December 2nd.

Yukio had stayed up most of the night, lost in thought as he stared at the ceiling. What Shura told him the night before kept repeating in his head, and he had to fight the urge of getting out of bed to check on his brother. His demon side was trying to take over, and he was forced to hold it back or he could potentially hurt others. He had been taking injections meant to conceal it for about a month, as it was becoming a problem. This caused a lot of stress on his body, mainly his heart, as he steadily had to take a greater dose to keep it under control. This had been completely unknown to Yukio.

"His body can't take it, it's too strong to be sealed without weakening him in the process. There's nothing we can do about it other than keep on giving him the injections and see what'll happen. Unless he regains control, he may not survive the winter."

That had been Shura's exact words after she guided Yukio out of the room, not wishing for Rin to hear it. It wasn't that the older Okumura didn't know that things were going sour, but he had yet to know that he might end up dead in a few weeks.

Despite twisting and turning most of the night, Yukio somehow managed to fall asleep, only to wake up a couple of hours later to his alarm going off. He had a meeting to attend later that day, one that had to do with the catacomb and whether access would be allowed for a few higher-ups.

His alarm had been loud enough to wake his brother as well, the sound of soft moans escaping the opposite bed, followed by barely noticeable movements.

"Don't worry, you don't have to get up, I'll just make something quick, then ask Ukobach to make you something for later. You've been told to rest and not move around too much, you should follow the advice." Yukio answered as he reached for his glasses and sat up in bed. He turned to look at the time; 05:00 am. He had about an hour to get dressed and eat breakfast before leaving for the meeting.

"I'll be leaving soon, should I call someone to keep you company or are you well enough to make it on your own? I'm not sure when I'll be back." A part of him knew that Rin would be too stubborn to ask for someone to keep an eye on him, but he would feel much lighter knowing that his brother wouldn't be left alone all day, especially after yesterday. He had fainted during practice with Shura, who ended up bringing him back to the dorm before calling the doctor.

At the lack of a response, he sighed. "Then I'll choose for you. I'll try and call your friends since there are no classes until January, I'm sure at least one got the time to visit."

Once he was fully dressed, he turned to the door "I'll come back before leaving to help with the injection."

The meeting didn't take as long as he had expected. There had been some talking back and forth, discussing the risks and the responsibilities that would follow the expedition. In the end, only five higher-ranked exorcists with different meisters had been allowed to go there, and only as a group in case something happened while they were down there. A Doctor, a Dragoon, an Aria, a Tamer, and a Knight.

Yukio had not been one of the chosen.

While he tried to stay focused and listen as they talked about safety precautions and whether a second team should be formed, he found himself staring at a young girl who had somehow managed to get into the meeting room. She looked young, perhaps around thirteen years old. She was filthy, and her hair was a long, curly mess. He managed to get eye contact with her, as she stole an orange from a bowl placed in the corner of the room. So, she was a thief?

Before he got a chance to approach her, she bailed, her pockets full of fruits. Yukio immediately got up and ran after her, but as soon as he entered the hall, she was gone. Had he been hallucinating? Was this nothing but his imagination? Perhaps it was the lack of sleep.

Only Yukio had seen her, so surely, she wasn't real. And yet, she seemed so familiar.