This was one of the most popular chapters in the original story so hopefully the new one will be just as good :) Also, hooray! The revised story just hit 2k views!

"Alright everyone, let me explain this mission before we go inside." Yukio stated, his previously playful tone having dissipated into his usual tenor. We were just outside of an old, decrepit building. It looked like some sort of old hotel. The late time of day meant that shadows were cast over the crumbling bricks, making the structure appear far more ominous than need be. "The demons we will be exorcising today are fairly harmless, but the amount of them requires a large group. Hence why it was given to us. This will be a learning experience as these demons are a bit uncommon." He gestured to our group, "their type exhibit more... psychological tendencies rather than physical. They are the type that you'll see lurking around the depressed or grieving. Except, these demons horde, making it harder for us to eradicate."

"Okumura-sensei, what do you mean by psychological?"

"I was about to get to that. As I said, these demons prey on depressive thoughts. They will size us up, pick apart our weaknesses, and target the weakest link." My mouth formed a thin line with this new information. I'd have to conceal my emotions, not only outwardly, but internally, as well. "Even the strong-willed have weaknesses, so I want to preface:" My twin gazed at our group, sincerity ringing in his voice. "If you become the target; you are not weak. These demons will choose someone, and it may just be you. Do not beat yourselves up. Remember what I said about team work, earlier?" I nodded my head, and in my peripheral, I saw my classmates do the same. "Good. This will be one of many scenarios where you will need to communicate and use each other to lean on."

My twin turned on his heels, grasping the entrance door handle and pulling it open. We all walked behind him silently. As I passed the threshold, the atmosphere changed. It hung heavy and thick in the musty air, clinging to my skin and making me feel slightly claustrophobic. Shiemi shivered as she walked next to me and I turned to give her a comforting smile. She returned the action, rubbing her palms together, the hair on her arms standing on end. "I'm okay,' she whispered, "kinda wish I wore a jacket, though." I nodded, agreeing with her. It was dusk and mid-February. Even inside, away from the wind-chill, I could feel a damp breeze across my skin.

"Okumura-sensei?" Konekomaru spoke up, a bit timid. "What should we expect from these demons? How will they pick apart our weaknesses?"

Shura was the one to speak up, surprisingly. She had remained silent for most of our trip here. "Well, first of all, these exorcisms can give the demons a handicap. We go in knowing they will target us, so we tend to have fairly negative thoughts. They will pick up on this," she gestured to her head, tapping her temple. "Unless you can hide it, well." I was going to take her up on that challenge. "However, eventually, someone will crack. They will use that to their advantage and key into whatever insecurity that person has. It'll be a domino effect afterwards as everyone becomes weakened. They'll say things - scream them even, from your memories to get your attention." My eyes wandered over my peers, curious who the victim would be. I knew myself enough that it was fairly possible it might be me. However, I would like to believe that the last few months of training has earned me a fair bit of emotional control. "Once everyone is weak, they'll go around, picking something from all of us. They'll settle on whoever gives off the worst reactions.

"Be fair warned," she continued. "Even if you believe yourself to be the target. Do not let your guard down, not until we are certain who is. Doing so could make you a target as well. These demons aren't impartial to tearing into more than one person. The longer we wait it out, the less co-workers affected."

My twin nodded, his voice taking over where she left off. "These demons will speak your nightmares, your insecurities, and your sorrow, all in the hopes to break you. These demons are not too dangerous physically, but they hoard together, so be prepared for a long fight." He waited patiently for us all to agree before he drew in a deep breath. "Alright, everyone stick together, we can't afford to separate into groups."

I swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in my throat, feeling it crawl downwards until it settled like a rock in my stomach. We all treaded forward, the building was quiet except for the tapping of our feet. The old hotel would've been quite beautiful during it's prime, with the decorative sconces, marbled floor, dark wooded walls, and high-archways. However, age had taken it's toll, and there were several cracks in the foundation. Cobwebs connected in each corner, and a thick layer of dust was spread across the floor. Whoever planned to renovate this place was in for a rough time, but I knew the end result would be worth it.

