A/N: A little early this week because tomorrow is going to be crazy busy for me and I didn't want to make you guys wait till after 8 US CT. Enjoy!

"Dr...Thompson?" Yukio's stunned voice is hardly above a whisper but being in the crater and everyone else too stunned to speak the sound is amplified.

"In the flesh." The doctor pulls a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in his white coat. He gives an almost lazy flick of of his wrist causing one to pop out. "Though honestly, ya can't be that surprised, right?" The last part is mumbled around the cancer stick.

Everyone is silent. No one even moves. I'm still sprawled out on my stomach and Konekomaru hasn't moved a muscle from my back, arms staying tight around my neck. I can feel the rapid expansion and contraction of his chest from his heavy breathing. Suguro hasn't even moved to tend to his wounded hands. He's still frozen on his knees with his palms facing upward. I can see streams of blood running down his wrist and saturating the cuffs of his hoodie out of my periphere. I can see Yukio still standing with Sheimi in his arms too. His expression is complete shock, eyes locked on Dr Thompson up on the rim. Sheimi has an arm around his shoulders and one fisted to her heart. They both look fine and I'm grateful for that, but I can't see the others and it makes me nervous. The ash has finally settled from our impact leaving us covered in a fine layer of gray. I can feel it clinging to every part of my exposed skin and I'm trying really hard not to imagine what went into making it.

Dr Thompson clicks a lighter shut and pauses mid drag, the cherry ember dimming. "Hm?" His eyes widen and he leans back, laughing near hysterically with clouds of smoke escaping from his mouth. "Ya-ya seriously thought I was treating ya back at the hospital?!" He manages through his laughter.

A few of the Meisters even let out a few giggles.

I have never been so confused in my life.

Dr Thompson's laughter eases and he wipes a few tears of mirth from his eyes using the pad of his thumb. "And 'ere I thought the lot of ya were smart. Aren't two of ya some of the highest scoring students in The Cram School's history?" I can see Yukio and Suguro tense out of the corner of my eye. The doctor takes another long drag from his cigarette, though this time he has large cheshire cat smirk around it.

"Answer this for me lads: why the hell would The Vatican go through the trouble of getting a specialty doctor for ya, one all the way from The Land Down Under even, if they're just gonna kill ya?"

Yukio's shoulders drop suddenly and Sheimi gives a little squeak of surprise. I can see the gears moving in his mind as he thinks this through, but I already know the main thing he's doing is beating himself up for not coming up with this possibly happening on his own.

I know I'm not the smartest when it comes to book stuff and school. I'm leagues away from my twin and Suguro, miles from the others. I am street smart though and I can read people. Hearing that Dr Thompson was never there to treat me I know we missed a huge detail that could have helped us. He's absolutely right, why would they bother to treat me if they planned on executing me?

Suddenly there's the crack of a gunshot.

I can feel everyone jump at the sound, Konekomaru squeezes his arms uncomfortably tight around my neck. I immediately strain my senses to figure out who was shot. My weakly enhanced sense of smell doesn't pick up any more blood, just the slight copper tang from Suguro's hands. Nobody had cried out though and I don't hear any rapid breathing or someone falling either.

"Ah ah ah, don't even think 'bout it sheila, I saw that. Now ya've earned ur hands up behind ya head." Dr Thompson's taunting voice echoes down.

I hear Izumo mutter a soft 'damnit' before the sound of something fluttering down to the ground.

"That's right missy, we know ur a Tamer and so's blondie there." He seems to focus on Sheimi for a second and scoffs. "Though how she's a Tamer is beyond me. Anyhow, looks like you're the only two worth worrying about beyond the obvious. So we got a few guns just for both of ya."

Silence falls for just a few seconds but then Konekomaru speaks up from my back. "H-hey wait a second, how did you guys find us anyways?"

"Oh that was actually really easy." The doctor twirls the cigarette and blows smoke on the glowing embers. "See, it was clear that one sheila was on your side from the beginning. Forget 'er name but it's that one with red hair, bad attitude toward authority, and dresses like she's about to hit the beach."

Shura? He knew Shura was on our side?

"Anyhow, the witness statements from the rooftop with Ernst paint a pretty picture that she's chummy with the lot of ya, so I used 'er to my advantage. Suggested the lass be the one to do your interviews even. Figured it would build comradery or whatever since you all would eventually plot something. We knew ya wouldn't go in quietly once the order for execution was released, so we let you all escape."

