When I woke up, I was tied to a chair. The room around me was dark and silent. My mind processed the black around me sluggishly, as if I had been drugged. I groaned. Pain shot through my stomach; my head hurt like hell. What happened? Why had I been attacked? I tried to use my flames to see my surroundings, but not even a spark came off of my bound hands.

"Your flames won't work." A flashlight clicked on, momentarily blinding me. "I injected you with a serum that makes you unable to use them for a full day." Her voice seemed to be strange, muffled to the point that I could barely understand what she was saying.

"Wh... What did you... do to... me?" My voice was faint, barely a whisper.

"Oh, you are my new experiment, dear. As to what I did to you, I injected a special mixture I've been working on directly into your brain. It causes your demonic instincts to go into overdrive, activating the bloodlust that was tamed during your times as a human. It was a complicated operation. Quite tedious, in fact. The serum will kick in in a few days. You may-"

My throat went dry. Was she really telling the truth? What had she done to me? Did anyone know where I was? Yukio must be worried. He must be... Wasn't he? 'Get yourself killed. It's your choice. I would have a lot less problems if you were dead.' Panic filled my chest. Nobody would come, would they? "Why... did you..."

The woman let out a high-pitched laugh, similar to one a child would have.

"Revenge. Why else? Twenty years ago, I was in the same cram class as your mother, aiming to become an exorcist. I was a shy, quiet girl, not much for talking to people. However, Yuri was my friend, and a protective one at that. We grew quite close, and one day I realized my feeling for her. I was going to approach her in the hallway, tell her how I felt, when I saw that she was being bullied. Angry, I did the only thing I could think of- I pulled out my pocketknife, and slashed it across the bully's face. He cried out, looking terrified. I cut him again, and again; he ran away as fast as he could. When I turned back to Yuri, she looked terrified. I, still persistent about expressing my feelings, told her that I would die for her. Then, she ran. She betrayed her own friend, who was willing to risk expulsion for her sake.

"I was furious, understandably. I cursed her name; I dreamed of the day I could get revenge. When she was killed, I thought that I had lost my chances. Three months ago, however, I found you and Yukio. I had finally found my opportunity! I watched you, tracked your movements. Then, when you were least expecting it, I captured you." She smiled. "Now, I am going to ruin her only sons. I will destroy the lives of the Okumura brothers, and give you the pain that I felt all those years ago. Don't worry. In a little bit, I will set you free."

"Free..?" I was confused. Why would she let me free? After going through all that trouble, why would she do that?

"Because," she said, a smile spreading across her face, "it will be much more painful for you to live your life outside after what I did to you. Now, enough with the talking. I guess I may as well put you back where I found you." With that, she lifted a metal bat, and hit me in the side of the head. Everything went black.

-|°•°•°•°|-

Yukio paced in his dorm, worry spreading through him with every passing second. Where was Rin? He had left over three hours before. I pulled out my phone, and dialed Shura's number. After a few seconds, she answered.

"Oi, chicken. Whaddya ya want?" Yukio knew that the slight slur to her speech meant that she had been drinking, but didn't care. He needed her advice.

"Shura, have you seen Rin?"

"What, have ya lost 'em? Naw, he hasn't come ta me."

"Could you look for him? He went to the store for some rice three hours ago, and hasn't come back yet."

"Meh, sure. I'll call ya if I see 'em." With that, she hung up. Yukio, still not at ease, decided to call Shiemi and Suguro. Shiemi said that she hadn't heard from Rin since she saw him in cram school. Ryugi, on the other hand, had a different story.

"I saw him walking to the store around two and a half hours ago. He looked pretty upset about something, and was staring at the ground. When I asked him what was wrong, he just blew it off and said that he was fine, just going to the store. I figured he was just having a bad day, and left him to do whatever."

"And you didn't see him after that? At all?"

"No. Why?"

"He hasn't come back from the store yet, and I'm worried about him."

"He's an idiot, but he can handle himself. Don't worry about him. I bet he'll be fine."

"Ok... Thanks. But if he stops by your place-"

"I'll text you if I see him. Like I said, don't worry. Well, see you later."

"See you too."

Yukio set his phone down on his desk, and sighed. He was going to look for Rin himself. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

-|°•°•°•°|-

A woman and her son walked down the road calmly, talking mundanely about the boy's day in school. As they passed an alley, her son stopped and started to giggle.

"Hehe! Look momma, that man fell asleep!" The boy continued to laugh and point towards an unconscious and bloody form lying in the alley. The mother followed her son's gaze, and gave a small gasp.

"Oh, my god... Oh, my god..." The woman's hands shook terribly as she pulled out her phone. "H-hello?" She said, her voice shaking. "Yes, I-I'm calling from the w-west side of True C-Cross. There's a... a body in the alley, I think a student, just across f-from Suzou's Sweet Eatery... Oh god, there's so much blood... Yes... it looks to be a teen... He has n-navy blue hair... "

The woman's son was still laughing, unaware that the figure was not asleep. In the empty and abandoned street, the laughter echoed for what seemed like forever into the setting sun.