A/N:

Hails: Okay, time for the action sequences which I will royally suck at. Wish me luck.

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.

"Hey, heart. Are you listening? You and I are officially at war."
— Colleen Hoover, Maybe Someday

"Renzō, you crazy son of a bitch," Jūzō marveled, staring at the pin in his hands. "I honestly don't know how to call you my brother when you're more hairbrained than Kinzō."

The Shima in question rubbed his head with a whine, having been swat at with a khakkhara a couple times since he'd gotten back. His father had been less friendly than Jūzō and he had been less friendly than Kinzō; he didn't dare test his luck with one of the Hōjō sisters.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Renzō muttered. He yanked at the lapels of his black coat, wondering if he had made the right decision. Even with Kurikara clutched in his hands, he couldn't be sure. At least, he supposed, he could be grateful that someone like Gedōin wasn't in charge of major experiments anymore―even better, the monster of a man was dead. He was convinced Lucifer would throw him to the wolves as soon as he went back. 'Goodbye freedom, hello obligation to family.'

"May I ask?"

"No."

"What convinced you to come back?"

The last thing Renzō wanted to do was think about the question. Yet here he was, looking Jūzō in the face and considering an answer anyway. It shouldn't be so hard, it was his family for God's sake. Though maybe the recent change in how he viewed things thanks to a certain late older brother was making this a little more difficult than it needed to be.

"You know those stories you used to tell me when I was a baby?" Renzō asked. "You know, the ones about the Spirit World?" Jūzō's expression said that, yes, he knew. But what on Earth was Renzō going on about? "They're real. They aren't just stories."

Jūzō was quiet for a moment. His eyebrows furrowed together and his lips pressed into a thin line. A questioning gaze passed between the brothers for a just few seconds too long to be comfortable. If Jūzō had something important to say, then he better say it soon. Renzō didn't want to spend any more time here than he already had, not when Bon and Koneko were probably cursing his name to hell and back. Finally, Jūzō let out a heavy sigh, chest rising and falling with the motion.

"Who changed your mind?"

Renzō was a little surprised by how quickly Jūzō had come to terms with that. Although he had seen things and been around more often than Renzō, had been an exorcist far longer, had no doubt traveled over Japan and had friends all over the world. Being in the Order came with such benefits and requirements. Even if Jūzō could be a little dumb sometimes, as everyone in the Shima family certainly had their moments, he must have known something that made him believe it to be true.

"Takezō," Renzō said after some time had passed.

Jūzō blinked. Once, twice, thrice, then his jaw dropped.

"Takezō? Like, the Takezō?"

"No, like Shinmen Takezō-"

"Shut up, Renzō." Jūzō snapped.

"Hey, you asked." Renzō shrugged with a sly grin. It fell seconds after. "I don't see what the big deal is about, though. He's not as amazing as you made him out to be."

"Wha- excuse me, what?!" Gee, if Jūzō was offended, Renzō sure couldn't tell. "Not that amazing? What are you on?! Takezō was a role model and the very embodiment of-"

"What it means to be a Shima man, I know," Renzō groaned, throwing his head back and dragging his hands down his face. He'd heard these words so often that he knew them by heart.

Words and memories began to resonate in Renzō's brain and Jūzō's chattering fell on deaf ears. Phrases and sentence fragments, laughter and smiles, the mourning of melted popsicles and the thievery of the freshest vegetables from the garden, sentiments new and old, joyous and crestfallen, all of them were reminders of when life was simple. When he had fewer obligations, more fun, and some kind of better friendship with Bon and Koneko.

God, he was getting nostalgic. What kind of low-level bullshit?

"...besides, he was our eldest brother. If you can't bother to have even a smidgen of admiration for him then at least, please, tell me you learned something from him," Jūzō finished. Renzō nearly did a double take, wondering why on Earth Jūzō was still talking. Why couldn't he give it a rest already?

"Alright," Renzō said in defeat. "I give." He slowly got to his feet from the chair. A crafty smile crossed his lips as waved the Kurikara around for a second, after all, he had someone to return it to. "You wanna know if I learned something? How's this? Give a message to the family." Renzō cleared his throat "Takezō knew how to party! And he was still cooler than all of you combined!"

Renzō turned with flare, coat flying out with his twirl. "Now, if you'll excuse me. WAIT FOR ME, IZUMOOOOOO! I'M COMING!"

