous words.

"Aren't you a bit young to be ordering me?"

Rin was back to reality as the trays of food were dropped, and he stumbled.

He could hear people yelling as his hearing got fuzzy.

"Rin! Rin, are you okay?!" It sounded like Lizzy. Was she underwater or something?

"Rin?!"

Black spotted his vision as quiet wisps of words escaped his lips.

"It'll be alright, Kaui. You and your mother will be safe now. I'm sorry I was so weak."

His head hit the floor and black consumed his vision.

Beeping noises sounded in his ears.

Rin's eyes squinted, opening slightly.

Voices drifted toward him. They were outside of the room, but their voices were clear anyway.

"Ma'am, did you realize that the boy had PTSD?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

Rin knew he was in a hospital. It was obvious, considering the blinding white and beeping heart monitor.

"No." The voice that was Lizzy's shook with worry and horror. "How could I? He's a child. A teenager, but a child nonetheless. How could someone so young have PTSD?"

"I'm not sure. I'd have to ask him myself. There are many factors in which can cause PTSD," the unfamiliar voice said. It was probably a doctor, maybe a nurse.

Rin opened his eyes wider just as both walked in. He sat up. "Lizzy? What's going on?"

'Nice going, moron. I passed out. Why else would I be here?' Rin scoffed internally.

"Rin, you passed out during work." Lizzy frowned.

Rin knew this, but her tone scared him. "Wait, does this mean I'm fired!?"

"No!" Lizzy exclaimed hurriedly. "Oh god, no! Calm down, Rin! You'll raise your heart beat too much. Your pulse needs to stay as calm as possible."

Rin took a deep breath and nodded, his thumping heart quieting. "Sorry, I just...I don't want to lose the one thing that's made me feel safe for once."

The doctor's expression creased with worry, and Lizzy flinched, expression softening.

"Kid," the doctor began, but Rin cut him off.

"I'm not a kid," Rin spat, "It's Rin."

"Rin," the doctor corrected himself. "did you know that you suffer from PTSD?"

Rin scoffed. "No duh! Of course I know! How could I not?! When my brother found out, he gave me a whole tutorial about it. How to deal with it, what to do if a flashback or panic attack occurs, what medication to take, the complex definition of it, and the list goes on."

Rin glared. "So yes, Mr. Doctor, I do know I have PTSD, and I do understand its severity."

The doctor swallowed slowly and sighed. "Okay then. Since you seem to be fine, and it was only a panic attack, you're free to leave today. Is there any way we can contact your parents?"

Rin flinched, and Lizzy grimaced. "I'm his guardian, or foster mother, if you would prefer. I'll sign."

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but dismissed his curiosity and nodded.

The two left the room, and Rin fell back onto the bed. "What am I going to do now?"

"You mentioned medication," Lizzy said, "You don't take it, do you?"

"I don't have any." Rin shrugged. "Besides, it doesn't do anything for me. It's like swallowing plastic. It doesn't do much but make my stomach ache. My biology doesn't allow any medicine to work effectively."

"Oh." Her response was quiet and short. "Rin-"

"Please." His voice shook. Lizzy stopped at the stoplight and turned around to face him, her eyes widening.

Rin stared at her, eyes full of fear, worry, guilt, and pain. "Don't ask."

Lizzy bit her lip, but didn't know how Rin knew that she was going to ask about his PTSD.

She looked at him as tears gently slid down his pale cheeks. It was already beginning to tick nine, and the red glow from the stoplight illuminated his face in the dark, tear stained and lip quivering.

Lizzy's eyes slowly slid shut, her breath slowly seeping from between her lips. "Okay, Rin. It's alright."

Her eyes opened, she gave a slight nod to Rin and turned back to face the road.

'I should have been there for you, kid. What happened to you? Why are you so...'

'Broken?'

Chapter Text

It'd been about two days since his flashback.

Rin had managed to push the memories away and focus on getting home once again.

Luckily, Lizzy had informed him that he was to take one to two weeks off, and if he didn't, she'd fire him.

Rin smiled to himself slightly, amused at how Lizzy treated him like glass.

If anything, he was a steel wall, never to let himself fall or be penetrated.

Not again.

He shook his head, scowling. He chided himself. Thinking about that got him nowhere.

'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. The war's over. What is done is done, end of story.'

His heart still clenched all the same.

Rin's ears worked themselves to hear any conversation that was nearby or faraway.

He stopped, ears picking up an interesting conversation.

"So? We can't let Rafe get that, Nate. You know what'll happen. This is for both of us. To save you, to save me." A male's voice sounded about a mile away.

"I know, Sam! You don't think I don't know that! You're my brother, and I've always had your back. I'm just saying, we can't go in guns blazing. We need a plan," another male responded, most likely Nate.

"And I've got one. It involves one Victor Sullivan." Nate continued.

"Alright, but Sullivan has crossed people before." 'Sam' sighed.

"Not us," Nate said.

"Not you." Rin heard Sam correct Nate. "What if he steals the cross for himself, huh? What then?"

"Trust him, Sam. If not him, trust me," Nate pleaded.

"Fine."

A tingle shot down Rin's spine. Rin smirked to himself, throwing the hood of his blue hoodie over his eyes.

"Looks like I've got myself an adventure."

Lizzy yawned, and blinked. Her eyes furrowed in worry.

Something was wrong.

She shot out of bed and raced down the hall to Rin's room.

She slammed the door open and was devastated to find no sign of Rin or Kuro.

Her eyes caught a glimmer of white paper. She walked over and picked it up from the bed.

'Kuro and I will be gone for month or two. Take care of yourself, and don't worry about me. I've survived this long, haven't I?' -Rin

Lizzy frowned, worry pitting in her stomach.

"Yeah, this long."

Rin put a finger to his lips, effectively telling Kuro to stay silent.

Kuro nodded in understanding.

"Okay, but Rafe's been searching for the treasure for years. He hasn't found it yet. What makes you think we will?" Nate asked.

Rin silently overlooked them. Both had brown hair, but one was taller. Nate had short brown hair while Sam, his supposed brother, had his hair longer. They both looked around twenty or thirty.

"I'm pretty sure Rafe doesn't have this." Sam smirked and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Nate.

Nate looked at it. "It's the Saint Dismas Cross. So what?"

"The one we found was hollow and broken. This one isn't." Sam smiled.

"Avery made more than one cross." Nate seemed to realize.

Rin didn't know who Avery was, but just listening to the conversation had his demon senses flaring for some odd reason.

"This one is going up for bid at the Rossi Estate in Italy," Sam said.

"Even if I sold my whole house, we wouldn't have enough money to-We're going to steal it, aren't we?" Nate sighed.

"Hell yeah." Sam nodded.

Rin smirked. Italy, aye? This would be fun.

Danny became increasingly nervous. He hadn't seen Rin around for about a week.

Danny voiced his worried to Tucker and Sam.

"We can always head over to Eclipse and ask," Sam told him.

"Yeah," Danny said, "Let's do that."

The trio headed over to the counter only to be approached by a woman with short, red hair and brown eyes.

"I'm Lizzy. How may I help you?" She asked, but her voice seemed to crack.

"Rin works here, right? Do you know if he's okay?" Tucker asked.

Lizzy jerked back. "R-Rin? How do you know him?"

"I guess you could consider us friends. We've run into him a few times and talked." Sam shrugged.

"You don't know anything?" Lizzy asked, sounding disappointed.

"No, why?" Danny asked.

"I-Rin lives with me. I'm not sure if you know or not, but he's homeless. He left me a note about a week ago. He said he'd be gone for a while, a month or two. I don't know his whereabouts." She frowned.

"He's missing?" Tucker gasped.

"No, he's just busy. Doing what, I have no clue. You can...come back in about a month or two. I'm sure he'll be back by then."

The trio reluctantly nodded and headed out.

"Danny?" Sam asked gently. Danny sighed and shook his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Rin found himself in the middle of a giant gun fight.

Well, not really. Rin was on the roof with Kuro, but he watched the gun fight below.

A headlight from a helicopter ran over him, and Rin cursed, jumping off of the building and landing in some tall grass, Kuro following his lead.

He looked up to see Nate and Sam scaling the buildings and escaping the guards.

"We've got some monkeys, don't we, Kuro?" Rin said quietly to his friend.

Kuro meowed quietly in agreement.

Rin stealthily followed the two. He had no idea why, but those two couldn't die right now.

Nate leapt to the next building, but got shot in the side and stumbled in the air, falling a few hundred feet.

"No! Nathan!" Sam yelled in alarm, already racing toward Nate's location from where he was falling.

Rin went wide eyed, and without thinking, leapt out of the grass and into the air.

Sam watched in shock as a blur shot from the grass below and leapt about two hundred feet in the air, heading straight for Nate.

The blur caught Nathan and landed in front of Sam a few feet away.

It was a boy, about sixteen with messy, black hair with a weird, almost natural, blue tint to it. His eyes were a stunning shade of blue, almost glowing. His ears were pointed like an elf's, canines sharp and glinting in the helicopter's spotlights.

He set Nate down quickly, looking at Sam.

Nate stumbled away, holding his gunshot wound, staring at the kid.

"You jumped hundreds of feet into the-"

"Doesn't matter." The boy snapped. "Get out of here."

"Why did you help us?" Sam asked suspiciously.

The boy looked at them. He looked worried and confused. "Honestly? I don't know. Something's telling me to keep you two alive. Now, scram! I'll hold 'em off!"

Nate and Sam did as they were told.

Chapter Text

Rin crouched on the roof. He looked below as he watched Nate come out onto the balcony, talking to what seemed to be his wife on the phone.

The way he talked, Rin realized she had no idea what he was doing.

He leapt off and landed on the railing in front of Nate.

Nate made a choking sound and stumbled back.

"Nate? You okay?" Her voice drifted from the other end of the line.

Rin put a finger to his lips, telling Nate to keep quiet.

Nate hurriedly finished the phone call and shoved the device in his pocket.

"Who are you? Why did you save me? Why are you following us?" Nate glared.

"You're looking for some type of treasure, aren't you? I overheard your conversation with your brother," Rin commented.

"So what? You want in? That treasure is to save Sam!" Nate growled.

"You think I want money?" Rin chuckled. "I do not 'want in'. I do not want your treasure. That is not why I'm here."

"As for who I am," Rin continued, "I'm Rin. And I believe I already told you that I don't know why I saved you."

"If you don't want the treasure, then why are you here?" Nate asked.

Rin sighed, a conflicted look painted across his features. "Not completely sure. All I know is that the Saint Dismas Cross you guys have right now, it gives off a fair amount of energy."

"Energy?" Nate narrowed his eyes.

"Demonic energy," Rin summarized, "Although, it gives off waves in a certain direction, as if it's pointing to something. If that thing is pointing to something, I need to find it."

"Why?" Nate asked.

"It's my job to deal with demonic things. It's why I can sense them. That cross has demonic energy. It's pointing to something, and I have to find it," Rin explained, "Don't be too surprised if we run into one another again."

"What am I supposed to tell Sam? Sully?" Nate asked.

"You don't have to tell them anything if you don't want to. It's all up to you." Rin smirked and jumped off the balcony.

"Saint Dismas Cathedral in Scotland. Sound good to you, Kuro?" Rin smiled.

"Let's go!" Kuro cheered.

"Why would Avery make a secret base under his grave just to lead to the cathedral?" Sam wondered aloud.

"Avery seems to have different ways of thinking." Nate shrugged.

"Well, at least the caves look cool," Sam said.

"And dangerous," Nate added.

"Okay, I'll weigh down this end of the seesaw. Jump over there and find something to put on the end to boost me up," Sam instructed.

"Got it!" Nate called back.

After this was done, Nate shoved the crate onto the opposite end of the seesaw and Sam went flying up to the top.

"Nice airtime!" Nate laughed.

"Come on!" Sam called.

Nate jumped onto the seesaw, but his weight and the crate's on one side was too heavy for the big, old, broken seesaw.

It wobbled and started to crack and break.

"Run!" Sam called in panic.

Nate ran as quick as he could and leapt for the outstretched hand that Sam offered.

His jump was too short, and he hit the side of the cliff, grunting and falling.

"Nathan!" Sam cried.

Rin watched all of this with an exasperated look.

Rin leapt from the hiding place and caught Nate, using his hand to crush through the rock for something to hold onto.

"Agh!" Nate grunted as the sudden force of the stop made both crash into the rock rather hard.

"Quit grunting! If you keep squirming, I'll drop you," Rin threatened.

Nate relaxed, but only slightly.

Rin used his one free hand to grip the newly-made rock indent and swing himself and Nate up to the top of the platform.

Rin landed in a crouch, but since Rin was still holding Nate's waist, Nate landed on his back with a cough.

Rin let go of him and backed away in case Sam did something drastic.

"Why do you keep following us?!" Sam scowled.

"If I hadn't, your brother would be dead right now. I don't know why you're complaining." Rin rolled his eyes.

"What do you want, huh? The treasure?" Sam hissed.

"Like I've already told Nate, the treasure is the last thing on my mind. I could care less about it." Rin huffed.

"Wait, when did you talk to Nathan?!" Sam growled.

"When I was on the balcony back in Italy," Nate informed, "He dropped out of nowhere. Literally."

"And you didn't tell me!?" Sam asked.

"I didn't think it was that important." Nate shrugged.

"I'm here for something that cross is pointing to. It gives off demonic energy. It's sending waves of it in a general direction, and I'm following it," Rin explained.

"You can sense demonic energy?" Sam asked skeptically.

"More or less." Rin hummed. "It's close, real close. I'll stick with you two for now."

"Fine, but don't think of pulling anything," Sam warned.

Rin just chuckled. "Fine by me. You wouldn't mind if Kuro came along, would you?"

"Kuro?" Nate wondered.

"My cat," Rin said.

"He's with you?" Sam asked.

"Yup," Rin said, "He won't get us into trouble, if that's what you're worried about. He has human comprehension."

"Uh huh." Sam didn't look convinced, but agreed all the same.

"You can come out now, Kuro," Rin called.

A cat jumped down from the rocks above. He was black and white with big, green eyes, two tails, and yellow horns.

"Does that cat have horns?" Nate gaped.

"And two tails?" Sam raised a brow.

"Pretty much. He's a Cat Sith." Rin smiled as Kuro climbed onto his head.

"What's that?" Nate asked.

"A type of demon. He's my familiar, if you want to put it simply." Rin sighed.

"A demon?" Sam groaned. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Rin mocked.

"Let's go. I don't think I can handle much more of this." Nate groaned.

"Wimps." Rin laughed.

"Look, another cross," Sam said as he reached out to touch it.

"Wait!" Nate exclaimed, "It's the only valuable thing in here. It's a test of greed."

"Plus," Rin added, "It's giving off so much demonic energy, I'm surprised it hasn't randomly killed us yet."

"It's an inanimate object," Sam deadpanned.

"And your point is?" Rin raised an eyebrow, daring Sam to question the demon.

"Take one coin," Nate instructed.

"Got it," Sam said.

The room shook and lights glowed in the ceiling above. A map of Madagascar glowed on the floor.

"It's Madagascar. Look, this is a star. It's King's Bay. That's our next stop." Nate smiled.

"Avery's screwing with us," Sam said, "We go to King's Bay, but what's next? The North Pole? Outer space?!"

"He-He was recruiting." Nate seemed to figure something out.

"Who?!" Sam asked.

"Avery!" Nate exclaimed, "Avery was recruiting!"

"Recruiting for what?!" Sam asked.

No more was spoken as a hole was blown through the wall next to them, sending them flying.

Nadine and two men came in.

"Guns down, slowly," she ordered.

Nate and Sam put there hands up and placed their guns on the floor.

Rin put his hands up, but didn't budge. Kuro hissed atop Rin's head. "I don't really have a weapon."

Nadine pulled out a walkie talkie. "Rafe, come in. I've found them."

"What?" 'Rafe's' voice sounded.

"There's also a boy with them, sixteen or seventeen, maybe. Know him?"

"Not really. Where are you?" Rafe asked.

"Come back to the cathedral. Follow the holes." Nadine turned her walkie talkie off.

"Look, there's only two people who can tell you how to use that," Sam said, referring to the cross.

"And I suppose those two are you?" Nadine glared and turned to face one of her men. "Grab the crucifix."

"It's not really a crucifix," Nate said. Both started to back up, and Rin followed their lead.

Nadine's eyes widened. "Don't touch it!"

It was too late as the man picked it up, and the floor started to crumble.

"Sorry," Rin yelled, "but I need that cross!"

Rin jumped into the giant pit and swiped the cross from the falling man's hand.

He gripped the pillar and leapt up to the top again with one swift push.

"Kuro! Defend!" Rin called.

"Got it!" Kuro responded, growing to the size of a monster truck.

Nadine and the men gaped. Even Sam and Nate were awed.

"What?" Rin questioned as he grabbed both by their jackets, dragging them behind some stone. "Kuro's a demon. This shouldn't surprise you."

Both brothers shook their shock away and knocked men out, grabbing their guns and shooting.

Nate slammed something into Rin's palm. "Here."

It was a gun. Rin looked at Nate and shoved it back. "I'm fine. I don't need it. I've got something else up my sleeve."

"Suit yourself." Nate ran back to help his brother.

Rin rolled his eyes. "Kuro! Come on!"

"Come on!" Victor Sullivan called.

Nate swam up to the plane and jumped in, pulling Sam in after him.

Sullivan immediately pulled the plane out of the water and shot off.

"We can't just leave him there!" Nate yelled.

"Who?" Sullivan asked.

"Rin! He saved my ass more than once! Now, he's letting us get away! Look, I don't know about you two, but I can't just let him get killed for me." Nate glared.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sullivan asked.

"A boy was there in Italy with us," Sam began, "Nate was shot out of the air, and he caught him, saved him. He let us get away while he held the guards off. When we were in the caves, Nate fell, but Rin caught him. When Nadine got to us, Rin let us get away."

"He doesn't want the treasure," Nate added, "He wanted something that had demonic energy in it or something."

"Look boys, I-" Sullivan was cut off as a knock sounded on the plane windshield.

It was Rin and Kuro. Rin was plastered to the front of the windshield, upside down, grinning and waving. Kuro was just clinging to Rin's head.

"How in the hell?!" Sullivan gaped.

"I also forgot to mention that he's kind of a ninja." Nate laughed.

"Let him in." Sam chuckled.

"You should be wet," Sullivan told the boy.

"Why?" Rin asked.

"The plane was in the water, kid. If you wanted to climb on this, you would've had to swim," Sullivan said.

"I jumped. I was on the edge of the cliffs, and I jumped. It's simple." Rin shrugged.

"You can't just jump," Sullivan said.

"But I did," Rin said.

"That's not-" Sullivan was cut off.

"Sully," Nate laughed. "Rin here jumped hundreds of feet into the air to catch me. I wouldn't put it past him to jump on the plane from the distance he said he did."

"But that's-" Sullivan was cut off again.

"Not possible," Rin finished, "I defy the laws of possibility."

"Did you get that cross?" Sam asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here," Rin said, waving it around. "This isn't its true form."

"What?" Nate asked, confused.

"I'm not sure who Avery is, but if he got his hands on this, I'm very curious as to where from. This is an artifact that belongs to demons, belongs in Hell. How it escaped may forever remain a mystery," Rin explained, "In reality, this cross is just a disguise for the actual object. If I'm correct, I may be able to reveal its true form if I..." Rin trailed off and gripped the golden cross, eyes narrowing.

Slowly, the cross seemed to waver as if it was nothing more than a hologram. It soon morphed into something different.

It was a black disk with a flame in the middle of it on both sides. The flame glowed a bright blue, pulsing with energy.

"No way," Rin breathed.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Hold this," Rin ordered.

Sam took it.

"Now, slowly scoot away from me," Rin instructed.

Though confused, Sam did so. Slowly, the blue light grew dimmer and dimmer. It didn't go completely out since Sam couldn't scoot very far.

"Just as I thought." Rin leaned forward and took the disk back.

"What is it?" Sullivan asked.

"The blue flame represents royalty, I guess. In all of history, there was only one demon who wielded blue flames. Even his first eight sons never inherited the blue fire," Rin said.

"What demon was it?" Nate asked.

"I'm sure you've heard of him. He's quite popular among Christians. The demon was Satan, King of Hell." Rin frowned.

"Satan is real?" Sullivan raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Yes. It doesn't matter what religion you belong to. Satan is as real as you and I, or was." Rin sighed.

"Was? I have a feeling this will be interesting." Sam grinned.

"You have to swear not to repeat this, understand? I'm only telling you this because I got you involved in my affairs." Rin glared threateningly.

"Okay, okay, just tell us!" Nate urged.

"Satan fell in love with a human named Yuri Egin. She was immune to the blue flames. Yuri became the mother to Satan's children. She gave birth to them, and died. An exorcist by the name of Shiro Fujimoto raised them as humans. They were male twins. One was human and one was a half demon. The demonic one inherited the blue flames."

"You said that Satan's sons didn't inherit his flames," Nate reminded him.

"The first eight didn't. The ninth did," Rin corrected.

Rin continued, "Anyway, the demon didn't know he was a demon until Fujimoto died by being possessed by Satan. Fujimoto regained control and stabbed himself to save the demon boy from being taken back to Hell by Satan. The demon promised to become an exorcist and defeat Satan."

"He did, but it was a long and bloody road. By defeating Satan, he became the King of Hell," Rin finished.

"Do you know the children's names?" Sullivan asked.

"The human was named Yukio. The demon was named Rin," Rin answered.

At their shocked faces, he faced the floor and glared. "I needed this artifact to get home. I'm stuck in another universe, and I can't get back to Hell without attracting other demons. It's too much of a risk. This artifact is the first step to getting home."

"You don't look much like a demon, except for your pointed ears and sharp teeth." Sam pointed out.

Rin shrugged. "I'm still half human, I guess. This is my human form, or disguise as some people like to call it."

"What's-What does your demon form look like?" Nate blurted.

"Are you asking me to turn into a demon right now?" Rin asked incredulously.

"Uh..." Nate couldn't think of what to say.

"I'll do it on one condition," Rin said.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

"Do not freak out," Rin demanded.

"Okay," Nate agreed.

Rin let his tail unfurl from his waist and crawl out from under his shirt.

"You have a tail in human form?" Sullivan asked.

"Even for a half demon, my human form is flawed. I guess I look like what a human would look like if they were possessed. I hide my tail by curling it around my waist." Rin shrugged.

Rin took a deep breath and burst into flames.

The three men had to blink as they surveyed his demon form. He looked much more like a demon now.

His ears were longer, narrowed, and still pointed. His canines were much longer now, and his other teeth looked sharp now as well. Blue flaming horns adorned his head, and a blue flame flickered at the tip of his tail.

His nails were sharp, iris's jagged and sharp, as well. His pupils were a bright, slitted, blood red.

"Woah!" Nate and Sam gaped in awe. Even Sullivan was impressed.

Rin chuckled slightly, then furrowed his eyebrows. "What day is it?"

Sullivan told the half demon, and Rin frowned. "You need to leave now, don't you?" Sullivan guessed.

"Yeah." Rin sighed. "See you never!"

Rin opened the plane door and jumped out, Kuro meowing at them before following his master's lead.

Chapter Text

The journey home was not too long, despite the fact that he had been halfway across the world as of then.

Rin quietly snuck through the window, breathing a sigh of relief when no loud noise was made. Kuro balanced on Rin's shoulder, surveying the room for any sign of life and/or movement.

The two demons slowly made their way upstairs and to bed, glad that they had made it back safely.

When Rin awoke, he was met with the feeling of someone choking him.

Of course, it was impossible to panic because the person choking him was crying out in relief, and they were none other than Lizzy.

"Lizzy, you're choking me," Rin rasped out.

The woman quickly let go of him, but gripped his shoulders. "Never scare me like that again! Leaving like that was unnecessary and rash! Where did you go? Are you hurt? You are in so much trouble!"

Rin couldn't help but laugh at the internal conflict Lizzy was struggling with. "I'm fine, Lizzy. You worry too much. Besides, I found what I was looking for, so that's a plus."

"What were you even looking for?" Lizzy asked once she'd calmed down some.

"The first step to take me home," Rin replied, "That's all."

Lizzy knew she would get nothing else out of him.

Rin furrowed his eyebrows at the disk. It was almost like some sort of tracker, glowing brighter the closer it got to him. He figured it was connected to his heritage, AKA Satan, to be more precise.

The disk seemed to react to the hell fire rather well, and Rin knew that this artifact in itself would be important in the near future for getting him home.

How he knew was beyond him.

How exactly it helped in getting him home...

Rin didn't have so much as a clue.

"Lizzy, this is mental," Rin said.

"Mental?" She asked, "I think it's very fair. You are still a teenager, Rin. It's against the law not to send you to school, and I don't have time to home school you with my job. Besides, I'm not the most qualified person for the task, anyway."

"What about my job?" Rin stressed. "I work everyday of the week, excluding Saturdays and Sundays."

"I am your boss," Lizzy said, "I'm sure I can cut your time down to after school or just the weekends."

"I don't like school. People are mean and it's no fun, especially when everyone hates you. I was made fun of, and the kids call me a demon. Even teachers agreed." Rin frowned.

Lizzy sighed. "Well, this is your chance to start fresh. Nobody knows you. You can create your own image, a new one, a better one, the real one. Whoever thought you were a demon obviously never saw you for who you really were."

Rin nodded, and the conversation was over, but Lizzy's voice rung in his head.

"You can create your own image, a new one, a better one, the real one. Whoever thought you were a demon obviously never saw you for who you really were."

Lizzy just didn't get it, not that she could. He'd been lying to her ever since he met her.

Rin wore masks all the time to protect himself. The real Rin was only shown to the people he trusted with his life. Rin wouldn't trust anyone but Kuro, Yukio, and his friends.

As for the fact that Rin wasn't a demon, whoever said that saw the truth, and Rin had foolishly denied it. It's ironic that the roles were now switched.

Lizzy didn't understand, but that was okay.

No one ever did.

Rin's mind was in over drive as Lizzy pulled up to the school on Monday.

"Ready?" She asked, leaning over the chair to face him.

"No," he deadpanned.

"Well, too bad." She shoved him out of the car and tossed him his backpack. "See you at three!"

She drove off, and Rin was left on the curb, grumbling and cursing to himself.

