Happy new half of the month into the new year to everyone! ^^ Here's to hoping that 2018 means for brighter days to come and for more wonderful writers to join the fanfic community! We're all full of wonderful idea that are just ready to burst out! Even if you're shy about sharing your content, thats fine! No one is rushing you. Juts have fun and take your time. Alright, now with that out of the way, lets get this chapter rolling!

Disclaimer: Never owned Blue Excorsit. Never have, never will.

Chapter Thirteen: Stronger than Death

The Lengths One Shall Go to For Love

How was she supposed to not be nervous about this? Shuichiro could say that so easily. He wasn't suddenly summoned to meet a relative he had no idea was alive. One that looked just as grim as her. Why did he look that way, though? He was the one who summoned her, told her to dress nicely, and who greeted himself as her grandfather. Why did he speak just to string up this long awkward silence? And why did he summon her, now after all these years. Yukiko had no memory of having any other family member other than her father and twin. This whole meeting was just making her more and more anxious.

She stared at her hands as they were served tea, the sunset pouring into the windows of the moving train. The rocking motion nearly calmed her, as well as the rich smell of the tea. She started to fidget, and moved her hand to tuck her bangs behind her ear. That was when, from the corner of her eye, she saw it.

"They say that boys take more after their mother," Said Ernst as he watched Yukiko stare at the picture nearby. "Looking at you. . . I'm so relived to see that, that isn't always true." He folded his hands in front of himself, the girl before him resembling the girl in the photograph more and more by the second. "You have such a strong resemblance to Yuri, it almost feels like she is sitting right before me."

"Yuri?" Yukiko felt hope swell in her chest. Her grandfather finally spoke, finally talked to her. And she had a sudden feeling she knew who he was talking about. "Is she. . . My mother?"

Ernst tilted his head. "Didn't Fujimoto tell you about her?"

Yukiko shook her head, her hope crumbling into bitterness at the mention of her late guardian. "No, he did not."

"I see," Ernst turned his gaze to the open windows. The train was crossing over a wide, open lake. The scenery almost fit this calm, melancholy moment. "That is the only photograph I have of Yuri," He informed the young exorcist. "I know that before he died, Fujimoto appointed Sir Pheles as your guardian. Once I heard that he was recently arrested, I decided to take action as quickly as I could. Hence, why I asked you here." He sat up slightly, watching as blue eyes flickered back to him in curiosity. "I'd like to take you in," He said with kind eyes. "I am your grandfather, after all."

Yukiko stared back at him, almost un-moving save for her hands as they shook on her lap. She visibly took a breath and spoke in a soft voice. "When I was little, in kindergarten, our teacher wanted us to draw a picture of our mother for mother's day. Rin drew what she thought she looked like."

She remembered that big, dopey grin her older sister had on her face as she proudly showed the picture. The woman, though crudely drawn, was smiling with long dark hair and blue eyes like their own. She wore glasses and held a tray of cookies in one hand and a bandage in the other. "I think she'd always be ready to give us cookies and kiss our injuries whenever we'd get hurt."

"You mean whenever you wuld get hurt." Corrected her younger sister as they sat under a tree during play time.

"Yu would still need them kissed, nii-chi." Rin grumbled under her breath, not sure why her younger sister was trying to dismiss her idea of what she thought their mother would be like. She quickly shook it off and continued to explain. "Look, there's more about her that I want to tell you! She'd pick us up from school, we'd get ice cream, and then we'd go home to play with our daddy and the old man!"Rin was grinning ear to ear, sitting next to Yukiko as the latter tried to think of what she wanted to draw. "Don't you think so, Yuki? Mama would look like this, right? What about you? Did you draw her yet?"

That picture still stuck to the fridge of their childhood home to this very day. Rin was always the optimist one when it came to their mother. She would act like she knew what she was talking about, claiming that she had seen their mother in dreams and knew exactly what she looked like. She would promise Yukiko that she would have the dreams, too, some day, and see how beautiful and kind their mother was before she went to Heaven. But Yukiko was older and wiser now. She had grown past the point of ever seeing her mother in her dreams. And she could say with certainty that the scribble on the fridge was nothing compared to the small yet beautiful woman in the photograph.

"But. . . I couldn't." She said bitterly. "I coudn't, no matter how hard I tried. I could never picture what she looked like, and what she was like. And I still feel the same way now." She adimitted, almost feeling guilty for telling him this. This was her own way of turning him down. She was sure he would be angry at this. However, when she looked up, she was met with eyes filled with sincerity.

"For fifteen-years, you've lived a life of pain and loneliness," He said, gently reaching over to rest his gloved fingertips on top of Yukiko's. She was surprised at the warmth she felt. Just as warm as Fujimoto's hands were. "I am so sorry for having put you through that, my dear. If I could have changed it all those years ago, the three of us would be living happily together, and I would have had the chance to see you grow into the lovely young lady I see before me. But," He sighed, pulling his hand away to fold them with the other once more. "I had no other choice. You see, I was imprisoned all this time."

"Wait, what?" Yukiko's eyes widened in surprise.

The old man nodded solemnly. "Fifteen-years ago, I survived the Blue Night. But in that incident, I had lost everything." His hands began to shake. "My standing, my honor, this face of mine. . ." His voice began to shake as much as his hands. "Not to mention, my beloved daughter, Yuri."

