A/N:

Hails: Hi, yes, I'm cursing myself out too. I get so many damn ideas and honestly, it's gonna kill me.

In other news, I finished watching the Kyoto Saga dub and I needed this. Screw me sideways, this is gonna be a long story.

Come on, we all know we wanted this.

Warning: Spoilers for chapter 90+

Credits to Cloelia1987 on Tumblr for the cover. Thank you truly for letting me use your edit as a front page.

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.

"A strong man cannot help a weaker unless the weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition."

- James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

The flames fan loud and roaring, cracking open the walls of containment like the Earth would in the midst of a quaking disaster. One should think it would be bare feet on rubble coming to steal this unknowing child away like a changeling or god but no. It was sneakers; demonic power wearing sneakers, jeans, a hoody, and a beckoning expression with eyes that screamed to leave this world behind. The crooning of violins was loud in his head, the orchestra directed by a conductor that controlled every bloody action he made with no remorse.

Rin stretched his hand out (demonic powers wearing sneakers, oh, the irony.) Palm face up, earnestly urging a person he used to think he knew so well to join him.

"Yukio," He said. His brother didn't answer. He only looked on, emotionless and eyes the color of the devil. "Take my hand, Yukio."

He'd rather take Lucifer's hand now that he knew the truth. Hanging onto his brother... it was weakness in it's worst form, presenting itself before Yukio, mocking him like the warbling mimicry of parrot that screamed everything back to him like a mantra. 'I'm weak, I'm weak. I couldn't get stronger.'

"I always... looked up to you, Rin."

"Yukio," Rin called again, taking a step forward. Blue flames licked his form, dancing embers that were so enticing, so devil-like. Like a puppet who couldn't control his actions, the flick of silver ventriloquy strings made him twitch, made him reach out to the burning flame before he could think and his brother's palm, it was so warm against his own. Rin's lips folded into a smirk and his fingers closed around Yukio's. "Good brother."

Yukio's feet were stumbling over rubble, barely breathing exorcists' groaning rung in his ears, blanketed in debris. A thick, dusty residue collected on his glasses as Rin dragged him towards the new fledglings.

"They're going to die at this rate."

Some part of Yukio's mind clicked, gears turning and he regained the conscious ability to lock his joints and yank himself free of his brother's grasp.

"Yukio? Hey, what are you doing?"

Yukio shook his head, breath catching in his throat and suddenly piano keys shrilly screeched in his head instead of violins. He felt cornered, like a trapped animal with no control over the poking and prodding of the True Cross Order getting closer with each step, madmen with Cheshire cat grins and needles to bring out something, some unknown power that Yukio had been brushing at the hairs, scratching the surface of for months but to no avail. There were never any results.

"I'm too tired," Yukio murmured. His knees wobbled and he sank to the ground despairingly. "I just want to rest."

"Now's not the time, chicken shit!" Rin exclaimed, gripping Yukio by his cossack sleeve and forcefully tugged him to his feet. "You can rest after we've escaped."

"What are you even doing here?" Yukio mused aloud, reluctantly letting his feet move aggravatingly lethargic steps. (Rin was about to start making heads spin at this rate if Yukio kept this up. Physically, not mentally.) "There's no point. There's no point to anything."

"Oh, yes the hell there is," Rin snapped. He heaved Yukio off his shoes and slung him over his shoulders like emergency task force would to a limp doll. "I'm not gonna listen to you droll this bullshit. We have to move, otherwise, they're gonna send Shura after my ass and a battle with her ain't gonna be pretty."

"Just let me be,"

"Oh my, Goooooooood!" Rin groaned exasperatedly and tightened his hold. "Fine, don't move. I'll carry you until you're ready to stop behaving like a toddler!"

Yukio didn't object. He didn't feel like resisting anymore. It was too much hassle and he didn't contain the energy in either body or heart to put up a fight.

Rin led the way, listening intently to the sound of his classmates, his teammates dashing beside him. Every footfall, every strained huff. He knew this escape wasn't going to be a walk in the park yet he was beyond immensely grateful that any of them decided to go along with his stupid and frankly suicidal plan. Rin thought this was familiar like he'd been down this road before with every single one of these people by his side.

It was comforting.

