I am a trash baby who can't keep to an update schedule and struggles to stick to one fic at a time. But hey, I'm back with this chapter and hopefully you guys haven't been waiting too long for it!

The fun part about this update is that, while I had lost the whole chapter on my last laptop, it was still open on my old high school laptop and holy shit there's a lot of scenes I left out. But! I can still use them here! (thankgoodness) Some of it may seem a bit off, considering it had been written last year, and I've only edited some of the pre-written parts that were put in. I'm not sure if it'll be noticeable, but that's the short story behind any sudden and unexpected dips in quality between scenes.

Fair warning: Not only are some of the scenes from way back when, but I also binge wrote this over the course of less than a week (I've lost track, but I think as of today it's been three days?) - typically in the later hours of the night/early hours of the morning. For this, I apologise if phrases come out weird or words are misspelled despite how much I've proof-read everything.

Big thank you toooooo JDH1080, the four Guests, BlueSkYes. xx, otakuhelp, cait123, matoxrinsuperfan (guest), julie15sweet (guest) and blackrockshooter (guest). As usual, I really appreciate all your reviews, and I say a big welcome to the new readers I saw follow and favourite while I was away. Hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and future ones to come!

"Did we just lose it?" Rin demanded. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, the sweat from their run making the strands stick out in awkward directions. Mato had to hold back every urge to remind him to fix it. "Crap."

They'd been running for a full fifteen minutes, following the sound of sobs and wails that were obviously from a child. Every twist and turn made the cries fluctuate and in turn caused the two teens to run in opposite directions, until finally they'd come to a stop right where they'd started again. They could still hear the crying, but now they were more than certain that someone else would find the ghost. Knowing their luck, Mato thought, it would probably be Kagari and Izumo.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she reasoned. As much as it hurt to admit, they weren't going to get the job done in their state. Rin, with all his boundless energy and superhuman stamina, had to keep everything to a bare minimum for the very human, very exhausted, Mato. Her pride cracked every time she told herself she wasn't at her prime anymore, and boy was it close to shattering over this simple job.

"Well, I mean, yeah; but what if no one finds it and we were the only ones who even heard that crying?" He paused for a second, his point proven by a short, distant sob. "It's been, like, twenty minutes. If we don't find it, then I get the feeling no one else will even hear it."

He had a point. It was a bit of a stretch, but it was a point nevertheless. With how long the ghost had been crying, someone was bound to have found it in the time the duo had been running - and yet, here they were. The ghost was still crying, and there had been no sign of Yukio or anyone else in the area. They still had a chance.

"Alright," she wheezed. She pulled her hairband off of her wrist and pulled her hair out of her face, tying up as much hair as possible into a low ponytail. If she was going to start running again, she was going to do it without swallowing enough stray hair to hack up a hairball. "We keep looking, then."

Rin lit up like a light bulb with excitement. "Alright!" he cheered. Some of his enthusiasm snuck its way through to Mato's mind, tiptoeing the line from her subconsciousness to her consciousness, and immediately her spirits began to lift - her confidence shot higher than when they'd began, the belief that they could succeed before anyone else and prove that they were competent.

She dusted off her uniform and jogged in the direction of the crying, barely waiting for Rin to follow. He caught up without any effort and turned at a nearby ring toss alongside her; her heart beat wildly in her chest, her pulse hammering in her ears, and she was all too aware of Rin's presence beside her. This had never been the case in Otherworld, every sensation so new and foreign: Never had she known the feeling of a strong heartbeat, the power that the muscle threw against her rib cage as she ran and fought and held on to the real Mato's emotions; her head was always clear and without distraction, plenty of room for concentration without the constant thmp-thmp-thmp in her ears; more than anything, no one had ever been by her side with such dedication and excitement. There had been the fight against Chariot with Dead Master, but even then she had been more focused on herself than on her partner of the day. She had never sensed the other girl's presence when she wasn't looking to her immediate right or left - not like she was with Rin, right in the middle of Mephyland.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if he was aware of their distance and how closely they ran together.

