Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/6883342. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Ao_no_Exorcist_|_Blue_Exorcist Relationship: Okumura_Rin/Original_Male_Character(s) Character: Okumura_Rin, Original_Male_Character(s), Mephisto_Pheles, Okumura_Yukio, Suguro_"Bon"_Ryuuji, Amaimon_(Ao_no_Exorcist), Kamiki_Izumo, Shima Renzou, Miwa_Konekomaru, Moriyama_Shiemi Additional Tags: Underage_Sex, Explicit_Sexual_Content, Romance, Wonderland Stats: Published: 2016-05-17 Chapters: 12/12 Words: 32197 ****** Beyond the Rabbit Hole ****** by Scarlett_sama Summary Just when Akashi thought he escaped his father's shadow a gang of demons ambush him in an attempt to kill him for something his father has done. With their masters intentions unknown Akashi escapes with Rin and the gang to hide at True Cross Academy. Just how long can he hide, before his father's past catches up with him? Request for otakugirl251 on FF. RinXOC Akashi ***** Chapter 1 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 1~ "The brat went this way!" Heavy breaths filled the air, as footsteps pounded against the forest floor. The small boy sprinting through the trees, branches and twigs digging into his skin as he ran. His chest on fire and tears of pain starting to well up in his eyes, as he forced himself into a clearing. The teen managing to hold his hands up in time to prevent himself from smashing into the first tree that came into his vision, before he ducked down and pulled his turtle neck over his head. The grey fabric managing to cover his obvious white hair. The pure white locks framing his face and his awkward red and purple eyes looking around the trees in search for his pursuers. Their footsteps coming to a stop a good fifteen feet from his location, as the teen pressed himself closer to the tree and hesitantly looked around. Their voices close enough to hear, but their physical forms nowhere in sight. "Now where'd the brat run off to?!" One of them spoke in furry. "He was just here a second ago." Their voices continued on from there, as the teen closed his eyes and willed is fried brain to come up with a plan. One that might get him out of this situation, before their footsteps came closer and the teen chewed on his bottom lip. A rush of short words leaving his lips, before a nice fluffy cat appeared at his side. A huge grin on its face, as it gazed up at him and heard the voices not too far off. "Chess, I need you to distract them for a little bit so I can get away." When a nod left the feline and it disappeared into thin air, the teen quickly pulling his sweater back down over his stomach and covering a good portion of his extremely short black shorts. His pursuers voices increasing in volume, before they started off in the other direction and the teen quickly stood up. His footsteps taking him as far away from the men as he could, before the cat appeared beside him once more on his shoulder. "I managed to get them a considerable distance away from you, but they almost caught up to me." "Thank you, Chess." The next moment the cat disappeared and the teen took off running. The cold autumn air lashing out against his pale skin, as he made his way toward what he believed to be the exit to the forest. The sky starting to turn from their orange and red hues to blues and purples, as the teen broke through to another clearing. His breathing heavy and his muscles screaming in pain, as he leaned against a tree and looked around. The air around him cold and his skin slowly freezing, as he squinted into the dark. The action doing near to nothing for him, as he squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers into his sweater. The fabric next to useless against his freezing skin, as he slumped against the tree behind him and slid down to the ground. A soft crunch of the leaves under him echoing through the dark, before he pulled his knees to his chest and let his tail slide free of his sweater. The white furry appendage not even wasting a second after hitting the night air, before diving back under his sweater and curled around his waist. An action that caused the teen to jump slightly and gently pat his tail from under the fabric, before glancing around once more. The never-ending darkness somewhat comforting for once, before he noticed a movement to his left. A movement that had the teen on his feet in seconds and making a move to run, before his ankle hit a trip wire. The snapping of the line signaling his downfall, before a net suddenly came out from under him. The thick ropes instantly wrapping around him and catching them in their hold, before he was pulled a good eight feet into the air. Nothing but a startled gasp leaving the teen all the while, till he was in the air and he panicked. His fingers digging into the net and his right leg getting tangled in the thick bindings, before dark figures started immerging from the trees. Each and every one of them screaming power and pain, as they came in different heights and forms. Each of them a different species by first glance, as the boy tried his best to hide in the net and avoid their stares. Each and every one of them promising pain. "There you are." One of the figures cooed, as the teen tightly gripped the ropes and slumped back against the other side of the net. "Took you long enough to fall into one of our traps."Another spoke, as it came toward him and stopped just under the net. "You're a sneaky little one." "Just like your father." "H-How do you know about my father?"The teen demanded, his voice cracking as the one under the net grabbed the rope just below his legs and started pulling him down. "W-Who are you guys?!" In an instant the ropes above him suddenly snapped. The net crumpling and the teen slamming into the ground in a heap, before he was pulled to his knees by the hair and met a pair of menacing red eyes. "That's for us to know, and for you to never know Sweetheart."The demon spoke calmly, before the teen was slammed into the ground. His face colliding with the ground and a yelp leaving his lips, as twigs and rocks dug into his face. His cry going unnoticed, as he was suddenly grabbed by the leg and thrown into the air. A gasp leaving the boy's lips, before something wrapped around his waist and smashed him into a tree. A sickening crack reaching his ears and pain blossoming against his shoulder, before a sickening scream left the teen's lips. His body hitting the ground and blood starting to slowly drip from his lips, as one of one of the figures grabbed him by the hair and pulled them to meet their gaze. The glint of metal reaching the teen's gaze and a knife rose over his head, as the boy's eyes widened and the knife came down. Fear coursing through the young teen and his whole body shaking, before another figure suddenly slammed into the demon in front of him. A heavy grunt leaving the demon, as the smaller figure drove a flaming sword into the creature's chest. A sickening scream filling the air, as the demon caught fire and the smaller figure jumped out of the way. The moonlight catching the smaller figure and illuminating his features. The small figure turning out to be a sixteen year old teen with deep midnight blue hair and crystal blue eyes. Blue flames perched on either side of his head like horns, as he stood up in front of the smaller and glared at the demons still watching them. A low growl leaving the taller teen, as he held tight to his sword and it was then the teen noticed the teen's tail. "Y-you're a demon." The teen spoke, as the teen looked back at him and gave him a goofy grin. "Half-demon actually." The teen spoke rather calmly and jokingly, as he helped the smaller up and gave ruffled his hair. "Now stay back and let me take care of this." A nod was the only thing the teen could give the taller boy in front of him, before he took off toward the demons. His flames illuminating the space around them, as a hybrid went for his savior. Electricity sparking against its body, as the boy ducked just below the hybrid's attack and slid against the ground. The boy leaning as far back as he could go, as he slid right under the demon's legs and skidded to a stop. His hips turning and the blade coming across in time to slice clean through it's target. Flames flaring out and burning the demon on the spot, before he quickly got up in time to dodge the next attack. An attack he never got to see, as one of the demons lunged for him. It's huge claws suddenly sinking into the teen's arms and pinning him to the tree behind him, as sharp teeth grinned back at him and the teen's eyes grew wide. His entire body shaking, before gunshots went off. The demon in front of him letting out a sudden howl, as blood splattered against the teen's face and clothes. The creature's claws falling free of his arms and the thing collapsing onto the ground, before a hand suddenly touched his shoulder and the teen panicked. His right arm rising up and the scales appearing on it, as a he made a move to defend himself before he noticed a teen with a gun next to him. A relaxed and reassuring look in his gaze, as he gently touched his ruined shoulder and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, we'll protect you." The boy spoke, before he went after the half- demon to help him. A boy with pink hair and a staff rushing over to his side, followed by several others, as a small blonde girl looked at him in worry. A small green man on her shoulder cooing at him and asking him if he was in pain, as he nodded and the teenage girl quickly looked to see what was injured. A brunette n' blonde boy glaring at the half-demon that had saved him, before he got up and pulled out prayer beads. Ancient words leaving his lips, as one of the demons suddenly disintegrated with the simple mantra and the boy clad in flames took out two of them at once. His flames eating away at the dead foliage across the forest floor, but in complete control as the flames themselves suddenly attacked a demon that went after the boy with the prayer beads. The older teen letting out a gasp at the flames sudden appearance, as he backed up out of the way in fear they'd burn him and let out a growl. "The hell Okumura! You trying to kill me!" The boy yelled, as the teen glared at the older and was suddenly smashed in the face. A gasp leaving the half-demon's lips, as he smashed into a tree and sent it toppling over on him. Several gasps leaving the teens around him, before the tree caught fire. Blue flames eating away at the fallen trunk, as the teen's figure staggered out of the flames and he glared at the older. "Yell at me later, Ryuji! I don't need you getting me killed!" The boy yelled, before he went for the demon that just tried to kill him. Their fight lasting longer than any of the others the boy with the gun or the boy with the prayer beads had to fight, before the last demon suddenly burst into flames and disappeared. His body staggering slightly, before he straightened up and turned toward the smaller. His flames dying down, as he sheathed his sword and headed for him. His tail swaying behind him, as he passed both the boys that had been fighting with him before he knelt down beside him and gave him a warm smile. The boy totally ignoring the irritated look on the boy with the gun's face and the pissed off look on the brunette n' blonde's face. "There, now you're safe…" "Akashi." A big smile appeared on the half-demon's face, as he beamed at him and his tail swayed behind him happily. "Well, you're safe now Akashi." =============================================================================== "Finally! The exit!" Rin exclaimed, as he threw his hands up in the air and Akashi blinked after the excited teen. The teen's Akashi had learned were Rin's classmates and brother frowning after him, as the smaller teen gingerly held his shoulder still and watched Rin happily cheer. Since the teen, his twin Yukio, along with his classmate Ryuji, had saved him Rin had been blabbering about everything under the sun. Apparently Rin hadn't meet very many half-demons so far and when Rin found his tail and pointed ears he had pretty much lost it on the spot. He was way to excited to see someone else like him. "I wonder if I have cell phone reception now." Akashi muttered to himself, as he gingerly pulled his cellphone out of his back pocket and flipped it open. The cellular device showing off a whooping two bars, before the teen quickly searched through his contacts before he could lose those two little bars. "Why would you need cell phone reception? Who would you call?" Rin asked in confusion, as he turned to him and gave him a weird look. "I need to call in an old favor." Akashi spoke, before he hit the call button and listen to the line ring. Two rings reaching his ears, before the person on the other end picked up. "Hello?" "Mephisto, I need help." Akashi quickly spoke, gaining a shocked look from Rin and the others. "Akashi, what a surprise. What is it you need at this time of night?" "I was attacked by a pack of demons and some of your students saved me. I need a place to hide before more come for me." The teen spoke, as Rin gave him a worried look and his tail swayed to a stop behind him. "I can see what I can do for you, Akashi." The man spoke, as he moved away from the phone to scold someone and let out a sigh. "Could you give the phone to Rin, please Akashi?" "Of course." The teen spoke, before looking at the half-demon and holding his cellphone out for him. "Mephisto wants to talk to you." Nothing was said as Rin took his phone from him and held it against his ear. "What do you need you damn clown?" Rin muttered, before he shut up to listen. His face scrunching up and the teen nodding every second or so. "Yeah. No, that won't be an issue. Of course Yukio won't care. I've been meaning to move out of the room. I don't care what four-eyes thinks. If you need me to do this I will. No I'm not sucking up to you, you damn clown! I have my own reasons and I won't be explaining it to you!…sure." Silently, Rin held out the teen's phone and Akashi gently took it back. Their eyes meeting for mere moments, before Akashi's eyes feel to the ground and he held the phone to his ear. "I'm sending Amaimon to you're location. There have been complications lately, so he's going to look different, but use your door and come straight to me. I'll explain everything when you arrive." Mephisto spoke, as the teen hesitantly nodded even if the man couldn't see it. "Of course." The next moment the phone call shut out and the teen closed his phone. Rin's eyes on him, before he turned to his brother and classmates. "The clown said we have to go back to the Academy. Akashi is staying here. The clown is sending someone to get him." Rin spoke, as Yukio frowned instantly. "That leaves Akashi an open target again." Yukio spoke sourly; as Rin shrugged and ignored the irritated look his brother gave him. "Don't get mad at me four-eyes. Clowns orders, not mine." Rin spoke, before he looked at the smaller teen. "Besides, if it wasn't for the clowns order I'd stay back and keep you safe, but-" "Don't worry, I'll be fine." Akashi spoke, as he gave him a small smile and quickly dropped it when he looked to the others. "I've fought with one arm before and I can handle myself if I get attacked again. I was only at a disadvantage, because I was highly outnumbered." The frown on Yukio's face deepened, before he ordered everyone to head back. Rin flashing him a big grin, before he ran ahead of everyone. His classmates flinching or moving out of his way as he ran past them, while Rin cheered about food. A small chuckle leaving Akashi's lips, before they disappeared and a small rustle sounded at the teen's feet. His mismatched eyes looking down to find a small green hamster sitting beside his feet, before the teen kneeled down the best he could and let the hamster climb into his lap and to his shoulder. "Mephisto wasn't kidding when he said you looked different." A small childish huff left the hamster, before Akashi gently touched one of the trees next to him and muttered a few words under his breath. The ground in front of it suddenly opening to reveal and huge gapping hole with a door. The door opening all on it's own and revealing a huge dark hole, as the hamster held tight to his good shoulder and Akashi let a smile appeared on his face, as he jumped into the huge hole. "Let's go see Uncle Mephisto." =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 2 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 2~ In a matter moments the bottomless pit suddenly opened up. A stream of light reaching his gaze, as he suddenly fell right out of the ceiling and landed on his feet on plush red carpet. The black hole in the ceiling closing up, while the teen finally stood up and saw Mephisto sitting behind a fancy looking desk. A desk Amaimon jumped right onto without a second of hesitation, before scampering over to the ledge of the table to throw up in the trashcan next to the desk. "Come on, it wasn't that bad." Akashi muttered, as he ignored the glare he got from Amaimon and looked at the man sitting behind the desk. "Anyway, you asked me to come to you." "Yes I did, but first things first." Mephisto spoke, as he urged him over. "Your shoulder is shattered, come here." A nod was all the teen could give, as he slowly walked over to the man and stood next to him. The purple-haired demon reaching out and placing a firm hand on his shoulder, gaining a whine from the smaller half-demon, before the demon's trademark words filled the air and a soft glow emanated from his palm. Small snapping noises reaching the teen's ears and pain radiating from his shoulder, as the teen squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the pain. His shattered bones falling back into place and slowly healing, before the man pulled his hand back all together and the pain was gone. A slow roll of the shoulder telling him the bones were back in place, before he looked at the man and Mephisto moved some papers on his desk around. "Now then, on the matter of the demons that were after you. What did they say to you?" The demon asked, as Akashi nodded and moved to go slump down in one of the most ridiculous chairs he had ever seen. "They said something like I was just as sneaky as my father." Akashi spoke, gaining a slightly surprised look from the man behind the desk. "The only thing is I haven't seen him in years. Not after what happened." A small frown appeared on the demon's face, before he started scribbling on a piece of paper in front of him. His brow furrowed in concentration, before he grabbed some other papers beside him and handed them to him. "I'll look into the matter, but for the time being we need to keep you well hidden." The man spoke, as the teen leaned forward and took the papers handed to him. "There you'll find your new living space on campus. You'll be rooming with Rin Okumura and be attending both regular school and cram school until we find out what is going on here." A nod left the teen, as he glanced down at the papers in his hands and then the headmaster. "What about currency or clothing?" "I already have that taken care of. Check your side table drawer when you arrive. The money you'll need it there, your books are provided, and so are your clothes. Just try your best to blend in." Another nod left the teen, as a ring of keys were thrown to him. The teen easily catching them in mid-air and glancing down at them for a moment, before he stood up and didn't miss the small rare smile on the demon's face. "Enjoy your stay, Akashi." =============================================================================== "Akashi, you made it!" Rin exclaimed the moment the teen walked through the door. The half-demon was sitting on what he was guessing the bed Rin claimed, a dog- eared manga in his hands. A big grin appearing on his face, as he sat up properly and beamed at him. A gaze that would've made the smaller uncomfortable if it wasn't for the fact Rin was the one who saved him earlier. He owed Rin his life. "How's your shoulder?" The teen innocently asked, making the smaller glance at his shoulder for a moment and give the older a smile. "It's all healed. Mephisto took care of it for me." Akashi spoke, as Rin frowned in a childish way. "No way! How did you get the stupid clown to heal your injuries?! He never heals mine!" Rin complained, as the white-haired demon chuckled and closed the door behind him. "Well, you can say we owe each other a few favors." "Still lucky." Rin muttered, as Akashi walked over to his bed and slumped down onto it. Rin's eyes on him the entire time, before he perked up slightly and tilted his head. "Hey, are your eyes two different colors?" At the question, Akashi jumped slightly before he nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. Rin jumping off his bed and landing beside him, as he tilted his head slightly and stared at him. His gaze locked with his, before the teen's eyes fell to the mattress. The white-haired half-demon fiddling with his huge fitting sleeves, and his stomach sinking with each second Rin stared at him. "That is so cool! I wish my eyes were two different colors!" Rin suddenly yelled in excitement, startling the smaller. "Y-You don't think it's weird? That I'm a freak?" Akashi quietly asked, as Rin paused for a moment and blinked at him. "No." "Are you sure?" "Yep." Rin spoke with a grin, causing the smaller's face to heat up slightly. "Why?" "No reason." Akashi spoke as he stood up and walked toward the two desks on the far side of the room by the windows. The teen jumping on the desk and easily sliding against the windowsill in one fluid moment, before the window flew open. Rin's eyes on him the entire time as he frowned slightly and glanced back at the manga on his bed. His tail twitching behind him for a few moments, before he glanced back at the teen sitting in the open windowsill. His knees pulled