"Rin Okumura?" The secretary asked.

"That's me." Rin sighed.

"Here's your schedule, locker number, and locker combination. Have a good day!" Rin nodded and mumbled his thanks before walking out.

Kids in the hall stared at him as he made his way toward his locker. Rin looked at his feet, hair dangling in his face. Their lingering stares felt judging and uncomfortable.

His head snapped up, and he glared at the students, fangs bared and raging flames in his eyes. A growl rumbled in his chest. "Stop staring, damnit!"

The kids quickly looked the other way, pale with fear.

Rin cursed to himself. 'I really am destined to be dubbed a monster at every school I go to.'

"Hey, Rin!" A voice called.

Rin looked up to see Danny, Sam, and Tucker. "Hey. You go here?"

"Duh." Tucker rolled his eyes.

Rin blushed slightly. "Sorry. I just didn't expect to see you here."

Sam laughed. "The tips of your ears are turning red."

Rin tried to fight down another oncoming blush. "Shut up!"

Danny grinned. "Well, I'm personally very happy."

"Why?" Rin asked.

"One, you're here, and two, I'm pretty sure that scary display you put on just a few moments ago made the whole A-List piss their pants, even if they refuse to admit it." Danny grinned.

Rin flashed the trio a sad smile. Danny's grin faded when he saw this. "I'm used to people being scared of me. It's not that much of a surprise." Rin chuckled. "Honestly, the real surprise is that you guys actually talked to me, and are apparently happy that I'm here."

"Why is that so much of a surprise?" Sam's voice was surprisingly soft.

Rin shrugged. "When the whole neighborhood knows you as the 'demon child', from age five, and kids, teachers included, call you a monster, it starts to become the norm."

Danny frowned. "Rin-"

"But I'm here to start new!" Rin cut the half ghost off. "I'm just going to have to try and be less scary."

"You're not scary," Tucker said.

"Everyone just doesn't know how to mind their own business. I would have done the same thing in your position." Sam smiled at him.

"Thanks." Rin smiled.

Danny took a peek at Rin's schedule. "You have the same classes! We can show you around!"

"I'd like that." Rin nodded.

'Maybe there's hope for me.'

The day went by easily, and Rin sat with the trio at lunch.

"So, where were you?" Tucker asked.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

"You were gone for a while. We didn't see you around, so we went to your work place. The boss, Lizzy, was worried and told us to come back in a few months," Tucker explained.

"Oh," Rin replied quietly. "I wasn't gone for as long as I thought I was going to be. I was just looking for something."

"Where do you live?" Sam found herself asking, realizing that Rin found the topic uncomfortable.

"I, uh, I live farther away from the school," Rin said vaguely.

"It's okay, Rin." Danny laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Lizzy told us you were homeless. She said you were living with her."

"Yeah, so what?" Rin turned defensive.

"It doesn't matter, Rin. We're not going to push," Danny assured him.

Rin relaxed. "Okay."

"Hey, what's your favorite thing to do?" Sam asked.

"Cook!" Rin exclaimed happily, his tone much lighter than before.

The trio noticed this, and continued to ask him questions about his hobby.

Rin slashed his claws at Satan's chest, drawing blood.

Satan hissed and glared at the boy. "Human ties are your weakness. Let's see what happens when those ties are cut."

Rin didn't have time to respond as Satan appeared in front of Yukio, too fast for his brother to pull out his guns.

"Yukio!"

Rin didn't know how, but he'd somehow appeared right next to his brother as Yukio was impaled by Satan's hand.

Yukio wobbled, clutching the wound as blood dropped from his lips.

Rin caught his little brother, holding him close. "Yukio."

"K-Kick his a-ass, R-Rin," Yukio murmured before his eyes closed.

"Yukio!"

His vision blurred as he remembered Shiro Fujimoto dying the same way.

Rin's fault, Satan's hands.

Rin screamed. The feeling of blood coated his hands, warm and wet. It was on his arms, his hands, under his nails.

Tears dripped from Rin's eyes as he desperately tried to wipe them away, only to smear his brother's blood across his cheeks and lips. He could taste it.

The scent of Yukio's blood, the feeling of it, the taste, and the sight made Rin shake.

From then on, everyone knew Satan was as good as dead.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Rin jerked, a scream escaping his lips.

The whole science class turned to stare at him as the video of a dissection took place on the screen in front of them.

Rin's eyes shot down to his hands. He saw blood, Yukio's blood.

Rin could remember how long it took for all of the stained blood to come off his hands, how long it took to dig it out from under his nails.

Two weeks was too long.

Rin stood up, chair crashing to the floor. Reality didn't exist anymore.

The flashback was more real than before. He looked around frantically, but all he saw was the bloody battlefield he and Satan had fought on, the bodies of the innocent scattered, and his red-stained hands.

He could almost feel it, smell it. The taste of metal coated his tongue.

As Rin glanced around, he tried to run, but he kept tripping over the bodies surrounding him.

In reality, he bumped into desks and tripped over chairs. Students clambered away from the delirious boy.

Satan stood before Rin, holding up Yukio's unconscious form. "Pathetic, isn't it?"

He dropped Rin's little brother into the bloody grass, and Rin growled in rage and anger.

The whole class heard it, and they backed farther away. The teacher strode toward the boy to calm him down, but Danny stopped him. "He's not in his right mind. Just call the office. They have his guardian's number. She should know what to do."

The teacher nodded and hurried out of the room. Danny needed to stall Rin, so he took a step forward. "Rin, it's not real. Calm-"

Rin lunged at Danny, a raging fire burning in his eyes.

Danny dodged. "Rin-"

It seemed the wrong thing to do because Rin growled again. "Don't mock me!"

Before anymore damage could be done, a scream was heard. "Rin Okumura! Stop! It's Lizzy! You need to calm down!"

Rin paused and seemed to sway. The hazy look in his eyes vanished. "Lizzy?"

Lizzy nodded and helped Rin stand upright. "Come on. We'll take you to the office."

"Lizzy, I-" Rin paused, cut off by Lizzy.

"It's okay, Rin."

Rin was taken to the office, Danny, Sam, and Tucker following after quite some arguing.

"What happened?" The nurse asked.

Lizzy glared at the science teacher. "He showed the class a dissection video."

"It's qualified for the curriculum." He frowned.

"Maybe so, but Rin suffers from PTSD." Lizzy glared harder.

"The school was not informed of this," the nurse said.

Lizzy sighed. "I didn't expect it to affect his school life."

"Yes, well, the school will have to be more cautious with their studies." The nurse sent the science teacher a look.

The science teacher scoffed, but promised to be more careful and left to attend to his class.

The nurse said she would be right back and left the room.

Lizzy, Danny, Sam, and Tucker stood there in silence before a mumble was heard from Rin in the corner of the room.

"What?" Lizzy asked gently.

Rin looked up at her, then back at his hands. "I still see it sometimes, the blood on my hands. I see it right now. It's red, glistening. I can feel it's warmth and wetness. I can smell it. I even remember the metallic, slightly sweet taste of it. It took two weeks to get the red tint off my hands and the blood out from underneath my nails."

"Oh, Rin." Lizzy sighed before hugging the boy.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker could only swallow thickly, all with the same thought.

'What had happened to this boy?'

Chapter Text

Rin went home early.

Lizzy sighed. "Are you sure you'll be okay home alone? I have to go back to work."

"I'll be fine," Rin said, "It was just a flashback. Nothing to worry over."

Lizzy smiled softly. "I'm always going to worry, Rin."

"You shouldn't." He frowned. "You're not my mother."

"Maybe not," Lizzy said, her tone hardening. "but I sure as hell won't ignore you. I care, Rin. More than I ever thought I could."

Rin hesitated, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm sorry if I sound rude. I'm just not used to people caring."

"I know. I'm sorry, too."

Danny took a shaky breath. "Jazz, what would you do if a friend of yours was hiding something? Something potentially dangerous?"

Jazz sighed. "Danny, when did this happen? What do you mean?"

"A new kid, Rin," Danny said, "Tucker, Sam, and I met him around a month or two ago. He came to school just today and had a panic attack or something. His guardian said something about PTSD."

Jazz frowned. "PTSD means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's very common. There are more than three million cases per year in the U.S. It can't be cured, but treatment may help. It can last for years or lifelong. The definition is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event. Many military soldiers suffer from it. I can't imagine what happened to Rin if he suffers from it."

"So, he did have a panic attack?" Danny asked.

"No, more like a flashback," Jazz corrected.

"What kind of flashback could trigger him to be so...violent?" Danny wondered.

"Something very traumatic happened to diagnose him with PTSD. That's probably why he acted so violently. Don't let it get to you, Danny. He's your friend, right?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah," Danny answered.

"Then help him, be there for him." Jazz smiled.

"Thanks, Jazz," Danny said softly.

"No problem, little brother."

When Lizzy came home, what she expected was for Rin to be screwing around or cooking, keeping in mind that she would have preferred him to be resting after his outburst in school.

Instead, she found an empty house. She knew Rin had a tendency to wander off, but for some reason, this time's disappearance unnerved her.

She drew a deep breath and shook off any unease she felt.

This was Rin. He would be fine.

Right?

Rin was not fine. From from it, actually.

This was not possible! It couldn't be!

And yet, it was without a doubt true. The proof swarmed before his eyes.

Coal Tar swam through the air calmly, normally.

Rin swallowed, but the lump in his throat refused to go away. Why were there demons here? Rin had refused to make a Gehenna Gate for this particular reason!

Rin quickly grabbed onto one of the Coal Tars' tails. He pulled it toward him and glared at it, his eyes staring into its red ones. He bared his teeth and hissed. "What in the hell do you think you're doing here?"

The Coal Tar tried to wriggle away, but it was no use. It squirmed, and when Rin growled at it, it stilled immediately.

"Answer me!" Rin hissed.

A small, squeaky voice answered. "Portal. Like ones in other world." Rin scowled, but let the Coal Tar go. "If you even think about causing trouble, I will burn your asses back to Gehenna!" Rin knew that while Coal Tar were mostly harmless, they could be poisonous if in huge groups.

The Coal Tar squeaked in reply and swam away.

Lizzy looked out the window of her bedroom.

Rin wasn't back yet.

Where was he?

She needed to find him.

Rin didn't like this.

Coal Tar, and now a Naberius!

Rin glared at the demon. "Why are you here?"

"A portal. I also smelled strange scent. Dead, yet alive."

Rin frowned. That sounded like Danny's scent, maybe Vlad's.

"What did it smell like?" Rin demanded.

"Bitter, rotting." The Naberius replied.

Rin quickly lifted his shirt and pulled Kurikara from the seal that resided on his stomach.

He willed the flames to cover the sword and slashed the Naberius through its chest.

It burst into flames and was sent back to Gehenna.

Rin sighed and shoved the sword back into its seal.

What was Vlad doing near portals from Gehenna?

When Vlad got back to his mansion, he did not expect to come face to face with the boy he'd bet a while ago on the streets.

The boy who gave him the creeps.

The boy who stood up to Vlad Plasmius.

"Tell me, why are you in my house?" Vlad asked calmly.

The boy stared at him blankly. "Tell me, Vladimir Masters, why were you near a Gehenna portal?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand." Vlad frowned.

"Maybe you don't. I guess that'll make this a bit easier for you," the boy said, "but it does not excuse the crimes you've already committed, does it, Plasmius?"

Vlad's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

"Details, details." The boy waved carelessly. "Onto other important matters, you will tell me what you've been up to and what you're planning. If you do not, I will have to take drastic measures."

"You may know my secret, but you are still a child. Threats do not scare me." Vlad rolled his eyes.

"They are not threats, they are facts. You have been messing with demons somehow, Vladimir." The boy hissed.

"Demons do not exist," Vlad said.

"Then am I a figment of your imagination?" The boy drawled.

"I suggest you leave. Breaking and entering is illegal." Vlad smirked.

"You're one to talk." The boy laughed.

Vlad growled, but the boy just laughed harder.

"It's a pity that you'll be in Gehenna after death. If you weren't such a bad guy, I'd say you'd be a good comedian." The boy grinned mischievously.

"I'm not above ki-" Vlad suddenly went still as a flaming-blue sword was pressed dangerously close to his neck.

"Killing me? I'd like to see you try." Rin scoffed.

Vlad tried to turn intangible, but for some reason, he wasn't able to.

Rin saw this and smirked. "That won't work. This sword was made for slaying demons and ghosts."

Vlad suppressed a scowl. "You're suggesting you are a demon? Prove it."

Rin chuckled. "With pleasure."

Rin was in his demon form in seconds, tail swaying lazily, blue flames dancing around him, horns and all, teeth sharper, ears longer, pupils red and slitted, irises jagged, and nails sharp.

Vlad gritted his teeth, fear washing through him unwillingly. "I knew there was something off about you."

"It's too late to go back now, Vladimir. Tell me what you've been doing that involves demons," Rin demanded.

"What's it to you? Surely you wouldn't go to all this trouble just for some demons." Vlad gulped.

"I am a demon," Rin said.

"Exactly. Why worry for some other demons? You don't need to, especially if they're evil." Vlad tried to reason.

"The demons, every single one, are my responsibility. Whether or not they are good or bad is not my concern at the moment. When the time comes, I will deal with that." Rin growled.

"Your responsibility? I don't-" Vlad choked as the sword was pressed deeper into the flesh of his throat, drawing a bit of blood.

"I am the King of Gehenna, Vladimir. Hell, if we're putting it in human terms. Do not defy me!" Rin hissed.

"You're S-Satan?" Vlad choked in a shocked manner.

Rin internally scowled. He was not Satan! Still, Rin was not going to go into an explanation right now. It was the last thing he wanted to get into and it was technically true, since he did kind of represent Satan now.

To Hell with it. "Correct. Now, are you going to tell me, or are we going to have a problem?"

"Power," Vlad said, "I heard of Gehenna from the Ghost Zone. I didn't know it was Hell, I swear! I wanted to use demons to gain Daniel as my son and Maddie as my wife."

"You realize that in doing so, you would most likely have been torn apart?" Rin asked, pulling the sword away and backing away to get a full view of the man. "Demons do not obey any random mortal, whether they are half ghost doesn't matter. Only tamers may control demons, and only the ones they are able to summon, showing that even they are limited in their power to control us. Any power you think you may gain from this is a fantasy. Continuing with this any longer is just a death wish."

"You can not tell me-" Vlad barked back weakly, but was cut off by Rin.

"Vladimir Masters, your soul is dark, and you have already set foot on the path to Gehenna. I suggest you listen to me or when you do die, I will make sure you suffer in Gehenna," Rin threatened.

Vlad froze. "Fine."

"Good." Rin smiled calmly and put Kurikara back into its seal. He willed his flames away, and his human form took the place of his demon. "If I find out you disobeyed me, I will come back."

Vlad shuddered at Rin's tone and next words.

"And I will not be so nice as to have a calm chat with you again."

The demon disappeared in a swirl of blue.

"Rin, I thought you were hurt! I had a bad feeling!" Lizzy cried as she found Rin halfway into the trees.

"I'm fine, Lizzy." Rin laughed. "I'm just taking a walk."

"Well, let's head back. Dinner's going to get cold." Lizzy smiled in relief.

"Food!" Rin cheered. "Race ya!"

"Rin! Get back here! I'm too old for this!" Lizzy called, but a smile still graced her features.

"Catch me if you can!"

Chapter Text

It had been weeks since Vlad had made an appearance, and Danny was feeling edgy.

"He's probably up to something," Tucker said.

"But what?" Danny tugged his hair.

"Don't stress over it, Danny." Sam shook her head. "It's best if you just let it go for now."

"Let it go? This is Vlad we're talking about, Sam. Letting it go is not an option. I either need to confront Vlad or go to Clockwork." Danny sighed.

"Honestly, Danny, you'd have better luck with Vlad," Tucker said, "Clockwork is way too cryptic, and he can't meddle in the time streams too much."

"I hate to admit it, but Tucker is right." Sam shrugged. "Clockwork's a good guy, but he wouldn't be much help."

Danny groaned and dragged a hand down his face.

Danny floated right outside Vlad's mansion.

After making sure there was no ghost shield he would slam face first into, Danny slipped through the walls.

He flew about, but Vlad wasn't anywhere.

"Maybe he's in his secret lab," Danny muttered.

With this in mind, Danny flew through the ground and appeared in a lab.

What Danny saw was surprising.

Vlad was there, but he had bags under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. He wasn't wearing his normal suit, instead he was draped in normal, rumpled clothes.

"Vlad?" Danny asked.

Vlad jumped and looked up, almost as if he just realized Danny was there. His eyes were filled with paranoia.

"Daniel?" Vlad questioned warily.

"Yeah." Danny nodded. "Are you okay? You don't look too good."

"I'm fine," Vlad said, "I just have to hide here for a few more months, and then I'll be safe."

"Safe? From what?" Danny asked.

Vlad shook his head. "Be careful, Daniel. I fear he is still lurking about."

"Who?" Danny asked.

Vlad ignored him. "I'm afraid he might approach you soon."

"What's got you so scared? What happened to the fearless Plasmius?" Danny frowned.

"As much as I wish it to be a lie, I can not compete against this power. I am much too weak, as pitiful as it is." Vlad shuddered.

Danny swallowed. "Vlad-"

"Leave, Daniel. You need do not need to worry about me for a while."

Danny hesitantly did so.

Sam and Tucker became nervous when Danny came back, paler than normal.

"Danny?" Sam asked, "Are you okay?"

"Something's wrong," Danny murmured, "Very wrong."

"What do you mean?" Tucker gulped.

"Vlad, he's locked himself in his lab. He looks half insane. He's scared of something or someone. He won't tell me who or what, but it's obvious he's terrified," Danny explained.

"Scared? Vlad?" Sam furrowed her brow. "Are we talking about the same Vlad?"

"Yes!" Danny snapped. "I know it seems weird, but if you saw him..."

"You think the thing Vlad fears may be the person Clockwork wants us to befriend?" Tucker asked.

"If it is, I'm scared of what exactly we're getting into." Sam shuddered.

Danny stayed blank faced as he flew through the Ghost Zone.

Maybe Clockwork was cryptic, maybe Clockwork wasn't going to tell him anything, but at this point, Clockwork was Danny's last hope for answers, even if they were vague.

"Clockwork?" Danny called as he reached the time ghost's lair. "Are you here?"

"Yes, Daniel," Clockwork answered, appearing out of nowhere, floating slowly towards Danny. "I'm here. I assume you've come for answers about your supposed ally?"

"Assume, my ass." Danny rolled his eyes despite the situation. "You're the Master of Time. You knew this was coming."

Clockwork gave the Ghost King a mysterious smile. "I suppose you're right."

Danny stared Clockwork in his red orbs. "The thing Vlad fears...Are they our potential ally?"

Clockwork sighed. "Your potential ally is a sentient being, a person, not a thing."

Danny took this in. While it may have sounded like a correction, it was actually an obvious answer to Danny's question.

Danny had called the person Vlad feared a thing. He also assumed the person was his potential ally. In this case, just Clockwork telling him that their potential ally was a person, not a thing, he was subtly telling Danny that, yes, the person Vlad feared was their potential ally.

Clockwork said nothing more, but Danny had gotten the message.

Being as close as an apprentice to the Time Master, you figured out what his vague answers and cryptic messages really meant and why they were used.

Danny sat in bed that night, wondering what this supposed ally of his did to scare Vlad so much.

Even with Pariah Dark, Vlad didn't hide like he was doing now. He manipulated Danny and Valerie to fix his mistakes for him, fight the battles Vlad couldn't handle on his own.

It was obvious this person was much more powerful, and that thought alone scared Danny.

Sure, Danny had become much stronger than he was after becoming Ghost King, and he could easily kick Vlad's lousy face into the dirt, but it still unnerved him that the man had been petrified almost to the point of insanity. Even Danny had never had that effect on Vlad, although it might have something to do with the fact that Vlad knew Danny wouldn't actually kill the guy.

Thankfully, Clockwork told him this person was to be a potential ally, which meant they couldn't be that bad of a person.

Danny only hoped that he took the right path, and their potential ally rallied to his side.

This powerful person was, after all, just a potential ally.

"Danny?" A small, soft knock sounded on his door as Jazz poked her head into his room. "Everything okay? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"How would you know something's wrong?" Danny asked.

"Well, you're not asleep yet, and you usually welcome the chance to get a goodnight's rest when the ghosts are taking a break terrorizing the town." Jazz smiled softly, almost concerned.

"I wasn't making any noise. How did you know I was even awake?" Danny raised his eyebrows.

Jazz sighed and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her tightly. She walked over and sat on the edge of Danny's bed. "Call it my sister sense. I felt like something was bugging you, so I came to see if you were okay."

"Sister sense? What are you, Spider-Man?" Danny smiled.

Jazz glared playfully at him before turning serious. "Seriously, Danny. What's the matter?"

Danny sighed, and he suddenly looked older, less like the kid he was supposed to be. He was too young to carry the burdens he did, and he rarely got to act like a child anymore. The accident had put a responsibility on his shoulders no kid should have, along with taking half of his life away, literally. "Clockwork told me about a powerful entity, a person. They're not a ghost, surprisingly. They could be our ally if I take the right path, but this person could also end up being our enemy."

"Vlad's been inactive lately," Danny continued, "I went to check on him, see what he was planning. I found him in his basement. He looked so paranoid, so scared. I recently found out that the person scaring Vlad so much was our potential ally. I don't know what they did to him, but it obviously upset Vlad, and I'm afraid of what this is all coming to."

Jazz frowned. "How could this person be powerful if they aren't a ghost?"

"There are more than just ghosts out there, Jazz. The supernatural isn't just limited to the dead," Danny told her.

"If this person could be your ally, then why are you so worried?" Jazz wondered.

"This person scares Vlad half to death, no pun intended. While they may be our ally sometime in the future, I wonder if they could possibly be an unkind person, and I have to get help from them for certain reasons unwillingly. If I do make the wrong decision, and they become our enemy, I'm scared of what they could do to the town, Sam and Tucker, Mom and Dad, you." Danny swallowed.

"Oh, Danny," Jazz whispered, "I know you're worried, but you just have to let fate take its course. Don't dwell on it. Just do your best. That's all anyone can ask for. Everything will turn out alright. It always does."

"Thanks, Jazz." Danny's eyes dropped.

"I'm glad I could help. Goodnight, little brother." Jazz smiled as she stood and exited the room.

"Goodnight, Jazz."

Chapter Text

Rin stared at the disk in his hands, the design glowing a vibrant blue amongst the dark background of his room.

This artifact in itself would do nothing to get Rin home, but perhaps this disk needed something else to get it working.

The question was what? What was needed to activate one of the ancient artifacts of Gehenna? It wouldn't be easy to find, that was for sure. This disk wasn't, after all.

The only people Rin could think to help would the the Infamous Trio. Even still, Rin had no plans in dragging them into his mess of a life if he didn't have to. Rin was sure Danny and his friends had enough stress on them as it was. Rin wouldn't add to it if he didn't have to.

Rin trusted Lizzy, more than he thought he should, but did, nonetheless. Same problem, he didn't want to drag her into it either. Lizzy was just human which made it just that much more dangerous. Rin thought of Lizzy as a foster mom of sorts. He was not going to traumatize her. He knew she was already overwhelmed with his PTSD, dark past and mysterious personality included.

He prayed to God, that despite being Satan's son and the King of Gehenna, the Lord would help him choose what was right.

For the millionth time, Rin didn't know what to do.

For the first time, Rin wasn't sure he wanted answers to his problems.

Everything Rin touched turned to ruins sometime, but Rin didn't want to see it fall, not again.

Yukio.

"Four Eyes isn't going to last much longer if we don't get him to an infirmary!" Shura barked.

"What about Rin?" Shiemi cried.

"Rin will be fine! He can hold his own, especially now!" Shura told the shy blonde.

Rin's conscious was focused on Satan, nothing else being of importance to him, not after the bastard had hurt his little brother.

Rin didn't know how long he went on, slashing and growling, snarling and screaming. He didn't know how bright his eyes burned or how bright his flames glowed. All he knew was that Satan had hurt Yukio. It was enough for Rin to be angry.

Rin didn't remember much, but it wasn't because he lacked control, more over the fact that the adrenaline rushing through his veins seemed to have had him moving faster than he'd ever moved, making it hard for him to even contradict his own movements. It was probably also the fact that most of the battle was too horrible for Rin's PTSD-infected mind to even want to dig up memories of it.

Really, the only thing Rin could remember was that after what seemed to be forever, Rin couldn't tell, Rin slashed the demon straight through his heart, making Satan explode into nothing.

Satan had been forced to expose his own demon heart, thus allowing his very presence to exist within Assiah.

Doing so, Satan had also exposed his greatest weakness, and a killing blow that would usually send a demon back to Gehenna, killed and erased the King of Demons completely.

Rin managed to calm down enough to glance hurriedly around for his brother and friends. His eyes caught no glance of them, and he realized that they had probably taken Yukio to get medical help.

This eased Rin's worries, but his body still shook with his previous - and still present - emotions.

Though he had managed to calm down a bit, his demon form was still burning brightly.

He fell to his knees, hands tearing at the dirt and blood-stained grass beneath him. His head was bowed, eyes shut and tears glistening down his cheeks.

Sobs wracked his body as he shook with fear, sadness, grief, guilt, and so many other emotions he couldn't begin to describe.

He may have defeated Satan, his brother might be okay, but the consequences still tore at him.

Rin was glad his friends had taken Yukio to get help, he didn't blame them, he wasn't angry at them, not at all.

Still, he wished they were there, to comfort him, to help him, because he could still feel the blood that stained his nails, his arms, his legs, his lips, and his face. His shirt torn and tattered, jeans ruined beyond repair, bloody and never to be worn again. His hair was matted with sweat and blood, his face tear stained.

He shook and hugged himself, wishing that somebody, anyone, was there to tell him that it was over, that it would all be okay.

Nobody was, though, and Rin suffered alone.

His memory vaguely replayed Shura and Shiemi's words in his head, words he hadn't even know they'd said before now.

"Four Eyes isn't going to last much longer if we don't get him to an infirmary!"

"What about Rin?"

"Rin will be fine! He can hold his own, especially now!"

Rin let free choked sobs. His sharp nails tore into the earth, digging, as he placed his forehead on the dirt floor.

