I have no worthy excuse and I'm so so sorry for taking this long and uploading this sorry excuse for a chapter :( this is actually only half of the first chapter but I'm not gunna have much time to myself for the next 2 weeks and after having this beta'd I thought better upload something while I have a little time.

An honelstly heartfelt thank you to everyone for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing, this has gotten me through some rough crap over the past few weeks but It's not something I want to post on here.

Massive massive shout out to Kanade Night who beta'd for me (if you notice anymore mistakes I did have to change some things around because of my mess up haha) and gave me a big boost of encouragement that I needed to finish atleast this update :)

All movement round the small gathering the center of the chaos seized, the courtyard was eerily silent. Even the wind seemed to stop in its tracks. At least, that's what it felt like to Yukio. He ran for what felt like hours and a second at once until his arms found his brother moments before he collapsed. He lowered him slowly to the ground, clutching him to his chest and just stayed there, staring down at his twin whose eyes had already fluttered closed. He rocked back and forth, cradling his younger brother. a stream of unintelligible words falling from his lips.

"p-please..." he stammered, throat choking up and his eyes burning. Rin's eyes fluttered open and found his younger brother's and Yukio felt something tug on his jacket. Seeing Rin's hand grasping his coat he looked at the elder curiously. Rin gave him a faint but determined frown, his lip twitching slightly like he wanted to say something and Yukio leaned down, realizing what he wanted and swallowed tightly.

"I'm...s-orry Y-Yuk-ki..." Yukio gripped Rin closer to his chest as if clinging to his life as he felt it leaving his body. All he could do was cry out his name as he faded away, he lowered the bluenette and took in his face. There was a small smile curling his lips and looked peaceful despite the smears of blood and filth all over him and blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth. For some reason, the sight of it frustrated him and he tried to clean it off with his sleeve, but only managed to smear it more. Hopelessness gripped him like an ice cold veil and all emotion left him. Something exploded a few feet away from him and when he lifted his head, he saw the deranged, infuriated face of Voldemort. He slowly dragged himself across the floor with one arm while the other pointed in his direction. His mouth moved like he was trying to say something, but Yukio couldn't hear it over the raging battle that had seemingly just erupted around them. He gently allowed Rin to lay down without tearing his eyes away from his brothers was the one who started this. He was the one who should pay with his life.

He stood up slowly, stepped over his twin and paced towards the dark wizard. When he reached him, the dying man raised his wand with a twisted smile on his face. Yukio let his flames rage around him intimidatingly and easily kicked the wand out of his gnarled hand. The freaks face twisted in rage and Yukio lifted his foot, wanting to watch as he crushed the man's skull. He allowed the image of the man's expression turning to horror as he brought his foot down, but instead of the collision and sickening sound he anticipated, Voldemort's entire form disintegrated into dust and rags, creating a cloud around him. He watched, mind numb to the strange sight as he watched the fragments of what was supposedly the greatest dark wizard of all time dance in the light breeze, erased permanently from Assiah. He absently watched witches around him fighting, not even phased when misfired spells hit him from different angles. He searched through the crowd that was littered with the exorcists summons as they tore the remaining deatheaters apart. When the last one fell, there was a moment of silence before everyone erupted into cheers and applause. Their battle was over; they had won.

At the cost of Rin's life. Yukio scanned the floor for his discarded pistols.

Hermione found it hard not to join in the celebration at their long awaited victory. (The following sentence is a huge run-on) She found Harry and Ron and immediately jogged to them and being pulled into a bear hug when she came within arms reach and suddenly she was surrounded by people, everyone around them tackling them to bask in their victory. Through the wall of bodies around her she caught sight of Rin's brother and her smile faded. What could he need his guns for now? she thought. She broke away from the crowd-hug and quickly scanned the area, looking for a threat and finding none. She looked back at the brunette and gasped. Yukio had retrieved his guns and was running towards the crowd. His eyes seemed to be fixated on Harry, murderous intent mixed in with the grief on his face. Realizing exactly what he was thinking, she broke into a sprint, grasping for her wand.

"WAIT!" She screamed, as she shoved her way between Yukio and her oldest friends. Yukio didn't so much as glance at her. With unnatural speed and strength, he came face to face with her and shoved her out of the way with as much effort as swatting a fly. She skidded several feet across the floor with a grunt and saw the brunette pointed the barrel of his gun between Harry's shocked eyes.