He was gone before the dust cleared, leaving Jūzō alone in a cloud of confusion.

Izumo's breath had been drawn from her body. She could not utter a word, move a muscle, or so much as inhale to soothe her burning lungs. Every part of her ached, her mind screamed at her to move, the muted voices of her friends fought against a thick, cottony barrier which she could barely hear through. There was a hand on her wrist, rough and calloused, and the stabbing agony of what felt like her shoulder being yanked out of its socket rocketing across her frame. Her legs carried her away from the spindles holding up the Blightseed. Her mind was a haze, the past thirty minutes were a blur. How did she even get out there in the first place?

"KAMIKI!" Suguro snapped his fingers, bringing her back into the land of the living. "Hey! Stay with us!"

She blinked a few times, shook her head, then finally let herself breathe again. She pulled her arm back, other hand flying to the faint throbbing in her bicep. Its tenderness was a sign that it might have been bruised but fortunately not dislocated.

"Dammit," She hissed. "This thing is too powerful. We can't take it on alone."

Suguro had multiple reactions, some of them resting in vexation, others in a brief pang of knowing sorrow. "Not yet. You still have that trump card Lilith gave you, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Izumo snapped, gritted teeth accompanying the sharpness of her glare. "Don't tell me you want me to summon it. Even if I managed to, there's no guarantee that it take that thing out!"

"Air overcomes Earth," Suguro said.

"And Rot overcomes Air, Ryūji Suguro!" Izumo pointed out. "That the thing is a living contradiction. There's no guarantee I could defeat it!"

"You don't need to defeat it," Suguro said reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You just need to hold it back long enough for back up to get here."

"What back-up?!" She shrieked. "We are talking in the middle of a battlefield. Any second now we could be crushed, the twins and Shiemi are MIA when we're SOL, and even if there were reinforcements, chances are they'll be destroyed by this thing too!"

Izumo ripped Suguro's hand off her. A hopeless yet furious growl itched at the back of her throat and oh, she wanted to scream so badly, she wanted to scream and cry and be as ugly as possible but that wouldn't do anyone any favors. Hell, her negative emotion might only make all the demons around her stronger and Ukemochi and Miketsu sure as hell didn't bow to a sobbing princess. (Okay, well, maybe they did in concerns to Tamamo. But Izumo was not her mother and that was beside the point.)

"Odaiba," Ryuji said shortly. He backed away from her slowly, thinking of a smile from not too long ago and replicating it. "You and everyone else have mentioned they wanted to visit Odaiba one day, right? It's not at all historical or your thing in general but I know you want to go visit it with the rest of us. Can't do that if you're fantasizin' about being dead, now can ya?"

There was a pause. A beat, two beats, and then: "Aw, jeez, you're a sap!"

"Wha- I'm just trying to think positively here!" Suguro's lips curled into a look of annoyance. He turned away then took off Westward as quickly as possible.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Izumo exclaimed questioningly. Her fists curled in on themselves almost chasing the annoyed smile on her face away.

"To buy you time to draw that magic circle!" Suguro shouted back, sending her only a brisk wave as he kept sprinting.

"Who said I was going to draw anything?!"

He didn't answer but that didn't stop a smirk from pulling at the corners of Izumo's mouth or the slight chortle that Suguro's surprised yelp of almost getting crushed got out of her. With a deep breath, she pulled at the latches on her new case of pure white chalk and got into a battle-ready position, eyes already scanning the area for enough space that'd allow her greatest summon yet.

"Alright, you son of a bitch. You're going down."

Rin's view from the middle of the street on campus wasn't the best one but even if it had been, he wouldn't be able to tell what on earth that was. So he resorted to asking. "Care to explain?"

"It must be the Blightseed," Yukio said. He reached up habitually to readjust his glasses only remembering at the last second that they weren't there. He pretended not to fumble and hoped Rin wouldn't notice. "It's an ancient creature forged together by the Kings of Rot, Earth, and Insect during a massive demonic war that supposedly nearly destroyed the wo-"

"Cut the history lesson, Yukio," Rin interrupted. "I just need to know what it is and how I defeat it, not an essay."

Yukio rolled his eyes. "It's an extremely high-level demon consisting of three elements rather than just one. It's nearly impossible to beat, it's weaknesses are light and fire, it has a soft spot on its head in which if you actually possess the power to defeat it, can be used to kill it if you light it on fire."

