Jesus fucking Christ, you guys probably figured you'd never see another chapter from me. I'm sorry if this is slightly jumbled, or it has errors, I'm out of practice and I'm tired lmao.

I thanked whatever fates were above that I didn't have any more disruptions. When I reached the subway station, the train was just about to close it's doors, but I somehow managed to squeeze by. I gasped for air, clutching onto the railing as the train began to pull forward. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and glanced around, spotting a few eyes on me. No doubt others saw me as a little erratic, but that was none of my concern at the moment.

I had the itch to pull out my cell phone and try calling Dad once more, but I didn't want to cause more of a fuss than I already have. My mind tossed ideas back and forth, why this series of events happened. To the untrained eye, it wouldn't even create an inkling of concern. However, the sudden darkness that hovered in the sky, the heavy feeling that pressed against my chest, and no doubt everyone else's... it was the making of something unnatural, and with Dad not answering my calls, it made my eyes twitch.

When the train doors open, I was the first one to push myself out onto the platform. I shoved passed the people in the subway, most of them crying out and yelling after me. I bumped into a girl who looked around my age, she squealed as she fell backward. With guilt in my heart, I quickly called my apology and continued to the doors. My feet pounded against the pavement as I exited the station. I was still far from the monastery, even if I ran, it would take twenty minutes at the earliest. I locked my jaw and grunted, pushing myself forward into a sprint.

The air thickened as I ran through the streets, growing closer to my target. I swatted away a few coal tars and chuchis, then tripped over a dekalp before I noticed the black mass of demons that were hovering around me. My heart dropped when I realized I'd given my charm to the man in the subway earlier. With my mental state, no wonder they were targeting me. I wracked my brain, quickly trying to remember the passage I had to recite to rid myself of them.

I pushed myself up and forward, away from the pests. They were low level demons, but they were hindering my state of mind. "Dammit!" I spat out what little verses I could recall and sighed when the thick horde behind me began to dissipate.

I was less than a block from the monestary, but I couldn't push myself any farther. My hand gripped onto a nearby picket fence as I doubled over myself, sputtering and coughing. It was only then that I realized the hum that was echoing around me. I raised my head in the direction of my home, watching as demons sprouted up seemingly out of nowhere.

I gritted my teeth, the heavy feeling in my chest constricting my heart. I swallowed hard and wiped my clammy hands against my jacket, acutely aware that I was defenseless, having left my exorcism gear at the academy. Nevertheless, I urged my feet forward, my pace quickening up until I hit the monestary fence. I barely registered the screech of the gate opening over the hum around me. I did, however, register the cries coming from inside.

With a newfound vigor, I bust through the front door, my vision shrouded with a plague of fungi and beetles. Until suddenly, it wasn't. Everything around me started to shrivel up and disintegrate, leaving the walls of my childhood home clean.

"Is that so?" I heard my brothers voice echo from farther inside, shaking me from my contemplations. I remained quiet as I cautiously made my way through the halls. No one was expecting me here, and I didn't want to intrude if I didn't need to. "So long as I'm history; everything will be fine. That what you're saying, are you not?" Rin's tone was callous, and it struck me the wrong way.

"Rin, no, that's not-"

"I don't want to hear it, Old Man." I was about to round the final corner, but held back, craning my neck just enough to see what was happening. A young man, appearing around my age, was on the floor, unconscious. The altar boys seemed to be tending to his wounds, but even they seemed more interested in the squabble my family was in. My eyes trailed back to Rin and Father, my eldest sibling's face contorted into dismay. "I'll leave, seeing as how you want to kick me out anyway." He shook his head, "it was always clear that I was the least favored son, you didn't have to shove the knife in harder."

Dad took a few more steps forward, clapping a hand onto Rin's shoulder and stopping him from the walking away any farther. "No, Rin, you're mistaken-"

His hand was slapped away, blue eyes flashing with venom. "Piss off! Now that I think of it, I'm not even your son!" I ground my teeth at that phrase, Rin had now idea the path he was treading on. "I'm just some random stranger you wanted to play 'house' with." Anger flashed through me and I was moments away from speaking my mind. "Just admit it already, you're tired of being my family... or is it against your religion to say something like that?"

"Rin."

"Who even are you anymore? You're no one to me!" I strangled grunt escaped my throat and I stood up, ready to pummel my brother's crude behavior to the ground. I heard a similar grunt in the other room, "I don't ever want to hear yo-"

"Nii-san!" I growled, rubbing my face before rounding the corner fully. "Shut your mouth before you say something you'll regret." My demand was answered with a shocked expressions from both my family and the altar boys. I paid them no mind as I walked across the floor, my heels thudding loudly against the floorboards. As I got closer, Dad took a step back, so did Rin, but he couldn't escape as I reached out and grabbed a fistful of his sweatshirt. I yanked him closer and muttered in his ears, my tone seething. "I don't care what was happening before I arrived, but I'll be damned if you treat our father like that again."

"Y-Yukio?" He stammered, pushing himself away from me.

Out of nowhere, the lights in the monestary shattered, causing most of us to falter as the room was cloaked in darkness. I let go of my brother's collar, only to hear him cry out immediately after. "Rin?!" I called, everyone else chiming in as well. I stumbled around, feeling the area he had just been in to no avail. My heart dropped when I heard a low cackle.

"My, my, I thought we were lucky to have our prince back. But this? To think that you both survived this long is astonishing. I'm sure our brethren would agree, eh, young master?" I turned around, hearing the sound of a lighter flickering to life. I was vaguely aware of Dad standing next to me, holding the aforementioned lighter. However, my gaze was rooted to the scene before me. The teen who had previously been knocked out was restraining Rin in a choke hold. Horns sprouting from his temples and miasma was starting to spread as it had before. It seemed as tho only his very toes were touching the floor, leaving my sibling struggling to find a way to hold himself up.

