Rin woke up on the floor. It was cold, hard, and dirty. He let out a groan and dropped his head back on the floor. His entire body was sore. The worst places were his tail and spine.

It smelled like dirt and mildew in the cell. There was a bucket full of water in the corner. Heavy metal cuffs with chains attached to the wall weighed him down and he realized he was really hungry. The bars to his cell left little to no space to see through, but he saw Shura come down the hallway and stop in front of him.

"You finally awake?" She asked gruffly. She regretted chanting the spell, but there was nothing she could do now.

"Feel like shit." He mumbled, staying on the ground. She bit her lip.

"The Vatican has decided to hold a trial and execution." She told him. He let out a non-committal grunt.

"Both eyes have been stolen by Saburota Todou and Hojo Mamushi. We assume they will wake the Impure King." She continued on. Just then, Yukio joined them.

"How did you even get in here? You do nothing. You don't even care. So tell me how the hell you got yourself stuck in here." He growled. Rin looked at Shura.

"It was my fault." Shura blurted. "Suguro tried to hit his dad and Rin wouldn't let him because Tatsuma really needed dto char e after Mamushi when she took off with the Right Eye. So Suguro yanked Rin's tail and he flamed up and then they started fighting and I didn't know what else to do, so I chanted the spell for the binder on his tail." She explained quickly.

Yukio turned back to Rin, question on his face. "Why? Why'd you get in between them?" He asked Rin.

"It's entertaining when people fight. Especially family. Reminds you this world is full of shit and disappointment and that I don't have to care about any of it because I lost all those feelings. But his dad needed to take off and Suguro was being a brat." Rin explained, shrugging and making the chains jangle.

"And you lost control. Great job there, Brother. God, you're sick." Yukio scoffed. Rin huffed. "Hey, at least you won't have to deal with me anymore after today."

"Stop saying that! I'll see what I can do. I'm not letting you die on my watch. Shiro would murder me!" Shura groaned, pulling at her hair. "Kirigakure-san! Yaozo-sama needs you!" An Exorcist called. Shura sighed again in frustration. She gave a slip of paper to Yukio. "Tatsuma gave this to me. It's for Rin." She told him before running off.

"....."

"She does realize Shiro is dead and actually can't murder her?"

Yukio ignored his twin and looked at the paper, trying to decide whether or not to give it to his brother. He decided to, but Rin couldn't read it, so he ended up reading it anyways.

It told them how Tatsuma met Shiro and how he helped the sick, then got away with Kurikara thanks to Suguro's dad. At the end, Rin laughed. "That didn't work out well, did it?" He cackled.

"Can't you ever  just be grateful for him saving you?! I know you're fucking heartless, but please, try!" Yukio groaned.

"Fine, I guess I'll help 'em before I go." Rin decided. "After you get me some food though." He added. Yukio rolled his eyes.

"I shouldn't even be letting you do this." He muttered, getting the keys. He unlocked Rin's cell, waiting for him to get up. He didn't. He slowly pushed himself up on his arms and Yukio ended up helping him up and letting Rin lean on him. They went by the kitchen and grabbed a couple onigiri before running into Mephisto on their way out of the building.

"I want to see how you'll do, so I'll provide you supplies, but don't expect me to always help you, Darling~!" He claimed, handing Rin a bunch of folded camo ponchos he'd summoned. Then he was on his merry way, twirling his pink umbrella and enjoying his blue popsicle.

§~•~§~•~§

"I need you guys to help Rin." Yukio said.

"You want us to what?!" Konekomeru squeaked.

"Please. I know he doesn't really connect with anyone and you have no reason to help, but please. He doesn't care whether he lives or dies and there's no one else to care for him except Shura and I. He needs someone to show him. Teach him what it's like to live." He pleaded. He could insult his brother all he wanted, but he cared about Rin. He missed how Rin used to be, before that incident when they were six. He'd become an Exorcist to protect Rin from things like that.

Suguro read the letter handed to him. "Ah, fine. Guess I'll help." He growled.

"Rin needs someone to save him." Shiemi agreed. Izumo, Shima, and finally Konekomeru followed their lead and they went off on their own to find Rin while Yukio reported to Yaozo and Uwabami to help.