to his chest and his gaze turned toward the darkness, his tail swaying slowly against the desk as if contemplating whether to stay out in the open or hide in the confines of the smaller's huge turtle neck sweater. Of course Rin ignored the manga on his bed, as he walked to the desk in front of the demon and pulled the chair out. The action causing Akashi to stiffen slightly, before Rin sat on the desk itself and rested his feet on the chair. It taking several moments for the smaller half-demon to turn back toward him before Rin was met with those mismatched eyes. The right was a deep crimson red and the left a deep satin purple. Yet with the teen's short white hair that framed his face and his huge clothing he looked like someone out of a children's storybook. One of the forgotten characters that no one paid any attention to. "You know, we're going to be roommates for awhile." Rin hesitantly started, as Akashi kept his gaze glued on the older. "And we're the same species, so I don't see a reason to keep a huge distance between us. I mean, not like distance is a bad thing! I'm just saying you can talk to me if you need something. I'm right here." Silence filled the air, as Rin pulled a goofy grin on his face and Akashi nodded. The teen turning is head back toward the darkness, till he saw the book laying on the older's bed and straightened up a little. "I-Is that manga?" Akashi asked, as Rin perked up and got up to retrieve the book. "Yep! I have a ton if you want to read some." Rin spoke, as he held the book out to him. "Yukio usually tries to hide them all from me so I can do my homework, but I know this whole building inside out, so he can't hide anything from me." A nod left the teen, as he hesitantly got up off the desk and gently took the book from the older's hands. His mismatched eyes ranking over the dog-eared cover, before resting back on the desk and opened to the first page. A smile slowly working it's way onto the teen's face with each turn of the page that Rin couldn't help but be happy for, as he collapsed on his bed and grabbed a different volume. It only taking a matter of a half an hour, before the bed dipped beside him. The teen looking up from the last chapter he was on to find Akashi sitting beside him on the bed and tightly gripping the book in his hands before he handed the book back to him. A gesture that made Rin smile and point to a row of shelves above them filled with manga. "Go ahead and help yourself." A nod left the teen, before they fell prey to the black and white pages. The silent atmosphere slowly turning lighter, before Akashi would roll over to his side and ask about a character in the story and Rin leaned over to explain. Which in turn ended up with manga spread across the mattress and the two of the laughing together as they turned the pages of a book they were sharing, before they fell asleep there. The two of them surround with manga and the smaller cuddled into the older's side, as they fell prey to their dreams. =============================================================================== It was the next morning when the pair woke up. Rin the first to stir and open his eyes, only to met with a head of white hair. A view that confused him, before he glanced down and felt his chest tighten. Akashi was asleep against his chest. The white-haired half-demon's head resting against his chest and his tail curled around the older's, as his breathing came out soft and steady. His mismatched eyes closed at the moment, as Rin gently smiled and ran his fingers through the white locks. A gesture that caused the younger to wake up beside him, as his different colored eyes fluttered open and he let out a groan. The teen collapsing against the older's chest and burying his face into it, causing Rin to blush furiously, before Akashi suddenly bolted upright. The teen panicking as he backed up so fast that he fell off the end of the bed. A small yelp leaving his lips upon the impact, as Rin sat up and glanced over the edge to find his roommate in a heap on the floor. "Akashi, you okay?" Rin hesitantly asked, gaining a small groan from the smaller. "Yeah." The teen spoke, as he sat up and glanced up at him with apologetic eyes. "Sorry I fell asleep on you. I didn't mean to…I…I just felt safe." A moment of silence fell over the two of them as Rin stared at the smaller in surprise. Akashi's eyes glued to the floor, before sudden banging filled the room and the two of them whipped their heads to the door. "Nii-san, Akashi, school starts in forty minutes. Get up and get ready." Yukio called from the other side of the door, causing Rin to frown. "We're up four-eyes." Rin spoke up, causing his brother to grumble out in the hallway. "Don't take that tone with me, Nii-san. I'm just trying to help." The brunette spoke from the other side of the door. In response Rin grabbed one of the manga next to him and threw it at the door. The book hitting the door with a harsh thud, before Rin let out a small growl. "I'm up! Just go to your class!" Rin yelled. In the silence that followed the brunette in the hall stepped away from the door and headed down the hall. His footsteps disappearing down the hall and toward the stairs, before Rin let out a heavy sigh. His hand running over his face, as Akashi watched the exchange and his heart sank. "You shouldn't treat your brother like that. He was just trying to help." The white-haired half-demon spoke. "Help my ass. He's as useful as a doorknob." Rin muttered, as he got up from the bed and pulled their shared closet open. "Damn, looks like that clown already brought your things here." "Uh, yeah." Akashi dumbly spoke, as he got up and blinked as Rin handed him a uniform of some kind. "Um-" "It's the school uniform." Rin spoke, as the teen blinked and Rin chuckled a little. "I'll show you how to put it on. Come on." A smile appeared on the teen's face as Rin happily went into an explanation on how to wear the odd looking uniform. The teen feeling his chest loosen, as he gazed at his roommate and couldn't help but let his guard finally slip. Maybe he could find peace here. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 3 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 3~ After uneventfully managing to get the uniform on correctly, and have Rin tie his tie for him, the two of them grabbed a quick breakfast and headed off the school. A simple black and white checkered backpack slung over the teen's shoulder, as Rin started telling him about some demon he had fought a few weeks back. A huge smile on his face as they walked into the huge school building and up the huge escalators. Akashi's eyes everywhere as he stared in awe at the huge interior, before he suddenly collided with someone in front of him. A gasp leaving his lips, before he fell back on his butt and rubbed his sore nose. Rin instantly at his side to see if he was alright, till the boy in front of him he ran into turned around and frowned at him. "The hell- Oh, hey Okumura. He another one of your weird friends?" The teen asked, as Rin frowned at him and helped the teen up. "No, he's a half-demon like us Akira." Rin muttered, as the teen's eyebrows rose slightly and he looked at the smaller for a moment. The teen in front of him was a little taller than Rin and sported rare lavender hair. His eyes a soft black, snake bites just under his lip, and two studs on either side of his eyebrows. A sight that could've scared anyone at first glance. Of course it didn't help that the boy seemed to refuse to wear the entire uniform and had ditched his tie. The first few buttons on his shirt undone. "Seriously, he don't look like much." Akira frowned, as he leaned forward and got in the teen's personal space. "What are his abilities?" "He…I don't know." Rin frowned, as he glanced at the younger and scratched the back of his head. The teen looking him over for a few moments, before he huffed and looked at Akira. "It doesn't matter, though. You get anymore visions?" "Is that really a question?" Akira spoke sourly, as he frowned at Rin and pulled out a notepad and shoved it at Rin. "I barely get enough sleep as it is." A grin appeared on the teen's face, as he looked down at the notepad and grabbed Akashi's hand. A thankful look being thrown at Akira, before Rin dragged him away. "Thanks, Akira!" A grumble sounded a ways behind them from the half-demon, as Rin slowed back to a stop and glanced down at the notepad. His gaze falling past every word, as Akashi played with the end of his sleeves and frowned at the damn things. He wished his uncle had the decency to give him a slightly larger jacket. He of all people knew he liked to cover his hands. "Crap, I'm gunna fail the test in history." Rin grumbled, as he glared at the notepad in his hands and the younger realized his friend was already halfway through the notepad. "So that guy back there sees the future?" Akashi asked, as his roommate nodded and looked away from the notepad to give him a smile. "Yep. Its almost always about me, since I'm the one that triggered one of the princes of hell to posses him, but it comes in handy." Rin spoke, as he glanced down at the pad in his hands. "Its saved me from getting badly injured in most of my fights and save a bunch of people. Which includes you." "He had a vision about me?" A nod came from his roommate, before the teen's mismatched gaze fell to the floor and his feet came to a stop. Something that took Rin a few moments to notice, before he stopped to turn toward him and give him a weird look. "Akashi?" "Wh-what would've happened if you hadn't been there? If you hadn't saved me?" An awkward silence fell over them, as the bell rang. Students rushing past them and into their classrooms, leaving the teens alone in the now empty hallway. Rin's eyes refusing to meet his, as Akashi roughly bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut. "You would've died." Rin spoke, causing the teen's eyes to open and stare at his roommate in shock. "That attack I intercepted would've slit open the side of your throat and gotten lodged in your collar bone. Even with the injury and the fact you'd manage to get away for an extended period of time after, you would've died at the blood loss." Silence soon fell over them, as Akashi tightly gripped the side of his neck and felt his chest tighten. Rin's gaze still glued to the floor, as Akashi held back a shaky breath and turned in the direction of his first class. "I-I'll see you at Cram School." The teen spoke, before rushing off down the hall and leaving Rin alone in the hallway. =============================================================================== "Hey, you're that kid from yesterday." A voice spoke, causing the teen to turn his head toward the noise. Standing a little ways away from the teen currently trying to eat his lunch in peace, was the trio from Rin's class. Ryuji Suguro, Renzou Shima, and Miwa Konkekero if he remembered correctly. Of course when he saw the brunette n' blonde from last night all the teen could do was nod and turn back to the bento Ukobach had kindly made him. A gesture that gained a frown from Bon, as Shima didn't give up and sat beside him under the tree. "We heard from Rin that you're a half-demon like him." The pink-haired teen spoke, as Bon scoffed and gave the younger an angered look. "Another? I think we've had enough problems with Okumura." Bon muttered, as Miwa jumped beside him and stared wide eyed at Akashi. Of course the smaller didn't say anything the entire time, as Shima glared at his best friends. I mean, what did Akashi have to say to the lot of them. They were humans, stupid humans that had no idea who they were speaking to; especially Bon. Whatever Rin had done to scare them so badly didn't mean a thing in Akashi's eyes. Rin seemed like a fine, strong half-demon, just like the few others Akashi had met. So whatever these knuckleheads thought was wrong with Rin was obviously false. Rin had saved him, even when he could've turned his back on Akira's vision and let him die. "Bon, just drop it. Akashi isn't like that." Shima spoke up, gaining a slightly surprised look from both Akashi and his best friends. "How do you even know that?" Bon challenged, as Shima frowned at him. "You haven't spent a minute with him." "Well, considering he hasn't hurt us in the past five minutes I think he's perfectly fine." Shima argued back, before he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his lunch. A scoff leaving the brunette n' blonde, before he and Miwa walked off to eat somewhere else. A move that worried the smaller as he glanced between Shima and his friends, before the pink-haired teen gave him a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Akashi. They've been a little moody lately, and it's depressing." The teen spoke, as he dug into his lunch. Something that caused the white-haired half-demon to frown slightly at, before he returned to his own lunch and felt his tail twitch under his clothes. Humans were so confusing. =============================================================================== "What?!" A frown appeared on Akashi's face as he covered his ears at his new classmates loud voices. They were in their first class in Cram School and their teacher just announced that they were going to be battling each other. Something that Akashi didn't see a problem with, unlike his classmates, as their teacher told them to pair up and almost all of them moved away from Rin. A move that had Akashi frowning, as Rin laughed stupidly and glanced at him. "You wanna pair up with me, Akashi?" The teen asked, which gained a scoff from Bon. "I'd run now, Akashi. Okumura's dangerous in battle." The brunette n' blonde spoke, as Rin turned and frowned at his classmate. "That's not true, Bon." The teen pouted, as the older turned his head and ignored him. "I'm fine with it." Akashi spoke, surprising most of the people around him; including their teacher. "I haven't had a decent battle lately." "Really?! Awesome, thanks Akashi!" Rin spoke in joy, as he handed his katana to their teacher and grabbed a sword from the rack. A move that confused Akashi on the spot, considering he didn't see a thing wrong with Rin's original sword. Of course he didn't voice his opinion, as he reached into his turtle neck he had put back on before he came to Cram School and pulled out a old looking staff about the size of his bicep. Something that confused everyone, before the teen placed his hands over the wood and it suddenly morphed into a huge scythe. Gasps of shock leaving his classmates and Rin staring at him wide-eyed, before the smaller got into a fighting stance and held his scythe at the ready. "You going to stand there with your mouth open, or are you going to fight me?" Akashi asked, before Rin nodded and lunged for him. A move that turned out next to useless, as the teen dodge to the side and swung the blade. The razor sharp edge purposefully gliding against his roommate's blade, before it caught against the teen's sword under one of the grooves in the blade. A move that would've looked like an accident or poor planning, if not for the fact the teen pushed against the teen's sword and jerked his scythe up. The move retching the weapon from the teen's grip and sending it flying into the air, before it clattered to the ground a good ten feet behind the older. "That was just sad." Akashi teased, as Rin playfully glared at him and took his original sword from their teacher. A few protests leaving the man, before Akashi held up a hand to quiet the man and didn't look away from Rin as he pulled the case out of the fabric holster. "It's fine. I can handle him." "For now." Bon muttered a ways behind him, before Rin pulled his sword free. Blue flames instantly incasing his body and appearing on his head like two horns, before the smaller stared at him in shock and tightly gripped his scythe. A gesture that made Bon scoff at him for his stupidity, as Akashi gripped at hidden scar on his hip and harshly swallowed. How stupid was he? How hadn't he seen it? Rin wasn't a normal half-demon, he was Satan's son. Of course it was so much more obvious with the blue flames covering his body. How hadn't he seen this when Rin was protecting him last night? "Are you still up for this?" Rin asked, snapping the teen out of his trance and meeting his roommate's apologetic gaze. "You can back out if you want?" "No." The smaller spoke, as he gained a shocked look from everyone. "I picked the fight and I have to go through with it." At that the teen just shook his head and stabbed the hilt of his scythe into the ground. "Sorry, but forfeiting has never ran through my family. Besides, I haven't had to fight the Son of Satan before." Akashi lightly joked, as he glance just over his shoulder and couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. "Right, Chess?" In the next moment an exact replica of himself appeared beside him. A look of shock appearing on his classmate's face, as Akashi rolled his eyes at the stupid cat's joke and watched as he pulled out a scythe duplicate to his own. His duplicate's eyes a bright sea green. "I'd say so myself." Chess spoke, as he held the scythe against his shoulder and glanced at him. "You do realize this is practically suicide though, right?" A quick shrug of the shoulder destroyed the worried look on Rin's face, as Akashi grabbed his scythe and looked to the replica next to him. "Ready?" A nod left his copy, before the teen smirked. "Yksi, kaksi, kolme." In the next moment the two of the fell right through a hole that appeared on the ground. A shocked gasp leaving Rin, as he ran right over to the hole to see if both Akashi's were safe, that was before he heard someone approach him from behind. The teen swinging his sword and coming in contact with the green eyed Akashi's scythe. A huge distorted grin appearing on his face, before he suddenly disappeared into thin air. The real Akashi coming from his right and attacking him from the side, as Rin let out a curse and let his flames flare out. A move that took the real Akashi by surprise, as he let out a gasp and the fake reappeared in time to pull him out of the way. Neither of them being harmed in anyway, due to the fact there weren't hot, as the fake Akashi sent him a glare and lunged for him. A move that Rin took into consideration, as he jumped up into the air and passed over to fake. The teen landing in front of his roommate and pressing the tip of his blade against his throat, as the teen stared up at him in shock and fear. "Call down your double." Rin spoke, as the fake Akashi sent him a glare and tightly gripped his scythe. "I-I can't." Akashi spoke, gaining a look of confusion from the older. "What? Why?" Rin demanded, before the blade of the fake Akashi's scythe was suddenly pressed against his throat and the teen froze. "Because I'm not a double." The fake spoke into his ear, as the teen whipped is head around to stare at him and started to notice the sea green stripes appearing on his skin. "Now Akashi!" In an instant the smaller got to his feet and spoke his incantation from before. A sudden hole appearing under the half-demon, before Rin fell through it. A gasp leaving his lips as he fell into a sudden pit of darkness and panicked. The teen trying to find something to grab onto, before it suddenly opened up under him. The teen soon finding himself falling toward Akashi's feet, as the fake appeared beside him and gave him his huge distorted grin again. "Nice try kid, but you have no idea who you're up against." The fake spoke, before he collided with the ground. Dust and dirt flying everywhere, as gasps left everyone in the room. Their teacher and classmates staring at them in shock, as the dust slowly cleared and revealed Akashi and his fake double standing beside Rin. Who was lying in a heap on the ground in the middle of a huge crater. An apologetic look in Akashi's eyes, as his double suddenly morphed into a big fluffy black and sea green striped cat. The creature floating in the air beside the teen, as Akashi handed his weapon to the cat and kneeled down beside his roommate. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was trying to hold back a little." The teen nervously spoke, which earned him shocked glances from everyone in the room besides Rin. Something that confused the white-haired half-demon, till Rin chuckled and shook his head as he sat up. "Don't apologize. That was one of the hardest battles I've ever fought." Rin spoke, as Akashi stood up and helped his roommate to his feet. The teen glancing over at the cat floating in the air, before he noticed it was floating and his eyes widened. "Wow! That's so cool! Are you a demon?!" "Uh, no. Chess isn't a demon. Not really." Akashi spoke for the cat, as it went to open its mouth and mess with his roommate. "Actually, I'll explain it later. It's kind of confusing." "Always the party pooper." Chess muttered, as he floated over and handed the teen his scythe back. "Well, if you need me you know how to find me." And in an instant the cat disappeared into thin air with a wisp of sea green smoke. A heavy sigh leaving the teen, as he ran a hand over his face and turned to look at his classmates. A move that turned out to be a bad one, as he was met with shocked and scared looks. Not only from his classmates, but his teacher as well. Great, here came a lecture from his Uncle. