It seemed the keeper of time was not in the kids favor. Rin laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling, too afraid if he went to sleep he would miss the trial and lose his brother.

Alike Rin in more ways than she would admit, Shura was also sleep deprived, pestering Angel all night. After much brainstorming with the exwires Shura realized Yukio's fate was set before the trial began. He was a dead man unless she could pull a damn good trick from her magically sealed body. As much as it pained her, she realized his best chance was if the egotistical paladin defended him.

"You know that boy doesn't have a chance as it is. They will give a death verdict in two seconds."

"He's a demon. He's a threat and should be treated as one."

"Angel you damn well know Yukio is not an evil person."

"He is a demon."

"Is that the only thing you can say baldy?"

"Shura, he helped create the Gehenna gate that Satan used in the attempt to swallow Assiah."

"He thought they could end Gehenna and you know it!" Shura screamed at the dense paladin in the close quarters of the office, her shrill voice echoing in his ears.

"He acted against the Knights of the True Cross."

"He saved your life baldy!"

"Why do you insist on pointlessly mocking my hairstyle?"

"You're going to let a child die because of your prejudice. At least Shiro admitted he didn't know how everything was supposed to be, you won't even consider things might not be quite so black and white!"

"Demons are evil. Exorcists get rid of them. We do not protect them."

"Hell part of your power comes from a fucking demon sword! Tamers fight using demons. Mephisto has turned his back on his demonic family and is helping us whether you trust his intentions or not. Demon blood does not inherently make a person evil!"

"You sound like the older twin," Arthur said. Shura scoffed at him.

"It ain't a damn bad thing," she said to him hostilely. Bursting out laughing she added, "at least the kid has some original thoughts. You just follow everything you're told like a puppet. You know I'm a better fighter but I can't be controlled like you can."

"Shura you can't be relied upon. That's why I'm better than you."

"You're just saying that because I didn't turn Rin in." She whined, waving off his complaint.

"I'm saying that because Assiah would be safer if you had exterminated the satanic spawn."

"Assiah wouldn't exist if I'd killed them!" She pulled his tousled hair off his face, examining his ears. "Can you not hear a damn word I've said? Maybe you should clean out your ears, baldy."

"Shura, how can you be sure he's not a threat?" Shura smiled, he was actually considering her point of view for once.

"How can you be sure anyone isn't a threat," she shrugged. "You have to have some faith."

"Coming from the woman who hasn't had faith in God her whole life." She walked up to where the paladin was sitting and put her hands on his desk and stared into his blue eyes, her face inches from his.

"God hasn't given me any reason to have faith in him. That boy, the boy you are going to let die for no other reason than that his father is a demon, has shown me I can have faith in him." Angel stared at the confident and sincere woman, her eyes not giving away even a ghost of fear that she was wrong about the boy.

"You love him." A knock came at the door.

"Arthur Auguste Angel, the Vatican is convening for the trial."

"I understand." The blonde paladin nodded his head at Shura as he walked past her, shutting the door behind him, leaving her alone.

"Shit." She said. That was the best shot she had. There was one more idea she had, but she didn't know if it would be enough to talk the Vatican out of killing the twin that could be used as a satanic vessel.

"Okumura Yukio," the orderly called.

"Yes," he said from the center podium.

"In light of recent events, your existence has become a problem in the eyes of the Vatican."

"I understand," he said solemnly.

"The events of November 27th were overlooked because the threat of Satan was not immediate. However, it would seem he is planning something. We have no proof that you would not either assist your father or be unable to resist. What do you say to this?"

"I would never do anything to threaten Assiah," Yukio said.

"Were you working in compliance with Ernest Frederick Egin?"

"Yes."

"Were you aware of his intentions to overthrow the Vatican and assume sole control?"

"Yes." Several voices stood out from the crowd of voices, "he's a traitor," "kill him now," "he can't be trusted!"

"Silence!" The man at the head of the room shouted.

"Okumura Yukio, where you aware that your actions went against your oath to obey the Vatican as an exorcist?"

"I was."

"What the hell is he doing," Shura muttered to herself. "He's setting himself up to be killed."

"Why did you go against your oath?"

"Because he convinced me that it was the Vatican that killed my mother."

"So much for a exorcist prodigy," he heard someone in the crowd say.

"And he told me he was going to destroy Gehenna and make my brother human again." For once, Yukio's answer did not make the crowd speak but be silent.

"Clarify this for me, Egin was not attempting to open a Gehenna gate for Satan's uses?" Angel asked.

"No. He tried to destroy Gehenna. When that failed, Satan used the gate for his personal vendetta."

"And he began by possessing you?" Angel questioned.

"He told me Egin lied about my mother. And showed me what happened."

