Chapter Text
"Rin, are you okay?" Kuro asked his friend when he saw Rin's bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks.
Lizzy, of course, didn't understand Kuro, so she repeated the question without knowing Kuro already asked. "Rin, are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine..." Rin trailed off. "Would you guys believe me if I told you that I traveled back in time?"
"Rin, you're the son of Satan and, technically, his representation. Honestly, I can't be surprised anymore." Lizzy smiled.
"Lizzy's right. Of course we believe you!" Kuro meowed.
"I got to see him again...my Dad." Rin sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Shiro?" Kuro meowed, eyes tearing up as well.
"Yeah." Rin nodded.
Lizzy furrowed her eyebrows, confused. Rin smiled slightly, eyes still watery. "Kuro wondered if it was Shiro."
Lizzy put her hands to her mouth. "Oh, Rin..."
"He understood, he never blamed me. He still loves me, he doesn't hate me." Rin shakily smiled, tears dripping down his pale skin. "It felt...I can't describe it. I felt like my chest was about to burst. I got to see him again..."
Kuro meowed in a sad cry. "Shiro!"
"I wish you could have been there, Kuro," Rin said to his friend.
"Me, too. I'm just happy that I know he's died in peace," Kuro meowed, trying to hold back his own waterworks.
"That makes two of us." Rin smiled in relief, biting his lip and gritting his teeth to hold back tears.
Lizzy didn't know what Kuro had said, but whatever it was, Rin seemed to agree with relief, so Lizzy didn't ask.
She hugged the boy. "I know you'll have to go home one day, probably very soon. I'll miss you, I hope you know that. I'm not going to keep you here because of my own selfishness, just know that I hope you'll be happy wherever you go."
"Thank you, Lizzy." Rin smiled at the woman.
Lizzy smiled back. She knew Rin had more secrets, ones that weren't his own, but she didn't pry. Whatever it was, Lizzy was just glad Rin was okay. Any other secrets could stay in the closet.
The secret of Rin Okumura was enough for her.
Vlad scowled down in his lab.
Why was he hiding? True, he was terrified, but he'd been hiding long enough, hadn't he?
Still, the lingering fear was still present, then Vlad's mind clicked.
Satan wouldn't be able to attack him in public, it would be bad to reveal his identity.
Of course, he couldn't stay in public every hour of the day, but Daniel's buffoon of a father, Jack, would surely welcome him with open arms. Maybe he would be able to get them to help him.
Vlad grinned darkly.
Maddie furrowed her eyebrows when a knock sounded on the door. Jack glanced at her and smiled. "I'll get it, Mads!"
He raced to the door, and Maddie followed, simply worried that whoever was at the door would be at the mercy of Jack's eccentric nature.
When Jack opened the door, the two stared wide eyed at a disheveled Vladimir Masters.
Of course, the information Danny and his friends had relayed about Vlad made both of them suspicious.
"Jack! Maddie! You have to help me! There's a dangerous creature after me! I need your help!" Vlad begged.
Maddie and Jack exchanged glances. Though Jack was usually slow on the uptake, both of them knew that this 'creature' was actually Rin.
Maddie nodded discreetly to Jack, and he understood. They would have to act normally until Danny and his friends got home.
"Of course, V-Man! You're welcome here anytime!" Jack exclaimed.
"Thank you, Jack, Maddie." Vlad nodded and entered the house.
Behind Vlad's back, Maddie and Jack nodded at each other.
Three 'o clock hit, and the last bell rang, signaling school was out.
Rin, Danny, Sam, and Tucker made their way towards Danny's house.
"Don't you have work?" Tucker asked the half demon.
"Today's a day off. Lizzy seems to think I work to hard and need a break just to hang out." Rin shrugged.
Rin and Danny jumped slightly at the sound of Danny's phone, their sensitive hearing kicking in.
Danny pulled the phone from his pocket and frowned at the caller ID. "It's Mom."
"Why would Mrs. Fenton be calling you?" Sam asked.
"Don't know," Danny replied, answering the call.
"Danny? We need to warn you. Vlad's here. He asked for protection from a dangerous creature. We assume he meant Rin. Jack and Vlad are in the lab, so when you get home, the lab's ghost shields will be activated. He doesn't know we know, nor that we know about Rin, so right now, we're just playing along. I just wanted to warn you," Maddie explained quickly.
Danny paled slightly. "Okay, thanks. I'll tell the guys."
He ended the call and turned to the group. Rin was frowning, already knowing what the call was about with his demonic hearing. Sam and Tucker looked confused.
Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We have a major problem."
"Understatement of the century," Rin quipped.
Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Rin quietly snuck into the house.
"Okay, we need to hurry down to the lab as soon as possible. Once we get onto the stairs, shut the door and lock it. The ghost shield should activate around the door once that's done." Danny instructed.
Rin nodded. "I can hear them. They're all down there."
"Good. That'll make this just that much easier." Sam smiled slightly, trying to brighten the situation.