A screech sounded from above us and several classmates jumped. A small squeal erupted from Kamiki-chan as a bat flew just over her head. After the creature had flown away, she turned, giving us a sheepish look. My brother hushed us, "It's okay, keep up your walls." We all continued our tour of the building, finally coming full circle back into the banquet hall. I could feel the agitation coming off of my teammates and my twin seemed to notice as well. "It doesn't appear as though they have chosen who to torment, yet. It's possible there may be more than one target, and they haven't come to a decision. That, or you guys are doing very well at hiding it." I had to bite back my laughter. This would be the one and only time teenagers would be encouraged to bottle up their emotions. Oh, if they only knew how well I could do it.

"Help me!" A woman's voice screamed, and I couldn't help but jump. Everyone else copied my actions, a few of us glancing around to find it's source. "It hurts!" If I wasn't mistaken, that voice seemed eerily similar to Moriyama-san. I turned to said classmate, and she met my eyes. Despite the wall she had built, I could see the fear shining through. Vaguely, I heard my teacher's hush my whispering peers."Someone help! I can't stand by myself." My gut reaction had been right, and as the rest of the team turned to look at the blonde girl next to me, her face hardened, becoming stoic.

"That girl is weird, she's always screaming about monsters." The voice was different this time, and I wasn't able to pinpoint who it may have come from. However, I got my answer when Kamiki-chan flinched. I felt a bit of perturbation inside of me, not used to our beloved tsundere's reaction.

"The temple is on fire! Help!" That was clearly Suguro-san's voice, and I gazed upon them, watching for a reaction. They remained unmoved, however, and I felt relief.

"You utter fool, Nii-san... " I grunted. Obviously, I knew I'd become a target at some point or another, but I wasn't expecting them to pull this thought out of me."You should give yourself up to Order Headquarters..." I heard my twin sigh, and my eyes darted over to his, seeing the sadness inside. Maybe... maybe the demons hadn't pulled these words from my head, but his."Or just die, please." My brother screwed his eyes shut, his lips thinning into a line.

"Yukio-" I started, but I was cut off by the incessant wails of the demons.

"HELP ME!" "They hate me!" "I'm pathetic." "I don't deserve to be here!" "Ahhh!" "I miss my mom!" "I am SO sorry!" The voices became jumbled, overlapping each other, and rising in volume to the point that my classmates began to clamp their hands over their ears. I knew what we had gotten ourselves into, but I didn't expect to see how their reactions bothered me. The rock in my stomach grew, and I chewed on my lip. When would they target me? Why weren't they targeting me?

"Kill me, sensei!" There it was, the voice sounded similar to my own. However, had I not known the memory was mine, I would have struggled to distinguish it.

"Why?!" "My legs hurt so bad!" I glanced around to my peers, and felt anxiety flood my bloodstream when I saw their anguished expressions. This was torturous, how were we expected to fight these demons if we all became unstable? I dragged my eyes to my twin, watching as his own flickered across our expressions, as well. "They are all DEAD!" "Cut!" I flinched as that word slashed through the air, piercing my eardrums. "My family!" "I'm not resilient enough!" "No one cares about you!" "You killed Father!" Yukio blanched at that last shriek.

I thought occurred to me at that moment. We were in over our heads with this mission, but it was too late to abort our plans now. I digested each of my classmates horrified expression, a resolve building inside of me. I have months of emotional control built up. I may be the only one capable to withstand this psychological attack. What if... What if I bore this burden? What if I allowed these demons to attack me, alone?

My thoughts solidified when Konekomaru cried out, his voice barely audible over the screams of the demons. "Sensei, how much longer?! If they were going to pick one of us, why haven't they? We can't win this if we are all beaten down!"

I dropped my walls, allowing my thoughts to flow freely. And with it, I opened up every bottled emotion I had stored previously, trying to use it as fuel for the fire. I knew what I was doing was reckless, but it's not like we had any other choice.

Suddenly, the screeching stopped, and the only sound I could hear was the ringing in my ears. I swallowed, the anxiety I felt previously was only magnified by uncorking said bottled emotions. My eyes met with a few of the other students, spotting the relief on their faces to have a moment of peace. "Yukio," Shura mumbled, and my eyes darted toward her frame. She looked apprehensive, which set me on edge. "We should call it off, something's not right."