I suck in a sharp breath. They let us escape? Did they really plan all of this?

"Oh don't look so surprised, it was for The Vatican's best interest anyways. Fleeing from punishment, it just makes you all look worse. Plus that takes any damages that inevitably happen away from their lovely buildings." He takes another long drag. "After you all fled we made a show of arresting that woman since we knew she was in kahoots with ya. Small public scuffle, dramatic reading of the charges, whole thing. We then locked her in a cell with a guard who 'fell asleep' reading a book. We knew she'd summon her familiar at her first chance to warn ya guys so we let her, best way to get you all out of hiding anyways. A page from the book, some dirt, a bit of blood, and she summoned that little naga just like we planned. We followed the beast and got an idea of where you all were, then called in the big guns. After that it was just a matter of herding ya like cattle to this place. Bit too easy if you ask me, ya could have put up a bit more of a fight or been less predictable. Though I do admit the train tickets and having the sheilas over there play a diversion was cute."

We played right into their hands. It really was too easy to escape the hospital, to get out here. We fell for it...

"Are you going to explain what's going to happen now or are you just going to stand up there and gloat about how your plan worked?" Suguro yells. He clinches his fists and I get a whiff of fresh blood.

"Oh fine, fine." He gestures to a few guys next to him and they nod. "First things first: the five of ya, get in a line facing us with your hands behind ur heads. You all are just under arrest, not slated for execution."

Nobody moves.

"Right then, hard way it is. Martin?"

There's another crack of a gunshot followed by the jingle of Shima's staff as it hits the ground. Again, I don't hear anyone cry out or smell fresh blood. It's another warning shot.

"The lot of ya seem to forget ya have a dozen guns trained on ya." Dr Thompson yells. "And though I ain't ordered to kill ya, I can wound ya for a lack of cooperation. Spectacled twin, slowly lower blondie there."

I turn and watch as Yukio slowly kneels then lowers the arm supporting her knees. Sheimi keeps the hand to her heart as she slowly stands up on her own. I can see her shivering, though I'm sure the cold is only part of it. She lists backwards as the weight of her backpack is shifted back to her from Yukio's arm. He slowly stands back up, hands held up to show his cooperation.

"That's more like it." Dr Thompson does a shooing motion with the hand holding his cigarette. A few bits of ash flutter down to join the layer coating everything. "Now back up missy, go on."

Sheimi looks back at Yukio, eyes wide and fearful. She mouths something to him but it takes me a second to realize it because the movement was so slight I thought I was seeing things. She keeps her eyes locked on him the whole time as she slowly walks backwards, Yukio's eyes following her as well. She moves out of my periphery and keeps going until I loud 'stop' echoes down the crater.

"Now you, pink haired one. Stand next to blondie." There's a pause where I hear Shima scooting back somewhere behind me. "And now you, punk."

"We have names ya know!" Suguro's angry voice cries out. He doesn't move to stand.

"And now ya have titles: Criminals to The Vatican, congrats. Now up and back."

Suguro looks over at me and I meet his brown eyes. His angry expression melts and I've never seen him look so open, so vulnerable. His piercings, his dyed hair, his perpetual grimace and hostile attitude, all of it melts away and I see Suguro. He's absolutely terrified but there's something else there, something I can't name. He opens his mouth to say something but there's a third crack of a gunshot causing him to flinch and glare up at Dr Thompson. There's a groove in the ash along his knee from the bullet.

"I said move it."

Suguro awkwardly moves to his feet from his knees without using his injured hands. He steps back like the others have. Now the only one left is Konekomaru on my back assuming they let Izumo stay where she was. When it comes to his turn there isn't any fuss, he just slowly gets up off my back though he does push his knee into the base of my back painfully.

"Alright, here's how this next part is going to work: the both of ya are going to toss ur weapons up to us. Guns first, unload them." Yukio starts to reach for his twin pistols when the doctor interjects with "Just remember, we have lots of guns pointed at you and your accomplices." Yukio grimaces but pulls out the pistols from the holster he attached over his jeans, holds them high, and with a click both their magazines clatter to the ground. He throws them up towards them but it's clear he still isn't used to his strength because both of them fly over their heads and land somewhere behind them.