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 4 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 4~ "Tell me why he's here again?" Chess demanded, as he pointed to an all too relaxed Akira munching on chips on the floor. "Because Rin's stupidity is ridiculous and if you have to explain anything to him it's better if I'm here to translate everything for him." The teen spoke, before Rin threw his pillow at his friend. "Oi! I resent that! Take it back!" Rin demanded, as Akira chuckled. "I'll take it back when you pass that history test." The teen replied, as Rin groaned and flopped head first onto the bed. ""You two done now?" Chess asked, as Akashi fiddled with the edges of his sleeves and missed the two of them nodding. "Go ahead Akashi." At that the teen stumbled a bit, before he managed to calm down and look between them. "Alright, well you already know Chess isn't a demon and he's not a normal cat." Akashi hesitantly started, as Chess muttered something under his breath and the teen threw him a look. "He's a Cheshire cat and that hole I summoned was the rabbit hole to Wonderland." Almost instantly a dumbfounded look appeared on Rin's face, as Akira sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Ever heard of Alice in Wonderland, Okumura? It's that stupid children's book where the girl falls into a rabbit hole and end up in a whole different world." Akira spoke, before Rin perked up. "Oh, that one!" Rin exclaimed, as Akira smacked himself in the forehead. "So you summoned him from the book?" "Uh, no. Wonderland is a different dimension." Akashi spoke, as Rin looked at him in confusion. "Like Assiah and Gehenna are two sides of a mirror, Wonderland is like that." "He means that like Assiah and Gehenna are two separate world, so is Wonderland." Akira explained, as Rin nodded in understanding. "Idiot." "So what else can you summon?" Rin asked, totally ignoring Akira's insult. "That, my boy, is a secret." Chess cut in, as he floated upside down and created wisps of smoke in the process. "Only the keepers can know the secrets of Wonderland." "Keepers?" "Yes. They're demons who guard the gate to Wonderland with their being." Chess explained, as he floated down onto the white-haired half-demon's head. "Your father is a keeper." "That's a lie. Dad said he locked Wonderland's connection to him years ago." Akashi frowned, as Chess chuckled and shook his head. "No keeper can lock themselves from Wonderland. When you become a keeper you become the gate itself." "Now I'm confused." Akira muttered. "It means Akashi is the gate to Wonderland and can summon or allow anyone in and out of Wonderland." A voice spoke, as the four of them turned to see Yukio standing in the now open doorway. "Correct!" Chess spoke, as his tail swayed behind him. "It also makes since why those demons were after you." The brunette spoke, as he looked at the smaller. "If your father 'locked' Wonderland off, then it obvious why they want you. They want you to open the gates to Wonderland for them; permanently." "But I can't do that." "Not unless you died." Silence fell over the room, as the teen stared wide-eyed at the brunette. His fingers digging into the sheets, as Chess's tail brushed against his shoulder in reassurance. Rin turning to stare at him in surprise, before he saw the pain he was in and his gaze fell to the floor. Akira frowning at the exorcist, before he picked up the bag of chips and tossed them onto the desk. "S-so if I had died-" "Then the demons would've made it into Wonderland." Yukio spoke. "Why the hell would they even want to go to Wonderland?" Akira challenged, as the lot of them turned to him. "All that's there is a bunch of locked p badies and a bunch of harmless creatures." "There's the Red Queen's army." Rin spoke, as Chess frowned. "What?" "Those fools have become long since useless. They're just a bunch of mindless foot soldiers." "The Jabberwocky." Yukio spoke, as Rin looked at his brother in utter confusion. "The Jabber what?" "The Jabberwocky. It's a huge dragon." Akira spoke, as he frowned and looked at Chess. "I thought Alice killed it though?" "Not everything stays dead, my dear friend." Chess teased, as he floated off the teen's head and glided around. "Jabber wouldn't obey them, though." Akashi spoke, as he got a few weird looks from everyone in the room. "Jabber only obeys keepers and the Red Queen." "That may be true, but who said this enemy is after something that belongs in Wonderland." A voice spoke, as the turned to see Mephisto sitting on one of the desks. "Oi! When did you get here, you stupid clown?!" Rin demanded. "Uncle Mephisto, what do you mean?" Akashi asked, as Rin stared at his in shock. "U-Uncle-?" "It seems your father was fighting a very powerful demon a few years back, just before he disappeared." Mephisto spoke, as he ignored Rin's sputtering. "And when your father disappeared, so did the demon." "So you think the demons that were after Akashi, were under this demon?" Akira asked, as the Headmaster nodded. "However, until I gain more information, we have no ideas what these demons are really after. Nor what happened to your father." Mephisto spoke, as he turned and glance at him. "However, I suggest you actually try and keep your powers back this time till we find out." "Sorry, Uncle." "You as well, Nii-san. You could've lost control and-" "Oh, shut up four-eyes. I know what I'm doing." Rin muttered, as Mephisto disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke. "You let your flames out in the middle of class, Nii-san. Not to mention you could've burned Akashi-" "OI said I know what I'm doing!" Rin all but screamed, as he roughly stood up. The room falling silent, as Yukio stared at his older brother for a few moments, before he turned and stomped down the hall. Rin's breathing heavy and pure rage in his eyes, till Chess whistled in amusement and Rin snapped out of it. The teen slumping onto the bed like dead weight, as Akira looked between the two of them and threw a notebook into Rin's lap. "Well, don't just sit there, you've got a history test to fail tomorrow." =============================================================================== A soft sigh left Akashi, as he rolled over in bed and fiddled with the sheets covering him. Ever since Rin had snapped at his little brother the lot of them silently worked on homework and helping Rin study, till Akira had to head back to his dorm building. By then Rin had gotten them both dinner from Ukobach, and by the time Akashi finished Rin had fallen asleep surrounded by his sloppy history notes. All of which Akashi had picked up and tucked away in Rin's backpack, before he collapsed in his own bed. Since then he had been tossing and turning trying to fall asleep. He was still worked up over the conversation they had had, and what worried the teen the most was what Yukio had brought up. The single lone fact that if he died at the hands of the enemy, then the gates to Wonderland would permanently stay open and everything would break free from the gates. And the only reason he was still alive, and the gates were closed, was because Rin had saved him. And without Rin he'd be dead. Just at the thought, Akashi couldn't help but curl into himself and bury his face into the pillow under him. His entire body shaking, as his tail tightly wrapped around his waist. A few moments of agonizing silence washing over him, before he turned over and felt his chest tighten. "R-Rin, are you still asleep?" Akashi softly called, as he carefully sat up. Not even a noise leaving his roommate, as the teen carefully got out fo bed and walked over to the older's bedside. The smaller finding Rin tangled up in a terrible mess of sheets and his tail hanging over the side of the bed, as he carefully reached over and gently shook the male. It taking several moments, before Rin stirred awake and sleepily looked up at him. "Akashi, what'd you need?" The teen sleepily asked, as the smaller chewed on his lower lip. "I…I…" In the silence the smaller's hand dropped to his side and Rin sat up. "Akashi, what's wrong?" Rin pressed, the teen a little more awake then before. "I-It's nothing." The white-haired teen spoke, as he turned back to his bed and Rin grabbed his wrist. "It's not nothing if you woke me up at two in the morning." Rin spoke, as the teen's eyes widened and he looked at the clock. Had he been awake for the last four hours tossing and turning? "It's really nothing." The teen finally spoke, when he got control over himself and tried to walk back to his bed. A move that failed as Rin held tightly to his wrist and the teen jerked back. "Rin-" "Remember what I told you yesterday?" Rin asked, as the teen turned toward him and he saw the serious look on his face in the dark. "I'm here if you ever want to talk to me. I'll listen, even if it's two in the morning." A heavy silence fell over them, before the smaller nodded. Rin giving him a smile as he pulled him toward the bed and scooted back to give him room. A gesture that had the younger crawling into his roommate's bed, as Rin gave him a smile and gently ran his fingers though the younger's white hair. Something that put Akashi at ease, as he leaned against the touch and laid his head against Rin's pillow. An even bigger smile making it's way onto Rin's face. "Now, tell me what's wrong." Rin quietly demanded, as the teen opened his eyes he hadn't realized were closed and stared at the older. "I…I'm…scared." Akashi muttered, as Rin stared at him for a moment. "Scared? Scared of what?" Rin asked, as he sat up a little. "O-Of dying." Akashi spoke, as Rin's features fell. "I…If I die, then those demons will get to Wonderland. Anyone could get to Wonderland, and I can't let that happen. I mean, I was overpowered by a small pack of demons. What'll happen when it's a bigger pack, or they attack me when I'm weaponless? Chess can't fight them off alone if I can't fight with him, and Jabber can't take on so many enemies at once. I…If they get ahold of me I'm as good as dead." In the silence that followed the teen wipped the tears forming in his eyes. The teen next to him gently running his fingers through the yougner's hair, as he gazed down at him. The older pulling him close the next moment and pressing him against his chest, as the smaller dug his fingers into his roommate's shirt. Rin holding him tightly against him, before he buried his face into the others white hair. "They won't get ahold of you, Akashi. I'll make sure of it." Rin softly spoke, as he rubbed the teen's back as he started softly sobbing. "They won't be able to lay a finger on you, because they'll have to get through me first." "B-but they could kill you." Akashi spoke, as he looked up at the older with a panicked look in his eyes. "This is my fight and I can't let you get hurt for my-" In that moment Rin gave him a soft smile, before pressing his lips softly against the younger's. The act instantly quieting the other as he stared wide- eyed at the half-demon, before melting into the kiss. His tail swaying happily behind him, before Rin's brushed against his own and their tails intertwined. Their intimate moment only lasting a minute or two, before the older pulled away and gave him a reassuring smile. "Your fight is my fight." Rin softly spoke, as he gently caressed the younger's cheek. A small nod left the white-haired half-demon, before Rin pulled him close. The two of them cuddling up against each other, as Akashi traced small circled and swirls against the sheets. The action calming him, while Rin softly rubbed his back and reassured him through his touch. "Rin." "Yeah?" "Thank you." In the moments after Akashi fell asleep beside the older. A soft smile making it's way onto Rin's face, as he placed a gentle kiss on his roommate's forehead and couldn't help but softly gaze down at his new crush. "Your welcome, Akashi." =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 5 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 5~ The moment Rin woke up and found Akashi still curled up in his side was the moment he couldn't help but smile. The teen was pressed as close to his chest as he could manage, while his tail stayed firmly curled around the older's. A look of peace on his roommate's face, as Rin gently reached out to gently run his fingers though the younger's hair. A wave of happiness leaving him, as the teen mumbled in his sleep and leaned into the touch. His white hair falling into his face, and the bed softly creaking with the movement, as Rin's smile only grew wider. That was until he remembered the younger's worries last night. His tail tightening around the younger's and his happy look fading the moment an image of a sobbing Akashi flashed through his mind. His mismatched eyes full of tears and his head buried in Rin's chest, as Rin pulled the sleeping teen next to him closer and silently cursed. Why were those demons after Akashi? What would they gain from killing the young keeper and getting into Wonderland? There wasn't a single thing there for them to gain from, and Rin couldn't imagine his life without the younger now. Sure they had only known each other for a whooping forty-eight hours, but he had already become attached to the teen. Akashi was everything he would've wanted. Strong, open-minded, playful, curious, and when he needed to be; silent. Not like Rin saw silence as a good thing, but Akashi's silent disposition around others made Rin feel special. Almost like Rin was the only one allowed to hear him speak. The only one he would talk to, and when they did it was personal. And even if Akashi didn't notice, it made Rin feel special. Especially when the teen and Chess battled him in class. A smile had been adoring the younger's face the entire battle, as him and his Cheshire cat fought him tooth and nail. And when they won and Akashi helped him to his feet he could feel the happiness waving off of him. Almost as if he had enjoyed the battle all too much and wanted more. Even Chess had seemed pleased with Rin. And yet, when Rin gazed down at the smaller, he couldn't help but feel it. The strong pull on his chest that told him one thing. He was in love with Akashi. "Rin…what time is it?" A sleepy keeper asked groggily, as Rin smiled at the younger and glanced at the clock. "Almost noon." "Noon!" In an instant the teen bolted upright. The younger turning to him with a worried look on his face. "Don't we have school?!" "Nope, it's Saturday. You started school yesterday on a Friday." Rin spoke, as the teen let out a relieved sigh and fell back on the bed beside the older. "You could've woke me up, though." "You needed the sleep." Rin spoke, as Akashi turned toward him and the older looked between the teen's red and purple eyes. "Besides, you looked too comfortable to wake up." In an instant the smaller's face heated up a bright red, before his mismatched gaze fell to the sheets. "Sorry about that." Akashi muttered, before Rin gently ruffled his hair. "I don't mean to be clingy. You should've put me back in my bed." "I never said I hated it, though." The half-demon spoke, getting the younger's blush to turn a little darker. "Besides, you seem to sleep easier this way." A soft nod was all he got from the younger, before he fiddled with the sheets. His white hair a cute mess and a huge black t-shirt and short white shorts covering his legs. Their tails still wrapped around each others, even after all the moving they did, before Rin reached out and brushed the hair out of the younger's face. Akashi's eyes instantly on him, before Blackie jumped into the room from the open window. The soft padding of the sit cat's feet catching Akashi's attention, as he turned to stare at the little demon as Blackie stared at the younger. "Rin, who is this?"Blackie curiously asked, as he jumped off the desk and padded toward them. Akashi's eyes on the cat the entire time. "This is Akashi. He's the half-demon I told you I was going to save." Rin spoke, as the little sith cat jumped onto the bed and curiously watched the younger. A small awkward wave leaving the smaller, before Kuro walked right in the middle of them and sat down. A gesture he knew all too well, as he reached out to pet his familiar and Akashi beat him to it. The teen gently rubbing his fingers against the little cat's head and a soft purr leaving Blackie, as he leaned into the touch and laid down between them. His twin tails swaying behind him in bliss, while Akashi kept the gentle scratching going. "I like him, Rin. Keep him." Blackie purred, as Akashi gently chuckled and scratched behind the cat's ears. "So do I." Rin softly spoke. "So do I." =============================================================================== "So that's where you went." A playful voice spoke. A smile making it's way onto Akashi's face as he turned away from the pad in his lap to see Rin walking toward him. The teen was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, as he made the small trek across the roof to plop down beside the younger. A small sketchpad in his lap he had bought with a little bit of the money his Uncle gave him, and pencil in hand, as he turned back to his drawing. Sketched across the page was a half finished drawing of Blackie, who was currently sun bathing a few feet from him. "Wow, that's awesome. I didn't know you could draw." Rin spoke in amazement, as he leaned a little closer to look at it. "It looks so real! How'd you learn to draw like that?" "I had an instructor in Finland who taught me." Akashi spoke, as he returned to drawing and Rin intently watched from as he listened. "My father and I lived there for most of our lives, before me moved to Japan. Of course he disappeared not too long after one night. Must've been because of the demon he fought." A small silence fell over them, as Akashi started sketching in Blackie's tail and Rin watched. "Why'd you guys decided to move to Japan, anyway?" Rin asked, as Akashi gave him a weird look and the teen held his hands up in defense. "Not like I'm against it, because we would've never met, but I'm curious." A soft sigh left the white-haired half-demon, as he turned back to his drawing and his tail swayed behind him in nervousness. "Dad said we needed to switch locations with one of his buddies." Akashi spoke, as he drew Blackie's tail and moved to work on his face. "He never said who, or why, but he said it was important. Something about Assiah's safety." "Assiah's safety? What's that mean?" Rin asked, as the younger shrugged his shoulders and Rin frowned. "Well that's confusing." "You're telling me. I had a lot of good friends back in Finland. Most of them were young exorcists in training." "You were friends with exorcists and they didn't hate you?" Rin spoke in surprise, as Akashi turned to him and gave him a weird look. "No. Why would they have a reason to hate me when I was training with them? We were all teammates." A moment of silence fell over them, as Rin's gaze fell to the ground. Pain appearing in his eyes, as Akashi gave him a worried look and set his pencil down. "Rin…your classmates are afraid of you, aren't they?" "Well I'm the Son of Satan. What other reason do they have?" Rin muttered, as Akashi gave his roommate a soft look and their tails brushed together. "They think I have no control over my flames, but I do. I mean, it's a little hard, but I can." "I believe you." Akashi spoke, as Rin looked at him in hope. "When we fought and you used your flames to scare me off, Chess stepped in front of me and they weren't even hot." A nod left his roommate, as his eyes fell back to the cement. A soft sigh leaving Akashi and he fell to his side and landed in the older's lap. Rin's eyes widening, as Akashi gazed up at him and brushed the hair out of Rin's face and behind his ear. "You have plenty of control, Rin." Akashi spoke softly, as Blackie got up from his spot to look at the sketch of himself that was forgotten on the roof. "Sure you need a little work, but you have control. And I know you'd never hurt me or your teammates. They're just a bunch of idiots. Don't listen to them." A soft smile appeared on the teen's face as he looked down at the younger with relief. The teen gently cupping the smaller's cheeks, before he leaned over and pressed their lips together. A soft gasp leaving his roommate's lips, before he eased into the kiss and pressed his lips harder against the older's. A soft groan leaving Rin's throat, before he pulled away from the smaller. A deep red blush covering his cheeks, as he pressed his fingers against his lips in embarrassment. His eyes darting was from the older, as Rin chuckled softly. "I-I'm guessing we're more than roommates then." Akashi muttered, as Rin smiled. "I'd like us to be. If you want to." Rin spoke, as the smaller glanced up at him and smiled. "A-Alright." A huge grin appeared on Rin's face, as he pressed their foreheads together and let out a held breath. Yeah, he could get used to this. =============================================================================== "The food Ukobach and you cook is amazing!" Akashi spoke happily, as they walked into their shared roo and Rin couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you like it so much." Rin chuckled, as he shut the door behind them to keep his nosy brother out. "You have a favorite food we could make? I'd love to try something new." A look of concentration appeared on the younger's face, before he lit up. "Sushi!" Akashi spoke in excitement, as he practically beamed. "I love sushi." "Sushi, I can try that." Rin chuckled, as he sat on his bed and watched the younger dig through his drawers under the bed for pajamas. His eyes scanning over the younger keep the whole while. "I can't wait them." The white-haired half-demon spoke, as he stood up with his clothes in hand and paused the moment their eyes met. "R-Rin." "Yeah?" "You're staring." The younger softly mumbled, as Rin smiled and leaned back a little. "That's because I see something I like." Rin calmly spoke, as the younger's face flushed. An even bigger smile adoring the half-demon's features, as he gestured the other toward him. A move that had Akashi raising an eyebrow in curiosity, as he stepped toward the older. It only taking a few paces, before he was standing in front of his roommate with his clothes in hand. Something that Rin didn't seem to care about, when he suddenly wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him into his lap. A move that had the younger gasping in surprise, as his knees landed