Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it took so long, but there was a problem it inspiration and, more importantly, time... But finally we're here, the second chapter! Thank you for all the support, you keep me going. Special thanks to lazypuzz and Rui Redfield for the reviews, your comments mean the world to me.
I sttill don't own anything and I'm still an English learner. What a shame. This is unbeta'd, so I apologize for all the mistakes. I really hope you'll like it, please let me know. And now... enjoy!

The corridors were empty and quiet. The bright light illuminated white, modern halls, so strange looking in this fortress. The sound of their hurried footsteps echoed down the building as they ran to another corner. So far, they haven't met anyone, but they preferred to keep it that way.

Of course, as soon as Rin mentally complimented them for staying out of trouble, he saw a lone figure walking slowly out of the corner and towards them. Immediately he stepped back and faced his friends.

'We've got company' he mouthed soundlessly, reaching for his sword. He noticed Koneko's terrified gaze, but the young Aria steeled himself and prepared to battle. Rin couldn't be prouder of his friend. Behind him, Shiemi got her sheet of paper out and placed her thumb above it, ready to summon the Greenman. Her eyes were bright and focused. As Rin heard quiet footsteps approaching them, he held his hand up and stretched three fingers out.

'On three'. He pointed the first finger up, exhaling to steady himself. Second finger and he heard his friends shift slightly to jump out the corner. He narrowed his eyes. 'Here we go', he thought and started to move his third finger.

And then the footsteps stopped.

Rin hesitated, halfway through tensing his muscles to run forward. He felt Shiemi and Koneko look at each other, waiting for him to make a decision. Should he attack? Or maybe there was a chance their opponent hadn't noticed them and would leave? He'd really prefer to avoid a fight...

'Come out! I know you're in there!' a voice called from behind the corner.

Yeah, so much of avoiding a fight. Before he could even move or give a signal, he felt someone run past him towards the stranger. He stepped back, surprised. Who knew Koneko was such an eager fighter? He always seemed more of an intellectual type, but maybe Rin didn't know everything about him... He quickly followed the Aria but as soon as he turned around the corner, he froze, completely shocked. It seemed the stranger was as taken aback as he was, because he stood motionless as well, with Koneko clinging to him tightly and slightly shaking. He was mumbling something into his shirt, so quietly Rin wasn't sure his words were even coherent. Looking at the state his friend was in, they might not have been.

Nobody moved for what felt like eternity but was probably just a second. Then Rin heard a muffled gasp behind him as Shiemi saw their opponent and Koneko as well. That sound seemed to break the spell and the time started running again.

'Hey, easy...' Shima smiled, hugging the young Aria back. 'It's good to see you too, buddy.'

Shiemi's eyes filled with tears of joy and she rushed to join her friends, but Rin stretched an arm and grabbed her. He didn't even glance at her when she looked at him, confused, his eyes never leaving Shima's face.

'How can we know you're on our side?' he asked in a low voice. Renzo's head snapped up at his words and even Koneko looked at him with his brow furrowed.

'Wow, I'd never taken you for a suspicious guy!' he smiled widely. But when Rin didn't even blink, he sighed and looked him in the eye with a serious face. 'Look, I really mean you no harm. I know being a double agent makes everyone doubt me, but I hoped at least my friends would still have trust in me.'

'We do!' exclaimed Shiemi and wanted to move past Rin, but once again he stepped in her way.

'We want to' he corrected, his eyes still hard. His tone made Shiemi stop struggling and even Koneko stiffened, although he didn't let go of Shima. But soon the steel in his gaze was replaced by hope. 'Please give us the reason to trust you again.'

Shima simply nodded, as serious as never before.

'I'll explain everything, just not here. And I won't fail you. I promise.' Then he seemed to realize something and tilted his head. 'How are you even here?'

It was Koneko's time to answer.

'Your fortress isn't as hard to find as you would imagine', he grinned, finally letting go of his friend's shirt. 'A couple of hours of intense searching...'

'More like a couple of weeks', Rin interrupted.

'Yeah, whatever.' Koneko shrugged and continued. 'Still, we managed to find it, me and Bon, though it took a while and everyone was exhausted and resigned and angry by the time we did it and we all decided to come here and save you and Yukio, because we were sure you're not the bad guys and you just need our help to get out of here, right?'

'Wow, that was a really complicated sentence', Shima said, 'but it's mostly right.'

Rin definitely didn't like the "mostly" part. He was about to ask him to explain, but Shima was already looking at him with something strange and oddly serious in his eyes. 'I'll tell you everything, but we can't do it here, in the middle of the corridor. Follow me', he commended, but then stopped abruptly.

'What about the rest, are they here too?'

This time it was Shiemi who answered.

