A/N:

Hails: Hi, yes, chapter 97 is out FUCKING KILL ME I'M NOT OKAY! On another note, Illuminati Lady's name is Homare Tōdō?! (Dammit, I gotta go back and edit.)

Also, by the way, I was going to apologize for having some YukiShi-oriented parts of this chapter and pushing my shipping agenda but then a guest got on my nerves so now I'm gonna be a petty little shit and shove it in your guys' faces. Suck it up, this isn't your story, I will end it however I please.

And Shiemi. Is. Still. Learning. She has ways to go before she actually understands romance so don't even try it, bub!

I disregard any claims to the characters, setting, or plot of Blue Exorcist/青の祓魔師, which are a property of the mangaka Kazue Kato. I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."
― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein

The hiss of steel sliding over a candelabra reverberated around the room like the shrieking of a violin being rubbed with a bow too harshly. Shura growled fiercely, bringing her weight down on the blade. The candelabra snapped in half and the tip of her sword grazed Tōdō as he leaped back, pressed up against the wall and practically giggling like a grade schooler as Shura sliced his neck open vengefully. Blood trickled down his throat, over every bump and curve and his Adam's apple.

"That's... expensive... wallpaper," Mephisto wheezed, struggling to even keep his eyes open. "You heathens."

"Can it, Mephisto!" Shura snarled, refusing to take her eyes off Tōdō's grinning face for even a split second. "There are more important things at stake." Tōdō chuckled, Shura narrowed her eyes. "What'cha doin' with that there?" She didn't even have to gesture to the key for Tōdō to know what she was talking about.

"You and I have the same objective, Ms. Kirigakure," Tōdō smiled. "We're not so different from each other."

"Maybe not but our intentions for what we do with it are far more different than you could imagine."

"Right, right, because you think you're protecting him."

Him. Yukio. That's obviously what he meant. Shura did, in fact, believe she was trying to protect Yukio. She was trying to protect Rin but did that really have to be said? The whole Vatican knew she had a soft spot for the sole inheritor of the blue flames but what of Yukio? No one knew about their relationship in depth, how Shura had watched Yukio go from his sweet, innocent little himself to wearing a cloak of darkness with a vision of black and white. She should have stopped Shirō from pushing the brat into exorcism in the first place, then maybe none of this would have happened.

"You can't help him," Tōdō taunted her. His irises scintillated with fire, an indicator for Shura to jump back and avoid getting hit. She cleared the space where she had just been as an explosion erupted there. He dangled the glittering key before her like a hypnotist swinging a pocket watch back and forth. "He doesn't want your help."

"Regardless," Shura barked. "It's not about whether he wants it. He needs help and as someone who has only seen him up close a few times, you only think ya know him. I've seen the real him, I've seen who he truly is. It is not who you think!"

"You just refuse to see his inner darkness," Tōdō said.

"Oh, I see his inner darkness just fine." Shura wiped her mouth. "I've been seein' it for years!"

"Then you know precisely who he is."

"Maybe he is like you, maybe he is exactly like you!" Shura conceded, launching into another attack only to miss and embed her Fang into the wall. She yanked it out in time to dodge a fireball attack from Tōdō, which struck a shelf full of plushies and elicited a hoarse scream from Mephisto. ("Not Unico!") "But ya aren't countin' on the fact that Yukio has so many people around him. Ya think you can incinerate them, ya think you can make Yukio abandon them? Not a chance in the world!"

"You underestimate both him and myself," Tōdō sneered with his giddy, demonic undertones. "His darkness is far past what you think it is."

There was a rapid beeping in the room, quick and repetitive. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep! Shura braced herself, thinking it may have been a bomb of some sort. Turns out it was only the wristwatch on Tōdō's wrist. The man smirked, seeming almost disappointed.

"Seems that's them calling me back to Illuminati headquarters," Tōdō murmured, shutting off the beeping abruptly. He perched on a nearby window sill. "And talk about having to leave so soon again. I must be quite a rude house guest."