on either side of the older's legs. His eyes a little wide, before he let out a sigh and relaxed in the older's lap. A small smile appearing on the keeper's face, as he gently ran his fingers through his roommate's hair and Rin softly purred. "Someone is acting a little needy today." Akashi joked, as Rin softly smirked. "Well how can I not when you agreed to start a relationship with me." Rin spoke calmly, before he leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the younger's lips. "I can't help but be happy." "Well I'm glad." The younger's spoke, as he gently kissed the older back and made a move to get off his lap. A move that quickly faded as Rin's grip around his tightened, forcing him to stay where he was and glance at the older. "Rin?" "Where are you going?" "To bed." Akashi spoke simply, as Rin frowned and fell back so the younger landed against his chest. "R-Rin!" "Sorry, but you're staying here tonight." Rin spoke, as Akashi blinked at him. "That alright?" A smile instantly made it's way onto the younger's face, as he snuggled into the older chest and let their tails intertwine. "It's fine." =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 6 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole Chapter 6~ "Are you and Akashi dating?" In an instant Rin spit the water in his mouth all over Akira. A frown appearing on the male's face, as he wiped the water off his face and smeared it over his gym shirt. Their classmates resting all around them, after being forced to run three miles around the track. Of course for Akira and Rin it had been as easy as breathing, but they were half-demons and they recovered almost instantaneously. "W-Why do you ask?" Rin stuttered, as he hesitantly took another sip of water and chewed on the edge of the bottle. "Well you two haven't left each other's sides in the past week, and last time I checked I've never beat you on the track." Akira frowned, as he sat on one of the bleachers and Rin leaned against the railing in defeat. "That, and according to your brother, your actually studying." A heavy sigh left Rin, as his eyes fell to the water bottle and Akira ran a hand through his hair. A smile making it's way onto the lavender-haired teen's face the moment he saw Rin's tail twitch under his shirt and his fingers tighten around his water bottle. If anything Akira knew what his best friend was thinking without even using his abilities. He had so many visions of the half-demon he knew him inside and out, and it made it hard to keep anything from him. "Yeah, Akashi and me are dating." Rin muttered in the moments after, his eyes meeting Akira's as a blush came across his cheeks. "I know we only just met over a week ago, but we just clicked as cheesy as it sounds." A smile made it's way onto Akira's face, as their teacher announced class was over. The lavender-haired half-demon pushing himself to his feet, before clasping a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I'm glad for you two." Was all he spoke as he made his was down the stairs, Rin right behind him. "Akashi's a good influence on you. He keeps your head on straight." "And it wasn't on straight before?" Rin joked, as Akira rolled his eyes. "Not even close." The other spoke, getting a pout from the Son of Satan. "It was tilted so far to the right I thought it'd come clean off." "You're mean." Rin muttered as they made their way to the boy's locker room. Two figures in the distance catching Akira's gaze as he stopped for a moment and squinted his eyes. The act doing nothing, as Rin stopped a few feet in front of him and looked back at him in confusion. "Akira?" "Isn't that the Paladin?" Akira asked, as he pointed to the two figures and Rin followed his finger. "Why's he with Akashi?" "Shit!" Rin yelled, as he tore off toward the boy's locker room. His best friend's departure putting Akira on edge, as he let his tail duck under his shirt and glanced at the tall blonde. This was far from good. =============================================================================== "You're amazing as always, Akashi." Shima spoke, as he looked at the teen's sketchbook while trying to finish his painting. "You going to become a professional?" "Artist? No, probably not." The half-demon spoke, as he looked over his shoulder at him. "I'm a half-demon and we live longer than humans. They'd notice something was wrong when I didn't age to the age of thirty till they were fifty." "Makes since, but you could always change names after so many years." The pink- haired teen spoke, as he turned back to his painting. "You'd still become a professional and all. You'd just be several different people who either died after an incident or disappeared from the face of the art world." "Jeeze, Shima. Look at you, genius." Akashi joked lightly, as Shima laughed a little and gave him his trademark smile. "You going to be a professional painter? You're talented enough." In the moments after Shima's face fell, as he gripped his paintbrush tightly. The wood creaking harshly, and his brush mere centimeters from the canvas, before he leaned back and let his hand fall to his side. "I-I wish I could, but I can't." Shima spoke, as he turned and gave him a strained smile. "My family is full of exorcists. If I were to become a painter I'd be letting them down." "But you should do what you love." Akashi spoke, as Shima sadly nodded and the bell rang. "Shima-" "Looks like class is over. I'll see you later, Akashi." The pink-haired teen spoke, as he grabbed his things and left. The art room falling silent in a matter of moments, as the rest of his classmates quickly filled out of the room and to their next class. Nothing but the sound of bird chirping and the occasionally drip of the sink faucet reaching his ears, as he let out a heavy sigh and got up. The teen shoving his sketchbook and pencils into his bag, before slinging it over his shoulder and turning to the door. A move that turned out to be a fatal one as he met face to face with the Paladin of the Vatican. Nothing more than a smirk on the man's face, as Akashi stood tall and kept himself composed. Just like his father taught him. "Angel." "Keeper." A moment of silence fell over them, as Akashi played with the thought of having Chess switch with him, but knew it was no good. It'd only put the Cheshire cat in danger and Akashi needed to handle this. "What do you want Paladin?" Akashi asked calmly, his attitude simmering down from his playful attitude to a serious one. "You wouldn't be if you didn't need to be." "The Vatican wants the whereabouts of your father." Angel spoke, as Akashi softly glared at the man. "And why do you want this information?" "A band of demons are rising up and a certain demon is leading them from afar. One your father fought a few years back." "And?" "And if we find your father we find the demon responsible. Then we'll get rid of them both." "You have no reason to kill my father. He did everything he could do to protect you humans from that thing." "His achievement means nothing. He's a demon and demons are filth mean to be eradicated under God's name." Angle spoke proudly, before e glared deepily at the younger. "And you're no different." In an instant Akashi ran toward the window and jumped over the ledge. The half- demon landing on his feet from the two story jump, just as the Paladin ran toward the window, and took off. The half-demon doing his best to put distance between himself and the paladin, as he turned his back to see the man come running out of the building after him. His sword at the read, as Akashi cursed and ran faster. His legs taking him over the school grounds and toward the track, till the Paladin's sword suddenly came flying out of nowhere and smashed into the ground in front of him. The half-demon umping out of the way in time to avoid injury, as he summoned his scythe. The Paladin coming to a stop beside his blade, as he pulled it from the ground and smirked. "So, are you going to back down now, or am I going to force you to submit?" The paladin calmly spoke, as Akashi glared at him. "Submit my ass. No being would submit to you." Akashi growled, as the paladin frowned and held his sword at the ready. "Then I'll make you the first." "Bring it, Blondie." Akashi taunted before their blades clashed. The paladin instantly gritting his teeth at the heavy vibrations streaming through his blade as Akashi brushed it off like child's play. His movements casting a heavy burden on the older, as he jumped back to put distance between them and barely noticed the two figures standing on the track. "Now you see our difference in strength, Paladin?" The white-haired half-demon spoke, as he lowered his weapon slightly. "I've been trained since I could walk to become a Keeper of Wonderland. I'm no force to be messing with." "That may be true or it may be false, but either way your a demon." Angel bit out, as he shook his arm and glared at him. "And demons-" "Are filth. I get it. You don't have to lecture me like Rin." Akashi finished, as he earned a deeper glare. "Look, Rin is finishing gym right now and I need to get to him before class ends. So lets finish this and move on, shall we?" "You took the words right out of my mouth, demon." And in the next moment the sound of steel colliding with steel filled the air. The two of them practically in each other's faces with each blow. Nothing but expert level swordsmanship leaving both males, as Akashi whipped his scythe to the side. The blade catching the older's sword in one of it's groves, before Akashi sent it flying out of the paladin's hands. The heavy blade landing in the grass over twenty feet from the blonde, before Akashi stabbed his scythe into the ground and leaned against it. A bored look on his face, as the paladin gave him a heavy glare and Akashi ignored it completely. "I think we're done here, paladin." The half-demon spoke, as he scythe disappeared and the teen turned to see Rin running toward him with his sword and Akira in tow. "Great, now you made it more complicated." The paladin didn't even speak as he got up and walked to retrieve his sword. The younger's boyfriend coming to a stop next to him and worry in his eyes as he tightly gripped the Kurikara. "Akashi, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" Rin asked in worry, as he looked the younger over for injury. "I'm fine, Rin." Akashi spoke calmly, as the paladin finally reached his sword. "He wasn't even a challenge." In response the older male sent him a glare and replaced his sword on his hip. Rin the one to let out a growl at the male's glare, before he looked to Rin in surprise and backed down. "I'll be back." "No you won't." Akashi spoke, before the male turned and left. Akira the one to walk over and stop beside them. "What did he want?" The half-demon asked, as Akashi relaxed at the male's disappearance and let Rin wrap an arm around his boyfriend's waist. The teen looking to their best friend. "Nothing important." The younger spoke, as he leaned into his boyfriend's side. "Let's get to lunch or we'll run out of time." A nod was all the two of them gave him as Rin lead them ahead. Akira slowly falling behind, his gaze on the back of the Keeper's head, as he frowned. Something didn't feel right. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 7 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole  Chapter 7~ "I heard you had a run in with the Paladin." In the silence that followed Akashi looked over his shoulder to find his Uncles standing behind him on the roof. The sky dark above them and not even a single star in the sky. The moon fill and the air sending a bitter chill through the younger, as he nodded and looked back toward his view of campus and True Cross Town. "Unfortunately he graced me with his presence." Akashi spoke. "What did he want?" "Father's location. I didn't give it to him though." A moment passed, before his uncle spoke. "You do realize you can't hide your secrets for much long, don't you? Not since you've fallen in love with the older Okumura brother." Mephisto spoke as a small blush appeared on the keeper's cheeks. "Everything is about to catch up with you." "I know." The young keeper replied, as he stood up and rubbed his fingers through Chess's fur the moment he appeared beside him. "It's time I became a proper keeper." Time/Line Break "Akashi, you're up early." Rin's voice spoke behind him, as the white-haired half-demon closed his eyes. "I woke up and you weren't in bed. You had me a little worried." "Rin." "Yes?" Silently the teen turned around in the dinning room chair he was sitting in and met the teen's gaze. The happy look in his eyes fading, as he let go of the teen's backpack in his hand. The object hitting floor and books scattering across the floor the moment Rin saw the tears in his mismatched eyes. Nothing but pain and sadness in them, as Rin stared at him in worry and quickly walked to his side. "Akashi, what's wrong?" In response all Akashi could do was shake his head as Rin sat down beside him at the table. Nothing but worry in his eyes, as Rin gently took the teen's hands in his own and their eyes meet. A light flashing through his boyfriend's eyes he had never seen before. "Akashi. Tell me what's wrong. I can help." Rin spoke, as the smaller shook his head. "Akashi-" "The thing is you can't help me this time, Rin. What's happening with this demon and Wonderland is too big for me to drag you into." Akashi spoke, his eyes slowly falling to his lap. "And this shouldn't have happened to begin with." "Akashi, I don't understand what you're talking about." The taller spoke, as the keeper squeezed his hands. "What I mean is that us meeting shouldn't have happened to begin with." Akashi explained, as Rin's eyes widened. "Don't get me wrong, Rin. I'm glad we met and I found the love of my life, but this happened at the worst possible time. Not to mention staying here has caused me to stray from my goal and my mission." "A-Akashi. What are you trying to say?" Silently the smaller looked up till their eyes met. Nothing but regret and pain in the younger's mismatched eyes, as he squeezed the teen's hands and gave him a small smile. "Rin. I love you with every fiber of my being, but I can't stay with you any longer. Wonderland needs me." Complete silence fell over the room as Rin stared into his boyfriend's serious gaze. Every bit of the Akashi he once knew gone as Rin harshly swallowed. His gaze falling to his lap as he squeezed his eyes shut and mimicked the younger's tight grip on his hands. So this was it, after all the moments and secrets they shared. "S-So you're leaving. Just like that?" Rin asked, as Akashi nodded. "I don't have a choice, Rin. I can't stay innocent and stupid forever. Everything will catch up with me eventually and the last thing I want is you in the cross fire. Besides, I'm back at full strength, so I won't be going down easy." A nod was all the older could give the keeper in that moment. Chess's presence by the door disappearing and leaving them alone since the beginning of the conversation as Akashi gave him a small smile. A smile that told him he'd be fine and that he was going to come back alive, as Rin met his boyfriends gaze and returned his smile. "Is there anything you want before I leave?" Akashi softly asked, as Rin's eyes widened. "I can give you just about anything you want." "You won't stay if I ask, will you?" "No." "Th-then." A small pause filled the air, before Rin tightly gripped his hands and gazed back at him with all the seriousness he could muster. "Mate with me." "M-Mate with you?" Akashi stuttered, as he pulled his hands away and his face turned a bright red. Every bit of seriousness in his boyfriend's eyes gone and he stared at the floor. "W-Why? We're only known each other for a week." "A smile made it's way onto Rin's face, as he took the younger's hands in his own and gently squeezed them. "Because I love you, Akashi." Rin spoke, as the teen's eyes widened. "And I read up on mating a few days ago while you were out drawing. If you're really set on leaving and ending whatever this is on your own and you die, I'll never be able to live it down. At least let me have this much, so I can leave this world with you." A moment of silence fell over them as they stared at one another, before Akashi hesitantly nodded. The smile on the older's face only widening, as he gently tugged on the younger's hands in his own and pulled him onto his feet. The blush on the younger's face only darkening as his boyfriend lead him out of the dinning room and toward the stairs. Both of them silent as they made their way up the two flights of stairs and to their shared room. Rin closing the door behind him and flipping the lock, before he turned and placed a soft kiss on the younger's lips. Akashi carefully leaning forward and wrapping his arms around the older's neck, before Rin suddenly grabbed his thighs. A gasp leaving his lips as Rin walked them to his bed and laid them down. "R-Rin-" Akashi heavily stuttered, as the older chuckled and gave him a reassuring look as he leaned down to give him another kiss. "Relax, Akashi. Just trying to make you more comfortable." Rin spoke, before capturing his lips once more. A heavy red blush spreading across the younger's face like wild fire and a gasp leaving his lips, before Rin shoved his tongue into the keeper's mouth. The hot muscle suddenly attacking his mouth with a heavy vigor, as Akashi dug his fingers into the teen's shoulders and whimpered. The teen hesitantly brushing his tongue against the older's and Rin's hands finding the buttons on his shirt. The half-demon above him pulling the younger into a playful dance, as he quickly unbuttoned the teen's shirt and slid it off his shoulders. A small smirk appearing on his face the moment he finally pulled his lips away from the other's and looked down at the revealed skin before him. The keeper's face turning an even deeper shade of red, as he quickly cross his arms over his chest and looked away in embarrassment. His tail swaying against the bed in nervousness, as Rin leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the teen's cheek. "It's alright, Akashi." Rin spoke softly, as the keeper turned to glance at him and the older saw the worry in his eyes. "Are you a-?" In an instant Akashi slapped a hand over Rin's mouth. His ears now a deep red, as he slowly nodded and his eyes fell to the sheets. "I-I'm a virgin." Akashi softly spoke, causing Rin to give him an apologetic look and took Akashi's hand in his. "Th-then maybe I shouldn't do this. I feel like I'm forcing you." Rin muttered, as Akashi chewed his bottom lip. "I love you, but I'd never forgive myself if I did this and you didn't want to." "I do want this." Came the quiet reply, as he looked up at his roommate. "I want you." A small smile appeared on Rin's lips as he gently kissed the keeper and pulled off his own shirt. The fabric hitting the floor and the older's lips connecting with his and the button on the keeper's jeans coming undone, as Rin pulled away to pull off the denim and toss it to the floor. A huge plop echoing in the room, as Rin's face turned red and Akashi quickly closed his legs together. "You've been going commando?" Rin stuttered, his face turning redder as Akashi tried to find something to pull over himself and hide under. "Y-yes, so what?" The younger challenged, as Rin grabbed his knees and forced his legs apart. A small squeak leaving the keeper as he tried to cover himself up and Rin grabbed his hands, a pleased smile on his face. "I like it." He spoke, as the end of his tail disappeared under the bed. "I gotta wonder if you've gone commando this entire time." "Pervert." "You're the one not wearing underwear." Rin chuckled, as Akashi huffed and the older's tail reappeared holding a bottle of lotion. "Wh-what's that for?" "You'll find out." Rin spoke, as he popped it open and squirted some on his fingers. The younger opening his mouth to speak, before his roommate's finger suddenly slipped into him and he gasped. A smile on Rin's face as he moved the finger around inside of him and leaned down to kiss him. One kiss turning into several, as his roommate's kisses slowly trailed down his jaw and to his neck. Sharp teeth scrapping against his neck and a moan leaving the younger, as Rin purred and looked up at the keeper. "You like that?" Rin asked, as he slowly worked a second finger into the younger. "N-no." Akashi mumbled, a sudden moan leaving his lips as the demon's teeth scrapped against his neck once more. "Y-yes!" A chuckle left the older, as he carefully slipped in the third finger and winced when a whimper left the keeper. A sudden pain jolting up his spine, as the teen tried to close his legs and Rin quickly quieted him. A rush of apologies leaving his lips as he gently kissed the tears starting to roll down the keeper's cheeks and carefully stretch the younger. The soft whimpers turning into moans in a matter of minutes, as Rin finally pulled out his fingers and grabbed the lotion. Akashi's eyes on him as Rin quickly pulled off his jeans and boxers, the older squirting some lotion into his hand and lubing up his own cock. "I don't think that's going to fit." Akashi shakily spoke. "It will, trust me." Rin spoke, as he helped the teen to his knees and gave him a small smile. "I've got a way to make it easier, just turn around for me." A hesitant nod left the younger, as he turned around and felt Rin instantly come up behind him. Their bodies pressed together, as the older guided him to his hands and knees. The younger shaking slightly as Rin gently hushed him and kissed his neck. "Just relax Akashi." Rin softly spoke as he slowly pushed the head of his erection into the younger. A whimper leaving the younger at the sudden stretch and burn, as Rin's tail intertwined with his. The older getting about half way in, before he stopped at the sound of Akashi's loud whimpers of pain and gently kissed