The sobs were getting louder; maybe this time they were going in the right direction! Hope fluttered in her chest as they continued to follow the wails, the cries becoming louder and louder as they got closer and closer. This was it; they were finally finding their way to the ghost. She would finally be able to leave Mephyland and give herself a pat on the back for a job well done, and ideally come out of the mission with one of her weapons. There was just no way that their struggles and common goal, as well as the support and learning that'd transpired in this amusement park between her and Rin, wouldn't unlock even the smallest thing. Anything would be fine at this point - even if it was just her flame!

They skidded to a stop, Mato running into Rin's shoulder as they did, when they finally came to an opening. The area was filled with different machines, all of which she assumed were the carnival rides Rin had told her about that all amusement parks had; a wheel of horses, a stand of teacups, and various tents with different signs. So many colours and small lights, illuminated only by the sunlight coming from directly above. She wondered what the area would look like at night with all of the small lights lit up, but quickly pushed it aside when they heard a hiccup. It was close, directly in front of them, and it was only a matter of seconds before Rin spotted the source of the crying.

He jogged ahead to the carousel, waited patiently for Mato, and then pulled his phone from his pocket once his partner was close enough to make out the shape of the small ghost sitting atop a plastic horse. Frail and sad, a scared gaze trained on the duo as tears ran down the faded child's face; Mato was overcome with instant pity. So familiar was this gaze, but never before had it tore at her heart like the others. Not even Black Gold Saw's garden of Otherselves, all so scared and confused as Black Rock Shooter had destroyed everything in her wake. Not even the last survivor, whom she had offered a hand to and had ultimately eliminated, stirred this much emotion.

The human world with its human feelings was making her soft.

Rin finished up his call to Yukio, letting his twin know where they were, and hung up just as Mato started to take a step towards the ghost. "What're you doing?" he demanded. "It might not be safe."

Rin? Worried about safety? Rin? That was a first.

Well, actually, no; she had to admit that he was getting better at being conscious of hazards and remembering that Mato didn't have his demonic strength and power. Except for, of course, when he felt like being a heroic idiot. "He's scared," she chastised. To prove her point, the ghost hiccuped and sniffed worriedly.

"Fine," Rin huffed. "I guess we can try calm him down or something."

She glanced over her shoulder at him with a victorious grin, proud that he was seeing things her way for once without the need to kick him in the shin. Rin could only offer a red-faced pout, glaring at a stall to their right in order to avoid making eye contact with her. Mato sighed, displeased by the sudden feelings of embarrassment that passed through her, and turned back for the ghost with the kindest smile she could muster. It wasn't much - if anything, it was closer to the cold, emotionless stare she'd given the garden's survivor. The ghost sniffed again, still frightened. It was time to see if this would end differently.

Mato held out a hand to him, just a small distance away from his own, and blinked as she tried to find the right words to convince him to take it. "There's no need to cry," she said, doing her best to not sound completely monotonous. "We're here with you."

The little ghost stared down at her hand for a moment, hesitant to take it; Mato was more than certain that he would stay on the horse and refuse to take her hand, but she was soon proven wrong when he flew off of the saddle and right into her chest, tiny arms draped over her shoulders as he began to cry once more. Rin and Mato stared at each other in disbelief; she wasn't sure what to do except pat him on the back and awkwardly say, "There, there."

Finally realising that just maybe the most apathetic Otherself to arrive in Assiah since the beginning of Otherworld's crumbling wasn't fit for the job of comforting a child, Rin inched closer to the two and nervously cleared his throat. The little ghost stopped his sobbing for just a second, turning to see what Rin wanted as he wiped his face messily. "Are you okay?" Rin asked. His tone was just as awkward as Mato's had been. God, they really weren't the right people to handle upset children.

"I..." the ghost began. He cut himself off and floated away from Mato a little, just enough to address both of the ExWires. "I was really sick for a long time," he sniffed, "and mama and papa promised that if I got better, I could come to this amusement park." His face scrunched up as even more tears began to fall, his voice taking on a wavering, distraught tone. There was that pity again, Mato thought. "B-But I died. And now I c-can't play with anyone anymore!"

The pity in her chest grew at his sobs; suddenly she could relate to this child, even if just a little. Otherworld had been a lonely experience for her; before her desire to go out and kill had arrived, much like each and every other Otherself's, Mato's world had been empty. There had been worlds that held at least a dozen girls at a time, possibly more, and yet Black Rock Shooter's was empty - empty and devoid of activity, only her to prove it existed. Perhaps the boy's life, and even his death, was similar to Sky Gates.

