AN: HOLA! Nothing new here, just wanted to thank everyone who has read this far and everyone who has reviewed this! Thank you everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist

[ In Assiah, Location Unknown ]

The room was dimly lit. It's only source of light coming from it's window, which a setting sun could be seen through. Sophie sat in an office swivel chair, her feet up on the desk positioned in front of her. Her parents were both standing guard, outside the room, while Mary, one of the three who had helped take Rin and Dugo, was talking with Sophie. Although she was very young, Sophie was generally accepted as the leader of the cult, due to her demon lineage. And while Mary respected what Sophie did, said, and commanded, she found herself questioning Sophie's latest actions. Mary, Joey, and Phil, the three who had assisted in capturing Dugo and Rin, were all told they were doing so because Satan had ordered Rin's return to Gehenna. However, Rin was still here in Assiah. Why? So, she had made her way to Sophie's office, seeking an audience with the girl. She had accepted, and Mary found herself in front of the girl, new found terror growing in her.

"Sophie." She greeted the girl with a slight bow.

"Mary." Sophie replied, her voice and eyes as cold as ice.

"You told us that we would be returning Rin to our lord. Why have we not done so?" Sophie eyed the girl a little, the look of a predator on her face.

"Silly little Mary!" Sophie said, standing up. She crossed the room and stood directly in front of the woman. "Lord Satan may have asked for Rin, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to hand him over! I have my own plans for him." Mary stared at the girl, shock running through her.

"Y-You would betray our lord? Why? W-We have to do everything out lord asks of us! If we don't, he will surely smite us down with his power!"

"Yes, but, if properly cultivated, Rin can surpass lord Satan's power. It may take years, centuries even, but Rin will live for a long time. He is a demon after all. After I make him powerful enough, I will use him to destroy lord Satan and have Rin claim his rightful place as lord of Gehenna!" Sophie smiled gleefully at Mary, her face contorting with apparent madness.

"K-Kill Satan? You would challenge our lord?! You would go against him?! You filthy wench!" Mary went to throw a punch at Sophie, but Sophie easily stopped her attack.

"Stop." Mid swing, Mary was forced to stop as Sophie's mesmer hit her ears. "You humans are so petty! You blindly commit yourselves to Gods and Demons and Lords and Religion! None of you can actually ACT without being told what to do! And that's why I'm here! I'm here to show and tell you all what to do!" Sophie's mouth broke out into a very wide and creepy grin as she stared at Mary who was stuck in place. "Now, go find Joey and Phil and bring them back here. Don't speak unless absolutely necessary. I'm going to have to dispose of all of you. Can't have you spreading rumors about be going against lord Satan's orders now can I?" Mary's eyes glazed over and she nodded politely, now lacking emotions. As she left the room, Sophie returned to her desk, putting her feet up once more. 'I don't understand these humans. They follow lord Satan so blindly, it's pathetic. At least I can use that to get what I want more easily.' It wasn't long before Mary returned with the other two. Joey and Phil both bowed a little as they walked in, it was customary. However, before either of them could ask what Sophie wanted to see them for, Sophie spoke.

"Kill yourselves." Two of them instantly took out weapons, each varying per person and there fighting techniques. Mary shot herself in the head with a pistol and Joey slit his throat with a swiss army knife. However, Phil, not having a weapon, just walked over to Sophie's window, opened it and jumped out. He fell three stories before he hit the ground. After the three people whom Sophie had lied to, killed themselves, she began cleaning up. "Mom! Dad! Can I get your help in here?" Sophie called through the door. Her parents came in instantly, unsurprised by the sight they found. The trio began to dispose of the bodies quickly and efficiently; They've had a lot of practise doing the task. After they had cleaned up, Silvia spoke up to her daughter.

"What was all that about? Killing lord Satan?"

"Oh, I was bored, I just wanted to see the look on her face! Also, I didn't feel the need to explain our plans to some vulgar cult member who was going to die anyway."