"She died," The young girl's heart clenched. "Satan killed my mother? Why?" She asked with a soft gasp as her throat began to squeeze itself. "So many innocent lives. . . So much blood that needn't be spilt. But my mother as well? That monster. . ."

"No, my dear. She did not die by Satan's hand," Ernst reached once more, squeezing the top of the brunette's hand. "It was by my wretched jailers," He hissed gently. "The Vatican." He paused, letting Yukiko soak up every bit of information slowly. She needed to know, but he didn't want her to seethe too deep into her rage and lose her entirely. "On that cursed night, when Satan destroyed all the exorcists, the Vatican found out that Yuri was pregnant with the spawn of Satan," He rubbed her knuckles gently with his thumb, trying to keep her emotions calm as she began to tear up."

"You mean my sister, and me. . ."

"Yes, my dear," He confessed. "The Grigori executed Yuri as a witch."

"No!" Yuri pulled her hand away and sat up in disbelief. "The Witch Hunts have been over for centuries! Why would they condemn my mother to death like that-?!"

"Please, let me finish, Yukiko," Ernst urged her to sit down and take a few breaths, waiting before he spoke again. "The Knights of the True Cross were trying to restore their authority. They used Yuri as their, 'scapegoat,'" He spat out the word, as if it was made of acid.

"Impossible. . ." Yuri sumpped against her chair, blinking away her tears. The Vatican couldn't have possibly gotten away with that. They would have never been able to gain any proof like that. And covering up such an accident like the Blue Night like that would have backfired on them somehow. So why would they still go through with it? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't fair. Her mother was innocent in this, she was sure of it.

"The Order operates the same way they did six-hundred years ago," Ernst waved at one of his men, his and Yukiko's tea cups refilled and the swaying room left to them once more. "For being the, 'Father of a witch,' I was thrown into prison and left to rot," He shook his head. "I almost lost the will to live, but I had one last hope to hang onto," He reached into his pocket an held out a small, silvery locket. "This," He opened it, his old and withered hand cradling the picture of two, smiling twin girls who looked no older than five. "A photograph given to me by Fujimoto. When I saw I . . . I was speechless. From the very day I was imprisoned, I was sure that I lost everyone important to me that night. But when I saw this, hope filled my heart once more. You were both so beautiful, resembling your mother so much, I started to weep. Even now, I'm trying so hard to suppress these tears that sting my eyes. My adorable granddaughters, alive and well," He sighed shakily. "I longed for the day I could hold you both in my arms. The children Yuri risked her life for."

Yukiko was speechless. She had no idea what to say.

"If the Vatican knew the truth of your existence, they surely would have hunted you down," He shook his head again. "I can not bear to imagine what they would have done to such innocent, defenseless children. It would have broken my heart to suffer another loss once more.'

"That was why you couldn't seek us out. . ." Yukiko gulped.

"Exactly," Ernst smiled though. "But we don't have to fear anything from the Grigori anymore. You will be with me from now on."

"Wait," Yukiko interrupted. "What about my sister? Everything you told me just know is just as important to her. She should be here, too-" She stopped as the old man raised his hand a little.

"Unfortunately, now that the demon within her has awakened, I cannot take her with us."

"Then where are you taking me, exactly?" The train passed through a series of small tunnels, light dancing across the exorcist's and her grandfather's faces as they sat in silence. Yukiko somehow knew it was going to come down to this. Happy endings were never handed as easily as this, even for her case. She waited for the sun to show itself again, but she was instead greeted by an eerie green light, highly advanced weapons decorating the entire cave they entered. Yukiko stood in alarm, rushing over to the window to get a closer look. "W-Where are we?"

"The Dragoon Laboratory. Our Anti-Demons weapons unit," Responded Ernst calmly as they passed through the lab. "Now that the Knights of True Cross have become Mephistos' puppets, they can't protect Assiah." Yukiko pressed her hands against the glass, taken aback by how many weapons she could see. Even if she didn't know what they could do, she could only tell that a demon would be fearing for it's life at the end of one of these. "I want you to come with me, Yukiko," She turned, and Ernst stood a mere foot away from her, his hand outstretched and his smile kind and trusting. "Together, we can create a new era. One that will bring peace and freedom to all mankind."

"So . . . Does this count as our first date?"

Bon held back a laugh, looking at Rin with a raised brow. "You stupid or something?"

"Hey," Rin threw him a crossed look, punching him in the arm. "You can't call me stupid anymore, idiot."

"And you get to call me idiot? That ain't fuckin' fair, Okumura!" They were in each others' faces, glaring at each other and refusing to back down until the other did. But instead of throwing a nasty remark or tossing herself into a fight, Rin leaned up and pecked her classmate on the nose. That earned her a step back and a blush, a reaction she was proud of as she giggled. "You're lucky you're cute." It was Rin's turn to blush, and now she was finding it hard to look at Bon. This was weird. A good, new weird. But weird nonetheless. Who knew that so much could change after a week? Rin had changed. Bon had certainly changed. Again, this was weird.

