A/N: I just looked at Ch 73 raws with my limited Japanese, and wow. Talk about emotional whiplash. The ending has me super excited for the next arc though! And that's all I'll say because spoilers.

Anyway, about this story, if people were hoping for a chapter on the exorcist exams, then sorry, I've got NOTHING. I'm talking ZERO inspiration for how that chapter would go. Well, okay, just one thing, but definitely not enough to write a chapter with. If I ever do figure it out, I'll write it as a one-shot (I know, I keep saying that). But then, this is a story that's supposed to explore what would happen differently if Yukio started to open up, and at this point I don't see how that would affect the exorcist exams (now watch as I'm proven wrong).

"Ya've never done it with a demon of this power!"

"Shura-san. You know this is our only weapon left."

"Hold on, hold on! Just lemme think for a minute!" Shura yelled at him waving her hand as if to wave away any words he might say next.

A minute passed. Those of the others who were still conscious shifted in discomfort, silently cradling their wounds. The only sound was the crackle of what was left of Rin's flames, and the crashing of the Ocean Queen against the mountain, searching for them.

It had been three months since Rin and his friends had passed the exorcist exam, and two months since the world had descended into chaos. Demons roamed Assiah freely, and everyday hundreds of ordinary people sustained Mashō and discovered that their world was being overrun.

The group of fresh exorcists occasionally expressed frustration and bewilderment at the sudden increase in the level of demons appearing. Yukio was left biting his tongue, knowing perfectly well what was going on. Mephisto Pheles's grip on the Illuminati's artificial Gehenna Gate had finally slipped, and the Gate now expanded freely. There was concern that True Cross Academy and the surrounding town would be taken over because the barriers Pheles had put in place were greatly weakened with Pheles's own physical decline. Those fears were quickly realized when the Marquess of Fire and the Fire Princess rose up in the valley beneath the school and began raining fire down on everything within sight. (1)

While this was happening, the Ocean Queen had started a slow, lumbering walk from shoreline towards True Cross Campus Town. Clearly someone or something was drawing the high class demons to the school, but what was not clear yet. Pheles had called the usual group he had dubbed 'his favorites' to his hospital room and ordered them to cut off the Ocean Queen while she was still near the shore. The exorcists protecting the Academy were putting everything they had into protecting against the fire demons. Even if they won the battle, the school wouldn't survive a second attack in the span of two days.

They had intercepted the Ocean Queen as she was sloshing over a village and quickly drew her away from her path into a neighboring valley surrounded by mountains. It was just as planned, but the fight had not gone as well. Even with coordinated attacks, they could only inflict minimal damage on the great demon. Rin's flames couldn't penetrate the thick, gelatinous skin. Maybe if they could get inside the demon, but that would spell certain death. Dead bodies and debris already floated within the waters of her arms and legs.

The group was left with depleted weapons and various wounds. Once Rin was down with a nasty blow to the head, they had to retreat. For a moment, Yukio thought they might not be able to do even that, but then Takara's puppet had stuck to the demon's wet skin. He had gone ballistic, attacking with a frightening ferocity until he managed to peel the bunny away from his enemy. The blitz was enough of a distraction for them to slip further up the mountain for a small reprieve from the fight.

Takara now sat, taking comfort from his own puppet, in the corner of the hideout Nii-chan had grown around them to camouflage their safe haven on the mountainside. Shiemi and Yukio did their best to treat everyone's wounds, but Rin and Shima were still out cold. Looking at the others, it was clear nobody was sure what to do. Yukio had come to the conclusion that there was only one move left for them to make and presented the idea to Shura in a hushed voice. Shura had immediately stopped wrapping her swollen ankle in favor of yelling her rejection. She now had the full attention of the other exorcists as she struggled to find another option.

She finally looked up from Rin's prone body. Her shoulders sagged and she ran a hand over her face, whispering something to herself. "Why? Why do ya want ta do it?"

He wasn't sure what she was getting at until he realized what this could look like to her: another experiment. The next step in his search for answers. The past few months had yielded no progress given his recovery and then the sharp increase in work.