"You willingly let him invade your body?" The middle Grigori asked.

"At first yes. I did not resist. I needed to know the truth about my mother and he was the only one that had it."

"So you were swayed by personal interest?"

"Yes." Another wave of conversation came from the audience of the hearing. The Grigori were huddled together, speaking about the last answer.

"How did you escape possession?"

"My brother rescued my soul from Satan."

"You did not break free yourself?"

"No."

"Is it a reasonable assumption that you would be a target for possession by Satan in the future?"

"Yes. A body that can hold his power without destroying itself would be an indispensable tool."

"How can we be certain you were possessed and not acting for Satan?"

"You doubt that fact?"

"No one has ever regained his or herself after possession, or lived through a possession. How are we to be sure you are a anomaly and not just a spy infiltrating the Order to help your father take over Assiah?"

"If you would sir," Angel interrupted.

"Angel?" He questioned.

"If I could say something."

"Proceed."

"As I have heard, the main argument against Yukio Okumura is that it cannot be determined if he aided Satan or was possessed by Satan, therefore he is considered a threat to Assiah."

"That is a prioritizing concern," one of the masked grigori said.

"I, Arthur Auguste Angel, was on the roof of True Cross when Satan ventured into Assiah."

"State your, for the official record, your reason for being there Angel," the head of the trial spoke.

"I was ordered to ensure no one disrupted Egin and Okumura's proceedings on the roof." A whisper went throughout the crowd and Shura's jaw tightened.

'Well shit, that sounds bad,' Shura thought.

"What the hell is he doing?" Rin asked her. Shura tilted her head sideways.

"Why would I know?"

"Don't fuck with me Shura."

"That's Miss Shura to you kid." She thrust her hand over the boys mouth when order was called and the orderly spoke again.

"Could you explain for everyone, your understanding of these proceedings?"

"Egin planned to launch a missile he called the Messiah into Gehenna. He was certain it would destroy the demonic realm, Satan himself included."

"Why were you not to be at Egin's side enacting his plan? As acting paladin that should have been your first duty."

"He relieved me of my post as Paladin, awarding it instead to the younger Okumura brother."

"Do you believe Okumura and Egin were conspiring together to fuse Assiah?" Rin jerked, this is about to go very, very bad, he thought. He crouched, putting himself in position to spring forward at the paladin when Shura smashed his face into the cement wall.

"Calm the hell down Rin!" She whispered urgently into his ear. "What good will it do for you to go out in a fiery fit and scare everybody? You'll seal both your fates." Clenching his fists Rin calmed his anger, hoping Shura knew what she was doing. She had too much faith in Angel for his liking.

"No. Okumura was told Egin could destroy Gehenna. While his acts may have been against the Grigori he was trying to benefit Assiah." The conversations flared like fire on gasoline when the Paladin defended the spawn of satan. "He was willing to end his own life before Satan could destroy Assiah."

"You witnessed this Angel?"

"Yes." He said firmly, his eye glancing right and making contact with the bright pink eyes holding down Rin. "The Okumura twins are the sole reason Assiah still stands. Without them, we could never have closed the gate."

"This is a very interesting turn of events." The orderly said.

"We shall reconvene in fifteen minutes and allow the Grigori to deliberate." Two burly exorcists took hold of Yukio and led him below. Shura released her grip on Rin and ran out of the room.

"Did she do that?" Koneko asked.

"Do what?" Shima said.

"Arthur. He said anything that called itself a demon had a right to be killed that night, but he's defending Okumura now. I think Ms. Shura had something to do with that," Koneko explained.

"Well, Ms. Shura is a very attractive woman," Shima fawned, his eyes popping like big pink hearts.

"She's respectable Shima," Bon said, knocking his friend on the head.

"And she likes Yuki," Shiemi said.

"I can't believe the guy that wanted to kill me is defending Mr. Okumura," Izumo complained.

"What do you guys think is going to happen?" Koneko asked.

"Hell if I know," Bon said. Rin suddenly perked up and ran out of the room the same direction Shura had gone.

"What's with him?" Shima asked. The other exwires simply shrugged. Rin always had odd behavior. The trial began to fill again and Rin and Shura had not returned. Yukio was delivered back to the podium and the orderly stood.

"Okumura Yukio. The Grigori decided that the risk of allowing you to remain in the Order is too great. We have no proof that you were innocent of the accused crimes and no certainty you will not attack the Order with your father at a later date. You are to be excommunicated from the order and to ensure the safety of Assiah, you will be executed at dawn tomorrow."