'I mean, we still kind of insult each other, but that was our thing,' Rin told herself as she watched her boyfriend straighten himself out. Boyfriend. Rin blushed again. The word always hit her harder than she thought it would. She never thought she'd get herself a boyfriend, or at least something close to that. The two of them did confess to each other and agreed they would go on a date once they had free time, so could she call him a boyfriend? Or was it something else for that? And was her heart pounding faster than it should have, again? She placed her hand over chest as she thought that, staring at it in hopes to calm it down.

"Rin," She looked up as Bon called her, using his shoulder to point at the open door, where Tsubaki was waiting. "Time to go."

"Right. . ." Together, the two of them headed inside the church and were welcomed with wariness. If it were Bon's way, he would have waited for permission to go further inside the building. After all, this was the first time he was allowed in here and it had already taken enough persuading for the elites to let him in. But he was with Rin, and Satan's daughter was known for not waiting. "I'm not waiting," She told Bon as they ran away from Tsubaki and another elite exorcist. "I need to know just what the Hell we're up against! Whatever that thing was that attacked you and the others last week, Noihaus knows what it was. From day one, that guy's been stirring up shit for me and Yukiko. This is the last fucking straw, though." With the speed she possessed from the first match they had, Rin ran further and further ahead of Bon. "I need to know what the Hell is going on!" With that, she all but kicked through open the door to the large interrogation vault.

"She's not a demon," She heard the one-eyed man mutter. "She's my wife."

"So then you lied?" Everyone looked over to the door as Rin cross the room, narrowing her eyes. "You told me your entire family was killed on the Blue Night, remember? So how can a dead person be walking around?!" She picked up her pace and made it all the way to her former teacher, slamming her fist into the iron table. It shook and trembled from the force, and Rin would have split the table in two if she wasn't holding back, saving her strength for the man that glared back at her. "Why did she attack my friends?! Answer me!"

"Rin, back off," From behind, Shuichiro hooked his arms under Rin's armpits an yanked her back, handing her Bon the second he ran into the room "Make sure she doesn't tear our witness into shreds, will ya? Honestly," He sighed, sliding his palm down his face and stretching his skin. "I'll deal with you two in a bit. Just let me work now, alright?" He turned back to Noihaus and crossed his arms. "We're not getting anywhere with this game of cat and mouse, so I'll just cut to the chase; she's an anti-soul, isn't she?"

"Anti-soul?" Rin looked at Bon for help but he could only shrug. He didn't have all the answers.

"It's a technique used to revive a dead human," Tsubaki explained as he walked into the room, finally catching up with the students. "Remember? I believe I taught you that in class."

"That does sound pretty familiar." Said Bon.

"T-Totally!" Rin nodded along, but everyone could see she was lying as she laughed nervously. "I remember that!"

"Right," Rolling his eyes, Shuichiro looked back to their suspect. "Look, we already know you ran a lab in Poland that was invoked with the research of artificial life," He said as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "So drop the act, alright?" He asked, earning surprised looks from the True Cross students. "You used prohibited technology to resurrect your dead wife. Stop wasting everyone's time and just admit it."

"It wasn't me, damnit!" No one was expecting that. Not even the elite exorcists. Everyone stared at the mysterious man as he looked down at the bent table in disgust. "I admit, I kept my wife's body cryogenically preserved, but I would never return her soul to it," He closed his eye as he remember her. He would give anything to see his wife again, but nothing like this. Not whatever she had just become. "That's a line that I would never cross." His eye opened with scorching truth. "If I did, I'd be turned away from the gates of Heaven."

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Asked Shuichiro.

"I don't know but. . ." Noihaus ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, looking exhausted as he recalled. "That night at the lab, I came back to check on her as I always did, but this time her cryo-tube was open. I searched the entire lab until I found her. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She stood there in the greenhouse I dedicated to her, looking as if the Blue Night had never happened. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to feel the joy I always felt when I saw her. But . . ." His hands turned into fists as he shook his head. "I knew it wasn't her, I knew that she was possessed by a demon. I knew what had to be done but I couldn't. . . I couldn't bring myself to kill her. I couldn't let her suffer the pain of dying again. I never wanted to repeat the night I lost her," Rin looked away as he spoke. She knew that this wasn't her fault. She could have never been there that night. But the guilt still burned within her like the flames that flowed through her blood. She felt sorry for what the one-eyed man had to go through. "She found out eventually. Members of the Vatican were sent to my lab, thinking that I bought her back as artificial life, and tried to eliminate her. We managed to flee as my lab was burned to the ground and we were safe for a while. Ever since that night though, Michelle acted much more different. As the days passed, she slowly began to remember what had happened to her; burning to death on the Blue Night," The stale air in the room suddenly turned cold and everyone gave a shudder. "She soon became a demon of vengeance, and fled from me. And well. . ." He crossed his arm and leaned back in his seat. "Now we're here."

"Then why didn't you tell us all this before?" Asked Rin. "We could have helped!"

"Even if did, you bastards couldn't save her," Retorted Noihaus. "If you want to know the truth, she doesn't have much time left anyway." He sighed. "Even though she's possessed by a demon, she's still nothing but a corpse. In a few days, she'll rot away. Like everything else." He muttered as he hung his head. He looked more than tired now. He looked helpless.

The spawn of Satan let out a frustarted sound, looking ready to say something. But she didn't. She turned around and marched out of the room without another word.