"It's a shame we had to kill them." commented Charles. "You don't find people as committed as they were these days."

"Yes," replied Sophie, "but, it had to be done. They would have believed me to go against lord Satan, spreading rumors through the cult. I don't need or want to deal with that. Killing them was the simplest option to keep our true plan a secret."

"I know." Charles said. After a short and awkward silence. Sophie spoke up,

"Anyway, I'm off to see Rin and Dugo, see ya guys later." Sophie said with a small wave. She walked past her parents and exited the room into the hall. 'While it may be true that Rin might become more powerful than Satan, I would never go against Satan. I merely want whats best for Rin.' She made her way to the room where Rin and Dugo were, smiling all the way.

[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]

Fujimoto and Yukio were running around frantically at the monastery. They had set up a makeshift command center trying to find the, believed to be, run away Rin. The four priests had broken up and started searching in four different directions from the monastery. Maruta went north, Izumi went south, Kyodo went west, and Nagatomo went east. Fujimoto and Yukio called them constantly and marked down areas that the four had checked on maps of the nearby areas. However, so far they hadn't even found even a trace of Rin or Dugo. Things weren't looking good, and Fujimoto's self appointed time limit of twelve hours had been cut down to a measly seven hours. The more and more they searched, the closer they got to believing Rin had simply vanished into thin air. Even though he had more time, Fujimoto was about to give up. Knowing Rin, he could be anywhere by now. Who knows? Maybe he had even held someone hostage and used a car to get away. However, before Fujimoto's imagination got the better of him, the phone rang. Eagerly, he ripped the phone off of its base, answering it.

"Hello? Did you find him?" asked Fujimoto, expecting it to be one of the four priests. However, the one who answered the phone was Rin.

"Dad? I… Need your… help." Rin said, through his panting. He sounded like he had just run like a bat out of hell.

"R-Rin?! Where are you?!"

"I-I'm… outside of…. Takinogawa Jr High.. School…. the one that…. was closed down…. two years ago…."

"I'm on my way." said Fujimoto, hanging up the phone. Yukio, who had heard Fujimoto's side of the conversation, asked,

"Where is he?"

"He's by that old abandoned high school, that's just outside of town. I have a key that will get me to a bus station nearby to that." Fujimoto said, picking up his shotgun.

"Then let's go," Yukio said, trying to stand up. However, Fujimoto just pushed the boy back down.

"No, you stay here. You're too injured to move, plus I need you to call the others and let them know where I'm going. I can't because I seem to have misplaced my cell phone." Angrily, Yukio nodded. It pissed him off that he couldn't help, but he knew his father was right. Quickly, Fujimoto used his key, and arrived at the bus stop. Fujimoto had nearly forgotten how late it was because he had been indoors for the better part of 5 hours. It was probably around 7pm right now and the sun was dangerously close to setting. As fast as he could, Fujimoto took off in a sprint in the direction of the school. He was determined to get his son back.

[ Ten Minutes Earlier ]

[ In Assiah, The Abandoned Takinogawa Jr. High School ]

Rin and Dugo were awakened from their long, enjoyable nap as Sophie obnoxiously barged into the room.

"WAKEY WAKEY!" She yelled in a shrill voice that was a least an octave above her original voice. 'Wow…. She so… different from last time… She seems much more psychotic…. was it all just an act before?' Sophie walked up to the two boys who were sitting with their backs up against the wall. She sat down directly in front of them, arms length away. She set down a deck of cards in between the three of them.

"What do you want Sophie?" asked Rin, still a little shaken from the sudden awakening.

"Oh, nothing. I was just hoping we could all play a game of cards is all! Rin, you're the only one here who's my age! And Dugo is the youngest out of everyone! Us three gotta stick together!" Her smile seemed sincere, but Rin still would never trust Sophie like he had before.

"What card game…?" asked Dugo, who was actually interested in her offer.