"I know the entire layout of this place," Suguro shouted from behind Rin, who gladly started paying attention. "If we want the most efficient route, we would take a left then exit out the door at the very end. If we want the route that'll buy us the most time and ensure we actually escape and go untracked, well, that's more complicated."

Rin paused at the intersection, looking down the left corridor then letting his gaze go consideringly over each potential path. His face screwed up, deep in thought with each option. He could think in the present or think in the future. Either way, he was determined to leave here with everyone intact.

"I'm willing to risk it, you said it's left?"

"That's right."

Rin didn't need to think twice, shooting off like a bullet and everyone followed. The corridor was straight, narrow, but the power had been cut off. Rin couldn't even see the door they were meant to escape out of, despite his enhanced sight. It was long, rigid, with a seemingly neverending feel to it. Rin could navigate, he knew he was capable of it. He was more worried about Shiemi or Konekomaru who wouldn't be able to see as well as he could in the dark.

He would just have to listen for their breathing patterns and hope he'd know if they abruptly fell away.

An old scripture came to Rin in this trying time, a memory he didn't think was important enough to recall. Especially since he wanted to forget anything religious or even slightly related to his pops. He couldn't think of that now, no matter how tempting it was.

"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

"Dad, what's that mean?"

The look on Fujimoto's face could be described as bemusement. There wasn't really a way to explain the holy words he had uttered if he were completely honest. Not when such words came in understanding to him so simply. So obvious. How could he make it so a child would understand?

"Um, well, it refers to life. We're set on the path God has given us currently. The straight and narrow path is the righteous acts we make while we currently live in the mortal world. It is only the entirely righteous that stay on the path the whole time, like Jesus Christ, that'll guide you to Heaven."

"Aaaaaaaand I'm bored."

"Rin, please."

"I don't want to listen to anything about church anymore. Can I go play with Yukio now?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

Rin's legs burned as he pumped his legs forward and Yukio's weight had his back aching. He couldn't stop now, not when he was so close to losing his brother. Rin refused to live without Yukio by his side and he refused to let him slip through his fingers like sand through an hourglass. How long he'd have to keep fleeing, he didn't know, but there was no point in giving in.

Even when his lungs pleaded with him for the need for air. Even when he desperately wished this bolting would end. Rin was the confrontational type, he faced his problems. But if calling out an issue required absconding from the situation at hand until it could be solved, if it meant leaving the Order (the power-mad cult that hired child mercenaries, where everyone had their heads stuck up their asses), then so be it.

Bweeeee! Bweeeee! Bweeeee!

"Shit!" Rin hissed as the hallway was suddenly alight with angry red alarms. The team paused for a moment in horror, flashes of potential capture scenarios entering their minds.

"Looks like they found us," Suguro muttered, shifting the bazooka tied to his back. "And here I was hoping we'd have more time."

"We can't stop now," Izumo said, pointing forward with a hand on her hip. "The exit isn't far from here. It's do or die trying, so move!"

"Well, get captured get technically."

"No time for getting technical, Konekomaru," Rin scolded with a large, swinging motion of his hands. "Come on!"

With the last final steps in sight, Rin used his intensified strength, both fueled by adrenaline and heritage, to kick the door open assertively. It made a deafening noise as if slammed against a stone railing, leading out into a bridge shrouded in snow and the inky night. The alight academy loomed over them like the sun on a mountain and it cast a shadow upon them, even at the end of the bridge. Deliverance was so close, it made them jittery with a flood of relief.

"Well, well, well,"

Rin felt his presence just as he heard the words and the cotton candy smoke that appeared tauntingly was enough to make him dig his heels into the ground, skidding to a stop like a cartoon character. He swallowed, taking in the headmaster's appearance. "Look at what we have here. Trying to escape, are we?"

"Mephisto!" The Young Prince exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be bedridden?"

"Perhaps," Mephisto considered, snapping his fingers so a tissue box appeared in his gloved hands. He blew his nose rather comically. "But really, what am I supposed to do when my favorite students are attempting to leave the Order?"

"Move," Rin growled, taking a few defensive steps backward. "I won't hesitate to fight you and after getting shot in the head, I doubt you have the strength to really do much."

"Oh, calm your raging ego, Rin," Mephisto tutted, wagging a disapproving finger. "I might not have all the strength I used to but that doesn't mean I can't do nothing. Here." Mephisto waved his hand, procuring a bronze key from thin air and letting it hang from his fingers on a cold, metal chain. Rin's eyes widened in recognition. "The Kamikakushi 'Vanishing' key. With it, you can hide anything you want, anywhere you want."