"Rin!" She didn't make it far, though. Bon and Shuichiro were hot on her tail as they found her walking down the hall of the building's church. Her tail had unwound itself from her jeans and her ears were already starting to turn curved and something like this would have probably made Bon recoil if he ad never have gotten to know Rin. But now that he knew what he felt for her was true, he couldn't help but think that her demon appendages were pretty cute.

"You both already know what I'm gonna do," She said without bothering to hide the limbs. She saw no reason why she had to do so now. "I'm gonna go find his wife."

"Oh yeah?" Asked Shuichiro with a challenging brow. "And then what? What can you do about anything?"

"I don't know but. . ." Rin searched along the floor, spotting her reflection in the small stream that laced through the floors of the church. She thought her tail looked too scrawny and her ears were smaller than they usually were. She bashed herself on her looks before, unaware that most of her physique came from demonic genes. She wasn't short enough or curvy enough to be a girl. She wasn't enough of anything to be a human. And now she knew that for sure. "I can't stay here and do nothing." She told the boys, and her reflection. That mess of a person she saw in the stream needed to hear this. She needed a good wake up call. Now was not the time to care if she was human or demon. "Everyone's sitting on their hands and moaning and bitching. No one's even considering what his wife is going through right now. Probably angry, probably unsure. But I bet she's scared, most of all," She bent down and touched the surface of the stream with her claws, the girl in the stream becoming distorted and more of a mess. "Scared of what's going on and what she is. I know what's that like. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let someone deal with that shit alone."

"Rin." Uttered Bon softly, bending down and wrapping his arm around her. He really couldn't find anything to say. As much as he wanted to say something, this was all he could do. It looked like Rin appreciated it, though, since she leaned into his chest and sighed, her tail swaying slightly.

"Thanks, Bon."

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

The couple looked over to Shuichiro in surprise as he reached into his pocket and pulled a seal out.

"I already have my familiar tracking her, love birds. And here, take this," He handed the strip of paper to Bon as the pair stood up. "You'll need my talisman to help you."

"Alright!" Rin threw her fist in the air in triumph, her tail wagging excitedly. "Shuichiro, you are the man!"

"Shuichiro-sensei," Corrected the duo-colored man with a small smirk before frowning. "Now beat it and get searching. Just remember, as soon as you find her, call. And don't even think about taking her on by yourself." He looked as Rin as he said this, but the young heiress was already dashing out of the building. "Oh my fucking god, Rin."

"I heard you, I promise!" Shouted Rin as she made her escape. "Bon, hurry your slow ass up! I'm not gonna be waiting around for you!"

"Who's gonna be waiting for who?! I'm gonna find her faster than you!" Bon quickly turned and bowed to Shuichiro. "Thank you for your help, sensei." He said before he quickly took off after Rin. "Wait the fuck up!"

Shuichiro chuckled as he watched the two of them dash off. Even in the darkest of times, there was always some sort of light that gave off hope. As he thought this though, the dark started to give him more and more thoughts to mull over. "I wonder, though," He asked himself. "Who would resurrect Noihaus wife?"

"Alright. . . Lets call this. . . A tie. . ."

"We haven't. . . Even found a sign of her yet," Bon slouched again Rin's back as they sat against one another, panting as they tried to catch their breath in front of one of the school's fountains. "Are you even sure. . . We're starting in the right direction?"

"Hell. . . Hell if I know. . ." Rin closed her eyes and took deep breaths, surprised that she had tired herself out that quickly. Had they only been running this whole time? And if that was so, was it because they were doing it for an unofficial challenge she and Bon had just made up on the spot? Rin groaned and closed her eyes tighter. They hadn't even made any actual progress yet. Talk about a waste of time. As if it all couldn't have gotten any worse, she felt a drop of water hit her nose. This was followed by two, then three, before she could feel her clothes getting soaked. "Damnit!" She opened her eyes as the rain began to pour. "Bon come on, we gotta find-"

"Hold on, I got this," Like a magician, the older student suddenly had an umbrella over them, keeping them dry as they sat on the ground. The ground wasn't dry, and Rin could feel water running down her face and neck so it felt a little late for the pair to use an umbrella. Still, that didn't stop Bon from looping an arm around Rin's waist in order to pull her closer to him. She was shaking like a leaf. "You look like shit, Okumura." He told her honestly.

"You're no beauty pageant winner yourself." Shot Rin back while she stuck her tongue out at him. It was childish but Bon still found it cute enough to tuck her head under his neck. Rin shivered harder, but it wasn't from the wind and rain this time. "Shouldn't we get under the nearest building or something?" She asked against his neck, causing the young man to shiver.

"You're not enjoying this?" Asked her boyfriend.

"It's not that, though your whiskers tickle."

"Whiskers?"

The dark-haired girl nuzzled his chin the prickling sensation of Suguro's stubble brushing her forehead. "Tickly whiskers."

"I could shave tomorrow. . ." If Rin didn't like it, he could do it. Something about her comment made him feel a little subconscious.

"It's fine," Rin laughed with a pat on the blushing student's back, their small span of silence followed by the sound of pelting rain. Rin edged herself closer. "And about what I said earlier, I just think its smart." She added. "And don't you dare say, 'Oh really,' in some fake-ass tone."