"It's called Crazy 8s!" She said, quickly launching into the explanation of the game. However, after she was done and had started dealing the cards, Rin asked,

"Hey, before we play can we have some shirts?" Sophie hadn't paid it much attention, but neither of the boys had their shirts on because they had been ripped off so they could be branded. She stared at them with a confused look and pointed to the corner of the room saying,

"You really are blind aren't you? We put a change of clothes for both of you over there." Sophie walked over to the clothes and tossed both the boys a plain black t-shirt with the Satanic Cross in the same place as the one's on their chests. Rin's cross was blue on the T-shirt and Dugo's was red, just like their chests.

"You had them made specifically for both of us?" Rin asked, noticing the colors. Sophie nodded her head, smiling. Quickly, the boys put on their shirts, so that they could get on with the game.

"Now, here's your hand. And here's yours." Sophie said pushing a small stack of cards to both Rin and Dugo. Dugo picked his up studying them quickly, deciding which one to use when it came to his turn, but Rin was a little more hesitant. His flames were still about him and he was slightly afraid that they would burn the cards if he were to touch them. 'Although, it's not burning my clothes, so why would it burn the cards?' Deciding it didn't really matter, Rin picked up the cards and was pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't burn.

"Okay, so I'll go first… Lets see…." Sophie said. However, while she was distracted, looking at her cards, Rin did something very unexpected. Time seemed to slow down as Sophie watched Rin launch himself at her. Rin came at the poor defenseless girl with all his might, swinging his sharp, claw like fingers at Sophie's throat. He left a deep enough gash in her throat to allow the blood to flow into her throat, effectively chocking her.

"Can't recite the mantra if you can't speak." said Rin, slyly. Rin threw down his cards and stood up. Taking Dugo by the hand, he made him rise too. Rin and Dugo started to walk away from Sophie, but Dugo stopped abruptly. "Dugo? Whats wrong? Now's our chance to leave!"

"You're just going to leave her like this? She's just going to heal! Why don't you kill her!" Dugo pleaded. Rin got down onto one knee and gripped Dugo's shoulders, his face becoming serious.

"Dugo, I'm not sure If you have it, or have experienced it before, but I have a bloodlust and trust me, it is taking everything in me NOT to kill Sophie right now." Rin said, as he eyed the blood coming from the girl's wound on her throat. He could hear her gasping for air through the blood.

"So why not kill her!" Dugo screamed, tears flowing from her face. 'Wow… he must've really hated Sophie and her family.'

"Because if I do I'm…. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop…" Rin said. 'I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I hurt Dugo...' "Anyway, lets just get going okay? We're not save yet." Rin took Dugo's hand and was about to place his hand on the doors handle, when Sophie's warning echoed in his head. She had told him it would hurt to open the door. 'Well screw that! This may be our only chance of escape; Sophie won't be stupid enough to let me do that to her again.' Disregarding the warning, Rin placed his hand on the doorknob and turned. IT. HAD. KILLED. Rin could feel the pain run straight through his hand and throughout his whole body. Screaming out, Rin could see and feel his eyes ears, and nose bleed, but he didn't let up. He successfully opened the door, but fell to the ground, exhausted from the pain.

"Nii-san!" Dugo said, crouching down next to Rin, who was having a hard time breathing.

"I'm… fine." He said, shakily getting back to his feet. "We.. have to keep…. moving…" Rin tails whipped back and forth in determination. Dugo nodded at Rin and the two slowly made their way down the hallways, looking for a way out, until they found a downward staircase. Following it, they made their way to what they believed to be the ground floor. Once there, Rin noticed that this ground floor looking very different than the floor he was on. This floor looked like a school. The two searched around and came upon classroom after classroom. Eventually, the two found the main office of the school and found a sigh with the school's name on it. Rin recognized it immediately. Takinogawa Jr. High School. It was an old school that was closed down around two years ago. Luckily for Rin and Dugo, the phone in the main office worked. 'I guess since they have been using the building, Sophie and her cult restored the power.' Dialing up the monastery's number, Rin awaited someone to pick up. It was only after two rings that his father picked up.