They didn't know, they thought it was okay, they thought Shura was right. Rin was strong, his classmates knew. He would be fine.

Rin was far from fine.

Rin gasped, reality once again grasping him.

He quickly realized he was crying and wiped away the tears, desperately trying to compose himself.

Once he did so, Rin set the disk under his bed and curled under the covers, Kuro cuddled to his chest and purring, as both demons fell into a blissful and dreamless sleep.

"Rin Okumura?" A voice echoed.

Rin narrowed his eyes. "Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

"My name is Clockwork. I am the Master of Time and Space, and I know you seek answers."

"I'm not sure anymore," Rin replied, "I don't want to be forced to drag anyone else into my problems."

"Daniel can help you," Clockwork said.

"Maybe, but..." Rin trailed off.

"Daniel's fate, along with yours, are tied. Avoiding Daniel will do nothing, because he and his friends will find out eventually. If you continue to avoid dragging them into this, it will only lead to destruction. There are many timelines and many fates, but only one is the right choice." Clockwork's voice echoed.

"I take it you know Danny personally?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I am a ghost. It would only be logical." Maybe Rin was imagining things, but Clockwork's tone sounded suspiciously amused.

"Fine, you stopwatch," Rin muttered.

Before Rin woke up, a faint echo of "that blasted nickname" was voiced, and Rin couldn't hold back the small chuckle that slipped.

Chapter Text

Rin wasn't sure how exactly Danny, Sam, and Tucker would help him, but he knew that they would prove to be a big part of getting him home.

It wasn't that they weren't strong enough, he knew they were. It was just the fact that he didn't know what role they played in this.

One thing was clear, though. The trio would have to be able to see demons, now that the creatures were escaping into their world now.

Before, it wasn't a necessity, but now it was. If the trio was going to have any chance of helping him, they would need to have the ability of seeing demons.

They would need a temptaint, an injury from a demon, but Rin trusted no demon to give them one under his command, certainly not stray ones either.

Rin may have been the King, but the demons would twist his words into something ugly and attempt to injure the teens more so than necessary.

Rin could ask Kuro, but he didn't want to use his friend like that, even if Kuro would probably happily do so if he asked. It didn't sit right with Rin to ask the Cat Sith to do something of that nature.

In conclusion, Rin would have to do it himself.

"Hey, Danny?" Rin asked.

"Yeah?" Danny turned his attention to the half demon.

Luckily, Rin had run into Danny on the sidewalk. Of course, the mere coincidence was uncanny.

"Where are Sam and Tucker? You three are usually attached at the hip." Rin chuckled.

Danny shrugged. "Sam is on house arrest. Her parents demand that if she wants to continue to hang around Tucker and me, she must wear proper clothes. Sam refuses, so she's on house arrest until she gives in or Ida, Sam's grandmother, interferes."

"Tucker has a minor cold, but his parents overreact, so he's home right now, probably surrounded by blankets, soup, and video games."

"Like Tucker would complain about the video games," Rin joked.

Danny chuckled. "Touché."

Rin hesitated slightly, frowning. Danny noticed this. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rin blinked and looked at Danny. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just...preoccupied. I have a lot on my mind."

"I know what you mean." Danny groaned.

For once, Rin didn't disagree. Danny had just as many problems as Rin did, and understood to an extent, unlike others who had trivial problems like homework and bullying.

"Danny?" Rin's voice was uncertain, slightly nervous.

"Yeah?" Danny became slightly concerned.

"I know you have a lot of problems, and not the normal teen ones. I know you have more responsibility on your shoulders than a war veteran, I know. Despite this, I need your help." Rin sighed.

Danny stiffened slightly at the confession. It wasn't a straight 'I know your secret', but it was still a hint at the subject. "You..."

"You're curious as to how I know that," Rin said, "I can see it. Despite what you may think, I understand more than you'll ever know."

Danny and Rin locked eyes. Danny saw the eyes of someone who had been through war, someone who had suffered more than any human should have to in decades. Danny saw himself, if not a more worn-down, broken, version.

"...You said you needed help. With what?" The question wasn't asking Rin what Danny would have to do if he were to agree, it was asking Rin what Danny was going to be doing now that he had agreed.

"I'm sorry for pushing this on to you, especially with all the stress you have to deal with..." Rin trailed off.

"It doesn't matter," Danny said, "You're my friend, and I'll help you. That's the end of it."

Rin swallowed. "Thank you."

"What do you need help with?" Danny repeated his previous question.

"This might sound weird, but I need to get home. Getting back isn't as easy as taking a vehicle or plane and traveling there," Rin confessed.

Now, Danny may be clueless, but he sure as hell wasn't dense.

'Could Rin be the powerful person I need to ally myself with? If so, I don't think I'll have to worry about him trying to destroy anyone anytime soon,' Danny thought.

"How do you know I can help you? How do you know that I'll be able to do what you need?" Danny asked.

"Do you know anyone by the name Clockwork?" Rin blurted.

"What?!" Danny's eyes widened.

"Yeah, he kind of invaded my sleep and told me you'd be able to help." Rin chuckled awkwardly.

Danny rubbed his temples. "That stupid stopwatch..."

"You know, I said the same thing. He wasn't amused." Rin shrugged.

"Anyway, what exactly do you mean you can't get home by any means of transport?" Danny asked.

"Well, I guess you could say I come from another universe." Rin laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, for the love of Pariah..." Danny groaned. "Another universe? Fate just loves to screw with me, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to help, I won't-" Danny cut Rin off.

"Yeah, not happening. I'm helping you, end of story. Deal with it." Danny huffed.

Rin blinked before laughing. "Thanks!"

"You could probably get back to your world by a Ghost Zone portal, but the portals are like taking a gamble. There's a trillion different outcomes. You could end up in a different time period, another country, or even another world that isn't yours. There's a one out of a trillion chances you'd get back to your world on the first try." Danny sighed.

"Well," Rin pulled a disk out of his pocket. "I think this will help. I know it has something to do with me getting home."

Danny gently took it from Rin's grasp and examined it. "The design is glowing."

"Yeah, I know. It does that the closer it is to me. I'm pretty sure it's connected to me in some way, so I can only assume it will serve a purpose for helping me get home." Rin shrugged.

Danny nodded. "I'll try to ask Sam and Tucker for some help, maybe ask some of my other friends as well."

"I didn't know you had other friends," Rin joked, but he knew Danny was talking about his ghost allies.

Danny flushed. "Shut up!"

Rin merely laughed. "Sounds good. Seriously, thank you for taking your time to help me."

"It's not a problem. You're my friend, Rin."

Rin didn't know whether or not he regretted leaving out that he was a demon.

Either way, Danny didn't need to know, no one did. Not yet, at least.

Still, the fact that he missed a perfect opportunity to give the half ghost a temptaint was slightly concerning.

Even if the trio didn't know about the existence of demons, it would still prove useful to be able to see them, especially if helping Rin get home caused more trouble than wanted. He didn't want the trio to be harmed by things they couldn't see, thus couldn't protect themselves from.

After all, nothing was ever that easy.

Chapter Text

Jazz grew increasingly worried.

Her parents had locked themselves in the lab more and more lately, desperate to rid the town of Phantom's influence somehow.

Danny had grown even more tired, spending his nights throwing reoccurring ghosts back into the Ghost Zone until six in the morning, only able to obtain two, maybe three hours of sleep if he was lucky, but this was normal, sadly, ever since he'd been turned half ghost.

Her brother had also been stressing over his potential ally recently, putting even more responsibility on him, along with the duties of Ghost King on his shoulders.

Jazz wasn't as bad, considering her only problems were college exams, but even that put stress on her. This made her feel weak, since Danny went through way more than her, and she was (silently) complaining about a few measly tests.

The worry of her brother was doubled by the concern of her parents, since the only thing they were at risk of was starvation and dehydration, probably insomnia.

Danny was worse, at the risk of death all the time, practically challenging it face to face every hour of the day, topped with his sleeping schedule issues, duties as a King, and practically a catalyst for the whole world.

She was also concerned for her brother's safety, even more so now that a person that could be an ally could also be an enemy.

Of course, being lost in thought during a morning jog was probably not a good idea. Unfortunately, she only figured this out once she slammed straight into someone.

"Agh!" Jazz yelped.

"Shit!" A male voice cursed.

Jazz, thankfully, didn't go tumbling to the ground, being caught by the male she'd slammed into.

"I'm so sorry!" The male apologized, helping to steady her before letting her go.

Jazz sucked in a breath and let out a laugh of relief. "Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who got lost in thought and wasn't paying attention."

Jazz got a good look at the person in front of her. He looked sixteen at the least, with a blue hoodie and dark jeans, along with a casual pair of black combat boots. He was pale, but not an unhealthy tone with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, excluding Danny. His eyes were a darker shade, almost seeming to glow, if it was possible. His somewhat-awkward smile showed rows of white teeth, and unnaturally sharp canines. She also noticed that his ears were pointed like an elf's. His hair was black with what looked to be a tint of blue so noticeable, yet not, that it had to be natural.

"I've never seen you around before." Jazz realized.

"Oh, I just moved here a few months ago. I haven't been out of the house much and unless you go to Eclipse, I'm not surprised you don't recognize me." The boy laughed.

"Well, I'm Jazz Fenton," Jazz greeted, sticking out her hand.

"Rin Okumura," he replied, shaking her hand with a surprised expression. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Danny Fenton, would you?"

"Yes, I'm his older sister. What of it?" Jazz narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that Danny had bullies at school and wondered if he was one of them.

Rin seemed to understand this, and chuckled, giving her a reassuring smile. "I met Danny, Sam, and Tucker just after I moved. I'd like to consider us friends, acquaintances at most."

Jazz opened her mouth to respond, remembering that Danny had brought Rin up before when he'd explained to her what happened in school, but Rin cut her off.

"Look, I've got to get going, but you've got one hell of a little brother. He's dealing with a lot, and he's probably the most determined person I've met in a while, and that's saying something. I'm not sure if you know it or not, but he's someone to be proud of. Tell him I wish him luck, as well as you."

Rin didn't give her time to respond, quickly walking away, but not before brushing her side as a small burning sensation lit up on her arm.

Jazz didn't notice the sensation as her mind buzzed. 'Does Rin know Danny's secret?!'

"Danny!" Jazz called, racing up the stairs and almost plowing down her little brother's door.

"Woah! Jazz, calm down! What's the matter?" Danny yelped, waving his arms.

Sam and Tucker sat beside him, puzzled expressions on their faces.

"I ran into your friend this morning, Rin. Yeah, well he kind of said something along the lines that hinted at your secret." Jazz gulped.

"What?!" Sam and Tucker yelled.

"Guys, calm down! I know!" Danny said.

"You know? Did you tell him?" Sam gasped.

"No! Yesterday, he mentioned it, but he never really said anything about me being half ghost or Phantom. Just that I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and that I don't have the normal teen problems. I've been wanting to talk to you guys about it, actually," Danny explained.

"Jazz, you're bleeding!" Tucker blurted.

They all looked down at Jazz's arm and noticed that, yes, she was bleeding. It was a small cut, only about an inch long, thin with a trickle of blood going down her arm.

"You know, my arm did kind of burn when Rin walked past me. I guess I wasn't really paying attention." Jazz hummed, grabbing a Kleenex from Danny's nightstand and wiping her arm.

"It started to burn when Rin walked past you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he brushed past me and..." Jazz trailed off. "You don't think Rin cut me, do you?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Sam asked.

"He probably didn't mean to. I mean, what reason would Rin have to cut me? It's not like this is going to kill me, and if he wanted to actually harm me, I'm pretty sure I'd be bleeding a lot more." Jazz defended the boy.

"Jazz has got a point, Sam," Tucker said, "Rin hasn't done anything to earn our distrust, and he's a good person. Why would Rin cut Jazz on purpose?"

"I guess you're right." Sam sighed.

"Don't worry about it." Danny shrugged. "We're all on edge. It's okay for you to be cautious."

Rin had given Jazz a temptaint. One down, three more to go.

Rin had a hunch Jazz knew about Danny, but even if she didn't, she'd be able to protect herself better if she was able to see the demons. Danny wouldn't want his sister to get hurt.

Now that he'd given her a temptaint, he needed to hurry and give the trio one. If he waited too long, Jazz would mention to the trio the demons she was seeing, and it would cause problems if they thought Jazz was insane, or if they believed her and started to panic because there was a potential enemy they couldn't see.

Rin really wished he hadn't skipped that opportunity to scratch Danny.

Chapter Text

Slowly, stealthily, cunningly was the key, like a wolf stalking its prey. Literally.

Rin, in his wolf form that he secretly enjoyed being in, prowled along the edge of darkness, watching the female goth walk along peacefully.

Coincidentally, Rin happened to discover Sam walking home around midnight from the Skulk and Lurk. Since there had been a poetry night, Sam had gone.

Rin was ecstatic, his target vulnerable for him to injure just the right way.

Rin did put the fact that Sam probably wasn't as defenseless as she looked into mind. The girl did run around fighting ghosts with her (obvious) half-ghost crush, after all.

The smart thing to do was to catch her off guard when she wasn't looking. He would be able to give her a temptaint a lot quicker and more efficient that way.

Not to brag, but Rin would be able to easily overpower the goth if she were to fight back. Although, it didn't change the fact that catching her off guard was the quickest path to take.

Rin jumped slightly when a ringing sound echoed from Sam's pocket.

She opened her phone and put it to her ear. "What's up, Danny?"

The familiar tone was muffled, and Rin didn't feel need to listen to the conversation.

"No, I'm just coming back from the Skulk and Lurk. It was poetry night," Sam said.

It was as if an imaginary lightbulb appeared over Rin's head. If Rin attacked her now, there was a good chance she would scream from surprise and drop her phone. Obviously, Danny would hurry to help her, and if Rin was lucky, he would bring Tucker along.

Rin leapt out from the shadows, effectively managing to pin Sam down, phone clattering across the sidewalk.

Sam screamed, not expecting the sudden attack, and Danny's voice yelled through the speakers. "Sam! Sam, what's going on?!"

Rin mentally apologized to Sam and smashed her phone with his paw on 'accident.'

He growled at her and lunged. Sam dodged, like Rin expected, and he managed to get a decent sized scratch on her arm, similar to Jazz's, though a bit longer, deeper than what Rin had originally been aiming for.

Sam clutched her arm and hissed slightly, but was otherwise fine.

Sam slowly backed away as Rin growled threateningly at her as to make the act more believable.

"I don't get it," Sam muttered, "Wolves don't randomly attack out of nowhere unless they have rabies, and this one doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him. How is a wolf even in the city anyway?"

Rin mentally cheered when Danny swooped down in ghost form, eyes wide with panic. Sadly, Tucker was not present.

"Sam! Are you okay?!" He asked.

"I'm fine. This wolf just attacked me." Sam sighed, backing away a bit more, clutching her arm. "It scratched me, but otherwise, I'm fine."

Rin immediately lunged at Danny, pleading that it was too sudden for Danny to go intangible.

Luck was on his side, it seemed, for Rin managed a claw scratch to his leg, tearing the suit and drawing ectoplasm, which probably substituted for blood while a ghost.

"It's weird," Sam told Danny, helping him back away. "Wolves don't attack at random, and this one is just scratching us. They usually try to bite when they attack. Besides, this wolf is only attacking once to injure, then moving on to the next person. That's not normal."

"Doesn't matter. Come on, I'll take you home." Danny picked her up, and they flew away.

Rin smiled. Three down, one to go.

Jazz stared at the black creatures swimming through the air in front of her, their red eyes wide and unblinking.

She reached out slowly and grabbed one by its tail. It started to wriggled, and she let it go, watching it float away.

She looked around and noticed that nobody else saw these creatures.

She needed to tell Danny, Sam, and Tucker.

Tucker got a call early next morning from Jazz.

"Tucker? I tried calling Sam, but she won't pick up, and Danny's left his phone here. I need you to get to come to my house right now."

"Why? What's going on?" Even as Tucker asked this, he scurried around the room, throwing his jacket on and slipping his shoes on.

"I'll tell you when you get here. You won't believe me if I tell you now." Jazz sounded rushed.

"I'll be there. See you in a few." Tucker flipped his phone shut and hurried out the door, leaving a note to his parents on the table of his whereabouts.

Tucker hurried down the sidewalk, the cold, morning wind making him shiver.

Tucker yawned, suddenly realizing it was only four in the morning, barely any light in the sky. He was glad it was the weekend.

He stumbled slightly, his legs weak from his tiredness.

Tucker suddenly felt eyes on him, and he tightened his hold on the jacket around him.

"Hey, Tucker. What are you doing up so early?" A familiar voice asked.

Tucker whipped around to see Rin. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I got a call from Jazz. She needed me, so I'm heading over to the Fenton's."

"Oh," he said, an odd look crossing his face that gave Tucker an uneasy feeling. "I'm just taking a morning walk. It helps clear my head."

"Yeah," Tucker murmured.

Rin sighed. "I'll see you around, then. Don't want to keep Jazz waiting, do you?"

Rin walked ahead of Tucker, passing by him.

A slight burning sensation spread on his arm, and he looked down to see his jacket torn through the sleeve, blood leaking from a cut on his arm.

Tucker's eyes widened.

"You know, my arm did kind of burn when Rin walked past me. I guess I wasn't really paying attention." Jazz had hummed, grabbing a Kleenex from Danny's nightstand and wiping her arm.

"It started to burn when Rin walked past you?" Sam had asked.

"Yeah, he brushed past me and..." Jazz had trailed off. "You don't think Rin cut me, do you?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Sam had asked.

"He probably didn't mean to. I mean, what reason would Rin have to cut me? It's not like this is going to kill me, and if he wanted to actually harm me, I'm pretty sure I'd be bleeding a lot more." Jazz had defended the boy.

Tucker looked up. "Hey-!"

Rin was nowhere in sight.

"Mission accomplished," Rin muttered.

Jazz was only vaguely shocked when Sam and Danny came phasing through the wall.

"Where were you guys? And why wouldn't Sam pick up?" Jazz asked.

"I got attacked by a wolf, and it smashed my phone. I was on a phone call with Danny, so he was able to come help me when he heard my scream over the speaker. It scratched both of us, but not badly," Sam explained, "As to where we were, it was late, so I let Danny stay at my place for the night."

"Well, I've got something to show you guys, but we have to wait until-" Jazz was cut off by Tucker barging through the door.

"Guys, we need to talk. It's about Rin." Tucker heaved through heavy breaths as if he was running to get there.

"Wait, Rin cut you? On purpose?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah." Tucker nodded. "My jacket was cut through," Tucker showed them the torn jacket sleeve, "and it's pretty thick. If it was an accident, I wouldn't have gotten cut. Why he did it, I don't know."

"So, my cut wasn't an accident." Jazz frowned.

"Not likely," Tucker said, "I'm just wondering why he cut us, but not Danny or Sam. He's had plenty of chances to do so."

There was silence before Sam spoke up. "Maybe he did cut us..."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"The wolf, Danny," Sam said, "The wolf attacked us for no reason, and it didn't even try to bite us. It scratched us, just like Rin scratched Tucker and Jazz, but didn't kill us."

"It was a wolf, Sam," Jazz said.

"Yeah, but the wolf looked exactly like Rin. His fur was the same color as Rin's hair, same bright, blue eyes. It can't be a coincidence." Sam shook her head. "Besides, Danny's got a theory that Rin might be our 'powerful, potential ally.' If he is, its obvious Rin would have some type of power."

Suddenly, a horrified look passed Jazz's face. "I think I know why Rin scratched us."

"Why?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know how, but I think when he injured us, he gave us the ability to see things other people couldn't see." Jazz swallowed.

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned.

"It's why I asked Tucker to come here," Jazz informed, "Here, look."

Jazz bent under her bed and pulled out a jar. In it was a weird, floating black creature with red eyes. "I captured it, so I could show you. They were swarming everywhere outside, but nobody saw them but me."

"What is it?" Sam wondered, tapping the glass slightly.

"No idea," Jazz said, sadly. "It's not a ghost, or it would have phased out of the jar. Besides, I've never seen a ghost like this."

"Me neither," Danny chimed, "Still, Rin cut us so we could see them, but why?"

"I don't know." Jazz sighed.

Chapter Text

Rin tried his best to avoid the trio and Jazz for the simple fact that after the stunt he pulled with Tucker, they would know it was no mere accident.

He knew they would discover the truth behind their cuts sometime, they were smart enough.

He wondered what they would think and what they would do when he eventually crossed paths with them again. It was bound to happen, since it's impossible to avoid someone forever, and he had to go back to school sometime.

"Rin, are you alright?" Lizzy asked the fidgety boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rin flashed a smile at the woman, but she could tell it was fake.

Lizzy frowned. "I won't push you for answers, Rin, but know that I'm here for you."

Lizzy left the room, and Rin gave a shaky breath, closing his eyes.

'I'm sorry, Lizzy. I just love you too much to hurt you.'

Rin ignored the stares he got as he walked through the halls on Monday.

He rushed to gather his things from his locker, and when he got a glimpse of Danny, Sam, or Tucker, he slammed his locker and ran.

"He can't avoid us forever," Sam said as she watched Rin's eyes flicker over to them, then run away.

"He knows we know." Tucker shrugged. "He doesn't know how we'll react, so avoiding us means avoiding the worst-possible outcome."

"We need to corner him somehow," Danny said, "We're going to have to talk to him sometime, and if trapping him is the only way, then so be it."

"Good enough for me." Sam agreed.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Tucker sighed.

"Not really," Danny said.

For the rest of the day, Rin sat as far away from the trio as he could and during lunch, he ate outside.

When the last bell rang, Rin's tense demeanor relaxed, and he rushed out the front doors, bouncing on his toes, glancing everywhere to make sure the trio wasn't following him.

When Lizzy's car pulled up, Rin practically flew into the backseat. "Drive, drive!"

Lizzy quickly drove away from the school and looked at his pale face. "Are you okay? You seem jumpy."

"I'm fine, just nervous." Rin flashed her a shaky smile.

"If you say so."

When Rin got to Eclipse, he leapt out of the car and sped towards the front doors, screaming, "I'll change in the bathroom!"

Lizzy sighed, but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips.

"We aren't going to be able to catch him after school. He gets a ride from his guardian back to work." Tucker sighed.

"Well, we can always confront him at work. I mean, if we order takeout, then there's a chance Rin will be the one to deliver. It's a long shot, but what do we have to lose? You said he cooks and acts as a waiter, so maybe his boss will have him deliver," Jazz suggested.

"That's a big chance to take, though." Sam pointed out.

"Do you have another plan?" Danny asked.

Sam stayed silent, pursing her lips.

"Exactly," Jazz said, pulling her cell out of her pocket. "Now, what do you want from Eclipse?"

"Rin? You know how to drive, don't you?" Lizzy asked.

"Uh, I hope so. I am sixteen, after all. Why?" Rin narrowed his eyes.

"I need you to deliver a salad, steak dinner, and two plates of pasta to FemtonWorks." Lizzy hummed.

"I can do that," Rin said, nodding.

Rin completely forgot about his fears, so out of it and high on the joy he had when he cooked. He forgot that FentonWorks housed two people he was desperately trying to avoid.

Rin walked up to the door and knocked, yawning as he finally realized how late it was. After this, it'd be time for him to go home.

As the door started to unlock, Rin finally realized where he was and what he was doing.

Rin cursed his stupidity, and dropped the food on the steps, trying to bolt back to the car, promising he'd give the money that he'd earned working to Lizzy for the meal he abandoned before getting paid.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out as a hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him inside, slamming the door and locking it.

"We need to talk," Danny said, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker all beside him.

Even if it wouldn't help, Rin really wished Kuro was here.

"Come on, guys. If Lizzy realizes I'm not back soon, she'll come here to hunt me down, since I was on my way here when I disappeared." Rin tried to reason.

"We'll make this quick," Sam said blankly.

"But not quick enough," Rin sang, turning heel and running up the stairs.

"You're only cornering yourself!" Jazz yelled at him, chasing after the demon, the trio right behind.

"That's what you think!" Rin called back, taking a sharp turn into a bedroom Rin bet was Danny's.

He spotted an open window, and his eyes lit up. "Exit..."

"What are you doing?!" Tucker yelled as Rin climbed out of the window and swung himself on the roof.

"Come on!" He heard Danny yell.

Rin turned around to find all of them on the roof only a few feet in front of him. Rin knew Danny had used his powers.

Rin slowly took steps back, moving closer and closer to the edge.

"Are you really going to jump? You'll die, and I don't think that's worth it." Jazz tried to reason with the boy.

"I'm not ready to explain anything," Rin whispered.

"We know you were the wolf," Sam blurted, "You scratched us like Tucker and Jazz. We know you're not human, not completely anyway."

Rin's eyes widened. Sure, he knew they would discover that the cuts were the reason they were able to see things other people couldn't, but he didn't think they would piece together the fact that he and the wolf were one and the same.

"I'm not ready yet," Rin repeated, louder this time. "I'll confront you when I'm ready."

"Turning into a wolf won't stop your fall!" Tucker cried out, trying to stop the boy from jumping.

Rin ignored him and fell backward.

"No!" Danny screamed.

The wind rushed past Rin's ears, his hair in disarray.

The group screamed and rushed to the edge as they watched Rin fall to his death.

Danny, without thinking, dived after him, switching to Phantom out of habit, and flying faster to grab Rin's hand.

Rin only smiled as he watched Danny transform. When they were inches from the ground, Rin said two words that would have made Danny's heart stop if it were beating at the moment.

"I knew."

Then Rin hit the ground, as blue fire suddenly exploded before disappearing altogether.

Danny could only float there, staring at the spot Rin hit, and replay the words in his head.

"I knew."

'Rin knew my secret long before now.'

Chapter Text

As Lizzy drove him home for the night, Rin quietly mused about the night's events.

It was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth. If Danny asked around the Ghost Zone, he was sure the topic of Gehenna might come up since the Ghost Zone was just like Gehenna, a world which was the center of the universe, many portals in it leading to different universes while also existing in those other universes.

He was also sure that the ghosts knew what blue fire meant. If Danny mentioned that Rin had exploded into blue fire, there was going to be a lot of commotion.

There was also a chance Danny wouldn't tell any of the ghosts, though, since most of them were his enemies besides the Clockwork ghost.