"Oy!" Shura yelled. "We aren't done here." The orderly opened his mouth but was silenced by her icy glare. Her footsteps echoed, her heart pounding in her ears as she walked to Yukio. Her legs trembled ever so slightly, her blood burning in her veins. She kept her furious pink eyes locked on the orderly, daring him to say another word. She grabbed Yukio roughly by the shoulder and pushed him behind her. "You all remember Shiro Fujimoto. Yes?" Rin watched, his focus solely on the fiery haired woman, from the shadows. His demon heart burned, longing to be set free, to allow it's anger to be unleashed, and his human heart pulled itself apart at the thought of losing his last remaining family. The grigori's eyes were shielded but their mouths were fixed in a frown. Glancing around the room there were three types of people: ones who's faces were about to burst in outrage, one's that looked like they couldn't give a shit whether the boy in front of them was killed or they had pizza for dinner, one's like the cram school students, faces framed in horror and suspense at the idea of losing their friend, and Rin, his face stone cold, not betraying his emotion.

"You could just as easily seal both your fates!" He remembered Shura screaming at him.

"Do you have a point Shura."

"He, is the father and guardian of Yukio Okumura. The one who trained him in exorcism. The one who kept Satan out with sheer willpower for fifteen years. Who's to say this boy is any different?"

"We have no proof he has the same mental strength."

"You do have proof those two twins are the only ones that can put the Knights of the True Cross on the offensive side!" She shouted. The room fell quiet.

"She did it," Rin said from behind everyone. That was her trump card. But was it enough...

"Rin?!" Shiemi asked, spinning around from in front of Bon. She hadn't heard him come back.

"Egin knew he could not open Gehenna gate without both the twins' blood. If you ever hope to take the battle to Satan instead of constantly being blindsided you need those two!" She screamed, eyes gleaming dangerously. The air hung heavy in the court, the silence screaming in Shura's tense ears.

"The Grigori would like to ask all persons not related to or participating in the trial of the accused to exit." Bon scowled, his face darker than that of the demon King of earth in the face of defeat. Rin was the only soul that remained in the stands. The last clack of footsteps faded and the doors swung heavily closed. The air chilled and the light seemed to dim in the wait. His hands dug painfully into his biceps as he stood, arms crossed rigidly as he suppressed the fire in his veins. "Would Rin Okumura please join us." Rin's feet moved without him thinking about it. His mind was blank as he approached his brother.

"You wanna be a doctor?" His little brother had jumped. He was always so scared.

"Mm," He affirmed quietly. Rin had grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I know you can do it!" Yukio's thick framed glasses sat atop his little nose, his watery teal eyes shining behind them. "And if anybody gets in the way I'll get em!" Yukio had smiled at his brother. Fixing things with his fists. "Then you can help me get fixed up." Shiro had been teaching Yukio how to treat Rin's injuries since he was only four. He'd aspired to be a doctor and help people his entire life.

'He won't be able to help anyone if they kill him here,' Rin thought. His feet stopped and he looking up at Shura's blazing eyes. The pink threatened him to keep cool no matter what. It was the same look she'd given him at the camping trip before he blew up trying to help Shiemi. For once, Arthur wasn't smug. He listened as the Grigori spoke to him.

"Okumura Rin. Are you prepared to take action if Satan attacks your brother again, and you are unable to reclaim his soul?" Arthur asked. Rin's eyes darkened. Am I prepared to kill my brother if he becomes a threat,' he thought. Shura discretely stepped on his foot, knocking his anger off course.

"No."

"I will," Shura said. Rin prepared to lunge at her for saying that when Yukio turned his gaze to him. His teal eyes were soft behind his glasses, and all Rin could see was the little kid that always got bullied. He couldn't find the exorcist he'd grown up to be, he saw the vulnerable boy people picked on. They were still picking on him. Rin saw now that this was their deciding question. If he becomes a threat, are they going to do something about it. She saved his life by saying she'd kill him. If Rin were smarter he'd see the irony that was created but he just saw how backwards the knights of the true cross really were. They don't value life unless it's human. Demons are dead to them. That made Rin wonder, would Yukio and I be alive if Shiro wasn't paladin? What if someone like Arthur were sent out to kill us? What if Satan hadn't hurt Egin so bad he was bedridden. What if he'd been the one to come after us? 'We wouldn't be here.' He thought.

"Sorry I'm late!" Mephisto said as he poofed into the room, flamboyantly dressed as always.

"Lord Pheles," Arthur acknowledged, his mouth turned down at the demon.

"The Okumura twins could very well be the saving grace of Assiah. You already witnessed the pure strength of the elder brother, but it is nothing compared to the capabilities they have together. Those two knocked Lord Satan off his feet! They are truly a magnificent opportunity to even the playing field. The balance has been swayed for longer than any of us have been around, demons traipsing around Assiah and tormenting your people, and now you have something else. Humans that could traipse around Gehenna!"

