The Masks We Hide Behind (Amaimon x Rin)

Chapter 10

  It'd been three weeks since Amaimon had started training Rin. Everyday was either spent with Rin sleeping or seeing how long his demonic powers could last. After the first week, he could only use them for a few hours. The strain traing was putting on him had progressed the anemia.

  Rin could barely move now; every attempt at moving a few feet would cause him to collapse .  Amaimon, who was surprisingly doing an amazing job taking care of the younger half demon, would have to carry him around whenever he needed to go somewhere in the dorm. To help, Mephisto was sending Yukio on longer missions.

  Rin's friends from the exorcist cram school would stop by. When he had been well enough to traverse the dorm, he had talked to them. Shiemi had told him that he was missed and the others were worried about him. Still thinking that Amaimon was out to hurt him. It was better that they thought that.

  Speaking of Amaimon, they had been growing closer together. Amaimon did everything he could to help Rin. He'd make him comfortable, would carry him around, cuddle him, hell he even shared his candy with him.

 

  When Amaimon found out that Rin was beginning to feel the same way he felt about him he was ecstatic. He would shower Rin with affection and even a couple sweet kisses. He never did anything too heavy though, knowing with Rin's condition it wouldn't go well. But that didn't stop him from showing Rin he cared.

  Whenever he was awake and not spending time with Amaimon, Rin would think. He would think about accepting his demon side and discarding his human body. It was obvious he wasn't going to last much longer in it, but the thought of when Kurikara cracked always kept him from accepting the choice. Although, if he had Amaimon to help him out in Gehena, then he could do it.

  ...

  Training with Amaimon always was fun. It let him forget for a little while about his ever growing dark thought. Or that he was actually very sick. It was nice in a way.

  Rin had actually improved greatly with his control over his demon self. He could now fight Amaimon without unleashing his flames. Although, the next step was a little harder to do. Amaimon was having him now practice on only using small portions of his power. Meaning only select places and not the whole body could have his flames in a fight and he had to learn to control the temperature.

  "Amaimon! How the hell am I supposed to do this?!"

  "I'm not fully sure. I'm not  Iblis, I'm Amaimon the Demon King of Earth. Fire is not my speciality. Just try to feel your power and focus it the way you want it to.

  "Believe it or not, learning this control will actually help you as a demon. While most exorcists think of us to be nothing but mindless berserkers. That's only when we succumb to instinct and if you're a powerful demon, your own powers. Now instincts can't be tamed, but you can control your power which in turn helps you control yourself."

  "Don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell do you know so much?"

  "Big Brother helped me when I was a little demon. Said it wasn't fitting for a demon king to not have control. He says I don't have a lot, but that it makes me more entertaining.

 

  "That sounds like Mephisto alright."

  They began to spar again, Rin still not quite grasping how to selectively use his flames, but still trying his best. This continued on for another hour and a half before Rin's demonic powers could sustain his ailing body any longer. Passing out with the same bloody results that happened every time.

  ...

  On the next training day, Amaimon carried out Rin to go to the traing area as usual. He was once agin to preoccupied in his task of carrying the other that he didn't notice the Ex-Wires.

  But they of course noticed him. They saw him once again carrying Rin. They began to follow the Earth King immediately, not wanting to loose him this time.

  Although he was far ahead of them, all of Rin's friends from the cram school were able to keep sight of the demon. They followed him to an abandoned building towards the end of True Cross Town. He disappeared inside, so the others hurried to catch up.

  When they got inside, they saw neither hide nor hair of the Earth King and their friend. They split up and  looked all over the building, but try couldn't find the pair. After checking the last room, all began to think along the same lines: what if this was a trap?

  They all regrouped in the first room that had come into, the front room. They spread out around the room, trying to figure out where the demon king had taken their friend and what sort of trap could be planned.

  Shima had decided to cross the room and lean against an empty wall. He was shocked when he fell flat on his ass after putting some weight on the wall.

  The others looked over when they heard a shriek from Shima. He had fallen and was very lucky he hadn't gone any further. Because from the passage he had opened, leading down was a winding staircase.

  "What the hell did you do Shima?!" Bon yelled.

  "I just leaned against the wall!"

  "Do you think this is where they went?" Izumo was the one who asked this time.

  "There's a very high chance. We didn't see them anywhere in the building and now there's this secret passage. " Bon answered.

  "I don't think we should go down there. What if there's more demons?" A nervous Konekomaru asked.

  "Might as well give it a shot. Don't want the ladies over there to think that my falling on my ass wasn't to open the passage."

  Everyone gave a small laugh at the pink haired mans remark. Leave it to Shima to try and impress any female in the nearby area. Even when trying to save a friend.

  And with that, they began to go down the staircase.