Bon has a Night Mare

"Shit!" Rin jumped over Bon's legs and made a mad dash for the stairs, tearing at the banister as he took the steps three at a time. Michi persistently screamed from his room, still continuing as Rin threw the door open, it slamming into the wall in his haste. He kicked aside a few errant toys and bent over Michi's bed, brushing his hair from his forehead.

"Michi! Michi it's okay!" Rin grabbed the boy and lifted his torso, "Hey, hey. Kid, come on!"

Michi trashed in his arms, eyes still welded shut as he attempted to push Rin away. He was drenched in a cold sweat, his night shirt soaked to skin. "Come on..."Rin growled, trying to think of what to do.

Bon came up behind him and moved Rin aside, taking Michi from his arms. He was unreasonably calm in midst of chaos, jerking his head aside has one of Michi's hands made an attempt to strike him."I got this, just be ready."

Hearing the screams Sakura had burst from her room, accompanied by her husband who now stood in the doorway. Not knowing how else to help Rin stood up from the bed, making room for Bon to sit, and went over to the concerned parents. He put on his best face and hoped to look reassuring, "He'll be okay, I know this is frightening. We're going to chase whatever this is out of him."

"What is he going to do?" Sakura asked, a hand clutched to her mouth as her husband held a supportive arm around her.

"Nothing harmful, I promise. Please," He glanced back at Bon who held his prayer beads in his hand, his lips moving furiously, "it would be best for you to wait downstairs."

"We're not going anywhere!" her husband protested, holding Sakura tighter.

Rin gave a dejected sigh, looking back at Bon again. As he was getting ready to argue the matter Nagatomo appeared at the other end of the hall, giving Rin a knowing nod as he approached the couple. "If you come with me, I can help explain, but they need space to work."

The couple looked as if they would protest, Sakura's small sobs escaping past her hand covered mouth. "What if-"

"Ma'am," Nagatomo's voice steeled, his gentle urging molding into firm assertion, "I know how incredibly difficult this must be. Trust us to do our jobs, we have this well under control. Please, if you'll escort me downstairs." he stepped to the side, allowing room for the parents to slide past, his hand outstretched in invitation towards the stairs. Deflated they slumped past, Sakura's hand gripping her husband's tightly as they made their way to their living room.

With a thankful nod Rin closed the door quietly, trying his best to block out the quite sobs that whispered up the steps. He turned his attention back to Bon who was still praying, relieved that Michi had stopped screaming.

"Is he awake?" Rin asked, stepping closer to hover over Bon's shoulder.

Bon shook his head no, his chanting uninterrupted. Slowly Michi's face began to smooth, his lips uncurled and his eyes relaxed, the lines on his forehead easing away in the dark. Bon gently put Michi back down, his hands coming together to make the letters of the greek monogram of Jesus. "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you."

With the prayer finished Rin's baited breath hung in the air, watching and waiting, anticipating retaliation. Moments passed and Michi remained calm, although still in a deep sleep. His chest rose and fell silently, peaceful, as if he hadn't just been wildly flailing around.

Bon sat back with a sigh, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Whatever it is, it's still in there. It's not coming out without a fight, but I don't know what verse to use."

"Is it keeping him asleep? What'd we do?" Rin asked, his fingers clenched into tight fists. His heart beat in his throat as he looked from Michi to Bon, desperately wishing to help.

"Yeah, that would be my guess." Bon swallowed hard, standing up from the bed and placing his hands behind his head. He stood there for a moment, watching as Michi slept. "Christian prayer barely did any good. I had to go through three of them before that last one started to work. Even then it didn't get the job done," he confessed, his tone thick with defeat. He tossed a hand out towards Michi. "Obviously."

Rin chewed the inside of his cheek, his thoughts racing. "Then maybe it isn't Christian. Right?" He looked over at Bon, recalling a conversation they had during a study session last week. "You said that demons are most effected by their origin religion last week, when you were practicing different sutras."

Bon starred at Rin like he'd lost his head, blinking back his surprise. "Yeah," he breathed, astonished that he had been paying that much attention, much less remembered. "Yeah, that's right."

"Maybe that's it then," Rin said, waving a expectant hand towards Michi. "Maybe we are approaching this wrong."