He paused. In truth, that hadn't occurred to him. He was doing this so they wouldn't be killed; so the people of the nearby village, Campus Town, and the Academy wouldn't be killed; so his brother, laying defenseless in front of him, wouldn't be killed.

"It's our duty," he said plainly. The ultimate duty of the exorcist was to protect the people of Assiah from the demons of Gehenna. This simple, black-and-white idea had been ingrained in him from the time he entered the Order. He knew it was ironic, and perhaps hypocritical, to be using a power no normal human should have, but that was the life Rin had been living for nearly a year.

He smiled wryly to himself. After not being able to acknowledge Rin's use of Satan's flames, using his eyes now would make him far more hypocritical than Rin had ever been.

Shura groaned. "That's such a stupidly diplomatic answer. But I suppose that's not the worst one ya could've given." Then she grabbed his shirt collar and was shouting in his face. "Ya better not die, or I will hunt ya down an' make ya regret it!"

A bitter laugh escaped him before he could stop it. "Not dying is the point, isn't it?" He looked down at Rin. "Look after Ani for me."

Her mouth screwed up like she wanted to yell at him more, but instead she let go of his shirt. He quickly undid his gun belt, laying it next to Rin. Then he stood and looked out between Nii-chan's branches at the demon thrashing about in its search for them. Shiemi's voice was so tiny. "What…? Yuki-chan?"

He winced and pinched the bridge of his nose, not daring to look at her. "Ah, right. Shura-san, could you explain it to them?"

"What?! Do it yerself!"

He opened his mouth to retort, but the best he could come up with was, "I'm busy."

"Yer a coward," she countered easily.

He couldn't deny it, so instead he smiled. "So you keep saying. But that may be what's about to save us."

There was a particularly angry hiss of rushing water from the Queen from outside. Shura studied him with half-lidded eyes. If he didn't know her better, he would have thought she was bored. "Are ya sure?"

"After I do this, a lot of it will be obvious…" he reasoned for the sake of his own courage more than anything. "Just use your best judgement."

She squinted at him as she pouted. "Yer askin' a lot of me lately."

"Yeah, I don't know how I became so reliant on someone like you. I'm disappointed in myself." He did his best to smile at her irritated frown, although he could feel it didn't reach his eyes, and then looked down at Shiemi. She was looking at him with wide eyes that threatened to kill his courage and root him to the spot. He swallowed hard and hoped at least she didn't see his hands trembling. "Keep everyone hidden a little longer please, Shiemi-san."

Then, before he could turn back, he picked his way through the branches, ignoring the shouts and questions of the others. It took a while to find a path out, but when he did, he was greeted with the tremendous sight of water demon versus rock and stone. His breath caught in his throat at the marvel and he stood frozen for a second, his hands feeling too warm without the cool metal of his guns.

He pushed himself forward, finding it easier and easier to move towards the calamity the closer he got. He had done this enough times to recognize the sick thrill of adrenaline coursing through his skin, making him itch for movement until he could take it no longer and ran forward, skidding a bit on pine needles.

A few minutes later, he reached a ridge several meters below where the group was taking shelter. There was a sheer drop off that he couldn't climb down without the proper equipment, so it would have to do. He dug out a grenade from his pocket: the one significant weapon he had brought. Then, with his precise aim, he unclipped it and threw as hard as he could. The grenade exploded as soon as it made contact with the demon's ear. It roared a great crashing sound before turning to him.

"Hey! Over here!" He waved his arms over his head to make sure it would spot him and not the group above. He saw its beady eyes focus in on his movement, and a great arm of water slowly raised as if returning a greeting.

Then the water crashed into him, lifting him off his feet, and smashing him into the stone face of the mountain with the force of a hundred hobgoblins. The air was instantly pushed from his lungs, but when they searched for relief only water was there to fill them as he fell through the thick skin into the surprisingly warm waters of her grip. Somewhere through the veil of adrenaline, he felt pain flare in his side and he wanted to scream.