Still, if Clockwork was the Master of Time, it was obvious that he would know what Rin was, and if he hadn't told Danny yet, Rin had nothing to fear from the ghost.

Although, Frostbite was also Danny's ally, so that could end up badly as well, but Frostbite, nor any of the Far Frozen, seemed to acknowledge or mention anything about his demon status, so hopefully they either didn't know or decided to keep quiet and trust Rin.

Suddenly, the car lurched, ending Rin's musings. He immediately sensed a demon's presence and cursed himself for not paying more attention.

He lunged forward, shielding Lizzy's body with his own. Thankfully, Rin was big enough to cover Lizzy, since she was a small woman.

The car flipped, glass shattering, and Rin could feel it cutting into his back and neck, but ignored it since he'd gotten worse wounds and felt worse pain before.

The car stopped upside down, and Rin kicked the door off the car, sending it flying across the empty road.

Rin urged Lizzy's to climb out, and he followed. Luckily, Lizzy only had a couple of bruises from the hard impacts, but was otherwise fine.

Rin's shirt was cut, gashes in his back and neck from the glass, arms scratched up was well, but was surprisingly okay aside from that. His hair was disheveled, but so was Lizzy's.

"Rin!" Lizzy gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit scratched up. Nothing some band-aids and disinfectant won't fix." Rin smiled, but suddenly turned serious, whipping his head around.

"What is it?" Lizzy asked.

"Don't you wonder what made us flip if there's nobody out at this time of night?" Rin asked, but didn't face her.

Lizzy's eyes widened, and she, too, glanced around.

Rin felt the demonic presence again, and recognized it. "Lizzy, duck!"

Lizzy did so, dropping to the pavement beside Rin.

A giant frog-like creature leapt above them, landing loudly on the street.

Lizzy's eyes widened, but Rin started talking. "Lizzy, you need to calm down. That's a Leaper. It's a low-level demon that possesses frogs. If it looks you in the eyes or vice versa, and it senses any sadness, fear, apprehension, anger, or any kind of agitation, they will attack."

"Rin...I don't see anything," Lizzy murmured.

Rin blinked, then remembered she didn't have a temptaint. He grabbed her arm and scratched it, earning a hiss from her. "Rin! What was that for..." She trailed off, a huge frog-like creature appearing in front of them. "I see it now..."

"If you can't hold back your fear, keep your head down. We don't want to be attacked." Rin frowned.

"Rin, it's already attacked us. It had to pick up some kind of negative emotion from somewhere." Lizzy looked at him.

Rin panicked when he realized Lizzy was right, and that it probably picked up his apprehension. How it picked it up when Rin was sure he didn't look it in the eyes, Rin didn't know. Maybe it was the fact he was the Demon King, and he was more connected and in-tune with demons.

It leapt at them, and Rin hauled Lizzy up with amazing speed, dodging the demon with an inhuman quickness.

"You said it was a demon..." Lizzy gulped. "Demons exist?"

"Ghosts do, why not demons?" Rin shrugged, looking the demon in the eyes.

"How do you know about all of this?" Lizzy asked him.

"You'll find out in a moment." Rin frowned.

He let go of Lizzy and stepped forward, standing in front of the beast, challenging it.

"You dare attack me, you dare defy me when you know the consequences? You are a weak demon while I am on top of the food chain. Yet, you dare attack me, as well as someone under my protection?" Rin growled.

The Leaper bowed its head, shaking slightly.

Lizzy watched with shock, awe, confusion, and fear.

Rin lifted his shirt, showing an odd-looking tattoo Lizzy had never seen before, along with many scars.

He put his hand above the tattoo as it started to glow, and he pulled a sword from his stomach.

Lizzy gasped as he held it in the air, and it was consumed by blue flames.

The Leaper cowered, but didn't move for fear his punishment would be worse if he disobeyed his King.

Rin pointed the flaming sword at the Leaper. "You'll get off easy this time. Face your punishment."

Rin leapt forward, slashing through the demon's body, making it burst into flames and disappear.

Rin calmly stood there for a few moments before looking back at Lizzy. "I can explain..."

"Please do," Lizzy whispered, eyeing him and the sword he held.

"Let's get home."

Lizzy sat on the couch as Rin sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her, Kuro atop his shoulder.

"Explanation. Now," Lizzy demanded quietly.

"I'm from another universe. It's complicated. I was born on Earth, or Assiah, but not in this dimension. In my dimension, there are people known as exorcists. They hunt demons and protect the world from them. Demons come from Hell, or Gehenna, which is the proper term. Kuro is a type of demon, a Cat Sith. He's my familiar, I guess. Gehenna is like the center of every universe. In Gehenna, there are portals that lead to different dimensions or lead to other parts of Gehenna that reside in other universes, if that makes any sense." Rin explained.

"That still doesn't explain why that Leaper bowed down to you," she swallowed.

"That's the complicated part." Rin smiled nervously. "You see, I was born in Assiah, but my mother died during childbirth and an exorcist Paladin by the name of Shiro Fujimoto raised my brother and I at birth. We never knew our mother, and for years I thought Shiro was my real father. When I turned fifteen, I realized that he wasn't, and that my brother had known since he was seven, but never told me. He also knew about exorcists and demons, but never told me. He had been training to become an exorcist ever since he found out, and both of them kept me in the dark. 'To protect me' they told me later on, but I got angry anyways. I lashed out, yelled at him, told him he wasn't my dad, but that broke him. Satan possessed him at that moment, and tried to drag me down to Gehenna. The old man gained back enough control to kill himself and save me. From then on, I vowed I would defeat Satan."

"I don't understand," Lizzy murmured.

"No, I'm not finished yet. About a year ago, I managed to defeat Satan, but defeating a King means taking his throne."

"But you're human!" Lizzy cried.

"No, Lizzy. I'm not. I'm a half demon, and my father is Satan. My name is Rin Okumura, and I'm the King of Gehenna," Rin announced.

Chapter Text

Lizzy's mind was in overdrive. The boy she had been taking care of was a demon, the son of Satan, no less! Being King of Hell also meant he had defeated Satan. Didn't that mean he was more powerful than Satan was?

The thought alone made Lizzy shiver.

Wasn't he still Rin, though? He was still the boy who loved to cook, who was clumsy and smiled at it.

"You don't look like much of a demon," Lizzy whispered.

"This is my human form, but even it's flawed. The ears, teeth, and tail are proof of that." Rin sighed.

"Tail?" Lizzy asked, the image of something black wrapped around Rin's waist as he pulled the sword out of his stomach flashed in her mind.

"I hide it by wrapping it around myself under my shirt." As he said this, something unfurled and swayed behind him. It was long enough to reach the floor, and it was the same color as his hair. It had a small tuft of fur at the end on it.

Lizzy's heart beat fast, and Rin stared at her. "Your heart's going to explode if you don't calm down. It's real loud."

Lizzy took deep breaths, then eyed him. "Can I see your demon form?"

"Only if you promise you won't think differently of me," Rin murmured.

"Never." Lizzy was surprised when she didn't hesitate.

Rin smiled nervously and transformed.

Lizzy stared, eyes wide. He really did look like a demon with the teeth, ears, horns, claws, tail, red pupils, and flames.

"I'm sorry you were so scared. I wish you could have trusted me," Lizzy whispered and hugged him tightly.

Rin froze for a moment before hugging her back, careful not to scratch her. "I did trust you. It's myself I didn't trust."

Jazz stared sadly at her brother. "Danny..."

"Jazz, what if Rin's dead? What if that's how, whatever he was, dies? What if he really did commit suicide just to avoid us because he was scared of exposure? What if it's my fault he's dead?" Danny ranted.

Jazz frowned. It was hard on Danny, not knowing if Rin was alive or not. It was his obsession to protect, and even though his human form dimmed it a bit, it was still his obsession, the center of his core.

"Danny, Rin's alive. He's smart, and he wouldn't kill himself for something trivial like that. He knew you were half ghost, so he wasn't afraid of rejection. Rin's fine, you just have to believe in him," Jazz told him.

Danny just nodded. Jazz sighed. "I'll leave you alone, but don't sulk up here forever."

Jazz left the room, and Danny put his head between his knees.

Rin was definitely their ally, but that meant that Rin was the one who scared Vlad out of his mind. Danny wondered what Rin did.

If Rin really was dead, Danny didn't know what would happen. Even if Danny hadn't know Rin for very long, he was one of his best friends, and somehow, Danny knew that Rin had just as many problems as he did.

Danny clutched his chest, the place where his core resided. He closed his eyes and felt no pain, no heavy feeling in his stomach. His core knew if he had failed his obsession.

Rin was definitely alive.

"Rin?" She asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise! Have some faith, will you?" Rin laughed, pulling her along through the trees.

Lizzy stumbled over the roots. "I'm too old for this..."

"Too old?! Mephisto is over a thousand years old, and he can still have fun. He is kind of crazy, though..." Rin murmured.

"Mephisto?" Lizzy asked curiously.

"He's my half brother, if you want to put it that way. He's also the principal of True Cross Academy back in my universe. He's the Demon King of Time." As Rin said this, his mind wandered to the being, Clockwork, wondering if the ghost knew Mephisto or not.

"Okay..." Lizzy decided not to ask anymore. Suddenly, all of the stuff he'd said about his family made sense.

"Here we are!" Rin cheered.

Lizzy looked around, but there was only grass and trees. "I don't see anything."

"I haven't shown it to you yet!" Rin laughed and looked to Kuro. "Kuro, wanna play?"

"Play, play!" Kuro meowed, bouncing around.

Before Lizzy could ask what he meant, Kuro suddenly grew to the size of a semi.

Lizzy gasped and stumbled back. "What in the-!"

"He's a demon, Lizzy." Rin smiled. "Come on, have you ever wanted to fly?"

"Fly? Why do I feel like this was a trap..." She muttered suspiciously.

"I wouldn't call it a trap..." Rin defended himself. "Let's go!"

He grabbed her and leapt on top of Kuro. "Onwards!"

"You got it, Rin!" Kuro jumped and took off into the air.

A woman's shriek could be heard over the whole town of Amity.

"RIN, YOU ARE SO GROUNDED!"

A boy's laugh accompanied it.

"Jack, I think I have the perfect idea to catch Phantom!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Really?!" Jack asks excitedly, bouncing up and down like a child.

"Everyone thinks Phantom is a 'hero', and if he keeps on pretending, he'll 'save' anyone in danger, even us! If we can lure him in, we can use our new invention, the Fenton Neutralizer, to capture him!"

"Great idea, sweetie!" Jack smiled and kissed her cheek.

Maddie's eyes glinted. 'We're coming for you, ghost boy, and this time, you won't escape.'

Jazz frowned at the voices of her parents in the lab. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but they sounded excited, which made Jazz worried.

Their mission was to capture Danny, and if they succeeded...

Jazz shuddered. They were her parents, but ghosts didn't mean anything to them on terms of emotions and pain. She understood why Danny had feared sleeping in his room at night at times, scared that one day, they would come in and kill him on the spot.

He'd told her of the nightmares. It made Jazz want to coddle him and protect him, but she couldn't. He was sixteen, and with her in college most of the time, she wasn't able to be there for him as much anymore.

Jazz's stomach churned, but Jazz ignored it. Danny was strong, he'd be fine.

The little voice screaming, "Stop him! Save him! Something's very wrong!" was at the back of her mind, but Jazz ignored it.

Danny would be fine.

Chapter Text

Danny observed the disk Rin had given him. The reveal that Rin wasn't human made this even more important.

Rin wasn't a bad person, not at all, Danny could tell that much. All Rin wanted to do was go home, and Danny couldn't blame him for that.

Danny watched the disk, its blue flame design plain, not glowing like it was when Rin had handed him it. Rin wasn't human, so this was connected to him in a supernatural way.

Danny stared at the disk.

Next stop, the Far Frozen.

"Frostbite? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Great One!" Frostbite answered.

Danny pulled the disk out of his pocket and handed it to the yeti. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Great One...where did you get this?" Frostbite asked slowly, cautiously.

Though curious at Frostbite's reaction, Danny answered, "That boy that stumbled into the Ghost Zone a while ago? Rin? He gave it to me. He wants help getting home, since he comes from another universe."

'So, I was right. Rin is indeed a demon. This disk, though...It is an artifact that belonged to the King, Satan. If Rin had this...then it's very likely his aura was indeed one of royalty like I thought. This means that Rin is either the only son of Satan that inherited the blue flames and took the throne, or Rin is actually Satan in disguise. Only the King is able to possess this,' Frostbite thought.

"Great One, what do you know about Rin?" Frostbite asked.

"I know he's not human and that he comes from another universe, but anything else beyond that is over my head. I don't even know what he is that makes him inhuman." Danny sighed.

'The Great One does not know of Rin's demonic heritage. I'm sure Rin doesn't want him to know either, so I shall keep the secret, but I still must warn him,' Frostbite thought.

"Great One, this artifact is dangerous, but it can help get Rin home. With the right tools, this artifact will create a portal straight back to Rin's world. I warn you, though, Great One. Rin is indeed your ally, but do not underestimate him, nor cross him. It will do nobody good." Frosbite stared the young King in the eyes.

Danny nodded. "Thank you, Frostbite. I will do what I think is best."

'Frostbite knows something, and he's not telling me, but he hasn't crossed me before. Whatever you're keeping from me, Frostbite, I hope you have everyone's best interests at heart,' Danny thought.

As Danny flew through the night sky for his usual patrol, a tight feeling tugged at his chest.

"Maddie!" A deep voice yelled.

Danny straightened and flew towards the familiar voice of his Dad.

He spotted them, but Maddie was trapped in a normal ectopuss's grip. Jack had a gun trained on the ghost, but his aim was horrible.

Danny frowned, something wrong with the picture he was seeing, but pushed it off and flew over to help his parents.

He dove down and grabbed his mom, setting her down next to his dad and punching the ghost.

He quickly sucked the ghost into his thermos, ready to fly away from the ghost hunters, but a blast hit him in the back and he fell, suddenly feeling weak.

"W-What?" He muttered quietly.

"Do you really think some weak, ecto scum was going to be able to capture me that easily? You're too gullible." Maddie's voice sneered above him.

Black dotted his vision, and he realized that they must have made a new invention. None of their other weapons rendered him this helpless.

"Please," he muttered, "You're making a big mistake."

"Nice try, but it's you who made a big mistake," Jack said.

Danny's vision became blurred, and his consciousness disappeared.

Danny woke up, blinking when he realized he was looking at the ceiling of the lab.

He turned his head to see that he was strapped down onto a metal table.

'No...' His mind whispered desperately.

"I see you're awake, Phantom," Maddie said, walking into his view. "Now, we can begin you're dissection. You're so different from other ghosts, and we'll see what makes you tick."

Danny started to struggle, but his strength was sapped. "Why do I feel so weak?"

"We neutralized your powers. Even if these are ghost proof, we couldn't take chances of you escaping." Jack smiled at him.

Danny closed his eyes. 'No, no, this can't be happening!'

Danny pulled and struggled, but to no avail did he escape.

Danny screamed.

Jazz was already on her phone, dialing Tucker and Sam's numbers, thanking the Lord that Sam had gotten a new phone so soon. "Guys! You need to get here right now! I can't get into the lab and Danny's screaming downstairs! I think my parents finally captured him!"

"We'll be right over! Hang on!" Tucker and Sam said, ending the call quickly.

Jazz sat by the lab door and prayed that her little brother would be okay.

Rin jerked, as a voice inside his head, a familiar one, spoke. "Daniel is in trouble, Rin."

'Clockwork?'

"Yes. Daniel has been captured by his parents, and if something is not done soon, they will dissect him."

The connection was cut off, but Rin was already out the window and running towards FentonWorks.

He could feel the fire licking beneath his skin, ready to burst.

His secret be damned, Rin would save Danny.

Sam and Tucker raced down the sidewalk at full speed towards the Fenton's.

"Come on, faster!" Sam cried.

"I'm trying, Sam!" And the techno geek really was. He was pushing himself harder then he ever had, even Sam could see that.

Tears pricked at Sam's eyes. Danny couldn't die, not now, not by his own parents.

Tucker gasped in short, quick breaths, struggling to keep up with Sam, but he did so, desperate to save his best friend.

Suddenly, the two were surrounded by blue fire. "What's going on!?" Sam cried.

"I don't know!" Tucker yelped.

The fire died down, and they realized they were in front of FentonWorks.

"How-?" Tucker was cut off.

"Me," a male voice answered his unspoken question.

They turned around to see a familiar face. "Rin!"

"I don't have time to explain, but we need to help Danny." Rin gulped.

"How did you know he was in trouble?" Tucker asked.

"Clockwork," was Rin's clipped reply before he smashed the door in with his boot.

Sam and Tucker gaped, but quickly shook it off, rushing into the house.

"Sam! Tucker! Rin?" Jazz frowned.

"Clockwork told me, I'll explain later," Rin said quickly. "Move aside."

Jazz did, but she looked at him questioningly. "How are you going to-"

No more was said as Rin kicked the door, sending it down the lab stairs and off the hinges.

"Like that," Rin said, a dangerous tone underlying his voice.

The four quickly rushed down and stared at the sight of Maddie and Jack over a terrified Phantom, tunic removed and bare chest revealed.

"Stop!" They all shouted, "Don't hurt him!"

"Kids?" Maddie turned to the group. "This isn't something you're old enough to see. And who are you?" Her eyes narrowed at Rin.

Rin growled, a noise that didn't sound human in his own ears. "Let Danny go!" That was Jazz.

"It's a ghost, it can't feel anything. It's evil, how many times do we have to tell you?!" Maddie shouted.

"Ghosts feel emotions, they feel pain, some are evil, some are good! Why can't you understand that?" Sam cried.

"Because it's not true!" Jack announced, "We've done plenty of research, and we are the experts-"

"Experts, my ass!" Rin barked, "Let him go, or I'll make you!"

"You are a child, what could you possibly do-" Maddie stopped as Rin burst into flames, his demon form revealed.

"I am far from a mere child! Do not disobey me!" Rin demanded.

Jack shot an ectopistol at him, but the blast simply dissolved as it hit him. "What?! How?!"

"Those hurt ghosts, not demons! Your weapons are useless against me!" Rin's tail lashed back and forth.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz gaped at him. Danny stared, wide eyed.

Maddie and Jack stood there, shocked, but tried to keep their composure. "S-so what?! Y-you have no right t-to-!" Maddie paused.

"To what?! To barge in here and stop you from killing one of my friends!? Back off, or I'll burn you straight to Hell, regardless if you're Danny's parents or not!" Rin hissed, sharp teeth bared and claws flexed.

Danny's parents slowly backed away, allowing Rin to easily snap the restraints off Danny, helping him up. "Slowly, Danny. You're still weak, I can feel it."

Danny was surprised that the flames did not burn. Only warmth was felt from the hellfire.

Rin handed Danny to Jazz slowly, letting her gently set him down against the wall to catch his breath.

Rin turned back around, facing the ghost hunters. "I suggest you leave Phantom alone from now on, or I'll make sure you come to Hell when you die, and I'll make you suffer."

"You can't make such claims! Demons aren't real!" Maddie shouted in denial.

"Then what am I? And I can make such claims, Madeline, for I have the power to decide whether or not you go to Hell, and how much you will suffer. I am the King of Hell, after all." Rin glared.

"Are you claiming to be Satan?!" Maddie quivered.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but I am merely Satan's son. I defeated him a while ago, and I took the throne. That being said, I am more powerful than he ever was, so I suggest you do not cross me. I do not want to harm you, nor do I wish to scare you, but if you try to go after any of my friends, I won't hesitate to defend them. I hope you understand what position you've put yourselves in." With that said, Rin turned back to Damny and knelt down in front of him, giving him a weak smile. "Just in time, huh?"

"Satan's son, huh?" Danny asked weakly. "Now, I know what Vlad was so paranoid about."

"Yeah. I hope you understand that I never wished to hurt you, any of you." Rin sighed.

"Dude, I just found out you're the King of Hell, and you still protected me. If that wasn't a Rin move, I don't know what is." Danny chuckled.

"Thank you," Rin whispered, willing his demon form to fade away.

"I'm going to transform," Danny muttered.

"I think it's time they know, Danny. If you keep the secret for much longer, then it'll be harder for them to accept it. If they do betray you, at least you will know what they really think. You don't have to spend years worrying what they will think if you don't tell them. If they don't care for you, you have friends that do. If push comes to shove, you can always come live with me in Hell." Rin joked weakly.

Danny gave a nod and white rings washed over him, turning his white hair to raven black, toxic, glowing, green orbs to an icy blue, and ghostly outfit into his normal, human clothes.

His parents stood there, eyes wide with shock, guilt, and regret. "Danny!?"

Chapter Text

"My baby..." Maddie murmured in distress.

"Son, why didn't you tell us? We could have avoided this!" Jack exclaimed.

"I was afraid. Afraid of rejection, afraid that you would cut me open and..." Danny didn't dare say more, but the revelation made the ghost hunters sick to their stomachs. They had, after all, almost cut open their son.

Maddie moved forward, the kids hesitant to let her through, and bent down to hug him. "Oh, sweetie, we love you, but the robberies, terrorizing, and kidnapping, why?"

"Mom, I was being controlled when I robbed those stores. The mayor was overshadowed by a ghost warden, Walker, who wanted me in his prison. The terrorizing...well, some people are just scared of me, I guess." Danny shrugged helplessly.

"Danno," Jack started, "we never meant to scare you. I guess us chasing you around didn't help. We'll love you, always, even if you are a ghost."

"That's the other thing," Danny said, "I'm not dead, well, not completely. While it may be scientifically impossible, I'm only half dead. I'm half ghost."

"How did this-" Maddie was cut off.

"Happen?" Danny smiled. "I forgot to tell you that the ON button was on the inside of the portal."

"Inside...?" Jack muttered.

"Oh my god! That means-! That must have been horrible!" Maddie wailed.

"I got electrocuted with enough electricity to power a whole hospital and all of its tools. It hurt, and that's an understatement." Danny shrugged.

"I'm so sorry, Danno," Jack whispered.

"We both are," Maddie murmured.

Both parents looked up to Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and Rin. "Thank you, for barging in here. Otherwise, things could have gotten very ugly." Maddie's eyes shined with unshed tears.

"Don't mention it, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker spoke, "Danny's my best friend. I would never leave him to such a fate."

"Same here." Sam agreed.

"He's my little brother. It's my job to protect him." Jazz smiled at her parents.

Jack turned his head to Rin. "And you, even if you are a demon and the King of Hell, I still have to thank you as well."

"Just because I have a tail and blue flames doesn't mean I don't know what it means to have a family. They're important to you and cherishing them is the best thing anyone could do. I couldn't stand by and watch your family fall apart, as well as lose one of my only friends." Rin chuckled, waving his now unfurled tail around for emphasis. "And my ticket home."

"Oh, shut it, mister! You still have a lot of explaining to do!" Danny scowled playfully at him.

"There isn't much explaining to be done. To sum it up, I'm a bastard child of Satan from a human mother, along with my twin brother. I inherited the flames, he didn't. I grew up believing I was human, and when I was fifteen, the truth came out. My adopted dad was possessed by Satan, and took control to kill himself to save me. I went to an exorcist school and planned to defeat Satan. Blah, blah, blah, and a lot of annoying blabbering from my brother later, I accomplished that around a year ago and became the next King. Not that complicated." Rin shrugged.

"I think I understand Plasmius's fear now," Tucker said.

"How did you find out about that, anyway?" Rin asked.

"I went to see what the fruitloop was up to, and color me surprised when I find a paranoid, jittery old man in his basement. Spouted nonsense and told me I was next." Danny chuckled. "What did you do to him exactly? I never got the details."

"Okay, for the record, you, nor anybody else was 'next'. Anyway, the dude was messing with Gehenna portals. They're natural portals for demons to escape from. He was planning on taking their power and controlling them." Rin laughed. "Seriously, trying to control demons will just get your throat slit. Only tamers can accomplish such things, and even they are limited to weak demons. Manipulating stronger ones, like he was planning, will just get you killed."

"Who's Plasmius?" Jack asked.

"He's more commonly known as the Wisconsin Ghost. He's actually the only other halfa besides Danny," Jazz informed them.

"Don't forget Danielle!" Danny piped.

"Danielle?" Jazz frowned.

"She's kind of my clone." Danny laughed sheepishly.

Jazz stared blankly for a few moments. "...It was Plasmius, wasn't it?"

Silence.

"That bitter, old, creepy-"

"Let's skip that, please!" Tucker stopped Danny's sister.

"Anyway," Danny said, "his whole goal is to get me as his son/apprentice, kill Dad, and marry Mom. I don't know where Jazz fits."

"I'm still not sure whether to be relieved or insulted." Jazz sighed.

"What?!" Both parents exclaimed in outrage. "Who's his human half?!"

"That's the thing," Sam said, "You might not like what we're about to tell you."

"It's Vlad Masters," Rin cut straight to the point.

"What?! But Vladdie would never-" Jack tried to protest, but Maddie stopped him.

"I knew something was off! That insufferable man tried to flirt with me back in Wisconsin!" Maddie huffed.

"Yeah, he blames Dad because it was the proto-portal that turned him." Danny sighed.

"He can't have my wife or my son! Why, I'll-" Jack started to rant, but Rin held up a hand.

"We've all heard the over-protective dad speech, Mr. Fenton."

"We can talk about that later," Sam said, "I'm more focused on the fact that the ally Clockwork was talking about was Rin."

"Clockwork?" Maddie asked.

"He's the Master of Time. Also known as Father Time, Chronos, etc. He's a ghost, and kind of my mentor," Danny replied.

"So, not all ghosts are evil?" Jack asked.

"Of course not! Danny has a bunch of ghost friends! Dora, Frostbite, Clockwork, Pandora, Cujo, and Wulf are good examples." Tucker laughed.

"That's not many compared to all the ghosts in the Zone," Maddie said.

"Well, not all ghosts are very happy with me kicking them back into the Zone when they cause trouble. The only reason they tolerate me is because I defeated Pariah Dark and became King of the Ghost Zone." Danny shrugged.

"King!?" Maddie, Jack, and Rin exclaimed.

"You didn't know?" Sam asked Rin.