Quite settled into the room, disturbed only by the Michi's rhythmic breathing. Bon crossed his arms, mulling over Rin's words. "Can you go get us some black salt?" he asked, looking at Michi and reanalyzing the situation.

Rin withdrew a bottle from inside of his coat pocket with a grin, "Already got it."

"Line the door and windowsill with it, will ya?" Bon asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise at his preparedness.

Refocusing his thoughts Bon crossed his arms and closed his eyes, mentally visualizing a list of demons. Each demon conjured an image in his mind, complete with a name, list of characteristics, basic strengths and weaknesses. Any not fitting his criteria was pushed to the left while the rest was put in a mental file to the right. Within a couple of minutes he had compiled a list of suspects, although he still wasn't certain.

"Nagatomo said he saw a Shinto mark by the door, right?" Bon asked, turning to watch Rin who was tediously pouring black salt along the base of the door.

Rin, tongue jutted out to the side with intense focus, nodded. Careful to not leave a single break in the line he tapped more of the salt onto the floor. He inched his way along the door on his hands and knees, only stopping once the salt reached the end of the door frame.

Further narrowing his list Bon mentally tossed away a few more possibilities that were in Shinto mythology and religion. He took a moment to mentally thumb through the pages in the file he'd created. "I think it's a Mare." he finally concluded, hand gripping his chin as he considered the option.

"A Mare?" Rin asked, now having moved onto the window frame. He was bent over, tapping the salt in a line with the same concentration he had with the door.

"Yeah..."Bon gave it another moment of deliberation before his resolve firmed. "They can come from a few different mythologies but..." he trialed off, trying to calculate the most probable one.

Checking to make sure the salt was laid out Bon took a deep breath and sat on the edge of Michi's bed. "I'm going to try something. Hopefully it'll work. You ready?"

Unsure of what he was expected to do Rin started to protest. His hesitation was a moment too late, as Bon started reciting a prayer just as he'd opened his mouth. Knowing it was too late he took a step back, fists clenched, readying himself.

"Wie fröhlich bin ich aufgewacht. Wie hab ich geschlafen so sanft die Nacht."

The white of Rin's eyes showed as he watched at Bon, recognizing the dialect as one he'd heard more than a handful of times from Mephisto. German flowed from Bon's lips, leaving Rin baffled. Since when did he speak German?

His urge to blurt out the question was dampened as Hichi's body tensed, his legs going rigid and his small fingers clutched his bed sheets. Rin stepped forward instinctively, his hands outstretched in the event he needed to grab the boy.

Bon continued the prayer, standing up to give Hichi more space as his body splayed out, stiff as a board. His prayer was unfaltering, even as he accidentally bumped into Rin's outstretched hands clumsily. "Hab dank den Vater im Himmel mein, dass Du uns wollens bei mir sein."

Small whimpers began panting from Hichi, his chest heaving rapidly as he struggled to take a deep breath. The flickering transparent image of a large figure appeared on his chest, it's purple eyes honed on the little boy, a long appendage stretching from its face to attach to his mouth.

"Bleib bei mir auch diesen Tag, dass mir kein Leid geschehen mag."

The creature broke away from its prey, the long, tendril like protrusion withdrawing back into its face. A deep, menacing growl filled the room with vibration, shaking the floor and rattling a picture on the wall. A long, human like limb stepped onto the floor, disfigured and covered by black fur, angled out in a sickly, broken way. Twisted limbs drew itself up, a lanky, black, fur covered body lurched towards the exorcist with contorted movements, growling and hissing.

Bon stared it straight in the face and uttered the final word of the prayer. "Amen."

Rather than disappear like the many demons and ghosts before it, the mare lunged itself into Bon. As Michi lay coughing on his bed Bon clutched his chest and fell backwards, his eyes clouding over. Before he could catch himself he fell onto the floor with a heavy thump, his head bouncing off the hardwood, his eyes unblinking. His hand fell away from his chest, lifelessly toppling beside him.

"Bon!" Rin rushed forward, gripping Bon by the shoulders who had now fallen unconscious. "Oh my God," Rin tapped his face lightly, trying to help him come to. "Bon. Bon, wake up!"