Rin blinked curiously a few times then opened his mouth to speak only for the social pause he held to come to an abrupt end.

"Well done, Okumura~"

A riveting chill coursed Yukio's entire frame and icy fear trickled down his spine. Without much thought, Yukio swung his legs over Kuro's side and slid down to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the outline of Tōdō's silhouette.

The man with the unforgettable smile took Yukio's movement and glower as an invitation to step out of the shadows. He still seemed as bright as ever, coyish and bold with not a care in the world. He was like an elementary school bully, the kind who never grew out of his bad habits and let the grown-ups blame it on the other grown-ups. He fed poison to the koi fish in the pond and got off Scott free and was loved by all the wrong kinds of people. All those people; they fed the wrong aspirations, took advantage of a man who self-destructed. It was far too late for someone like Saburōta Tōdō.

But if there was one thing Yukio knew, it's that it wasn't too late for himself.

"I guess I'm not allowed even a bit of peace anymore, am I?" Yukio asked. His livid glare was cooler than ice; eyes narrow, sparks of arctic blue flying. A pulse, something sinister yet soothing, entered the open air. It was a presence that vibrated and thrummed, sheer and gelid like the oncoming of a Winter Storm but comforting like the promise of shelter though only to those the presence trusted. "I should've expected you would have followed us."

"Well, I can't just let you get away," Tōdō said. His signature simper was spread out across his cheeks and every fiber of Yukio's being wished he could smack it clean off. Like a bug with a tinny buzz flying close too close to his ears. "And now that I've come for you, I can't go back empty-handed. Think of Lucifer's disappointment in me." Tōdō's pout was about as effective as a trying to light a campfire with a pack of damp matches. No kindling, no sincerity or passion. Just the dulled embers of a demon's true nature.

"Then I guess I can do you a favor and make it so you won't have to go back empty-handed," Yukio said, sliding into an automatic, almost instinctive defensive position. "In fact, I'll burn you to ashes right here so you won't have to go back at all."

Tōdō threw his head back and howled. "You're still as hilarious as ever! I don't know what I'd do if your Awakening had made you a carbon copy of your brother. He's so boring."

"Excuse me," Rin said, gesturing frantically and with annoyance. "I'm right here you know!"

"Rin," Yukio called. "Go on ahead and meet with the others, tell them that we're safe."

"Wait," Rin replied, staring at his brother. Shock painted his face an unpretty picture of what Yukio was implying. "You want to fight him alone?" When Yukio didn't respond, Rin's anger welled up like water through a spring. "Absolutely not! We talked about this, damn you! No more doing things alone. We support each other."

"I know that," Yukio snapped. He glared at Tōdō, gritting his teeth behind his lips as the phoenix's smirk widened in smarmy bliss. "But this isn't just a physical battle, it never was. It's always been much more than that. This is my fight to finish."

Rin watched, waited, hoped with the deepest part of his core that Yukio was sincerely joking. But a part of his mind nagged him repeatedly, telling him that he knew all too well that Yukio was out for both blood and vengeance and it didn't take a genius to understand why. He released a deep sigh, despairing in the stupidity of his brother and jumping off of Kuro's back all the same.

"Fine," He said sharply, pointing an accusatory finger at Yukio. "But I'm leaving Kuro with you and when I reach the others, I'm sending back up. Whether you like it or not!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yukio answered.

Rin was almost pleasantly surprised by his brother's choice of words.

With newfound surety, he bounded to the top of a nearby building and away from the impending battle.

"It's awfully courteous of you to let me finish my conversation," Yukio said, blithe satire dripping off his words in bleak streams. "I didn't know you could be so polite."

"Well, it is a social construct." Tōdō shrugged. He didn't so much as pretend to be threatened by the sarcasm. "I may have been raised a dog but at least I'm a civil dog. You, on the other hand, sound like you could use a kindergarten lesson on manners."

Yukio rolled his eyes so far back it hurt. To rub salt in the wound, he couldn't even think of a clever enough come back.

Kuro, sensing Yukio's distress, hissed ferally in response to Tōdō's smugness, hairs raising with the sinister arch of his back.

"How dare you speak disrespectfully to Yukio?" He growled. His eyes dilated as they jumped to Yukio's tense form. "Come on, Yukio, we can take him!"