"I knew Danny was half ghost from his scent. I can't really tell if he's royalty or not by sniffing him. I could tell he was powerful, though." Rin revealed.

Suddenly, Rin realized what Sam had said earlier. "Wait, ally?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, Clockwork kind of told us someone very powerful could be a potential ally or an enemy," Sam told the demon.

"That reminds me! Danny, any luck?" Rin practically begged.

"Some. The disk you gave me can create a portal straight back to your world, but it needs something to go with it, apparently." Danny smiled sadly.

"It's a start." Rin smiled.

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked.

"I was raised in Assiah, which is Earth, in another universe. I was in Gehenna, which is Hell, and stumbled through a portal leading here! Danny is helping me find a way home!" Rin explained.

"Okay, off topic, but those scratches you gave us let us see things. What are they?" Jazz asked.

"Those are temptaints. It's an injury given by a demon that allows the victim to see all kinds of demons," Rin explained, "I figured it'd be useful for you to see them."

"And slightly worrying," Tucker said.

Rin merely rolled his eyes, but a small smile still danced on his lips.

Maybe things would be okay.

"All is as it should be..."

Chapter Text

School became something Rin could at least tolerate, surprisingly.

Sadly, a bully by the name of Dash Baxter decided Rin was another punching bag next to Danny, since, quote on quote, "He insulted Paulina and was friends the Freak Trio."

Rin didn't really care too much like Danny, only pretending to be hurt for the most part. It was annoying, though. There was no hiding that.

Being half demon meant Rin had more durability, and he'd taken worse blows. Honestly, Dash's weren't even close to the ones Satan had thrown, so after that torture, Dash's punches tickled. The same could be said for Danny, as he had taken much worse hits before as well, along with the fact he was already half dead, allowing him to be more durable, too.

"You okay?" Tucker asked the half demon as he sulked at the lunch table.

"Fine. I just got a little present from Dash a few minutes ago, and though it didn't hurt me, it was still annoying. I know I'll have knots in my tail later today, too." Rin pouted. "It took quite a beating."

"So melodramatic," Sam drawled jokingly.

"I'll have you know that a demon's tail is its weak spot!" Rin huffed. "I can't help it if I'm whiny. A beating to my tail is a beating to my pride, and if I lose any more of it, I'll wither away."

"Seriously?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Well, not literally, but if anyone, meaning demons, knew I was letting some human beat me up, I would never hear the end of it, especially from Mephisto." Rin shuddered.

"Not even going to ask, dude." Tucker shook his head.

"Good choice," Rin said.

Danny yawned, suddenly swaying his face towards the food in front of him, eyes droopy.

"Woah, there!" Rin put his hand on Danny's chest, pushing him back into a sitting position and snapping his fingers in his face. "Maybe you should accept some help tonight. You need sleep, badly, and if you don't get it, something might happen."

"What's that 'spose to mean?" Danny slurred slightly.

"I have a short temper regardless, but lack of sleep and stress can make it worse. You are the combination of both, and I know better than anyone that those two things can and will cause you to snap. You need a good night's rest before you unleash hell on one of your unsuspecting classmates for asking for a pencil," Rin scolded.

"I thought only you were able to unleash Hell, being Satan and all," Tucker said.

"It's a figure of speech!" Rin barked.

Tucker's eyes widened, and he squeaked quietly. "Don't kill me!"

Rin paused and smiled. "See, short temper. And I'm not going to kill you." His smile turned sad. "I don't think you would have reacted like that if you thought I was still human."

"Rin-" Tucker started, but he was cut off by Sam's glare.

"It's fine," Rin said.

"No, it's not," Sam said.

"Back to Danny, please," Rin said as he stressed the words. "How about Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and I take on the ghosts tonight? When you get home, eat dinner and go straight to bed. Tucker or Sam can call Jazz and tell her the situation."

"I don't-" Danny started, but was cut off by Rin's narrowed eyes.

"Listen here," Rin growled, "you will do as I say, or I swear on my Dad's grave that I will personally sedate you if you disagree!"

"And what makes you think you can boss me around?" Danny asked.

"I can boss you around because I'm afraid for your health! You, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and your parents are the only people who accept me here, who don't care what I am! I'm not losing you because you suddenly have a temper flare and you flatten one of the students and get sent to jail, or worse, die completely from over exhaustion, dehydration, or starvation! Please, don't fight me on this one!" Rin ranted.

Silence followed, and a few heads turned their direction to look at them. Rin didn't have time to think about embarrassment, so he glared at them. "Back off before I rip all of your limbs off!"

Squeals and shrieks of fear followed that threat, and the school went back to ignoring them.

"See, short temper," Rin repeated his previous statement.

"I have a feeling that you're suffering from loss of sleep as well," Danny said.

"Not as much as you. While demons may be entering this universe, they know I'm here which means they'll cause no trouble. They know what happens if they do." Rin sighed.

"Are you sure?" Danny hesitantly asked.

Sam smiled at him. "Positive. Please, Danny. Let us help you for once."

"...Fine," Danny grumbled, "but be careful!"

"Dude, we have Rin with us. Nothing's going to happen." Tucker laughed.

"Don't put so much faith in me. Even I make mistakes," Rin told them.

"Still, be careful! And Rin, don't give Jazz a thermos. While you may not be a ghost, I'm not sure how it would effect you, and she has Dad's aim." Danny warned.

"I'll remember that." Rin chuckled.

"Okumura! Fentoad!" A familiar voice yelled.

"Run?" Danny asked.

"What else?" Rin replied sarcastically.

"Jazz, honey, are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, ghosts can be dangerous, and even Danny's staying home tonight!" Maddie said.

"Mom, Danny's staying home because he needs to get a full night's sleep for once. Besides, I don't know if you recall, but I'll have Sam and Tucker with me, as well as Rin! We'll be perfectly fine!" Jazz was slightly amused by her mother's worry.

"Come on, Mads! I'm glad to see our kids and their friends getting into the ghost hunting business!" Jack smiled.

"I agree with your father, but it doesn't change the fact that you are still too young," Maddie told her.

"Danny's been doing it since he was fourteen!" Jazz argued.

"Yes, and I'm still very disappointed in myself for letting him. I don't know how many times he could have climbed through his window at three in the morning to bandage himself! I don't want that to happen to you!" Maddie cried. "The only reason I can still function is the fact that he's had his friends and you by his side to help him through."

Jazz was quiet for a moment. "Danny tried to hide them, you know." It was more of a statement than a question.

"What do you mean, Jazzerincess?" Jack asked.

"We would always tell him to wake any of us up, no matter what the time, to help with his injuries. Sometimes I was lucky, catching him limping or blood seeping through his shirt. Sometimes I would stay awake hours on end, running on pure caffeine to keep me awake, waiting for him to stumble through the wall with another broken leg or another cut that almost went through his whole stomach, because I knew that if I didn't, he wouldn't wake me up, he wouldn't call for me. He would wrap and mend the wound on his own. So I stayed awake, waiting there so that once he did come home, I would be there with a first aid kit, bandages, splints, and disinfectant." Jazz paused, taking a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "He didn't want to burden us, didn't want to worry us, but there were times when we caught his injuries after he had taken care of them, and when we realized he hadn't told us, we worried more and more. Danny does a lot of things no kid should have to, and tonight, this is the one thing I can do to at least make up for a sliver of what's he sacrificed for everyone."

Maddie and Jack stood there, taking all of the information in. Maddie gave Jazz a shaky reply. "Be careful."

Jazz smiled at her mom. "We will."

Chapter Text

The ghosts were just as active, but they went through them quickly with Rin's help.

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware my cardboard boxes of doom!"

"This is the fifth time tonight!" Rin cried, already getting frustrated. "I can't believe Danny has to deal with you!"

"Phantom will never defeat me, the Box-" Boxy was cut off as Rin growled, his eyes turning to blue fire.

"Get in the thermos already."

The Box Ghost shrieked in fear of him, but wasn't able to escape the vortex of light that sucked him into the Fenton device.

"You know, if we want to actually catch the ghosts, please tone down on the demonic stuff. We don't want the ghosts running away." Sam eyed him.

"I can't help it! He is so annoying!" Rin cried.

"Danny has to put up with him every day," Tucker reminded the half demon.

"Remind me to have a small talk with Boxy before we throw him back into the Zone," Rin said.

"Why?" Jazz asked warily.

"I'll make sure he doesn't come back."

They all shivered. "Sure, Rin."

"I think that's all of them." Tucker smiled. "The tracker doesn't detect any ghost activity throughout the whole city."

"Thank god! Jeez, I feel really bad for Danny!" Rin cried.

"It's hard, but Danny does what he thinks is right." Jazz shrugged.

"Two words, hero complex." Sam laughed.

"I can already hear Danny protesting," Rin said jokingly.

"Well, we didn't have many difficult ghosts. Most of the time, Skulker is only out when Danny is around. The only other ghosts we had to face besides ectopusses and the Box Ghost was Technus, Johnny, Kitty, and Spectra," Jazz said.

"That woman can really get in your head." Rin frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Of course. It wasn't anything I haven't heard before. My insecurities and fears are things I've come to pass long ago. It hurt, but I wasn't vulnerable. I'm fine." Rin assured the goth.

"If you say so." Sam sighed.

"What time is it?" Jazz asked Tucker.

"About four in the morning," Tucker responded.

"I'll teleport you guys back home. You'll need the extra time to sleep." Rin smiled, and blue flames surrounded them all.

After Sam and Tucker were dropped off, Rin teleported them back to the Fenton house to drop off Jazz.

They appeared in her room, and Rin smiled at her, tail swaying. "See you!"

"Wait!" Jazz grabbed his arm. "I wanted to thank you. This whole time you've been looking out for my brother when I couldn't even if he didn't know it, and I can't thank you enough."

"There's nothing to thank," Rin said softly. "He's my friend, and trust me, I don't use that word lightly. Trust has and always will be an issue for me, but it seems you, your family, and Danny's friends are an exception."

"We'll miss you when you leave." Jazz stared at him.

"I'll miss you guys, too, but I've got a family back in my original universe. I can't just abandon them." Rin frowned.

"Nobody's asking you to."

Rin nodded and turned to her window, crouching on the ledge. "See you around, Jazz."

"See you around, Rin." She copied.

Rin leapt out of the window, morphing into a black wolf before he hit the ground, and exploded into blue fire once his paws touched the grass, vanishing.

"Show off," she muttered fondly.

Jazz smiled at Danny as he came down, the bags under his eyes gone and eyes brighter.

"Good morning, little brother," Jazz greeted.

"Morning, Jazz." Danny nodded towards her, a smile on his face.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"Yeah. I went to bed around 3:30 PM after I got home, so I got about seventeen hours of sleep." Danny chuckled.

"I'm not surprised you slept that long. You've been awake for about a week straight. Are you feeling better?"

"Lots," Danny answered.

"Good. From now on, you'll let us help, alright?" Jazz eyes him, daring him to object.

Danny gulped at her expression. "Yeah."

"Good!" She cheered.

Danny sweat dropped at her mood swings.

"Now, hurry up. You only have half an hour to get to school." Jazz rushed him.

"Okay, okay." Danny laughed.

"Oh yeah, I don't think the Box Ghost will be back for a while," Jazz told him.

"Why?" Danny wondered curiously.

Jazz chuckled nervously. "Rin got irritated with him and well..."

Danny blanched. "Never mind. I have a feeling I don't want to know."

"No, no you don't."

"Hey, Danny." Sam and Tucker waved to him as they met up on the sidewalk.

"Hey, guys," Danny greeted.

"You feeling better, man?" Tucker asked.

"Like I told Jazz, I'm feeling a lot better. I guess Rin was right." Danny smiled.

"About?" Sam urged.

"I just realized I feel a lot less tense and stressed, less annoyed. I'm pretty sure I would have lashed out at someone sooner or later." Danny sighed.

"Duh. It's happened to me too many times." A voice cut in.

They all jumped to see Rin, casually standing there with a backpack strapped over his shoulder. "What?"

"When did you get here?" Tucker burst.

"I've been walking with you guys since Danny met up with you. I just decided now was the best time to speak up." Rin smiled innocently, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"You're very good at sneaking up on people," Sam said.

"I'm a demon, it's my specialty." Rin joked.

"Are demons good liars, too?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, but we can also sense them, so lying to me will do you no good. Keep that in mind." Rin smirked.

Danny shrugged nonchalantly. "Will do."

Rin snarled silently as he watched Dash pick on Mikey.

He could pick on Rin. Hell, he could pick on Danny, but they could take it! Normal humans couldn't, and Rin was disgusted that anyone would treat another one of their kind like that for no good reason.

"Leave him alone, Dash." Rin hissed.

All heads that were watching the show turned to look at Rin. Sam and Tucker looked worried.

Of all the times for Danny to have sensed a ghost! Sam and Tucker hoped Danny would get back soon before Rin lashed out.

"Why should I? Who are you to tell me what to do?" Dash laughed, shoving Mikey against the lockers again.

"What kind of human being treats another human like they're trash? Are you really such a jerk that you'd stoop to picking on kids smaller than you to get a pride boost? It's pathetic and just plain disgusting. Back the hell off, or so help me, I'll make you," Rin threatened.

"You're just as weak as all of the losers, Okumura." Dash sneered. "You don't even fight back when I pummel you. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Rin..." Sam warned, but the half demon didn't listen.

"I let you. I let you hit me, I let you beat me up because I can take it. All of these other kids that you enjoy hurting, they can't! If you don't back off and move on, I'll show you what pain really feels like." Rin growled, heat burning beneath his skin.

Dash laughed and smirked, grabbing Mikey by the throat and bashed him against the lockers, Mikey crying out.

"Rin, no!" Tucker cried, but it was too late.

Rin snarled inhumanly, lunging at Dash so fast, he was a blur.

Dash crashed to the floor, dropping Mikey as Rin tackled him, growling.

"How does it feel to be the one getting beat up?!" Rin barked, punching Dash, earning a crack from the boy's nose as blood gushed out.

Dash cried out in pain, holding his nose. Rin merely scowled, dragging the bully to his feet and kicking him in the gut, sending him into a row of lockers roughly.

Just when Rin was about to lung again, a voice cried out, "Stop! I'm fine!"

It wasn't Sam, nor Tucker. It was, surprisingly enough, Mikey.

The small geek stared at him, and Rin knew that anyone else would have been terrified. The kid was, but he held his ground well. Rin guessed it was because Mikey knew Rin wouldn't hurt him.

"You can stop. I'm fine, alright? Just...stop, please." Mikey begged.

"You have bruises on your neck, Mikey." Rin hissed.

Mikey flinched, but repeated, "I'm fine."

Rin took a few deep breaths and nodded. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Mikey."

"I'm grateful for the help, but you went too far," Mikey said.

Rin nodded, but Mr. Lancer's voice cut through the sea of shocked students. "Lord of the Flies, what is going on here?!"

Everyone parted, and when Lancer saw Dash all beat, unconscious and bloodied, he frowned and rushed to check the quarterback. "Kwan, call 911. He's got a broken nose and ribs."

Kwan shakily nodded and rushed off.

"Who did this?" Lancer scanned the students, but stopped his gaze on Rin, who glared at the limp blonde with a burning hatred, hands bloody.

"Rin Okumura, to the principal's office. Now!" Lancer barked.

Rin's expression hardened, but stepped forward, ready to head toward his punishment.

"Wait! Rin was only trying to help me!" Mikey cried out.

"What do you mean?" Lancer asked.

"Dash had me pinned to the lockers by my throat, and Rin stopped him! See!" Mikey's words flew from his lips, pointing to his bruised neck.

Mr. Lancer sighed. "As true as that may be, Rin still severely injured a student. If he's got enough internal damage, he might be charged for attempted murder."

Rin shook his head. "I lost it, Mikey. Nothing excuses my behavior. I'll take any punishment you dish out."

"Nathan, can you take Mikey to the nurse?" Mr. Lancer asked, and Nathan nodded.

Nathan helped Mikey up and led him to the office, away from the crowd.

Meanwhile, Danny discreetly appeared beside Sam and Tucker looking at the scene. "What happened?"

"Long story short, Dash was picking on Mikey, Rin lost it, and now Dash is being sent to the hospital. Rin's in big trouble," Sam explained.

Danny frowned. "That's not good..."

"If you were getting a second opinion, I'd say Dash had it coming." Tucker shrugged.

"Agreed." Sam scowled.

"What are we going to do?" Tucker asked.

"We help Rin. What else?" Danny said.

"Rin..." Lizzy sighed.

"He had it coming! I'm sorry, Lizzy, but he deserved it! That's probably not even a fraction of what he's done to the other kids all together!" Rin defended.

"I believe you, Rin, but your temper is out of control. You need to learn to calm down." Lizzy's eyes stared into his blue ones.

"I can, usually. I've been off lately. It's not an excuse for my behavior, but I think I'm getting homesick, as dumb as it sounds," Rin confessed.

Lizzy smiled sadly. "Don't worry, Rin. You'll get home. I know you will. Just be patient. For now, try to keep your anger in check, alright? I don't need you getting yourself exposed."

"I know, Lizzy." Rin nodded.

"I worry about you, Rin. Stop making me worry." Lizzy laughed.

"No promises." Rin smiled softly.

Chapter Text

Rin was warned that if he acted like that again, he would be expelled. On the outside, he nodded, calm. Inwardly, he cursed every teacher in the school. Dash had hurt and bullied kids for a long time if what the trio said was anything to go by. Dash just got off the hook for being a quarterback! It wasn't fair, not to him, not to any of the kids that got the short end of the stick from Dash's anger!

Biased bastards, they all were.

As Rin walked to stand at the end of the concrete to wait for Lizzy at the end of the day, Tucker, Sam, and Danny came rushing up to him.

"Dude, you need to see this!" Tucker exclaimed, shoving his PDA in the half demon's face.

Rin pushed the arm away and snatched the device.

On the screen was a video of Rin beating the crap out of Dash, but only that. No evidence of Dash's assaults on Mikey. It was the perfect way to make him look like a complete...

"Demon," Rin murmured, "Everyone probably thinks I'm some kind of monster, just like always."

"You're not! One of the A-Lister's posted this to give you a bad reputation, but everyone who was there knows the truth!" Danny said.

"Most of the kids there were A-Listers, Danny. The nerds and geeks won't go against them, not that I blame them. Even so, people will still be scared of me regardless. I beat up Dash in a rage. Who's to say I won't lash out at anyone else? Nobody knows, and that's why they're scared of me." Rin shook his head sadly. "This is just like my childhood all over again."

"It doesn't matter. We know the truth, and that's enough," Sam told him.

Rin smiled. "I have to say, my childhood didn't consist of people who knew me well."

"Then let us be the first."

"Hi, Rin!" Lizzy greeted as he climbed into the car.

"Hey, Liz." Rin smiled.

"I take it you're feeling better?" Lizzy guessed.

"More or less," Rin said.

"Good, 'cause you're going to need all of the energy you can get tonight. Being depressed won't do you any good." Lizzy smirked. "We've got a busy night."

Rin grinned, his - now free - tail wagging back and forth making Lizzy chuckle. "Bring it on!"

Rin silently sighed at the stares he received.

That video of him was all over the internet, and for all Rin knew, half the people he was serving had kids that went to Casper!

As he took orders, people gave him scathing looks, as well as disgusted, scared, and nervous.

"Hello, I'm Rin. May I take your order?" Rin asked as professionally as he could under the judging stares he was receiving.

The table consisted of a family of four. A mother, a father, a girl that couldn't have been older than five, and a boy around the age of eight.

"You're the boy beating up that blonde in the video, aren't you?" The father asked distastefully.

Rin swallowed. "Yes, I am, but that's not what I asked you."

"This place lets a monster like you roam around here with other people? Children?" The father glared.

Rin grit his teeth. "That video was taken way out of context."

"Really?" The boy asked.

"Quiet, Kyle," The man told his son. "So, you didn't break a boy's ribs and nose?" The man hissed.

"Well...yes, but that's not the whole story," Rin explained, "Why am I talking about this? Just let me take your order!"

"If I don't? Are you going to try and kill me, too?" The father asked.

"Tyler!" The mother exclaimed in shock. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him!"

"Helen! He sent a kid to the hospital!" Tyler hissed.

Rin didn't take his eyes off the man. "It's perfectly fine. I'm more than used to it. Many people see something and automatically think it's true. If you're husband is uncomfortable with me, would you like a different waiter?"

Before the mother could speak, the little girl piped up. "No! You're nice! Daddy's just being a grump!"

Rin jumped slightly, shocked that such a small child stood up for him, but he smiled nonetheless. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"I'm Lilac!" Lilac giggled.

Rin smiled softly, patting her head. "I'm Rin. It's nice to meet you, Lilac. What would you like to eat tonight?"

"I want French fries, a cheeseburger, and Root Beer!" Lilac said.

Rin chuckled at the simplicity of her mind. She was, after all, only a child.

"Oh? And what you like on this cheeseburger of yours?" Rin asked politely.

"Ketchup!" She laughed.

"And what size would your Root Beer be?" Rin chuckled.

"Small." The mother cut in, a smile on her face.

"Small," Lilac copied.

Rin nodded, scribbling it on his notepad. "Whatever your Highness requests." Rin bowed.

Lilac giggled. "I'm a princess?"

"Yes, Princess Lilac. What would Queen Helen, King Tyler, and Prince Kyle like to have?" Rin smiled at the small 'princess'.

"Oh!" Kyle hopped up. "I want a BLT with small Sprite!"

The mother chuckled. "I would like the medium chili with garlic bread and a large tea."

Rin wrote this down and looked to Tyler. "And you?"

The man glared, but ordered his meal reluctantly.

"Thank you, I'll be right out with those, Your Highness." Rin bowed and winked at Lilac before rushing to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before the family had eaten and payed, beginning to leave. "I hope you enjoyed your meal, Your Highness." Rin bowed, getting ready to leave the table.

"Wait!" Lilac tugged his sleeve.

"Lilac! That's very rude!" Helen scolded, but Rin just chuckled.

"It's quite alright. Is there something I can do for you, Princess Lilac?" Rin asked.

"Why do you have pointy ears and fangs? Are you a vampire? An elf?" Her eyes sparkled with glee.

"Lilac!" Helen gasped, but to her surprise, Rin didn't take offense.

"No, I'm not a vampire or an elf. Do I really look that short to you?" Rin pouted.

"No!" Lilac squealed. "Why do you have weird ears and teeth if you're not a vampire or elf?"

"They're called deformities, Lilac. It's when some people look a bit different. My ears are deformed, so they're pointy. My teeth are deformed, so they're sharper than normal. Many people make fun of me for it." Rin ruffled her hair.

"That's mean! I think you look cute!" Lilac smiled, tugging on his ear.

"Sweetheart, be nice." Helen warned.

Rin chuckled. "Why, thank you, Princess. I must go. While you have to return to your kingdom, I must return to mine. Duty awaits."

Lilac nodded before pulling something from her pocket and sticking it to his uniform under his name tag.

"What's this?" Rin looked down to examine it.

It was a sticker with the words, 'Be The Best You Can Be!' in bright yellow lettering on a blue background.

"This is a present!" Lilac smiled.

"Thank you, Princess." Rin nodded and stood up. "I'll see you around, Lilac."

Chapter Text

Rin had to laugh at Danny's unmanly screech of shock when he teleported in front of him in his room.

"Rin!" Danny whined.

Rin blinked when he realized Danny had been in the middle of changing.

Blood seeped into Rin's cheeks and traveled to his ears. "This is awkward."

"Yeah, no kidding." Danny was red in the face as well.

Upon closer inspection, Rin noticed scars, many scars. Barely any undamaged skin existed. They crisscrossed, some were big and jagged while others were small and thin, but they were all noticeable.

One of the more noticeable ran from his left hip to his right shoulder at the front, at least an inch wide. The edges were sharp and jagged.

Rin stared. Danny frowned and pulled his shirt on. "Looks hideous, huh?"

"No. It looks familiar." As awkward as it was, Rin pulled his own shirt off.

His body looked like Danny's, scars everywhere, big and small. One wrapped around his collarbone just below what a shirt would be able to hide, trailing down all the way to his lower back. It was jagged as well, widening as it ran down his spine, an inch wide at the least.

Another one was on his chest, a thin, but visible scar, that went trailed up the middle of his stomach in one line, splitting into two lines, connecting to his navels in the shape of a 'Y'.

Danny swallowed. "How...?"

"I got too cocky using my flames in the beginning. Someone who happened to be a scientist saw me, knocked me out, and you can see where that led. They didn't know what I was, so they decided to try and find out," Rin told the half ghost solemnly.

"You went through that? You went through that, yet you still came to help me, knowing you'd be seeing what you didn't want to see ever again." Danny breathed.

"I may have made a mistake, but I wouldn't let anyone else go through what I did. Especially not you," Rin said, as if the answer was obvious.

"What about the other scars?" Danny asked hoarsely.

"Being an exorcist isn't all fun and games, not when you're dealing with demons. Being the spawn of Satan also places the risks of other exorcists coming to try and kill me," Rin replied.

"The one around your neck and back...?" Danny hesitated to ask, but did anyway.

"I was almost hung, but my brother cut the rope before it could kill me. The rope had blades on it made of holy silver. When my brother cut the rope, it fell onto my back when I hit the floor. It's blades were bigger at the top. It dug into my back and tore all the way down it like a saw, but messier."

Danny bit his lip, then lifted his shirt to show the jagged scar across his stomach and chest. "Skulker captured me once, a long time ago. He got a lucky hit in with his new ghost-proof knife. He's a messy butcher." Danny laughed humorlessly. "I have more like that, but most of them are just minor."

Rin smiled slightly. "We're a lot more alike then we thought, huh?"

"Definitely." Danny agreed. "Hey, Rin?"

"Yeah?"

"The other day, you mentioned a demon's tail is its weak spot. What did you mean?" Danny asked.

Rin fidgeted. "If someone got a hold of a demon's tail and pulled hard enough, it would cause excruciating pain. It's a good way to torture a demon."

Danny recognized his tone. "Experience?"

"Yeah," was the quiet reply. "Sometimes I wish my human form didn't have a tail, so at least half of me had some kind strong point in that area. It would have been handy."

"What's the point of tails if the only thing they do is cause pain?" Danny wondered.

