Well, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter in particular. Be warned, it's kind of cheesy at the end, but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter Thirteen
~ Blue Flicker & Scared Little Girls ~

Blue Flame

"Where is she?" Amaimon demanded, glaring into Rin's eyes. "You have to have some idea of where my sister is!"

"I don't have a clue, Amaimon!" Rin snapped, turning away. The two had been searching all day and night since Kamiki had rung in a worried and hushed voice. She's gone! There's some blood on the ground and… and I think it's hers, Rin! Tempus is gone!

They'd been searching all night and now Rin was just hungry and tired and irritated. Amaimon was being no help. The snow was covering up any signs of blood and he was still too weak to control the earth's movements. The best he could do right now was summon minor demons like tiny hobgoblins to search for her. Shiemi had sent greenmen out to look too. Nothing had come back yet. Yukio was busy arguing with Mephisto as to how she'd gotten kidnapped in the first place. Tempus was strong; how did something overpower her so easily?

But what Kamiki had said after: It smelt like the dead in there… like a ghoul.

He glanced at his phone. No new texts. Shima would be worried sick by now. Yukio had instructed them to look through the shopping district for Tempus, though that was mainly to keep them away from any supernatural activity.

Rin and Amaimon were in the forest searching. A more normal place for someone to get kidnapped, of course. But Amaimon was becoming increasingly worried. "What if she's being exorcised?"

"Of course only you would worry about this kind of stuff."

"You should too. You've been tortured before."

"That was… that was something else. You were gone, how'd you know about that?"

"A hamster told me so."

"Hamster…" Rin dismissed the subject. Amaimon eyes were dark with fear. "Do you normally worry so much about Tempus?"

"Not this much… she's never been kidnapped before and that necklace…"

"What about it?"

"Nothing," Amaimon muttered and trudged through the snow, glancing around. "Come on, at least one of these trees must have seen something."

"Whaddya mean 'see'?"

"Trees have eyes you know. Since I'm the King of Earth, I can see whatever they see." Amaimon pressed his hand to a random tree. He closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating. "There." He pointed towards the lake. "That way. There's a cabin with a somewhat creepy basement. The trees can sense a demonic presence there."

"You hippy," Rin muttered and began to run towards the direction Amaimon pointed to.

Amaimon smirked and dashed ahead. "If you want to race me, the time is now!"

Why would he think of such things at a time like this?

Blue Flicker

Tempus woke up with a start. There was a dim lighting around her. The Naberius demons were still guarding her with a ferocious dedication. "Neuhaus isn't back…"

She spoke too soon. Neuhaus strode downstairs and stopped upon seeing her. "You've healed quickly…"

"Like I said, crosses and holy water aren't much. These chains have lost their affect too."

He frowned. "Isn't that a shame…"

The Naberius demons hissed furiously as he neared. Neuhaus simply chuckled and etched a small cut in his arm; the demons dispersed into ash quickly and were gone. "Bribing my demons?"

"Your demons belong in my world. Don't think that you own them because you can summon them." Tempus gritted her teeth as he hoisted her up from her slouched position.

"You have friends coming to help you, daughter of Satan. I'm going to crush the gemstone and watch you burn in your own fire before they even get the chance to save your filthy, evil backside."

"Have fun watching burn. Because you've already seen enough of that, haven't you?"

Neuhaus glared down at her and hauled Tempus up the stairs, dragging her outside and tying her to a tree. "Original, Neuhaus, very original. I don't think I've seen this one in the movies before." Tempus sighed and leaned back. She could just sense it; an earth-like presence and another flame preparing to battle. Amaimon… Rin… please hurry…

Neuhaus glanced around quickly and turned to face the two boys running towards them. "Tempus!" Amaimon shouted. Rin unsheathed his sword and around him, the snow melted. "What have you done, Neuhaus?"