Dr Thompson mutters "cute" before looking at me. "Now ur turn, the sword please."

The sword is still in it's red fabric clasped in my hands. It's awkward since I'm still splayed out on my stomach but I manage to chuck the thing towards them. It lands stuck upright in the ground only a foot away from the doctor. I hate giving away my weapon but I'm not about to give up hope with it. We'll come up with something, right?

Dr Thompson moves forward and yanks my sword out of the earth. He pulls the red fabric off it, grasps the hilt, and draws the weapon. A soft ring echoes about as the steel hums from being drawn out of it's sheath. I feel and hear the soft whoosh of mine and Yukio's slight transformation. Ears extend, fangs elongate, and our blue flames ignite, casting a soft glow in the crater.

The doctor examines the sword closely. "Interesting." He mutters when he looks towards the joint at the hilt. "Looks like it's already been broken once, mended well too. Such a shame to put hard work to waste. Though that does confirm one of my theories, makes things a lot easier too." He stabs the sword back into the ground and pitches the sheath and fabric somewhere behind him. "'ere's a little lesson for ya since I doubt they've gotten to teaching this. Though for you teacher, this will be review." The doctor flicks his still smoking cigarette to the side. "High level demons will almost always encase their demon hearts into a foreign object. Though heart is a bit of a misnomer, it's more like a core for a demon's power. Bit of a safety measure you see, because you can't exactly kill a high level demon without killing the demon heart. Sure they can get hurt badly, but not killed."

I really don't like where this is going.

"But when the object holding a demon heart is broken, it returns to them. Isn't that right Teacher?"

I look over at Yukio and see that his jaw is clenched and his raised hands have moved to fists. What does he know? How does this affect him?

"When Mephisto sealed away your demon blood in the sword, it wasn't just yours mate." He says to me. "Though he didn't know it, 'e sealed your brother's too." He pulls out another cigarette and lights it. Seriously? This guy is a doctor and he smokes like a chimney. I push that thought aside though as soon as I realize what he said.

"What a second, if that's true then why didn't he change when I drew the sword like I did?"

I hear a few of the guns shift in the hands of the Meisters.

"Oh lay off would ya? No need ta get trigger happy." He blows smoke towards some of them causing one to cough. "Anyhow, good question. It's something I had to investigate when I was first presented your file days ago because it didn't fit my theory. But then I was given your statement 'bout having started testing your blood after the incident Teach."

I look over at Yukio again. "You were testing your blood?! How fucking much did you know and keep from me?!" I yell at him. I know I should be more focused on that man preaching up on the rim but I can't help but feel the anger from back at the hospital resurface. Yukio had been keeping secrets from me. He hid what he had been doing with True Cross, with Ernst. I still don't know why exactly, but this? Hiding that he suspected being part demon like me? I can't even begin to explain the hurt and betrayal I feel. I lamented the loss of my human appearance to him. I confessed to him how alone I felt being like this. He watched as I struggled to gain some control of my powers. He fucking listened as I finally broke down after the others found out what I really was and rejected me.

And all this time he had suspected he was just like me? All those times when I needed my brother more than anything and he couldn't tell me that I wasn't really alone?

I feel an ugly snarl contort my features, baring my fangs to my twin. I don't even think about it, it's just instinctual. "What fucking kind of brother hides that shit?!"

"The kind that's scared!" Yukio whips around to face me, baring his own fangs. His hands are no longer raised, just clenched by his side. "I watched you lose control. I watched you struggle to control your powers. I watched you burn countless things to ash when you got frustrated. I watched as people rejected you. You know what I thought that whole time?!" His glare deepens with the pause. "That's going to be me! I'm going to face all of that but it's going to be even worse because I'm well known at True Cross! I'm a TEACHER! But most importantly, that I'm not as strong as YOU!" Yukio takes a step towards me. "Everything that happened to you, and yet you still carried on with a smile. You forgave people, you tried harder, you didn't give up. Well you know what Rin?!" He takes another step towards me. "I'M NOT AS STRONG AS YOU AND I NEVER WILL BE."

He's practically standing over me and I can feel his anger. I feel my body go on the defensive, snarl now audible and the fur on my tail standing on end.