The four teens scrambled to the lab, Rin being last, so he locked the door behind him.
For precaution, Danny transformed into Phantom briefly, pushing his hand towards the door, then transformed back. Danny looked at them and nodded, confirming that the ghost shield was definitely on.
They rushed down the steps, Maddie and Jack turning to face them first. "Oh, sweetie! You're home!"
"Hey Danny-boy!" Jack boomed.
Vlad turned around, smiling almost deviously. "Hello, Danie-" He didn't finish, face turning pale and eyes popping out.
"Is there something wrong, Vlad?" Jack asked, acting oblivious.
"Mr. Masters? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Rin tilted his head to the side, eyes wide with innocence, but a twinkle of mirth and mischievousness shined in his blue orbs.
"Maddie! Jack! That's the creature that's been after me! That's its human disguise!" Vlad shouted.
"Don't worry, Vlad. Rin's completely safe. I think you're a bit tired." Maddie frowned in fake concern.
"No, Maddie, you must believe me!" Vlad warned.
"Nobody's going to believe you, Vlad," Sam spat.
"You're a bitter old liar, Plasmius." Danny glared.
"What are you doing, you insolent-" Vlad hissed, but was cut off by the booming voice of Jack.
"I think we need to have a chat, V-Man."
Vlad gulped and turned to face Jack and Maddie's glaring forms. "Now, Jack, Maddie, you can't honestly believe I'm-"
"We know about Danny, Vlad. We also know about you. We only let you into our house because we believed Danny and his friends could help deal with you better than we could, considering they have more experience." Maddie frowned.
"Maybe so, but that Rin boy is a threat! He's not human, nor is he a ghost! He's a-" Vlad was once again, cut off.
"Demon. We know." Danny scoffed.
"But-but-he's Satan-!" Vlad spluttered.
"I hope you're not that stupid, Vladimir." Rin hissed. "I've only told you what I did because I had to. You messed with Gehenna and its inhabitants! Danny, Sam, Tucker, Maddie, and Jack did nothing to warrant any type of threat from me. You are a despicable person, only using you're abilities for your own selfish desires. You have no qualms with killing people as you have proved to me before with your speech. Danny and his friends only aim to protect, and while Jack and Maddie hunted Danny and other ghosts that might not have deserved it, their hearts were in the right place, only wishing to protect people from what they truly believed was evil. You, on the other hand, can not be spoken for in such a manner."
"You're Satan!" Vlad said, as if that was supposed to fix everything.
"I only said that because I didn't have time to discuss such small things at the time, for it would have distracted me from my original goal. I am not Satan, merely his son. The only reason I agreed with you was because I defeated him, and thus took his throne. I am the King of Gehenna now, so in hypothetical terms, I do represent him." Rin scowled.
Despite this revelation, this made Vlad even more fearful, for anybody who defeated Satan was surely more powerful, and being the son of him was even worse!
"You know, sometimes I wonder if I could perhaps remove your ghost half," Rin murmured, but they all heard it. "Of course, it wouldn't do much harm to you except remove your abilities. You were merely hit in the face with ecto-acne, while Danny was caught in a full blast. Danny's ghost half is that of his soul, meaning that if it were separated, it would cause personality splits and dire consequences. You, however, are much different. Your ghost half is like an extra limb of sorts, something that can be removed with no major problems if done correctly. These reasons are why Danny's forms look so much similar in comparison, while your forms look much less in sync."
Vlad swallowed shakily. "You can't! If you do it incorrectly, I could die!"
Inwardly, Rin grimaced. Yes, Vlad was right. The chances of that happening were very likely, since Rin had never done anything like this before. Of course, it wouldn't change the fact that it had to be done, one way or another.
Making his decision, Rin smirked. "Well then, if I mess up, I'll be sure to take good care of you in Gehenna."
Vlad shook. The rest looked vaguely disturbed, Danny more so with his obsession to protect, but nobody, not even Danny interfered, because they all knew it was for the better.
"The truth is, Vladimir, I pity you." Rin sighed. "Before your accident, you had two wonderful friends and in your miserable state, you converted to being bitter. If only you had moved on, you could have been so much happier. I don't understand the grudge you held. Jack obviously saw you as his best friend, and while you say you only wanted love, you didn't take it when it was so freely offered. Instead, you decided to obsess and try to eliminate the only person who had any kind of respect and care for you."
"I'm very sorry that you let your past get the better of you."
Rin didn't hesitate as he lunged forward, fist lit in blue fire. "Danny, turn him intangible, now!"
Danny didn't question it and lunged, grabbing Vlad and turning the man intangible.
Rin thrust his fist into the man's waist, yelling, "Solid, now!"
Danny let go of the man, Rin's fist stuck in Vlad's gut. Vlad let out a screech of pain as Rin gripped the man's core, Danny flinching as he knew how much that hurt.
Rin frowned. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."
Rin closed his eyes, concentrating as his flames encircled Vlad's core, and then...he pulled.
Vlad screamed.