Neuhaus lifted the cross again and pressed it against Tempus' chest. The burn was numb now; Tempus inhaled and exhaled deeply. It began to intensify. Rin's eyes widened. "Stop it! You're hurting her!"

Amaimon's eyes flared and his fangs grew in size slightly. "Damn you, Neuhaus."

"You can't make a move against me, King of Earth. Not unless you want her to burn even more."

Amaimon chuckled. "You forget, I am the King of Earth. I may have been weakened in earlier weeks, but I'm almost back to my previous strength. This means… I have become quite… bored." Amaimon smiled casually and unbuttoned his shirt and threw his tie to the ground. "And let's face it, when I get bored, I tend to break bones. Quite a lot, might I add."

Amaimon leapt forward with quick speed and appeared before kicking Neuhaus in the chest. Rin dashed forward and swung his sword, sending him flying back through the trees. "I'll take care of him! Rin, untie Tempus!"

Rin nodded and Amaimon was gone, racing after Neuhaus. Rin ran towards Tempus and cut the ropes. Severely weakened, Tempus sank to the snow and shivered. "Damn… it's cold out here… isn't it, Rin? But you're all nice and warm with your fire, aren't you?"

"Tempus, your wrists."

"Little burns… they'll heal."

"God, what's he done?"

"A crappy exorcism if you ask me…" Tempus slowly lifted herself up when a powerful forced sent her sailing into a tree. Neuhaus leapt forwards and held her throat before ripping her necklace from her neck. Amaimon, close behind, began to cry out: "No! Stop! If you break that, she'll–"

Neuhaus didn't seem to hear. Upon seeing Tempus bursting into flames much like Rin's, Rin was frozen. "Tempus…"

Neuhaus began to squeeze the gem. In a rush of horror and fear, Tempus screamed. "It hurts! Stop it, please stop!"

He sneered. "Die, spawn of Satan!"

The gem cracked.

Her flames intensified. Around her, everything began to burn. It hurt so much; it felt as if she was burning away herself.

Then there was nothing but numbness.

Blue Flame

Neuhaus was thrown backwards, the gem flying from his hand. Amaimon caught it and held it close. Tempus fell into the snow, though it wasn't a clumsy heap. She landed gracefully, much like a cat. She crouched low, arching her back. Her white tail swished back and forth. Slowly, Tempus rose to her feet, gazing around.

But it wasn't Tempus.

Rin slowly whispered: "… Tempus…?"

Her eyes snapped to him and a horrifying sneer spread across her face, twisting her pretty features into something more like a monster than a girl. She began to laugh; that was twisted too. Amaimon's horror was plastered onto his face.

"No…"

She attacked in a blind rage, her arms twisting to form whips of fire. Rin lifted his sword to block her attacks, but he attempts were thwarted. Amaimon began to move forward to defend Rin, but Tempus simply moved her hand in a simple flick, sending a wave of fire through the trees. Tempus turned to face Amaimon and was suddenly in front of him. Her hand snapped out to grab his throat and she threw Amaimon into the air, meeting him with a swift kick. Amaimon flipped himself in the air just in time to make a clumsy landing. Tempus landed before Amaimon and he dashed out of the way, grabbing on to Rin's wrist and running away.

"What are you doing?" Rin shouted.

"We'll lead her to the bridge! Solid ground is better to fight on than in this snow! Come on!"

Tempus seemed to enjoy the chase. She leapt through the trees, her claw-like nails leaving long scratches in the bark. Amaimon's breathing was panicked and hurried. "Come on, where is it… There!" He changed his path suddenly and they were sprinting towards the bridge. "Behemoth, distract her while I ring Yukio!"

The goblin dashed forward and tackled Tempus, clawing into her skin, leaving thin but deep marks in her arms. Tempus snarled and threw him off. Rin glanced forward as True Cross came into view. Amaimon had already begun shouting at Yukio. "Just get here now! Don't bring Shima! He can't see her like this!"