"You think these two could actually enter Gehenna?" The orderly asked.

"Ai," he said, his smiled twisting up his face.

"Let it not slip the mind of the Grigori that Pheles is at heart a demon and could very well be playing us all with his tricky words."

"You should've stayed out of this," Shura hissed at Mephisto. He was tarnishing Yukio's image, putting a demon on the defending side of a half demon made it seem as if the demons had something to gain from Yukio living.

"Tsk tsk Ms. Kirigakure," He said, waving his purple gloved hand in her face.

"I won't keep Rin from burning you alive if you screw this up." Mephisto laughed but Shura's tone was anything but humorous.

"It can also be noted that Shura, the one who assumes responsibility of killing Okumura Yukio if he is overpowered by Satan, was responsible for disposing of the elder brother when she was undercover."

"We've addressed this already," Shura said, irritation growing in her quickly. "He wasn't behaving in any threatening fashion."

"Arthur, we trust you have no problem eliminating him if Shura fails to do so." The orderly asked. Angel's mouth twitched in, wanting to form a smile but needing to remain apathetic.

"My loyalty goes with the Vatican and their decisions," he said, almost in a recited fashion.

"We shall accept the possible consequence," the middle grigori spoke. "Okumura Yukio will continue to act with the Knights of the true cross as an exorcist and teacher at the Cram School."

"Be careful," Angel said, his parting words as Shura stalked ahead of the twins seemed almost sincere. As soon as they had opened the door Shiemi was anxiously looking at them, desperately trying to read their expressions.

"He's ok." Rin said. As he said it his shoulders lifted and his expression brightened. Yukio and Shura shared a look, for now, they communicated. Shiemi hugged the twins and the other kids smiled fondly.

"What's the catch?" Bon finally asked.

"There is none," Shura lied quickly. "I need to talk to you," she said, looking intensely at Yukio. "After I get a drink," she added, returning quickly to her lackadaisical self.

"Mr. Okumura," Tsugumi's small voice said. "Could I speak with you please," her dark hair framed her childlike face. He nodded and she took his sleeve, leading him away from the group.

"Those two would be an adorable couple," Shima said. "You and I would be too Izumo." Izumo and Shura both scoffed at the remark, but everyone turned their gaze to the teacher, surprised at her disdainful reaction. She shook her head and walked off.

"What's really going on Rin?" Bon asked. He could feel the weight of the situation hadn't lifted. Yukio was hard to read but his silence was a give away that all was not perfect.

"I don't know." He said honestly. He wasn't sure what to say. Shura had obviously lied to them for a reason, but he didn't fathom what it was. His forehead creased.

"All right don't think too hard," Bon said, slapping him on the back.

"Let's go get lunch," Rin suggested. "I'll cook!"

"Alright." Shima said.

"We do what Satan's brat suggests we do a lot," Izumo said, complaining as per usual.

"It's that or get burned, I mean did ya hear him?" Bon said, looking at Rin as he joked.

"How long are you guys going to crack about that?" He asked, smiling. He'd never had friends before, he always thought he was too cool for that, and it was nice to be a part of something. Shiemi's head bounced happily from beside him, he could tell she was just happy Yukio was ok. She'd been worrying herself sick. She yawned widely, realizing she hadn't slept the previous night.

"We should have a picnic to celebrate!" Rin yelled, his mouth taking up a good half of his face, grinning with excitement.

"A picnic or a camping trip?" Koneko asked.

"What?" Rin questioned. "We should hang out in our dorm again."

"That's a sleepover dummy," Izumo chided, but even she had a small smile on her face as they walked across the campus.

"Why are we walking anyway? We could've used a key since we're going to Okumura's place." They all stopped in their tracks and laughed at their absurdity. The sun was bright and the air was light as they laughed. Everything was going to be alright, they would all see the sun another day.

"Where's Tsugumi?" Shiemi asked, triggering a group wide left to right scan.

"Wasn't she talking to Yukio?" Koneko said.

"I don't really know you, but I can see already you don't talk to people." She said.

"You should sit down and talk with her sometime, she has an interesting story," Mephisto had written in his note when he introduced her to him.

"Would you like to come to my classroom?" He asked as the fifth or sixth person walked between them. She nodded and he pulled out a key, pushing it into the door. It fell with a heavy clunk and he pushed it open, revealing the dark halls of the cram school. The carpet softened their footsteps and the occasional coal tar swayed in the darkest corners of the halls. He looked to her, watching her brown eyes follow the coal tars around. "They won't really hurt you. Just don't inhale them."

"They're fungus possessed by demons. Right?" She smiled at him, her childlike face bright.