"Yer not a guest if you've come uninvited." Shura fell into a position she'd only used once. Against the cyclops at the train station. It would be tricky to perform the ritual again. Nevertheless, she'd try and mumble the words so Tōdō couldn't hear them. "Let the frozen waters of Babylon wash over you like Misogiharae, cleanse!"

Tōdō barely had time to react, his inquisitiveness having seized him by the throat as to what Shura must have been whispering. He may have had excellent sight but he didn't have the hearing required to understand, even when he was so young. He leaned forward curiously, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

When Shura whipped her blade around, the only time he had was to ignite the flames on his body but even then they weren't blazing enough to melt the ice. The attack slammed into him and he fell from the window. Shura rushed over, hanging out of the opening to see Tōdō cascade to a narrow space—an alleyway. For a second she thought she had won, such a shame a phoenix always rises from the ashes.

Tōdō's figure appeared before her, floating and glowing with angry red flames holding him aloft. They tossed dancing embers into the night, burning bright and unwavering.

"That was quite the attack, I can't believe I wasn't ready for it!" He guffawed, showing off his pearly white fangs. "How thoughtful, m'dear. But I do have places to be. Do me a favor and run back to the Order with your tail between your legs."

Shura seethed as Tōdō rocketed down, bouncing from rooftop to rooftop. She hadn't the faintest clue how to defeat him but she could damn well try. She was halfway out the window when Mephisto called her name. She turned for a second, staring at the pathetic, weakened Demon King. Tōdō was getting away and if she waited much longer she wouldn't be able to catch up. Part of her was tugged in Tōdō's direction but the call of helping Mephisto was just as loud. Finally, she sighed, sheathed her sword, and whipped out her phone.

"Get me online with Yaozō Shima!" She barked at the speaker. Absently, she wandered over to Mephisto's broken form. Unsure of how to go about this, she knelt down and hooked her arms underneath his. There was a click on the other end of her phone.

"Yaozō Shima speaking, who do I owe the conversation?"

"It's Shura Kirigakure," She said hurriedly, slinging Mephisto's arm over her shoulder in a half-carry she knew well. "Saburōta Tōdō was sighted at Faust Manor. I engaged in brief combat with him however, he retreated. Have the NPA and yer Myōō Dharani exorcists on high alert. He could be anywhere. He escaped with one of Mephisto's keys and I suspect he doesn't plan on using it with our best interests in mind."

"Understood," Yaozō said swiftly. "Anything else to report?"

"That's all."

"Copy that. We'll track him down."

"I'm counting on you." Shura just managed to pocket her phone and heave Mephisto back towards his bed. The whole room had been ruined, much to Mephisto's chagrin. He was doing quite the job of portraying his annoyance and frustration with the mess at hand, leaving Shura to roll her eyes.

"You couldn't have pushed him out the window sooner?" He muttered irritatedly. "I mean, look at this place! My favorite, limited edition Kimba the White Lion boxed DVD set is a pile of ashes now, and my Unico plushy is on fire!" Shura noted this, hissed a curse, and summoned forth a breath of ice to put the fire out. Not that it mattered, parts of the fur had been scorched black and one of the eyes had melted. "And the slices all over my wall from your battle, ugh-"

"Mephisto, I know I'm required to listen to ya and heed yer orders because you're on bedrest but please shut up," Shura pleaded desperately. "I didn't mean ta destroy yer stuff. But right now, I have to go after Tōdō." She paused a moment, wondering why she even had to carry a sickly demon in the first place. "I'm shocked you haven't healed completely yet."

"It was more than just your average silver bullet," Mephisto explained. "Fun little thing. I'm healing much better now, though. Give it a couple more days and I'll be back to my usual self."

"Both fortunately and unfortunately," Said Shura.

"You break my heart sometimes, Ms. Shura," Mephisto shot her a weak smile. "Surely you could spare a little more compassion than that?"