Astaroth. He was possessing a human to get to Rin. I gritted my teeth and reached over, my fingers wrapping around the chilled metal of the pistol holstered in Dad's belt. The element of surprise was still on our side, if I could just -

Then, father shifted away from me, giving me a sideways glance. Allowing me to take the pistol, but the look in his eyes made me falter. Why were we waiting? Rin was suffering. Said brother spoke up, his voice hindered as he gasped for air, but he was nonetheless agitated. "What the hell do you want with me?"

The demon hummed, dragging him farther back, closer to the fungi. Rin kicked back, landing a solid blow on the demon's kneecap, but it wasn't fazed. "You, my dear prince," he chuckled, "are headed back to Gehenna to take your place on the throne."

"Like hell," I barely heard it before I saw another pistol emerge from beside me. Dad quickly shot three rounds, all three rounds landing square in the shoulder of the beast. Rin's face went paler, the damage happening only inches away from his own shoulder. There was a roar as Astaroth writhed, the fungus quickly enveloping the duo. Everyone cried out, myself included. All of us springing into action, chanting began and weapons were drawn. I whipped my head to side just in time to see a large, decaying mass of vegetation rush toward me. I swung my pistol and shot round after round into it. I changed out the clip just as something wrapped around my midsection and pulled me. I grunted, ready to fight my enemy, but met red irises before watching my father destroy the decrepit creature that stood in place of where I once was.

I heard another, strangled cry, as one of the altar boys fell to the ground, clutching his thigh. Another one came to his rescue, pulling him away from the action and tending to his wounds. This was bad, I realized, there were only a handful of us against the King of Rot. The probability of succeeding was slim at best, not with what we've prepared. And although Rin was trapped... my eyes lingered on the sea of miasma before me... and I soon felt my eyes beginning to water. What do we do? Continue to fight a losing battle and possibly lose our lives, or.... I swallowed.

"Yukio!" Once more I was pulled to the side by my father, his warmth spreading from his hand to my shoulder. I looked up at him, my eyes misty, and I saw him falter.

"Dad. We can't, we'll all... but Rin..." I sucked in a deep breath and held it, my face tingling. I saw his expression harden, but then soften. He blinked several times before echoing my thoughts.

"He's my son, Yukio, I'd do the same for you..." Something flashed in his eyes, but he hid his emotion before I could pinpoint it. "But you are right, gather the others." He shifted his gaze away from me and I could no longer view his expression. "I'll do my best to ward them off, you get yourself out of Southern Cross." I blanched, immediately refusing him. He pushed himself away from me before I could reason with him, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest. He was going to get himself killed along with Rin. Oh god, no, this couldn't be happening.

Abruptly, a blinding light cascaded from above me and I had to shield my eyes. A thunderous growl shaking the walls and floor. When the light faded, the room was bathed in a shimmer of blue flames, the fungus and vegetation shying away from the flickering heat. Shocked, my eyes landed on the form that landed on the wall to my right. Rin was surrounded by an aura, and had I not been in this situation, I would've called it beautiful. But, upon closer inspection I spotted features that almost stilled my heart. Fangs, pointed ears, red eyes.... I stumbled on myself, but dad was quick on his feet.

He sprinting in my brothers direction. Pulling him into a hug and I saw the flames dampen softly. I shook myself out of my trance, alerted to the problem that was still at hand just as another form fell from above. I startled and aimed my pistol, only to have it knocked from my hands. The King of Rot stood over me, menacing and foaming from the mouth. His gaze slowly working itself off me and to my family in the corner. He changed his direction and sauntered away, leaving me to search for my weapon.

There was a loud cry and I just barely caught sight of dad being thrown to the side. He landed on his side and I heard him yell out in pain. I forgot about my lost weapon and hurried to his side, helping him to a sitting position. Growls could be heard from behind me and I turned slightly to see my brother and the demon hashing it out, but it was very clear who was winning the fight. I swallowed hard and shifted my gaze back to my only parent, but not before something caught my eye. It's bright red nature stood out amongst the wealth of blue flames around it. My mind buzzing before I stammered out, "is that the kurikara?" It was leaning against the wall parallel to me, possibly being knocked to the side when Rin fell.

Dad coughed several times before following my gaze, "yes, I told Rin to keep it with him, it houses his - his..." I realized just what he had, the sword was still covered, so if Rin never unsheathed it, he wasn't a demon yet.

"Dad...?" I was forming a plan, and I was unsure if it'd work, but at the state we were in... "what happens if the sword is broken?"

He gripped my shoulders, "no Yukio, I was told that once it's covering is removed, it would act as Rin's heart. Breaking it would-" he broke into another fit of coughs and I felt my chest twist uncomfortably. He needed medical help, soon. My eyes darted back to the fighting demons, my sibling was slowly becoming overpowered. He was on his back, clawing at Astaroth's throat to keep the demon at bay.

"What if it's never been uncovered, though?" I didn't bother waiting for him to answer. Getting to my feet, I felt him grab at my ankles, desperately reasoning with me. I wasn't having it. The demons were here, attacking us, because they wanted Rin. My eyes flashed one last time to my sibling before I took off into a sprint. They wanted Rin the demon, but what worth is he if he no longer has that quality? I was mindful to the idea that doing what I planned could possibly kill Rin. However, if I had to choose between losing my brother, or my entire family.... I'm sorry, Rin.

My eyes centered on the kurikara, my pace maxing out. Blue flames flashed by and I held my breath, lifting my feet and pouncing. As I'd hoped, my left foot made contact with the center of the kurikara, pinning it against the wall and the floor as my full weight and the added momentum pushed against it.

I heard a snap and then all I felt was blinding pain.