After the encounter with Alistair, the cram students went with the other exorcists to investigate the underpass in the daytime, all but Rin, who was stuck under the covers in bed. He had been there all night, unable to sleep or do anything. He was much too upset with himself to crawl out of bed and go with them. Yukio understood why, so he didn't push Rin, but he did worry about him.
They entered the underpass to see it looked different during the day. The fence was covered in some kind of blue tarp, preventing the locals from looking in. Shura spotted the cracked flashlight on the ground and immediately walked over to it, gripping it in her hand. She looked up to see where the demons were. Shocked that there was no blood, the kyoto trio walked up to it and examined the spot.
"This is where that bastard was, right?" Suguro asked.
"It is." Yukio answered.
"Well then… where's the blood we saw last night?" Koneko asked, scratching at his arm uncomfortably.
"Isn't it obvious? They covered their tracks. We aren't dealing with some low tier demon. This is one of the big boys. They know how to do their jobs." Shura explained, putting her hands on her hips, looking around the underpass hoping to find things she missed, but it was literally picked cleaned. Shura sighed. "Well this was a waste of time. Everyone make your way back to the hotel. We will talk about our next course of action to exorcist this bastard." Shura explained, making her way out of the alley way, but Suguro couldn't shake a bad feeling he had, but kept quiet as he walked with the rest of the cram students back to the hotel.
After about nearly a full day of being bedridden, Rin groaned, knowing he needed to face the world. Throwing off the blanket, he grabbed fistfuls of his sweats and helped himself to swing his legs to the side of the bed. Once he was sitting, he moved the Catheter tube away from the arm rest, before slowly and gently, lifting himself from the bed to the chair, only hurting his back when it slammed back roughly. He groaned, looking over at the door before blowing an exhausted breath. He wheeled over to door before opening it, looking down the hall to see the Kyoto group sluggishly walking towards him, most likely going to their rooms.
Rin felt panic rise in his stomach as he tried to wheel back to the room, but realized the door behind him had closed. Rin cursed under his breath as he looked down the hall to lock eyes with Suguro who looked a little shocked at Rin's appearance. His hair was a complete mess, greasy and sticking up, the bags under his eyes were dark against his pale skin. The kyoto group stopped their advances, as Rin stared like a deer in the headlights.
Rin cleared his throat, before tearing his eyes down to his legs, before turning his wheelchair around and wheeling away from them as fast as he could. He heard his name being said but Rin really wasn't in the mood to talk. Suguro on the other hand wasn't having it.
"Rin, stop rolling away, we need to talk to you." Suguro snapped.
Rin didn't stop. He doesn't know why he felt so scared of turning to them, but he had a feeling it was because of what happened last night. He was caught in a moment of weakness and he didn't want to look at any of the cram students after what happened.
Rin felt something tug at his wheelchair, causing a strangled gasp to escape him as he turned his head around to see who had stopped him. Suguro. Of course, though when Rin had turned to meet eyes with them, Suguro looked concerned. His eyes showed real fear in them and that made them flinch.
"What is it?" Rin demanded, flipping from his current state to one of pure anger. He looked ready to hit Suguro, not realizing how angry he looked.
Suguro lifted his hands up as if to show he wasn't a threat. "Calm down man, I just came to tell you that Yukio wanted us to to explain what we discovered."
Rin's anger slowly vanished as his tense shoulders slumped, realizing he wasn't in any danger. "S-sorry." He mumbled. "What was found?" He asked.
Suguro dropped his hands, shooting a skeptical look at him before continuing. "We went down there, but it was completely cleaned. That bastard Alistair mopped up any evidence from last night. So that sucked, but Shura told us something a little unsettling." Surguro explained, sending a look of caution at his next words.
"What's that?"
"She said that when Alistair finds someone that intrigues him, he won't stop looking for that person until he obtains it. Call it a possessive side of what makes Alistair so dangerous." Koneko said, though he looked away as fast as he said it.
Rin was shocked that Koneko was the one to say something, but it faded just as fast when he realized what the words he had spoken meant. His mind flashed back to the words Alistair had said to him. I think I found my next prey. Rin shivered at the mellow voice reverberating in his skull.
"Exorcist Etsuya and Masami suggested using you as bait to get him out of hiding, Shura and Yukio weren't too keen on the idea." Shima explained.
Rin gulped, turning his chair around to face them. "Alistair is a human trafficker and a high level demon. Did they forget that?" Rin asked. "He won't fall for a trick that predictable."
