Rin wasn't sure how exactly Danny, Sam, and Tucker would help him, but he knew that they would prove to be a big part of getting him home.

It wasn't that they weren't strong enough, he knew they were. It was just the fact that he didn't know what role they played in this.

One thing was clear, though. The trio would have to be able to see demons, now that the creatures were escaping into their world now.

Before, it wasn't a necessity, but now it was. If the trio was going to have any chance of helping him, they would need to have the ability of seeing demons.

They would need a temptaint, an injury from a demon, but Rin trusted no demon to give them one under his command, certainly not stray ones either.

Rin may have been the King, but the demons would twist his words into something ugly and attempt to injure the teens more so than necessary.

Rin could ask Kuro, but he didn't want to use his friend like that, even if Kuro would probably happily do so if he asked. It didn't sit right with Rin to ask the Cat Sith to do something of that nature.

In conclusion, Rin would have to do it himself.

"Hey, Danny?" Rin asked.

"Yeah?" Danny turned his attention to the half demon.

Luckily, Rin had run into Danny on the sidewalk. Of course, the mere coincidence was uncanny.

"Where are Sam and Tucker? You three are usually attached at the hip." Rin chuckled.

Danny shrugged. "Sam is on house arrest. Her parents demand that if she wants to continue to hang around Tucker and me, she must wear proper clothes. Sam refuses, so she's on house arrest until she gives in or Ida, Sam's grandmother, interferes."

"Tucker has a minor cold, but his parents overreact, so he's home right now, probably surrounded by blankets, soup, and video games."

"Like Tucker would complain about the video games," Rin joked.

Danny chuckled. "Touché."

Rin hesitated slightly, frowning. Danny noticed this. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rin blinked and looked at Danny. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just...preoccupied. I have a lot on my mind."

"I know what you mean." Danny groaned.

For once, Rin didn't disagree. Danny had just as many problems as Rin did, and understood to an extent, unlike others who had trivial problems like homework and bullying.

"Danny?" Rin's voice was uncertain, slightly nervous.

"Yeah?" Danny became slightly concerned.

"I know you have a lot of problems, and not the normal teen ones. I know you have more responsibility on your shoulders than a war veteran, I know. Despite this, I need your help." Rin sighed.

Danny stiffened slightly at the confession. It wasn't a straight 'I know your secret', but it was still a hint at the subject. "You..."

"You're curious as to how I know that," Rin said, "I can see it. Despite what you may think, I understand more than you'll ever know."

Danny and Rin locked eyes. Danny saw the eyes of someone who had been through war, someone who had suffered more than any human should have to in decades. Danny saw himself, if not a more worn-down, broken, version.

"...You said you needed help. With what?" The question wasn't asking Rin what Danny would have to do if he were to agree, it was asking Rin what Danny was going to be doing now that he had agreed.

"I'm sorry for pushing this on to you, especially with all the stress you have to deal with..." Rin trailed off.

"It doesn't matter," Danny said, "You're my friend, and I'll help you. That's the end of it."

Rin swallowed. "Thank you."

"What do you need help with?" Danny repeated his previous question.

"This might sound weird, but I need to get home. Getting back isn't as easy as taking a vehicle or plane and traveling there," Rin confessed.

Now, Danny may be clueless, but he sure as hell wasn't dense.

'Could Rin be the powerful person I need to ally myself with? If so, I don't think I'll have to worry about him trying to destroy anyone anytime soon,' Danny thought.

"How do you know I can help you? How do you know that I'll be able to do what you need?" Danny asked.

"Do you know anyone by the name Clockwork?" Rin blurted.

"What?!" Danny's eyes widened.

"Yeah, he kind of invaded my sleep and told me you'd be able to help." Rin chuckled awkwardly.

Danny rubbed his temples. "That stupid stopwatch..."

"You know, I said the same thing. He wasn't amused." Rin shrugged.

"Anyway, what exactly do you mean you can't get home by any means of transport?" Danny asked.

"Well, I guess you could say I come from another universe." Rin laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, for the love of Pariah..." Danny groaned. "Another universe? Fate just loves to screw with me, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to help, I won't-" Danny cut Rin off.

"Yeah, not happening. I'm helping you, end of story. Deal with it." Danny huffed.

Rin blinked before laughing. "Thanks!"

"You could probably get back to your world by a Ghost Zone portal, but the portals are like taking a gamble. There's a trillion different outcomes. You could end up in a different time period, another country, or even another world that isn't yours. There's a one out of a trillion chances you'd get back to your world on the first try." Danny sighed.

"Well," Rin pulled a disk out of his pocket. "I think this will help. I know it has something to do with me getting home."

Danny gently took it from Rin's grasp and examined it. "The design is glowing."

"Yeah, I know. It does that the closer it is to me. I'm pretty sure it's connected to me in some way, so I can only assume it will serve a purpose for helping me get home." Rin shrugged.

Danny nodded. "I'll try to ask Sam and Tucker for some help, maybe ask some of my other friends as well."

"I didn't know you had other friends," Rin joked, but he knew Danny was talking about his ghost allies.

Danny flushed. "Shut up!"

Rin merely laughed. "Sounds good. Seriously, thank you for taking your time to help me."

"It's not a problem. You're my friend, Rin."

Rin didn't know whether or not he regretted leaving out that he was a demon.

Either way, Danny didn't need to know, no one did. Not yet, at least.

Still, the fact that he missed a perfect opportunity to give the half ghost a temptaint was slightly concerning.

Even if the trio didn't know about the existence of demons, it would still prove useful to be able to see them, especially if helping Rin get home caused more trouble than wanted. He didn't want the trio to be harmed by things they couldn't see, thus couldn't protect themselves from.

After all, nothing was ever that easy.

Chapter Twenty complete! Bye my doggies!