"Nope, sorry," Shura teased. "I'm all out of compassion today. Check back next week when I'm not stressing over the exwires."

Mephisto chuckled at that. Sometimes, he swore, Shura was a barrel full of laughs. Even as he being resituated back in his comforting nest of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals, he couldn't help but find Shura simply adorable and amusing. As was it for him, a Demon King above mortals, she was quite the most interesting of the humans he had met. She was vaguely reminiscent of Shirō with her lazy droll, her lackadaisical attitude, and how she mosied on through life like it was a party. It was refreshing, to say the least.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to save the exwires," Mephisto said encouragingly. He was burrowed deep in his mountain of comforters as he spoke. "If they want to be, anyway."

"Oh, don't start," Shura groused in annoyance. "I've already heard enough from Bird Furry."

Mephisto burst out laughing at that, unable to hold his joy. "Bird Furry?! Well, that's new! Seems the times are moving forward. Humans keep coming up with increasingly clever insults."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll call him that when I encounter him again. Or maybe I'll put Rin up to it."

"Please do."

"In the meantime," She enunciated carefully, eyes trained on Mephisto. "I want you to tell me something. Why did you put Susumu Yunowaka up to shoot you?"

Something flashed in the space between them, Mephisto waited for a second, Shura prompted him with a head tilt. Finally, he exhaled.

"So you caught him?"

Yukio tried to refrain from staring back at the wisely old woman before him. For once in his life, he had managed to gather a full night's rest and without a terrifying nightmare to jolt him from slumber in a cold sweat. Fortunately or unfortunately, Yukio hadn't decided, he had been roused from Shiemi's lap. She had claimed she had slept and was just waiting for him to wake up yet somehow he found that unlikely. He had urged her to sleep, even if it was just for a few minutes, and soon found himself face to face with the Witch of the Garden of Amahara.

"Good morning," She offered him the greeting, bobbing her head once.

"Good morning," Yukio returned.

"You have quite the fondness for her," Lilith noted, gesturing to a restful Shiemi. "How long have you been her friend?"

Yukio thought about the question, forcing himself to make innate small talk with the woman. "Three years now, I believe. Since we were thirteen."

"Oh, how sweet," Lilith cooed genuinely. "You must really care for her. More than your brother, ne?" Yukio shot her a look at that comment. He swallowed, thinking of an answer. Lilith smiled knowingly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Be honest, Yukio. Do you care about her more than your brother?"

"I..." Yukio waivered. He really should be honest. "Maybe a little bit. Shiemi was there for me when I didn't feel like going home, she helped me the best she could. I know Rin at least tried... before his whole Awakening and dad's death. But Shiemi was just easier to be around. She always made my dark days a little brighter by simply being there. I remember, one day, when we were 14, Shiemi invited me to have a picnic in her garden. Her grandmother made the food and after we talked a little bit, we laid in the grass for hours. That was the lightest I had ever felt."

Yukio smiled at the memory, which flashed behind his irises like ripples on a pond reflecting brighter days when meadowlarks twittered and blue skies were all that laid ahead.

"The sun is so warm," Shiemi hummed. A smile graced her features, round face as cheery and pretty as a magnolia in may. She wiggled her toes, stretched her arms above her head as if looking for something. "Yuki, can I hold your hand?"

A cherry red blush dusted Yukio's face and he felt a mild heat course through him. He moved slowly, hesitantly, almost cautious as if he were afraid he might break her. Her delicate fingers felt soft and snug interweaved with his own, almost like a pair of gloves to keep cozy in the midst of a Winter snowstorm. She put something inside him, peace and tranquility, gold threads of content that wove through his being and through his heart.

"I like it like this," Shiemi murmured softly, sweetly. Her voice reminded him of golden honey dripping down a strawberry, drawing good fortune, light motive, and productivity. It was sweet to both smell and taste and even just the thought of it made Yukio's ears ring with chimes and spring showers. "Don't you wish we could stay like this?" She rubbed her lips together, spreading a healing lip balm over them. "I do."