Tōdō allowed himself a taunting chortle. "Really? You're going to rely on that coward to protect you? How absurd."

"Hey! You take that back!"

"That's enough, Tōdō!" Yukio barked. "I wouldn't trivialize the either of us."

"No more talking then?" There was a pause. "Prepare yourself."

Yukio had seconds to clear the area when it exploded.

The roar of the both of the wind and the Blightseed harbored ill intent. Shiemi pushed her hair behind her ears, trying to clear away her pesky, obstructing bangs. Her eyes lingered on the black mass that continued to tear the academy apart.

"Rin... Yuki..." Shiemi was quiet as she spoke, almost inaudible. Her heart pounded against the walls of her throat, threatening to destroy the pulse of blood in her body. The rancid smell of rot and blood was thick in the air, making her crumble just that much more.

"Don't fall behind," Mayu called, snapping Shiemi out of her wistful, regretful trance. "We need to take shelter."

All of Shiemi's nerves prickled unpleasantly at the sound of her mother's voice, which stuck into her like the stubbornness of pins and needles.

"No, I need to be fighting." Her words fell soft, practically dying on her lips in a timid mumble. Shiemi was sick of this shy, undetermined self whose fire was always doused by the thinnest sprays of water. She was confident not that long ago, where did all her motivation go?

Mayu merely scoffed. "You know I can't understand you when you mumble, speak up-"

"I should be down there, fighting!" Shiemi exclaimed. A surge of her lost courage sped through her veins like a shot of fire eating away at her fibers. Her face twisted into an angry scowl, refusing eye contact with her mother. This is me, she seemed to say. I am brave, there is a lion within me.

"Shiemi, it's dangerous," Mayu stated firmly.

"You think I don't know that?!" Shiemi shouted, whipping back around to face her mother. The darkness of her eyes was alight with red embers and for a moment, Mayu thought to flinch. The sheer ferocity in Shiemi's voice was enough to subdue any large beast. "I'm well aware that exorcism is dangerous. I want to fight anyway!" She pulled her bangs up to reveal the glowing dot of the Earthen Witch's Blessing. "Lilith chose me to help defeat the Blightseed. She gave me the power to do it and I want to use that power to protect people!"

She exhaled, breath hot and twisting as though she were channeling all of Assiah's life through her. "Nii, I need some vines!"

Shiemi stepped up to the plate, it was her turn. She balanced on the stone railing of the bridge between the academy and the supply shop. Nii squeaked from his spot on her shoulder and produced a heap of vines that rolled and fell down the side of the bridge in lingering, intertwined cords.

"Shiemi, what are you-"

"Mom, I really love you and care about you. You should get inside and wait this out."

Before Mayu could respond, Shiemi sprung from the railing, hanging onto the many vines as she fell. The wind whipped around her and whistled in her ears, singing a song of courage to her. She dug her heels into the side of the brick support and leaped into a spinning repel as she had been taught in her physicals. A large bloom opened and caught her on the ground, where she bounced off of it and hit the asphalt running.

She resigned from the supply shop, effective immediately.

Back on the height of the bridge, Mayu grimaced and clasped her hands.

"Stupid girl, be safe."

A curse was on the tip of Suguro's tongue as the Blightseed destructed another part of the academy. Bit by bit, it was beginning to look more like a mountain of rubble than a prestigious school. A moron with a half a brain could figure out that maybe this was a cause for concern. Suguro was supposed to have a theology elective next semester and if this hulking, heartless monster prevented that from happening, he was going to be pissed.

"Dammit, there's no end to this."

"I'll have to stumble across its Fatal Verse eventually," Konekomaru said hopefully. His mouth had repeatedly spouted words upon words in hopes that something would damage the Blightseed's impenetrable husk. "Please, keep it distracted a little bit longer."

Suguro wanted to believe that this thing could be damaged by words. But the longer this went on, the more doubt began to seep into mind. Doubt and frustration and anger and fear. Mephisto had selected them to go up against the Blightseed, so that meant he believed they were strong enough to defeat it. That or he was taking as much of a massive gamble as everyone else was and praying to whatever God would actually hear a demon like him.

If they'd had the Okumura Twins with them, this might be so much easier.

"SUGUROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Oh, my god." Suguro felt both a mix between awe-inspired fear and excitement set up their foundations in him. He turned towards the source of the wild call. "That better be who I think it is." He had the better part of two seconds to register Rin practically flying through the air and making a crash landing right on top of him. They rolled backward in a glorious clusterfuck of limbs and bodies with Rin coming out on top.

"Okumura!"

"Hi," Rin greeted eagerly, tail flicking back in forth in mischievous joy.

"Nice of you to join us," Suguro said, staring up at Rin's grinning face. "Now, get off me." He shoved Rin up and off him with a hearty huff and the half-demon flopped unceremoniously on the ground, almost like a limp rag doll. If there was one thing Rin was good at, it was being absolutely dramatic at the worst of times.

The both of them scrambled to their feet, Rin brushing off nonexistent dust.

"Where's your brother?" Suguro asked.

Rin waved his hand around "Fighting that Toto guy or whatever his name was."

"What? Tōdō is here?"

"Yeah, and Yukio's got him on the ropes. He's alone though-"

Suguro hissed another annoyed and vulgar curse. "You gotta be kidding me." He dragged his hands down his face then faced the direction where a bunch of crackling, blue and red explosions flashed across the city skyline. He pointed at each of his comrades in following order: "Okumura, stay here and guard Koneko until he either comes up dry or with a Fatal Verse. Koneko, keep doing what you're doing. Shima, stop hiding behind the railing, I can see you, yanno."

Shima tensed at the call out and reluctantly slid out from his hiding spot, muttering a slew of ticked off swears.

"You're gonna go help Yukio?" Rin inquired, ignoring the presence of the elephant in the room for two minutes too long.

"I'm gonna go get a family familiar back," He corrected and bolted in the direction of the firefight.

Rin founds himself staring, though for no particular reason. He couldn't say why there was a fuzzy feeling inside him, though he suspected it had something to do with nostalgia.

"Ayaaa," Shima groaned. He sat on the fence guard, legs crossed and shrugging without a care in the world. One could say he was a bit exasperated if not more tired than usual. "He's always so serious."

"You... you actually came back?" Rin asked, eyes landing on Shima's nonchalant form. Somewhere, in the haze of his mind, he could hear Konekomaru chanting another fluid, quick-paced sutra―words cascading from his lips like a waterfall.

"Don't sound so surprised," Shima replied. He smirked something sinister like he knew something no one else knew. It grated on Rin's nerves worse than Yukio badgering him to do his homework. It was similar to the steel of a knife scraping against a shiny marble countertop but not quite too ardent. "Besides, I got this back for you." Shima continued. From a clip on his belt, he removed the long form of the Kurikara and waved it around in front of Rin teasingly.

"Give it here!" Rin demanded, voice rising an octave or two as he lunged for the katana.

Shima pulled it just barely out of range. The glare aimed at him was both sharp and hot enough to stab and singe his weakest point. "Don't fret, Okumura. I'll give it back. But on one condition."

Rin gritted his teeth. A headache was beginning to sear behind his right eye, embers were scorching frayed ends that slithered along his cheeks. Those same frayed ends attached his heart to a cinderblock that weighed down in the bubbling pits of his stomach. There it churned with desperation for his aegis and offense. Finally, he reached out submissively, asking nicely as Mephisto would have taught him to.

"Fine. What condition?"

The heat enveloped Yukio in a broiling hot grip and hurled him across the pavement. He hopped to his feet as fast as oncoming nausea would allow, head spinning and stomach churning.

Tōdō did not like to fight fairly. He was there to achieve victory in the name of the Illuminati only, which meant he would not be giving Yukio any leeway during this battle. It wasn't like the first few times Yukio had fought him, where Tōdō was merely out for a test drive, to taunt and tease, to break down his barriers and incite fear.

With one hand over his mouth and another hand held out in front of him, he summoned forth the willpower to fight back. Blue flames crackled and danced between his fingers. Just as quick as he willed them into existence, they exploded and knocked him down. Tōdō tsked disapprovingly.

"Awwww, is that all you've got, Okumura?" He feigned a whine and pouted. "I was hoping for a challenge."

Yukio snarled menacingly, jutting his hands out again to bring the flames forward. Tōdō only cackled as Yukio knocked himself back several feet, hands flying up to his eyes as a cold sting began to take over. When he tired of laughing, he stood and smiled. "My turn."