"Hello? Did you find him?" asked Fujimoto, through the phone.

"Dad? I… Need your… help." Rin said, through his panting. The pain from opening the door had taken a real toll on the boy and he'd need rest to recover.

"R-Rin?! Where are you?!"

"I-I'm… outside of…. Takinogawa Jr High.. School…. the one that…. was closed down…. two years ago…."

"I'm on my way." said Fujimoto, hanging up the phone.

"Why did you say we were outside?" asked Dugo.

"Because, that's… where we….. are going to…. wait…" Rin responded. Rin and Dugo made there way to the exit of the school, which was very close to the main office.

"Hey Rin? How come the others haven't come after us? Surely they are still here somewhere." Dugo asked, a little curious.

"They…. probably don't have….. enough fire power… to detain us… without Sophie… and the mantra…" Dugo nodded his head, just thankful that they indeed hadn't come after them. The boys found their way outside and Rin was thankful to find a bench in front of the school, which we sat down on with Dugo as they waited. It wasn't long before Fujimoto showed up, running like crazy. Rin was about to say his 'Hello's and his 'Thank You's when his father raised his shotgun and pointed it directly at Rin.

"Hey Rin. Where've ya been?" he asked, his voice serious.

"Put… the gun…. down old man…." Rin said, still panting from exhaustion.

"Wanna tell me why you ran away then?"

"We didn't run away!" said Dugo, in his little voice. "We were kidnapped by Sophie and her cult of Satanists!" Fujimoto looked at the two, not quite believing that Rin would be so easily captured, until Rin said,

"Yea… they kidnapped…. an exorcist…. who knew the…. mantra…. and then they got…. me while we were…. playing catch…."

"Okay…." said Fujimoto, "then you care to explain why you're flaming up right now? Put the flames out Rin."

"I…. can't…." he replied.

"Why can't yo-"

"We don't have time for this!" yelled Rin. This caused him to go into a small coughing fit and it was the first time that Fujimoto actually noticed the fact that his son looked injured. "We… have to…. get going…" Slowly, Fujimoto put away his gun and helped Rin up to his feet, the flames not burning or bothering him at all.

"You do realize you're going to be explaining everything that happened when we get home right? And I better like your story." Rin just grunted in response. Fujimoto led the two of them to the school's front door where he used his key. Stepping through the door and into the monastery, Rin collapsed onto the floor, all his remaining energy gone. He was safe now. He didn't have to worry about anything as he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

[ In Assiah, The Abandoned Takinogawa Jr. High School ]

Charles and Silvia were in Sophie's office looking out the window, staring down at Rin and Dugo who were sitting on a bench, waiting.

"What should we do sweetie? Sophie can't stop them right now in her state. She can't even say two words." Silvia said to her husband.

"It doesn't matter. Let them leave. They've been marked. When the Dawning comes, they won't be able to resist it." Silvia just nodded, accepting his answer.

"We're going to have move again aren't we? They undoubtedly have told the exorcists our position." Silvia commented.

"Yes. We should begin immediately. You tend to Sophie's wounds, although, with her rate of healing, she should be fine within a day or two." Silvia nodded and walked left the room to go tend to her daughter. 'Rin Okumura, it's too late for you know. You are now and will forever be Marked.' Charles thought darkly.

[ In Assiah, The Monastery ]

Yukio saw as the door to the kitchen opened as Rin came walking in. Yukio stared at his brother, whom he hadn't seen in roughly three weeks. He was searching for the words to say to him, but his brother just fell onto the floor, fainting. This caused Yukio to rush up and over to his brother, checking on him.

"He seems okay, just tired." said Fujimoto stepping into the room with a small child Yukio had never seen before walking behind him. The first thing Yukio noticed about the boy was his tail.