"YOU! WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?! He killed you once before didn't he? WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" Yukio's lips twisted into a snarl, fangs bared as tears rolled down his cheeks. Harry stared down the barrel of the contraption completely shell shocked, to stricken to speak. Hermione lifted her wand to create a barrier, but the incantation eluded her. Her lips quivered, but she was incapable of forming the words. "This is your fault! YOU dragged him into this! He wouldn't have even been here if it weren't for you! If you had just died then Ri-...R-Rin would.." his words trailed off as he choked up and his arm dropped a few inches. Seeing his moment of weakness, Shura and the blond exorcist in white were at his shoulders in no time. The blond male knocked the gun out of his shaking hand and twisted his arm around his back as Shura did the same. Yukio struggled against them but his legs seemed to give and he fell to his knees, head hanging and violent sobs racking his form as he whispered 'it's your fault' over and over. Hermione scrambled to her feet and quickly slid to Harry's side, seeing the distraught in his face and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as she covered her face with her other hand as if to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered at the hysterical twin. He made to move as if to reach out to the distraught half demon, but he seemed to change his mind and backed away. Hermione let her hand fall to her side as Harry turned and headed towards the castle, probably so the half demon could have some privacy. The rest of the Hogwarts teachers and students bowed their heads respectfully before following suit and Hermione reluctantly moved herself, not wanting to watch as the student exorcists moved to join their friend who struggled out of his superiors grasp and staggered towards the lifeless form while casting looks of what was probably pure loathing at the 'Heroines' of the wizarding world.

Sheiemi came to a stand still, dropped to her knees at Rin's side and bit her lip, trying to control all the rage and sorrow that made her want to scream until her throat gave out. Her hand found his hand and ever so gently rested hers on it, shuddering at how cool it felt. A hand clasped her shoulder and gave her a gentle tug.

"We have an infirmary inside the castle and a more appropriate place to lay him until proper arrangements can be made. Also one of your friends is injured. We already took her to the castle." She didn't recognise the voice, possibly a witch, but looked around in confusion, finding a kind faced woman in a matrons outfit. Shiemi forced a watery smile and stood up. Wait, who had been injured? She looked around and found everyone apart from Izumo. She finally looked around at Yukio who knelt on Rin's other side just staring emptily down at the bluenette, oblivious to Konekomaru and Shima who stood at his sides with their hands together in silent prayer, oblivious to anything and everything around him. A much larger hand fell on her shoulder this time and gave her a gentle shake.

"Come on, we should probably move him." Sugaru's voice was low but shaken. She nodded slowly, averting everyone's eyes, especially Yukio's, and allowed herself to be maneuvered a few paces back, Shura and Arthur doing the same to Yukio while the castle's matron waved her wand and Rin floated into the air at the command of her wand. She guided him to the castle's doors with the exorcists falling into line like a messy funeral march. The walk seemed to take forever. Shiemi was never entirely sure that this was all real and could only weep. Someone came over to them while Rin was laid with the others who had lost their life in this war but she couldn't make much more sense of their words other than 'Fox summoner' and 'stable condition'. Finding the will to fill in the gaps she took a slow breath, relieved to find that Izumo was alive. She wanted to go and see her but she couldn't find the will to leave Yukio's side as he grieved for his, their, loss. Unable to contain herself anymore she let the tears that had been threterning to fall overflow, her thoughts coming out under her breath without her permission.

''I-it's ok to cry now isn't it? I'm not w-weak if I-i c-cry now."

Sometime later, Shura strollem n-not weak I-if the castle halls looking for the kitchen. She needed alcohol and she needed it now. Shura didn't know how many hours it had been since they had laid Rin with the other deceased in the grand hall and were patched up by Madam Pomfrey, but she had spent the last few hours making sure Yukio didn't try to shoot anybody. She dIdn't want to have to think about Rin's death and the students and teachers weren't providing her with a good enough distraction. Eventually, she found the kitchen and was happily brought a sizable bottle of good old fashioned muggle brew, which she gratefully accepted, and waved the bustling house elves goodbye. She pulled the cork out of the green bottle with her teeth and allowed its content to flood her mouth. She sighed happily when she stopped for breath and took her time making her way back to the great hall, calming down a notch as a numbing buzz swept over her. 'Good stuff,' she couldn't help but think as she took another swig.

