The train departed not long after that. Kamiki had appeared after all of you and had taken a seat next to you, her nose up in the air. Rin had hummed and leaned forward to look at her in wonder.

"What is it?" she asked, peering over at him. He jumped back.

"Nothing. . ."

Sometime later, Shura reappeared at the front of the train. "Okay, your attention please!" You shifted in your seat, putting your attention on her. "I'm Shura Kirigakure, unwilling backup team leader. Let's start off with a rundown of the situation." You sighed and leaned against your arm. I've a feeling we're in for a lengthy explanation.

"Early this morning at the Order's Deep Keep installation, parties unknown stole the Left Eye of the Impure King, sealed there as a designated Special Hazard Demon Part." Your eyes widened. "We know that the thief was working under the orders of former Deep Keep director Senior Second Class Exorcist Saburota Todo, but his objectives and accomplices remain unknown and our investigations are ongoing."

You turned your head away and stared out of the window, past Rin.

"Furthermore, the Kyoto field office's Deep Keep off to the west was also attacked by someone at the same time. That attempt was foiled, but their target was the Impure King's Right Eye."

"Excuse me," Kamiki raised her hand. "What are the Impure King's Right and Left Eye? We haven't studied him." Must be nice. You sighed lightly.

"Not surprising," Shura replied. "He isn't considered one of the biggies. The Impure King is an upper-level demon said to have spread plagues in the late Edo Period. At the time, it claimed more than 40,000 lives."

Rin noticed you not paying attention and nudged you a bit. "You okay?" he whispered. You hummed in response.

"I'm fine. Long talks bore me," you replied quietly. Rin nodded and turned back to pay attention to Shura.

"His Right Eye and Left eye are said to have been plucked out by a priest named Fukaku as proof that he defeated him. Even the Eyes themselves emit powerful plasma, and are extremely dangerous items." Wrong, you thought. The Impure King's 'Eyes' is his heart cut into two. Karura, Fukaku, and. . . Your eyes trailed over to Rin. Kurikara. God, that demon annoyed the shit out of me.

"What the heck was that Fukaku guy thinking?" Rin leaned back. "Was he that eager to show off?"

"He was saving the lives of thousands," you whispered to him. "It's not about showing off." He glanced at you.

"I suppose that's true."

"In any case, although the enemy's objective remains a mystery, it's clear he intends to use the Right and Left eye for nefarious purposes. The Kyoto field office is guarding the Right Eye, so it's possible it'll be attacked again. In short, our mission is to tend to the Exorcists who were injured in the Kyoto field office and to beef up their weakened security. You ExWires will be helping with that."
You looked at her, brows raising slightly.

"So let's all work together and do our best. And now, please give me some peace and quiet. . ."

~
You sat crossed-legged in your seat for who knows how long, mulling over what Shura debriefed you all on. You could faintly hear a conversation between Rin and Kamiki from both your sides, but you opted to not pay attention to them. Motives unclear, huh? They seem pretty clear to me. Stealing the parts of a powerful, ancient demon? Come on. That reeks of resurrection. You took note of the other exorcists on the train with you. Though, they don't need to know that. You were shaken out of your thoughts by Suguro pouncing on your seat to yell and Rin and Kamiki. For whatever reason, you weren't sure. You managed to zone them out. That was until you could sense Rin's flames. Looking to your left, you saw his body begin to become encased in them. You grabbed your sheathed sword and thrust it between him and Suguro, successfully putting a few more inches in between them. Rin's flames also calmed down.

"Can you two shut up?" You asked, not looking at them. "If this happens when you're in a fight, you'll both die. Learn how to work with each other if you don't wish that to happen. Now can it and sit down. You're disrupting the entire car." The both of them glared at each other one last time before relenting. Rin plopped himself back in his seat, staring out of the window. You also rested your sword back between your legs. Shura also sat back down in her seat, as she was going to make a move to stop them as well.

~
A few hours later, you arrived at Kyoto Station and got off of the train, walking together in a group. You were standing in between Suguro and Rin.

"Ah! It's the tower you were talking about!" Kuro exclaimed from his shoulder, looking up at it. Rin also gasped in awe of it.

"That's so cool!" He looked around. "Right, guys?" When he noticed everyone but you hung around him, his expression dropped. The group of them were standing at the edge of the platform. You nudged him lightly.

"Right," you replied with a nod. "Come on, let's go." Rin just nodded and followed close behind you.

~
All of you were crammed on a bus heading for the Kyoto field office (you assumed). As always, you were sitting next to Rin. There was a man standing up front with a microphone in his hand.

"Uh, I'm Kinzo Shima."
Your brows raised. Shima? Is he related to Renzo?

"--envoy from the Kyoto field office. It's a pleasure to meet you!" He bowed, but hit his forehead on the mic, causing severe feedback. Your eye twitched. How. . . charming. "I'm taking you to where you guys will be staying. Once you're settled in, we'll have you assist with Temptaint victims. Thanks in advance!" He repeated his previous actions.

"Rin, Y/n! Look at that! Look!" Kuro exclaimed, pointing his paw at something. You looked up at his excited exclaim. Kuro began to prance around Rin's shoulders happily. You looked over to him to see how down his expression was. You nudged him lightly.

"You okay?" You whispered. He glanced at you.

". . . not really."
You sighed lightly and patted his head gently. He seemed grateful for the comforting touch.

"Alright. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you." You took your hand away from him and leaned back in your seat. It's getting to a point where my friendship with him isn't enough. You looked around at your fellow ExWires. I knew it would come. . . it's still somewhat annoying. I do want to see him successful, though. Perhaps I should pull back a bit to let him grow.

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}