She let out a breath and muttered, "You must've been lonely."

As soon as she and Rin glanced between each other, determined to make sure the ghost would no longer feel alone until Yukio arrived, Mato felt a gust of wind hit her like a bus. Goosebumps ran up her legs, stopping just at her knees - where her leggings ended - and behind her she could hear shrill, maniacal laughter. Rin stared at her, mouth agape and face redder than it had been before. Mato felt the heat rising to her own cheeks as it dawned on her what had happened; the ghost had dived between her legs and pushed her skirt up as high as he could as he passed through, cackling to himself as he called her a hag and told her to shut up.

That little twerp.

Before she could even begin to channel her rage, Rin beat her to the punchline and released the most inhuman shriek she'd ever heard from any human or demon. The shriek formed the sentence of, "You little shit!" and within seconds he was sprinting out of the area in pursuit of the pesky ghost. Mato could only stare in awe as he left her behind, still trying to process the past thirty seconds.

He hadn't realised that she didn't give chase behind him until he'd lost sight of the ghost, winding up in a whole new area they hadn't discovered prior. He came to a complete stop, catching his breath at a statue that bore Mephisto's appearance, and fished through his pockets for his phone again. The only option left after this horrendous fuck up was to call Yukio and let him know that the ghost wasn't at the carousel anymore. God, this was an embarrassment. They'd been doing so well, too! Rin was actually getting something done without having to hit it for once, and Mato was actually proud of their progress.

And then that little asshole had to blow up her skirt and ruin the moment. Rin had been absolutely mortified - sure, she'd been wearing tights underneath, but there was no doubt in his mind that Mato was a second of thought away from becoming a horrifying force of tranquil fury; and while he had felt embarrassed for her and became furious enough to chase the ghost in her defense, Rin had no doubt that she would've taken the beginning levels of her fury out on him.

He scanned through the address book in search of Yukio's number, shifting on his feet a few times as he did. The Kurikara was slung over his shoulder as he brought the phone to his ear, listening to the continuous ringing as he waited for Yukio to pick up, and then all of a sudden he could feel the weight of the sword being lifted and pulled from his grip. It was yanked away all at once, pulled towards the statue, and all Rin could do was drop his phone and let out a confused gasp. He whirled around to face the statue, half expecting to find the immature ghost to be possessing it and taking his stuff in an act of annoyance; instead, though, he was met with someone who was very much solid and very much alive.

"Holy crap!" Rin blurted out. The young man atop the statue simply stared down at him as he continued to lift the sword up to himself, clawed hand wrapped tight around the red sleeve holding the sword. Rin could feel a panic rise up in him; how had he let someone take the sword so easily? "Who the hell-? Give that back!"

The young man simply gave him an inquisitive hum. His bright blue eyes flickered between Rin and the Kurikara. "I'm Amaimon," he said casually, "the Prince of Demons." Amaimon reached for his mouth with his other hand, pulling a small remains of a lollipop from it - and with the action, Rin caught sight of his large, sharpened teeth. So he really was a demon. "I'm something similar to your older brother. Nice to meet you."

What.

His immediate reaction had been to question it mentally - this Amaimon looked nothing like Rin or Yukio! His hair was green and perfectly straight, save for the spike at the top of his head, and he was way paler than the brothers. The rationality that followed was the reminder that Amaimon had literally just introduced himself as the Prince of Demons, and the claws and teeth, let alone the ears, were evidence enough to support his claim; which meant they were related through one person and one person only. Satan. But what was a demon doing in Mephyland? Wasn't Mephyland one of the places that were set up with wards that confused demons, keeping them out? How did Amaimon get into Mephyland?

Amaimon seemed ignorant of Rin's confusion, brushing off the younger's shocked stare in favour of undoing the sleeve and pulling the Kurikara from it. Amaimon slung the sleeve over his shoulder, similar to how Rin had been wearing it moments earlier, and tucked it behind his long, tattered coat. "So this is the Koma sword?" he said to himself, again using that inquisitive tone. He took hold of the sheath with one hand and gripped the hilt with the other, and before Rin could stop him the demon fractionally pulled the sword from its sheath. Rin lit up immediately, tail pushing out from under his shirt and ears growing to their demonic size; if anyone saw him now, he was screwed!