Suguro chuckled. "Exactly what I told them." He said.
Rin smiled, the first time in a while he felt like he belonged again, and that sliver of hope he held onto grew a little bit stronger. "Not to mention I am… well what I am and if he is a demon he will most likely try to get me to Gehenna. I don't really want a gate opening up anytime soon." Rin explained.
He looked up to see Koneko looked severely uncomfortable and knew mentioning his lineage was a big mistake considering how they took hearing it again to look like they just saw a murder happen right in front of them. Rin bit at the inside of his cheek as he thought about something else to say in this uncomfortable silence.
"We should… get everyone together and talk about it." He turned his wheelchair back around before wheeling back towards the elevator. "I'll be waiting downstairs." Rin explained, before disappearing into the elevator.
They all gathered around Rin who had been waiting for a good 20 minutes for them to all show up. Rin cleared his throat, looking over at Yukio who looked concerned of Rin's well being. Rin ignored it.
"I wanted to talk to everyone to ask how exactly we are going to get this guy and exorcise him." Rin said.
Etsuya cleared his throat. "If I may suggest a course of action that could potentially be the easiest one." Hearing no objection, he stood up, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "If you are a willing participant, we could use you as bait. You have the desirable presence and scent that will draw him out. If what Shura said about you sensing other high level demons, you could send a warning when he is near and we can ambush him." Etsuya finished.
Rin took in the plan, actually hearing it in action, made it sound like such an easy plan that nothing felt wrong about it other than it was predictable. Of course Yukio had a say of why it wasn't a perfectly easy plan.
Yukio stood up. "That is not a plan, Etsuya, it's a mistake. Alistair is one of the biggest demons next to the Kings. He will see through this and either not show up or take Rin out of the equation. He could open a gate to Gehenna and not only will we be fighting him, we would be fighting other demons that pop out of it. It's too great a risk. The best thing we can do is hunt him down and do a surprise attack." Yukio finished.
The room was silent for a moment until Masami stood up. "A surprise attack will be the most obvious one. Bait is as well, but at least with that we will be ready. Plus, shouldn't it be up to the Son of Satan?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Rin. Rin gulped looking around at them, his eyes locking with Izumo's who nodded at the plan. He thought back at the conversation with Yukio in the hospital and then the one with Shura. The only thing he's been wanting to do is contribute to the team. This was his chance.
"I will do it. If it means I can help, I will do it." Rin said with confidence. Etsuya and Masami smiled proudly.
"But Rin-"
"Yukio please, let me do this one thing." Rin begged, sending a pleading gaze to him.
Yukio hesitated a minute, but nodded. "Okay fine." He turned his attention to Etsuya and Masami. "What plan do you propose?" He asked.
Etsuya and Masami pulled out a small notebook and pen, writing something down. Once they were done, they cleared their throats. Etsuya spoke. "We go near the underpass, but not in it, that would be too obvious. Rin will wheel down the street alone, looking lost or shaken or whatever victim he wishes to play. We will be waiting at the mart down the street, close enough to be of help, but far enough to not be suspicious. Once Rin enters a semi-dark part of the street, Alistair will be there since he runs with the shadows. Masami and I will be the ones to trap him with a seal, you and your team must find his fatal verse, but even that may not do the trick. The only way to really exorcise someone this far gone is to kill him. Thats where Rin will be most vital." He paused watching all of the ex-wires faces slowly turn to shock. "You are the most powerful one here. You may not be at your best, but you certainly still hold power. You will need to deliver the final blow. His human he is possessing has been dead for centuries. It was the perfect vessel that could hold his power. If we can do this right, you will all most likely upgrade your rank." He explained.
Everyone seemed to be pleased with the plan, all but Rin. It didn't sit well with him. He didn't mind being told he could finally do something that would contribute, but it was the fact that he had to kill another person. It didn't matter that the man had been dead or not, it was still someone's body once and it made him feel uneasy at how fast everyone accepted the plan. He didn't bother to talk anymore, instead he just sat there with an unreadable look on his face.
"Is the plan clear?" Everyone but Rin, Yukio and Shura nodded. It went unnoticed. "Good, we will begin at 9 tonight." Masami explained before breaking the group meeting up. Rin gulped not really ready, but knew he needed to be. Quietly he made his way back to the room with Yukio. Both of them unsatisfied with the plan.