"Y-yeah... me too."

Perhaps he was wistful for days he wouldn't get back, days that had long gone and now instead of the blue, blue sky he loved so much, it seemed the only atmosphere lying ahead was one electrocuted with lightning and rolling with thunder, one that tasted of metal and blood and wreaked of war. It was a world and air Yukio was uncomfortably familiar with.

"How often did you talk to her about your exorcism days?"

"Fairly often. On days I didn't want to talk she would just sit there with me, let me know she was nearby if I needed her."

"What stopped you from asking her for help?"

Yukio's heart squeezed in his chest cavity. Somehow he didn't feel as if he had too many answers for that. 'I hurt her? I didn't want to drag her down? I didn't feel like she deserved to suffer the same hell I'm in right now? I don't deserve help? There are plenty to choose from, so take your pick.' He shook his head, unable to come up with an excuse. There wasn't really an excuse for his behavior in the first place. Shiemi was only trying to help. She had been worried about him.

Lilith seemed to read his mind. She said nothing more than: "Well, now's not the time to go pushing people away again. You remember what I said last night. Then let-"

"Let this be the start of real change," Yukio finished Lilith's sentence for her. "I know."

The witch held her tongue. If the castigated child understood what must be done to continue trekking down this rough and rocky path, then her hard work was approaching its rightful conclusion. Yukio would have it hard in the coming days and Lilith could only hope she had played her cards right. Dismantling everything he thought he knew about his life was the first step, showing him the truth was the second step. But she couldn't be sure if the truth would only break him further beyond repair.

"Is Shiemi going to go to the waterfall this morning?" Yukio inquired offhandedly, eyeing the passionate red rose Shiemi tucked behind her ear. It taunted him with its delicate petals, curling outward with open arms, mirroring Shiemi's openness and ability to accept even those most hardened of scoundrels. He could hardly believe her most days. "Just out of curiosity, not anything... you know."

"I couldn't be sure, it's her decision," Said Lilith, tilting her head slowly. Her hair fell to the side, overlapping in thick layers over her shoulder. "You can go with her."

An indescribable noise left Yukio's throat, one of questioning. Surely Lilith could comprehend that by saying 'waterfall,' Yukio meant 'Spirit World.' Right?

"I thought you said that you could only visit one person every twenty-four hours?"

"Oh, make no mistake, I certainly did say that," Lilith answered. Her dark eyes glimmered with a roguish sparkle as her lips folded into a proud smile. "I lied."

Two words. Two words to make the world crumble. Two words to break Yukio's glasses and his perception of higher beings. Never mind compassion, all of them were the same, Yukio was now more than two-hundred percent sure of this.

Yukio's voice cracked. "What?"

Paku's face was dreadfully stony as Drac Dragulesc stepped around the metal table. He seated himself across from Paku, hands folded in front of the temporarily docile girl. He was a tall man, had to stand close to the Paladin's height (whom Paku had only had to opportunity to observe once from afar,) with wispy white hair, a hooked nose, and a monocle perched on his left eye. His accent was prominent in his speech.

"There's no need to be afraid, Ms. Paku," He said. His voice lacked the sympathy Paku thought necessary to let her guard down. She'd honestly be less afraid if it were Mephisto speaking to her. The words spoken were thought to be false to the girl, who knew very well that this was an interrogation. "You may be surprised how I know your name-" 'I really am not.' "I choose to do my research on those I have the privilege of speaking to. Although, I would like to question what a sweet little thing like you was doing snooping around in the Records Room. You don't seem like the type to cause trouble, was it that young man who dragged you into this?"

"Actually, it was my idea," Paku corrected. She wrung her fingers together. She fought the urge to make a biting remark similar to the snarky protagonists she'd read about growing up. "I dragged Godaīn into this. He generally avoids trouble."

"A good student like you?" Dr. Dragulesc inquired. Of course, he'd look at her grades. It was only natural for something like this.