Behind him Michi had regained full consciousness and was wailing, tears streaked his face and sobs heaved from his chest. The cries grappled Rin's attention, pulling him away from Bon who was beginning to take short, shallow breaths. Bon's body tensed, a string wound too tight then released, his body relaxing for a moment.

His eyes darted from one to the other before he finally tore himself away. "Hey," Rin turned his head to look behind him at the boy, "Hey, shhh. Shhh. It's okay! It's alright."

His lame attempt at soothing utterly failed, Hichi sobbing and palming at the tears on his face as he hiccuped and coughed. Rin's jaw clenched so hard his teeth creaked in protest. He pried himself from Bon, gently lowing him to the floor. He struggled to look away from his brown eyes that had turned a milky white, empty and distant. "Just hang on..."

Knowing he couldn't waste time he stood and scooped Hichi up from the bed, blankets and all. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay now," Ron said softly, Hichi wrapping his legs and arms around Rin who was holding him on his hip. "I'm going to take to you to your Mom, okay?"

Hichi sniffed, or attempted to sniff past a clogged nose and nodded. Free falling tears were wiped away with the back of his hand as Rin opened the door and stepped out into the hall, glancing back into the room to check that they weren't being followed. Bon lay motionless on the floor, his chest rising and falling steadily.

Rin closed the door with a snap and rushed his way downstairs, mindful of the steps on his way down. When he ushered into the living room he was met with a shout of relief, Sakura practically jumping from the sofa to relieve Rin of his burden. "Hichi! Oh my-Oh," She kissed the top of his head, holding him close, "You're okay."

Despite the warm reunion Rin turned on his heel, waved away their thanks, ignored Nagatomo all together and made a sprint for the stairs. He flung himself into the door, turning the handle just in time to throw the door open. Not bothering to close it he collapsed to a kneel at Bon's side.

"Bon," he lifted his head with one hand, Bon's face still vacant. "What the hell..."he sat back on his knees, helplessness threatening to overcome him.

As he considered going back downstairs for help Bon's body constricted, his muscles taut. His thighs and calves flexed against his jeans and his torso crunched, the strain squeezing the breath from him. Sweat began dripping from his forehead as his breathing turned rapid and shallow, just as it had with Michi.

"Bon!" Rin set his head back on the floor, Bon's muscles bulging as his body raked itself with convulsions. Bon's hands clamped into fists as pained mewl escaped through his clenched teeth.

Desperate Rin began to pat his jacket, pulling out the random things he'd grabbed from their bags. He tried crossing Bon's forehead with holy water, then oil, then put salt on either side of his shoulders. He lit some sage, sandalwood and even burned some dragon's blood resin. Nothing worked. Bon's body tensed with another wave of nauseating intensity, his nails digging into the hardwood floor.

Putting his hands to his head Rin stood, hysteria threatening to consume him. He was defenseless, he had no sword and no one to help him. The thought of going back downstairs didn't even cross his panic riddled mind. This was a living nightmare. All the while Bon's body shook, wracked relentlessly with taunt muscles and strained breath.

What would Yukio do? What would Bon do? He knocked his knuckled against his temples, trying to jar something useful. There had to be something. Anything. If only he could..."Oh." Rin blinked clarity back into himself. "A Mare."

That was what Bon had called it, right before exorcising it. Things quickly clicked into place. "I don't speak German though...I can't..." Rin breathed, his whisper almost as strained as Bon's breath.

A gasp urged him away from his shame, Bon's body again releasing tension only to convulse moments later. Rin took a deep breath, finding his resolve. No, he didn't know German or mantras, but they had just spoken about this last week, right?

Rin closed his eyes, his face set into a scowl as he tried to recall their conversation. Bon had been trying to recite German prayers, insisting that "It was better to have than have not," while Rin encouraged him to try something that didn't resemble senseless rambling. The lighthearted teasing had turned into a lesson of sorts, they had spoken about German demons, especially as it pertained to Mephisto.

Frustrated at himself Rin knocked his palm against his forehead, trying to force the useless bits of his memory away. They had left their makeshift meditation room. It had been early in the morning, the sun pouring rising rays in through the windows. They were chatting, making their way to the kitchen, his slippers padding against the warm colored hardwood floor.