"Yes. You've been studying?" He asked her as he pushed open the wooden door.

"Miwa Konekomaru has been helping me catch up. Mr. Okumura?"

"Hm?"

"You're Satan's son."

"My brother and I are."

"You keep to yourself a lot. Rin is very... intense but you're reserved."

"You read people."

"My father and I spent a lot of time investigating people when I was little. He was trying to stop a demon himself, but she always managed to claim her victims." She was plagued by a demon. "Do you know why she always got her way?"

"Not specifically." As an experienced exorcist he had several guesses but he could see by her expression she was trying to emphasize something.

"Because she knew their weakness. She knew when she went to them their traumas and their pains, their regrets and the things they blamed themselves for. She targeted people like you."

"Ms. Shibata-" He tried to tell her he had heard this type of argument many times before but she cut him off.

"She convinced them she was helping them avoid their fears, and as payment, she claimed their souls for hell."

"Jigoku Shouju."

"How did you know that?" She asked.

"It's a myth that circulated the Cram School a while back, they called her the Hell Girl but no exorcist was ever able to find her."

"She doesn't want to be found by them. My father investigated it, wanting to stop her cycle, but she became violent when we interfered and she attacked us."

"That's not uncommon when demons are found out." He commented nonchalantly. The door banged against the frame.

"Just keep that in mind," she said as she stood. He slid his glasses off his face and pinched his eyes, mentally preparing himself for Shura's antics. She plopped herself down on his desk, sipping from her beer before she said anything.

"You've been Mr. ambiguous ever since I've known you but that's done now," her breath blew on his face, the alcohol stinging his nose and he sat back to get away but she grabbed his shoulder and kept him in her face. "I do not want to kill you so you're little I'm-going-to-keep-to-myself thing is over. You are going to talk to me because everyone is worried about your damn personality. You are a very strong person Yukio but you have got to get it through your thick skull that you're not alone." She released his shoulder and he fell back into the cushion of his chair.

"Shura-"

"I'll see you tonight four eyes," she said walking away already. He pushed his glasses back on his nose and saw she was looking back at him. She yanked her ponytail holder out of her hair, letting her wild pink hair fall behind her. "We're going to spend a lot of time together, and if you want me to stop calling you four eyes, show me you can see what makes you susceptible to demons." The door swung shut behind her and he laid back in his chair, looking at the dark spots in the dirty ceiling. He relaxed his shoulders and pulled his glasses off again.

"She won't let it be a problem you know," Shiemi said. Rin looked up from the food, her green eyes bright with hope. The food popped in the pan and he tended to it, a smile gracing his face.

"I want to save him as much as you do!" 'She really did, she just didn't think it was possible.' He thought.

"She loves him," Rin said quietly. Shiemi giggled.

"You're alright Rin?" She asked. He nodded.

"Give me a hand bringing the food out?" He didn't really need help, but he knew she liked to feel useful.

Tsugumi walked into the room and sat down between Konekomaru and Shima.

"Oy where've you been?" Shura asked, sitting up.

"I was with Yukio."

"Mr. Okumura," Shura corrected. Rin stifled a laugh as he walked out. 'She's jealous,' he humored. She never called him anything formal. Her cheeks were slightly pink, matching the color scheme of her eyes and hair. She opened another can with a hiss.

"Where the hell did you keep all those?" Rin asked.

"These seals aren't just fer weapons kid!" She laughed, her bubbling humor lightening the atmosphere of everyone in the room.

'Yukio may not like the goofy side of her, but it really helps calm a guy down,' Bon thought. The kids chatted as they ate and Shura observed the youth. Shima was on his cell phone when Tsugumi threw a fork at him.

"Ow," he whined.

"Phones at the table is rude!" She said, her hand already on Konekomaru's fork beside her.

"That's rude too!" He cried, rubbing his head. She glared at him, her hand gripping the fork. He pocketed the phone and Izumo laughed at him. "What?"

"You just got owned!" Rin laughed.

"You're one to talk Okumura. Shura defended your brother, you didn't do anything," Izumo pointed out. Rin's head steamed as his glare bore into her. "Oh calm down before you burn is all."

"She joined us!" Shima said, jumping up enthusiastically.

"Sit down," she chastised. His face turned red and he sat down across from the purple haired girl.

"So Tsugumi, how'd you find the cram school?" Rin asked, his mouth spilling food onto the table as he tried to eat and talk at the same time.

"I heard some kids at school talking about a cram school. The director got me in. I don't really know much about exorcism."

"Are ye here to be an exorcist?" Shura asked. Tsugumi nodded, her face severe. Yukio walked in then, his face a little paler than usual. He waved hello to the students and took a seat near Shura. She turned to face him and the silence grew heavy upon the students. "This is adult business, mind yer own," Shura scolded.