"Where is my friend?" Paku asked. Perhaps she was a little regretful but it was more for the fact that she had been caught. She was glad she knew the Order's intentions if anything.

"Ah, yes," Dragulesc murmured thoughtfully. He fished a remote out of his pocket and pointed it at a nearby television. It flicked to life with the press of a button and the image of Godaīn being interrogated similarly enough to her own situation appeared. The only difference was with the handcuffs on his wrists. "Young Sei Godaiīn. Your accomplice. He's not in any danger, not currently anyway. However, you both will share an unfortunate fate if you cannot bother to testify the truth."

"The truth of what?" Paku blurted out. "The fact that the True Cross Order is planning to either incarcerate, execute, or experiment on a bunch of minors?"

"Ms. Paku, please understand that we are not delivering the exorcist fugitives their fate without proper reason. This is for the good of humanity."

"Good for humanity or the Order itself?" Paku went on before Dragulesc could stop her. "You aren't letting them defend themselves. That's against the laws you have set."

"There is nothing to defend," Dragulesc protested. "They are criminals. They have wronged us and should be punished as such."

"They still deserve a trial!" Paku exclaimed, holding her hand out with incredulous implications. She fidgeted, resisting getting out of her chair.

"Ms. Paku-"

"Don't 'Ms. Paku' me! Mr. Okumura's sentence files clearly stated that he was going to be put under experimentation. There are laws in place stating that Mr. Okumura has to consent to the experiments and to perform them on him otherwise is illegal!"

"That is quite enough from you," Dragulesc snapped, banging his cane on the floor rather loudly. Paku flinched. "I shouldn't expect someone as young as you to understand the Grigori's motives. Not in these trying times."

"But you lied about their ages to the press and for what reason?"

"I have answered all of your questions, young lady," Dragulesc pointed out. "I think it the proper moment you tell me why you were trespassing."

"You know why," Paku nearly pleaded. "I was worried about my best friend. The fact that we are being forbidden from knowing the truth is absolutely ridiculous. Godaīn and I might be kids but that doesn't mean we don't understand that there are repercussions that have to be met from disobeying the law."

"The fact that you have gone to such extremes suggests otherwise."

"The fact that I went to any extremes in the first place could have prevented if I had known!" Paku got up, hands secured on the table as she leaned forward with a different kind of resolve. One that had anger bubbling in the pits of her stomach. Her next words were hushed and serious. "Listen, Dr. Drac Dragulesc. You obviously underestimate the lengths I am willing to go to protect those I care about and if I am not entitled to let the public know that you are lying to them then you are gonna wish it was me handcuffed to the table and not Godaīn."

Dr. Dragulesc seemed rather unimpressed by Paku's threat. He could only exhale defeatedly.

"Sit down, Ms. Paku," He growled brusquely, standing taller and far more menacing than the girl being interrogated. "I don't know if you can tell but this isn't a television show or movie. You aren't the hero and if you don't cooperate then you won't get a happy ending. It is far too late for your supposed 'friends,' so I suggest you take what liberties I am giving you so I can send you off with a slap on the wrist. Are we clear?"

Noriko Paku wasn't a heroine, she wasn't meant to be hard-hearted or broken. She was a side character, she was someone who didn't matter. Not to the audience, hardly to her player, and she certainly wouldn't get to go home, her shadow lingering in the sunset, holding Izumo's hand like it was happily ever after. Heavens no. So she'd play along, sink into her seat, and be the submissive, guilty child.

"Yes, sir."

Jūzō Shima was somewhat a man of pride. He came from an important clan, with strong blood ties to demons. He had a marvelous wife, who was with child, and he was more than ready to be a father if the list of children's names stuck to the fridge at home said anything. And since Jūzō Shima was somewhat a man of pride, he'd never let anyone possessed by bad intentions come near his family.

That being said, Jūzō Shima was also a man of his family. He cared deeply for his family, would do anything for them, even lay down his own life or live the most horrible life for them. "Love does crazy things to people," is all he'd pass it off as.