"I've never been fake with you." They sat in their quiet silence once more. One of the more rarer moments between them, considering they spent most of their time teasing each other and pushing each other's buttons. Neither of them minded, though. It made hanging out with each other more interesting.

"Hey," Rin suddenly said. "Today kind of got me thinking. . . You know I'm. . . I'm a worse case than Noihaus' wife, right?"

"Huh?"

"Bon," He met her deep blue eyes and was surprised to see that they were filled with conflicted emotions. "I'm the spawn of Satan, for fuck's sakes. How does that not bother you?" She turned to him fully, digging her fingers into the wet grass and mud. "I've done dumb shit because I lose control of this power."

"Why are you bringing up all of this now?" Asked Bon in confusion.

"Because of what just happened," Rin shook her head. "When you and the others were attacked by Noihaus' wife. You saw what happened to her when she lost her body, when a demon took over it. She had no control over it. And that demon that had the control did everything in its power to hurt you guys. It's the most fuckin' blatant point I have!" She took in a shivering, frightened breath. "I don't get it. This has been on my mind since that happened. And I hate it because I can't find an answer that makes any sense. Why are you still talking to me after you found out what I was?" She gripped his arm as she turned to him, making sure not to grip him enough to hurt him. "Why, after you saw what I can do? Aren't you scared? Aren't you angry? I've been asking all these questions. But I could never find the answer."

"Why didn't you ask me before?" He asked as he carefully situated the girl between his legs.

"You think that's easy?" Asked Rin.

"It should be, after saying. . . You know," He blushed. "I love you, and all that. That should answer all your questions, shouldn't it? Or, do you not believe me?"

"I do!" Rin nodded, trying to push away the older student's doubt more than her own. "I do," She said softly, easing her grip because she knew it was tightening. "It just. . . Feels like it has to be more than that. So much stuff like the Blue Night-"

"Hey," Bon grabbed her by her cheeks, cupping them with a stern yet gentle expression. "That wasn't your fault, OK?"

Rin shook her head, looking away even as Bon guided her to look at him. "But-"

"But nothing, Rin." His hands slid down to her waist as he pressed his forehead around Rin's. She was still shaking. "It's not your fault. You didn't cause what happened that night. Those weren't your flames. There was nothing you could lose control of. Satan's doings weren't your own. Please," He hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead to calm her down. "Stop blaming yourself for things you didn't do."

Rin held onto his arms, holding onto this piece of reality she knew. That's right. Aside from every crazy thought that ran through her head, every fear that coursed through her veins and made her more afraid of herself than anything, he was her reality. He was real.

"Thanks, Ryuji." She mumbled as she kissed him, her cheeks flaming into a shade of pink as as he squeezed her waist and fought back for more. This definitely felt real.

She let herself be swept off her feet as she made out with her maybe boyfriend in the rain, squirming in his lap as her hands tried to look for more to hold her down. She felt like she was floating as they kissed, and she was worried she'd be carried off into the sky if she couldn't find something to hold onto. She settled for the back of his soaked shirt and pulled him closer, hoping that the way their lips mashed and nipped each other would sooth the flames that burned her more than her inherited ones.

"Mmm-Wait," Rin broke the kiss, looking back at a dazed Ryuji as she heard a magical chime. Right, they were supposed to be doing something before, but what was it? "You hear that too, right?"

"Your phone," Bon explained, and he rested his head in the crook of Rin's neck as she answered his cellphone, biting his somewhat bruised lip. Oh wow. They had actually done that. For his first time making out with a girl, it hadn't gone bad. He thought he would be pretty bad at it. But he actually liked it. A lot. It felt so right and good. He wondered if he and Rin could get back to that after her phone call. But it didn't look to be the case. The Temple Child snapped out of his thoughts as Rin looked down at him with worry. "What happened?"

"We gotta go. Shiemi-san needs us."

"This is the place," Once they made it pass the top step of the small shop, Rin knocked on the door. "Hello? Shiemi-san? It's me, Rin! I bought Bon with me, too!" She said as Bon folded up his umbrella and shook the rain water off it. The rain had let up for a while as they had journied to their classmate's place, but it was slowly starting to pour again. 'Good thing for the plants, I guess.' Thought Rin before she tried the door again. "Shiemi-san? Everything OK in there?"

"Are you sure she said to come over here?" Asked Bon.

"Yeah," Rin sighed, pushing her wet bangs away from her forehead. "Come on, lets try the-" A high pitched squeak cut her off. The exorcist-in-training looked around before she saw something small and green wandering over to her. "Oh!" Rin couched down and fist-bumped the spirit as it greeted her happily. "Yo, short stuff. Is Shiemi-san around?" Nee saluted her with a smile before taking off. "Come on." Rin and Bon followed after the familiar with great curiosity, covering themselves as they made it to the house in the back.

"Pardon the intrusion." Said Bon as he and Rin quickly took off their shoes before entering the house. Nee called out to them from the back, urging the couple to follow it further into the house.