"It's more complicated than that. As weird as it sounds, a demon's tail is useful and one of my kind's strongest weapons. The stronger the demon, the more useful their tail is." Rin shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"Tails are used for balance much like any animal, since demons are mostly known for their animalistic nature. My tail helps me with my balance, but only when it's out. When it's hidden around my waist, it's useless. I can easily run across a tight line if I had the use of my tail. Of course, part of my training was focused on balance, since I wouldn't be able to take advantage of my tail all the time, so I guess with enough concentration, I'd be able to walk a tight line without my tail," Rin explained.

"That's it? That's all it's used for? I thought you said something about a weapon." Danny reminded him.

Rin blinked. "Oh, yeah! A tail is also very powerful, depending on the demon itself. For example, if I wanted to, a flick of my tail could send you flying across the city easily enough. If I used enough control, I would be able snap any of your bones without sending you flying. Tails can easily kill someone if the demon is powerful enough."

"That's slightly disturbing." Danny eyed the boy's furry appendage.

Rin shrugged. "What can you do? Like I said, though, I don't have to if I don't want to. For example..." Rin trailed off, flicking his tail at Danny's abdomen.

Danny yelped as it brushed him but nothing happened. Rin smiled at Danny's shock. "I don't have to hurt anyone if I choose not to. My tail, while it may have some mind of its own in the metaphorical field, is still something like an arm or leg to me. I can control its strength like I can control how hard I punch or kick."

"I almost had a heart attack." Danny huffed.

"Sure you did." Rin grinned. "I'll see you later. Originally, I came to ask how you've been doing since you've been up and fighting again, but I see you're fine."

"Thanks," Danny whispered, "for everything."

"Don't thank me. You can do that some other time when it's actually necessary. I'm not going anywhere yet." Rin gave a soft, but sad smile and disappeared.

"I'll get you home, Rin. Count on it," Danny murmured.

Chapter Text

"Danny, are you sure this is safe?" Maddie asked, eyeing the Specter Speeder.

"It's fine, Mom. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and I have used it plenty of times before." Danny smiled at his mother's nervousness.

"And where are we going again?" Jack asked.

"Clockwork. I guess he's like a second father to me, though he's actually more of a mentor. Besides, if Clockwork doesn't think you're ready or if he doesn't want to, we won't be able to find his lair. He is the Master of Time, so most ghosts consider him a myth. His lair is only found by those he wants it to be found by," Danny explained.

"It'll be fine, Mrs. Fenton. Danny's half ghost and I'm half demon. Just relax," Rin told her as he sat in the back of the Speeder.

"Alright." Maddie sighed, climbing into the Speeder, Jack following.

Sam and Tucker sat in front, Sam at the wheel. They all put on Fenton Phones so they could communicate with Danny from the inside of the Speeder.

Danny transformed into Phantom, rings washing over him. Jack's eyes widened in awe. "I'm never going to get used to that!" Maddie merely laughed at her goofy husband.

The portal doors opened, a swirling, glowing green mass lighting up in front of them.

"To Clockwork's!" The trio cheered.

Sam lurched forward, plunging into the portal.

Maddie and Jack gazed at the surrounding area, eyes wide with interest. "This place gives you the chills." Maddie observed.

"Well, it is the Ghost Zone." Danny laughed, his voice echoing through their headsets. "It's going to be colder, and most humans feel a bit uncomfortable here. Maybe it's weird, but for me, it feels like home."

"You are half ghost, Danny." Tucker reminded the boy.

"I know. I think that's why." Danny laughed.

"It feels odd, but not a bad odd. I think ghosts feel at home here, but since I'm a demon, it's different for me. It feels weird, but it's a nice weird. It's complicated." Rin blushed when he realized he probably sounded dumb.

"It's fine, as long as you're not getting ill." Sam joked.

"Ha ha." Rin mocked, rolling his eyes.

"What are all these doors?" Jack asked as he eyed all of the floating doors.

"Those are lairs," Danny's voice explained through the headsets. "Every ghost has one. The doors are like rooms for ghosts. Each door belongs to a certain ghost and revolves around its obsession. For example, Ember's lair would revolve around music. Islands are for the more powerful ghosts. They also revolve around the ghost's obsession, but it's not just a room, it's a whole piece of land."

"Do you have a lair, Danny?" Maddie asked.

Danny blushed green, at least that's what it looked like from inside the Speeder. "Uh, yeah. I'll show you it sometime."

Rin smirked, because he knew that if Danny was the Ghost King, he was going to have an island. The half ghost was obviously embarrassed.

Eventually, the group reached their intended destination. They stepped out as the Speeder was parked in front of the doors.

"It's a Clocktower." Maddie observed.

"Fitting, isn't it?" A voice replied.

Maddie and Jack yelped while Sam and Tucker only jumped slightly. Rin and Danny made no such movements, only turning around to look at the old ghost.

"I'm used to it by now," Danny said as his parents gave him looks.

They all raised their eyebrows at Rin. He shrugged. "Things aren't that surprising anymore. I'm always on guard."

"I see you've told your parents? And that all of you and Rin know the truth of one another?" Clockwork asked.

"Like you don't know." Danny rolled his eyes.

Clockwork simply smirked, transforming into an adult in the process.

"How do you do that?" Jack asked, referring to the time ghost's aging.

"Time moves differently for me," Clockwork replied, "Come. We have much to discuss."

They followed him into the doors of his lair.

"So, I assume you all know of Rin's Satanic heritage?" Clockwork asked, making sure to specify.

"How could we not? He practically flaunts it, waving that stupid tail of his around." Sam pointed at Rin's wagging tail, proving her point.

"Hey!" Rin barked out, offended. "My tail is not stupid!"

Clockwork merely smiled slightly before turning to his screens.

The group watched as an image flickered onto it, and when the image appeared, Rin's breath caught in his throat, tears threatening to spill.

"Dad..." His voice was hoarse, a quiet whisper that burned with agony and pain.

The rest of them swallowed as they realized the old man on the screen was Rin's adoptive father.

The image switched to a small, angry boy that was about seven. He looked exactly like Rin, except without the pointy ears, fangs, and tail.

The child continued to throw stuff at the students and teachers, screaming childlike profanity. He threw chairs, toys, anything he could get his hands on.

They realized that even when Rin's powers were sealed, he still had his demonic strength.

"How can you raise a child like that?!" A teacher gasped. "He really is a demon!"

"Rin, you hurt your friend. He's in the hospital." Shiro frowned.

"He's not my friend! He called me a demon! It's his fault! He mocked me!" Child Rin cried.

"It's your fault for being so violent!" Shiro barked.

Rin's dad didn't flinch as a chair flew past his head, breaking as it made contact with the wall behind him.

Rin's dad realized the boy wouldn't stop, so the man bent down in front of him and quickly wrapped his arms around the child.

Child Rin froze in shock before letting out a angry roar and punching his dad in the ribs.

Shiro jerked, glasses flying off his face from the force and landing behind Child Rin.

Suddenly, the trio gasped, realizing this was the scene of what Rin told them before.

Child Rin froze, eyes wide. "Dad..."

"Ha! As if! Just kidding! Did I scare you?" Shiro laughed, still hugging the kid.

"Dad..." The small boy repeated, eyes wide and glassy.

"Listen, Rin, if you keep acting like this, you'll be all alone. Use your strength for something else...for a gentler purpose. I want you to become a cool guy with lots of friends, who's loved by all the girls," Shiro whispered.

"What do you mean? How can I be like that?" Child Rin asked quietly.

The old man pulled back, but kept his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Struggle! If you try hard to be nice to people, one day, you'll become like that."

Child Rin stared at his father with a new light in his eyes, a light that shined with hope for a better future.

Suddenly, Shiro's face turned blue. "Ugh! I can't take it anymore! My ribs are broken!" He collapsed onto the floor.

"Dad! Dad, are you okay?!" Child Rin shouted in a panic while a few gasps and sirens could be heard in the background.

The screen flashed, skipping to a scene where Shiro was lying on a gurney while getting loaded into an ambulance while Child Rin stood on the sidewalk, watching with tears in his blue eyes.

"Hey! It's okay, sport! I'm fine, see! I get to look up the cute nurse's sk- Ow! Careful!" Shiro yelped as the gurney was bumped.

Child Rin did nothing but ball up his fists and let tears cloud his vision. An echoey voice could be heard as it displayed Rin's thoughts.

'I'll try to be kinder! I don't want to hurt anyone ever again!'

The screen turned black again and Rin's voice was shaky as he turned to Clockwork and spoke. "W-Why d-did you-you sh-show every-everyone th-that?"

"Your past is an important part of you, Rin. It'll make it much easier on you if you didn't carry such burdens." Clockwork smiled sadly at the young demon.

"I never got to say sorry. He died, and it was all my fault. I yelled at him, screamed and betrayed him. How could I?" Rin whimpered.

"As much as this is going to get me in trouble, would you like to see him one more time and apologize?" Clockwork asked.

Chapter Text

Everybody's breath hitched and Rin almost let out a sob. "Are...Are you serious?"

"Very. You have to understand, though, that you must not try and save him. He died for a reason," Clockwork told the boy.

Rin's stomach tightened at that, but he nodded in understanding. "I know."

Clockwork gave a nod and turned back to his screen as it flickered and became a portal. He slipped a time medallion on Rin's neck. "Go."

Rin nodded and stepped into the abyss.

"Who are you, and why are you here, demon?" The voice was so painfully familiar, and it warmed Rin's heart even as a gun was pressed to his temple.

Tears sprouted from the half demon's eyes, dripping down his cheeks despite all the effort he put in to dry them.

Rin turned to look Shiro in the eyes. The hard, cold look dissipated at the sight of Rin's face. "...Rin? No, that's impossible! Rin's a mere child and still human!" Even as the old man said this, the gun trained at his head dropped to the Paladin's side.

"Dad..." Rin's voice shook with sadness.

"You're not Rin!" Shiro barked.

"I'm not your Rin, I'm Rin from eight years in the future. If...If you don't believe me..." Rin trailed off, a blue flame covering his hand.

Shiro stared at it, eyes wide. "I failed to keep you human."

"That doesn't matter! Even with my powers sealed, I was never normal! I don't care about that! Maybe in the beginning I did, but I don't care about that anymore!" Rin shouted, tears pouring down his cheeks. "I wanted to apologize! Dad, I'm sorry! I'm a horrible son, I never deserved the love you gave me because I threw it in your face!"

"Rin, what are you talking about? You and Yukio were the best things to ever happen to me," Shiro said.

Rin continued to sob. "If only I had been strong enough, if I hadn't lashed out, you would still be..." Rin choked.

Shiro frowned and took a step forward, pulling the shaking demon into his arms.

Rin hugged the man back, crying harder, tears soaking the man's uniform. "I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry, Dad! I never got to tell you I was sorry!"

Shiro knew by his son's words that he had died in the future. It was obvious something involving Rin had happened.

"I yelled at y-you, and you were o-only trying to pro-protect me! I was being childish and-and stupid! I love you, I don't hate you, I never could! Please, please don't hate me! Please, don't think I could ever hate you!" Rin sobbed, tail curled tight around his thigh in fear.

Shiro pushed the boy back, gripping his shoulders. "Rin, I could never hate you! Not even if you drove Kurikara through my head! I could never hate you, no matter what! I don't know what happened, but I do know that I died. Rin, it's not your fault! I protected you until the end, and that's enough for me to have died in peace! I can't believe you spent years thinking that I ever thought you hated me! I know you love me, Rin, even with your temper! I love you, alright, and that's never going to change, you hear me?" Shiro told the half demon.

Rin couldn't stop crying. "Dad, I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing, brat! You grew up into a good, young man, I can tell that much! I'm glad I died protecting you! I couldn't wish for anything better!" Shiro smiled, trying to cheer his son up.

"It's not that...I'm not allowed to save you. I can't change anything..." Rin blubbered.

"You shouldn't change the past, son. I'm not mad at you." Shiro smiled.

"I...I did it, you know..." Rin whispered.

"Did what?" Shiro asked softly.

"I defeated him...I defeated Satan..." Rin didn't want to say the phrase 'I avenged you.' It would reveal things that shouldn't be revealed, couldn't be revealed.

"I always knew you were strong, Rin. I never doubted it. I never believed you couldn't defeat him," Shiro murmured.

Rin didn't know what his father would say if he discovered Rin had taken the place of Satan. Rin decided it wasn't important.

"I love you. I'm sorry I never said it much as a child, but I do. I never said it much, but I loved you so much." Rin choked on his words.

"I know, Rin. I love you, too." Shiro pulled the boy into a hug, Rin clutching to the man as tight as he could without breaking him.

The medallion on Rin's neck started to glow, and Shiro stepped back. "What...?"

"It's my time to leave." Rin swallowed thickly. "I wish I could stay here forever."

"That's impossible, Rin." Shiro frowned sadly. "Though I wish, too."

Rin nodded, eyes closed. "I know."

A light illuminated his body, and Rin looked up to the man he would always consider his real father.

"Bye, Dad."

"Goodbye, Rin."

Three words echoed as both males spoke.

"I love you."

A flash of bright light later, Rin was gone, and Shiro could let the tears fall.

Rin appeared in front of Clockwork, Maddie, Jack, Sam, Tucker, and Danny. They took in his appearance of tear stained cheeks and puffy, red eyes, but that was to be expected after seeing your dead father you loved so much.

"How did it go?" Danny asked softly.

"You didn't see...?" Rin wondered quietly.

"It was a private moment," Clockwork replied simply.

"So, are you okay? Did everything work out?" Sam asked.

Rin said nothing for a moment before turning to Clockwork. "...Thank you."

Clockwork simply smiled at the King of Gehenna.

The Observants might give him an earful later, and while it would be severely annoying, Clockwork wouldn't have changed his decision.

Clockwork believed Rin had suffered just as much as Danny, if not more. The boy deserved a chance to go back and help lift a regret that sat on his shoulders for a long time.

The burden of his dead father would always be there, but with the closure he had gotten, it was the start of moving on.

Chapter Text

"Rin, are you okay?" Kuro asked his friend when he saw Rin's bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks.

Lizzy, of course, didn't understand Kuro, so she repeated the question without knowing Kuro already asked. "Rin, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine..." Rin trailed off. "Would you guys believe me if I told you that I traveled back in time?"

"Rin, you're the son of Satan and, technically, his representation. Honestly, I can't be surprised anymore." Lizzy smiled.

"Lizzy's right. Of course we believe you!" Kuro meowed.

"I got to see him again...my Dad." Rin sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Shiro?" Kuro meowed, eyes tearing up as well.

"Yeah." Rin nodded.

Lizzy furrowed her eyebrows, confused. Rin smiled slightly, eyes still watery. "Kuro wondered if it was Shiro."

Lizzy put her hands to her mouth. "Oh, Rin..."

"He understood, he never blamed me. He still loves me, he doesn't hate me." Rin shakily smiled, tears dripping down his pale skin. "It felt...I can't describe it. I felt like my chest was about to burst. I got to see him again..."

Kuro meowed in a sad cry. "Shiro!"

"I wish you could have been there, Kuro," Rin said to his friend.

"Me, too. I'm just happy that I know he's died in peace," Kuro meowed, trying to hold back his own waterworks.

"That makes two of us." Rin smiled in relief, biting his lip and gritting his teeth to hold back tears.

Lizzy didn't know what Kuro had said, but whatever it was, Rin seemed to agree with relief, so Lizzy didn't ask.

She hugged the boy. "I know you'll have to go home one day, probably very soon. I'll miss you, I hope you know that. I'm not going to keep you here because of my own selfishness, just know that I hope you'll be happy wherever you go."

"Thank you, Lizzy." Rin smiled at the woman.

Lizzy smiled back. She knew Rin had more secrets, ones that weren't his own, but she didn't pry. Whatever it was, Lizzy was just glad Rin was okay. Any other secrets could stay in the closet.

The secret of Rin Okumura was enough for her.

Vlad scowled down in his lab.

Why was he hiding? True, he was terrified, but he'd been hiding long enough, hadn't he?

Still, the lingering fear was still present, then Vlad's mind clicked.

Satan wouldn't be able to attack him in public, it would be bad to reveal his identity.

Of course, he couldn't stay in public every hour of the day, but Daniel's buffoon of a father, Jack, would surely welcome him with open arms. Maybe he would be able to get them to help him.

Vlad grinned darkly.

Maddie furrowed her eyebrows when a knock sounded on the door. Jack glanced at her and smiled. "I'll get it, Mads!"

He raced to the door, and Maddie followed, simply worried that whoever was at the door would be at the mercy of Jack's eccentric nature.

When Jack opened the door, the two stared wide eyed at a disheveled Vladimir Masters.

Of course, the information Danny and his friends had relayed about Vlad made both of them suspicious.

"Jack! Maddie! You have to help me! There's a dangerous creature after me! I need your help!" Vlad begged.

Maddie and Jack exchanged glances. Though Jack was usually slow on the uptake, both of them knew that this 'creature' was actually Rin.

Maddie nodded discreetly to Jack, and he understood. They would have to act normally until Danny and his friends got home.

"Of course, V-Man! You're welcome here anytime!" Jack exclaimed.

"Thank you, Jack, Maddie." Vlad nodded and entered the house.

Behind Vlad's back, Maddie and Jack nodded at each other.

Three 'o clock hit, and the last bell rang, signaling school was out.

Rin, Danny, Sam, and Tucker made their way towards Danny's house.

"Don't you have work?" Tucker asked the half demon.

"Today's a day off. Lizzy seems to think I work to hard and need a break just to hang out." Rin shrugged.

Rin and Danny jumped slightly at the sound of Danny's phone, their sensitive hearing kicking in.

Danny pulled the phone from his pocket and frowned at the caller ID. "It's Mom."

"Why would Mrs. Fenton be calling you?" Sam asked.

"Don't know," Danny replied, answering the call.

"Danny? We need to warn you. Vlad's here. He asked for protection from a dangerous creature. We assume he meant Rin. Jack and Vlad are in the lab, so when you get home, the lab's ghost shields will be activated. He doesn't know we know, nor that we know about Rin, so right now, we're just playing along. I just wanted to warn you," Maddie explained quickly.

Danny paled slightly. "Okay, thanks. I'll tell the guys."

He ended the call and turned to the group. Rin was frowning, already knowing what the call was about with his demonic hearing. Sam and Tucker looked confused.

Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We have a major problem."

"Understatement of the century," Rin quipped.

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Rin quietly snuck into the house.

"Okay, we need to hurry down to the lab as soon as possible. Once we get onto the stairs, shut the door and lock it. The ghost shield should activate around the door once that's done." Danny instructed.

Rin nodded. "I can hear them. They're all down there."

"Good. That'll make this just that much easier." Sam smiled slightly, trying to brighten the situation.

The four teens scrambled to the lab, Rin being last, so he locked the door behind him.

For precaution, Danny transformed into Phantom briefly, pushing his hand towards the door, then transformed back. Danny looked at them and nodded, confirming that the ghost shield was definitely on.

They rushed down the steps, Maddie and Jack turning to face them first. "Oh, sweetie! You're home!"

"Hey Danny-boy!" Jack boomed.

Vlad turned around, smiling almost deviously. "Hello, Danie-" He didn't finish, face turning pale and eyes popping out.

"Is there something wrong, Vlad?" Jack asked, acting oblivious.

"Mr. Masters? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Rin tilted his head to the side, eyes wide with innocence, but a twinkle of mirth and mischievousness shined in his blue orbs.

"Maddie! Jack! That's the creature that's been after me! That's its human disguise!" Vlad shouted.

"Don't worry, Vlad. Rin's completely safe. I think you're a bit tired." Maddie frowned in fake concern.

"No, Maddie, you must believe me!" Vlad warned.

"Nobody's going to believe you, Vlad," Sam spat.

"You're a bitter old liar, Plasmius." Danny glared.

"What are you doing, you insolent-" Vlad hissed, but was cut off by the booming voice of Jack.

"I think we need to have a chat, V-Man."

Vlad gulped and turned to face Jack and Maddie's glaring forms. "Now, Jack, Maddie, you can't honestly believe I'm-"

"We know about Danny, Vlad. We also know about you. We only let you into our house because we believed Danny and his friends could help deal with you better than we could, considering they have more experience." Maddie frowned.

"Maybe so, but that Rin boy is a threat! He's not human, nor is he a ghost! He's a-" Vlad was once again, cut off.

"Demon. We know." Danny scoffed.

"But-but-he's Satan-!" Vlad spluttered.

"I hope you're not that stupid, Vladimir." Rin hissed. "I've only told you what I did because I had to. You messed with Gehenna and its inhabitants! Danny, Sam, Tucker, Maddie, and Jack did nothing to warrant any type of threat from me. You are a despicable person, only using you're abilities for your own selfish desires. You have no qualms with killing people as you have proved to me before with your speech. Danny and his friends only aim to protect, and while Jack and Maddie hunted Danny and other ghosts that might not have deserved it, their hearts were in the right place, only wishing to protect people from what they truly believed was evil. You, on the other hand, can not be spoken for in such a manner."

"You're Satan!" Vlad said, as if that was supposed to fix everything.

"I only said that because I didn't have time to discuss such small things at the time, for it would have distracted me from my original goal. I am not Satan, merely his son. The only reason I agreed with you was because I defeated him, and thus took his throne. I am the King of Gehenna now, so in hypothetical terms, I do represent him." Rin scowled.

Despite this revelation, this made Vlad even more fearful, for anybody who defeated Satan was surely more powerful, and being the son of him was even worse!

"You know, sometimes I wonder if I could perhaps remove your ghost half," Rin murmured, but they all heard it. "Of course, it wouldn't do much harm to you except remove your abilities. You were merely hit in the face with ecto-acne, while Danny was caught in a full blast. Danny's ghost half is that of his soul, meaning that if it were separated, it would cause personality splits and dire consequences. You, however, are much different. Your ghost half is like an extra limb of sorts, something that can be removed with no major problems if done correctly. These reasons are why Danny's forms look so much similar in comparison, while your forms look much less in sync."

Vlad swallowed shakily. "You can't! If you do it incorrectly, I could die!"

Inwardly, Rin grimaced. Yes, Vlad was right. The chances of that happening were very likely, since Rin had never done anything like this before. Of course, it wouldn't change the fact that it had to be done, one way or another.

Making his decision, Rin smirked. "Well then, if I mess up, I'll be sure to take good care of you in Gehenna."

Vlad shook. The rest looked vaguely disturbed, Danny more so with his obsession to protect, but nobody, not even Danny interfered, because they all knew it was for the better.

"The truth is, Vladimir, I pity you." Rin sighed. "Before your accident, you had two wonderful friends and in your miserable state, you converted to being bitter. If only you had moved on, you could have been so much happier. I don't understand the grudge you held. Jack obviously saw you as his best friend, and while you say you only wanted love, you didn't take it when it was so freely offered. Instead, you decided to obsess and try to eliminate the only person who had any kind of respect and care for you."

"I'm very sorry that you let your past get the better of you."

Rin didn't hesitate as he lunged forward, fist lit in blue fire. "Danny, turn him intangible, now!"

Danny didn't question it and lunged, grabbing Vlad and turning the man intangible.

Rin thrust his fist into the man's waist, yelling, "Solid, now!"

Danny let go of the man, Rin's fist stuck in Vlad's gut. Vlad let out a screech of pain as Rin gripped the man's core, Danny flinching as he knew how much that hurt.

Rin frowned. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

Rin closed his eyes, concentrating as his flames encircled Vlad's core, and then...he pulled.

Vlad screamed.

Chapter Text

Rin's arm was pulled free suddenly as a transparent Plasmius hung in his grip, snarling.

Vlad dropped to his knees, falling unconscious. Plasmius continued to snarl, but couldn't phase from the half demon's grip.

Rin grit his teeth. "Say hello to oblivion, Plasmius." Blue flames encircled Plasmius, and the ghost started to shriek and scream in what sounded to be pain and fear.

The flames exploded, making everyone except Rin duck and cover their eyes. It died down soon after, and Plasmius was gone.

"...What happens now?" Tucker asked, "If Vlad isn't half ghost anymore, then couldn't he just reveal Danny now?"

"Unless you have a device that could erase the memories of him and Danny being half ghost and replacing them with more human-like memories, then we'll have to settle for threatening him with the option of eternity in Gehenna." Rin shrugged.

"What about after you leave?" Maddie wondered.

"Hopefully, the threat will stick," Rin said.

"Mads and I can try to make a device that will erase Vlad's memories!" Jack bellowed.

"For now, let's just drop him off in his mansion and leave a note. That's all we can do for now." Sam sighed.

Vlad blinked as he looked around the living room of his mansion, vision slightly blurry for a few moments.

Memories came rushing back to him. Rin, demons, Maddie, Jack, Daniel, his friends, his ghost half getting ripped out.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the note stuck to his forehead. He scowled and pulled it off.

'I'm sure you know what's happened up until now, but if you even so much as think of exposing Danny, an eternity of Gehenna will only be one of the many consequences you will face. - The King of Gehenna

Vlad scowled. "Butter biscuits!"

Rin stared at his ceiling, thinking about the events that took place today.

A knock sounded on his door, opening a crack, Lizzy poking her head in. "Rin?"

"Yeah?" He murmured softly.

Lizzy sighed, walking over and sitting on his bed next to his legs. "Are you okay?"

Kuro meowed next to him, draping himself above Rin's head on the pillows.

"I'm fine, Lizzy. Just stress. I get to come back to work tomorrow, right?" Rin looked at her curiously.

"Yes, Rin." Lizzy laughed lightly. "You know, most people would embrace the chance to get off work."

"It's the only thing that makes me feel human anymore. It makes me feel as if my life is normal...even just a bit." Rin closed his eyes slowly, a tingling feeling shooting through his head at the action, soothing him.

Lizzy looked at the boy sadly. Of course that was the reason, why wouldn't it be? Lizzy wished it was different. "I'm sorry, Rin."

"Why? You being here for me is enough." Rin smiled at her, eyes still shut.

"Why wouldn't I be? It doesn't matter what you are, you're still Rin," Lizzy told him.

A few minutes of silence ensued before Rin spoke up. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," she replied softly.

"I told you how everyone called me a demon when I was younger, but when I went to True Cross, nobody knew who I was. I was just the slacker who's brother was the teacher, not a demon. Then, I had to expose myself to save them. They...they called me evil, yelled at me, called me names, sneered at me, ignored me, feared me, just like my childhood."