So upon hearing that Saburōta Tōdō, the man who had manipulated his wife into nearly blinding herself and resurrecting an age-old Rot Demon, had appeared in True Cross, he was both a mix of livid and determined. Livid because thanks to this man and the organization he was affiliated with and determined because justice was the rising force. An eye for an eye, he'd say. It's only fair.

He had been so on edge, so jumpy and anxious. How could he not be? His brother, his charge, and Koneko had suddenly disappeared off the face of Assiah after committing a prison break on a four-eyes he'd known when he was an exwire. If that wasn't slightly offputting then nothing in the world was. He had always been a little iffy about Yukio, he was seven when Jūzō first met him.

How could he not be? How could he not be?

Call it an unsettling precedent, call it a horrid revelation, whatever Yukio's case was had obviously been a propelling factor in setting off the apocalypse. It was enough to ensure Jūzō would never do the same to his kid, regardless of how desperate the True Cross Order would get for staff. No more child soldiers, not from his family, anyway. Because such an occupation was traumatizing as an adult, he could barely imagine it as a child.

To make matters worse, all of their fates had pretty much been pre-decided. His trio of boys would be imprisoned for their crimes and despite his protests against the Grigori, who had been oddly flippant about the entire ordeal. As if they had been prepared for this beforehand. It wouldn't have shocked Jūzō, he had known damn well that Bon, Renzō, and Koneko had been given a warning for disregarding the Grigori's rule over the Son of Satan's execution. The law was just following through, completely justified.

Kinzō's voice interrupted his thoughts as he gestured rapidly, spurring Jūzō from his stupor. He was worried but he couldn't be bothered to concern himself there when there was another threat at large.

Tōdō was bright, even in the midst of the sun kissing the mountain tops.

And Jūzō was ready for him.

Rin's morning, in a few short, easy words, wasn't as pleasant as his brother's. Instead of rising with the sun, relaxed and well-rested and peaceful, he was jolted into the land of the living by the sound of Lilith, keeling over on the nest floor with raucous laughter as Ryūji attempted to restrain a very pissed off Yukio. Getting him to calm down was a feat in itself and discovering why made Rin want to jump off the waterfall and die, which then led to Yukio pouting and refusing to acknowledge anyone, even Shiemi, the rest of the morning.

"Yukio," Rin huffed, poking his twin's cheek. Yukio only grumped, curled into a ball tighter. "Yukio, come on. You're being ridiculous."

"Oh, I'm being ridiculous?" Yukio asked, seething bitterly as he gestured to himself and then to Lilith. "Somehow I find that both hilarious and untrue."

"Okay, I get it," Rin said soothingly, holding his hands up. "Lilith did a bad, bad thing and is, therefore," He shot her an unimpressed look. Lilith only smiled mirthfully, devilishly, and shrugged. She didn't regret a damn thing. "A bad example of an adult. We don't lie to our children, ever."

"We're not her children,"

"With how she's acting we might as well be." Rin snapped his fingers, making Yukio glance at him. "Listen, despite her lies, she only meant well. Look at what she did for you. A little lying, a little planning, you completely snapped and saw something real. This is good, ne?"

"Whatever," Yukio was begrudgingly admitting that Lilith had been upright in her actions. If she hadn't he may have never discerned the truth so blatantly.

"I'm generally one for honesty," Lilith interrupted, waving her hand nonchalantly. "However, I saw darkness in you, child. Darkness influenced by a devil that I nearly couldn't identify. With all that, I realized I had to fix something and while I managed to give you a headstart, that darkness is still lingering. When it's safe enough to leave, you will go through hell, you will have to fight harder than ever, hold your ground with the utmost tenacity. Lucifer is stubborn, if he wants something, he will go to great lengths to get it."

Yukio's eyes widened suddenly as Lilith spoke. "How did you know Lucifer was involved in all of this?"