Kuro reacted to the danger first, nabbing Yukio and bounding as far away as possible before the fireball could collide with the either of them. It must have been the size of a basketball but left a crater nearly three times that size as it crashed into the ground. A barrage of other attacks followed it, leaving flaming scorch marks in their wake.

Just as Yukio was scrambling to get out of Kuro's hold, another fireball the size of an apple came flying right for him and smacked into his thigh.

He cried out, falling to the ground as fire rocketed through the muscles in his upper legs. His brain screamed at him to move, he barely managed, dashing into a nearby alleyway and out of sight with Kuro playing puppy guard right behind him.

Tōdō followed, only slightly deterred by Kuro's attempts when the massive Cat Sith swatted at him and vanished along with his master's brother. He veered around a corner, looking at the possible three other ways Yukio could have gone only to spot no sign of either him or Kuro. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Oh, you can't really be doing this, Okumura. We're not playing hide and seek." Tōdō picked a direction and began walking, singing as he went. "Come out, come out, wherever you are~"

Yukio leaning against the wall of one of the alleyways and slid to the ground, hyperventilating. As far as he could tell, despite the pain throbbing behind his eyes, he was behind the local flower shop. Where one of those were, there had to be facet near the back to connect to a hose. Since he happened to be lucky enough, he could just make out the blurry outline for one. His fingers shook as he twisted it on, letting the cold water splash against his wound. The burning became stinging and he hissed, slapping a hand over his thigh. The skin was already smoothing out into a scar and the remnants of pain faded.

Still, panic continued to buzz over his skin, raise hair and goosebumps, and Satan himself was still trying to claw his way out of Yukio's eye sockets. The devil's laughter roared louder than the blood in his ears. Everything else just hurt.

'Dammit,' Yukio whimpered and leaned forward, trying to ebb the migraine behind his eyes away. 'Dammit. Why am I so weak?

"Yukio, are you okay?" Kuro asked. His large frame seemed to just barely fit between the walls. He nuzzled Yukio chest's a bit, purring the anxiety into something minimal and allowing the boy to fall into his side seeking comfort.

"It hurts," He sobbed, suppressing his urge to cry. He wanted to so badly. His head ached so much it felt like it was going to explode. "It hurts, so bad. I'm out of control. Whenever I try to summon the flames, they just blow up in my face. Like everything else."

"Yukio..."

He counted to three, exhaled, and swore to move on. He still had a mother fucker to prove wrong and he wouldn't be able to do so if he stayed here.

"I'm okay," He promised aloud. A promise to himself, to the world. Dare he admit the truth? Would it be better for him? "I'm just a little winded... and absolutely terrified."

Kuro purred more, Yukio felt his blood pressure lower and his stress melt away. Had he known Kuro was such an excellent, poised familiar and would have worked wonders on his anxiety, he would have snatched the Cat Sith for himself months ago.

"You know, Rin once said that fear is just the body's reaction to something really exciting happening," Kuro said off-topically.

Yukio snorted. That was so juvenile and stupid. Only Rin could say something like that and still be right. He pulled his face out of Kuro's side, eyes screwed shut while his mind raced at incomprehensible speeds.

He knew his surroundings and knew them well, he made it his job to familiarize himself with the area should he be called to a place on short notice. He had passed by this flower shop enough times to know that there were decorative festival flags out front to ring in the holidays, such as New Years. He ran his hand along the wall, feeling for the side and the front, stumbling as felt for one of the many poles and had it graciously smack his face.

Kuro watched on in amused curiosity.

"Yukio, what are you doing?"

"Sight has never been one of my strengths," He said, getting a feel for the fabric. He reached up and pulled the flag down, eliciting a vicious ripping noise from it. With his sight blurry and watery, he did his best to construct a blindfold from it. The knot tugged at his hair but it'd have to do. "If I can fight with impaired vision, then maybe I can learn to fight blind."

Adaptability was key, here. It was the nature of humans.

"Found you~"

He heard the voice and felt the heat long before the smell of ash hit his nose. He jumped out of the way, rolling as the fire took over where he presumed he was just standing.

"Blindfolded?" Tōdō teased. He was up above, perhaps on a roof or a telephone pole, somewhere Yukio could hear him and have a good shot. "Either you're underestimating me or you're overestimating yourself. Both can be detrimental mistakes, Okumura~ Shame on you."