"What happened?" Yukio asked, as he grabbed Rin's arms and Fujimoto grabbed his legs, a silent understanding crossing between the two to take Rin to his room.

"I'm not sure." Fujimoto said. Then raising his voice a little so Dugo could hear. "I was hoping you could tell us, Dugo." The boy just followed behind the two into Rin's room, saying, in his small, shy voice,

"Okay…" After they had laid Rin down on his bunk, Fujimoto took a seat at the desk in the room while Yukio remained standing. Dugo sat down on Rin's bunk by his legs.

"So, Dugo, what happened?" Dugo talked in his small sad voice, small almost unnoticeable tears falling down his face.

"First Rin and I were in the courtyard and I ran off to get the balls and gloves… then when I came back, Rin was talking to Sophie, through the barrier."

"Sophie Flemmington?" Asked Fujimoto for confirmation.

"Yea… although nobody calls her that. She's Sophie, Daughter of Azazel." This new information took the two by surprise. Yukio had discovered that she had some form of persuasion ability while they were in the convenience store, but he had never thought her to be a daughter of a demon king. "Anyway… using her powers she seduces people into joining her cult of Satanists. Some join willingly, other don't and sometimes get killed. My mother was apart of it and when she died, Sophie's parents took me in. Sorry getting off topic… So Rin was talking to Sophie and then, suddenly, she started reciting his mantra. After that, people showed up and started taking Rin away. They told me I had to go to or they'd kill him. After that, they took us to that building, and they….." Dugo's voice trailed off. He didn't like even thinking about what had happened in that old abandoned school.

"Dugo, what did they do?" Dugo sniffled a little at Fujimoto's question, but he responded,

"They branded us… with the Satanic Cross." He said, pointing to his shirt where the cross was. Fujimoto's face was a mix of fear, shock, and confusion. He asked the small boy,

"May I see?" Nodding his head, Dugo removed his shirt and showed them the red, satanic cross that had been branded over his heart.

"They did the same to Nii-san." He said pointing to Rin's flaming, unconscious body. At this, Yukio, who had been silent, gasped. However, it wasn't the branding that caused him to gasp, it was the fact that this small boy had called Rin his Nii-san. 'That's what I call Rin...' Fujimoto, who ignored Yukio's gasp, went and lifted up Rin's shirt to see the same brand as Dugo's but in blue. "I saw them do it. It caused his flames to be released. Sophie said that the brand broke his bond with the Kurimatara." Dugo said, butchering the name of the sword terribly.

"The Kurikara Sword," Fujimoto corrected, "and yes, it would appear that to be so. Rin's going to have a lot harder time controlling his flames now." The three sat there in silence for a minute or so, until Dugo continued his story.

"Anyway, after that, they gave us these weird shirts with the crosses on them. Then Rin attacked Sophie, rendering her unable to speak. Without her use of the mantra Rin and I could do whatever." However, Yukio was confused on something.

"You said Rin and I could do whatever, the mantra doesn't affect you, so-" Yukio was asking his question when Dugo interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Yes it does." Dugo said, swinging his tail around in front of him, showing off Rin's old binding. "Charles had a tail binding that was once Rin's. They put it on me so I would 'behave', " he said, putting air quotes around 'behave'.

"Well… I see." said Fujimoto. "That makes much more sense then Rin running around. By the way how'd you get around the barrier?"

"A key." replied Dugo plainly. Nodding his head Fujimoto just left the room, finding the story true and wanting to leave Rin to rest. Yukio followed suit but didn't get out before he caught Dugo staring at Rin and whispering, "Nii-san." Yukio didn't want to admit it, but hearing a complete stranger call his brother Nii-san stung. 'I guess this means that if I care this much about a stupid notion like that, then I still care for Rin.'But for the life of me I can't seem to completely forgive him…'

AN: HOLA! AGAIN! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Maybe it was a little too soon for them to break out, but it seemed necessary for what I have planned next! :D

Anyway! Hope you liked it!