him. The teen shaking from head to toe, as Rin quietly waited for the keeper to adjust before Akashi's tail tightened around his. A sign to say he was ready to continue, as Rin carefully pulled out to the head of his erection and thrusted into the younger. A sudden moan leaving the teen below him, as his walls tightened around him as Akashi's back arched out. A small chuckle leaving the teen, as he started a slow pace of gentle thrusts till Akashi was rocking back to meet him and he was fully impaled on his cock with each thrust. Their pace slowly quickening with the rise of the teen's moaning and the bed creaking harshly underneath them, as Akashi grabbed onto the teen's arm. "Turn me around." Akashi spoke between moans, his nails digging into Rin's arm as he slammed into his prostate. "Oh shit, Rin." Without hesitation the older quickly pulled out of the keeper and flipped him over. Akashi's head hitting the mattress, before Rin was suddenly over him again and thrusting into him. A loud moan leaving the teen's throat as he dug his nails into the older's arms and threw his head back. His tail lashing out and his cock twitching against his stomach, as Rin leaned down and kissed him. "Mark me." Rin demanded between pants, the moment their lips separated. "B-but-" "Please." A barely noticeable nod left the younger, before Rin suddenly slammed into his prostate again and the younger came. A loud moan leaving him, as he pulled the older down and bit into his neck. The taste of blood rushing into his mouth as Rin groaned above him and came inside of him. The younger's teeth suddenly unlatching from his roommates throat and the older's teeth in his neck, as Akashi winced and gasped. The pain leaving as suddenly as it came as Rin pulled away from him and collapsed beside him. The two of them panting as Rin softly chuckled and pulled him to his side. A small groan of protest leaving the younger, till he noticed a flash of silver on his hand and looked down to see a silver band on his ring finger. "Where did this come from?" Akashi mumbled, as Rin smiled and gently kissed his hand. "I put it on you while you were distracted." Rin spoke, as Akashi frowned slightly. "I bought them the other day after you said we were going out. I thought you'd like it." "I do, thank you." Akashi spoke, as Rin smiled and the younger looked at the ring. "When I get back we should get them engraved." A smile instantly appeared on the older's face, as he started ranting off all the things they could put on them and Akashi's tail tightened around the older's. That is if he made it back. =============================================================================== Rin snoring was all that reached the half-demon's ears as Akashi lay silently beside his mate. The teen's arm wrapped lazily around his wait and his tail around his thigh, as Akashi leaned back against the older's chest. His soft breathing between his snores putting the smaller at ease. That was until Chess appeared on the smaller's bed. The Cheshire cat using his duplicate form, as neon blue stripes glowed on his skin. A pocket watch in his hand and the intricate carvings glowing a soft gold in the dark room. "It's time we leave." Chess spoke, as Akashi nodded. "I'll give you a few more minutes with your mate." In the next moment Chess disappeared as fast as he came. The smaller's bed as empty as it had been for the past week, as Akashi let out a soft sigh. His mismatched eyes falling on Rin's hand intertwined with his and the steel rings that sat on their ring fingers. Rings Rin had expertly slipped on both their fingers without him noticing till after he had his way with him and they were laying in a tangled mess. The simple steel bands enough to make Akashi weakly smile, as he turned to look at his sleeping mate's face. Nothing but peace and happiness covering his mate's features, as Akashi reached out and brushed a few stay hairs from the teen's face. "I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, Rin." Akashi whispered softly. "Although I's give anything to stay with out, I can't. Wonderland needs me and I need to put a stop to what my father tried to finish. You have to understand I'm only doing this to protect you. After all, what demon in this world doesn't want to kill you?" Silence filled the air around them as Akashi carefully removed himself from his mate's hold. Not even a groan or protest leaving the older, while Akashi slowly got dressed. The rustling of fabric the only sound in the room, before Akashi pulled on his shoes and looked at the pocket watch on the bed. The design still glowing, as Akashi walked over to it and stopped beside it, his fingers inches away from the object. "Rin, if I could cast my duties aside I'd want nothing more than to be beside you for the rest of my life." Akashi spoke in a normal tone, his voice not even disturbing the sleeping teen. "But fate is cruel and I have no choice now. So I want you to know I love you and no matter what I'll always be beside you." And in the next moment Akashi reached down and picked up the pocket watch. The soft glow intensifying in the dark room, as the keeper looked at his mate once more and couldn't help the tears that rolled down his face. "Good bye, Rin." In the moments after, Akashi was gone. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 8 ***** Beyond The Rabbit Hole M-rated RinXOC Akashi Chapter 8~ The sounds of birds chirping woke Rin up the next morning. His eyes slowly opening against the morning light, as he rolled off his back and reached out a hand beside him. Nothing but sheets reaching him, as Rin bolted upright and glanced at the empty space beside him. "Akashi…" Silence filled the room as Rin tightly gripped the sheets covering his lower half. Hurt and anger in his eyes as he glanced at the ring on his finger and growled. The teen getting out of bwd and dressing himself in seconds as his bedroom door opened to reveal his younger brother with an annoyed look on his face. "Rin, you're going to be la- You're up." His twin spoke in surprise, as the older shouldered Kurikara. "Where'd you get Kurikara? Shura-" "I took it back a week ago just after she took it back." Rin Spoke, as he pulled open one of his desk drawers and pulled out a mantra book and several holy water gernades. "What are you doing?" Yukio asked, a serious look on his face. "Where are you going?" "Out." "You're not going out if you're taking those!" Yukio yelled as he grabbed the bag Rin was holding and the contents spilled on the floor. Holy water gernades and several clips of holy water bullets clattering to the floor, as Yukio's eyes widened. The younger raising his head to meet his twin's gaze before his eyes widened. Reflected in his older brother's eyes was a look of maturity and seriousness the brunette thought he'd never see from his goofball of a brother. His gaze strong and hard as he ripped the bag from the younger's hand and knelt down to put the objects back in the bag. "N-Nii-san." "Akashi left." Rin spoke, as he zipped Akashi's messenger bag shut and grabbed the gun Yukio gave him in an emergency. "He went back to Wonderland." And it was in that moment Yukio saw the mark on his twin's neck. A patch of imprinted skin that looked like a small pocket watch reaching his gaze, before his eyes widened. Akashi was Rin's mate. "Rin, Akashi's a keeper. It's his job to go to Wonderland and-" "No. Something bad is in Wonderland and Akashi's afraid of it." Rin interrupted, as he pulled out his keys and grabbed the Headmaster's key. "And whatever it is I'm going to destroy it so Akashi can come back home." Nothing more was said between them, as Rin shouldered past his brother and used his key on the door. The teen pulling the door open and walking in without a second thought as the door slammed behind him. The man behind the desk looking up and giving him one of his usual smiles as he clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them. "Rin, what do I owe the pleasure?" Mephisto asked, as the hamster on the desk stopped munching and turned to look at him. "Akashi left to go to Wonderland." "I know. My nephew informed me of this." "Then can you tell me what's going on?" "Pardon?" "You know what's going on, you stupid clown!" Rin yelled, as he stomped over to the man's desk and slammed his palms onto it's surface. "Something dangerous in in Wonderland and Akashi's afraid of it! Now either you tell me what's going on, or I'll rip you limb from limb till you tell me!" A moment of silence fell over them as Mephisto blinked at him till he saw the mating mark on the teen's neck. "So that's how it is." Mephisto spoke, as he sighed and gestured the teen to sit. "Fine, I'll explain." Without a complaint Rin sat down in one of the man's god-awful chairs and crossed his arms over his chest. "To start with, Akashi is a keeper of Wonderland." Mephisto spoke, as the hamster went back to munching on seeds. "His father, Naroshi, was also a keeper and since Akashi's birth he's been trained to be a keeper. And to this date Akashi is the strongest keep ever to protect Wonderland, but that is beside the point. This something as you put it, is a very powerful demon Akashi's father battled four years ago." "Wait a second. You said was." "That's correct. As far as we know Naroshi is dead. At least that's what we believe since he locked himself and the demon in Wonderland." Mephisto spoke, as Rin frowned. "You see, even Akashi's father couldn't beat the demon and in a last ditch effort to protect Assiah he dragged himself and the enemy into Wonderland. HE locked the gate behind him and pulled the demon into the deepest pasts of Wonderland. This was four years ago and no one has heard from him since. Which leads us to believe he's dead." "So this demon-" "It's a high level nine demon. As you know demons are ranked by power from one to ten. Ten being the strongest and one being the weakest. Although Satan has no level because he exceeds level ten." "So it's that strong." "Unfortunetly, yes." Mephisto replied, as Rin glared down at his lap. "And as of yesterday Akashi is a low level nine, which put him on an almost equal ground as the demon." "So he has a chance?" "Possibly, but it's a hard decision." "What about me? What level am I?" "Seven." Came the man's simple reply, as Rin's eyes widened. "Only seven! The hell!" "You would be on the same level as your keeper, but you lack control on your flames and your demon." Mephisto spoke, as Rin let out a curse. "But by the way you're acting now and the fact your mate is in danger, your demonic instincts and your own are on the same level. Which means you and your demon should be able to work together and bump your power up to a level nine." "So I'll stand a chance?" "In theory, yes." "Then I need to get to Wonderland!" Rin spoke as he stood up quickly. "Is there anyway you can get me there?" "No. I'm not a keeper." The man spoke, as Rin growled in frustration. "Only keepers or a being holding the white rabbit's pocket watch can enter Wonderland." A moment of silence fell over them before Rin's eyes widened and he placed a hand over the mark on his neck. "The mating mark is a pocket watch." "Then you should be able to enter Wonderland." Mephisto spoke, as he gave him a small smirk. "How do I do that though? How do I open the gate?" "That's simple. You find a tree and focus on making an entry to Wonderland. A rabbit hole should open up. The rest is easy." A nod came from the teen, before he quickly stood up and headed for the door. "Thank you!" "Don't mention it, young Okumura. Good luck, you need it." =============================================================================== "This should be far enough." Rin muttered to himself as he came to a stop. After his meeting with Mephisto, Rin had left as quickly as he could. The teen heading for the small forest on the campus grounds and as deep into the trees as he could. The half-demon occasionally glancing behind him in case someone was following him, till he stopped. A huge tree in front of him that sat in the center of the forest, as Rin smiled and stopped just under it. "Perfect." Rin spoke to himself, before he paused. His mind going over the conversation he had with the headmaster, before he stopped and his eyes widened. Mephisto said he could bump up to a level nine if him and his demon cooperated, but up until now Rin has never spoke to him. Hell, he didn't even know where his demon was in his head. 'You know all you had to do was call me.' The half-demon blinking in confusion, before everything suddenly went black. His body crumpling to the ground as he fell unconscious. The darkness around him slowly disappearing and what looked like an open field spreading out around him, as Rin looked around in confusion. Where the hell was he? 'We're in your head.'The voice spoke, a lot closer than before. In the next moment Rin whipped his head around and stared at the figure behind him. Well, more like the man behind him. He was at least six foot and had Rin's eyes and hair color. The mignight blue locks reaching to his shoulders and just by looking at him he could tel how much more mature this man was. 'Nice to finally meet you in person.' The man spoke, as he snapped his fingers and the field disappeared. A nice furnished room with expensive looking chair appeared. 'You have to have plenty of questions by now.' A nod left the teen as he sat down in one of the chairs and watched as the demon sat across from him. 'Ask whatever you want and I'll answer the best I can.' The man spoke, as he leaned back in this chair and put his hands in his lap. "Alright, where are we?" 'Your head.'The man answered, before he paused.'Well we're in your head, but this is my domain.' "Domain?" 'I own a very small portion of your head.' The man spoke, as he shrugged. 'You won't ever use it, so I took up shop here.' "Alright, so you're my demon?" A nod. "Why do you look like me? And you're older too." 'I'm your demon half, so I have to look like you. And as for the older part, this is what you'd look like if you were a demon and lived in Gehenna. In reality we're both the same age, but my body aged a little faster.' A small nod left the teen, as he looked down at his lap. "Do all half-demons have a demon in their head?" 'Yes they do.'The demon spoke, as he gave him a smile. 'When a half-demon is born they're demon half becomes a separate presence. It's kind of like having a second voice in your head in the beginning, but for half-demon's like Akashi they eventually come in tune with their demon half. When this happened they can call on their half-demon's power and more times then not they gain their demon's personality.' "So that's why he acted so serious before." Rin spoke, as the demon nodded. 'For most of us demons who have a human half we're fairly serious creatures. That's mostly because our human halves are foolish and get themselves in trouble. Although that's not always the case. For a demon like myself I have a few emotional defects.'A wince appeared on the male's face as he rubbed the back of his head. 'I get a little out of control in battle and lose reason, resulting in mass destruction. You saw that in your fight with our half brother. I hadn't been let out till then and the sudden freedom coupled with the battle set me off. I couldn't help the destruction it caused, but I tried to make up for it in the court room when we got our sword back.' "You mean you killed Amaimon?" Rin asked in disbelief, as the demon played with the hair on the back of his head. 'Killed, no. Injured him severally though."The man spoke, as he finnaly put his hands back in his lap. 'But besides that fact, you wanted to tell me something, didn't you?' "Yeah." Rein quickly spoke, as he rubbed the mating mark on his neck. 'Is it about our mate?' "Yes." Came the soft mumble, as he looked at his demon. "Akashi left to go back to Wonderland and we have to go after him." 'And that reason is because he's scared f whatever is locked just beyond the gate?' The demon asked, as Rin nodded. A small smile appearing on the demon's face, as he stood up. 'Well you can count me in. I'll do everything to keep our mate safe. Consider my power yours.' "Seriously?!" Rin spoke in surprise, as he quickly stood up and his demon frowned. The demon raising his hand and smacking the teen in the back of the head. "Ouch the hell?!" 'Idiot. You're not the only one who mated last night.' The demon grumbled, as Rin blinked at him for a few moments. "Y-You mean you..with Akashi's demon?!" 'Well yeah. You're not the only one who gets to have a love life.' The demon frowned as Rin just stared at him. 'During all the time you spent with Akashi I got to hang around with his demon. One thing led to another and we hit it off like you two. It's kind of natural that the human and demon halves move at the same rate.' In that moment of silence Rin ran a hand over his face. Something that had the demon chuckling as he ruffled Rin's hair. 'Don't worry about that though. Right now we have to go to Wonderland and find Akashi.' The man spoke as Rin nodded. 'Then you follow, Rin. I'm right behind you.' "Right!" =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 9 ***** Beyond the Rabbit Hole Ch. 9 The snapping of twigs and dry leaves filled the air as Akashi calmly walked through the forest. Chess trailing behind him in his duplicate form, and creating wisps of smoke to entertain himself, as some of the forest creatures watched them from afar. "You know he's going to find out, don't you?" Chess finally asked as Akashi moved a branch out of his way and stopped. "Yeah, I know." Came the soft reply as the teen abruptly moved forward and the branch swung back and smashed into the cat's face. "But at least Rin will be safe." An angered grumble left the duplicate form, as he rubbed the reddening mark on his face, and ducked under the branch to follow after the teen. A few snickers from the creatures watching them angering the cat even further as he growled into the distance and smirked when the little creatures scurried off. The clearing of someone's throat catching his attention as he turned to see Akashi frowning at him with a displeased look on his face. "Chess-" "They were laughing at me!" The cat pouted, as the teen sighed and turned back onto the path toward their destination. A frown appearing on the Cheshire cat's face as he followed after the keeper and walked besides him. "He'll probably find out about Naroshi and that thing." Beside him Akashi stiffened as he awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets and dropped his eyes to the forest floor as he walked. A troubled, yet somewhat scared look on his face as Chess sighed and looked forward. "Akashi-" "I just want Rin to be safe. I don't want to drag him into this." Akashi spoke as he stared at the ground as he walked. "Dad started this and it's my job as a keeper to finish it. I can't let Rin get involved." "I honestly don't think Rin would care, Akashi. The kid loves you to death and the last thing he'd want is you getting hurt or dying." "But this is my duty, Chess. Dad trained me for this." Akashi spoke as he looked at the cat. "If I can't protect wonderland and Rin what good am I?" "Well for one you're better alive to us then dead." Chess spoke as the teen's eyes narrowed at him. "Honestly I don't get what your deal is about this, Akashi." A moment of silence passed between them as the trees started to get less denser and the smell of dry earth started to fill the air. "I'm just done running." Akashi finally spoke, before a ripple of energy broke through the air. The pair of them looking up at the sky as it rippled, before the energy registered in the teen's mind and he panicked as Chess smirked. "Looks like Rin found out." =============================================================================== "Are we in the right place?" Rin frowned as he stepped out of a semi-wreaked room and into a forest he had never seen before. 'We are, I can feel our mate's presence here.'The demon inside of him spoke as Rin's frowned deepened and he looked around. "Isn't it supposed to be colorful and childlike?" The teen spoke as he looked between the colorful interior of the wreaked room he walked out of and the dreary forest ahead of him. 'Wonderland has been without a keeper for an extended period of time. It was bound to change.' "It looked better in the storybooks." Rin frowned as he started walking away from the wreaked room and into the forest. "Hey, if you can tell Akashi is here can you tell me exactly where?" 'That won't be necessary. The cat is behind you.' "Wha-" Before the teen could even finish his question he was suddenly tackled from behind. A gasp leaving his lips as he suddenly crashed to the ground, with an extra bit of weight on top of him, and his demon half chuckling inside his head all the while. "About time you got here, Rin." Chess's voice suddenly spoke from behind him, as the teen turned his head to find the said cat in his duplicate form and sitting on his back. 'Told you.' "Yeah, yeah I heard you." Rin growled at his demon half, before he glared at the cat. "And you can get off me." "But it's fun up here." Chess pouted. "Plus you look a lot better down there." A growl left the teen as he suddenly got up and sent the cat tumbling to the ground. A frown on Rin's face as he brushed all the dirt and leaves off his shirt and looked down at the Cheshire cat frowning up at him. "That wasn't nice you know." Chess spoke, as he got up and dusted himself off. "I'm going to have dirt and leaves in my fur now. "You should've thought of that before you tackled me from behind." Rin rebutted, as the cat's frown deepened. "Now where is Akashi?" "Wow, no catching up or asking how I am?" The cat teased, before the frown on the teen's face turned to a deathly glare. "Alright, alright, cool it. He's on his way to the gate." "Gate?" A nod left the cat as he started walking into the forest and gestured for the teen to follow him with his tail. A gesture the teen followed as he eyed the cat suspiciously for a moment and followed after him. The cat's duplicate form still practically spot on to Akashi's appearance if it wasn't for the occasional glow of his neon blue stripes. Something that set Rin off a little, as he took a deep breath to calm himself down and shoved his hands in his pockets. "The gate was created during Naroshi's time as a keeper." Chess spoke, as Rin looked at the cat and Chess kept his gaze ahead of them. "Seeing as we had a rabbit hole leading into Wonderland, and not a gate, the word was free to use. However that isn't the important matter at hand here. What is important is what lays behind the gate that's important." "The demon." 