"Stop it!" Rin yelled, but once again Amaimon ignored him.

"I see," he mumbled to himself. Rin could only stand there and watch as his rage grew and grew while Amaimon mumbled his findings on the sword and Rin's demon form; he tested his apparent theory a few more times, sheathing and unsheathing the sword at random. Mato was going to kill Rin for the sudden spikes and drops in power - if she wasn't already going to wring his neck for losing the ghost, that was. "So that's how it works..."

"Enough!" Rin shouted. He refused to let Amaimon fool around any longer; Rin leaped towards the statue and clenched his fist, swinging it back and bringing it down once he arrived at Amaimon's spot on the statue. Amaimon carelessly absconded, watching as Rin's fist shattered the neck and chin of Mephisto's statue. The head fell away from the shoulders as Rin balanced himself, looking for Amaimon, and came to a crash at the statue's feet. His wrist burned with pain, slivers of the marble statue digging into raw skin. In the back of his mind, he could hear it: The distinctive cussing and growling that belonged to Mato whenever Rin was unexpectedly injured. Now he was dead for certain.

Amaimon kept his gaze on the crumbling head, forlorn at its decapitation. "That was Brother's head," he whined. Rin was having none of this demon's childish whining.

"What's your objective?" he demanded. Amaimon waved the sword around, using it to scratch his forest green hair in bewilderment.

"My objective?" he muttered to himself. The question seemed to be a tough one for him to answer, and yet, in his childishly innocent tone, he replied, "I had some spare time, so I thought I'd come and play for a bit."

Rin blinked, preparing to leap after Amaimon again in the hopes of stealing the sword back. "What?"

"I even studied up on Japanese games before I came." Before he could even stop the taller demon, Amaimon turned on his heel and began to scale the roller coaster's metal frame at a rapid pace. Soon he was too high for Rin to simply jump for in an attempt to get the Kurikara back, clapping his hands and chanting loudly, "Little brother, over here! Towards the clapping sound!"

His fingers trembled as rage coursed through him. Never in his life had he felt so insulted by someone he'd just met; years and years of facing off against bullies and delinquents - most recently from Reiji, who'd been possessed shortly before Rin's heritage had awakened - but now, after brushing everything over, he couldn't keep it in. This weird asshole who couldn't take a hint was going to get his ass handed to him, whether he got his theory proven or not.

"Don't underestimate me!"

"I think I saw it go over that way!"

"Good - Yomi, summon your Skull and cover more ground with it. Try corner the ghost somewhere."

Mato and Shiemi continued to run down their path as Yomi veered to the right, turning into an alley of games stalls as she pulled her papers from her breast pocket. There was a flash of green before she disappeared from sight, and then Shiemi began to run a little slower. It seemed that the two had already learned how to conserve energy when using their abilities at the same time, as Shiemi already had Nii summoned and on her shoulder.

It was by sheer luck Mato had run into them - or rather, that they had run into her. She'd still been standing in shock at the carousel when they'd sprinted into the area, having heard Rin's shriek and immediately believing that danger had been afoot in the area. It was noble of them to come when they had, but when Mato had explained the situation the duo's rowdiness and readiness to fight had died down almost immediately. Soon following had been sighs of relief, Shiemi's louder than Yomi's.

"Do you think we'll catch it?" Shiemi asked as they turned a corner. She could hear the ghost cackling close by, so close yet so far away.

Mato nodded, doing her best to keep her breathing under control. She couldn't afford to run out of breath now, not when they were so close. "We'll get him," she growled. "And may Yukio help him when Rin finds out we've got him."

A giggle escaped from Shiemi at the mention of Rin. "He was really angry about that, huh?"

"Apparently he still is."

She could still feel his anger, even after how much time had passed. She wasn't sure why he was so pissed off over the ghost flipping her skirt - she was wearing tights underneath, and even then her usual clothing was a tad more revealing than that childish skirt flip had been - but she appreciated his enthusiasm and bursts of adrenalin. It helped give her that extra boost she needed to keep on running, even if some of the sudden bouts of energy felt suspiciously like the power that coursed through her whenever Rin drew his sword.