My brother's jaw slackened, and he went to speak. However, we didn't get to hear his answer. The silence we were grateful for was cut short as the demons began screaming again. But as their words hit my ears, I realized that I'd made a horrible mistake. "You have no friends!" "You belong nowhere!" "It" I flinched, that word creating so much turmoil in my head that the pain was almost physical. "Cut!" "It." "Not enough" It was one thing to think those words, but entirely different to have them repeated back to me. I ground my teeth into my bottom lip, feeling my fangs slice into the tender flesh. I may have gained the ability to hide my emotions, but that didn't mean I learned how to cope with them. The itching scars on both my arms could attest to that. "YOU KILLED FATHER!" My ears twitched, faintly hearing my brother cuss at those words. It shattered me to hear how distressed he was. I closed my eyes, feeling the last of my resistance flee my body. I bit down on my lip, tasting iron on my tongue. Pain flashed through my body, and I was thrown into memories of my episodes on the dormitory roof. I would give anything to have my knife right now. "IT! "It! "Cut!" "Kill yourself!" "You are nothing."

My emotions got the best of me, and I cussed, the sound escaping my lips as a sob. I couldn't help myself as I rose my hands to my hair, yanking the strands by their roots. I fucked up, big time. Yukio even warned us not to let our guard down, yet here I was, playing the martyr again. Fucking idiot. The second I thought the words, the demons mimicked it back, only solidifying the statement in my mind. The demons continued to assault my eardrums and I felt my knees give out. "Okumura-kun is the victim...?" Renzo-san's voice barely registered in my mind, but all my teammates suddenly gasped. I flickered my eyes up to the room around me, realizing that the demons had materialized. They were bird-like, with pointed beaks, long talons, and protruding eyes. The rest of their bodies were amorphous, though, and as they swarmed the banquet hall, they left a trail of vapor behind them, creating a fog in the room.

"Kill yourself." "Spawn!" "It!" I ground my teeth harder into my bottom lip, a small whine erupting in my chest when my teeth snagged against a nerve.

"Everyone! Get a grip! For every moment you waste on curiosity and chit-chat is another moment Okumura has to suffer!" Shura barked and I heard her recite a mantra as she withdraw her demon sword. The others followed soon after, turning back to the demons and readying themselves.

"It!" "Humanity would be better off!" "End it!" "Cut" "Demon child!" I closed my eyes, falling victim to the onslaught of insults. My skin prickled as I felt the demons swarm around me, their vapor settling on my body and making me shiver. My eyes shot open and I cried out when talons dug into the skin of my back. They were so sharp they were able to tear through both my academy jacket and my dress shirt. What shocked me more was when a memory clouded my vision. It was brief, but the weight it carried was crushing.

In those brief moments, I saw my father; his body deformed. Blood dripped from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. The lifelessness in his eyes after he drew his final breath. "Make them stop!" I began screaming, clawing at my head. A fruitless attempt to dig the memories from my mind. More talons dug into my flesh, and after a particularly deep slash, another vision invaded my mind. This one was of my brother, and the bullet that ripped through the air. My palm burned, the scar that remained from that incident feeling as though the wound had been torn open. I screwed my eyes shut, seeing stars behind my eyelids. "Stop! Make it stop! I can't do this!"

"Cut!" "It!" "You're vile" "An anomaly." "Demon bastard!" "Kill yourself!!"

The demons began whispering in my ears, and I slammed my forehead into the marble floor, a flash of pain rattling in my skull and down my spine. I wanted my knife, I wanted this to end so I could go back to the dorm and watch my sorrow flow out my arms and stain the roof. My eyes flew open when more talons shredded my skin. I watched as my tears dripped down to the floor below, mixing with the blood from my torn lip.

"Yukio! We need to call this off! We are outnumbered!" Shura's voice ripped me from my agony. Reflexively, my head shot up, my misty eyes registering the mayhem around me. The fog in the room had thickened, and I realized just how hard it was to breath in here. However, I didn't know if that was due to the vapor or my rising panic attack. My teammates were all engrossed in their exorcism, but it was clear that we were on the defensive. My eyes flickered over to my twin, and I saw him assess our surroundings, coming to the same conclusion as I had. Pained teal eyes met mine, and my ragged breath caught in my throat. So many emotions warred behind his eyes, the concern he felt for our wellbeing was overwhelming. However, intermingled with several other expressions, I saw something that made me push myself up to my feet: Failure. He felt like he'd let us down, failed as a mentor, a peer, and that he was worthless as my brother.

"No," I answered Shura's earlier demand. We weren't leaving until we finished this mission. No matter how badly I wanted to run out of this building, I needed to do this, for Yukio's sake at the very least.