He placed the key in Rin's palm, who stared, mesmerized by the mischievous gleam of it's promised freedom. "I suppose it might be familiar to you. After all, it was used to hide the Koma sword for so long. Without it, the Order might have located you sooner than your awakening."

"Mephisto..."

"Hurry, along now," The Headmaster muttered, sneezing into another hankie. "If I'm caught with you, God knows the conspiracies will start bubbling up. And besides, I'm missing an episode of Gatto the Great for your sake."

With that and another cloud of pink smoke and glitter, Mephisto was gone. Rin tried not to think too hard about this. He could hear the ear-splitting alarms barely break through the fog in his mind and if his pack stuck around much longer, then they'd be caught by the Knights.

"Dude, Gatto the Great?" Shima suddenly voiced aloud, hanging onto his khakkhara with an unbelieving, almost amused expression. "Isn't that a little kid's show?"

"It is," Konekomaru confirmed with a nod. "Yumi watches it."

"Yeah, I thought it sounded familiar,"

"Guys, stop lollygagging," Suguro rebuked. "The Vatican probably already knows our faces and names. They know Rin is with us so there's going to be some senior-class exorcists after our heads. We can't afford to stand still. Okumura, what now?"

"I guess..." Rin trailed off, examining the object in his hand. "I guess we just hafta find a place this key will work."

"And where do you suppose that is?"

"No idea. But there are plenty of locks in our dorm, we can make a pitstop there for supplies."

Everyone nodded amongst themselves, consummating consensus with ease.

"Yo, is it just me, or does it look like Mr. Okumura is sleeping?"

Rin sent Shima an incredulous look (because really, dilly-dallying wasn't helpful at the moment.) "No, he's not sleeping, are you- NO WAY HE TOTALLY IS SLEEPING!" Rin's jaw dropped, eyes bugging out of his skull as he noted Yukio's slumbering form, draped over his shoulders. Shima started laughing, doing his best to stifle the stupid giggling behind his hand.

"It's kind of a given," Izumo interrupted, shoving Shima in the face enough to make him regret his simpleminded quips with a pained yelp. "He probably hasn't slept for twenty-four straight hours or eaten in that time. He needs it."

Rin opened his mouth to say something, presumably to agree when Izumo cut him off again. "We're wasting time, Rin."

"Yeah," The Demon Prince bobbed his head, knowing she spoke the truth. "Let's go!"

"RIGHT!"

"How curious," The Phoenix turned over the thoughts in his head like he was pulling and squeezing a rubber stress toy with the mere spirit of inquiry. A kind of euphoria washed over him like a wave on the ocean, driven and tossed. He took in everything before him wonderingly, joyously. Injured demon hunters, the reek of dust and smoke, the promise of enlightenment to a boy he rather liked.

He marched over what he presumed was once a jail cell, bits and pieces of wasted refuse crumbling underneath his steel-toed boots. He purred in some kind of content, overjoyed to see such destruction. He knew the one he was after wasn't the culprit but with just a little shove Yukio could do something just as tremendous. 'Easy, Saburōta. Patience yields focus. Don't get overexcited.'

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face because really, he could practically grip both betrayal and victory by their scruffs, he could almost gorge himself on it. By God, did it smell absolutely alluring.

"You're so close to your full potential, boy," Tōdō murmured thoughtfully. "But why hold yourself back when you're capable of ending it all?"

Tōdō stretched, cracking the vertebrae along his spine. "I'm still waiting for you, patiently, you know. I'll be just as welcoming as I promised."

"I'd certainly be disappointed otherwise,"

Tōdō moved out of the way just in time to see his reflection on the blade of a hued katana. It stuck itself in a mound of destroyed cellblock and Tōdō smirked something sinister whilst yanking it out, examining it carefully.

"My, my, this is new," He said, running his finger over the flat of the blade. "Jack Frost?"

"How did ya guess?" Shura asked, arms folded over her chest and blowing the unruly, fiery bangs out of her face. Her plump lips had fallen into a frown, eyebrows creased to form a disapproving, almost irritated look. Glorious. Tōdō hurled the blade back to Shura, who caught it with practiced ease. It was no fun going toe to toe with an opponent who didn't have a weapon.