They were getting close to cornering the ghost this time, the boy just barely out of their reach every time they spotted him making twists and turns and gleefully taunting them to catch him. It was so childish, Mato thought; they'd be lucky to catch him before the day ended with their plan to corner him. The two girls chased in silence, focused on the little ghost every time they spotted him, until finally Shiemi let out a gasp at one particular taunt. Mato wasn't sure of the importance the taunt had, but it seemed to jog something for the blonde as she began to laugh and respond to the ghost, equally as playful.

"Shiemi," she panted, her adrenalin high beginning to fade again. "What- Why are you laughing?"

The blonde could only smile at Mato as she ran around a stand, Mato vaulting over the bench and emerging through the door at the back of it. "When I was young, I was sick a lot and couldn't play with kids my age. Even before you and Rin, and even Yuki, Yomi and I had been so lonely." She shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear. "He reminds me of us."

There was that pity in her chest, this time aimed at Shiemi as well as the boy. How long had Shiemi felt like this? How long had Yomi felt it? Despite being together for so long, had they always felt so lonely? In their own little world; a garden isolated from the outside as visitors came and went? God, it sounded so painfully like Otherworld.

A crash sounded out ahead, coming from the roller coaster, and at the very same time Mato tripped over her own feet and tumbled to the ground, falling flat on her face. Pain erupted all throughout her body, a sensation similar to fingers grasping her throat following soon after, and she felt the blood weep from wounds and stain her uniform as Shiemi stopped running and instead began to panic. This was worse than when they'd fought Igor and Sascha - much, much worse. Everywhere she could feel, she felt white hot pain and fresh cuts opening; her knee almost dislocated all at once as she writhed on the ground and tried her best not to scream in agony, for Shiemi's sake. The fingers gripped her neck tighter, and then all at once her nose broke - violently snapped and blood gushing out of her nostrils as she struggled to breathe.

"Mato- What- I-" Shiemi slid down to Mato's side, ordering Nii to summon herbs to treat Mato's wounds; the blonde was otherwise at a loss, until the two came to a simultaneous conclusion as Shiemi began to apply one particularly slimy plant to Mato's face.

"Something must've happened to Rin," Shiemi panicked. "I-I'll let Yomi know so she can find him and-"

"No." Mato barely recognised her own voice as she rasped her objection. She latched on to Shiemi's arm and kept a tight grip, pulling herself to her knees. "Get the ghost. I'll find him."

She refused to give Shiemi any time to argue, reminding her to try and send her feelings to Yomi regarding the ghost as a way to trap him; she knew the two had a strong link that no one else, save for a suspected Bon and Yuu, was capable of using of their own will. If any pair could coordinate and execute the perfect capture, it was those two.

Mato just barely managed to limp away from Shiemi in time, following the sounds of the roller coaster falling apart until she finally made it to her destination. She was met with an open space, much like the area the carousel had been in, but it resembled a park area more than a space to put rides. Strewn about were just a few of the beams from the roller coaster, bent out of shape and haphazardly strewn about as two figures crashed about in the midst of the fray. She recognised one of them as Rin - it was hard to miss the wild blue flames - but the other was a mystery to her. What she did know, however, as the taller male managed to throw Rin to the ground in a way that almost threw out Mato's back, was that she felt pure and unadulterated rage as she watched their fight.

Who did he think he was? Who was he to fight her partner like it was child's play? Who was he to pretend like this was a game? She sucked in a deep breath and felt it shudder out of her as her rage coursed through her body - but it wasn't all hers. She would never feel offended over some stranger picking a fight with her, not in the midst of a fight. Rin had to be channeling part of himself to her, unknowingly lending her his strength as the green-haired stranger once again punched him square in the face. More pain shot through her own face, more blood erupting from her broken nose; all she could do was watch as with each punch, Rin's hands lay at his side and twitched weakly with each blow.

Get off of him, she thought. She limped into the area, fists clenched tightly by her side as blood dripped from her knuckles and chin.

Get off of me, she felt Rin growl in the back of her mind, his warmth and determination coursing through her veins.

Get off.

Get off.

Get off.