I took a deep breath, doing my best to find my center and focusing on it. "Cut!" "It!" "Die already!" "Lonesome creature." Pain flashed through my body as more talons ripped across my skin. I stumbled and fell to my hands and knees. My skin felt wet and that meant I was either bleeding heavily or I was sweating profusely, but I didn't have time to find out the answer. I took another deep breath, feeling my body temperature beginning to rise. I focused on my flames, finding the connection and visualizing the room around me.

"Abomination!" "IT!!" "Execute him!" "Cut." "Just die!"

I shoved aside my festering emotions, barely grasping my connection. I envisioned the world outside of my body and I was thrust into my own aura. I was able to view my surroundings behind my closed eyes. The blue overlay filled with shapes, and I was able distinguish my peers from my foes. As the demons mercilessly whispered to me and clawed my flesh, I drove deeper into my environment. My connections passed threw several demons and I lit a trail behind them. Cries echoed in the hall, my teammates becoming frightened as the connections went ablaze with a blue hue. I navigated around them, focusing my targets as the buzzing creatures that flew above. I could feel myself growing fatigued with my actions. I'd been able to separate my connection into several threads, almost like tendrils. However, every time I had previously, I wasn't able to sustain it for more than a few minutes, and it drained me physically and mentally.

The demons squealed as my fire consumed them, their vapor dissipating as their bodies imploded and combusted. Shortly after, their vapor would ignite, catching fire to any nearby demons and making my job easier. With that relief, I capped myself, hindering the heat that my connection exuded.

"Don't ever let me hear you call yourself my father, again!"

I gasped, those words sending me back in time, flashing to several months ago. Guilt washed over me and I just barely recognized when my connections intersected. They had covered most of the room, no doubt, but I didn't have the wherewithal to understand what that meant. A shudder coursed through me as claws dug into my back and memories clouded my vision.

My father had only been trying to protect me, he wanted to give me a chance at a human life. When his attempt failed, he did his best to educate me as calmly as he could, given the chaos that had stirred up around us. He never got angry with me, or talked down to me. He knew the pressure he'd thrust upon me, and he was empathetic. Yet, I was rash, I spoke without understanding how my words might effect him. I said things that I didn't mean, simply because I wanted to send him reeling like he had done to me. Those words will forever be the worst sin I'd ever committed. If I weren't already condemned to Gehenna, I knew my words would have me burning in Hell either way. There was no way to redeem myself from my actions, no way to repent. My father was dead due to my own selfishness. He, the Paladin, was murdered because of the thoughtless reactions of his own adoptive son. I was undeserving of his kindness, I didn't belong in this world. All I've caused is destruction and grief. I was lucky enough to be given six months to accept that fact.

I was shaken from my thoughts, quite literally as a hand grasped my shoulder. I was being pulled back to the surface, back to reality, but my memories still haunted me, trying to pull me back into their darkness. "Nii-san?" It was quiet, like coming from a distance. I held onto the word like a rope, hoping it would drag me away from my morbid recollections. "Nii-san, snap out of it!" I blinked several times, my vision starting to clear. My body swayed as I was shaken once again, and the action was disorienting. "Nii-san, what the fuck?! Why...?"

Blinking several more times, I registered my twin's form in front of me. Dragging my eyes up to his face, I realized his expression was torn. Tears welled in his eyes, but anger laced his features. My jaw slackened, and my voice wavered, "W-What?"

His grip tightened on my shoulder and I flinched, "What the fuck, Rin?! What...? What have you done?" His tears spilled over, trailing down his cheeks before collecting on his chin. Helplessness rose inside of me. I didn't understand his reaction, and my brain wasn't quite functioning properly. I realized just how drained I was, and that there were no blue cords around. I must've lost my connection while deep in my thoughts. My gaze flickered toward my classmates, noting their mixed guises. Had I passed out? I didn't think so, while I wasn't exactly coherent, I felt like I'd be conscious this whole time. I flickered across each of their faces, finally moving back to my brother's. My eyes traced his positioning, wandering to his shoulder, where he had reached out and grasped my own. Shifting my gaze, I looked at where he held me, becoming acutely aware that I was half naked. Under his grip, several fresh cuts were visible. The dozens of scabs and scars tracked down my arms, to where the severity ramped up and the blemishes became a mass of haphazard stripes.

Oh...

Oh shit.