"Since when do you care about what he thinks?" Rin shouted.

Amaimon didn't reply. He just spun around to face Tempus. "She wouldn't be able to bear his expression…"

Rin blinked and faced Tempus. Her body was beginning to crouch low, much like a cat. She hissed and leapt forward, pouncing on Rin and bringing him to the ground. He flames intensified and Rin began to burn. He grunted and grasped onto his sword, slashing a cut in her right arm. She hardly flinched at all. She didn't even realise she was injured.

I have to punch her.

A spray of holy water burnt them both, however. Tempus shrieked and jumped back, turning to face Yukio who held his gun firmly in his hand. Sweat had broken out on his forehead. Standing up, Rin ran towards his brother, preparing his sword. "Yukio, what do we do?"

"I don't know. Where did Amaimon go?"

"Are Shima and the others coming?"

"I don't know," Yukio grunted. Tempus' eyes darted between Rin and Yukio. "Get ready. She's going to charge."

She didn't charge at all. All she did was raise her hand and bring it down hard and fast. In a burst, blue fire surrounded them and she snarled and charged towards them. Without hesitation, Yukio fired his gun and shot her in the shoulder. There was a burst and the flame's faded away and Tempus cried out in pain. Rin dashed forwards and punched Tempus, reeling her on. She snarled and darted towards him. Throwing his sword to the ground, the two tumbled around on the concrete, snarling and grunting as they clawed at each other's faces.

I'm slipping… I have to keep control.

He was just about to give into the flame when there was a scream of anger: "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

Both froze and Rin booted Tempus away from him. Shima, Konekomaru, Shiemi, Suguro and Kamiki all stood before them, shock written on their faces. Rin glanced over at Tempus; she was preparing to attack again. She began to prepare her hand, pulling it back with an almost lazy way, the flames around her hands brightening and growing hotter. Suguro told everyone to get back, to prepare for the attack.

"Tempus, stop!" Amaimon screamed, running towards her and tackling her with the force of a demon. Her flames flew into the air and dispersed. "Don't," he whispered. "Don't hurt them, Tempus."

At first, Tempus wailed. She didn't snarl or hiss, she wailed. As if she was in severe pain. Rin wondered what was happening inside of here. He grabbed his sword and returned it to his sheath. Without looking at the others, he moved towards Tempus, who continued to cry out in pain before breaking down into tiny little sobs. Amaimon stroked her snow-white hair, cooing her gently. "Shh… shh… it's okay, little sister. We're okay."

Rin lowered himself to his knees. "Tempus?"

The look on her face… it was a mix of horror and fear. "I… I…"

There was a long silence. All that could be heard was Tempus' little sobs. Amaimon stroked her hair and hushed her softly. "It's okay… we're okay…"

Her sobs cut off and she went limp in his arms. He sighed and lifted her up, striding passed the frightened group. He glanced at Shiemi and continued forward, sighing slightly. Rin chased after them but Suguro caught his arm. "What was that?"

Shima's eyes were wide with shock. "Was she possessed?" he asked quietly.

Rin wasn't sure how to answer. He just shook his head and ran after Amaimon.

Blue Flicker

She woke up screaming and sweating. Tempus' body ached, but she didn't realise. My body was on fire. Two hands rested on her shoulders and Yukio pressed her down, holding her firmly. "Tempus, calm down. It's only me."

Tempus went rigid. "Yukio. I… I… What happened?"

"I'm not sure myself. Amaimon's been gone for a few hours now. Said something about a teddy?"

Tempus shook her head. "I don't care about the stupid teddy," she muttered. In fact, she really wanted Behemoth to cuddle; she wondered if that's what Amaimon meant by 'teddy'. "I want to know what happened to me. I remember burning – then it's all blurry…"

Yukio gestured to the small burns on her arms. "I threw holy water on you… sorry about that…"

"Yukio, stop avoiding my question. What. Happened?"