"I have something to say!" Shiemi cried out, standing, her left hand on the table and her right hand twined with Bon's under it.

"What is it Shiemi?" Koneko asked.

"Well um, I just wanted to let everyone know," she trailed off, not quite sure how to finish.

"Shiemi and Bon are dating," Izumo finished, sounding bored with her cheek resting on her palm.

"The exwires are pairing up!" Shima said, his eyes on Izumo. Rin looked downcast, his expression solemn as he looked at the new couple. Shima put his hand on Rin's shoulder, sitting down next to him.

"It's alright man."

"I wanted to date her," Rin pouted.

"It's odd, I always thought she liked Mr. Okumura," Koneko said. Rin looked at him and the lack of a glare from satan's spawn showed just how upset Rin really was.

"Izumo won't even give me chance," Shima said, slumping down on the table.

'It must be nice, for your biggest worry to be who's dating who,' Yukio thought, looking at his saddened brother as he listened to Shura's quiet voice in his ear. In all his time trying to make exorcism and school work coexist, he'd learned how to quite adequately multitask several things. When he was a kid he used to have to utilize the skill of ignoring his fears, ignoring the demons he saw in every corner of his school, all the shadows of things no one else could see that made his skin crawl when he was only four years old: when he was a kid he had to learn how not to be a kid, he had to be a grown up. Everything that happened since he was born just made him feel like he aged four times faster than anyone else. He felt like he was sixty years old already, and Shura agreed with him. His stress was higher than ever but he wouldn't let his composure crack. He'd let that slip too many times in the past, and over trivial things. What would he do if he slipped over eight attacks from Satan if Shura throwing a beer can at his head made him lose his cool? He'd just received a call on his way back from the dorm about another attack, Shura was filling him in on the two she'd kept secret during his trial days, and they were trying to figure out why Mephisto hadn't told either of them about the other three attacks that were unaccounted for.

"Yukio you need to eat," Rin scolded, shoving hot food in his face. How long had it been since he'd eaten? He was so busy sometimes he barely had time to sleep, and when he had a break where he could eat he tried to nap. Shura took a plate from Rin's other hand, scarfing down the boy's delicious creation.

"Thank you nii-san," Yukio said, taking the warm plate.

"Okumura, we're thinking about starting a baseball game after dinner," Bon said.

"I'm in!" Rin shouted, his furry tail shooting side to side with excitement.

"You should play too," Shura said, pushing Yukio's shoulder.

"I have work to do," He declined. Shura huffed and stood up.

"Can I play?" Shura asked, winking at the teenage boys. Drool seeped from Shima's mouth.

"You are such a player," Izumo muttered rolling her red eyes.

"You know you're the only one for me Izumo." He gravitated towards her, his hands clasped in front of his face. She immediately regretted drawing his attention again.

"So we have Bon, Shima, Koneko, Shiemi, me, Shura-" Rin tried to do the math but even with the small numbers he became confused and shook his head, shaking the thought out of his mind and looked to Bon, "uh, do we have even teams?"

"Paku is going to play with us," Izumo said, looking up from her phone. Shiemi clapped her hands excitedly at the thought of being with their old cram school buddy.

"If Ms. Kirigakure plays then no." Rin spastically ran to his brother, tugging on his arm like a two year old and pleading for him to play with them.

"Please Yuki it'll be fun!" Shiemi said. Even with Bon's burly appearance his hold on her little hand looked gentle. Shura threw her arm over Yukio's shoulder, looking up at him, her eyes glowing pink from under her lashes.

"Come ooon, Yukio," She whined flirtatiously. He huffed and pried his brother off his arm and pathetically attempted to release himself from Shura's grip. He surrendered rather quickly, both to Shura having her arm on him and to playing ball with the other kids his age.

"Okay," he smiled, "it'll be fun." His glasses gleamed dangerously and Rin swallowed, wondering if it was such a good idea to have his brother play or not. The kids shed their school coats and Shura pulled off her exorcist overcoat. Shima took off his button up, donning a plain green tee shirt. The girls took off their sweaters and undid their ties, all the students letting loose in the cool air.

"Alright, team captains will be the Okumura twins!" Bon announced. Rin jumped up, fist pumping in the clear air. "Mr. Okumura, choose your first player." Yukio blinked several times, adjusting to the contacts that corrected his poor vision.

"Suguro," Yukio said, his white shirt buttoned low and blowing in the breeze. Tsugumi and Paku were talking in hushed tones from across the field.

"Mr. Okumura's really hot," Paku giggled. "You and Yukio would be so cute Tsugumi!"