Instead he focused on his eyes. Keep them open, keep them open, keep them open!

He thought he tasted blood in the water and spots were bursting across his vision and somehow he could still see the beady eyes but there was red in the water, not blue and the pain and oh god air. He needed air. He needed air! It wasn't working and he needed air and he was going to die! This was it! This was nothing compared to his first experiment with the naiads! This wouldn't stop! There was no relief! His body rebelled against him. His hands clawed at his own chest, throat. He had failed! He was dead.

Regret smothered him as effectively as the water in his lungs. Familiar thoughts and faces flashed through his mind. Father holding his hand and offering him a purpose. Shiemi sitting with him in the rain and comforting him with her presence. Shura's face was new. He saw her, calm and patient, as she waited for him to tell her about his eyes.

But clearest of all of them was Rin's face. It was always Rin.

His strength was failing. His body ceased its struggle and began to go limp.

He would never see them again. He would never see Rin again. He was going to die.

No! He didn't want to! He wasn't ready!

Somebody, anybody, help! Please!

Nii-san!

The colors of the world changed to a single hue of blue.

-oOo-

"What is he doing? What is going on?" Kamiki asked as soon as Yukio left, her voice slowly gaining anger. She turned to Shura. "You know don't you?! Explain!"

Shura grit her teeth and did not respond from where she had hopped over to see between Nii-chan's branches. She understood that Kamiki's anger stemmed from confusion and anxiety, but Shura had no explanations or words of comfort to offer.

"Kirigakure-sensei, I think we all would like to know what Okumura-sensei is thinking. He left his weapons here…" Miwa said in a kinder voice, tinged with fear.

"He's planning something. What did he mean there was only one weapon left?" Suguro growled.

Shura grit her teeth as the questions mounted and the young exorcists began talking over each other, trying to understand the situation. Her nails dug into the branch she was using to support herself so hard she was surprised they didn't splinter. She couldn't see Yukio anymore from where she stood. He had disappeared further down the rock face.

"What…? Whaz goin' on?" Rin slurred out. The other voices silenced immediately.

And then Moriyama, who had been quiet up until that point, was suddenly sobbing. "Rin! Yuki-chan…! He just went! And he's gone to face it alone! And… and…" She hiccupped.

Rin jumped up to his feet, swaying a bit as he clutched his head. "What? What? Where's Yukio? What're you saying? What's going on?" Rin's eyes landed on Shura. It always amazed her how quickly he could find his calm in situations like this. "Shura. What happened?"

She opened her mouth to speak, her clenched jaw popping at the release of tension. But before she could, a warm light exploded behind her. She whipped around, seeing the last bit of a grenade explosion disappear. He was getting the demon's attention.

Rin rushed to her side, looking for a way through the branches. "Let me out!" he shouted over his shoulder to Moriyama, and instantly the branches receded. The rest of the group, hurried forward, Suguro carrying the still unconscious Shima on his back. Shura hobbled on her swollen ankle until Shiemi, who somehow still seemed to trust her after her silence, slid herself under Shura's arm and helped her to the edge of the cliff face where the group now stood.

Shura wondered why Rin hadn't run further, until she saw the water demon staring in their direction. Then an arm of water shot out towards them. But it was too low. It wouldn't hit them. Just Yukio below them.

Moriyama screamed as the arm crashed into the mountain, shaking the ground they stood on. At the angle where they stood, they couldn't see Yukio. Shura wondered how many of them realized what was going on.

"Yukio!" Rin yelled at the top of his lungs. He, at least, seemed to know.

The demon roared dangerous and deep like a whirlpool of sound. Its eyes were locked on what it held tight to the stone wall of the mountain. Shura counted her breaths. It was taking too long.