'The demon.' "Correct, and not just an demon." Chess spoke, as he turned as looked at the teen. "It's a dragon." A frown appeared on the teen's face as he looked at the Cheshire cat and pulled his hands out of his pockets. "How is a dragon any worse of a threat as that Jabberwocky thing?" Rin asked, as Chess sighed and looked back ahead. A serious look on the cat's face. "The Jabberwocky's destiny is controlled by prophecy, that demon isn't, and because of that we couldn't stop it ourselves." Chess spoke, as he gaze fell to the ground. "Alice even tried to take on that thing and…" Silence fell over them as Rin felt his demon half freeze up for a moment and the teen suddenly realized why. "It killed Alice?" Rin spoke, as Chess nodded and looked at the teen. A sad look on his face. "She was determined to protect Wonderland from the demon, just as she did with the Jabberwocky, and before Naroshi could go after her to stop her she died." Came the reply. "He reached Alice just as that thing killed her and upon her death he fought the demon in her stead. He was determined to avenge her at all costs, but an hour into the battle he realized there was no way he was going to be able to protect Wonderland and beat the demon at the same time. The dragon was setting forests and towns ablaze, injuring and killing thousands, before Naroshi finally had enough. He lured the demon into the desert and created the gate, before pulling both him and the demon into its depths, and as the doors closed he told the White Rabbit and myself that we were to take care of Akashi and watch over him till he could return." "But he never did." A nod left the cat as he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "He left Akashi parentless and in the hands of a rabbit and cat." Said cat chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm surprise he didn't turn out more twisted." "Wait a second, you said parentless. What happened to Akashi's mother?" Rin spoke, as he suddenly grabbed the cat's arm and the two of them stopped. The cat turning to look at him and an endless silence falling between them. "She died battling the demon." Chess finally spoke, causing Rin's eyes to widen. "Valiantly if I might add." "Akashi's mother is Alice?" Rin managed to speak between the shock as the cat nodded. "Thee Alice?" "There isn't any other Alice." The cat frowned, as his tail twitched in annoyance. "Honestly, how do you think Akashi was born a half-demon? His father was a pure demon." "I'm mated to the son of a keeper and the original Alice." Rin spoke in shock, as Chess rolled his eyes. "It's not like you could do any better." The cat spoke, before the ground suddenly started to shake. The two teen's scrambling to keep their footing as the Cat cursed and started running. Rin grabbing onto a nearby tree and yelling after the cat, before Chess stopped long enough to turn to him and yell out above the quake. "We have to find Akashi! The Gate is open! =============================================================================== The moment Chess disappeared into wisps of smoke was the exact moment Akashi quickly turned tail and dashed off into the desert. His legs taking him across rough arid terrain as fast as his body would let him as the presence inside of him finally decided to speak up. 'We have to hurry, Akashi. It won't take them long to catch up to us.' "I know, that. Just give me a few minutes, father didn't exactly put the gate in an accessible place." 'Just hurry, Akashi.' "You don't have to tell me that twice." The teen mumbled to his other half as he quickly turned into a set of canyons. His footsteps pounding against the dry earth and echoing into the air above him, as the desert creatures watched him from afar. The lot of them knowing the teen was no doubt in route toward the gate, as they hung back and stayed out of his path. Akashi paying no mind to them as he suddenly skidded to a stop and cursed when he almost fell right over the edge of the cliff and dug his fingers into the earth. His breath heaving and sweat covering his brow, as he carefully stood up and glanced down the dark abyss below. "Shit, I thought it was shallower." 'So did I. I don't think I can get our body safely down there if we jumped.' "Maybe we don't have to jump." 'I don't like the tone in your voice.' "Well we don't have much time till Chess realizes we didn't stay put, now do we?" When no comment came back to him the teen conjured up his scythe and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." Before his other half could speak the teen quickly turned around and jumped backward off the cliff ledge. A gasp of shock leaving his other half as the teen sucked in a breath and tried not to focus on the fact they were falling into a dark pit. His fingers strangling the scythe in his hand before a flash of gold caught the edge of his sight and he cursed as he swung his weapon out. 'You idiot! We're gunna hit the bottom!' A growl left the teen as his scythe struck the rock and exploded upon impact. The weapon skidding downward and trying to catch inside the rock, as Akashi quickly swung his legs out and tried to dig his feet into the rock and slow his momentum. The bottom of the pit slowly appearing out of the darkness as his other half cursed and the teen's scythe suddenly caught. The force jerking the teen down harshly enough for a sickening pop to echo in the air as the teen let out a scream of pain and gave it everything he had to keep his fingers clinging to his weapon. Rock and debris from above crashing to the ground and echoing in the dimly lit area as Akashi cursed and tried to pull himself up with his good arm. "Shit, help me up." The teen spoke to his other half as he felt the nudge in his mind and he let the other presence take over. The exchange happening in seconds, and not bothering the teen in the slightest, as he leaned back into the chair his other half was kind enough to leave for him. A huge TV screen resting on the wall of the room his other half resided in as the teen watched his other half suddenly pull their body up onto the weapon keeping them from plummeting to their death and stood up on it. A hiss of pain coming from his other half as he gently placed a hand on their dislocated shoulder and examined it for a moment. "Sorry, but this is gunna hurt Akashi." His other half spoke before he quickly reset their shoulder. The pain exploding across his shoulder as he whimpered in pain and dug his fingers into the chair. His teeth clenched together and his breathing come out heavy as he finally opened his eyes to find his other half leaned their head against the wall of rock and breathing slowly. "Next time I get to find a way down."His other half spoke, as he finally looked down and sighed. "I take that back. I'm getting us down from here." At that Akashi didn't bother to argue as he watched his other half carefully look downward and lean down. His hand wrapping around their weapon, and carefully leaning forward enough to see how much further it was, before he carefully jumped. The hand still on their weapon strong as their good arm prevented them from plummeting downward and jerked them back. A calm breath leaving the other as he suddenly yanked downward and their weapon fell free from the rock. Akashi suddenly sitting up in the chair and staring at the screen in shock before their feet suddenly hit the ground and they rolled. Very little damage reaching their body, before they finally stopped and his other half managed to get them back on their feet. "There, minimum damage." "Aside from my heart attack." Akashi spoke, before he suddenly found himself back in control and his other half retreating back into his mind. 'At least I didn't dislocate our arm again.' "You're not going to let me live this down are you." 'Oh hell no.' "Well thanks for that." Akashi mumbled, as he finally turned toward what they came for. A huge golden gate sat behind him, standing at thirty feet and encrusted with jewels from all over Wonderland. A single indent in the center of the lock panel, as Akashi carefully walked over to it and brushed his fingers into the engravings the lock pictured. No words spoken, as the teen pulled his fingers away from the lock and reached into his pocket. The white rabbits pocket watch being produced, as he looked down at the glowing engravings in the metal and looked to the lock. The engravings on the lock glowing in time with the watch as he took a deep breath and tightly gripped the watch in his hand. "Let's do this." 'Lets do this.' The next moment the pocket watch was thrust into the lock and a huge bright light exploded. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 10 ***** Beyond the Rabbit Hole Ch. 10 'Akashi get back, now!' Before either of them could act the sudden light and the force of the doors suddenly being open threw them backwards. Their body crashing into the rock wall, as a cry of pain left the teen the moment his back collided against the solid mass. His eyes squeezing shut at the numbing pain rolling through his body before the huge light suddenly vanished. Something that caused the teen to open his eyes in confusion, only to find the doors to the gate open. A dark abyss resting past them as Akashi carefully got to his feet and picked up his scythe. His other half deathly quiet, as he carefully walked forward till he was ten feet from the open abyss. A never ending silence filling the air, as Akashi kept himself and his weapon at the ready, until huge gold eyes suddenly flashed through the darkness. A hitch in the teen breath echoing through the space, as he tightly gripping his scythe and those huge gold eyes suddenly shrunk in both size and height. The sound of tapping feet echoing back toward them as the shape of a large man started to come into view. The teens other half on edge and ready to take over when Akashi needed him, as the huge shape finally stepped out of the darkness and into the same space as the teen. A demon the size of a full grown man stepping out of the darkness as bright gold eyes studied the teen and long mangled black hair hung in the creatures face. His body covered in dark black scales as he stopped only two feet from the gate and his tail swung to a stop behind him. Huge black wings folding behind him as the demon took a sweep of the area, ignoring the teen for the moment, before he noticed the rabbits pocket watch in the lock of the door and chuckled. "So the son of that keeper came for revenge, huh?" The man spoke, as he turned to the teen again and looked him over. "And I see you've grown as well. Let's hope you pose more of a challenge than you're mother or father." A deep growl left the teen, before he felt his other half pull on his consciousness to calm him down. 'Akashi, don't! He's trying to bait you!' 'He disgraced our parents!' Akashi yelled back into his head, as the demon smirked at him and reached into the pocket of his tattered pants. Taloned claws retrieving a golden pocket watch and holding it up for the teen to see, before it swung around to the front. The teen's blood running cold as the emblem of Wonderland's keeper flashed amongst the dim lighting as Akashi felt himself stepping backward. That was his fathers watch, his keeper watch, the watch that made that very gate. "I will give your father some credit though. He lasted longer than your mother."The demon spoke, as he turned the pocket watch toward him and looked at it as if he was proud of it. "Fought him for three days straight till he couldn't fend off my attacks any longer and I burnt him to a crisp. You should've heard the screams, music to my ears." "You bastard!" Akashi yelled as he gripped his scythe tightly and bolted for the demon. 'Akashi, no!' his other half screamed, as he tried to gain control of their body and found the teens anger blocking him out. 'AKASHI!' "You're dead!" A smirk spread across the demons face as his golden eyed glowed and the pocket watch was shoved back into his tattered pants. "Bring it, brat." =============================================================================== Fast heavy footsteps thundered through the air as Rin tried desperately to keep up with the cat ahead of him. The earth quaking beneath his feet doing absolutely nothing for him, as he stumbled every few steps, before he could take off again, and cursed at himself every time. His demon half as quiet as ever, as the smell of dry earth started to fill the air and the trees started to thin. The soft forest earth hardening under his footsteps, before the forest suddenly disappeared and a vast desert stretched out before them. "The hell-?" "Don't just stand there! We have to keep moving!" Chess yelled, as the teen turned and glared at the stopped teen. Rin quickly nodding, as he started running after the cat once more. A huge rock canyon appearing on the horizon with every step, before a dot in the sky caught his attention. The black spot suddenly growing a bit larger when it's wings spread out, as the teen felt his blood ran cold. 'Our mate let out the dragon.'The teens other half spoke, as Rin growled and picked up his pace. The teen suddenly running past the Cheshire cat, as he pulled open the messenger bag on his side and rooted around inside of it. "Rin! What the hell are you going?" 'What are you going to do? We're not close enough to do damage.' "Trust me here, I know what I'm doing." Rin muttered, as he pulled out a few holy water grenades and the gun from his bag. The canyon now in full sight, and the dragon bigger in the sky than he thought it would be, as he caught sight of the teen he was hoping he would find fighting the thing in he sky. Akashi's figure slightly leaning to one side from the distance, and his scythe held at the ready, as the teen glanced back up at the sky and noticed the dragon heading straight for his mate. 'Rin-' "I know!" Without hesitating the teen threw the holy water grenades toward the dragons path and aimed his gun. His mate only a few yards away, as he focused all his energy in his legs, before he shoot at the grenades and grabbed his mate. A gasp leaving the teen now smashed against his chest, and the bullet blowing the first holy water grenade up, as they quickly rolled away from the explosion and away from the dragon. A roar of pain leaving the dragon, as Rin carefully rolled them to a safer space and shot at the grenades surrounding the beast. Each blowing up in turn and sending the dragon into a roaring fit of pain, as it quickly got up and flew away a considerable distance from them. Heavy panting reaching his ears as he turned to the teen laying in his eyes and paused, noticing the teens eye color was switched. His right eye now purple and his left red, instead of their usual red and purple, as Rin frowned. "Akashi?" 'Rin, let me take over.' "But-" 'Trust me.' A small nod was all that was given as he let the presence in the back of his mind take over. The teen finding himself in his demon half's room as he turned to the screen to watch as his demon gently brushed Akashi's hair out of his face. "Hasaki does anything hurt?" The demon spoke in worry as the teen in their arms nodded and leaned against them. "Damn thing dislocated our shoulder again and we were barely keeping up. I think our left leg is messed up."The injured teen spoke, as Rin frowned at the screen. "Hasaki? The hell?" "Hold still, I'll check for damage."A nod left the small as his demon carefully checked for further damage and gave a small smile of relief. "Nothing permanent. Now let's get you back on your feet before that thing gets back." "Thank you, Nir." It was only then that it finally clicked for the teen. Akashi's demon was in control, and their demon halves had taken their hosts names and pronounced them backwards. They gave each other names. Of course I was only when they were on their feet that the dragons roar filled the air and they looked to the skies to see the dragon coming back toward them. "Nir, there's holy water grenades, several holy water bullets, and a mantra book in the bag." Rin spoke to the screen, as he watched his demon half root around the bag and check the contents. "Thanks, Rin. Now sit back and relax. Me and Hasaki will take care of the beast." "You better." Nothing more was said as his demon half unsheathed their sword and let the blue flames light across their body. His demon half reaching out and touching his fingers against Hasaki's forehead. "I'm connecting our consciousness's together." And before anyone could speak a blue light enveloped them and the room the teen stood in. The light fading to reveal a new remodeled room filled with the same chairs Nir seemed to favor and a nice looking coffee table in front of a huge tv screen. The image showing both teens' bodies on the battlefield as Rin felt the presence behind him before he heard the voice. "R-Rin?" =============================================================================== "Nir I-" "Apologize later, Hasaki. Your human let that thing out and it's now our job to kill it."Nir interrupted, as the demon beside him cringed slightly and relocated his arm."After this over you can explain yourselves. Just make sure you don't screw up." A small weak nod left his mate as he grabbed his scythe and readied himself for the dragon heading their way. Nir not even wasting a second, as he pulled out a holy water grenade and threw it toward the beast. The dragon quickly reacting as it moved to dodge the object and into the path Nir created for himself. The demon running straight for the beast, with his sword at the ready, as he jumped and swung his sword out. Blue flames erupting from the blade and setting the dragon ablaze as the demon hit the ground and turned back toward his mate. "Now Hasaki!" A nod was received as the teen thrust his arm out and focused. The keepers brand suddenly appearing on his outstretched hand, and the ground shaking around him, as his eyes glowed. "Yksi, kaksi, kolme!" The next instant the ground burst apart and white roses started wrapping around the fallen burning beast. The specials flower immune to Nir's flames as they tightly wound around the dragon and left him immobile. The dragon roaring at them as Nir stood up and dusted himself off, walking toward his mate as he sheathed his sword and let his flames disappear. "That should hold him for a bit so we can question him."Nir spoke, as Hasaki remained quiet at his side as he watched the dragon."What's wrong?" "It won't hold him, he was testing us."The demon spoke, as a chuckle left the dragon and Nir looked back over at the beast as huge yellow eyes fell on them. "Is that all your capable of? I thought the son of Satan and the son of wonderlands keeper would be stronger than this."The huge dragon spoke, as he stretched out his wings and the roses and vines holding him down snapped with ease. "How-?" "I told you he was faking."Hasaki spoke as he readied his scythe and looked at him."Now instead of following your plans trust me and follow mine." "What's that supposed to mean?"Nir demanded, as Hasaki ignored him and pointed toward the dragon's neck and the pocket watch wrapped around its neck on a huge gold chain."I need Naroshi's pocket watch. Just help me get it." A scoff left the other demon as he unsheathed his sword and let his flames ignite across his body. "Fine, just don't let the dragon beat he crap out of you again." From the distance Chess stared at the scene before him in utter shock and horror. The earth split apart, flames running rampant, and the dragon standing above the two teens letting out a mighty roar that made even the air around them shake. "Wonderland will fall. We're doomed." =============================================================================== The moment Rin turned around he found Akashi looking at him in slight fear. A hand gingerly resting on his right shoulder and the teen keeping his weight off his left leg as he roughly bit his lip and his tail hung limp behind him. "I-I'm sorry." The teen softly spoke as his gaze fell to the floor and his grip tightened on his sore shoulder, causing him to wince. "I thought Hasaki and me could kill him." A heavy breath left the son of Satan as he watched his mate. Every painful movement, every breath that seemed to hurt the teen and the shame waving off him. "Why did you think you had to come alone, Akashi?" Rin demanded. "I could've come with you. I could've been here right from the start. Instead of you leaving me in the middle of the night without a proper good bye. Hell do even know what it felt like when I woke up and you were gone?!" Across from his Akashi flinched as he squeezed his eyes shut. The shame turning into pain as he opened sad eyes and looked at him. "I'm Wonderland's-" "Don't use that keeper bull crap in me, Akashi!" "But it's true! I'm Wonderland's keeper!" Akashi yelled, as tears welled up in the teen's eyes. "I should've never have let Chess and Rabbit take me to Assiah! I should've been right here with everyone taking care of them and killing the dragon! I'm their keeper, their protector, and guardian! They look up to me, and I left them! And now…and now we're all gunna die because I