"Oh wow," Rin stopped, surprised to see a set of stairs leading to the bottom of the house. "This wasn't here the last time I came." She looked at the rookie aria for advice but gasped as something flew out of Bon's pocket and slammed itself to the last step on the stairs. "Shuichiro's seal. . . And his familiar?" The dark-haired girl shivered at the sight of the snake, before she looked at Bon once more. They nodded in unison, Rin grabbing her sword by it's hilt and Bon making sure he had his seals and book of prayers and chants ready in his bag. Together the two of them ventured down the steps, Shiemi's voice and someone else's becoming more and more clear. 'Who is that?' Rin asked herself as they made it to the last step, soft green grass crushing under their feet as they made it to what looked like a garden straight out of a fairy tale. Rin was so taken aback from the colorful flowers and sky-reaching trees, she didn't hear Bon speak to her for the first few seconds.

"Rin," He was shaking her shoulder urgently. Rin couldn't understand it. How could he sound so nervous when they were in a place as pretty as this? "Rin, look!" He exclaimed, and she finally listened and looked where he told her to. The serene thoughts that crossed through her mind vanished, and she began to storm her way over to the blonde woman sitting across from Shiemi, Kurikara drawn along with her blue flames. "Rin-!"

"Shiemi-san!" Rin picked up her pace, her eyes blazing. "Get away from her! She's dangerous-!" The half-demon stopped dead in her tracks as the anti-soul pulled Shiemi up to her feet and braced a pair of scissors against her neck.

"Stay back." She warned.

"Let go of her!" Rin stood where she was, her sword ready to slash. "Shiemi-san, I'll save you!"

"So you're with Satan, too," The woman gripped the scared girl's arm tighter as her glare hardened. "I should have known."

"I said let her go!" Shouted Rin. "Shiemi-san has nothing to do with this!"

"Rin, you got to lower your sword." Said Bon as he stood right next to Rin.

"She's got Shiemi-san!' Exclaimed Rin. "We gotta do something!"

"We can't with Moriyama-san in danger like this," Said the delinquent-esque student in a calm voice. "We have a better chance at saving her if we calm her down first. You got to remember that she's like this because of the demon possessing her. It's fueling her fear of the Blue Night."

"Ha!" The corpse pulled the whimpering blonde closer to her, snapping the couple back into attention. "All of you are put under his spell. . . Her spell!" She yelled bitterly. "I will have my revenge," She swore. "Everything I ever loved was burnt to ashes. . . Blue flames burnt it all away! Your blue flames!" She screamed, visions of her death dancing in the flames that spouted from the swordwoman's body. "I won't ever forgive Satan. . . He took everything from me. And now. . . I'll take everything away from him. . ." Her words began to grow weak, her grip on Shiemi weakening. "Even the. . . Daughters he longs to have. . ." She sighed tiredly as she dropped the scissors and collapsed to the ground.

"Michelle!" The gardener made a dash to catch her before she fell but Bon caught her before she did, Rin pushing Shiemi behind her as the damp students stood on either side of the anti-soul. "W-What are you two doing?" Asked their classmate in a frighten voice. "You got to let me help her! She's seriously wounded and she could die-!"

"She's already dead." Muttered Rin.

"She's an anti-soul," Explained Bon as Rin circled around the woman. "She was bought back to life in order to get revenge on Satan and those of his bloodline. She's dangerous, Moriyama-san."

"No, she isn't!" Shiemi ran in front of Rin and put a distance between her an the fallen woman, her arms outstretched. "Rin, please! I'm sure she's just scared and confused! She's a really nice person, I promise!"

"Like Hell she is!" Rin shook her head as her flames grew larger. "She tried to kill Ryuji, our friends, and the guys back at the monastery! She won't stop unless we do something about her!" Rin took a step closer. "Now please stand aside, Shiemi-san. I'm doing this because I need to protect you," Her flames coiled around her body, urging her to take the kill and finish this. "I have to do this before she hurts any more of those I love-"

"I said no!" Rin jumped back, shocked as the blonde before her stood her ground with a firm expression. "I called you two to help me, not protect me! She didn't do anything dangerous before you two showed up and suddenly attacked her!" Shiemi had to get her point across, or else Rin would do something she would regret. "I don't want to yell at you guys, but I don't want you to hurt Michelle either. Look at her," She stood a little aside to show the tiny fairies circling the woman, all of them letting out worried and distressed sounds, each of them trying to wake her up. "Nee and the others wouldn't act like this if they thought she was a bad person. Don't you see?" She looked up at her friends pleadingly. "Please. . ."

Rin stared back a her first friend in disbelief. The hand that bared Satan's fang began to shake as Rin weighted the words she heard and the actions she saw. She held her stance longer than she should of she thought about what she should do, her grasp on her sword tightening. Finally, she slid her sword back into it's hilt and took a deep breath as her flames died away. "Keep an eye on her and get Shiemi up-to-date with what's going on." She told Bon, who nodded in return as Rin headed up the stairs. "I got a phone call to make."

After walking up the stairs and listening to the phone ring, Shuichiro finally picked up the phone. "Yo, what's up?"

"We found her," Rin told her trainer as she paced around. "She's at the supplies store."

"Thank goodness," Said the senior exorcist from the other line. "I'll get the others and Noihaus and we'll get there as soon as we can. What the hell is she doing over at the supplies store, though?"