Much quicker than she would have liked, she was back at the side entrance of the half demolished great hall. The post-exwires were talking too Lupin and McGonagall while Yukio sat nearby the make-shift morgue, snarling at anyone who attempted to talk to him. Shura frowned as she spotted a certain brunette, redhead, and bespectacled boy edging towards them. She immediately sped towards them, not trusting the chicken to lose it and get little slashy-bitey.

"Not now, please not now.' She begged internally. She managed to get in between the two groups of teens, glad Yukio hadn't seemed to notice them approaching. She stood in front of Harry who had a nervous but determined look on his face as he shuffled uncomfortably.

"I know it's not your fault but give him time, he just lost his brother." She said in a stern voice but low tone. Blackette opened his mouth as if to protest, but she shook her head.

"Rin's always been as stubborn as a mule and he knows that; it wasn't your fault." She said again with a slightly tipsy smile. He reluctantly closed his mouth and nodded and cast a sorrowful glance at the temp morgue. Something must have caught his eye, as his eyes widened and he froze. Immediately thinking it was a stray demon or last standing deatheater, she whirled around, muttering the release mantra for her sword, but couldn't see whatever it was that Harry saw. She squinted her eyes trying to find the source of alarm but only saw corpses and their families around them. Lowering her hand and breaking off the chant, she began to ask what Harry saw when she saw something rustle between the bodies.A goblin maybe? Suddenly infuriated by the blatant disrespect, she marched towards the 'morgue' and stopped in her tracks as she came to the top of the few stairs separating this area from the rest of the great hall. Something had indeed moved and it moved again, so subtle it was easily missable, but it was movement. Startling everyone around her, she turned around and shouted over the hum of chatter.

"YOU BETTER GET HERE CHICKEN!"

Yukio felt his mind slam back down to earth and he fell off his make-shift seat of bricks. He wheeled around and caught Shura's eye, her expression bewildered as she stared towards somewhere out of his line of vision. He scrambled to his feet and joined her side, wishing she would just leave him too morn. He was about to ask 'what?', trying to find what she was looking at and suddenly he was running, his mind reeling as he sprinted to the source of the slightest movement. A millisecond later he was kneeling over Rin, his hands on the smaller's, silently begging him to show him a sign that he hadn't lost his mind, that he wasn't just imagining things.

"R-Rin? P-please answer m-me," he stumbled over his own words so badly even he had trouble understanding them as they tumbled from his lips. 'He moved, I know he moved.' He gave the smaller another gentle shake and his elder twin's lips parted a slit, the younger's supernatural hearing picked up on the faintest of groans. Yukio's breath caught in his throat and he put his ear to Rin's chest. Holding his breath, Yukio blocked out the sounds of approaching footsteps, the worried calls of his name and focused all of his senses on the tiny sound.

-thump...Th-thump...

The sound was so faint that Yukio thought he had imagined it, his overtaxed nerves and mind letting him hear what it wanted so desperately to hear. He kept listening, terrified the sound might stop at any moment before straightening up and shouting at the top of his lungs,

"I NEED HELP!"

Hermione was in a state of shock. Yukio had frightened the life out of her when he shouted without warning and a moment later she was staring, stock still, watching as matrons and the other exorcists lifted Rin onto a stretcher. Did she dare to hope? Surely they wouldn't make such a fuss for nothing? She suddenly found her legs and sprinted until she was walking along side the stretcher behind Yukio whose eyes were fixated on the bluenette. Her breath caught in her throat when she noticed the faintest rise and fall of his chest and his brows furrowing as if in pain. With a shaky gasp she jogged to meet Ron and Harry who had started after her and she hugged them excitedly.

"R-Rin's alive."

So yay mwahahah. Did you really think I would kill Rin? OF COURSE NOT! HHe's too damn kawaii to kill XD...even though I have done it in other fics haha. So anyways, next chapter will be up within a few weeks. Got piles of stuff to do over the next week and somehow gotta fit that around work T.T

thanks again for all your reviews from old readers and new, hope you enjoyed this chapter, next one will be better I promise!

I'm not even gunna ask for reviews with this chapter it's so pathetic and I certainly don't deserve them :( (shock horror!)

Much love xxx aneki xxx