"ENOUGH!" We both freeze and look back up towards the men on the rim. "As touching as this is, I'd like to move on now." He takes a drag of the cigarette for a dramatic pause. "Anyhow, back to the sword. My main theory lies with the fact that never have we seen an object containing two demon hearts. I believe that because you were the dominant twin, the one with a stronger demonic affiliation, your powers sort of overwhelmed your brothers causing them to only leak out when the sword was finally drawn. Fits right? Your statements included saying how your sense of smell started change and your hearing got better. Shame your eyes never did."

Yukio doesn't respond and the doctor seems to take the silence as affirmation.

"But then there was the incident where the sword cracked. Then it wasn't leak anymore, a small trickle, it became a gush. That's when ya started testing daily, ain't it? Ya noticed how things changed if you lost your temper, if ya got frustrated. Eventually you would have ended up like your brother, just not all at once. But thanks to your dear old dad, that process was accelerated."

"He's not our father!" We both cry out in tandem.

"Fine, fine." He waves a hand in a dismissing motion. "One who raised ya or not, his blood still runs through ya. And now I've got two to deal with."

"So how did you get involved in all of this?" Yukio asks in a tense voice.

"Easy, I'm the one sanctioned by The Vatican to research how to kill high level demons." He holds his arms in a dramatic gesture, like he's doing a grand reveal and he's some sort of celebrity. No one responds though. "Very well, not impressed? Doesn't matter, bottom line is that I'm the one who knows how ta kill ya, test results proved it."

"All those scans and tests at the hospital?"

"Exactly!" He points at me, clearly getting excited as he explains his 'research'. "All those things proved that both of ya don't have ur demon hearts. Which means that there's only one place they can be." He gestures to my sword. "With that explained, Martin?"

The blonde Meister he had addressed earlier picks up an object next to him and hands it to the doctor. It's a saw. The blade isn't that big, but it's clearly powerful with how much is housed in plastic behind it.

"Just a wee little thing but it's got a diamond edge, should get the job done." He flicks a switch and the saw screams to life. Its loud roaring echoes around us and I grit my teeth at the sound. As loud and awful as the sound is alone, it isn't anything compared to when it meets the shiny steel of my sword. It's ear splitting and I clamp my hands around my elongated ears, punishment be damned. No shots are fired, but it doesn't matter because I feel the second the steel starts to give way under the teeth of the saw. I know I'm screaming and I've shifted onto my side into a fetal position. I feel as though part of me is being ripped apart, some part I can't even identify. I can feel my human heart beating frantically in my chest, blood roaring in my ears, but there's another series of thumps. It's hard, heavy, but still just as desperate. I recognize the feeling when I was on the floor of the True Cross building, when Yukio gave me my repaired sword back.

I pry my eyes open and see my brother in just as much agony. He's collapsed onto his knees, hands over his own ears. He's hunched over and I notice his glasses have fallen off. They now lie in a halo thin glass beneath him. He's screaming too, tears running down his face from the pain.

I blink and my vision is blurred from my own tears of pain. I try to keep my eyes open though, focussed on my brother. I don't know how long it goes on but suddenly I realize our flames are pulsing with the beats I feel. The beats begin to pick up and so do the pulses of our flames until suddenly it all snaps. It happens all at once. The sound of steel being cut stops followed by the clatter of the hilt hitting the ground but the roar of the saw remains. The beats and flames give one final powerful burst and I feel like I'm punched in the stomach. All the air rushes out of me, leaving me gasping for air and a painful new ache pulsing in my gut. I'm just trying to breath when a manic voice echoes down to us.

"Confirmed! My theory confirmed! Look at that mates! Beautiful!"

I wheeze and look up at the man. He switches off the saw and tosses it to the side. It lands right next to the hilt of my broken sword. The large portion of the metal still stands proudly in the ground.

"Wha-" I stop to try and get more air into my lungs. "What did you do to us?"

"Just returned your hearts. Now we can actually kill ya." The doctor pulls his white coat aside revealing a small handgun strapped to his waist. He reaches for the weapon and pulls it out. "Thing is, still can't just kill ya like ya are now. No no, that would still be too easy for high level demons. Ya both need to have your demon blood and powers running at full steam. Ironic thing really, to be ur most powerful you're at your most vulnerable. Expose ur demon hearts and ya become something truly terrifying, but ya make the target obvious for killing ya."