"We should just have coffee..." Rin's own voice echoed in his mind, followed by Bon's laughter.

That was it! Coffee! They had laughed about it then, the idea of goading a demon out with such a trivial thing.

Rin sprang to his feet and dove into his pockets, pulling out a bar of iron and a bag of coffee grounds. He palmed the bar of metal, hiding it in his hand as he stepped away from Bon, putting space between them. Without much consideration for the flooring he upended the bag of coffee grounds, spilling the contents into a small pile.

"Come have coffee with me!" Rin shouted, not bothering to hide his desperation.

When the words left his mouth Bon's body visibly relaxed, his breath softening but still shallow.

Knowing it was working Rin leaned forward and willed a trickle of flames to ignite from his fingers. He pinched a bit of the coffee grounds filling the room with a strong aroma. Rin fought back the urge to wrinkle his nose, the burnt smell not necessarily his idea of inciting. Swallowing back his grimace he cleared his throat and lowered his tone, folding himself into a bow that touched his forehead to the floor. "Please, join me for coffee."

With a gasp of air Bon's chest heaved. A black wisp extracted from his mouth, swirling its way over to the pile of smoldering coffee grounds. Bon coughed roughly, pigment filling his opaque eyes back to their lively brown. Panting to catch his breath he clutched at his chest, gasping for air. For a moment the mare hesitated, remaining near its recent victim as if deciding whether to leave the comfort of its host. Slowly it twisted and wound across the floor, lingering by Rin for a moment, examining for its own purpose. As it slithered its way closer it recoiled upon approach, Rin clenching the iron tightly in his palm. It temporized, the thin wisp hanging in the air before it meandered over to the offering. For a handful of moments it loomed over the smoke, almost as if trying to inhale the enticing fragrance before it bound around the pile of coffee, like a snake coiling over prey.

Breathlessly Bon looked wildly over to Rin, then down to the Mare that was still coiled around the coffee. With a hand still to his chest he mouthed the word "bottle" to Rin.

Rin shook his head lightly, mouth slightly ajar. "What?" he mouthed, still trying to keep his bow with his head turned to the side.

"A jar." Bon mouthed slower, holding his thumb and index finger out, trying to indicate what he was saying.

"Oh...Ooohhh." A light bulb flickered on, Rin's eyes lighting up at the realization.

Slowly, as to not rouse suspicion Rin rose from his bow and reached into his jacket. He withdrew a small bottle and pulled the cork out with a small pop. The Mare slowed its movements, still coiled around the pile of coffee grounds that was starting to burn out, the smoke beginning to dispel.

As the scent of coffee began to dissipate the wisp became agitated, moving about the floor, spreading out like fog. Rin set the bottle down and pinched some coffee between his fingers, willing his flame to ignite it once more. While it burned he sprinkled it into the bottle, the smoke wafting from its top. Tempted by the smell the mare gathered itself back into a stream and flowed towards the bottle. It seemed to deliberate, as if feeling the bottle before finally slithering its way inside. There was an odd art to the way it moved, almost mesmerizing as it swirled inside the bottle, dancing with the smoke.

"Cap it and seal it!" Bon shouted with surprising strength, jarring Rin who had been watching with held breath.

"Right!" Rin reached forward and slammed the cork into the bottle top. Inside the bottle the Mare swirled and thrust towards the top in an attempt to dislodge it.

"What'd I seal with it?!" Rin asked, frantically looking around and digging through his pockets.

Bon sat up on an elbow, straining with effort, his breathing still ragged. "Wax," he panted," red wax."

Rin finished sorting through his pockets, his eyes growing wide as he patted his front pockets helplessly. "I don't have wax!"

He looked around the room, desperate for something as a substitute. The bottle began to shake in his hand, the Mare trashing against the glass that began to crack. Unable to find so much as a candle Rin, absentmindedly and frantic, plunged the top of the bottle into the black salt on the windowsill. The mare recoiled to the back of the bottle, as far as it could from the salt. It stilled suddenly, as if frozen in the bottle.

Rin sighed with relief, his shoulders relaxing as he watched the Mare. "Oh man, that was intense."