§~•~§~•~§

"Hey, Okumura! Let's go, we gotta stop the Impure King from getting any farther down the mountain!" Suguro ordered, pulling the teen along by his hood.

"I can take him down by myself." Rin said.

"No you can't. You need help." Suguro told him. Rin rolled his eyes.

"Rin! Are you okay?! I heard Kirigakure-sensei hurt your tail!" Shiemi cried, running up and tugging on her friend's arm.

"I'm fine." He answered.

"I'll have to talk to her about it. That was uncalled for!" Shiemi claimed. Rin's response was blowing hair out of his face in annoyance at the girl's clinging and mothering.

The group stopped at the edge of the forest. Most of it was already overtaken by the Impure King. "Huh. Looks kinda like a castle." Rin noted.

"Alright, what's the game plan?" Suguro turned to the rest of the group.

"Someone has to warn the others back at the Ryokan, so we'll go back." Shima volunteered himself and Konekomeru.

"Um....We have to find Suguro's dad, don't we? We'll come with you since I'm the only one close to a Doctor we have. Just in case he's hurt." Shiemi stuttered.

"Alright, I'll go with you guys. Sounds like a decent plan. But you really shouldn't help me, you're gonna die like idiots." Rin raised an eyebrow at them.

He received a slap on the back of the head from Suguro. "I'm not doing this for you! I need to find my dad, ya idiot!" He growled.

Rin shrugged. "Don't come after me when we're dead. I'll be in hell and I don't want any of you annoyances there with me." Rin grumbled.

They split up to do their jobs.

§~•~§~•~§

After Kamiki and Shiemi had carted off Tatsuma, Rin and Suguro had run into Kuro on the way up to make the shield.

Now, Kuro flew through the air, avoiding the Impure King's spores. Suguro was screaming like a maniac, holding on to Rin for dear life even though it was perfectly safe. They'd lost some time arguing over how to sit on the giant cat. Suguro didn't want to be held by either of Kuro tails, so Rin insisted he just sit behind him and hold on. Suguro complained, saying that was what girls did. But they were running out of time, so he eventually gave in.

Now, he was right up against the son of Satan, practically screaming in his ear. Rin was getting a headache from the annoying voice and finally snapped. "Suguro, if you don't shut up, I'm cutting your vocal cords!" He yelled behind him over the wind. The teen went oddly quiet. Rin sighed. "What?"

"Never heard you yell before." Suguro yelled back, sounding almost like a shocked child. Rin snorted.

"No reason to! Things don't usually bother me enough to get yelled at! Unlike my brother, who might as well spend his every waking moment yelling! With the wind, I can't really hear much!" Rin hollered.

"Why do you always trash your brother?!" Suguro accused.

"Because he's annoying and I wouldn't mind if he lost his ability to speak anytime soon!"

"Rin! I can't find anywhere where the Impure King isn't touching!" Kuro mewed. Rin scanned the mountain below. They needed to be close to the Sporangium. Finally, Rin spotted an area of bare rock that hadn't been touched.

They landed and Suguro gasped. "It's huge! At this rate, we really won't make it out!"

Rin hit him over the head with the sword. "You're supposed to be making that shield. Hurry up!" He commanded, unsheathing the katana. Like always, the blue flames sprouted from his body and covered him and the blade. He sniffed in disdain. He really did hate these flames. They were hard to control. It had taken him almost a month just to light some candles.

Rin did his best to slice through the spores and burn them up. Kuro batted them away with his paws, roaring.

Suguro held one finger on the ground, the gold shield sprouting from him. He was a wreck–hair plastered on his face, sweat beading his brow, clothes ripped and boils appearing on his face from the few spores that had reached him before. Rin was getting tired. He couldn't really make any headway to get to the Sporangium and it looked ready to burst. He knew Suguro would fall soon. Then he'd be alone. So much for teamwork. Rin snorted to himself. The Impure King let out a scream, the huge bubble bursting and spreading a huge wave of miasma over the mountain.

It flooded their lungs and Rin dropped to his knees, coughing and hacking. Kuro roared and slashed at the spores around the two teens with his claws, protecting them.