"C'mon. Cmon, c'mon…" she whispered. Guilt ignited in her stomach. It wasn't working. She had let Yukio walk freely to his death. She should have known this demon was too strong. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" She'd really let Shirō down this time, getting his star pupil killed. Damn it, Yukio! He wasn't supposed to die! That wasn't the plan. He was supposed to be more stubborn than this! "C'mon!" she yelled as if he could hear her. "C'mon yer not supposed to actually die ya stubborn, scaredy—"

Rin gasped and slapped his hands over his ears.

The demon roared again, but this time it was the sound made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. The demon was afraid. It stumbled backwards as fast as its girth and sloshing limbs would allow, but it was too late. The outstretched arm burst. Moriyama yelped next to her as warm water rained down on them. Shura thought that might be it for a moment, but then she realized the explosion was continuing up the arm, into the chest, the abdomen, the head, the whole body was coming apart like a water balloon bursting from too much pressure. The demon screamed again and Shura could swear she saw blue flames within the water, boiling the demon alive. And then it popped, the shape of the demon was gone, only a lake full of water rained down upon the valley below, instantly flooding it.

It had worked. And it wasn't like he had described. The demons were supposed to run away, not explode.

The group stared. The only sound was dripping. And then Rin hurried down the mountain, squelching through mud and sliding on slick plant debris. They followed until they reached as far down as they could without rope.

Rin was dashing about the edge, peering over as far as he could without falling. Guilt clenched in Shura's stomach again, accompanied by shock and horror. This had to have been where Yukio was standing, so why wasn't he here?

She nearly dragged Moriyama with her to the edge and looked, strained her eyes for any sign of black hair or long exorcist coat.

"There!" Moriyama gasped, pointing. Between branches jutting out of the cliff face, Shura could make out a black shoe and the cuff of a pant leg. The rest of Yukio was blocked by branches and stone. Moriyama sniffled a little. "Is he… Is he…?"

"No," Shura said adamantly although the truth was she had no clue if Yukio was still alive. He could have died from the fall. "It wouldn't have worked if he was. Though if we don't get him up here soon ta tend to his wounds, who knows." There was a crumble of rocks over the side of the cliff, and Shura looked up to find Rin sitting on the edge, trying to reach a leg out to the nearest branch. Shura groaned and grabbed his collar, sending Rin sprawling backwards. "What're ya doin'? Ya have a head wound. Yer not fit ta go scalin' a mountain."

"But it's already healed, so…!"

Rin cut himself off as the black flames of Yamantaka shot past them, down to where Yukio was. Shura glanced at Shima who now sat fully awake still on Suguro's back. Shura felt her jaw clench. The spy was awake enough to summon… How long had he been watching, listening? Had he seen what Yukio had done to an upper class demon?

The black flames returned with Yukio in turn. Yamantaka dissipated instantly, leaving Yukio in his brother's arms.

"Hey!" Rin shook Yukio lightly, searching his face for any reaction. "Yukio! Can you hear me?"

"Do ya have enough energy to summon more healin' herbs?" Shura asked Moriyama quietly, taking charge when Moriyama didn't move. This must've been the first time the girl had seen a friend with such serious wounds without Yukio available for guidance.

"Ah, yes!" Moriyama brought them both over to Yukio's side so they could start their examination. "Rin…?" Moriyama murmured softly, and the older brother looked at her with wide eyes. Then he slid back, still cradling Yukio's head, so that she had enough room to start her work.

"He's bleeding!" Rin blurted out. That was accurate but not close to the full story. A sharp piece of branch was sticking out of Yukio's side, piercing him from back to front. Judging from the crushed tree behind them, he must have clipped it and been impaled on a branch when the Ocean Queen slammed him into the cliff wall. More concerning though was the stillness of his chest. His skin was growing ashen by the second.

Rin reached out towards the piece of branch, eyes wide and dazed, before Shura swatted his hand away. "Breathin' first," she murmured. Moriyama was already tilting Yukio's head back to open his airway, and instantly he coughed. Water and foam spilled from his mouth as he spluttered for air. They rolled him on his side so he wouldn't aspirate, and a few gasps later, a more natural color flooded his cheeks. Then, Moriyama turned her attention to the branch as they peeled off his drenched coat and shirt.