"This time was different, though. They had been my friends, told me they would always be there for me, but they lied. I felt betrayed. They couldn't accept me because my father was the embodiment of evil, so they thought I was its incarnate. I tried so hard to prove them wrong, but they refused to listen, refused to see the truth. A girl in my class, Izumo Kamiki, was the only one to treat me normally, but she was always cold, so she wasn't someone I could confide in. Yukio didn't understand, he had pointed a gun at my head the first day of Cram School. I couldn't talk to him. The only one who I thought I could rely on was Shiemi, but she couldn't look at me, too afraid."

"I didn't understand. I was still Rin, wasn't I? They knew me, but suddenly I'm a monster when they find out the truth? I wasn't different, they just knew something that they didn't know before. I had kept that secret since I'd met them, so how had I changed since then? The only difference was that they knew. If they hadn't found out, it would have been different...they would have accepted me."

"Certain events lead up to the startling truth, something that they all suddenly realized. I was still Rin, and they soon came to remember that. Progress was slow, but existing. To this day, we're all back in comfortable terms, friends again, but I can't ever forget the pain they'd put me through, the betrayal I had felt when they hadn't realized..."

"I was just as much human as I was demon."

Lizzy frowned. "Rin...I'm sorry. It shouldn't have taken that long to realize that, they should've known better."

"Humans fear what they don't understand, Lizzy." Rin opened his eyes to stare into her's. "Even before they knew the truth, they never understood me."

At that moment, his eyes looked so much more shattered than she had ever seen.

She hated it.

The following day, Rin frowned as he was once again slammed into the lockers.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depends on how you view it) Rin was too big to fit into lockers, so Dash settled for repeatedly slamming Rin against them.

"I got an F on my English paper, and since Fentoad isn't here, you'll take his punishment." Dash barked.

Rin narrowed his eyes, not even flinching as his head was slammed into the lock of the metal door. "You're pathetic! You take out your failures on everyone else, like somehow it's our fault! News flash, Dash Bastard, your failures aren't anyone's fault but your's! I'm getting real tired of you treating everyone else like trash! You're all human beings, for crying out loud! I've seen animals treat one another better than you treat people! I suggest you shut up, put me down, and walk away, or I'm going to combust into hellfire and burn your ass!"

This sounded like a metaphorical threat, but Sam and Tucker knew the statement to be literal and 100% true.

"As if!" Dash sneered.

Rin snarled, kicking Dash in the groin. He groaned, dropped Rin, and stumbled back, holding his crotch. Rin landed on his feet, growling. "You wanna test me, Ba-"

"Rin, stop!" Sam and Tucker cried, rushing forward. "Remember what happened last time?!"

"I don't really give two fucks anymore! He wants an ass whooping, I'll give him one!" Rin hissed, pupils slowly starting to fade into a blood red, turning into slits. Luckily, his flames hadn't made an appearance.

Their eyes widened. "Rin, calm down!"

Rin couldn't hear her, already starting to approach the bully with his teeth bared.

"RIN!" Sam barked.

Rin paused as he felt something come into contact with his cheek, stinging slightly. His eyes turned to Sam.

Sam clutched her hand in pain. "Damnit! I think I broke a few fingers!"

Rin blinked, eyes fading back to normal. "You slapped me, Sam."

"Shut it!" Sam snapped, still clutching her hand in pain.

"I guess I did deserve it, though." Rin chuckled.

"Damn right you did!" Sam said, "I'm going to need a cast."

"Oh, sorry!" Rin startled suddenly, quickly realizing that some of Sam's fingers were broken. "Come on, you need the nurse."

"You know, you'll probably get detention for this," Tucker said.

"For what? Breaking Sam's fingers or kicking Dash where the sun don't shine?" Rin asked.

"Probably both." Tucker shrugged.

"I'm not letting them give Rin detention for breaking my fingers. I slapped him, and while he did deserve it, it's my fault my fingers are broken. I can't get him out of the Dash situation, though. Sorry." Sam sighed.

"No problem. I am kinda pissed that they refuse to punish Dash, and insist to punish others, though. Maybe I'll give them a piece of my mind..." Rin trailed off.

"That doesn't sound like you just wanna yell at them." Tucker eyed the half demon.

"Of course not. A few fireballs here and there never hurt anyone." Rin smiled.

"I'm pretty sure they did." Tucker corrected.

"I would slap both of you right now, but if I slap you, then I have to slap Rin, and one disabled hand is enough." Sam sighed.

Unfortunately, Sam had to be sent to the hospital to have her hand put in a cast since too many fingers were broken for the doctors to just put individual casts on each of her fingers.

Sam's parents were outraged. "Who did this to my Sammy-kins?!" Pamela wailed.

"It was me," Rin answered as he stepped forward.

"You're that waiter from Eclipse! I knew you were bad for my Sammy-kins!" Pamela hissed.

Sam frowned. "Mom, it was my fault. I slapped him, and I broke my fingers. It was my own carelessness. Rin didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, that comes to our next question. How in the world does someone break their fingers by slapping someone?" The doctor asked.

Rin chuckled nervously while Sam and Tucker gave sheepish shrugs.

"It's complicated..."

"Sam broke her fingers slapping you?" Danny raised an eyebrow at Rin.

Rin blushed. "Yes! How many times do I have to repeat myself?!"

"As many times as it takes for me to get over the absurdness of that situation." Danny laughed.

Rin ducked his head, muttering and grumbling under his breath. "Yeah, well, I didn't exactly expect it either. I was just as surprised."

"Really?" Tucker sounded skeptical. "You seemed more worried over the fact that Sam was injured rather than the reason she was."

"I panicked!" Rin defended. "My surprise was outdone by worry."

"You think it has something to do with Rin being a demon?" Tucker asked.

"Duh!" The other three responded dryly.

Tucker put his hands up in a surrender gesture. "Sorry, sorry, stupid question!"

"Speaking of stupid questions..." Rin trailed off. "Have you found anything else about the disk, Danny? Sorry for being pushy."

"Don't worry, and it's not a stupid question. I was thinking of traveling to Clockwork's today, try and ask him a few questions. It's a long shot though, since he is very cryptic most of the time," Danny replied.

"Thanks." Rin smiled gratefully.

"No problem." Danny smiled back.

Chapter Text

"I know you're probably not going to tell me anything, but I'm going to ask anyway." Danny sighed. "You probably already know what I'm going to ask."

Clockwork smiled amusedly at the young Ghost King. "Yes, but go ahead and ask anyway."

Danny narrowed his eyes at Clockwork, mildly annoyed. "Is there any way you can tell me how to use the disk to get Rin home?"

Clockwork smiled cryptically. "You can make natural portals to the Ghost Zone, correct?"

"Uh, yes..." Danny furrowed his eyebrows. "Your point?"

"Red tinted blue, world tinted green, you figure it out, Daniel." Clockwork smiled mysteriously.

Danny sighed. It was the best he was getting out of the Timelord.

"Red tinted blue, world tinted green..." Sam murmured. "I wonder..."

"It's a riddle," Tucker said.

"Well, duh! But what does it mean?!" Danny flopped onto his bed.

"Well, world tinted green...the Ghost Zone is considered another world, right? It's also green." Tucker shrugged.

"Okay, so the Ghost Zone is connected, maybe that's why Clockwork asked about my ability to create natural portals." Danny figured.

"Okay, so a natural portal to the Ghost Zone is needed to get Rin home, but what about red tinted blue?" Sam asked, "What's that mean?"

"Ask Rin?" Danny suggested.

"Probably our best bet." Sam agreed.

Rin hummed as he bit into his sandwich at the lunch table. "So, what's up?"

"I got a few answers out of Clockwork, but they're very vague. We've got that a natural portal to the Ghost Zone is needed, but we can't figure out the other part of the riddle," Danny informed the half demon.

"And this riddle is?" Rin asked.

"Red tinted blue." Tucker piped up.

"Red tinted blue," Rin repeated quietly. "I think I know, although I'm not positive."

"Give us whatever you've got." Sam smiled encouragingly.

"My blood is tinted blue. Since blood is red, then I thought, maybe, my blood would have something to do with it." Rin shrugged.

"That's actually a really good theory, and it makes sense. But what do we do with an ancient, Gehenna artifact, your blood, and a natural Ghost Zone portal?" Danny asked.

Rin whipped a hand above his hair. "That's over my head."

"Pity." Sam sighed.

Tucker shrugged when they turned to him for any ideas and went back to messing with his PDA.

"Do you have the disk?" Rin asked.

Danny nodded. "Yeah."

"Can I see it for a second?" Rin asked.

Danny nodded and pulled the object out of his pocket, handing it to Rin.

Rin eyed the symbol. "If you look closely, you can see that the symbol is engraved slightly, meaning that if you put a type of liquid into it, say blood, it would probably hold a small amount."

"So, you're guessing your blood would go into the engravings?" Sam asked.

"It's a theory," Rin said, "I'm not sure about the Gh-" Rin was cut off as a big hand grabbed the disk away from him.

The four turned quickly to see Dash smiling smugly at the group. "Give it back, Dash!" Sam hissed.

"Why? What's so important about it?" Dash smirked.

"I don't understand why you insist on continuing to annoy me," Rin frowned. "but I'm not in the mood. Just give it back, Dash. It's not yours."

"Like I care. If you want it so badly, fight me for it. Just remember, one more 'slip up', and you're expelled." Dash laughed.

By this time, the whole cafeteria was staring at them.

Rin growled dangerously. "Just give it back. You're playing a dangerous game here, Dash."

"Fine, if you don't want to fight me for it, it's obviously not that important," Dash said, gripping the thin stone disk with both hands.

"Dash, no!" They all yelped, but it was too late.

Dash tried to break the thing, but it glowed brightly and sent Dash flying across the room into a wall.

Tucker caught the artifact before it hit the ground. "Caught it!"

Dash groaned slightly before standing up and glaring at the group. "What the hell was that about?!"

"I told you that you were playing a dangerous game, Dash. It seems you lost." Rin smirked.

Dash clenched his fists. "That freaky stone thing threw me into a wall! I can get you expelled for this!"

"Expelled for what?" Danny asked, "Rin didn't touch you. You took what was his, and you ended up getting hurt, but Rin never laid a hand on you. You can't pin this on him."

"I think I can! The teachers will believe me over you losers any day! They still haven't caught me shoving you losers around all the time, and they won't if I continue to lie to them." Dash laughed.

"Maybe so, but not when we have video proof," Tucker said, holding up his PDA. "I couldn't miss you getting your butt kicked by Rin for a third time if he did lash out, so I got everything on tape."

"That includes your admittance to lying about everything all the time." Sam smirked.

The group smiled at Dash's pale face. "You lost this time, Dash. Hopefully, it won't be the last." Rin smiled dangerously.

Luckily, they were able to pass off the glowing attack as a defense mechanism the Fenton's had installed on the disk. It wasn't impossible, considering the almost impossible feats they had accomplished over the years.

Rin's detention was called off since the staff didn't have a choice unless they wanted to look bad.

Dash received detention for the rest of the year, as to make up for the lies he got away with and the punishments other kids were unfairly given.

At first, the staff was going to give him a week's worth, but when Tucker's video went viral, several parents called the school to complain, and the staff had no choice but to punish Dash more severely.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, aside from Dash's death glares that weren't all that scary.

Lizzy drove up to the school and Rin grinned at her, hopping in. "Hi, Lizzy!"

"You're happy. What happened?" Lizzy asked as she drove towards Eclipse.

"Let's just say, Dash finally got what was coming to him." Rin laughed.

Rin hummed to himself, passing out dishes and taking orders.

"Rin! Table 13 is yours!" One of the chefs called, smiling at the half demon who was so engrossed in his dish.

The teen had really grown on all of them, and even though Lizzy was the only one who knew the truth, the whole staff knew there was something different about Rin, not that it mattered much. The boy had dug his way into their hearts either way.

"Got it!" Rin responded, quickly finishing his dish and handing it to one of the full-time waiters to give to the respected table.

Rin made his way through tables, notepad and pen in hand as he stopped in front of his customers. "Hello, my name is-"

"Rin!" A small voice cheered in joy.

Rin blinked and look at the little girl. "Lilac?"

"Hi! I'm really happy you came back!" Lilac giggled.

Rin cocked his head, confused, but her mother, Helen, merely chuckled. "She means that she's happy you're our waiter again."

"Oh!" Rin realized. "Well, in that case, I'm happy you came back, too!"

"You kept my present!" Lilac laughed as she pointed to the sticker that was under Rin's name tag.

"Yes, I did. Lizzy wasn't too keen on me having something as childish as a sticker on my uniform, but she's just a grump. Stickers aren't childish. In fact, before I moved here, I had a whole bunch of stickers under my bed that I stuck to my brother's uniform. It annoyed him, but I was just being nice." Rin grinned.

Though young, Lilac's brother, Kyle, who was older by a few years, was not as naive as his younger sister. "Sure, nice..."

"It's true!" Rin insisted impishly.

"Yeah, see, Kyle! Stickers aren't just for little girls!" Lilac stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"Whatever." Kyle rolled his eyes.

"So, what would you like to eat this time, Princess?" Rin smiled.

Lilac laughed at her nickname and ordered, followed by her family.

Lilac's dad, Tyler, sighed and stared at Rin. "I think we got off on the wrong foot last time we were here. I'm sorry for being so cruel towards you when I had no solid proof that you had actually hurt that boy on a whim."

"I did hurt him." Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but I'm sure you know of the video of that boy confessing. He pushed other kids around, bullied them. I can't say that you had no reason to get angry with him." Tyler shrugged halfheartedly.

"No problem. It happens all the time." Rin waved it off. "I'll be right back with your food."

"It seems that little girl and her family came back." Lizzy smiled knowingly at the blue-tinted, raven-haired boy.

"Yeah, your point?" Rin muttered, searching the cupboards for the appropriate ingredients.

"You like her." Lizzy smiled.

Rin turned around to give Lizzy a weird look. "She can't be older than five, Lizzy."

"Not like that!" Lizzy scowled. "Geez, what goes on in your head?"

"Lots of things, Lizzy. Things your human mind wouldn't be able to handle." Rin smiled bitterly.

Lizzy sighed sadly. "She's like a light, isn't she? So innocent and naive, so young, and it warms your heart that she willingly stood up for you when she probably didn't even understand the actual situation, didn't it?"

"She's a little girl with a bright future ahead of her. Yes, I see someone that I wish I still was, and I enjoy feeling that I still am when she talks." Rin laughed, shaking his head. "I barely even know her."

"You don't have to know someone to feel like that. Besides, I happen to think she thinks otherwise," Lizzy told him.

Rin shook his head and chuckled, but didn't say a word.

When Rin got back to their table and handed them their food, Rin smiled. "Just ask if you need anything."

Lilac's small, pale hand grabbed his large one as he began to walk away. He turned to her, his expression curious.

"Lilac, Rin needs to get back to work," her mother told her.

"I want him to stay and talk!" She whined.

"I would love to, but I have a job to do." Rin smiled at her apologetically.

"No, you don't." A voice sounded behind him.

The family and Rin turned to look at the person.

"Lizzy?" Rin asked.

"Come on, Rin. You work yourself to the bone everyday, and this job is really the only thing you look forward to. It's depressing. You can have a small break." Lizzy smirked.

"But Lizzy-!" Rin spluttered, shocked.

"Rin, you're the only person I know to actually enjoy going back to work. For once, act like a normal teenager and enjoy this. Please." Lizzy begged.

Rin sighed, letting out a puff of breath, his bangs fluttering. "Fine, you win this round."

"Oh, it won't be the last." Lizzy quipped, walking away.

"You can stay now, yeah?" Lilac asked.

"Yes, Princess. I can stay." Rin chuckled.

"Yay!"

Chapter Text

Rin wondered what Lilac would think when she realized he was gone, what she would do when she found out he wasn't in Amity anymore. He tried not to dwell too much, but he would miss her, and he knew she would be devastated at his disappearance.

"Sleep tight, Lizzy." Rin smiled softly at the sleeping woman in her bed.

Rin was out the window before Lizzy even felt the breeze.

"Okay, so Rin's blood, Gehenna artifact, and a natural Ghost Zone portal?" Maddie summarized, looking at the four for confirmation.

"That about sums it up. What we do with it is the question." Danny sighed.

"Jazz is smart. Maybe she can help us?" Tucker suggested.

"It's late, Tucker. She's at Harvard and needs her rest. If we ask her, it will be during the day when she has free time," Rin replied.

"Your theory was that your blood went into the engravings?" Maddie asked.

"Keyword is theory." Rin reminded her.

"It doesn't hurt to give it a try." Jack shrugged.

Rin nodded and set the disk on the table. Transforming his pointer finger's nail into a claw, he cut himself.

Blue-tinted blood dripped from his arm and into the crevices of the artifact.

Luckily, the disk only needed one or two drops because the cut healed over too quick for anymore blood to come out.

Once the blood had filled the creases, the flame design glowed, the blood hardening, making the flame look like it was outlined with red.

"Woah..." They all gasped.

"That confirms one theory," Sam said, "but what about the natural portal?"

"The disk and a natural Ghost Zone portal?" Jack hummed. "Maybe Danny just creates one and we throw the disk in?"

"I don't think it's that simple, Jack." Maddie frowned.

"Aw..." Jack pouted.

"How else do we activate it?" Danny wondered.

"It's late, so after school tomorrow, we can go to the library. It has to have something written on demons, even if it is all myths. Hopefully, there is something in the books that gives us a hint on what to do," Sam told them.

"Okay. I'll take Sam home. Rin, can you take Tucker?" Danny asked.

"No problem, lovebirds." Rin laughed and teleported himself and a hysterical Tucker away before Sam could throw her boot at him.

It didn't stop them from yelling, "We're not lovebirds!"

Lizzy furrowed her eyebrows at Rin in the car. "Are you okay? You seem tired."

"It's just stress. I was up late last night thinking about stuff," Rin replied, yawning slightly. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Lizzy eyed him, but let him out of the car when they arrived at Casper without trouble.

She drove away and Rin sighed, staring at the building. "I do say so."

Of course, Rin and the Infamous Trio had the same schedules, so they had the same free period.

With this time, they decided to get a head start on research.

"Can you tell us where to find the information on demons?" Sam asked the librarian politely.

The woman gave her an odd look, one between confusion, indifference, and slight disgust. All the same, the woman told them, and they thanked her.

In a few minutes, they had a few books set on a table.

"Yay! Reading!" Tucker's sarcasm was very noticeable.

Rin shrugged. "Not my first choice, but it's necessary all the same."

"There are only a few in the school library. We can take a look at the town library later today. They might have more information," Sam suggested.

"Sounds good." Rin agreed.

"Let's get reading, then." Danny sighed.

Free period ended quickly, but luckily the rest of the day flew by.

The four rushed to the library, and found as many books on demons as they could.

The most they could find was around ten or fifteen, but it was expected. Demons weren't the most realistic topic.

"I'm surprised, honestly. I figured there'd be fewer." Sam confessed.

"Me, too. Demons aren't the most common topic among people, unless you're into the occult, that is." Rin chuckled.

"Or your best friend is the Demon King of Hell and he needs help getting back." Danny joked.

"That, too." Rin laughed.

The group was only one or two books in when Tucker's open book was slammed shut by a large, tan hand, making a loud noise.

Rin, Sam, Danny, and Tucker bolted up and glared when they realized who it was.

Dash and Paulina.

"No offense or anything, but what are you doing here? You don't seem to be the library type." Danny looked questioningly at the A-Listers.

Dash smirked. "Maybe you thought you could avoid me in school, but outside of school, you're fair game."

"Dash Baxter found a loophole. Congratulations, you're not as dumb as you look." Rin grinned.

Dash scowled before smirking again. "And what are you freaks doing?" He picked up a book, despite their protests, and examined it. "Demons? You guys really are freaks."

"You know, you could've avoided all of this if you just submitted to me." Paulina sniffed indignantly, looking at Rin.

"Submit to you?" Rin glared. The trio could practically hear Rin's thoughts.

I'm a Demon King, bitch! Like I would submit to someone as pathetic and shallow as you!

"Bitch, I'd rather be hung by a rope with spikes," Rin spat.

Danny flinched at the underlying meaning of the statement. It had already happened.

Paulina sneered at him. "Whatever. I don't even know what I saw in you. You're just as much a freak as your friends are. Demons, really? Why in the world would you be interested in that freaky stuff? Don't tell me Gothica got into your head."

Sam scowled, but Rin merely smirked, unnerving the trio and the A-Listers.

Time to screw with some assholes. "You wanna know why we're looking for info on demons? It's because I'm Satan, and I'm stuck in Assiah, which you call Earth. I figure these three would be useful in helping me. So, unless you want to me to take you back to Hell with me, I suggest you shut your mouth or I'll get my followers to rip your throat out."

Silence followed, and Rin smiled darkly. "Good day."

All of them were frozen, not knowing what to say. Dash was the first to regain composure. "Like hell! For a minute there, I actually thought you were serious!"

Rin shook his head, still smiling. "Whatever, Dash. Leave us be."

Obviously, Dash was still a little scared, because he promptly did as Rin had said, trying to make it as if it was his choice and not Rin's demand.

The trio gaped at Rin. Danny was the first to speak. "You literally just exposed yourself."

"As if. It sounded like a complete joke to them." Rin laughed. "I figured this was the perfect opportunity to screw with some heads."

"You're insane," Tucker choked out.

"Moronic is more like it," Sam said.

"Admit it, you secretly enjoyed that." Rin smirked.

"Maybe a little." They admitted.

"Let's get back to research." Sam reminded them.

The clock chimed six when the group finally finished going through the books.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing!" Tucker wailed.

"Unbelievable." Sam groaned.

"It was a long shot. Seriously though, since when does Satan have red skin?" Rin smiled, amused.

Danny chuckled. "Point."

The four went home, never knowing the shocking events that were to unfold the next day.

Chapter Text

Danny hummed as he tapped his pencil against the sheet of paper on his desk.

He struggled with the quiz, frustrated that his ghost hunting had taken away his time to study.

He glanced over at Sam and Tucker, who, while having a hard time, were doing exceptionally better.

His eyes made their way to Rin's form, watching as the half demon simply sighed every ten seconds, his bangs fluttering every time. His lips were pursed and he was glaring at the sheet of white material with an odd look of burning hatred.

Rin seemed to squirm, closing his eyes and scribbling on his paper. It was obvious Rin was having a hard time as well.

Danny figured it had to do with all the conspiracy shit going on.

Rin hated school and anything to do with it.

That included tests.

While Rin had matured massively over time, he never grew any type of fondness or eagerness for homework, not even willingness to get it done and over with.

When Rin was young, he skipped school because there hadn't been any reason to go. No friends and everybody hated him, which meant that school was just a metaphorical Hell.

Thus, when he went to True Cross, he had a hard time reading or trying to get homework done because it was boring, and he just didn't understand.

Keeping up with everyone else was also a challenge in itself. Bon didn't make it any easier, granted the prodigy didn't know, but it was still annoying and slightly outputting.

Thankfully, after explaining to Yukio his trouble, Yukio used any free time to help Rin catch up to the other exwires, and even helped him with the normal school work he didn't understand.

Even after all of this, Rin never appreciated homework, and while he was sure nobody else particularly liked it either, Rin didn't really have the heart to try.

Don't get him wrong, Rin could try, and if he did, it would have made the test a lot easier, but Rin couldn't be bothered lately, not with all of the drama and crap going on.

As he turned his head to look at Danny, locking eyes with the half ghost, Rin knew Danny felt the same.

They stared at one another for another couple of seconds, and if anyone were to see, it probably would have looked a bit too intimate.

This wasn't the case, though. Both of them could understand, staring straight into the other's eyes. They both knew that whatever emotions they felt, whatever had just transpired, no one else could possibly ever understand, because it was so impossibly inhuman and only they could ever know what it really was.

Rin and Danny realized in that moment that they were connected in more ways than one, just not any way you could possibly understand.

It wasn't even an hour of school later when screams sounded outside.

Teachers told them to calm down, that the whole town was going into lockdown, but the kids didn't know why.

Until they looked out the windows.

It was big, it was dangerous and creepy. It seemed to have polluted smoke billow around it, its eyes were slitted lines on its face, three going horizontally stacked on each other on each side of the face, making the total six.

It was bigger than any building in Amity, bigger than Pariah Dark, and it was definitely not a ghost.

The trio's eyes widened at it, Rin following. Tucker squeaked at the sight of it. "What is that?!"

"The Impure King," Rin murmured loud enough for the trio to hear. "It's a dangerous decay demon and is a kin of Astaroth. Its main ability is its Toxic Miasma. It's a demon poison, but I'm lucky enough to be immune. Humans, however..."

Danny narrowed his eyes, determined. "And what about half ghosts?"

"Danny..." Sam warned.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Rin shook his head. "I won't allow you to risk your health like that."

"You can't tell me what to do." Danny glared.

Rin, in a fit of desperation, allowed a taste of his demonic energy to build up and invisibly hover above Danny's form.

Danny froze, fearful shudders racking him. "What...?"

"That's only a lick of it, Danny. Don't challenge something you can't hope to defeat." Rin hissed.

"I can't stand by and do nothing! This is my town, my haunt! I've gotten stronger every day, and I won't let you do this by yourself!" Danny retaliated.

Danny didn't seem to care where he was at the moment, his obsession to protect overriding any logic or reason. "I stand a hell of a lot better chance than anyone besides you, Rin! Let me help! Why can't you?!"

Rin snapped, whipping around so quickly, it was a surprise he didn't catch whiplash. "Because I don't want to be responsible for my friend's death! You know how many people died when I battled 'daddy dearest'?! More than I can count, so many that I could swim in their blood! I almost lost my little brother in that battle, and I'm so very lucky I didn't! You're not prepared for this, Danny! Even if you were, I refuse to let you fight!"

Sam and Tucker didn't move, staring at Danny's shocked and guilty expression.

"Maybe I will die, maybe I will get hurt, but for me, it's worth it," Danny said quietly.

"But not for me." Rin argued. "Not for your friends and not for your family."

"I refuse to sit on the sidelines. Let me help, please!" Danny begged. "If you refuse, you know I'll find someway to help anyways, no matter what you do."

