Rin's eyes began closing and his vision was fading to black.

He was losing his grip on consciousness, fast. Why was he here again? He was here to do something.

Something important. It was hard to think with his mind getting groggier and groggier. Foggy memories kept blinking in and out behind his eyelids and he wished they'd go away. He'd been fine until he remembered those little pieces.

He could feel the weight of Todou on top of him, holding him down. The man was trying to tug his sword away from him. Just as Rin closed his eyes, they snapped back open.

Blue tinted his vision and he blasted Todou straight in the face with blue flames. It somewhat destroyed his face and knocked the man off of him. He scrambled to his feet.

Izumo. He came here to retrieve Izumo. They all had. Rin, Yukio, Suguro, Konekomeru, Takara, and Shiemi. He didn't have time for naps.

ₙₒ ₙₐₚₛ fₒᵣ yₒᵤ, ₗᵢₜₜₗₑ ₒₙₑ!

Yₒᵤ'ₗₗ ₘᵢₛₛ ₒᵤₜ ₒₙ ₜₕₑ fᵤₙ!

The flames intensified as he became more aware of what was happening and pushed the static voice out of his head. The sedative burned out of his system. Rin could feel the intense, smoldering heat of his flames, scorching the walls and ceiling slowly.

He turned and ran down the hallway. The fox familiar was no longer guiding him, but he could sense the presence of Shiemi's Greenman, Nee.

It was just lucky that he ran into Shima at the end of the tunnel. Literally ran into him. He jumped and placed a hard kick to the pinkette's back. Shima was lucky Rin didn't break his spine.

§~•~§~•~§

They were at a standstill until Rin came barreling in, kicking Shima across the room.

The teen was blazing blue. His shirt was gone and his pants were ripped in places, like someone had cut them with scissors in random parts. His tail was out, whipping behind him furiously and glowing blue. His eyes were bright blue and slit-pupiled. Flames surrounded him in a haze of heat. Overbearing heat that sizzled against the equipment in the lab and made it hard to breathe.

Looking past the majestic entrance, he looked like shit. Rin had dark bags under his eyes, he was covered in dried blood, his posture was slumped, and he looked more tired than a broke college student with insomnia. There was something rigid about him that made him look like a caged animal.

"Rin! You're okay!" Shiemi exclaimed, throwing herself onto the demon boy with no regard for the flames or the blood on him. Rin stood there for a minute, surveying all of them in their various states of shock, before hugging her back absentmindedly.

When she let go, his eyes zeroed in on Shima and just as the teen was getting up, groaning, Rin turned and grabbed the hand reaching for him from the hallway. Saburota Todou was thrown right into Shima like a ragdoll, who yelled and fell back down.

Rin grabbed Kamiki, pulled her behind him, and started running back down the hallway.

"They'll be trying to cut us off or separate us. Yukio, you watch left. Suguro, watch right. Shiemi, guard the back. Konekomeru, stay behind me with Kamiki and stay between us." Rin ordered, not taking notice of his brother sputtering over taking orders from someone ranked lower than him.

"There are most likely more zombies in the front, so be prepared." He warned. Keeping the flames going and running were obviously draining him, but he kept it up.

If people came up to him in the hallways to stop them, he burned them and kept going. Suguro and Yukio fended soldiers off from both sides. It was non-stop defence as they made their way out.

Just like Rin said, there were more zombies in the front of the whole facility, where they'd started. Rin growled and wreaked havoc on them. He swung and slashed with his sword, for once using the longer blade as opposed to his knives. He was pretty nimble with the katana, but still not as smooth as he was with his knives. He wasn't used to fighting longer-ranged combat.

Yukio shot the ambling corpses in the head to deter them as he tried to rush Kamiki out of the facility. Pretty soon, they all made it out except Rin. He'd been cornered at one point while holding off the mob. Now, they were slowly but surely overwhelming him.

"Go. Don't wait up. I got this." Rin told Suguro as he hesitated at the doors. The teen was reluctant, but he ran out the doors anyway. He trusted Rin.

Rin smiled and kept on fending off the zombies. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

§~•~§~•~§

"Is there anyone in there? Anyone that got trapped?" Backup from Kyoto had arrived. The ExWires and Yukio were still waiting for Rin. It was a slim chance he'd survived, but if anyone could survive that situation, it was Rin.

They couldn't see him through the clear glass doors anymore. There was too much blood and other bodily fluids covering them.

"Rin never came out. He got cornered, but that was two hours ago. We don't know if he's even still alive in there." Suguro answered before Yukio could.