Yukio flinched, but sat down beside her. "You gemstone cracked. According to Amaimon, it triggered your outburst in the forest. You were out of control for about fifteen minutes before he brought you back."

Out of control… A horrible numbness entered her body. She couldn't feel anything. "Yukio… can you please leave me alone… for a little while?"

"Of course…" He left the room, leaving Tempus alone. She stood up, closed the windows, turned the lights off and sat back on her bed, breathing heavily. She glanced down at her necklace; there was a long, not-so-elegant crack in her gem. She clicked her fingers. A small blue flicker appeared. Good… I can still summon it.

Without a simple knock, Renzo appeared in the front door. Behind him, Rin was yelling out. Tempus' head snapped to them and the little flame disappeared. Rin had a hand on Renzo's shoulder to pull him back, but Renzo wouldn't budge. "Tempus-chan…" he whispered and lowered his arm. Tempus didn't meet him in the eyes.

"Get out," she whispered.

"… What?"

"I said… get out, Renzo. Please… Just get out."

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere?"

Tempus turned her head away. "I want to speak with Rin alone… please just go away."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Tempus smiled a little. A small crack of a smile that seemed to brighten her face. "Not going… anywhere… Now that I think about it, I don't even know why you bother staying now."

Renzo walked around the bed to face her. "Tempus, why are you crying?"

"I don't know… I don't know what I'm feeling!" Tempus cried. "I'm Satan's daughter! I'm the monster that little girls cry about in their sleep! I'm not human, I'm not demon, I'm not anything. I'm just a monster… A half-breed… I can't feel anything, I see in dead colours. Nothing is beautiful to me because I don't even know what that means. Everything is just a word!" Tempus wiped her eyes. "I'm a hollow monster that kills because that's all she knows!"

There was a silence. It almost seemed to sing. Outside, everyone sat, waiting for Renzo to say something. "You're wrong, Tempus," Shiemi said, walking inside. "You're not a monster. A monster would have killed us. A monster would have killed Rin, or Amai, or Shima-san. But you didn't. You could kill us right now and you haven't. You're our friend, Tempus."

Tempus faced Shiemi, who was tearing up. "Don't say we aren't your friends! Otherwise, you're just as stupid as Rin!"

Her eyes widened. "He thought he was all alone, too!" Shiemi shouted.

"Shiemi…" Rin murmured.

"You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, Tempus!" Shiemi cried. "You're not a monster! You're sad and you think you're alone, but you're not."

Suguro and Kamiki stepped inside. Suguro strode up to Tempus and grabbed onto the shoulders. He shook her as he shouted. "Y'know, I thought you were smart! But you're just as dumb as this idiot behind me! Who cares if you're the daughter of Satan? What matters is who you are now. Who are you, Tempus?"

Tempus lowered her head and blinked back more tears. "I don't know anymore…"

Renzo pushed Suguro away and lifted her head. "Look at me, Tempus. What do I look like to you?"

Tempus blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What was your first impression of me?"

"An idiot hitting on me."

Rin snorted with laughter, but Suguro silenced him with an icy glare. Renzo sighed and smiled, "What do you think of me now? What do you think of all of us?"

Tempus glanced around her. Kamiki opened the curtains and smiled sweetly. "You're all… people… no, friends who mean… more than anything to me… you're all stupid, you're all funny, you're all like a dysfunctional family that can't function without Yukio or Shura to tell you what to do…" Tempus wiped her eyes. "You're all like… like chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Konekomaru asked quietly, smiling sheepishly.

"Sweet… Sweet like M&Ms…" Tempus smiled. "You're my dysfunctional family. I love you all."

Renzo beamed down at her. "There it is. That's the Tempus we know. That's the Tempus I love." Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Aand, there we have it! Be warned, the next chapter will take a little while to write, but I'll update whenever I can! (Like I said, it got kind of cheesy in the end...)

~EmmyTheTurtle