Behind him Bon let out a sigh, letting himself fall onto his back against the floor, his chest still heaving with effort. His hand pawed at his chest,"I thought it was going to crush me. It was like a weight I couldn't move."

Rin hauled himself up and went over to Bon, gripping him by the arm to help pull him up. Bon's legs shook with effort and Rin could feel his arms tremble. Rin wrapped an arm around Bon's waist, helping to take on his weight. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Bon ground out between clenched teeth. Despite not having any visible wounds he felt like he'd internally been tossed into a blender or just recovered from a bout of the flu. He was aching in places he didn't even know existed. "How's Hichi?"

"He's fine, I think." Rin said, walking with Bon out of the room and into the hall. "He's downstairs with everyone else."

He made sure Bon had a good hold on the banister before he allowed him to take his weight back. Assuring him he'd be right back, Rin turned back into the room to fetch the captured Mare, scooping up a handful of black salt to keep the cap of the bottle buried. Getting back down the stairs was slow progress, Bon taking his time as he eased himself down each step.

At the bottom of the stairs Nagatomo helped sling one of Bon's arms around his shoulder so he could help him over to the couch. Bon sunk into the comfort of the cushion, breathing a sigh of relief as he wiped away sweat from his forehead.

Sakura wasted no time in offering Bon a cold drink while Rin dug through their supplies. He shoved things around in the duffle bag with one hand, careful to not drop the bottle and salt.

"Here, let me help." Nagatomo said, kneeling by Rin to sort through the bag. He glanced over at Rin as he worked, "I was watching, you did well."

Rin's eyebrows shot up, his voice almost a yelp in it's shock. "You didn't come help?!"

Nagatomo shook his head, pulling a red candle from the bag and a lighter from his pocket. "No, that would have defeated the purpose." He lit the candle and waited for melted wax to accumulate. "This was up to you boys, I knew you could handle it. How would interfering look to the Vatican? Besides, look around you. Everything turned out well."

"Yeah..." Rin turned his head to look at the living room. Michi was tucked up against his father's chest, deep in a peaceful sleep. Dark circles surrounded his eyes but color flushed his cheeks, the pale sickness now gone. Sakura clung to her husband's side and ran a nurturing hand through Michi's hair, her face still wet with tears. Excluding Bon, who looked close to being violently ill, the family radiated relief.

His attention snapped back to the bottle in his hands as Nagatomo poured the red wax over the top, a few stray drops landing on Rin's hand. He ignored the urge to pull back and rotated the bottle so it completely sealed the top. "What'd we do with it now?" he asked as Nagatomo blew out the candle.

"You boys can figure that out in the morning." he said, fighting off a yawn and failing spectacularly. "I'd get to packing up, Bon looks like he could use a bed sooner rather than later." he added before standing up to stretch, his fingers laced together as he pulled his arms over his head, willing his body to stay awake.

"Damn, that's right..." Rin muttered, stuffing the captured demon in his jacket pocket. He still needed to pack up their camera and clean up the salt. An important part of their training was ensuring they respectfully cleaned up after themselves. It was never a clients responsibility to tidy up, even if they'd paid for their assistance.

Maintaining a straight face he went back upstairs and began packing up their things, thankful when Nagatomo showed up with a broom to help sweep up. He dismantled the camera and broke the tripod down to be packed away. Gathering up the cord he made his way back to their bags, stuffing the equipment back inside carelessly. The excitement was slowly draining from his body, leaving him weary and heavy. He took the tablet from the table and jammed it into a bag, he'd figure out which one later, and zipped it closed. Picking up both bags he let Nagatomo lead the way out to the car and waited for him to unlock the doors.

As Nagatomo was pulling the trunk open Rin happened to glance down the sidewalk, not for any particular reason. What kept his attention was a small purple orb, hanging in the air. A breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees and caressed the grass, swaying gently. The orb didn't move. It remained there unwavering, its purple glow outlined faintly with white.

"Hey, Nag-" Rin started to get his attention, then stopped as the orb suddenly vanished. Not in a wisp of smoke, or a flickering of light, just a slow fade into nothing.

The elder priest looked up from the trunk, pivoting to look down the street. "What?"

A crease formed between Rin's eyebrows, his lips pulled into a thin frown. "I just thought I saw something."