It all happened too quickly for her to register as it occurred, much like the incident with the Leaper. But once she came to a stop, she knew what she had done - what had just transpired. And so did Rin.

Her left arm felt heavy, but not in a way that was unfamiliar to her. Cold metal coiled around her arm, snug in its fit and feeling just right as it reached her shoulder. She glanced down at the body beneath her - Rin, who was staring up at her in awe - and caught sight of what she recognised immediately as the very shade of blue she'd been born from. Her blood.

Had she done it? She was too scared to look, to see what was on her arm; she had to know though. The temptation was too great to resist. She cast a quick glance at her arm, only hoping for a peek, and was treated to the journey to Rin's side flashing through her mind. She'd been limping over, that singular thought of getting the stranger off of Rin running through her mind, when she'd been encompassed by a bright blue light. She'd felt warm for a moment, almost as though she'd gotten her fire back, and then the next thing she knew she was full on sprinting towards the stranger with a heavy weight attached to her arm; she'd crashed into him, knocking him back into the rubble of the roller coaster, and then finished in her protective stance over Rin.

She could feel her cuts healing as the blue blood continued to drip onto Rin's uniform, but she didn't care. She'd done it - she'd actually succeeded in summoning something: Her rock Cannon. It felt like years since she'd last held it like this, but it still felt right. Mato looked down to Rin, whose own wounds were slowly healing thanks to his demonic form, and could do nothing to stop herself from beaming down at him in joy. They'd done it. They'd found a common goal.

Movement came from the area she'd rammed the stranger into, and immediately she snapped back into her instinctual mode - cold, hard violence with nothing held back. She lifted the rock Cannon and aimed it at his spot, firing without a second thought; shot after shot after shot, she refused to relent in her blows as she kept her gaze on the stranger's spot.

Before she could even begin to get into the zone, the rock Cannon refused to fire after a good half-minute of onslaught. Mato took a sharp intake of breath; what was wrong? She clicked the trigger multiple times, panic rising in her throat, and quickly glanced down to Rin to see if he was alright. He looked to have healed for the most part, still bleeding in some areas but not to the point of being at death's door, which meant he could run if they needed to. The dust around the area she'd fired at began to clear, and Mato could only watch with her breath held for any sign of the stranger.

"This is starting to get boring," a light voice spoke out. It was coming from the dust cloud - was it the stranger?

Finally she could see him, and with the sighting came the planting of the seed of doubt. He was just standing there, unscathed, and holding Rin's sword so nonchalantly that she almost wondered if her attack had had any effect whatsoever. She couldn't be that weak, could she? She was Black Rock Shooter, after all! And Black Rock Shooter was anything but weak!

The stranger lifted the sword so that it was held with two hands, one on the hilt and one on the blade. It was the perfect position to just snap it in half like a twig, she thought. And what would happen if he did that?

"If I break the sword, we should be able to have some fun again."

Rin rolled onto his side, leaning on his elbow as he gasped out, "What?"

This was it. She couldn't fire the rock Cannon, and Rin was too weak to move any more than he already had. The sword was going to be broken, and then what she assumed was going to be literal hell would be unleashed between the two of them. Would this be how Satan got his hands on Rin and Mato?

"'Devour the seven princesses'."

She jumped at the sound of the voice coming from above, once again unfamiliar and instilling panic in her. Rin lifted his head to try and see who it was, put her mind at ease, but failed to do so in time as someone wearing a dark hooded jacket landed between them and the stranger. It took her a few moments to recognise them, but it was more than clear that this was the only person they knew who wore their hoodie over their uniform, even in class.

Yamada?

Yamade spoke a few more words, phrases she was too confused to pick up as the events continued without a chance for her to register it all. The next thing she knew, as Rin managed to climb to his feet and lean on her shoulder, was that Yamada had drawn a sword and was in combat very briefly with the stranger, before finally the stranger abandoned Rin's sword in favour of a safe retreat.

That was as far as she could get before everything came at her all at once, and her blue blood suddenly returned to red. The rock Cannon vanished, leaving her falling back onto Rin as the weight disappeared, and the two tumbled to the ground as Mato finally lost consciousness due to blood loss.

Good job, she heard echo in the back of her mind. Thank you.