"Could you look for other wounds?" she asked in a thin voice.

Shura nodded, knowing she had her work cut out for her deciding how to remove the branch. Shura went about placing firm fingers over areas of discoloration, feeling bones still firm and solid, watching Yukio's face for signs of pain, for a hitch in breath. All the while she took his pulse, feeling for any abnormalities that could indicate internal bleeding. By some miracle, she found no other significant wounds. The swollen redness of a fresh bruise was blossoming all over his chest and back, over top of a dozen cuts, but if they could deal with the branch and he didn't pull a dry drowning stunt, he'd survive.

Moriyama leaned back on her haunches. "I can't get a good angle. Any way we move it will tear more flesh, and right now, it hasn't hit anything vital yet, but it's so close to the kidney and spleen that moving it is sure to hit one. If only we could just make it… disappear… Ah!" She clapped her hands together and turned to Rin. "You can burn the branch without burning Yuki-chan!"

"Eh? But…"

"You can do it! If we try to remove it by hand we're only going to make the wound worse, but you can just burn it away. Then I can pack the wound until we get to a hospital. Please, Rin! You can do it! For Yuki-chan!"

The doubt cleared from his expression with Moriyama's encouragement. "Okay." He wrapped a hand around the branch. "On three?"

Moriyama nodded and handed Shura a bottle of liquid to cleanse her hands with and some of the healing herbs she had already summoned through her familiar. "Please staunch the bleeding from the wound in his back while I work down from the top!"

Shura quickly doused her hands with the liquid and the scent of thyme and other herbs hit her nose. "Got it! On yer count Rin." She slid one of her hands under Yukio's back next to the other side of the branch.

He nodded. "One… two… three!"

A flash of blue flame lit the afternoon shadows, and then the splintered wood was gone and blood flowed forth to take its place. Shura pushed herbs and fingers into the wound to staunch the stream while Moriyama bowed low over Yukio's side, biting her lip in concentration. Nii-chan was perched on her shoulder, providing absorbent moss to clear her view of blood.

At the same moment, Yukio groaned. His eyes fluttered open, and relief spread from the pit of Shura's stomach like heat from a shot of liquor. Regaining consciousness this early was a good sign. But then she looked closer and saw molten blue instead of the usual blue-gray looking back at her.

"Is that-?" Rin had gone even paler than before as he stared. Shura had never seen him so spooked, but she could only calm one twin at a time.

"Hey Scaredy, ya can relax now. Demon's gone, an' we're takin' care of yer wounds," she said steadily, holding Yukio still with her free hand as he struggled to move and pant for air. "Just relax."

His eyes found her, Moriyama, and then Rin, and almost immediately his panicked breathing evened out. His eyes faded back into a more familiar shade of blue, and with it went his strength. He slipped back into unconsciousness, but it was probably for the best, since they had only just started.

It was a slow process. Shura began measuring time with each wince that crossed his face as they filled the wound with herbs and packed it with a single, wooly clump of tree fern. Finally, the pair worked together to wrap long, sturdy leaves around Yukio's stomach to act as makeshift bandages. They had depleted Yukio's medical bag of bandages earlier, so until they had access to more proper medical supplies it would have to do. (2)

"Is he okay now?" Rin asked hopefully as he did as he was instructed and picked Yukio up onto his back.

"Fer now," Shura explained while Moriyama wiped her hands on the handkerchief Miwa had handed her. Shura was already wiping her hands on the back of her shorts before he could offer her one too. "We need ta get him down ta the village quickly though."

Moriyama stood and offered Shura her shoulder to lean on again. Rin took this as the cue to get going, so they started to trudge back up their improvised camp.

Now that it appeared Yukio would be okay, the other exorcists seemed to grow restless, shooting Yukio uneasy looks or staring at the waters the Ocean Queen had left behind. Finally, Kamiki decided to speak up, tapping the fingers of her right hand against the sling her left arm was wrapped in. She looked at Shura with narrowed eyes. "So? He told you to explain it to us. Or are you going to keep us in the dark?"