wasn't strong enough. I'm useless. I don't deserve the title of keeper." By the end tears were rolling down the teens face as Rin stated at the teen In shock. Shock because he never knew Akashi felt this way, shock because he had never yelled at him like this, and shock because he now realized just how much of an idiot he was. Here he was upset because his mate left him to fight off some dragon, when in reality Akashi was trying to do his best to live up to the expectations of Wonderland's citizens. He couldn't let them down, not after Akashi had been separated from them for so long. "It's true, w-what Chess told you." Akashi spoke between sobs. "The demon killed my mother, father tried to avenge her and had to create the gate to save wonderland, and I was left alone without parents. Chess and Rabbit had to raise me, but uncle Mephisto lied about how many years father disappeared. I was five when it happened." In response Rin stared at him in shock and Akashi continued. "They tried to raise me there the best they could, but it became too much. They weren't demons, and they couldn't teach me to control my new forming powers, so Chess took me to Assiah. We found an exorcist school in Finland and one of the teachers took me in. She helped me learn to control my powers and in turn I helped her teach her classes…th-that is until the Vatican found out." Akashi shivered as he wrapped his free arm around himself and tried to hold back the tears. "They murdered her right in front of me, before they tried to kill me themselves. That's when my keeper brand appeared and the paladin ordered them to let me live. Only because it's forbidden to kill a keeper if there's no successor. Their gate would collapse and their dimension would implode, possibly destroying the world they're in as well. So they tried to capture me, b-but the dragon's minions came out of nowhere and tried to nab me as well. A huge battle erupted and before I knew one of them attacked me and my keeper weapon formed for the first time…" Tears fell from the teens eyes as he rapidly shook his head and sobbed" his eyes squeezed shut as if he hopped it would rid the memories from his mind but did nothing more than make them more vivid. "I killed them all. Every single one of them." Akashi spoke as his voice cracked. " I murdered them all and without even realizing it. Ch-Chess later told me wonderland's madness might have been the cause, but it didn't change the fact I killed so many. And even after I escaped and tried to find shelter more people came after me. They never stopped, neither the exorcists nor the demons, I was constantly followed and hunted. Given limited time to recover and limited time to rest. It wasn't even till I ran into you guys that I felt safe for the first time in years, but that's when everything caught up to me. I remembered Wonderland and everyone I left behind. The dragon still locked behind the gate with my father, my dead mother, all of wonderlands people that were waiting for me. I remembered what I was born for and what my duty was and by then I was on too deep in love with you. I took everything I had to leave you to come here, and now it still hurts." In the silence that follows only Akashi's sobs were heard. Rin staring unbelievably at his mate, as he harshly swallowed and took a step toward the other. One step turning into another, before strong arms suddenly wrapped around the keeper and his head collided with Rin's chest. The rapid beating of his heart thundering against his ear, as he shakily looked up at the other to see hurt and shameful eyes looking down at him. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I had no idea you went through any of this or you felt like this. I'm so sorry." Rin spoke, as he tightly held the teen against him and Akashi gave him a small smile. "Can you forgive me for yelling at you?" "Only after we kill the demon." Akashi spoke, as he took the other hand and traced the metal ring on his finger. "We're not the only ones that need to talk." A small nod left the teen as he gently kissed his mates forehead and smiled. "Then let's go kick some ass." =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 11 ***** Beyond the Rabbit Hole Ch 11 "Distract it."Hasaki ordered as he ran toward the dragon with his scythe at the ready. Nir scowling after his mate as he let out a scoff and unsheathed his sword. His body igniting in blue flames as he ran past Hasaki and swung his sword out. His blue flames flaring out from the blade, and causing the dragon to let out a roar and try and take off, as Hasaki bolted past him and jumped. The smaller demon managing to get close enough to the demon to swing his scythe and cut the chain around the dragons neck, as it let out a roar and readied a breath of fire. A curse leaving Hasaki as he let himself fall and fumbled for the watch. Nir yelling up at him to ditch the watch and use his shield as Hasaki glared toward his mate and reached out in time to grab the golden watch. The sound of the dragon reading his attack causing the demon to quickly turn and thrust his branded hand out just as the flames came rushing toward him. The flames engulfing the teen as Nir let out a curse and held tight to the Kurikara. "Hasaki!" It was then the flames crashed into the ground and Nir created a wall of blue flames to protect himself. The dragon's flames barely brushing against the demons, before the flames dissipated and smoke filled the air. A smirk on the dragons face as he let out a roar in pride and Nir growled in anger. "Dumbass, I told you to ditch the watch." A sudden cough rang through the air as the smoke started to clear and reveal his mate getting to his feet. Alice's shield in his grasp as he shakily stood up and with shield and scythe in hand. Soot covering his face as he reached up to wipe it from his face and a jingling filled the air. A flash of gold catching the demons eye as Hasaki caught Nir's gaze and moved the shield aside to reveal the pocket watch in his hand. The gold watch glimmering in the light as he let the shield dissipate into thin air and the dragon growled. "Insolent fools! What good do you think that silly watch will do!?" "Hasaki!" Akashi yelled as the demon paused for a moment. "Nir!" Rin yelled not even a second after his mate, as the said demon looked toward his mate and raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "We're taking it over from here." Akashi spoke as Nir growled. "Sorry mad hatter but you didn't do such a great job in the first place."The demon spoke, as Rin growled at the demon half. "That's an order, Nir! I'm taking over!" Rin yelled before he was suddenly slammed back by his human half presence. The male letting out a grunt as he hit the floor of the room he created and let out a growl. The demon quickly getting back up in his feet, and trying to gain control once more, only to find he hit a wall and glared at the screen. 'Rin, this isn't fucking funny!' "Shut up and deal with it. Akashi and me have a plan. Now make up." Rin ordered as the demon growled and turned to the presence in the couch. Hasaki sat back into the cushioning of the leather couch, his white hair falling into his face as purple and red eyes examined the brand on the back of his hand. The male paying absolutely no attention to him as Nir glared at the back of his head and didn't miss as Hasaki muttered his trademark words and a white rose blossomed from nowhere. The pure white flowers stem turning to ash, till only the bud remained, and then blossomed in his palm. The flower only lasting seconds before it burst into blue flames as Hasaki sighed, smashing the burning object with his fingers, before he turned back toward him. 'You're angry.' 'What was your first fucking clue?'Nir demanded, as Hasaki remained neutral and let the ashes in his hand burst into little balls of red and purple light before they disappeared. 'There's no reason for you to be angry.'Hasaki spoke as he turned back away from him and went back to staring at the brand on the back of his hand. 'Your acting like a youngling.' 'Me act like a youngling?'Nir challenged as Hasaki remained silent. 'You're the one that ran off like you had a mid-life crisis and went to play hero! Sorry to say sweetheart but your not the prince in shining armor, because that demon was kicking your ass!' 'At least I tried, which I can't say much for you're case.' 'I won against Amaimon the Earth King!' 'You also lost control of your mind and powers, set a forest full of demons on fire, injured thousands and almost got your host killed.'Hasaki spoke as he turned and looked at him with that stupid blank look he hated so much.'If you ask me, you have a lot more to learn than I do.' A heavy growl left the other as he glared at him and Hasaki looked away from him once more. The other finally snapping as he walked right over to his mate without hesitation and grabbed the back of his shirt, sending him flying across the room. Hasaki smashing into the wall as rose petals floated through the air and toward the floor. A huge bed of flowers behind his mate, as Hasaki sighed and their eyes met. Furious blue clashing against static red and purple eyes, as Hasaki carefully removed himself from the hole in the wall and stood up straight. 'As I said. You have no reason to be mad.' 'I do have a reason to be mad, because you're a dumbass!'Nir yelled, as Hasaki remained silent as the other turned to him and glared at him. 'Did it ever occur to you once, just once, that maybe your hosts idea to return home as a bad idea? That he was leading the both of you toward your death?' 'It never crossed my mind. I thought we were ready.'Hasaki spoke, enraging the other even further. 'You thought you were ready?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Your fighting a high level ten demon, Hasaki, and your barely above a level nine! How the hell do you think that was going to work?!' 'I didn't, but I had a safe fail system.'Hasaki spoke as Nir paused for a moment and gave him a confused look.'Fathers pocket watch created the gate, which means-' =============================================================================== The moment Rin finally gained control of his body was the moment he let out a sigh of relief and put up the wall against his other half. Nir blowing up at him, as the teen let out an order and signed when he fell silent. A frown appearing on his face when Nir finally stopped yelling, but started yelling at Hasaki. "I swear he was a lot nicer than that." "He's rarely calm according to Hasaki." Akashi spoke as he stopped beside him with his father watch in his hand. His mate's fingers white with how tight he held the item in his hand. "So why was Hasaki so set on getting that thing?" Rin asked as Akashi looked toward him and smiled. "Fathers watch created the gate, which locked the demon away for over a century, and its energy is infused inside the dragon. If I can tap into the watches power I can active a spell and use the energy the dragon absorbed to destroy him." Akashi explained as Rin stared at him in surprise and proceeded to clap his mate on the back. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Rin chuckled as he flashed him a smile. "Tell me what to do." =============================================================================== 'You do realize how much power that's going to take?'Nir spoke in annoyance, his voice still dripping with anger. 'I'm aware.' 'You're going to get your host killed.' 'Who said Akashi was going to activate the spell?'Hasaki spoke as Nir froze and stared at him.'Akashi wouldn't be able to handle even activating it, let alone using the spell. It's only logical that I use the spell. I'm used to it.' 'You could end up dying from using it.'Nir finally spoke as Hasaki looked down at the brand on the back of his hand. 'I realize that, but it's my job.'The demon spoke as he lifted his hand up and showed the brand to the other.'This mark makes me the sole protector of Wonderland and its people, which means it's my life that is laid on the line if the time comes for me to do so. Not Akashi's life, but mine, and I'm able to accept that Nir. Are you?' Silence fell over the two of them as Nir stared at him in shock. The male stepping back till his back hit the couch and he leaned against the back of it. His throat visibly tightening with every second, before the males eyes finally met the others and he opened his mouth. 'Y-you really are stupid, aren't you? You're throwing your life away for some kid and a mark on your hand.' Nir stumbled as Hasaki walked toward him. 'All because some half pint wanted the two of you to play hero and save an entire world from destructi-' The next moment Hasaki's lips were against the taller males. Nir staring at him in shock, before he wrapped his arms around the other and smashed him against his chest. His fingers digging into the other demons shirt till Hasaki's lips left his own and purple and red eyes looked up at him. 'You've put your life on the line as well, before I even met you.'Hasaki spoke, as he grabbed the other demons hand and brushed his fingers against his ring finger. A gold ring materializing on his finger as he softly smiled at the other.'How's that any different from me risking me life now?' A moment of silence passed over them as Nir looked down at the ring on his finger, before his eyebrows scrunch together and he looked at his mate. 'Because now you have me. You have me as your mate.' Nir spoke, as Hasaki let out a shaky breath and gave him a relieved and happy smile. The demon cupping his cheeks as his purple and red eyes watered, before he placed a kiss on the demons lips and smiled. 'That's all I wanted to hear.' And the next moment Hasaki was gone and Akashi was wildly looking around the room in confusion till their eyes met. "Oh god-" 'N-no…' =============================================================================== "I need you to keep it busy and distracted while I get the pocket watch open." Akashi spoke as the dragon let out a roar and started sailing down toward them. "Try to weaken it if you can." "Roger!" Rin yelled as he pulled out a holy water grenade and dashed toward the dragon. Akashi quickly letting his scythe disappear as he turned the pocket watch over and over in his hands. Red and purple eyes examining every detail and marking, before he started pushing in the different gems on the back. A hiss leaving the watch as it unlatched and popped open. A smile appearing on his face as he flipped it open and felt his chest tighten at the picture on the inside. The photo worn, and in black and white, as his mother and father smiled up at him. A four year old version of himelf in their arms as they smiled up at him. Tears threatening to spill over in the teen's eyes as he quickly pulled himself together and looked up toward his mate. Rin now practically toe to toe with the beast as he switched from throwing holy water grenades and blowing them up with bullets, to swinging his sword and managing to keep the dragon back enough to aim his next attack. Each move calculated and aimed to hit their mark, as Akashi let out a deep breath and looked back down at the watch in his hand. The teen ready to pronounce his trademark incantation before he smell of earth suddenly disappeared and he opened his eyes. Nir's room around him as he wildly looked around in confusion till his eyes fell on Nir's figure leaning back against the couch. Both their eyes wide as the realization dawned on them. "Oh god-" 'N-no…'Nir managed to choke out, before both eyes fell back on the tv screen and the demon tried to get his host to let him take back over. =============================================================================== "You're a coward boy!" The dragon roared as it tried to send a fireball toward him and Rin created a wall of blue flames. His cursed flames managing to keep him safe for the moment as he reached into his bag for another grenade and hit the bottom of the bag. A curse leaving him as he dropped the empty gun in his hand and held tight to his sword. "Akashi, any time now!" Rin yelled as the dragon came at him again. "YKSI, KAKSI, KOLME!" The moment those words hit the air Rin froze and suddenly whipped around to find Hasaki in control of his mates body. His purple and red eyes glowing as the wind picked up around him and the back of his left hand started glowing. The marking of a keeper glowing brightly against his skin, as the earth started to crack beneath his feet. The dragon having landed a couple yards away from him and his body stark still as he stared at the demon in pure shock. "No way…there's now way you could know that spell!" 'Rin, you have to let me take over!'Nir yelled in he back of his mind as the teen stated wide-eyed at his mates other half.'The spell Hasaki is using is going to kill him! You have to let me take over!' It was only in that moment that Rin's eyes met the other demons and all of Nir's pleas fell out the window. Reflected in those purple and red eyes was a determination that even Rin himself couldn't match. A determination to protect those who put their faith in him, their lives, and their world and one he couldn't rip away from the other demon. Hasaki had lived with Akashi all his life, hiding in the shadows and lending him his powers when need be, just so hey could reach this moment. The moment Hasaki was born for. To protect Wonderland. "I can't." Rin spoke softly, as he lowered the Kurikara and the wonderlands insignia appeared below the other demons feet. "I can't." 'Rin, this isn't funny! Let me take over, NOW!' "I can't." With a huge rush of energy the very same insignia appeared beneath the dragons feet. The creature staring down at the golden markings in horror as he tried to take off into the air and found himself unable to move. Golden chains keeping him tethered to the ground from inside his body, and embedded into the insignia below him, as the demon let out a roar. 'Rin let me out right now or I'm separating our consciousness!'Nir threatened as the teen sheathed his sword. A look of relief on Hasaki's face as he gave Rin a grateful smile and focused his full attention on the spell.'Then you'll never be able to become paladin!' "No." In seconds the explosion hit. Rock and earth splitting, flying off in every direction, as a golden light exploded along with it. Huge chunks of debris power rocking the earth beneath his feet as the teen let out a curse and ducked, covering his head. Akashi's body lost behind all the dirt and dust in the air as the dragons roar blasted through the air once more, before all was silent. The rumbling, the demons cry, the power of the spell, gone. The only thing remaining was silence as the dust began to settle and a figure started to appear amongst the dust. The shape and height causing him to quickly get to his feet, before the obstacle blocking his view disappeared and eyes widened, as he ran over toward the figure slowly crumpling to the ground. "Hasaki!" =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belongs to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. ***** Chapter 12 ***** Beyond the rabbit hole ch 12 "Hasaki!" The crunching of dirt and rocks beneath his feet was deafening as he ran toward the figure now lying on the ground. The teen falling to his knees beside the other as he reached out and lifted him into his arms. What was pure white hair now a reddish tint, thanks to the desert earth, and his body covered in purples and blues. Weak harsh breaths filling the air as purple and red eyes weakly looked up at him and a soft smile spread across the demons face. "Thank you, Rin."Hasaki softly spoke, his smile growing as he spoke. "Thank you for giving me this chance. The chance to fulfill my destiny and fulfill my duty. I'm forever in your debt, son of Satan." It was then that the demon let out a harsh cough and red covered his lips. A wince leaving the other as Rin's eyes widened and Hasaki gave him a small smile. "Hasaki-" "It's alright. I knew it'd end up like this."The demon spoke as he continued to smile. "That's why I never told anyone the final step to my plan. I didn't want any of you to try and stop me…or for it to hurt you anymore than it is now." 