"Huh? He's kinda intimidating," she said, her gaze falling across the browning autumn grass to where Shima stood.

"I thought you liked him, the way you stayed back and pulled him away to talk to him." Tsugumi's brow creased in confusion.

"I wouldn't get in Shura's way," Izumo said, walking up to the gossiping girls.

"Ms. Kirigakure?" Paku asked.

"Oh come on Paku," Izumo said. "She's totally crushing on him."

"Mr. Okumura can't stand her," Paku said. Tsugumi didn't know either of the two very well so she just listened to the exchange until she was summoned to join Yukio's team. Izumo tsked at her best friend.

"You know she just does that to keep his attention."

"Like you try and get under Shima's skin?" Izumo blushed furiously at her kind hearted friend.

"Izumoooooo!" Shima called from across the field. "Okumura kun picked you!" Izumo stalked over to Rin and stood beside him and Shura.

"I don't even want to play this," Izumo said.

"If you got into it you could have fun eyebrows."

"Alright, we have our teams. Yukio, Tsugumi, Paku, Shiemi and Bon are on one team, Izumo, Shima, Koneko, Shura and I are the other," Rin looked to Bon for conformation, to which he nodded. "Yes! Play ball!" Yukio put a ball cap on his head and twisted it backwards, his lean muscles tense as he stood in the outfield. Bon took his place on the pitchers mound, swinging his leg up and hurling the ball full force at the first one up to bat, none other than Rin. The ball exploded off the bat with a snap and was off in Paku's direction. Not wanting to dominate his team, Yukio allowed her to drop the ball and retrieve it, throwing it in to stop Rin at first base. Shima trembled slightly as his friend wound up for the throw, and in a reflex Shima threw the bat out, hitting the ball off the front. Yukio snagged the ball midair, outing Shima and threw it to Tsugumi, catching Rin before he made it to second base. "Damn you four eyes," Rin growled as he went back to the dugout. Izumo struck out without swinging once at the ball and Konekomaru hit a pop fly right into Bon's glove. The first point went to Rin's team when Shura went to bat, aiming the hit straight at little Shiemi and sending it flying over her head. Shura sauntered across the bases as the blonde girl stumbled around to catch the flying ball, tripping but catching herself before falling once.

"Nyah! Take that!" Shura laughed as the crossed home plate, going to the dugout to fetch a beer. Bon's eyebrow twitched in anger she'd been able to hit his straight. Takura wrote a one on Rin's side of the chalkboard from the sidelines and Yukio smiled to himself as a breeze brushed his bangs across his face.

"So this is what it's like... Being a kid," he said quietly to himself, noting that Shura looked right at home amongst the fifteen year olds. As they switched sides Shura stole Yukio's hat, plopping it atop her wild pink hair and winking at him, flaunting her duck face pose she favored so much. He didn't take it back from her, just took his place at home plate, wielding the bat expertly in his trained hands.

"Do you have to show off? We already know you're good at everything!" Rin hollered from the pitching mound. Yukio already knew how his brother would throw the ball, with all his strength and none of his skill. So predictable. Shura was behind him, playing the catcher, while Izumo, Shima and Konekomaru held outfield.

"Stop analyzing everything and just play," Shura said, smacking his butt with her gloved hand. The ball whipped right past him as he glared at the widely grinning woman wearing his ball cap.

"Strike one!" Rin called as he wound up for his second pitch. Yukio gave his half crazed smirk at his elder brother and struck the ball over to his rather incompetent teammates. Rin, the single man team, ran off after the rocketing ball as Yukio's slim form raced around the bases. Rin finally caught up to the ball as Yukio was rounding third. Screaming animalistically he hurled the ball to Shura and it popped right into her glove as Yukio slid in, raising dust so no one could see clearly the result of the play. Yukio's reddened face was the first thing that came back into view. The exorcists composure was completely broken, blush burning as the dirt settled and Rin, weak in the knees from laughing so hard, fell on his back in the grass.

"Safe! Barely," Bon called from a distance, eyeing Yukio's foot that had itself safely across homeplate, and Shura's hand that had narrowly avoided causing a disastrous injury between his legs. She smirked up at him, pulling up from the strange stance she'd taken to stop him from scoring.

"You look good dirty," Shura said walking off.

"What the hell was that?" Rin shouted at her. "You missed him!" He continued to rage dramatically as Yukio picked up his phone.

"Shura!" He called urgently. She flicked her head back to look at him and saw the serious expression on his face.

"What is it Yukio?" Rin asked, his curiosity piqued.

"There was another attack," his teal eyes hardened like blue zircon gemstones. "And he survived."

"Wha-?!" Shura exclaimed.

