A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy! Also sorry it is so short! I hope to have the next one done by tomorrow to start the New Year off with a bang :)

When Rin woke again, he wasn't surprised to see the entire team standing around his room, most of them not paying attention. Seeing them in his room in front of him though, made him realize he wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't with Alistair. Everything he's been through seemed to hit him and he felt his chest tighten. A light sob escaped him, alerting everyone to his presence.

Rikyu was at Rin's side, jumping forward to comfort him. "Breathe, Rin."

Rin brought his hands up and started rubbing at his eyes. "I just… it still doesn't feel real to see all of you." He says. Everyone, even Koneko couldn't help but feel a pain tug at their chest.

Yukio appeared at the other side of the bed and sat down, ready to comfort him. "I'm sorry we weren't fast enough." He says.

Rin shook his head, slowly sitting up, but gasped sharply at the pain in his abdomen and lower back. Yukio went to fuss but Rin shook his head. "I'm okay." He says.

Rin looked over at Suguro who was the only one sitting away from the team. He understood why but now Rin felt like Suguro was acting like him. Rin stopped his sobbing and put on a small smile. "I want to say thanks for getting me out. All of you." He turned to Suguro. "Thanks to you for the escape plan, Suguro."

Suguro looked up, seeing that everyone was looking at him. He knew what Rin was doing and smiled, getting up from the bench to join the circle. "You're welcome." He says.

Rin chuckled at how stiff it sounded, causing the others to laugh as well. Hearing this unison laughter, made Rikyu relax happily. Rin looked happy for the first time since he's met him and thinking back at what they went through in just a week and a half, Rin deserved this.

*2 Days Later*

Rin sat at the edge of the hospital bed as the doctor unwrapped his eye bandage. Everyone was gathered around to see what it looked like. Once the gauze was off, Rin opened both eyes, but felt like he could only see half the world.

The scar was stabbed over, still not healed which was odd for them to see. Rins eye was still bloodshot and milky, giving him a more demonic look than before.

"It's healing nicely. It will be tender for a few days and the obvious sight change will need some time to adjust." She says.

Rin nods stiffly. "Am I able to go home?" He asks.

She nods. "You are. Your brother has brought your wheelchair in. I just need him to fill out some paperwork and you guys can be on your way." She says.

Yukio thanked her as she left the room, grabbing for Rin's wheelchair, he parked it close to the bed, helping Rin into the wheelchair. He hooked the Catheter bag into the back of the seat, covering it with the flap. Rin slapped his legs, feeling that same tingling sensation as when he first arrived to see Alistair. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

"I'm going to fill out the paperwork. All of you can head back to the hotel." He says.

Rikyu appeared behind Rin, grabbing the handles. Rin looked behind him. "Are you coming back with us?" He asked.

Rikyu nodded. "Of course man. Someone has to take care of you when your brother isn't around." He flicked Rins nose, who protested loudly. They both chuckled making their way out of the hospital room. Everyone else followed behind, the days of exhaustion finally catching up with them. Making it to the car, Rin felt the familiar presence of Alistair, causing him to freeze up. Despite the fact it was very weak which meant he wasn't near, it still gave his heart a scare.

Rikyu helped him into the Van that Shura drove, and put his wheelchair in the back. Rin glanced over at Suguro who was already leaning his head against the window, closing his eyes. Rin wanted to do the same thing, but the presence he felt kept him on high alert, his eyes darting around the afternoon streets. Rikyu sat next to him, startling Rin.

"I felt it too, but he's not near." Rikyu whispered. "Relax, Rin. He won't be able to get to you."

Rin relaxed slightly, those words were a nice comfort to his ears. All he wanted was to go back to True Cross and forget about this trip, but he knew they needed to get Alistair which meant no matter how much Rin hated it, he was meant to face Alistair again. Whether or not he was ready was an entirely different topic. He just hopes nothing worse happens to him.

Back at the hotel, everyone split to their respective rooms and had fallen asleep. Rikyu decided to stay with Rin in his hotel room which made Rin feel at ease. Rikyu was given some clothes to change into so he could get out of the black Kimono. The clothes consisted of a Black long sleeved shirt and some black pants. They fit surprisingly well considering they were an emergency pair from Etsuya.

"This team you have isn't half bad, ya know." Rikyu said, turning to face Rin, who was clutching his sword close in the bed.

"You wouldn't say that a month ago. This trip has changed them a lot." Rin says, pulling the red bag off of his sword.

Rikyu walked over and sat on the corner of the bed, pointing at the sword. "Is this that sword you were talking about?"

"Yeah." He laid it out on his lap. "I won't unsheath it now. I still can't control the flames but if I had this when Alistair caught me I could've done some real damage. I don't know why I didn't think to use my flames when he tried to capture me… probably because I was feeling helpless and in my mind… I guess it made the connection that I can only use them if I was stronger. My demon and human sides fight a lot like that." He explained, gripping the sword in his hand.

Rikyu gulped, placing a hand on Rin's. "You're not helpless. We got out of there and you only gave up once. You got the text out, and you were stronger than you think. Just because you don't have use of your legs doesn't mean you can't be badass."

Rin smiled softly, grabbing the red bag and shoving it back onto the Koma sword, leaning it against the dresser. "I'm going to get some sleep. We still have Alistair to deal with." Rin says, sinking deeper into the bed.

Rikyu stood up and reached for the lamp, but Rin caught his sleeve stopping him. Rikyu looked down at him, spotting the scared look in Rin's eyes. He knew why. Being engulfed in darkness again would bring memories of Alistair.

Rikyu brought his hand down, rubbing Rin's hair. "I will be right here when you wake up. So will your brother. Get some sleep." He whispers, walking over to take a seat on the arm chair in the corner, grabbing a book and starting to read.

Within minutes, the room was filled with soft snores from both Rikyu and Rin. The night was peaceful.