"Guys, I can only hold it for about fifteen more minutes, at most." Suguro coughed. Rin shakily got to his feet. The Impure King was almost complete in his castle design. Rin decided that he might as well try one last time. He began climbing, the spores trying to grip his body only to be burned away. Halfway up to the point he set his sights on, the shield flickered and then fell.

"Kuro, go protect Suguro." He ordered. The cat nodded and flew back.

He made it to the highest point he could reach without being consumed by the demon, facing the Impure King. He took a deep breath.

He'd realized something: If he wanted to fight with these flames, he needed to accept them first. He willed the flames to grow, to burn hotter, to be stronger. His energy was already waning, but he forced everything he had left into the flames.

Rin didn't expect any help, but he got it. Ucchusma, the burning impurity appeared. Said some shit that Rin didn't really listen to. Then Rin had to recite what Ucchusma was chanting to perform a purification ritual over the entire mountain. Ucchusma merged with Rin's sword and became blue as they chanted.

As he chanted the ancient words that came to his mind without trouble, he felt power rush through his veins. His flames increased tenfold. They filled him with something different. Something new. He didn't understand it, but the moment before he blasted, he barely remembered to try and make sure the flames didn't burn anyone and just hoped it worked.

§~•~§~•~§

Rin woke up and somehow managed to stumble back down the mountain to Bon, who was passed out on the ground with Kuro guarding him. Rin thought he was dead, but could hear the shallow breaths of the ExWire. He noted the fact that the teen's face wasn't sporting the boils from the miasma anymore

It was raining and Rin's felt the cold sink I to his bones. He'd just used all the fire he had to spare and he'd forgotten was feeling cold felt like until now.  He shivered and promptly passed out right next to his comrade.

§~•~§~•~§

Rin came to full consciousness a while later. He couldn't tell how long he'd been out and it took him a while to figure out where he was–the Ryokan.

Rin shifted his gaze around the room. It seemed to be daytime, possibly morning. Shiemi was sleeping so close to him she might as well have been in the same bed. He blinked his eyes blearily, looking to his left to see Kuro with bandages around his middle.

He gave up on trying to see anything else up until he heard shifting near his head. Pink hair popped up from above him and he blinked, surprised at the sudden movement. "Oh. Shima. You're here too?" He said hoarsely. The pinkette grinned.

"Yeah. I didn't wanna go back to my parents' place, so I stayed here." He said, shrugging.

"I'm here too." A snappy voice sounded from behind a rice paper wall.

Kamiki. Of course. "So what happened to Tatsuma?" Rin wondered, his senses clearing up.

"He's fine now. He made it. He isn't he head priest anymore though. Oh and Bon is okay too." Shima answered. Rin hummed.

"I really need something to eat, but I don't think I can get up. Too tired." Rin groaned. Kamiki snorted bitchily.

"So you're more emotionally vulnerable when you're tired? Hah!" She laughed.

"Oh....good morning everyone." A soft voice spoke up. Rin mentally groaned. He didn't want her talking to him, it was too early to deal with her pacifist bullshit.

"Mornin' Flower Girl." Rin sighed.

"Oh, you're okay! Thank goodness! I....I have something to tell you!" She declared, hastily sitting up.

He looked at her, reluctant but slightly interested. Please tell me she's not going to confess she's in love with me.

"Rin...I...I...I want you to know, I'll always be here to help you! We'll be friends forever and ever!" She shouted, cheeks reddening. Rin stared for a long moment. Oh no, this is much worse. She'll never leave me alone now.

Shima howled with laughter at Rin's expression. "Dude, I'm sorry." He snickered. He misunderstood the situation, but the son of Satan let it be. He didn't care what people thought about him or anyone who hung around him. Let them assume and spread rumors.

For now, he'd just rest and continue fighting his way through life and doing whatever he wanted.

DEMONSDEMONSDEMONSDEMONSDEMONSDEMONSDEMONSDEMONS

A.) Rin is a hungry boi. B.) I don't think you guys notice all the memes and references I put in these stories.

"Oh no, this is much worse" –Bruce Banner, Avengers.