"Huh? Yukio wants us to tell them?" Rin jerked his head around to look at Shura and excitement bloomed on his face. "That's great! I don't know where to start though. Maybe you could—"

"No, what he said was ta use our best judgement," she interrupted. A surge of protectiveness hardened her heart against his enthusiasm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kamiki wrinkled her nose, obviously insulted.

She had told Yukio that she didn't think it would be that bad if they found out. But in truth that had been a big 'if.' Now that the moment was becoming a reality, with the Illuminati spy and Mephisto's earpiece observing, she was suddenly doubting herself. Ugh. Clearly she had been spending too much time with the scaredy-cat. His worrying was rubbing off on her. She hadn't had this issue when helping to reveal Rin's flames. Wasn't it the same situation?

Except it wasn't. She had been confident the Order would give Rin a chance to prove himself. They would see him as too powerful of a weapon to be thrown away without consideration. But with Yukio, the chances of him escaping from experimentation were next to zero.

And then she had known by that point that Rin was a breezy guy. He could handle the social and emotional ramifications of everyone knowing. Yukio, on the other hand, took things seriously and hung onto ideas with an obsessive persistence to the point that he could work himself up enough to throw himself off of a building. If he lost the duty Shirō had assigned him as a kid and the freedom to stay by Rin's side, there was no telling what extremes he might take.

But this was a good group of kids. She'd seen that over and over. Surely they would keep this quiet.

She frowned at her own indecision, which was something that was rare for her. "It means… Rin, ya have ta think. Who do ya trust here? Because yer not gamblin' with yer life here; yer gamblin' with his."

She wasn't sure he understood exactly what she was getting at, but she could see his grip on Yukio tighten.

"With his life? What exactly do you think we're going to do?" Suguro objected loudly.

"We would never do something to hurt Yuki-chan!" Moriyama instantly agreed, looking up at Shura with an expression as close to anger as she'd ever seen it.

"Not intentionally." She glanced at Shima, who simply smiled back. Suguro caught the look and glowered at his friend.

"You're worried that we'll tell someone." Miwa had also caught the look, but seemed to have expected it. "Not just Shima-san either. You're worried about the Order finding out."

Shura hummed, neither confirming nor denying.

"Okumura-sensei said that he undergoes regular checkups," he reasoned out. "They must not know about this if they haven't pulled him from field missions for further study."

"Further study?" Kamiki echoed incredulously. "But they haven't done that to Okumura-kun." She nodded to Rin.

"What, are you stupid?" They nearly jumped as Takara's rough voice joined the conversation. Kamiki shot him a fierce glare, but it had no effect. "You saw what happened earlier. The guy has powers of a demon, but he looks totally human. That makes him incredibly dangerous. Plus that means there's potential to invoke the same power in other humans. The Order would love to experiment with a power like that." It was the most Shura had ever heard him speak at once, yet it had done nothing to increase his likability.

"Experiment…?" Kamiki's voice had lost its edge.

"If there's a way to have the powers of a demon without having a demon heart, then that could change how the Order fights." Miwa glanced over his shoulder at the damage the Ocean Queen had left on the mountain. "But for Okumura-sensei…"

"No! That's…! They're not locking him up! I won't let them!" Rin stopped walking and turned around so that he was between the rest of the group and Yukio on his back. He glared at them all as if daring someone to try and take his brother right then and there.

"Don't worry, Rin! Nobody's going to do that. Right, everybody?" Moriyama looked around hopefully at the others.

"Of course not," Kamiki proclaimed instantly, to Shura's surprise. The girl crossed her arm as best as she could with one arm in a sling and put her nose in the air. "I'd be more concerned about this guy and the Illuminati."

"Hah? Who me?" Shima pointed to himself and chuckled nervously.

"Of course you!" Suguro whacked him over the head. "Are you going to report all of this?!"

Shima rubbed his head and pouted. "But they, or at least Lucifer, probably already know..."

