Ice King

AU In this permanent frost, this eternal winter, could we be something more? The snow clings like a veil until I'm buried alive, trapped in a forest of ice. You've given your answer— Rin/Izumo

Rating: T+ for profanity and gore

Genre: Horror, Romance, Angst, and some Comedy

Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Exorcist

Chapter 1- Heartbeat

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Death is cold.

Laced in ice pearls and rich white velvet, the young miko took a final glance at her appearance in the silver hand mirror. Her purple hair had been tied up in an elegant bun, a few curled locks splayed out just below her ears. A thin sheen of gloss covered her lips, followed by a swipe of blush on her cheekbones. Finally, there was the mess of peacock feathers that traced her collarbone as a beautiful necklace.

Alone in her room, she let out a hollow laugh. The image in the mirror made her sick; she wanted to break the glass, to shatter the illusion of the elegant woman dressed in embroidered silk and crystal. But there wasn't enough time. There was never enough time. Already, she could hear the beat of the drums, the powerful rhythm that matched the roaring organ between her ribcage.

Thud.

I'm going to die. She fixed a fake smile on her powdered face, taking the first few steps towards the sliding tatami door.

Thud.

Who will take care of Tsukumo? With trembling hands she pressed the door open, revealing a small group of people dressed in white. From among the faces she saw the cheery visage of her mother who looked to be the happiest in seeing her young daughter off.

Thud.

I only got eighteen years. "Izumo!" A young voice called from the crowd. She saw her young sister, tears rolling down her cherubic face. A few of the villagers crowded the child, ushering her away from the area where the ceremony would take place.

"Tsukumo…" She whispered, unable to do anything as her sister disappeared in the crowd. The purple-haired miko had to keep her head forward, chin up, eyes steady. But I'm scared… so scared.

Thud.

I hope the demons curse them ten-fold. The walk down the faded stepping stones ended at the edge of the cliff, where a mighty tempest swirled underneath. Izumo continued to look forward, even as the head priest began to speak.

"God of Gehenna, we offer you the pure soul of Izumo Kamiki. With this loss may you shed your benevolence upon us and keep our village safe. The shrine of Inari has always been a friend to you deities who had once been peaceful and quiescent, but now ravage the fields with pestilence and war. May this sacrifice appease you for some seasons, until you wish for another soul."

The final thud.

Goodbye, Tsukumo… Silence followed. The priest wrapped the silver beads around her throat, tangling them in the peacock feathers. Two men from the village took a hold of her arm, leading her closer to the rocky precipice. They jingled noisily with every step, the only break in the near suffocating silence.

Hands clasped together, a final plea escaped her lips. Anyone, please, if you hear this, come save me. I don't want to die. Not now, not for these horrible people. Please…

And then she was pushed forward. Falling into the murky abyss, she found that the beads had slipped away from her neck, floating just a few inches before her. Eyes heavy, she reached a single hand towards them, feeling the smooth spheres against her fingers. But the water was cold and the harder she struggled to reach the surface, the more she felt the sea's tug against her lithe form. It was a lethargy that seeped into her bones like the coldness of the waves, unstoppable and frightening.

Darkness soon followed.

Staring down at the parchment, a blue-haired demon furrowed his brows, confusion straining the contours of his face. "Damn that clown and all his stupid fanciness… what the hell is he trying to say?"

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of his brown-haired brother, a tray of tea balanced in his free hand. "Nii-san, you know how politics work. He's just trying to get a rise from you." It was obvious that the bespectacled man had heard his mutterings as he placed the teapot on a nearby table.

"Well it's working. I'm tired of this shit; why do we even have domains again?" He whined, putting the paper down in exchange for a porcelain cup. Taking a quick, careless sip, the demon hissed in pain.

"Too hot, too hot— ack, help me Yukio!"

The man in question merely shook his head, reaching for the paper his brother had abandoned. Cerulean orbs traced over the heavy ink until he let out a sigh, turning his attention to Rin.

"Sometimes, I wonder how you're ranked ahead of me." He said, although there was no actual animosity to be found. The reason was fairly simple; demons, at least those in the lineage of Baal, were ranked first for power, then age. Being both younger and born with only a bright intelligence, not blue flames, left him to scrap the bottom of the hierarchy at ten while Rin was elevated a bit further, at nine. But Yukio was sure that in time Rin would manage to overtake his brothers, given ample time and training.

Still, his brother showed no interest in politics and even less in climbing up the social ladder, so to speak. He was fine ranked at nine, with no real aspirations to change his standing in the line of Baal. He was fine with them being the death-bringers, the reapers, the collectors of human souls, as his older brothers called them. In reality, they had no real domain under them, just a hodgepodge of assorted titles and miscellaneous jobs.

Being ranked ninth and tenth, both brothers were given random duties and assignments of stronger princes. Most notably, they held the true titles of Gate-keeper, as both Samael and Azazel (who had once worked together, begrudgingly, to keep their domains strong) had passed on their least favorite job to them: soul-collecting. It was a fairly simple process; they were to collect all the souls that landed in Gehenna and bring them to Satan, without question.

In other words, we're Gehenna's errand boys… He thought somewhat bitterly, returning his attention to the letter.

Adjusting his glasses, Yukio spoke, "Nii-san, this letter is a warning; Samael will be visiting soon."