Nagatomo gave the street another look and then gently took a bag from Rin. "You're probably just tired," he huffed as he tucked the heavy bag into the trunk. "You've been up all night."

"Yeah..." Rin's gaze lingered just a moment longer on the sidewalk. Finally he blinked and looked away, placing the last of their things into the trunk. As they walked back to the house Rin withdrew the bottled mare, just to settle his nerves. He felt himself relax a bit at the sight of it resting at the bottom of the jar, subdued.

With the bottle back in his pocket he went inside to help Bon from the couch. Before they left the promised to follow up in the morning, urging the family to get a good night's sleep, even going as far as suggesting they take a day off from work. Rin told them they would call but knew he'd be coming back. Someone would have to place a ward up in Michi's room to ensure no predatory demons came poking around. Once possessed, demons sought a person like blood in the water, spiritual sharks in mundane oceans. Still, Rin figured they would worry about that tomorrow as Bon looked like he was ready to faint.

They made their way back to the monastery, Izumi and Kyodo were waiting in the yard, Izumi's hands twisted up with anxiety. Nagatomo pulled the car to a stop and the priests rushed to offer help. Bon's body had turned stiff and his face flushed with fever, reminding him much of a temptaint infection. Blearily he looked out of the front passenger window, watching as Rin negotiated having their bags brought in while he opened the car door.

Rin forced a grin on his face, his expression too wide, too telling. He rested his arm on the hood of the car and looked down at Bon. "Come on, chicken boy. We gotta get you into bed."

"Nugh," Bon rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand, his fever hot against his skin.

With noticeable effort he unbuckled his seat belt and leaned forward. With the same force he'd use for a kick he manged to get his leg out of the car, his foot dangling weakly above the pavement. Panting with effort he leaned forward as ringing deafened his ears. His breath came out on shallow huffs as he started to topple from the car.

Rin lurched downward and caught Bon gently."Easy. Easy." He did his best to sound soothing as he reached into the car and helped Bon out. "You'll feel better after some sleep. Don't worry about a thing. I'll call the family in the morning and go back to ward the house, and we'll take care of the mare too." He prattled on as they walked into the monastery, the priests watching, their faced knitted with concern.

The journey up the stairs proved to be difficult when Bon all but collapsed on Rin, a murmur escaping his lips as they managed to get halfway up the stairs. Admitting defeat Rin picked Bon up bridal style, a feat not easily accomplished on the stairs, and managed to get to the landing. When they finally reached the bedroom Rin eased Bon into bed and didn't hesitate to strip him of his jacket and shirt, discarding the sweat drenched clothes onto the floor. It was only when he thought of removing Bon's pants did he deliberate that he may be violating his consent, or lack of.

A blush warmed his own cheeks as he scratched the back of his head, knowing that jeans weren't the most comfortable thing to be in, particularly if you didn't feel well. "Hey, Bon?" Rin gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

The most he got was a rather lethargic moan from Bon who merely turned his head to the side.

He thought back to his most recent stay in the hospital, how Bon had crawled into bed next to him wearing nothing more than a hospital gown. Taking a deep breath he fought back his hesitation and unbuttoned Bon's jeans and began to tug them off his legs, mindful to keep his eyes averted despite the temptation that gnawed at him. Bon's nipple piercing didn't help matters as he pointedly avoided giving him a great deal of appreciative consideration.

He idly wondered how Yukio did this type of work with complete strangers, not able to imagine stripping someone he didn't know completely naked. He rummaged through Bon's clothes, pulling out a familiar pair of black sweatpants and a sleeveless t-shirt. He gingerly pulled Bon's limbs into his clothes, settling him back down after he managed to get Bon into his shirt. Bon mumbled what could have conceivably been a thanks as Rin pulled a sheet up to his chin.

"Just get some rest, you'll feel better in the morning." Rin promised, his jaw clenching with resolve.

Rin took a sliver of time to change into something more comfortable before fetching a bowl of ice water and a rag. He spent the rest of the night there, his back leaned against Bon's bed, tending to Bon's fever. It wasn't until the early rays of the sun began shinning into the room that Rin finally drifted off to sleep, his arms folded over onto Bon's mattress with his head tucked in the nook of his elbow.