"What?!" Rin took a few steps back from Shima, slipping a bit in the mud.

"Well, you see, Lucifer has been trying to recruit him for a while. He seems to find Okumura-sensei interesting. I wasn't sure why… Until now!" he said a little too cheerfully at finally having all the pieces of the puzzle.

"Recruit?! Why would Yukio ever want to join that creepy masked guy?!"

Shura sighed. "Think 'bout it, Rin. There's only two things in this world that'll drive him to extremes."

"Oh…" He deflated as his anger dissipated and he caught on faster than Shura had expected. "You mean the truth about our birth and all of that… He thinks Lucifer knows?"

"That's what he's been told." She shrugged.

"Wait. How do you know that? Yukio didn't tell me. Why would he tell you?"

She puffed out her lips. "What's that supposed ta mean?"

"Huh?" Rin seemed to be oblivious to his own insult, so Shura decided to ignore it for now.

"I'm sure the original reasonin' was that he didn't want this guy-" she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder towards Shima "-an' the rest of the Illuminati to catch wind that he'd told people, so that they'd keep pursuin' him an' he could take advantage of that. But I kinda messed that up." She rubbed the tip of her nose. "After that, I think it was just so ya wouldn't fight with a friend. He's been worried 'bout ya havin' ta lie ta them."

"Oh…" Rin glanced at the top of Yukio's head lolling on his shoulder. His brow creased in thought, but he seemed unsurprised. Perhaps their conversation three months before had resulted in both brothers being more aware of each other.

"Konekomaru, what's wrong?" Suguro asked. The others turned to find Miwa looking at the ground.

He bit his lip and continued to stare at the dirt. "I was just thinking about what Okumura-sensei said earlier. About duty. I was wondering if he had ever considered telling the Order so they could use this power to fight against the sudden increase in demons."

Shura didn't realize her grip on Moriyama had tensed until the girl looked up at her in concern.

"But then I thought, there's no way he could!" Miwa finally lifted his face, and Shura was relieved to see only earnest determination. "He would have to give up not only his freedom, but his family as well." He looked Rin in the eye. "It's incredibly doubtful that the Order would allow two assets with powers inherited from Satan to stay together. When you look at it logically, it's more dangerous for the assets and for others if they keep you two together. Don't put two targets next to each other, and don't keep two bombs next to each other." He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Okumura-kun, for speaking so bluntly."

"No, I get it," Rin said easily. "Yukio warned me that people would treat me different just because of my… our parentage. I think he always understood the way people viewed us better than I did. He probably did consider all of that."

Miwa nodded. "I think that it's best not to split up family. Which is why I promise I won't say anything about what I witnessed today." Shura felt a rush of fondness for the kid, and judging from Rin's grin, he felt it too.

"Ah! Yes! I promise too!" Moriyama cried. Rin's grin grew even wider.

Shura snorted in amusement. "Trust me, Green Thumbs. Nobody was doubtin' ya."

Kamiki sniffed. "Do I need to promise too or something?"

"Eh? Really?" Rin asked, chuckling a little as if his mirth had overflowed into laughter.

"Don't misunderstand!" she huffed. She looked away. "I just don't want to hear about anymore experiments," she mumbled.

"Izumo-chan…" Moriyama started softly. (3)

She shook her head and they could all see her cheeks going pink. "I said don't misunderstand!"

For a second, Shura thought she saw Shima's mask slip. He had the same lonely expression she had seen on Yukio months before.

"You!" Kamiki pointed at Suguro. "Say something. Or are you too much of a coward?"

"Why the hell are you insulting me?!"

"Well?" She had an impish glint in her eye. "Or can you not promise anything because you want to go tell your precious mentor?"

"What?!" Rin gasped. "Light wanted my sword and now he wants my brother?! I knew he was a pervert!" Shura sniggered. If only she could tell Light about this. He'd get a kick out of it.

"Nobody said that!" Suguro shouted. He growled and rubbed his forehead. "Fine! You want to know what I'm thinking?! I'm thinking that I'm getting too used to my friends lying to me."