"Call it a hunch," Tōdō shrugged, taking slow steps down the mound of brick and waste. "It makes me wonder who's stronger. Karura or Jack Frost? Fire or ice? I'm itching for a fight. Care to entertain me?"

Shura wasn't the type to entertain unless it was in the job description—such a rare thing to happen on missions. She didn't sway her hips or smile unless she willed it and certainly not for a demon. Mephisto was an exception, truly, because where Rin and Yukio were concerned, she would do anything reasonable. But this, this was so much more important than everything else. Saburōta Tōdō was a man of the Illuminati and he had been a real thorn in the Order's side ever since the Impure King incident.

"Sure, why not?" Shura said, pointing the tip of her Fang at the man, no, demon. "Besides, I've got a few questions I'd like to ask ya. What does the Illuminati want with Yukio?"

"Splendid!" Tōdō sang, clapping his hands together. He held his palms out, blazing orange flames dancing on his fingertips. "I've been dying to try some new things out. And for starters, well, I'm not sure Lucifer wants to tell you that."

"Fuck you!" Shura spat, leaping back, light on her feet as Tōdō lunged for her with Karura's scorching fire. The tingling of ice coursed over every bone and nerve strung across her body, making her intestines clench uncomfortably. It was like drinking ice water after brushing your teeth with the mintiest of toothpaste, except spread over her entire physique. She tapped into the demon's heart embedded within the blade which decreased the temperature of the room exponentially.

Two forces of nature at war with each other, intense frigidness versus hungry heat, both of which could eat each other alive. Every time they met in combat there was a potency that could barely be matched by few more powerful beings. Every time they separated it was never enough time to recuperate or catch a breath. Save for a pant or two, Shura knew she would barely be able to take him. Had she not been blessed with Lightning's boon of a frost demon similar to Hachirotaro, she would not even be able to hold a candle to his power.

It said something about her vulnerability. She'd have to be careful with this one.

With a hiss of a breath, Shura slammed into Tōdō, pinning him to the floor vindictively. "Tell me what Lucifer wants with Yukio!"

"Such a lovely view," Tōdō hummed with a sly, fanged smile.

Shura almost rolled her eyes at the unimaginative comment on her breasts. "Get some new flattery techniques. Yours are kind of stale."

"Are they now?" Tōdō inquired. Shura didn't have enough time to react as the heat flared around him and she was thrown back by his explosive power. She cleared the area as hastily as a snow hare just as Tōdō pounced, sure of having her weapon in hand.

'He's so annoying,' Shura thought, observing Tōdō's every slight movement should the flames enact a trick of the light. 'Yukio... just how badly did this guy get to you?'

Shura clicked her tongue, spitting out blood. The taste still lingered on her tongue as she rushed forward with dizzying speed and sprung, bringing the Kirigakure Fang down like a gavel at a hearing demanding discipline. Tōdō's mitts smashed together to catch the blade as he bent over backward, inhumanly flexible, to best avoid the attack.

"Talk, dammit!" Shura ordered. If her blade hadn't been frozen by the demon keeping the flames at bay, she knew the damn thing would've been melting thanks to Karura.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that, Ms. Kirigakure," Tōdō spoke condescendingly, smile widening with every word. "Yukio Okumura has inherited the flames of Satan, much like his brother. You have your weapon, it's only fair that we have ours. It'd be so boring otherwise, wouldn't it?"

"You make me sick," Shura snarled, applying more pressure to the hilt of her Kirigakure's Fang. "Then again, I suppose a demon would go the great lengths for even the smallest bit of entertainment."

Tōdō gazed at the protective mother before his eyes and grinned. He pushed back, letting the heat engulf them both yet neither relented to powers beyond human comprehension. Everything crackled and popped, searing with the intensity of a thousand bonfires.

"He won't succumb to you," Shura promised through grit teeth. "Yukio has a force field around him that will be difficult to get through."

"Oh, you mean those pathetic little exwires Yukio Okumura thinks he can call his friends? How terrifying," Tōdō leered conceitedly, tilting his head and eyes gleaming with a desire for murder. He enunciated his words pensively. "I don't think they'll be that difficult to break apart piece by piece. It'll be quite pleasing to watch Yukio Okumura slaughter all of them."