"A lucky gamble, I suppose," She returned. "But that's not the only demon involved. You know who's haunting you, you know who's hurting you. You can't let him win."

'Satan...' Yukio swallowed, refused to say it out loud.

"Listen," Lilith wrought attention upon herself with her clamourous voice. Pairs of wide, anxious eyes turned to her, all in different shapes and colors. Some big and round, some narrow but bright, all of them begging for answers. "While I may have acted heedlessly, not all of what I spoke to you was untrue." She broke off for a moment, idling unabatingly for a reaction. When none came, she continued. "While you can all visit the waterfall at once, you will not be able to enter the Spirit World itself all at once. You may be separated from each other, you may have to face your own challenges. You are being tested for your worthiness and determination.

"Whether or not you succeed can be life-changing."

The words hung in the air like time had stopped, as though the stars became priceless diamonds and the moon transformed into a paper. A surreal world came into focus, twisted and warped before releasing back to it's usual, rotating self. Its sudden return was an impact and a wave of energy ran beneath the Earth, flooring and powerful. Even Lilith flinched, mouth dropping slightly.

"You will have to go quickly, though," She spoke quickly. She was spooked, ashen and almost trembling. "Something deadly is upon us."

"Deadly?" Konekomaru asked urgently, leaning forward. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'll have to explain later, if you want knowledge, you must leave for the Spirit World as soon as tonight."

"But-"

"No buts!" Lilith hissed. "Prepare yourselves! Immediately!"

Everyone looked amongst each other. Whatever pulse had jolted the world just now was something terrible enough to petrify the first witch.

And that in itself was truly terrifying.

Rin was unprepared, to say the least. The only time he'd ever felt such overwhelming power was when the Gehenna Gate had opened fully and something changed in his system. He couldn't quite place what it was but it wasn't pleasant and he didn't want to find out. However, the feeling still lied underneath his surface, it ached and fizzed, threatening to spill over. Almost like someone had shaken a two-liter bottle of soda filled with coke and mentos then phased it into his stomach. It made him feel a bit sick.

That is to say even before and after the whole clothing incident. With the pack deciding they didn't want to travel in soaked t-shirts and jeans, which then required a squeamish session of trying not to stare and accidental skin on skin contact. Izumo did smack people that hour, particularly Renzō. Rin and Yukio were on thin ice with her but fortunately escaped her wrath. ("Stare at Shiemi like that again and I'll kill you!") At that, Izumo had stood guard the rest of the session.

"Hey, Okumura," Rin wasn't in any way self-conscious of himself, he felt rather proud of his body. However, he couldn't help the way he flinched when Suguro placed a reassuring hand on his back. "You okay?"

"Ye-yeah..." Rin swallowed as he said that. He was really beginning to wish he'd gotten loose boxers instead of boxer-briefs. He might feel slightly less exposed then. "I'm gonna be real, though. I'm scared. I'm not even sure what it is I'm looking for."

"What do you want more than anything?" Suguro inquired suddenly. Rin shot him a look, one indescribable but questioning.

"What do I want?" Rin mused over that for all of three seconds. "I just want Yukio to be happy, I want him to finally be at peace. I want him to find closure."

"Everything you do is for him, isn't it? Haven't you ever thought of doing something for yourself?"

Rin didn't answer. Truth be told, a part of him wanted to be selfish, a part of him was tugged towards the Spirit World as if some unrelenting desire had a pull on his soul, as though it were calling him the silvery tone of something that had no identity. It felt as though curiosity had seized him by the ankles and was marching him towards something he had been reluctant to touch down on for so long.

"Hey, Suguro," Rin opted out of responding specifically anyhow. "Thanks. For telling me. You know, about the-"

Suguro knew it seconds before Rin could get the full sentence out, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Don't mention it. I just thought it would be a good idea for you to know."

He had been awfully suspicious as his eyes traced over the silver weaponry and the bullet caliber in the magazine. He didn't want to test his or anyone else's luck. If Yukio had pointed a gun at him, then there was a chance someone else could be on the receiving end of the muzzle too. The risk was too high to not slip a mention to Rin in passing at least.