'Rin! Let me out!'Nir practically screamed as Rin winced when the wall he put up was brutally attacked.'You have to let me talk to him! Please? He can't die without me!' A soft grasp on the teens shoulder brought him back to the present and his gaze on Hasaki's pleading face. A small shake of the head from the demon telling him everything as Rin tightened his hold on the other and felt his heart break. Hasaki didn't want Nir to fully see him like this, to be on the same physical plane as him when he died. That way Nir couldn't die with him. "I've caused enough damage."Hasaki spoke, as he looked Rin in the eyes and seemed to look even deeper inside of him."I'm sorry I was so harsh on you, so distant. I just couldn't let you get too attached to me, because it'd only hurt more. Besides, it's better this way right? I'm just a dumbass remember." The soft big smile on the demons face was all it took for Rin to reach for his sword and rip it from its case. The sound of the blade dragging against the case ringing through the air as Rin's body ignited in blue flames. Nir practically screaming in his head as the teen set the blade on the ground and reached out to cup the dying demons face. Hasaki's smile still as big and bright as he closed his eyes and leaned into the hand on his right, letting out a deep breath before the cursed blue flames flared out. The pure blue heat spreading out onto the demons body before it settled on the middle of his chest and started to glow brighter. Nir's screams still running rampant as the flames disappeared into the others chest and a gasp left the demon in his arms. Purple and red eyes wide open before a flash of light fell over then and the body in his arms fell still. His mind completely silent as the teen reached out and closed his mate's eyes. It taking moments after for those very eyes to suddenly open, before Akashi was sitting up and a hand smashed into the teens face. No grunt or noise of any kind leaving Rin as he kept his gaze on the ground and remained still. A soft sob filling the air as Rin slowly sat up straight to find tears in his mate's eyes. Red and purple orbs filled with them as Akashi shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "You had no right to do that." The keeper choked out as Rin remained silent. "Nir had a right to be with him before he passed." "I'm sorry." Silence fell over them as Rin noticed Nir has become all too quiet. The realization of what just happened in the past few minutes crashing down on him as he let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I just couldn't stop him." In response Akashi turned to give him an incredulous look as tears continued to roll down his face. "Our eyes met and I knew I couldn't stop him no matter what I did. He was set on this from the moment that demon was locked in the gate. He knew what he'd have to do and he knew only one of you would make it out alive. So he picked you." In the moment after Akashi's expression softened and he looked to the crumbled earth beneath him. "He wanted you to have the life you couldn't have before. A life without running, a life where you could be happy." Nothing more was spoken as Akashi leaned forward till his forehead collided with his mate's shoulder. Heavy sobs following after as Rin replaced his sword back in the case at his hip and pulled Akashi into his arms. His mate curling up against him and letting his walls come down as footsteps started off in the distance. A lone figure running toward them as Chess came into the teens view. The cats pace slowing with each foot he gained before he stopped several feet from them. A look of pure sympathy and pain in his eyes as he managed to notice that Hasaki's presence was gone and so was the dragon. The cats duplicate figure slowly disappearing before the cat landed on Akashi's shoulder and he leaned against the teen. Other creatures of Wonderland slowly emerging one by one as they slowly grouped around them and mourned. The only evidence the battle ever transpired or existed laying at their feet and gleamed gold in the light. =============================================================================== "Akashi time to get up." A soft groan filled the air as said teen rolled over and huffed. A chuckle leaving the other as he wrapped his arms around his mate and kissed the back of his neck. "Five more minutes." "If I get five more minutes in bed with you then you won't be sleeping." Rin spoke with a grin as Akashi huffed and with great distain sat up. "Damn, thought I'd get lucky this morning." "Yeah you'd be lucky alright, especially when your brother would walk in on us." Akashi spoke as a look of disgust fell over Rin's face and the teen laughed. "Not such a good idea now is it?" "Why you." Rin growled as he reached for the teen and Akashi was quickly out of his reach. His mate having stumbled out of bed as he quickly ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, the lock clicking. A chuckle leaving the teen as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair as he heard the shower start up. His happy mood dissipating in seconds as the silence in his mind crashed into the forefront. It had been three months since the battle in Wonderland and Nir still remained silent. His demon half practically dead to the world as Rin's eyes migrated to the door and his fingers dug into the sheets. The moment Chess had helped them back to Assiah was the moment the three of them were met with Yukio and his classmates. His brother instantly berating him for doing something so stupid before he noticed the look on Akashi's face and all arguments or comments had died on the spot. They had realized they had lost someone and no one spoke of it ever again, not even Akashi. The moment they were at the dorms his mate collapsed in bed and slept for a week. After that he refused to be in the same room as his for another two weeks, refused to speak to him for three, and in a month and a half Rin finally had enough and cornered him. It was only after a huge fight, and Akashi using his face as a punching bag, that Rin finally got through to him. The teen telling him that Hasaki's sacrifice wasn't made so they could wallow in their self-pity and mourn the demon for the rest of their lives. He had to once again remind him he did it to give Akashi the life he wanted and when he was done throwing a fit Rin was there when he needed him. It was only a day or two after that the teen felt his bed dip and he turned over to find Akashi laying behind him, tears in his eyes. An hour later his mate was passed out in his arms and tears stained his face. Now…now they were back to the way it had been before the battle. Happy and in love, but underneath it all he knew Akashi was still in pain. Hasaki had been with him since he was born, he was his other half of his soul, and he no doubt felt broken without him. "Earth to Rin!" Akashi called out as the teen jumped back to reality to find Akashi smiling at him with a towel around his neck and in sweatpants and a tank top. "You were staring off into space. You ok?" "Yeah." Rin spoke as he gently reached out and took his mates hand. His fingers gliding against the silver ring on his finger. The band engraved with Wonderlands insignia and a beautiful flame design as Rin tore his eyes away from the metal ring and looked at his mate. "I was just thinking about something important." "Really? What is it?" Akashi asked in confusion as he properly got on the bed and sat in the teens lap. "I was thinking I needed to give you back something." A look of utter confusion fell over his mates face as he let his body ignite into blue flames and Akashi jumped a little. The other still not used to his mates newfound trick, as of a month ago, as Rin held out his hand. The flames gathering into his palm before a ball of white light came out of his hand. Akashi's eyes widening as he stared at the ball of light in complete disbelief and red and purple eyes turned to him full of tears. "It can't be. It's not possible." He spoke as Rin gave him a small smile. "I'd never kill anything that was connected to you, nor let it die." Rin spoke as he looked down at the ball of light and his mate's eyes followed. "I did the only thing that felt logical in my mind. I stored him in the Kurikara. Then as I fought with it I'd give him some of my energy so he could heal. Made it harder to train with Shura everyday but it was worth it." In and instant his mates arms flung around him as he squeezed the life out of him and tears rolled down his face. "Thank you. Thank you." A soft smile made its way onto the demons face as he gently untangled them and held the white ball of light between them. Akashi's eyes locking with his as Rin gently pushed the light into his mate's chest and a smile spread across his face. =============================================================================== Silence echoed through the room as Nir stared up at the ceiling. The male laying across the length of the couch and his tail-hanging limp off it as a small little flame danced around his head. The little flame flickering in intensity with the demons emotions as the little flame flared out and grew to increasing heights before it turned into a pinprick. His breathing no better as he let out a growl and squeezed his eyes shut. His hand running over his face and his entire body relaxing for those few moments before the little flame above his head exploded. The pop with the destruction of his creation causing him to pull his hand away from his face and look up in confusion as a white rose petal landed on the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. The demon staring at it in pure shock as he quickly sat up and caught the petal as it fell off his face. The fragile petal lying perfectly in his hand as he felt his chest and throat tightened. He had to be hallucinating now. Especially since Hasaki had been gone for three months now. It was only a matter of time before he snapped, every mated demon did when their mate was dead and they weren't. Especially since the petal in his hand felt so real, smelled so real, looked real. God he was losing it. He missed Hasaki so much he was imaging his spells coming to life before his eyes. "yksi, kaksi, klome" It was with those barely detectable words that the petal in his hand suddenly blossomed into a full rose bud and opened its petals. The edges catching fire before the petals burned and the fire extinguished. The once white petals now a brilliant neon blue, as Nir stared at the flower in complete disbelief, before he quickly looked up and scanned the room. His gaze catching a figure standing in the hole the demon never fixed, after he had threw Hasaki into the wall, and his instincts flared out. Who was it? Where they enemy? Ally? Where they here to kill him and leave Rin defenseless? They had been so lucky the past three months without some whack job trying to make their life a living hell. "Who are you?"Nir demanded as the figure seemed to slump a little and it stepped into the light. Nir's eyes widening as the rose in his hand hit the couch and fell to the floor. The flower bursting into flames and disappearing into a purple and red light as the male standing in front of the hole in the wall smiled. Pure white hair falling into purple and red eyes as traditional keeper garb covered his figure. A white tail swaying behind him as a golden brand glowed on the back of his hand and he pulled his hand up and blew on it. The glowing dissipating into a golden dust, before those purple and red eyes he used to hate fell on him and a small smile fell over the males lips. "Nir-" Nothing else was able to leave the males lips before Nir was off the couch and wrapping his arms around his mate. The smaller demon colliding with his chest with a gasp, as fingers dug into the smaller's shirt and he buried his face into white hair. His breathing unsteady and tears threatening to fall from his eyes as Hasaki slowly wrapped his arms around him in turn and smiled into his chest. "I'm home."The keeper softly spoke. "Welcome home. Please don't ever leave." Nir spoke as Hasaki slowly pulled away from him, till they were arms length, and gave him a brilliant smile he had never seen before. "Never."He softly spoke as Nir pulled him in for a kiss. A kiss that displayed so many emotions the smaller had never felt from his mate before that it practically made his head spin. Sorrow, pain, agony, relief, happiness, and love. The very last causing the demon to wrap his arms around his mate's neck, and deepen the kiss, before they separated and blue eyes locked with purple and red. "I'm never letting you go again." Nir spoke, as a hand cupped the keeper's cheek and gave him a loving expression. "I wouldn't have it any other way."Hasaki spoke, as he kissed the other and felt the other caress his butt and lift him up. Legs instantly wrapping around the other demons waist as a purr left the keeper and Nir walked them to the bed. =============================================================================== The moment Akashi's eyes opened, and they switched colors for a moment before returning to normal, was the moment Rin softly smiled. His mates smile growing even bigger as he felt the presence finally return to where it belonged before he gently kissed the other. "I love you, Rin." Akashi spoke as he smiled up at him, his statement clearly reflected in his eyes. "I love you too." Rin replied as he pulled his mate close and smiled down at his mate. A heavy blush falling over his mates face moments later. "What's wrong?" "Hasaki and Nir are…" The rest trailed off as it clicked and Rin chuckled, cupping his mate's cheeks. "Maybe we should follow their example." Rin spoke as slid his hands down his mates chest and to his waist, wrapping his arms around the others waist and pulled him closer. "What about your brother?" Akashi asked before the lock suddenly clicked and Akashi smirked. "You sneaky little demon. When did you learn that?" "Awhile ago, but I'm full of surprises. Wanna see?" "Yeah, surprise me." Akashi spoke, before the teen's body ignited in blue flames. The brilliant blue blaze suddenly creeping across the keeper's body and eating away at his clothes, as the smaller jumped in surprise and shivered when lips latched onto his neck. "Alright, you win." A chuckle left the other as the flames snuffed out and left the two of them completely bare. His mate's lips moving down from his neck, and to his chest, as hands wondered down his hips and around toward his rear. A harsh gasp filling the air as fingers slipped into him and a purr rumbled between them. "Did you play with yourself in the shower?" Rin softly asked as teeth grazed against his shoulder, causing the keeper to shiver and nod. "Naughty little keeper." "N-Nir is affecting you, isn't he?" Akashi shakily asked as the fingers in him pressed deeper and he gasped. "Hell yes." =============================================================================== A heavy squeak crashed through the air as they fell onto the bed and on top of each other. The older demon crashing their lips together as fingers grabbed onto clothes for purchase and the tearing of fabric filled the air. Teeth clashing and tails lashing out, before Nir sat up and pulled the keeper into his lap. Hasaki wrapping his arms around his mate's neck as he sat up on his knees and let the other pull the tattered clothing down his body and to his knees. A soft purr filling the room, as the older's hands slid against soft skin and felt the rumble of that very purr under the surface. Purple and red eyes closing for a moment, before he was suddenly lifted and the tattered clothing was pulled off his legs. The smaller demon practically over his mate's shoulder as he laughed and righted himself when Nir managed to pull the material off his legs. "That was so not romantic." Hasaki chuckled, as Nir chuckled with him and ran his hands down the other's body. "Well it was your idea to tear off our clothes." "No way you started it. You dropped me on the bed." Hasaki playfully argued as Nir leaned them back on the bed and laid his mate against the sheets. "Alright, I'll take responsibility for that." Nir spoke, as his hands ran down his mate's body and he parted his thighs with his knee. His flames activating to burn off his clothes and snuff back out. "But how about we turn it up a notch, see how hot we can get it in here." "You read my mind." Hasaki chuckled as he spread his legs and pulled his mate down for a kiss. Nir conjuring up lotion with little to no trouble, as he pulled the cap open and poured some onto his fingers. Those very fingers finding their way to his mate's hole as he pressed in his index finger and smirked when a gasp left the keepers lips. A deep rumbling purr vibrating through his entire body, as purple and red eyes watched him in anticipation as he was stretched. A few sharp intakes of breath and groans leaving the keeper through the rather surprisingly short process, before Nir pulled his fingers out of him and reached for the lotion once more. "Get on your hands and knees for me, Hasaki. I don't wanna hurt u too badly when we start." Nir spoke as he popped the cap open on the lotion once more and the keeper huffed and did as he was told. "Come on, don't be like that." "I feel like a dog." Hasaki muttered, as the other slicked up his length and loomed over his mate to give him a soft kiss on the shoulder. "You're not a dog, Hasaki. You're my mate." Nir spoke, as he gently grasped the keepers hips and carefully entered him. A gasp leaving the younger, as he dug his fingers into the sheets and his tail lashed out, while a groan left the older and he buried his face into the others neck. "And the last thing I want to do is hurt you." "Just shut up and move." Hasaki hissed, as Nir let out a chuckle and pulled out to the tip of his cock. "Someone is a little demanding today." Nir spoke, before snapping his hips forward and completely filling his mate. A suddenly cry leaving Hasaki as his entire body shook and his fingers strangled the sheets. "And here I was being nice for once. Maybe I should punish you." "Try it." Hasaki hissed, as glowing purple and red eyes glared back at him. His very gaze sending shivers down the males spine, as he purred and started thrusting into his mate. His pace slow and agonizing as the older gently nipped at the keepers neck and shoulders. Nips and bites pulling at the younger's skin, slowly driving him insane, before the young keeper was suddenly thrusting his hips back to meet the others thrusts in desperation. A sign that had Nir suddenly pulling out of him, and flipping Hasaki onto his back, before his legs where thrown over his shoulders and he was thrusting back into him. The sudden change of position and intrusion cussing the keeper to cry out in surprise and pleasure, as Hasaki shakily grabbed onto his arms and hung onto him for dear life. His tight grip digging his nails into the older's skin and creating beads of red under them, as Nir let out a growl and picked up his pace considerably. Hasaki's moans and cries of pleasure drowning out the sound of skin slapping against skin, as Nir let out an occasional growl. His flames flickering on and off with each thrust into the keeper, before the younger's grip on his arm tightened and he squeezed his eyes shut. "N-Nir-" Hasaki choked out, as the older gently took his hand and kissed it as it squeezed the life out of his fingers. "I know. Come for me, Hasaki." Nir purred, as he gently squeezed the keepers hand back and thrust into him harder. A single well aimed thrust to his prostate sending the keeper over the edge, as a cry fell past his lips and he came. Nir letting out a curse as the keeper tightened around him and sent him over the edge as well. A small whine escaping the younger as he was suddenly filled, before Nir carefully pulled out of him and collapsed beside him. The two breathing heavily as a chuckle fell past older's lips and the keeper frowned at him slightly. "What are you laughing for?" Hasaki tiredly demanded, as Nir wrapped around him and pulled him close. "Nothin major. We just got our hosts going, that's all." Nir spoke, as he gently kissed the keepers forehead and chuckled when his face flushed slightly at the statement. "Get some rest, Hasaki. I'll wake you up if they strain themselves." A loud whack filled the air as Hasaki smacked the older in the back of the head and huffed, before turning over and trying to fall asleep. Nir rubbing his head in pain as he pouted. "It was a joke, Hasaki. Don't take it seriously…babe? Come on don't ignore me." =============================================================================== "Oh god, Rin." A loud moan filled the air as teeth sank into the younger demons shoulder and a soft growl followed after. Akashi speeding up their pace slightly as Rin tightened his hold on the teens hips and forced him down onto his cock harder. Each thrust causing the younger to see stars, as he dug his fingers into his mates shoulders and whined. "R-Rin you're going to drive me crazy." Akashi managed to choke out before his mate hit his prostate and he cried out. "Either hit it or leave it alone! Quit teasing me!" A soft chuckle left the older as he finally unlatched his teeth from the younger's neck and placed a kiss on his lips. "But I love to see the expression on you're face." Rin teased slightly as the keeper frowned and stopped moving all together. "Hey, come on. You know I was kidding!" "Tell that to the judge." Akashi huffed, as Rin frowned slightly before giving the younger a small smirk. "Oh no you don't! Don't even try i-" The next thing the younger knew he was suddenly pushed down onto the bed and pinned down by his mate. Rin giving him a loud purr, before thrusting into him with renewed vigor. Each thrust hitting his prostate dead center as the small keeper let out a string of high pitched moans and arched his back. His tail lashing out and his fingers strangling his mates hand holding him down, before he suddenly let out a scream of pleasure and came. Rin letting out a sudden gasp as his mate tightened around him in a death grip, before cumming inside of him and growling. A single whine leaving the younger as his mate pulled out of him and laid back, pulling the younger on top of him in the process. The both of them panting as Rin gave him a soft smile and brushed the hair out of his mates face. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Nir egged me on." Rin chuckled, as Akashi swatted his hands away and pouted. "In that case you're both terrible." Akashi grumbled, as Rin chuckled and gently kissed the younger on the forehead before his mate gave him a small smile. "But at least we're all back together again." "Yes, safe and sound." Rin spoke, as he pulled his mate close and smiled as he started to fall asleep against him. A small bubble of happiness welling up inside him, before a duplicate feeling suddenly grew out of nowhere and caused the teens smile to widen even more as he closed his eyes for a moment. A clear image of Hasaki curled up in Nir's arms the only thing he saw beneath his closed lids, as he opened his eyes and held his mate tighter against him. The teen turning to glance at the golden pocket watch sitting on the side table with a smile. This was their Wonderland and together they'd keep it safe. =============================================================================== Blue Exorcist and it's characters do not belong to me. Th ey belong to Kazue Kato. Akashi, however, belongs to otakugirl251. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!