"SHUT UP!" Shura screamed, retreating her katana and swinging it back around rapidly. Raw wrath and ire overcame her like a blazing fire. Tōdō dodged by the width of a hair, losing his footing for a mere moment. He burst out into cacophonous laughter, clutching his stomach as he cackled mockingly.

"My, my," He said through suppressed giggling. "It seems I struck a nerve, didn't I?"

'Dammit, Shura, don't let him provoke you like that,' The woman berated herself internally. "They're stronger than you. They're the most powerful generation of exorcists to come out of the Cram School. If you think for a second that they'll even let you get close to Yukio after all the shit you and Lucifer have pulled, you've got another thing coming. You've hurt every single one of them in some way and when they retaliate, you'll wish you were walking on broken glass in Gehenna rather than suffering the hell they'll have in store for you."

"Really? Monologuing about hope and power?" Tōdō queried threateningly, ambling forward lazily, going unthreatened. "Isn't that just the most cliche thing you could say? I'm almost mortified by your gapping."

"Then stop gappin' yerself and fight me!"

Shura's voice was behind him and Tōdō's eyes widened. The pain exploded over his body, catapulting himself several feet forward. He landed on his heels, head between his knees as he coughed and hacked. The lingering gelid biting was a pleasure over his frame. Agony like this was so far and few these days, particularly if he ever wanted to spar with any other Illuminati members. Not a single one held the same amount of power as he did. It got dreadfully dull when he wasn't stimulated in such a way.

He wheezed out another laugh.

"I'll admit, I wasn't ready for that. I'd heard you were formidable but this is quite the treat."

"Can it, ya baldass bastard," Shura growled. She tightened the grip on her sword, heaving as the battle progressed.

"You should time your insults more efficiently," Tōdō seemed to scintillate from one place to the next quicker than a flash of lightning so no pair of eyes could possibly track him.

'How can he move so quickly?' Shura conjectured, appalled at just how swiftly her defeat came when the man slammed her up against one of the many walls. He repeated the actions, again and again until the black spots in her vision promptly invaded her vision and she sunk to the floor. A soft moan left her lips as she tried to keep awake.

"My apologies, Ms. Kirigakure," Tōdō conceded with unpitying undertone to his deep voice. "I'd love to chat some more and I'm sure you have more questions. But I have a group of fugitives I must track down. I do hope you have a good night."

'Dammit...' Shura said as she finally faded. 'I'm sorry, Yukio. I couldn't... stop him.'

The image of Fujimoto's retreating back haunted Yukio. A figure walking away from him that he would never be able to attain no matter how far he stretched, how much he pushed himself to keep up. It was never enough.

"Dad!" Yukio would call out. Chasing for what he could never reach. Stumbling, tripping over himself, breathing hard but never obtaining his goal. "Dad, wait! Dad! Dad, come back! Don't leave, please. You can't leave! Dad!"

It was never enough...

"Dad..."

Yukio's face scrunched up, eyebrows knitting together. He wearily cracked his eyelids open, his chest rose and fell steadily, so softly it almost seemed he wasn't breathing at all. He turned his head, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the harsh light, pupils dilating as everything suddenly came into focus (well, as focused as he could be without his glasses.) He could just make out a blob, reclining in a desk chair. He squinted, trying to make out the person.

"Ara, ara, what's with that face, little bro?" Rin's voice was loud in his ears as the blob stood up, grabbed something from the desk, and put it on his face. Yukio's vision cleared as he made out the outline of his brother's prideful smile and stocky stature. "Morning, Sleepin' Beauty. You didn't sleep very long. I'm guessing seven hours. I'm honestly shocked no one found us in that time."

"Found... us?"

The look on Yukio's face must have tipped Rin off to some extent.

"What? Don't tell me you don't remember."

"No, no, I remember, it's just..." Yukio trailed off in confusion. Everything was slowly coming back to him, each revelation showing on his features until he could recollect his words and form them into exactly what he wanted to say. "Rin, I'm supposed to be in jail!"

"Yeah, supposed to be. You know I always thought it was going to be me in jail for a crime, not you."

"This isn't funny."

"I didn't say it was."

"Rin, dear Lord, you broke me out? We're fugitives now!"