"Well, I have to thank you for that," Rin smiled graciously. It was something small but enough to portray his immense gratitude. "Without the tip, I don't think Yukio would have gotten a proper shove in the right direction. I'm just glad to see something in him has changed."

Suguro wouldn't say it aloud but so was he. Another part of him was relieved Yukio was finally getting what had been coming to him for a long time, even if it was in the form of Renzō harassing him over his moles. Rin was *this* close to smacking the handsy spy and any second now he was going to be on the ground with a goose egg growing out of his head courtesy of a protective twin brother.

"Anyway!" Rin piped up, not even subtle about the way he shot a lower at Renzō, who immediately backed off. "We should get a move on. We stick around any longer I get the feeling it's not going to end too well." Those around him nodded and immediately strode for the falls, barely catching fading words of a conversation. More or less, Izumo giving advice to Shiemi about macing perverts or at least beating them with a stick.

The climb was harsh, the jagged surface digging into their palms as they got closer with each step they made. Izumo could only watch, feeling a bit concerned about for them. Whatever they found, she couldn't be sure if it was benevolent or malevolent but she could only wish them luck and give them a prayer of fortune.

"Good luck," She whispered.

Konekomaru somehow found himself at the front of the pack, leading them all carefully. Shiemi had warned them of the will-o'-the-wisps, fae were not trivial creatures to be messed with. All studies of Cram School had been blatantly earnest that they treat fae with the utmost respect and caution. Not even God could save you should you fall into their trap. It made Konekomaru particularly wary, even as tread side by side with the sweet blonde gardener throughout the tunnel. She had not lied to them, the ground was marked in deep, vibrant colors that illuminated the whole corridor. He stopped quite suddenly, staring ahead at the end of the tunnel.

"It's different now," Shiemi said. Lo and behold, the girl was right. Instead of the ocean she had told the tale of, the corridor split into six equal parts, each as dreary and eerily dark as the others. She looked to the will-o'-the-wisp, which only hummed roguishly and pushed her to the entrance of the far right. If spirits could giggle, this one certainly was.

"It's telling us to split up," Yukio surmised, hand on his chin in deep contemplation.

"But we never split up!" Rin protested, stepping forward. "We're always supposed to work in teams! What happens if one of us gets into trouble?"

"Maybe so," Yukio mused, finally coming to his conclusion. "I guess this means we'll have to rely on ourselves. I can't think of any other possible outcome."

"But separating ourselves has never been an option," Rin pointed out. He truly was having none of this 'splitting-up' garbage. "Protocol, Yukio, protocol. Remember?"

"I know that!" Yukio snapped. Rin flinched. Yukio seemed guilty. He took a deep breath, inhale, exhale, and calmed himself down. "But unless you have a better option. Six paths, six of us, and Lilith said none of us will be contact with each other in the Spirit World. As much I hate saying it, especially aloud, I fear we will have to separate."

Konekomaru noted the way Rin bit his lip, how Yukio frowned as if desperately looking for a way around the predicament. Everyone collectively held their breaths but came to an agreement nonetheless. The six went their separate ways and Konekomaru felt so hopelessly vulnerable in that moment.

His hand brushed up against the wall so he remained in the right direction. His flashlight shone around, the light it gave off seemed to be swallowed by the inkiness. It was unnerving at most. He felt like he was missing something, something important that buzzed on the corners of his mind, especially when the wind around him picked up. He couldn't put his finger on it, even when his heart climbed into his throat and his stomach flip flopped nauseatingly. Then it clicked for him, the truth of his situation even in the darkness.

Konekomaru was falling.

A/N:

Hails: Thanks for all your support, guys.

Next chapter: The exwires undergo some of their toughest challenges and unfortunately alone, Mephisto begins to concerned about the Blightseed, and Paku proves just how serious she was in her conversation with Drac Dragulesc.