"And exactly how are you going to force us to do that? It's not like we even know how to do that." I manage to snark.

"Ya don't seriously think I didn't plan that part out? What the hell do ya think I'm doing in The Outback because I certainly ain't there fuk'n spiders."

I seriously hope that's just an expression.

"This," he pauses for a second to open the magazine of his gun open. He slides out the top object and see that it's not actually a bullet. Instead, it looks like a tranquilizer dart. The glass tube has something in it and is capped with a fuzzy blue end. "This is what I've been working on mates." He rolls the thing between his fingers and holds it a little higher, admiring his work. "This 'ere little beauty is a bit of my own creation. Took years ta make though, bit of a shortage of high level demons to test it on. Still, it was well worth it." He slides the thing back into the magazine and pops it back into the gun.

"Thing is, we can force ya ta change." That cheshire cat smirk from earlier returns as he takes one last puff of his cigarette. "Funny thing adrenaline. That fight or flight response is mighty powerful when triggered because it's only triggered in a life or death situation. And thing is with adrenaline, we can make it." He clicks the safety off and points the gun at my brother. "And that's where instinct takes over. The body will do whatever is necessary in that situation to survive, and that includes letting your demon heart take over. And that's how we can kill ya."

This gunshot is the loudest of them all. I flinch violently at the sound but I manage to keep my eyes on Yukio. He jerks back a bit when the dart makes contact with his shoulder and then moves to look down at the thing. He looks up at me from it and I can see the second the drug takes effect. His eyes widen and I see his pupils dilate followed by his breathing rate increasing. I can see him trying to fight something but he loses right away. He grabs the top of his head where small twin flames burn and starts screaming. I watch in horror as the teeth in his mouth all become pointed like his fangs. They don't lengthen, but they all gain that distinct shape. Then his hands start to change. His claws grow longer, now unmistakably black talons. But the change doesn't stop there. Fur the same color as his hair and tail appears and creeps from the tips of his fingers to his elbow. The final thing that changes is two horns appear where the flames were. They sprout forth and follow his skull back behind his head before curling upwards slightly. They're black but grooved like a rams and in those grooves the same blue color of our flames bleeds out. His flames don't change, but they do seem to wrap around him more than simply come from him like before.

His screaming stops suddenly and turns into violent pants. His hands release their death grip on his new horns to fall with a heavy thump next to him. He slowly opens his eyes and I see that his once normal blue eyes are now feathered and rimmed with red.

"Your turn mate." Is the only warning I get before I feel the sting of the needle registers.

I feel the effects immediately and start screaming as my brother had, hands digging into my scalp as I feel my skin split to expose horns. I feel my body change just like my brother's had. My teeth change in my mouth, my claws become talons, fur bursts along my hands and forearms, and there's nothing I can do about it. I scream in pain as I feel the change shift with my heart racing to the point I fear it's going burst. My veins feel like they're on fire as whatever chemical was injected in me spreads, the heat is unbearable, but the worst feeling is in my head. I feel rational thought slowly get pulled away, replaced with something primal. It all gets stripped away, every last bit of my humanity. I feel it, I feel the primal, instinctual part of me roar to life and take over.

The change stops and I'm panting. Smells, so many smells. Men on the rim, all men. Brother, my brother in blood. His familiar smell washes over me and I look at him. Submissive, waiting for me to lead. Good brother.

Revenge. Want revenge, want freedom. A voice in the back of my head whispers protect. Protect? I look behind me and see five pairs of eyes looking back at me. All scared. Yes, protect.

Crack. Gun, gunshot. Scream, blood smell. Blood from biggest human. His hands move to cover his side and there's blood, lots of blood. Other humans scream.

Kill. Revenge.

I jump up, high, high towards the moon. More screams, more gunfire. No, no hurt me. I spin with my flames intensifying around me. Bright, beautiful. Bullets scream around me, a few graze my skin and burn, but none hurt, none kill.

I move quickly down the line, guns fly out of grasps and are either crushed in my hands or fly far away. Blood flies with them, I don't care how, I just focus on the weapons.