"No shit, four-eyes," Rin said this like it was old news, meant to be crumpled up and discarded without another thought. He folded his arms, examining every inch of his brother, studying him for a potential move he might make. "I came to terms with that long before I even decided to go with this plan. At least if we get caught, we'll be together. You won't have to be alone."

"Why?" Yukio gritted his teeth, hot tears threatening to trickle. "Why would you do that? If I were you, if-if you were ME! I would have left you there!"

"Yeah, I know," Rin muttered, averting his gaze as if what he was going to say next was shameful. "You've done that before."

Yukio tried not to wince at the reminder. But the regret seemed to show, leaving Rin to sigh. 'I pity you,' he seemed to say. 'I pity you because of what you've become. Couldn't you have been a little better? Just a bit?' It hurt.

"Now's not the time to be dwelling on the past," Rin gathered himself together. "We should get a move on. I made everyone something to eat while you were conked out."

"Everyone?" Yukio sent his brother an incredulous look. "You did not drag everyone else into this."

"Of course, not," Rin muttered, hand already on the doorknob. "They decided to come of their own free will. I was gonna do this on my own but you know them. Won't ever let me try to be the lone wolf ever again. They ain't cool with it, yanno? And besides, you should've seen Shiemi. She was ready to go along with it like all get out. I guess she really likes ya, man."

"Shiemi?" Yukio's voice cracked at the sound of her name. 'No... Not her. Not you. Stop, you're just gonna get yourself killed. Just leave me.'

"Yukio, I know what you're thinking," Rin said, pulling the desk chair out to sit on again. "But sitting there and thinking about what's happened is getting us nowhere. We have to go."

"Go? Go where, for Pete's sake?!" Yukio exclaimed, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood, a little shaky on his feet. "The True Cross Order probably has exorcists crawling all over the place. Where could we go and not get found?"

"I've got a solution," Rin beckoned his brother, ignoring the initial question. "You wanna find out so bad, get your shoes, grab what little you want to take with you, and come down to the cafeteria. We're going to figure out a proper course of action from there." Rin paused, halfway out the door as he added. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind but I changed your clothes." Yukio looked down to find his brother spoke the truth. Instead of his usual exorcist uniform, he now donned a black and white hoody (white torso, black sleeves, and hood. It reminded him vaguely of his favorite animal. Damn his brother for knowing him so well), a pair of dark jeans and some worn but still usable yellow socks.

"One more thing. Do not try to leave this dorm or run away, I will know if you do," Rin threatened with all seriousness. "I will be right outside this door. So don't even think about it. Capish?"

Yukio nodded. When Rin narrowed his eyes and finally left him alone, he allowed himself a resting breath.

Obviously, this was going to be a long night.

Rin truly didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. Some part of his mind could comprehend the situation that was so much bigger, so much more vast and unfathomable than anyone could possibly imagine. Had it been simple, Rin wouldn't have hesitated to make a move anyway. Time seemed to move so slow, like honey trickling down the handle of a spoon held by a wobbly preschooler. The tantalizing liquid was sweet but dripped like one would expect it to. Thickly, sedating, and annoyingly slow.

The boy sighed, leaning up against the wall and listening intently to the sounds made behind the closed door, how Yukio seemed to make quick work of grabbing what he could to take with him. His ears twitched, something he unwittingly realized himself last month. His ears could flick and flitter like they did in that one movie he watched about a boy who traveled to a tiny, underground world to combat a flooding system. He could never remember what it was called.

Regardless, he was exhausted. But he had stood off to the side while Yukio went crazy for so long so falling asleep now wasn't an option. He'd rest when he knew his brother was safe. He needed to be strong because his brother didn't want to be. Not the way it seemed he was acting. Or maybe he did and Rin just couldn't read it that well. He was never quite that perceptive.

It didn't help that Yukio was basically a clam, welded shut and requiring mammoth strength to pry open. On that note, what was up with Yukio's eyes? They were so blue... so Satan colored. It sent shivers down Rin's spine. He had always remembered Yukio's eyes having a fir tree green look to them. Then again, pine needles were flammable. Was that why Shura had told him to go home? Because she didn't want him to see Yukio the way he was now? It was a little too late for that. Now they were all wanted. And if what Yukio said was true, about having exorcists in every nook and cranny, it didn't take a genius to see the threat.

'This is gonna be hell,' Rin concluded.