"Bon…" Miwa started, but Suguro shook his head.

"Look, I don't know what to think about all of this yet." He said it with such a note of finality that the group stilled, holding their breath for a second before he continued. "But I agree with Konekomaru. I won't say anything."

If Rin didn't have his hands full, Shura was sure he'd be attempting to hug his friends. "I knew it. You guys are the coolest! This is why you have the top spots on my list."

Shura breathed out as Rin continued to gush. The knot of worry in the pit of her stomach unraveled a bit, but there was one thing she had to check. She turned to Takara. "Mephisto already knows?"

Rin quieted and his smile faltered in anticipation of the answer.

"Yes." Takara didn't elaborate. For a moment, she considered taking away the puppet just to get more of a reaction from the shrimp.

"Well, if both Mephisto and Lucifer know, then I guess there's nobody for me to tell!" Shima grinned.

"Don't look so happy!" Suguro chastised.

"Why not? I am the one who told Okumura-sensei he should talk to someone about all this."

"Hmmm. Did ya? He didn't mention that." Shura clasped her hands behind her head and looked into the distance.

"Hah? Don't tell me you don't believe me!"

"Why should we?!"Suguro snapped.

A strangled cough interrupted them. Shura and Moriyama moved as one to Yukio's side. A quick check of his wound and pulse told her his condition was holding, but the sooner they got down to the village, the better. "We need ta get movin'."

The group continued up the trail, and soon they reached the area where they had hid earlier. Shura sat next to Yukio's body while the others dashed about, gathering up their packs and scattered weapons. She watched them and found herself smiling.

Good kids. She knew it. Why had she ever doubted herself?

She pressed her forehead to her bent knee and watched Yukio out of the corner of her eye. His breathing was labored with pain, and, despite his wet clothes keeping him cool, sweat was accumulating on his pale face. Worry and guilt had blossomed up from her stomach into her chest.

He had killed a Queen with his eyes alone. There was no denying it any longer. There should be only one set of eyes that could do what he had done.

She had been considering the situation for weeks now, and there was really only one explanation she could think of for how he could have this level of power while remaining human. She had the feeling Yukio had figured it out too, but was too afraid to bring it up. Scaredy-cat to the end.

Although, in all honesty, the thought frightened her too. She shuddered and closed her eyes against the troubling thoughts. If she was right, and for once she desperately hoped she was wrong, any sane person would have told her to let him die. Let him go into shock and keep Moriyama from treating him. Simple, really.

He gave a rasping cough, and she opened her eyes in time to see his face contort in pain. If the others weren't there, she would have pulled him over to her to cradle his damaged body. Instead, she closed her eyes again.

No, not simple at all.

(1) We've seen a King, Princess, and Baron in the manga, so I'm assuming there are other ranks like Marquess, Duke, and Count. Then again, the exorcists are divided into Pages, Esquires (Exwires), and Knights, so clearly Katō must like using European ranks of nobility and chivalry.

(2) I'm sure nobody else cares, but my emphasis as an undergrad was plant biology so here goes: herb-infused cleansing liquid = Thymus (thyme), Calendula, and others; absorbent moss (aka muskeag moss) that Nii-chan was using = Sphagnum or Hypnum; wooly tree fern = Cibotium; sturdy leaves used for bandages = just about anything fitting that description, but I was picturing Musa (banana) leaves; herbs to stop bleeding = probably a mix of Hamamelis (witch-hazel), Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's purse), Capsicum annum (cayenne), Achillea millefolium (yarrow)…I could go on.

(3) The ONE thing I know about what I would write into a chapter on the exorcist exams would be Izumo and Shiemi finally being on a first name basis.

A/N: I have a habit of getting into one character's perspective by using the names that that character refers to others by, but I understand if that gets confusing for readers. Most noticeable in this chapter, is "Shiemi" to "Moriyama" when switching from Yukio's to Shura's perspective. Please let me know in a review if it's too weird and I'll do my best to get rid of the habit.