Rin was silent for a minute, scrutinizing Danny. "If you're going to help, then you give it your all, no playing around. This isn't like fighting ghosts, this isn't like at school when you pretend to be the loser, the wimp who can't fight back."

Danny narrowed his eyes in determination and slight annoyance. "You think I don't know that? Don't treat me like a child."

Rin sighed heavily, turning his head to look out the window again. The sky was already beginning to cloud with miasma, darkening the city. He turned back to Danny, arms crossed. "If you do this, you realize it might be the end of both our secret identities, right?"

"Does that really matter anymore?" Danny asked blankly.

Sam and Tucker wanted to protest, tell them that they were in it together, but they both knew it was a death wish and neither boy would hear it.

"How do you know you'll be okay?" Rin asked softly.

"I don't, but let's hope being half dead increases my chances of being immune." Danny sighed.

They were out the window and into the chaos before Sam or Tucker could blink.

Chapter Text

Danny and Rin ran through the streets, opposite of the way others were running.

Rin furrowed his brow in thought, curious as to how he could tell everyone to take shelter before the miasma got to them.

"Hey, Danny?" Rin yelled over the screams of citizens.

"What?" Danny called.

"You know any way to tell everyone to take shelter?" Rin asked.

Danny's eyes lit with a spark, signaling he did have an idea. "Yeah! Keep going, I'll take care of it!"

"Got it! Thanks!" Rin replied, turning his attention back to the Impure King.

Danny disappeared, and Rin prayed it would all be okay.

Danny went invisible and transformed into Phantom, teleporting to the top of Casper High.

He became visible and took a deep breath, putting some of his Ghostly Wail into the yell. "ATTENTION AMITY PARK!"

The effect was instantaneous. The chaos paused to look up at their ghostly hero. Danny grinned in triumph. "I NEED EVERYONE TO TAKE SHELTER! THIS THING IS POISONOUS!"

Everybody took action, running into houses, some people even letting others into their homes since their houses were on the other side of the city. Some ran into Casper High, too.

Once everyone was off the streets, Damny reached out with his core, looking through his haunt. It seemed everyone had taken shelter, except one.

Danny sighed in relief and turned his head to the Impure King. He saw Rin speeding toward it, but not inhumanly fast.

Danny leapt into the air and flew towards Rin. They had a job to do.

Unknown to Rin and Danny, everyone had turned on their TV to the news station, including Casper High.

"Hello, Amity Park! This is Lance Thunderman coming to you live! Unfortunately, the creature that has invaded our city is poisonous, and thus we can not be outside, but luckily for you, we have managed to get a bird's eye view of what's happening right now in the safety of shelter!"

The screen switched to the giant creature, showing Danny Phantom floating in front of it, hands lit with green energy.

Surprisingly, another individual was present next to the ghost boy.

The whole school could only gasp. "Rin?!"

"What's that loser doing there?!" Dash yelled.

"That's incredibly dangerous! Great Gasby, what does he think he's doing?!" Mr. Lancer cried.

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, worried expressions on their faces.

The Eclipse staff and customers stared at the screens of the TV's Eclipse had around the tables.

The staff and regular customers gasped when Rin came up on screen. "That's Rin!"

Lizzy stared silently, solemnly. "Be careful, kid."

Lilac stared with shock-widened eyes at the TV in the living room. "Mommy! Daddy! Rin's in trouble!"

"What?!" Helen and Tyler cried, rushing into the living room. "What's the matter?"

"Rin's in trouble!" Kyle copied, pointing at the TV.

The parent's stared with wide eyes at the screen. "Rin?"

Lilac's lip quivered. "Rin!"

Jazz and her roommate, Clara, stared wide eyed at the news coming from Amity.

"Isn't that the Rin kid your brother is friends with?!" Clara shrieked as they both watched Rin stand next to Phantom.

"Rin...Danny..." Jazz murmured.

Maddie cupped her hands over her mouth as Jack held her. "Will they be okay?"

"Danny's a Fenton, Mads. Rin's the King of Hell. They'll be fine," Jack assured his wife, but it didn't stop the worry that bubbled in his gut.

Vlad Masters watched passively from his mansion. "I wish I could say you've failed, Little Badger, but we both know I've underestimated you and your friends one too many times."

Everyone watched as the boy burst into blue flames, ears extending, teeth sharpening, pupils turning red and slitting, iris's jagged, claws growing, tail lashing back and forth. Two flames sat atop his head like horns while one sat at the tip of his tail.

He pulled a sword from his stomach, lighting it in blue fire, getting into a battle stance.

Microphones couldn't pick what he was saying, but Phantom seemed to agree, nodding and talking back.

Everyone stared in shock and fear at what they had just witnessed.

"What is Rin?!" Nathan asked in shock.

"That's definitely not a ghost!" Mikey said.

Sam and Tucker said nothing, eyes holding worry and pain. Mr. Lancer turned around to face the two. "Did you two know about this?"

"Yeah, so what?" Sam snapped.

"What is he?!" Dash whimpered, scared. He couldn't believe he wasn't dead, especially when he beat the kid up.

"A demon, he's a demon," Tucker answered.

"Wait..." Paulina said, everyone turning toward her to hear what she had to say. "That day in the library, when he told us why you guys were researching demons, it wasn't a joke, was it?"

"No. It was the complete truth. Danny, Tucker and I have known for a long time now." Sam glared.

"That means that he's Satan!" Dash screamed.

"Satan?!" Valerie cried.

"Yeah, he's Satan. King of Hell and all that. He's been stuck here on Earth, or what he likes to call Assiah, and he's had us helping him find a way home. That thing out there is a demon. Somehow, it escaped," Sam explained.

"Are you telling me I've been wailing on Satan?!" Dash shrieked.

"Pretty much, yeah. He's taken your crap because he doesn't want anyone else to have to deal with you. Those times he's thrown you around, he wasn't even going all out. He treated you like a China doll, in my opinion." Tucker shrugged.

"Wait, so his name isn't Rin? According to the bible, Satan's real name is Lucifer," Valerie stated.

"The bible's not really all that correct. Lucifer is actually one of the Eight Demon Kings, or at least that's what Rin has told us. He's the Demon King of Light, the strongest out of all the Demon Kings. There's Amaimon, the Demon King of Earth, Astaroth, the Demon King of Rot, Samael, the Demon King of Time, Iblis, the Demon King of Fire, Beelzebub, the Demon King of Insects, Egyn, the Demon King of Water, and Azazel, the Demon King of Spirits. Did I miss any?" Tucker asked.

"Nope, all good." Sam gave him a thumbs up.

"What are the Eight Demon Kings?" Mr. Lancer asked wearily.

"They're the offspring of Satan, although none of them possess the blue flames, which only Satan seemed to possess," Sam answered.

"It's weird to think Rin would have eight kids." Star gave a slight grimace.

Tucker and Sam laughed sheepishly. "Okay, well, I'm pretty sure after this all blows over, Rin will explain, so might as well tell you guys the truth. Honestly, Rin didn't have eight sons."

"But-" Valerie was cut off.

"Okay, look," Sam said, "Rin is half human. His mother was human, his father was Satan."

"But, you said only Satan can possess blue flames." Kwan pointed out.

"I said, 'seemed to.' Rin isn't one of the eight Demon Kings, he's the ninth, although he never had an actual domain. Rin, even though he's half human, inherited the blue flames," Sam responded.

"Then why'd you tell us Rin was Satan?" Dash glared, but even if Rin wasn't actually Satan, he was still his son. The bully shuddered.

"In technicality, he is. Rin defeated his father, Satan, and took the throne. Even if he isn't actually Satan, he represents him. The actual Satan doesn't exist anymore. Rin destroyed his demon heart," Tucker said.

"Why would Rin destroy his own father?" Mikey asked.

"Rin didn't know he was a demon until he was fifteen, as his flames were sealed by an exorcist. The exorcist raised him and his twin brother, who turned out to be completely human, in Assiah, or Earth. Eventually, he found out and unsealed his flames," Sam replied, "Unfortunately, his adopted dad died when he was possessed by Satan, and Rin has never considered the demon his dad. His only goal was to avenge his adopted dad, the one he really thought to be his real one."

"Why would an exorcist, someone who kills demons, raise the Son of Satan?" Nathan asked.

"From Rin's explanation, the Vatican, head of exorcists, ordered Shiro, Rin's adopted dad, to kill Rin's brother, Yukio, and Rin. When Shiro found them, he couldn't kill them because they were just children, too innocent, and raised them in secret. Shiro never believed them to be evil, despite them being the spawns of the worst demon in existence." Tucker sighed.

"Wait, if Rin defeated Satan, then does that mean he's more powerful?" Paulina squeaked.

"We've never really thought about it, but I guess that makes sense." Tucker shrugged.

Suddenly, Mr. Lancer jerked. "Kids, where's Daniel?"

Sam and Tucker grimaced. 'Shit.'

"Okay, this thing is big enough to have a sporangium. It's where the miasma comes from and where the Impure King's core lies. The core should be the combined eyes of the Impure King!" Rin instructed.

"Well, this is the perfect time to test whether or not I'm immune, and whether or not this thing is immune to me!" Danny called, flying up to it and chucking ectoblasts. "Is there any thing this thing is weak against?"

"Fire! It's a rot demon, even if it is a strong one! I'm a fire demon, but is there anything you can do?" Rin asked.

"My ectoblasts can be converted into something similar to green fire instead of energy, even if I do have an ice core," Danny answered.

"Good! Use that!" Rin called, leaping into the air and slashing his sword, fire spreading across the air.

The demon made a shrieking noise, but didn't let up, toxic miasma pouring over them.

It hit Danny and Rin flinched, but Danny remained unharmed. "Hey, look! I'm fine!"

"If you weren't, I would have kicked you out of this battle." Rin rolled his eyes. "We need to find the location of its sporangium."

"Okay, I'll-" Danny was cut off by a small cry.

"Rin!"

Rin turned around, eyes wide with fear. "Lilac?!"

Lilac shook as she watched Rin on the screen.

Her lips pursed and she forced herself to become still, eyes narrowed. "I'm coming, Rin!"

Her parents' eyes widened. "Wait, Lilac!"

The little girl ignored them, rushing outside and ignoring her parents' screams.

She ran as fast as her little legs could take her, and Lilac was thankful that the fight wasn't too far from her house.

When she spotted Rin and Phantom, she smiled, slightly out of breath. "Rin!"

Rin turned around, jagged eyes wide. "Lilac?!"

"Lilac!" A deep voice boomed.

Lilac turned around to see her father rushing toward her, face twisted with fear and worry. "We have to go!"

"I have to help Rin!" Lilac wailed.

Rin frowned, twisting his head to Danny. "Hey! Try and keep it at bay, find its sporangium! I need to take care of something!"

Danny turned his head to see Lilac and her father, eyes narrowed in understanding. "Roger that!"

Rin dropped down from from his position in the air, landing behind Lilac. "Lilac! Come on, you and your dad have to get out of here!"

"But I want to help you! You're in trouble!" Lilac protested.

"Now's not the time!" Rin said softly, though his heart clenched. She wanted to help him, even though she knew he wasn't human. "This thing is poisonous! Phantom and I are immune, but you two-"

Suddenly, more toxic miasma started to rain down. It hit the pavement, sizzling as it hit.

"Shit!" Rin cursed, lunging forward with his burning body to wrap around Lilac, his flames burning the miasma away before it made contact.

"Daddy!" Lilac screeched. Rin whipped his head up to see Tyler become victim to the miasma.

Rin growled, his chest rumbling against Lilac's small frame. He kept one arm around Lilac, leaping forward to grab Tyler and teleport them out of there, flames bursting around them.

Helen and Kyle yelled in fright when blue flames suddenly swirled in the midst of their living room.

When it died down, Lilac and Tyler were there, Rin holding onto each of them.

"Lilac! Tyler!" Helen cried in relief.

Tyler stumbled out of Rin's grasp, hissing slightly. Rin sighed angrily, baring his sharp teeth. "You're both reckless, you know that?! Tyler got hit with the miasma, but luckily not too much, so the worst he'll have is some burns."

Rin turned his attention to the small girl still cradled in his flaming arms. "And you, Lilac. What were you thinking?!"

"I wanted to help!" Lilac cried.

"It wouldn't have mattered! You need to stay indoors, where it's safe! Do you know how scared I was?!" His voice became softer. "Phantom and I can handle this, okay? Don't give me a heart attack like that."

Lilac pouted, crossing her arms before glaring at him. "You lied! You said you weren't an elf or a vampire!"

Rin blinked before chuckling sadly. "Vampires and elves don't burst into blue flames, nor do they have tails."

Lilac's expression turned to that of confusion, her crossed arms dropping to her sides. "Then what are you?"

Rin smiled sadly, releasing Lilac and stepping back, bending down to her level. "I guess, the simplest way to put it is that I'm Satan."

Her parents stiffened, eyes shining with worry and fear, but the two children didn't notice. "Isn't Satan evil?" Kyle asked, "Isn't he like, really old?"

Rin blinked before laughing softly. "It's complicated. Yes, Satan is very old, and he is evil, but I'm not."

"But you said you were Satan." Lilac frowned.

"I said it's the simplest way to explain. Truthfully, he is my father, but I defeated him, so I took the throne. I represent him now." Rin smiled.

Lilac was too young to completely understand, but she got the idea of it. "So, you're a King?"

"Of demons, yes." Rin nodded.

"Is that a demon?" Lilac asked, pointing to the Impure King on the TV.

"Yes." Rin nodded.

"Why can't you command it to leave us alone?" Lilac wondered.

"My kingdom may consist of demons, Lilac, but it's just like any other kingdom. There are some inhabitants that simply rebel, or go against, their king. This one refuses to obey me, so I have to take care of it," Rin explained.

Rin sighed, standing up and looking at the screen. "I've got to go. Phantom may be a ghost, but he's not a demon."

Lilac sniffled. "Will I ever see you again?"

Rin furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the small girl. Her parents tensed, wondering if the question had somehow set the Demon King off. "Why are you asking me that? I'm a demon, Lilac, the King of Demons. Anyone else would never want to be within a mile radius of me ever again. Why do you?"

"You're Rin! You're still you, no matter what you are! I think it's cool that you're a demon!" Lilac smiled brightly.

Rin stared at her blankly before smiling softly. "Thank you. And to answer your question, I don't know. I have to return to Gehenna, what demons call Hell, soon. This may be my last time seeing you. After this, I can't be in public anymore. I can't hide anymore."

Lilac's eyes clouded with tears. She raced forward, flinging her arms around the half demon's waist. Rin stiffened, tail sticking out like a rod, before relaxing.

"I don't want to say goodbye." Lilac sniffed.

Rin smiled down at her, stepping back and crouching down, hugging the girl back. "We don't have to. How about farewell?"

"Farewell?" Lilac asked quietly.

"Goodbye means we'll never see each other again. Farewell means there's still hope that we'll come across one another again." Rin chuckled. "Let's just hope it's not in Gehenna."

The little girl nodded, tears already making waterfalls down her face. "Farewell."

Rin smiled as he tried to force down the stinging in his eyes. His efforts didn't stop the one stray tear from trailing down his cheek. "Farewell."

He was gone in a swirl of blue flames.

Chapter Text

Rin appeared below Danny, leaping up again to settle next to the half ghost. "Did you find it?!"

"I think so! It's located at the top, in the middle of where its head looks to be!" Danny replied, launching green fire-like ectoblasts from his palms, burning every area the fire hit.

"Okay, then let's head higher!" Rin shouted, leaping higher somehow while Danny flew, gaining height.

Rin swayed backward, pointing his sword toward the rot demon's heart. "Back up and shield your eyes! This is gonna be bright!"

Danny did as he was told, flying backward farther and farther away, eyes squinted and ready for the brightness that the half ghost knew was to come.

Rin gathered his power and watched as it built up at the tip of his sword, the orb of blue light growing and getting brighter each second.

Under a minute, the light had expanded to the size of the Impure King's whole body, Rin a speck against the power that he wielded.

With a loud battle cry, Rin surged forward, swinging his sword forward, sending the energy flying toward its target. Once the power made contact, it exploded, blinding Rin and Danny, along with the cameras that recorded them live, turning every viewer blind to the actual happenings.

From inside shelter, every citizen in Amity Park was blinded by the sudden white-blue light that shone through their windows.

It died down after a minute, and the Impure King was gone.

Danny laughed, flying toward Rin as the half demon planted himself on solid ground. "You did it!"

Rin smiled. "We did it."

Danny turned back to human, landing beside Rin.

At that moment, people flooded outside, exiting houses, shops, and Casper High.

Sam and Tucker raced forward, tackling Danny and Rin in a hug. "You two gave us heart attacks!"

Rin laughed, tail wagging. "What, did you really think we were that weak? I'm not the King of Demons for nothing, you know!"

Danny crossed his arms. "And I'm not the King of Ghosts for no reason either."

Tucker rolled his eyes, then gave Rin a guilty look. "The news caught the whole thing on camera. Your identity is compromised."

"Figures," Rin drawled sarcastically.

"Wait, did anyone see me transform?" Danny asked worriedly.

"No. Rin's light show short circuited the cameras. Too much power probably." Sam laughed.

Danny sighed in relief. "Thank Clockwork."

Moments later, Danny's parents came running through the sea of citizens. "Danny!" Maddie cried, "Are you hurt? Any broken bones? Bruises?"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Danny tried to wave her off.

"Of course you are! You're a Fenton!" Jack boomed in pride.

"I-" Rin was cut off as people seemed to go into a mass panic, watching Rin with wide eyes.

"Rin!" A voice shouted from the crowd.

A woman burst through, short, red hair flying and brown eyes wide with frantic worry. A cat sat on her shoulder. Once she spotted the half demon, she lunged forward, arms wrapping around his still-burning frame. "You dumbass! Don't ever scare me like that again! King of Hell or not, I will kill you next time!"

Rin laughed, pulling her off of him. He pouted playfully. "Be more sympathetic, Lizzy. Phantom and I did just fight a powerful rot demon."

Lizzy slugged him in the shoulder, only earning an amused chuckle in return. "Be quiet, you!"

Kuro meowed. "Rin! You should have let me help!"

"Sorry, Kuro," Rin apologized as the cat climbed onto his shoulder.

"What are you?!" A man in the crowd shouted, stepping forward, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Rin's smile dropped and he sighed, eyes half lidded. "I'm-"

"A teenager who just fought to keep this town safe," Mr. Lancer cut in, stepping forward. "I think everybody's getting ahead of themselves. The boy hasn't done anything wrong, even if he isn't human."

Rin frowned, staring with confusion at the English teacher. "Why are you standing up for me?"

"Because I think we all owe you an apology as to how we treated you." Mr. Lancer gave a side glance, and a blonde bully stepped from his hiding place, shuffling forward, shaking with fear.

Rin stared, realizing he must look terrifying in his demon form, and switched to his human appearance. His sword hung limply in his hand, not sheathed yet.

Dash looked up. "I'm-I'm sorry for shoving you around. It was wrong, and I hope you can forgive me."

Rin frowned. "Dash, demons are known for their trickery and deceit. This also means we can sense a lie when it's heard. You're not sorry, not sorry for pushing me around, not sorry for shoving Danny around, Sam, Tucker, Mikey, Nathan, Lester, or any of the other kids. You're only sorry that you picked the wrong kid to mess with, and now that you've discovered he's a powerful demon, you're only sorry that you're about to get your hide skinned."

Dash quivered. "I-"

"Tell me the truth, Dash. What's really going on in that head of yours? Or do I have to pry?" Rin asked calmly.

"You're right. In Casper High, I'm the alpha. That's the way it's always been and pushing the losers around asserts my dominance. I shoved you around, tried to teach you that I was the leader, the boss, and you, alongside Fenton, continued to go against me, even if you didn't fight back. Now that I find out you're a demon, the Son of Satan, I don't want to get ripped to shreds because you have nothing holding you back now that your identity's out. I'm not sorry, I'm only trying to escape my punishment," Dash blurted, then slapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide with shock.

"And by pry, I mean silently persuade you into spewing every thought swimming in your head," Rin said.

Nobody said anything as Rin poked the jock in the chest. "Get this through your thick skull, Baxter! I hate bullies! They picked on my little brother all the time when he and I were younger and I've never shown any sympathy or kindness to them! If I catch you ever ever messing with anyone else again, I'll drag you to Hell with me."

Rin continued, "One day, these 'losers' you pick on will become a billionaire, a famous artist or even a famous sport's player! They might become a worldwide business man or woman. You'll become some gas station employee who works for less than two bucks an hour, or a lowlife employee who works for minimum wage with these kids you pick on every day as your boss! Get your act together because reality's a bitch!"

Dash said nothing, frame shaking with fright. Rin scoffed. "Beat it."

Dash didn't need any more motivation, rushing into the crowd and out of sight before anyone could blink.

Rin opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly a loud whirring noise got their attention.

The whole crowd glanced up to see a large, growing rip in the sky. It swirled with green above them, loud and scratchy.

The whole of Amity gasped.

"A natural portal!" Tucker exclaimed.

"But why?" Rin asked, trying to reach his voice above the loud noise.

"I think all of the supernatural activity might have formed it!" Danny replied loudly.

Rin's brow furrowed, something clicking into his mind. Jack's voice echoed in his mind. "The disk and a natural Ghost Zone portal? Maybe Danny just creates one and we throw the disk in?"

"Maybe it is that simple," Rin uttered, glancing at the portal in the clouds.

"Rin?" Danny asked, "You okay?"

Rin pulled the disk from his pocket. "I think Mr. Fenton was right."

"About what?" Jack asked, confused.

"Throw it in," Rin echoed, quickly whipping his arm up and tossing the disk into the portal.

"Rin!" Kuro gasped.

"Are you crazy?! That was your only way home!" Lizzy cried.

Suddenly, the green portal turned to a dark blackish-blue. The trio, Fenton adults, and Lizzy gaped. Rin smirked. "Bingo."

"Is that...?" Sam breathed.

"A portal home? Why, yes. Yes, it is." Rin laughed. "Good idea, Mr. Fenton! You were right!"

"Well, I'll be!" Maddie stared in awe.

"It's time to say goodbye, isn't it?" Lizzy gazed at Rin with sad eyes.

"Yeah." Rin sighed.

"You take care of yourself, okay? Be safe. You, too, Kuro," Lizzy told him and his familiar.

"Promise." Rin smiled softly.

He turned to Danny, Sam, and Tucker. "It's been a wild ride, huh? I've never met someone who understood me so much. I hope we'll meet again in the future."

Danny smiled. "One can only hope. You'll try and come back, right?"

"To visit, yeah! It might take me a while, but I'll figure it out! Don't forget me now!" Rin laughed.

"As if!" Tucker scoffed. "Nobody's ever going to forget this."

"Here, here!" Sam agreed. "Don't forget us either!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Rin promised. "Farewell?"

"Farewell!" They all chorused.

Rin turned his head to the portal. "Time to go!"

One leap, one second, Rin and Kuro were gone. The portal swirled back to green and shrunk, closing.

Rin had gone home.

Yukio and the others were thrown from their conversation as a sudden yell abruptly interrupted them. "Incoming!"

The exorcists jumped back as a figure crashed into the dirt, groaning. "Damn! Worse way to land!"

"Rin?!" They all cried in shock.

"Nii-san!" Yukio cried in relief, hugging his brother close once Rin had stood up.

"Yukio!" Rin jerked in surprise. "Geez, did you really miss me that much?"

"You were missing for months! We thought something had happened to you in Gehenna!" Yukio gripped his brother's shoulders tightly. "Kuro went missing not too soon after!"

"Nah. You know how I told you that Gehenna connects to other universes?" Rin asked.

"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?" Izumo asked impatiently.

"I stumbled into a portal, pretty much half asleep. I woke up in a different universe and it took forever to get back!" Rin said.

"How did you get back?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, I found this ancient Gehenna artifact from these two brothers who were tracking down a bunch of treasure. It helped me get here! Of course, I had to toss it into a natural Ghost Zone portal." Rin shrugged.

"Ghost Zone?" Shima asked.

"Yeah! In the other universe, there were ghosts, but they were a lot different than ours because they were more powerful! Actually, the Ghost Zone is kind of like Gehenna, only for ghosts. It connects to other universes as well," Rin explained, "Anyway, I got help from three American teens, Danny, Sam, and Tucker. Sam was a self-proclaimed goth and ultra-recyclo vegetarian, Tucker was a techno geek, and Danny was the half-ghost King of Ghosts with ghost hunters for parents."

When he was given weird and astonished looks from his friends and brother, he threw his hands up. "Hey! It was a weird universe! Anyway, Danny was half ghost and he protected his town from the evil ghosts, kind of like a superhero, only he doesn't like being called that. There was this evil half-ghost mayor, Vlad Masters, that wanted to kill Danny's dad, marry his mom, and have Danny as his son/apprentice. Not completely positive where Danny's sister fits in, but whatever! Eventually, I ended up turning Vlad human since he was too dangerous with his ghost half. I could get into the science of it, but it's way too complicated. Anyway, I worked at a restaurant called Eclipse to earn money, and the boss, Lizzy let me stay with her since I was kind of homeless. Later on, I wished Kuro was with me and somehow he appeared! I suspect it had to do with a certain wish-granting ghost Danny told me about, but that doesn't really matter!"

"To sum it up, I met the King of Ghosts, who is only half ghost, saved him from being dissected by his parents (don't ask), got rid of an evil, half-ghost mayor, a few other (un)important things, and fought the Impure King with Danny! It's a long story." Rin sighed.

His friends stood there, wide eyed and mouths open. "How-?"

"It's a long story, I told you. Although, I promised to visit again, so I'll go back eventually. Actually..." Rin trailed off, pulling something out of his pocket.

"So, it did come back to me!" Rin cheered, the disk sitting between his fingers.

"It's been a long day. Rin can tell us the full story tomorrow. I think we all need a rest." Yukio sighed.

"My brain is about to explode. How is half of that stuff even possible?!" Ryuji complained.

"It's a different universe, Bon! Anything is possible!" Rin chuckled.

Ryuji scowled, grabbing the half demon in a headlock. "Dumbass!"

"Agh! Hey! Let me go!" Rin whined.

Inwardly, Rin smiled. Rin had missed his brother, his friends.

He would be okay.