The door swung open, revealing Yukio hanging onto a duffle bag, presumably filled with clothes, supplies, and God knows what else. Rin eyed how it hung from the shoulder attached to his brother's broken arm and perhaps he was a little disapproving. But Yukio needed his other arm it seemed, more than he was letting on.

"You ready to go?" Rin inquired. Yukio nodded, saying nothing. At least not outright. He was so straightlaced, guilt and defeat lying underneath his supposedly emotionless aura. "Alright then."

Rin kept himself in front of his brother, careful to pay close attention to the way either of them moved down the stairs. Quick, urgent with a desperation to leave this hellhole behind. It wasn't an unknown feeling to the both of them. They'd been there, felt that; suffered misery and a longing to just begone.

They approached the cafeteria, turning into the room filled with empty tables with the sole exception for one in the back. As Rin navigated to the said table, he couldn't help but get a good look at his teammates. They all looked like hell. Like they were running on a few hours of sleep and depleted resources. Rin noted the way Suguro's eyes immediately shot to Yukio's and the way they made eye contact screamed tension evidentally.

Rin continued forward and disappeared into the kitchen, making himself noticeable behind the counter as he rooted around for rations that wouldn't spoil. Simple things like jerky or (God forbid the noise he made) dried kelp. It was disgusting, the opposite of nutritious but what can you do when freedom was on the line? They'd just have to make do with what wouldn't spoil until they could figure out where they were going.

"So, Rin, care to tell what you meant when you said that you had a solution?"

"Yeah, sure," Rin shrugged, fishing out a box of crackers. "While we were escaping, Mephisto gave us the Kamikakushi-"

"The Vanishing Key?" Yukio inquired.

"Yes, let me finish," Rin said slowly. He unwound the key from around his neck, showing it off. "We can leave with this. We can just go. I don't know where but I trust it'll take us somewhere safe."

"Do you even know how the Vanishing Key works?" Suguro asked, his gaze turning to the way Rin began crafting together leftovers into Tupperware containers.

"I have a vague idea of how it works," Rin answered with uncertainty. "You imagine the place you want to go, the key picks up on that and you go there. Well, a place within the place that hides you scarily well."

"And you're telling me you can think of a safe space, somewhere you've always wanted to go that could keep us from being found? From the True Cross Order and Illuminati alike?"

"I... don't hear you coming up with any ideas," Rin pointed out.

"Maybe not but shouldn't you have thought this through?"

"Okay, fine, you got me," Rin surrendered. It didn't help his mood when flaws of his barely constructed plan were pointed out. He carried what reusable bags of groceries he could with rations in them into the dining area. "But maybe it doesn't have to be me. Maybe someone else can do it."

"Yeah, but who?"

Rin mulled that question over, thinking up an answer as he slumped against the door. A sudden realization hit him and he snapped his fingers. "Shiemi!"

The small gardener stood to attention, her eyes widening at the suggestion. She pointed to herself. "Me?"

"Yeah," Rin made his way over to her, hands on his hips. "You've lived in a garden most of your life but surely there's one place you've always wanted to go."

Shiemi stuttered, face burning and shoes scuffling as she tried to convey both confusion and embarrassment of her incompetence.

"But, I'm not- I can't. What if I mess it up? I-I'm not going to become an exorcist anymore."

"That's okay," Rin tried for a reassuring smile, pressing the key into her warm, strong hands. "You said you wanted to help us, right? I trust you."

"Rin... trusts me?"

"Yeah, no second thoughts about it."

Shiemi swallowed her fear as soon as the words were spoken. Her fingers closed around the key and she headed for the kitchen door. 'Where in the world do I want to go?' She wondered. She had wanted to go so many places but had never been able to thanks to her garden. For a long time, she hadn't even realized it was both her home and a prison and even then she couldn't refer to it as such. Her home was was where her memories of her grandma and her mother were.

One vision played across her head as she closed her eyes, thinking of the place of tranquillity. The one place she'd been yearning for ever since she was a child. She pushed the key into the lock, twisted it, and opened the door, being the first to step through to her ideal haven.

A/N:

Hails: Can any of ya guess Yukio's favorite animal? If you guess correctly I'll give you bragging rights next chapter.

I don't know, I'm certain I'm having fun with this story. What about you guys?

Stay savvy,

~Hails.