"W-what? Let me see it!" Rin snatched the letter away, reading the lines again, slower this time. At the very bottom, past the elegant script and haughty vocabulary, was a few lines written in pink ink.

The blue-haired man then read it out loud, a slow horror creeping upon him, "P.S. Dear otoutos, I have finished up business in Assiah and am ready to return to Gehenna, if only for a little while. I'll be visiting the whole family, but I've decided to stop by you two first! How lucky, ne~? Until then, I send you my happiest regards and hope to see you both in good health!"

"So it seems we'll need to prepare a room… how troublesome." The brown-haired demon mused, already setting the ink and quill on the table. Ah, it was definitely going to be a hectic week; getting the mansion ready for Samael's arrival, ordering the servants around, the poor man could feel a headache forming already.

Anyone, please, if you hear this, come save me. A voice echoed in the twin's heads. Rin shifted forward, a thin frown pressing against his lips.

"Nii-san, don't do it. You can't save everyone." Yukio warned.

I don't want to die. The voice whispered again, fading.

The blue-haired king let out a growl of frustration before darting out of the room despite his brother's pleas.

"Sorry, Yukio! But, I've got a feeling about this one!" He shouted back, willing himself to where the souls were kept. In moments the blue-haired man was standing above a sea of souls, the bright lights twinkling with fervor. Wading into the pool, Rin searched frantically, dipping his head into the waters.

Not now, not for these horrible people. Please…

Following the sound of the voice, he found a particularly frail soul, its light flickering dimly, reminiscent of an injured glow-fly. Leaping from the sea with the light, he waited, cupping the soul in his hands. In an attempt to encourage the soul to life, he let out some of his flames, bathing the white orb in a cobalt hue. Live, he thought, focusing the flames to its center. Slowly, the soul unraveled until Rin rolled it gently to the ground.

A bright light followed as he shielded his eyes, straining to see the figure that emerged from the soul. A young woman appeared from the light, dressed in thick embroidered fabric. She was unconscious, hair and dress still damp from her time in the lake of souls. Wordlessly, the demon picked her up, carrying her gently to his chest.

"You better be worth the crap I'll get from Yukio…" He muttered, taking a better look at the woman. She clung subconsciously to his warmth, soft breaths escaping her lips. She seemed too soft, too vulnerable to be a soul condemned to Gehenna. The demon shook his head; no soul ended up in Gehenna by mistake.

Upon entering the mansion, Rin was met with the presence of his younger brother, who had taken to sitting by the empty fireplace, a worn book propped in his lap.

"Well?" He questioned, flipping the book shut. It was apparent that he was very angry.

Rin gulped. An angry Yukio was a force to be reckoned with. "She's asleep so I don't know yet—"

"You have to stop being so reckless, nii-san. Remember the last time you 'rescued' a soul from the lake?" Yukio interrupted, a serious expression on his face.

"That guy was scum. He just had a really convincing voice!" Rin retorted back, moving to place the girl onto the sofa. Rummaging around, he returned with a blanket, draping it over the girl's shivering form.

The lowest parts of Gehenna were no place for human souls. The cold frigidness of the area, blanketed in ice and snow, could snuff out even the brightest of lights. It was a land of death that he and his brother reluctantly called their domain and even more reluctantly called their home.

Using his flames to light the fireplace, Rin sighed in time with his brother. Yukio gave a small glare, but remained in his seat, thoughts turned to a particular… problem.

"Nii-san, you really didn't think this through."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Samael— or does he go by Mephisto Pheles now; I always forget. He will be here in three days. If he finds out you saved her—"

"I know, geeze! We'll both be sent to stand trial in front of Satan!" Rin snapped, only to have his anger dissolve momentarily at the sound of a feminine voice.

"W-Where's my sister? W-where's Tsukumo?!"

Elsewhere, a certain demon king of Space and Time whistled a little tune, only stopping at the sight of his green-haired brother.

"Amaimon, what a pleasant surprise. Have you finally decided to come with me to visit the twins?"

The demon nodded. "Yah, Assiah was getting a bit boring. But, I saw the letter. Why did you lie about when you were coming?

His words brought a chuckle to the man's lips. "I always like catching them off guard~! They make the most wonderful faces of surprise! Hahaha, besides, I have a feeling they're hiding something from me."

Amaimon cocked his head to the side. "How so?"

"Well, the number of human souls in Gehenna is decreasing. It's a small shift and over a long period of time, but the number is definitely going down. Now, I know that the corruption and debauchery of Assiah is still in full swing, so these numbers can only be explained if one of the twins were to be helping souls cross back over to Assiah."

"Isn't the penalty for disobeying Satan death?" He questioned casually, sticking a lollipop into his mouth.

"It is. Oh, what naughty half-brothers I have~!" He grinned, disappearing through the Gehenna Gate. Amaimon followed at his heels, pulling Behemoth with him through the familiar portal.

A/N: I seem to be in a Rin/Izumo mood, lol. I know there aren't too many long fics for this pairing so I hope to contribute a little bit, even if it is an AU ^^' Oh, and for the record, Tsukumo is not an OC; she appeared in the later chapters of the manga and is confirmed to be Izumo's little sister, as seen in last chapter's flashback.

*otouto= younger brother, informal; Mephy calls Amaimon that a lot in the anime.

Next chap expect some demon politics, more Izumo!angst, and a visit from our favorite violet-haired trickster :P

Review?

-Isis