"How the Hell should I know?" Rin shot back with a huff. She needed a nap. As she blinked tiredly to keep sleep and rain away from her eyes, the crowd of people that suddenly appeared before her made her all but jump on her feet and cause her to be more alert. "No, wait. On second thought, don't come."

"What are you saying-"

"Don't. Come." Rin warned in a lower voice before she hung up. The pouring rain could do nothing to hide the single white coat in a sea of black coats, nor could it hide the smirk on Angel's face as he held an umbrella over his head.

"What a magnificent garden," He observed as he looked back at the glaring student. "It's really beautiful, isn't it? Definitely not a place for demons." He was in front of Rin just as she reached for her sword. "Ah-ah-ah," He said, cupping her chin as her wide eyes stared back at him. The gesture could have been seen as kind, had he now drawn his own weapon and held it to Rin's throat. "You'll never be fast as me, little girl." He said before bringing his weapon down with a mighty swing, sending the daughter of the devil straight into the mud. His team of exorcist ran into the building as he held Rin down, the latter trying to push the heavy broadsword off her. "You'll never be as strong either." Chuckled the blonde.

"Sir Auguste, we capture the suspect!"

"Rin!"

Hearing her name, the trainee spat out mud and turned her head toward the team of exorcists, fear blooming in her eyes as Bon and Shiemi were forced onto their knees along with Michelle, their arms held tightly behind their backs. "Let. . . Them. . . Go. . ."

"So this is where you've been hiding," Angel dug the heel of his boot into Rin's neck, burying her face back into the mud to silence her. "A demon clad in human skin. . ." Angel grit his teeth and looked down at the anti-soul, his stomach turning as she looked at the ground in defeat. "There is no grater taboo than resurrecting the dead," Angel struck a kick across Rin's head, making sure she didn't move before he let her go and made his way over to the living corpse. "This violate the laws of Assiah." He pointed his sword directly at her throat. "I condemn you in the name of the Vatican!"

"Michelle!" Screamed Shimie, her attempts only causing her captors to hold onto her tighter.

"Stop it!" Yelled Rin at the same time, just as something flew through the air and struck the ground. Mud and dust exploded from the impact of the device, some of the exorcists jumping away as the impact shook the very earth they stood on.

"Out of the way!" Shouted Shuichiro as he landed in front of Rin, crouching down and helping her up and she wiped mud out of her eyes and mouth. "We're here to help." He told her.

"I shall atone for all of Michelle's crimes. . ." Rin was sure that the mud was doing nothing to her hearing. She wiped off the last bit of the runny dirt just in time to see Igor on his hands on knees, begging before the Paladin leading the men in black coats. "Please, have mercy on her. Let my wife go. I beg you. . ."

"Bravo to you and your matrimonial commitment," There was no sincerity in those words. Angel's eyes were heartless, without warmth as he waltzed over to Noihaus and kicked him aside. A kick like that was powerful enough to launch the man away from the exorcist and the anti-soul as they met face-to-face. "Spare me," Scoffed Angel. "The dead shall only be resurrected at the rapture. . ." He bought Excalibur into the air, allowing gravity to pull it down with his certainty and sense of self-justice. "When the angels blow their trumpets for the last time!"

"STOP IT!" Noishaus pushed himself off the ground and made a leap for Michelle, but someone already beat him to it. Some who Angel was sure could never match his speed or strength.

"Defending other demons now?" Lip curling and his strength doubling, the elite sneered at Rin as her flamed-sword stopped his own. That leap and block she made was impressive, worthy to be the skills of a Paladin. But he would never admit that to Satan's child. "What kindness you posses, daughter of Satan."

"No," Rin pushed him away with a roar, her blue flames assisting her as she sent Angel a few feet away from her and Michelle. "I just think it's rude that you walk around into someone else's home and act like you own the goddamn place!"

Angel bought his sword back as his men held their guns at the ready. "I'm warning you, demon. To defy me is an act of rebellion against the Vatican!"

"That doesn't mean shit coming from your fucking mouth!" Rin came at him like a launched fire ball, clashing swords with him again and again as they sprang from tree to tree, the both of them trying to take advantage of the other by using the high places as leverage.

'Why. . .?' As the two of them fought, Michelle shivered between Bon and Shiemi. 'The daughter of Satan is trying to protect us? But why? After I tried to take everything that was precious to her. . . Why?' She wondered in awe. After everything she had done to the twins, why was the eldest doing all this, fighting a battle that was impossible to win?

"Is that the best you got, spawn of Satan?" Angel swung his sword, Rin jumping on the flat surface and leaping straight into the air like she was on a diving board. She threw Kurikara over her head and bought it down on the blonde, their swords creating sparks of metal as they met.

"Bite me, asshole!" Screamed Rin in return as she was pushed back, landing on her feet. She made a dash for the senior exorcist again but was stopped by another. "Fucking move, Shuichiro." She snarled.

"Why don't you try not moving, brat?" Her single-tail teacher held his sword between his student and colleague, watching the both of them so that neither of them would move an inch. "You think you're helping anyone right now?"

"I said. . ." Rin panted, the short hairs on her tail on end and her fangs enlarging like the plumes of her blue fire. "Fucking move." She growled, looking feral. Her adrenaline and her spirit told her to move, to act fast or else she would lose. She took a breath and charged, her sword pulled back. "Fucking move!"