A human charges at me with a broad sword. Stupid. I move out of the way in a blur before he hits me and grab the hands holding the hilt. I crush the bones, the sick crunch makes me smile and I look the pathetic man right in the eye. I see the pain, the fear, and it's delicious. I raise my hand, razor sharp talons glinting in the moonlight. In a flash I drag them down the man's stomach. He screams in pain. I drop his hands and he falls to his knees, blade falling beside him. He stares in horror at the pink ropes of intestine hanging out of him. Hours. It'll take hours for him to die. All should suffer for what they have done.

I spare a glance to my brother and see gore dripping from his chin. A twisted smirk plays across his face as he holds a limp body in front of him, blood still flowing from the cut across the human's neck. I hear the click of the safety on a gun being turned off and I move. The hand falls to the ground, still holding the gun. The man screams in horror at the stump.

Die. All of you. Die.

They all fall, one by one by our hands. Blood shimmers black beneath the cold moonlight on the scorched earth like a painting, death and the metallic tang of blood perfumes the air, screams of agony are music, our flames dance alongside us casting a soft blue light, beautiful. It's all beautiful. Swords, every type of gun, a few familiars, all of them fall by our hands as the minutes tick by.

I'm crouched over a human, hands around his throat when the substance disappears from my system. It's sudden, like a light switch, not like before where it slowly consumed me.

I blink the last bits of the haze from my eyes, feeling my senses dull which disorients me. The horns disappear, my talons turn back into claws, the fur disappears, but my ears and fangs stay elongated, my flames still dance around me. I look down at the human before me and see that he is dead, my hands still tight around his throat. I cry out and fling myself off of him. I can't catch myself though, my hand slips in a pool of blood and I crash awkwardly. I get up, slowly untangling myself from and I look in horror at what my brother and I did.

I can remember everything. Every bit of it. I can still feel skin ripping under my claws, warm blood splashing onto me, bones crushing under my grasp, I remember it all. But most of all, I remember enjoying it.

I hear violent retching and look over. I see my brother not too far from me. He's equally covered in blood and gore on his hands and knees. He retches again but only a small bit of bile comes up from his empty stomach.

I feel my own stomach clench, threatening to expel its meager contents but a sob wins out. I choke on it as I look around and see the horrors my brother and I rought. Blood, gore, pieces of people, bodies, it's too much. I cry out and let the anguish consume me. Screaming, sobbing, I stay in the midst of all I did as I fall apart.

"Rin?"

I whip around and see Suguro standing a few feet away from me. One hand is still clamped over his side and covered in blood, though none of it looks fresh, like it managed to stop. Other then that he just looks disheveled. Dirt and ash covers him head to toe, his clothes are slightly torn, but he looks ok.

"Su-Suguro?" I manage.

He reaches out with his free hand, pausing just beyond my blue flames. He reaches out a little more and nothing happens. His skin doesn't burn, there's no pain, no heat, the flames just bend around is outreached hand. After confirming that he won't get hurt he takes the two steps to reach me. He collapses in front of me and yanks me to him. I don't know what comes over me but I throw my arms around him, crushing myself into him. He shifts so his legs are crossed and pulls me closer into him. I sit in his lap and put my knees on either side of his hips. My tail wraps around his thigh too as I force myself to be as close as possible to him. I know I'm loudly wailing in his ear but he doesn't seem to care, the arm around my shoulders just pulls me closer and he buries his face into the junction of my neck and collar.

I don't know how long we stay like that but I open my eyes when I hear the crunch of footsteps approaching. It's Shima. There's a cut in the shoulder of his t-shirt exposing a still bleeding gouge. I take a second to look around and see my brother still on his hands and knees but Shiemi is there with a hand on his shoulder. Konekomaru is still struggling up the side of the rim and Izumo is standing a few feet away looking around with wide eyes. The rest of them all look fine, no injuries and I feel a wave of relief.

I catch sight of the man I disemboweled, now clearly dead from a blow to the head. His intestines are still hanging out around him but the side of his head is caved in and his wide sightless eyes are lifeless. Another violent sob catches in my throat and I hold tighter onto Suguro. He does the same.

"Hey Bon?" It's Shima's voice, soft as he moves around me. I feel Suguro look up from my shoulder at him. I hear dirt and rocks shift as he kneels down behind me. "Now I think we have to worry about PTSD."

A/N: Tah-dah? Please leave comments! Let me know what you guys think so far, what I should do differently, or if I made mistakes! Thank you :D