A/N: Has it really been four years? First and foremost I would like to apologize for those who have left reviews and dropped follows for my lonely two chapters. Life has happened and I am slowly getting back to having some time to myself again. (Yay!) Also, the manga has gotten pretty far in, which is going to play a huge role in how this story is going to continue. That being said, the way it has started will also affect how it plays out. It's not going to follow the manga but merely be inspired by some aspects. So if you are not caught up with the manga so far, there are some spoilers ahead! Lastly, I do not own Ao No Exorcist nor any of the characters. Purely a work of fanfiction :)

III.

It wasn't the alarm that woke him this Saturday morning. In fact, as he rolled over in his bed to take a glance at the clock, he had actually woken up twenty-four minutes before it was scheduled to go off. It wasn't the sound of birds chirping coming through his cracked window, or the light that was seeping in through the blinds. It was that god-awful nightmare. The same nightmare he had been having the last few years. He begrudgingly pulled his covers over his face and shut his eyes as tightly as he could, trying to purge out the memory of it all. It wasn't one of those nightmares involving monsters or falling. Nor was it one involving forgetting your pants while in a public space. This was the worst type of nightmare, the type where you relive an actual event.

He thought that, after all of this time, the pain from it would subside. The best-case scenario would be that he could just move on from it and forget about it. He could be spending his time worrying about other matters that had easier solutions. A smile played at the corner of his lips as he realized how foolish he was being. How could he spend so much time fixated on one thing, no matter how serious it may be? Over the years he had learned there was no point in stressing over the things you can't control. He just had to take it one day at a time and not hold himself to the impossible standard that he had set for himself.

Beep beep beep beep!

"My alarm? Have I been sitting here thinking for that long?" He pulled his covers down from his face and reached over to slap the "off" button on the clock. He quickly sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the room. Even for being a clean person, this space was collecting a lot more dust than he would like. Across the room sat his desk which was littered with paperwork he had yet to organize. Once upon a time that would have never flown. Now with everything going on, he didn't even have time to make his bed most mornings. 'Who have I even become?' he scoffed to himself.

Standing up, he made his way over to the unruly desk. On top sat his itinerary for the week. Being a Saturday, most people here at True Cross Academy would be out on the town, hanging out with friends, or relaxing. Exorcists on the other hand did not have that luxury. Actually, today was a big day for the Exorcist cram school. The Exwires were to be heading out to the Academy Forest District for their summer camp training. This exercise is essential for all first-year Exorcist students, and he couldn't start it out with being in a funk. Luckily, he had enough time the night before to prep his belongings for the trip and had it all ready to go by the door of his room.

He glanced at his clock once more. 'Perfect. 10 minutes to get dressed and we will be on our way'. He slipped on his black slacks and buttoned up his white shirt, and carefully placed his tie underneath his collar. At this point putting on his uniform was a matter of muscle memory. Every day it was the same routine. He finished knotting the tie and slid a hand down the length of it, ensuring it was straight. His Exorcist coat hanged neatly from the back of his desk chair. With gentle hands, he dawned on his coat and meticulously buttoned it up. Last, but not least, he reached for a folded pair of glasses resting on top of a stack of papers. He took care of not touching his lenses, but somehow there seemed to always be a smudge by the end of the day. Using a cloth he kept in his pocket, he wiped his glasses clean and placed them upon his face.

"Let's get this over with."

"Maaaaan, I cannot wait to be out camping! I've never left the school district before!" Mika rested her arms behind her head as she gazed toward the summer sky. There was a slight breeze causing some of her dark brown curls to gently sway. Mika was a first-year in the Exorcist cram school. It had been ten years since the Vatican had decided her fate. Being only five years old at the time, she didn't really understand everything that was going on, but the few things she did know were that she had been raised by the academy, she had no choice when it came to being an Exorcist, and she had a secret she wasn't allowed to share with anyone other than the Vatican and certain teachers.

Her big grey eyes traveled down from the sky to look at her classmates. All of them seemed like they were just as excited to finally have some field training in. None of them had been filled in on the details yet, but the long trek to the summer camp hadn't phased them one bit. She locked eyes with Mochi and smiled. Nobody knew Mochi's real name, or at least she didn't, but that's just what everyone called him. He was a tall kid with a lean build. His dark red hair stood mussed upon his head and his bright green eyes always looked so serious. His attitude always matched his serious expression, but Mika thought him to be a genuine guy.

Then there was Aiko. She had long straight hair as golden as Summer that fell just above her waist, with blue eyes to match the ocean. She was always so lighthearted and cared deeply for everyone she met. She was a great cook and always prepared lunches and snacks for the group. Along with her caring personality, she was also extremely smart. Mika was a little jealous that she had both beauty and brains. Mika herself struggled to focus when it came to studying, but she was happy to call Aiko her friend. She always had somebody to come to when she had questions about an upcoming exam.

Lastly, there was Daichi. He was a plump, short kid with black curly hair who could be pretty sensitive about most things. He was shy and didn't talk too much with the others, but as far as Mika knew, he and Mochi had a rough past with each other before entering the cram school. Maybe Daichi was off-put by having to be around someone so straightforward? In any case, Daichi was really good at thinking situations out, despite his constant worrying. Who knows, maybe his worrying had prepared him for always finding an out for situations.

Mika herself had been cooped up for so long, she was always ready for new experiences. With her gung-ho attitude, she didn't always think ahead before jumping into things. Some would say she was reckless, but to her, she just liked to be labeled as adventurous. She was average in every way physical, from height to smarts. She was proud of being strong with her fists, but teachers always warned her that her way of handling things wouldn't always work. She knew she would have to choose a meister one of these days, but Knights and Dragoons didn't appeal to her, and she wasn't great with scripture or medicine so Aria and Doctor didn't quite make the cut either. During a taming class, her summoning circle burned in flames which brought shock to the other classmates. Tamer was most likely off the table for her too.

Mika looked forward to gaze at her teachers ahead of them. There was Yukio Okumura who had become an Exorcist at such a young age. He was really great with arms and medicine and had meisters in both Dragoon and Doctor. He was serious all the time which really countered their other teacher Shura Kirigakure. She was flippant most of the time, and Mika wasn't exactly sure what her meisters were quite yet. When she had asked Shura, she just stuck a finger in her nose and said she was good at many things. Mika clicked with her really well though, whereas it felt like Yukio thought of her as an annoyance. Shura had told Mika it was because she reminded him of someone from his past, which annoyed her because she was her own person.

"This is it!" Yukio's voice rang out. The group stopped in a big clearing in the middle of the forest. Good timing too because they only had around two hours before the sunset to be able to set up their tents. Mika grunted as she slid her backpack off her shoulders and let it drop to the ground. "You guys have two hours to set up your camps," Yukio looked at his watch and then gazed at the group. "Then the training begins."

"Sir, what exactly will we be doing?" Mochi raised his hand when speaking.

"You will be lighting lanterns. In the forest, there are two lanterns. In these kits we have prepared for you, you will find a fire starter and flares. Your objective is to find a lantern, light it, and bring it back here before daybreak. Should you give up, you light a flare and either Shura or I will come to retrieve you. That results in failure. Keep in mind there are four of you and only two lanterns. Should you fail to bring back a lantern, you are disqualified," Yukio's eyes bounced between the group, taking in the look of their shocked faces. "This forest is alive with low-level demons. You all should be able to handle them, but I must warn you, do not disrespect the guardian of this forest. Now get to it!" He clasped his hands and then proceeded to unpack his tent. The other grumbled and followed suit.

Mika's eye twitched in annoyance as she turned to set up her things. 'Let's get this over with'.