'Yes! Suguro and Kamiki are in the other part of the fortress, looking for you and Yuki. Shura couldn't come...', she added, sounding a little less optimistic, surely concerned for their friend, doing who knows what for the Vatican in the chaotic world. But soon she was smiling again. 'I can send Nee to tell them we found you.'

'Good idea', Renzo smiled to a blonde. 'But more importantly, let them know where we'll all meet to discuss what to do next.'

'Sure thing!' Shiemi summoned her Greenman and repeated the location Shima told her. Then they all left to sneak through the halls and corridors to the meeting point, anxious about what they'll hear from their friend whom they really hoped they could trust.

The room they gathered in was small and dim. Then they waited for a few whiles for Suguro and Kamiki to arrive – they had to come from the further part of the building, moving carefully not to be seen. When they finally arrived, Rin was almost jumping in his place, eager to hear the whole story and finally find out where his brother was.

As could have been foreseen, Kamiki didn't react like Shiemi, who ran to hug Shima. Instead, she simply nodded her head and muttered something about being glad to see him again, though it was clear she was relieved they meet in good terms. She was standing near the door with her arms crossed but relaxed, watching calmly as Bon took two long strides towards his friend and ignoring his: 'Bon, I've missed you, man!', punched him straight in the jaw. Then he hugged the not-so-surprised boy briefly.

'What the hell happened?', he asked, releasing his friends and holding him within the arm's length. 'Start from the beginning.'

'Short version!', Rin exclaimed before Renzo could open his mouth. 'We need to know what happened to Yukio, we have to get him back.

Shima saddened a little bit.

'It's complicated... You probably noticed he was behaving a little... odd before this whole breakdown and Satan thing. He wasn't really himself on this bridge, you know?' He looked at Rin who didn't even make a move. He knew that better than anyone. 'Still, when he decided to join the Illuminati, I went with him to keep an eye on him. I'm not sure for which side, at some point of time I figured out being a double agent is quite complicated with all these questions about loyalty and being the right side and everything... So, I decided I'm working just for myself. Well, I had to stay here, I couldn't leave Yukio', he shrugged. 'Not just that he's my friend, you probably wouldn't let me come back without him.' Everyone except for Rin moved like they wanted to disagree, but then changed their mind – even Shiemi looked uncertain. 'Yeah, just what I thought. But it's okay, it probably would have worked just the same the other way around', he smiled.

'Probably. So, what happened next?' This time it was Kamiki who hurried him.

'Well, he was asked if he agrees to be experimented on. He refused at first, but then changed his mind.' Shima shivered slightly, but Rin did notice that and it made him shiver as well. "What the hell did you get yourself into, Yukio?", he thought. 'I... don't really know what they did to him. I didn't want to know. I assume they wanted to get Satan to gain full control of the body. It turned out Yukio's strange behaviour before was because of his and Satan's consciousnesses trying to get stronger than the other. Soon after they started the experiments his human part changed his mind', Shima's face cringed. 'It got separate and conscious enough to disagree with the procedures. He...' he stumbled on the words, his gaze dropping down and then turning to Rin. 'He wanted to go back. To you. But his other half and the Illuminati wouldn't let him. Soon he went on fully schizophrenic. And then... then he stopped being coherent at all. He became dangerous, to himself and others.' Shima was gripping his hand so firmly his knuckles turned white. Rin felt himself biting his lip, trying to hold his emotions back. Everyone in the room held their breaths. Shima's voice wavered, as he continued quietly. 'They decided to put him in the coma. He hasn't woken since then. It's been weeks now.'

Silence filled the room for a while. No one knew what to say. How do you react to information like that? The silence was deafening, the air too thick to breathe. Every passing moment made it harder to make a sound. And then someone's voice cut through the air.

'Take us to him.' It was Shiemi, her voice calm and firm. She was standing with her gaze steady and her posture sure.

'But... I don't think it's a good idea. Who knows which part of him will be dominating when he wakes up. And he might be dangerous, he most certainly will. Also, there are guards everywhere, I don't know if I can get you there. And...'

'No.' Shiemi's voice stopped him in the middle of the sentence. Even though her words were quiet, there was a strange strength to them. 'We won't leave him. He wouldn't leave us either. And now we know he was fighting to get back to us, it's just one more reason not to leave him here.'

At that moment Rin could just watch her with pure amazement and adoration. She looked so certain and fierce everyone else hung their heads down for a brief moment, obviously ashamed for their doubts, and then one by one the stood up by her, their eyes as steady and as full of determination. Rin stood as well, looking straight at her and simply nodding. There was nothing left to say, and he didn't have to say anything – she already knew. She smiled at him, turning to catch everyone's gaze, and when they all looked at him, he knew they will all finish the mission. They were getting his brother back.

Finally, Shima raised slowly and joined him. He lifted his head and straightened his back. Then his face was lit by his famous smirk, though his eyes stayed focused and determined.

'Alright, let's do it. I'll take you to him.'

TBC... (duh)