Someone shot her. No one could possibly tell who fired it. The rain cleared out the gun smoke all too quickly and every man and woman wearing a black coat had their weapons out. It was impossible to tell who had shot it. But that didn't stop Rin from rounding around the other exorcists in an angered blazed as Noihaus ran to catch his wife. Michelle had sprang from behind Rin and took the bullet for her, blood smearing the grass.

"Which one of you goddamn cowards did it? Huh!" Shuichiro and Bon had to hold the daughter of Satan back as her flames began to smolder with her emotions, the intent to kill still in her eyes. "Which one of you shot her?! Answer me!" She demanded.

"The Garden of Amahara. . ."

Everyone stopped as the dying woman spoke, her loving and devoted husband cradling her in his arms.

"What. . . What is she talking about?" Asked Rin.

"It's a legendary garden," Shiemi explained the demon girl as she was released, her flames dying down quickly. "A place that knows no violence or malice. A place where only peace of hope exist." She said, having spoken about this with Michelle before her friends had shown up. Rin looked at Ryuji for advice, but even he didn't have the answer, again. He was just as confused as his girlfriend.

"A paradise where all the plants in the world are gathered. . ." To anyone else, it looked like she was just speaking gibberish and shakily fumbling something into Noihaus' free hand. "It's not here. . . But I know it's real," She smiled up at her husband, tears welling up in her eyes as he looked down at her lovingly. "If we can find it, I know we can live in peace. . ."

"We can find it together," The one-eyed man picked her up, cradling her fragile body close as he began to take her away from it all. "Just you and me." He said in a small voice, kissing the top of her had softly.

Rin felt herself nestle into Ryuji's arms, watching as the exorcists and Angel tried to surround the loving couple. But the green spirits stopped them, kept them from hurting the pair as Igor and Michelle were wrapped in a ball of vines and precious flowers, away from harm as Angel started to strike at the vine globe over and over.

"Arrest those heretics!" He demanded as his men surrounded the protective orb. "Arrest-!" His voice was blocked out by the booming chimes of church bells, the entire garden enveloping in a veil of golden silent. The Paladin looked up, his confused expression morphing into one of detest as he sheathed his broadsword. "Retreat." He muttered, throwing one last dirty look at Shuichiro and the others before he and his men filed out.

"What the Hell?" Rin watched them walk away before looking up at the sky. The sun was beginning to show "What's with all the bells?"

"It's an emergency summon from the Vatican." Shuichiro balanced his sword on his shoulder and nodded at the students. "Stay out of trouble." Was all he told them before he left, too.

"We actually did stay out of trouble this time," Said Rin with a soft scoff. "Trouble just decided to come to us. Damnit," He looked back at the green shield with her friends as the rain clouds began to part away. 'I think this answer is better than the one you gave me, Ryuji,' She though she closed her hand around Bon's, the latter returning it with a small squeeze. 'These are the kind of lengths people go to for the ones they love. No matter what the cost. . .' "Hey," She said all of a sudden. "You think those two are gonna be OK?"

"I hope so." Said Bon.

"I think they will," Shieme smiled as she saw blossoms of all kinds of colors spout from the leafy cocoon. "If anyone can find it, they can. The Garden of Amahara. The pace where they can live in peace. . ."

"Arthur Auguste Angel at your service, my lord."

"Thank you for your diligence, Paladin."

Angel didn't recognize that voice. He was expecting to be addressing someone higher up in the ranks, or even someone from the Grigori. But this wasn't a voice he had heard before.

"Where are the Grigori?" He asked this person as he looked up. Come to think of it, the whole row above him was unusually empty. That was strange.

"I relived them." Said the man.

"Impossible!" The blonde stood in alarm, searching for the person that stood beyond the light in the room. What was going on? "They are the Supreme Advisers to the Knights of the True Cross!" He exclaimed. Now that he stood, he finally had a better chance at looking at this man. Or rather, his back.

"That's all in the past now," The man told him with his hands behind his back. "From this day forward, I, Ernst Fredrick Egin will take command of the Knights of the True Cross." He said as he turned around to see the look of shock on Angel's face. But not just him. He did not turn to face this man alone. Angel followed his gaze and was met with a cloaked figure, her hood pulled down so she could look him right in the eye. Angel growled under his breath.

"Yukiko Okumura..."

Yukiko held her head up high as her grandfather spoke with determination, ignoring everything else as she could feel justice and pride swirl inside her heart all at once.

"It is time for a new order!" Shouted Ernst as many hooded members of the Vatican looked up at him. "It is time for a new world without demons! They have threatened our world for far too long! We must prepare ourselves and cleanse them away from the earth! Once and for all!"

To Be Continued...

To those of you asking if I'll be covering the movie or the second season of Blue Exorcist, that is still in the 'probably?' stage. On one hand, I'd like to bring this story to an end and work on other stories, both old and new, but at the same time, just ending it on season one does feel a little unsatisfying. Maybe I'll continue the story through here, or maybe I'll continue it through a new fic. It could work either way ^^ Anyway, thanks so much for all your support! It is very well appreciated. I'm gonna go ahead and get to bed so I'll see you all next time!

This is me saying, Peace!