"Alright. We'll try to take a peek to see if he's okay." Juzo's voice was doubtful, but he did it nonetheless.

Another hour of waiting while Kinzou and a few other guys went in.

Soon after the sun began to set, Blue Fire rose from the roof of the facility. Smoke was thick in the air.

Juzo came out, half carrying a beaten up Rin. The teen was covered in all kinds of nasty stuff from the zombies, but the most prominent thing was dark red blood splattering across his bare chest and torso. He was breathing heavily and bloody lines were slashed across his chest and others across his back. They looked suspiciously like claw marks. Bruises were blooming against the skin too. Even the fur on his tail was messed up. He looked like he'd pass out any second. Tiny blue flames flickered on his body, healing the most major wounds.

"Well, he's still alive." Juzo grinned at them. Yukio had noticed his brother's state and called the med team for a cot to lay him on, along with an I.V. for much needed fluids. Kinzou had came out carrying a pale woman with stark white hair wrapped in bandages.

"He was carrying her and fighting at the same time. Most badass thing I've ever seen!" The blonde cheered.

The woman turned out to be Izumo's mother and the purple haired girl cried and hugged the woman before she was driven away in an ambulance to be treated at the hospital.

Rin was out cold as soon as he laid down. Medics were cleaning all the dirt, blood, and other unsavory things off of his body to see the injuries clearly. When they finally got through it all, Rin still looked in pretty bad shape. His healing was once again still being hindered by something unknown. The medics made a simple report for Yukio to give to Mephisto when they got back regarding Rin's conditions and why he'd come back and been immediately taken to the infirmary for recovery.

Yukio only told the ExWires the injuries of their classmate so they'd stop badgering him about it and so Shiemi would stop blubbering about Rin dying.

– Fractured left wrist
– Femoral and Exterior Iliac Arterial Bleed in left leg
– Minor Avulsion on the abdomen and shoulders
– Bite wounds on right arm
– Blunt Trauma to the right temple
– Chemical Burn on abdomen
– Minor concussion
– multiple lacerations on upper body

Yukio stared down at the list. What the hell had Rin been doing, dancing around the Illuminati base with the dead?!

"Okumura sensei, how bad is it?" Konekomeru asked politely but impatiently. Yukio realized he'd just been staring down at the paper for at least a few minutes.

"Ah, sorry. It's all in medical terms, so I don't think you'd understand it. I'll just tell you simply." He answered, shaking himself out of his shock.

"His left wrist is fractured, he has two damaged arteries in his left leg. Flesh has been torn away at the abdomen and shoulders. There are bite wounds in his right arm. He was apparently hit on the head hard enough to have a minor concussion, and somehow has acquired a chemical burn on his abdomen as well. The most minor thing is probably the cuts. He might need stitches if his healing won't take care of all these injuries." Yukio reported. The group was in various stages of horror.

Izumo choked out a sob. "He went through all that just to save my mother." She sobbed into her traditional robes. She got up suddenly. Shiemi tried to pull her back down, but Izumo stumbled over to Rin's cot.

"You idiot! Why would you go through all that just for someone you don't even like?!" She demanded. He slowly cracked an eye open and turned his head to look at her. "She was calling for you and asked me to help her get out when I found her. You shouldn't ignore your parents, Kamiki." He rasped.

She glared at him. He only closed his eye again and let put a huff of amused breath–laughing would hurt too much. When she didn't leave his side, he lifted a hand and patted her shoulder–the only form of comfort Rin offered.

"What the hell is even happening anymore?" Suguro muttered.

"He's never been like that towards any of us!" Konekomeru noticed. Yukio nodded.

"I think he respects her. As a person and for sticking with her beliefs and not letting anyone stop her from doing what she wants. She's similar to him, in that way. That, and they have similar pasts in the case of parentage." Yukio explained his theory.

They walked up to say bye to Rin before getting on the train. "Come to see me off to Hell?" Rin asked hoarsely. "You're not going to die, you idiot! You saved my mother, but you don't even know her! Get to know her before you die, will you?!" Kamiki screeched angrily–the only way she ever showed concern. Rin only grunted non-committally.

"Seriously, you better come back. My mom wants you to visit next time I go back to Kyoto." Suguro told him, Konekomeru nodding in agreement behind him. Rin groaned.

"You–Four-Eyes–watch Shiemi. She'd walk off a cliff without even realizing it if someone doesn't keep an eye on her." Rin told his twin. Shiemi burst into tears and hugged the teen on the stretcher. The medics came to put him in the ambulance and Rin called after them. "Bye, I'll enjoy my time away from you!"

Suguro snorted and turned away. Typical Rin.