"We're to go talk to him," he said as he turned away from Shura, already pursuing the nearest exit. "Everyone, you don't get a chance to speak with a survivor of Satan often, so follow me. It'll be a learning experience." His fists were clenched by his sides, his biceps and shoulder muscles visibly flexing in the white shirt. Rin flicked his navy hair out of his eyes, watching his brother, trying to sense where his sanity was. Tsugumi tried to engage Rin but he didn't notice until she punched his arm.

"Ow," he whined.

"You're in a mood," she commented. "Satan's your father technically?" She asked.

"Yeah. Our dad was Shiro though. Satan killed him." Rin frowned, the memory of his father protecting him that last time softening his sapphire eyes. He grit his teeth to hold back the pent up emotions and Tsugumi frowned.

"Your family has a lot of problems," she said with her chin held up high.

"Eh?" Rin grunted unintelligibly.

"Who do you take after?" She asked him.

"Yukio says I think just like our mom did. I don't see the difference between human and demon, and I don't see why we can't get alone with them," Rin said, looking to the sky, watching the grey clouds descend on what had started out as a laid back day. "She believed in a single world, with demons and humans together, and Satan tried to create that when he possessed Yukio."

"Why did you stop him if you agree with your mom?"

"Because he was trying to force it together. He was going to put them together by dominating humans not by making peace with them. I don't know what my father's intentions are, my tiny brain can't guess why he's seeking another vessel when he knows he can just use Yukio, but I know for damn sure I'm going to protect my brother, my friends and my home from him."

"You're going to go against your own father?"

"If he tries to hurt any of my friends, I'll personally kick his ass back to Gehenna, or just kill him. Whichever works. My friends are precious to me, and so is my brother. He's the only family I have left. And who's gonna keep that Vatican from killing me if he's gone, Shura's a terrible guardian," Rin joked, trying to throw a light spin to a dark conversation.

"When I was a little girl, a demon tried to convince me to send my own father to hell. I'd lost my mommy because of an accident the demon tried to convince me was my father's fault. I could never hurt Hajime. He always wanted to stop her, and maybe I can learn how while I'm here," she smiled and he realized she was trying to fulfill her father's wish, much like Rin was. He was trying to keep living in a world he didn't belong in, just as Shiro had tried to do until the moment he died. Rin smiled at her.

"You're a tough little shit aren't you?" He asked her, remembering her violent outburst with Shima over a phone at the table.

"You're a trouble making shit aren't you?" Rin nodded bashfully.

"I get on my brother's nerves because I don't always follow orders, and he gets in trouble for it." The hall was dark and their feet left dirt trails from the baseball field on the already filthy carpet.

"Maybe that's not bad," she offered. Rin stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the repeating floral like deep and dark red and black passing under his worn leather school shoes, his chain on his pants swinging repeatedly through the air and beating back against his trousers, his tail flicking into his peripheral vision every so often.

"I just," he looked at her, "don't want anybody else to get hurt. I don't wanna lose anyone else."

"I know," she adjusted the pink clip she'd worn in her hair since she was a child and she and Hajime chased the shadow of the Hell Girl. "My dad was a reporter, he had a bad habit of letting things go. While we were following all these people, trying to save human souls, I learned that you never know how much time you have left with people before they leave, so you have to take advantage of it." Yukio had been listening to his brother talk to the way brunette girl. Her cherubic face so innocent and not at all a giveaway to the likely horrors she had witnessed before finding a sanctuary of people who felt the same as her, saw the same things as her, and had the same pains as her. 'Damn, she's just like me. Demons broke her youth. They stole the innocence of the world away from her at a young age. She's is trying to fulfill her father's purpose through her own life. She has every reason to hate demons, and she's talking to nii-san like he doesn't have a tail wagging behind him, pointed ears and fanged teeth. She doesn't care what he is, she cares who he is. Always defying logic,' he thought as they transferred locations via keyhole in a door.

"So who's it this time?" Shura asked him.

"Arthur Auguste Angel," Yukio said.

"Baldy?!" Shura exclaimed. "The hell?!"

"He's looking for someone powerful." Yukio frowned in the glowing antiseptic white of the hospital hallway, his teeth grinding together in frustration. 'Why can't he just leave us alone... Hasn't he done enough?'he asked himself.

So here ya are, this is a really long chapter. The Academy kids will be back in the next chapter, I was trying to put them back in this one but it always seemed too forced so it just had to wait :( *sob* we all miss stein.

Rin - the hell we do!

Oh hush up

Rin - he wanted to dissect me!

Maybe I'll let him. I'm writing a note leave me alone.

Anyway, yeah. If you want it updated sooner, just leave a review, I'll see you guys in a little while!