"I'm not over or underestimating anyone," Yukio snapped. "Although I suppose you wouldn't be above fighting a blind man."

There was no response this time, just the sound of boots hitting the cement and more heat. Kuro screeched for him to move out of the way when a fist connected with Yukio's jaw. He blanched for all of a split second before attempting to return the favor and promptly missing.

"Ooh, very graceful," Tōdō commented.

Yukio lashed out, hoping he'd hit something, preferably Tōdō's face. But he was met with no success. In hindsight, maybe blindfolding himself wasn't the best idea ever. But fighting with Satan in his eyes was the other, far more unpleasant alternative.

There was an exchange of blows, Yukio was sure he at least managed to scratch at Tōdō's face at least once after getting nearly getting choked out. He went for a sweep kick but Tōdō was light on his feet and beat Yukio to the punch. Yukio flared up, encasing his entire body in a blanket of blue flames and launching them at wherever Tōdō's laughter led him.

'My hatred for him knows no bounds,' Yukio growled. His heart pounded and his lips tasted of metal. His veins were alight and flames burned with unmatched ferocity. 'I will kill him.'

Tōdō captured Yukio's fist mid-strike. He couldn't see it but Yukio knew Tōdō was grinning from ear to ear. "Your fear is delicious."

Yukio was on the ground now with a boot on his chest and his lungs vacant of breath. Somewhere in the depths of his head, fear did begin to take over—it was still a good acquaintance Yukio had known for many years and it usually brought memories from his childhood. Although, quite unusually, for the first time, memories that weren't his; words and phrases being spoken by people he knew and cared about but didn't remember hearing.

"Ugh, yer problem is yer thinking of it as a big explosion. Don't think ba-boom! Ya just need a small amount. Poof!"

"Poof poofity poof, whatever,"

There was no doubt in Yukio's mind—he knew exactly who those people were. His subconscious was reaching out for help and they were showing him exactly what to do.

He inhaled, lifting a hand and then an arm to point an accusing finger at a crowing Tōdō. 'Poof! That's all you need!'

A sharp crack pierced the air, Tōdō ceased laughing and reached up to feel the side of his face. A cauterized wound was exactly where Yukio had been aiming, about as wide as a pencil and running from his cheekbone to his now notched ear. The tip of Yukio's finger had a blue flame dance on it for a second, them smolder and extinguish.

Tōdō rolled his head and groaned, waiting for the annoyance of an injury to heal. When it didn't, he brought his entire arm back and lit it up with his own angry flames.

He was by no means pissed off but that whole thing plucked a string it shouldn't have. He figured Yukio should have a matching scar.

"Time for a little recompense,"

Shura fought her way through the evacuating crowd, weaving between flailing arms and warm bodies until she managed to squeeze out into the open. Her body slammed against the railing as the Blightseed roared.

"Angel, I'm at the scene. It looks like Doomsday had a baby with Orga and Kabuto. And it is the ugliest thing I have ever seen."

A/N:

Hails:

I am so sorry this took so long! Action scenes are not my forte and all of July and August have been a royal pain in my neck. However, I have finished writing the epilogue. Which means all that's left after this is chapter 17 and said epilogue. Hopefully, I can get 17 written in a few weeks and be done with this story by early September then post the epilogue a week later.

Somethings:

Orga
Orga is an alien from the 1999 film: Godzilla 2000. It was a kind of spaceship that went around Japan and sapped as much information from the human race as it could before it turned into Orga, a kinda hunch-back creature with what I would describe turtle skull and beady eyes. I don't remember what happened at the end of the movie but I'm sure one of you will figure that out.

Kabuto
This is a fossil pokemon that one can revive as early as the first generation. It starts out what is known as the Dome Fossil and then you can get it revived in game to become the Ancient Pokemon: Kabuto. It kinda looks like a horseshoe crab. If trained and battled with enough, it'll evolve into Kabutops, which kinda has more of a praying mantis look to it. You'll either just have to look this up or take my word for it.

The Blightseed Appearance-Wise
I tried to use Shura's last line there to give everyone a better idea of what the Blightseed looked like. Its build is very similar to Orga, a lot of its color looks more like Kabuto (especially it's red eyes), and it has the arms of Kaubtops. It hides it's head underneath his shell and doesn't expose it until it absolutely needs to if you weren't paying attention last chapter.