This is ridiculous, I don't have to follow him around. I can just go back to Mephisto's office and wait until school starts back up again, plus I'm pretty sure the cram school students will still be here during the break. I can find them any other day, there's no need to do it now. I stood up and slowly walked to Mephisto's office, thinking about what he had said earlier. I was still a little angry about him not telling me, and what did he mean by risks? I don't really see the problem with me meeting Rin! Okay, I was a lot angry about it, I've always thought that the only other person with blue flames was my father. I wonder… is Rin older than me? Where did he grow up? Who raised him? There's so much I don't know about him, why shouldn't we meet? I walked into Mephisto's office expecting to be lectured the second I opened the door, but he wasn't in there. I guess that meant I was going to wait for him then, reading Rin's file should pass the time until he gets back. So I kicked my feet up and pulled out Rin’s file, it was amazing how many questions it answered for me. Rin was the oldest of the 2 brothers, raised by Shiro Fujimoto. Their mother was a human, their father a demon, and it wasn’t hard to guess which one; because he was my father too. When Rin was born he was already showing his flames, so Mephisto sealed his demonic powers into the Koma Sword. Every time the sword is drawn his flames show whether he wants them to or not. I continued to read for hours and hours until I heard footsteps in the hallway. They were moving quickly too, I shoved the file into my bag and pulled out a book. I flipped to a random page and held it up so no one could see my face, then the door swung open... “Mephisto! Rin’s been captured, we need to act fas-” He paused as I lowered the book, my face in awe. The book flew across the room and I ran out the door with my bag over my shoulder, I needed to get to that training camp a lot faster than I could walk. Turning down the empty hallways, my pace continued to pick up until I was running at full speed towards the school’s front doors. When I pushed open the doors I was shocked to see that it was already night, but it didn’t stop me. I ran down the steps and down the street, there was a kid on a skateboard just a little ways ahead of me. I started to run a little faster until I was close enough to touch him, shoving him off I quickly jumped on the moving board. The kid yelling as I left him behind. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, someone was calling me. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. it was Mephisto. Answering the phone as I got off the skateboard and picked it up, I didn’t want him to know that I wasn’t at the school. “Hello?” I say casually, my heart about to jump out of my chest. It was hard to act normal when your brother was probably about to be killed. “Ida, where are you?” He asked sounding worried, “Ash told me about what happened, you need to come back here before you do something you regret.”

Ash? He must be the one who mistook me for Mephisto. “I’m not doing anything I’ll regret, I’m back in the dorms doing homework. I’ll call you back later.” I lied as I hung up, this isn’t going to go away. I’m going to have to suffer the consequences for what I do tonight for the rest of my life, I need to consider this long and hard before I jump in. My phone buzzed again, it was a text this time. I got back on the skateboard and looked at the message. It was from Mephisto, I know you aren’t at your dorm, not the way you left my office after hearing about Rin. I ignored the text and continued down the road on the skateboard, street lamps were the only thing that was giving light. The moon was hiding behind the clouds, and I watched the street signs as I passed them. After riding along vaguely lit streets for what seemed like hours I arrived at True Cross training camp in the woods. I could see Yukio in the group of exwires I saw this morning, the only one missing was Rin. Yukio was clearly worried, the others stunned. Please tell me they didn’t find out about him. I rushed over to Yukio without thinking, “where is Rin?” I asked urgently, not considering that Yukio had no idea who I was. “W-who are you? And why do you want to know where my brother is?” he asked confused. The exwires behind him came forward, curious. “Hey teach, who is this?” one of them asked as he stepped forward, “I’d like to know the same thing, who are you?” Yukio asked, “I don’t have time for this, I need to find Rin.” I say as I turn around to walk away, but someone grabbed my arm. “How do you know Okumura!?” They yell as I look back at them, “come on Bon, relax. Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?” Another one said, “don’t give me that shit Shima! Don’t you want to know why she’s asking about Okumura?” He responded, “he does have a point, who are you?” Shima asked me, I shook off the boy’s grip and rolled my eyes as I turned and walked the other way. My phone buzzed again, I’m coming to get you, don’t get yourself into trouble. I know where you are. How would he know? He didn’t know that I knew where they were going tonight, so how would he be able to come to get me? The realization hit me hard, it was my phone. I peered down at the screen and watched as it hit the ground, my foot crashing down on top. I left the broken phone in the dirt behind me and ran as far away from it as I could without leaving the training camp forest. That would buy me some time until he found me, I had to find Rin before something happened that couldn’t be undone. True cross soldiers had surrounded the woods by now, it would be hard to search undetected. By now, they should have surrounded the perimeter. If I can make it over there without being seen I might be able to hear where they’re keeping Rin. Carefully walking through the forest, I listened for people around me. When I finally made it to the edge of the forest, I climbed up a tree and peered down at the soldiers below. “So who’s this kid they care so much about?”

“You idiot! It’s Rin Okumura, the son of Satan.” I leaned in closer to hear the details. “They think Satan is planning an attack on Assiah, I can’t even imagine what they’re doing to Rin to find out that information.” My eyes widened, what were they doing to him? I didn’t even think about that, my worries doubled. Still, I listened. “Where are they keeping the little traitor?”

“They told us to keep the witnesses of his blue flames inside the training camp, and I’m pretty sure they’re keeping the kid at the Japan branch of Vatican headquarters. Only exorcists of the highest status have a key to that branch. Of course, you would know this if you paid attention during the briefings.”

Only exorcists of the highest status have a key huh? So.. why wouldn’t the headmaster of True Cross Academy have one? First I would need to make it outside the perimeter of the training camp, that would be fairly easy. I silently lowered myself down off the tree and hid behind it, the skateboard at my feet. I rolled it out towards the soldiers and, just as I expected, they faced their backs to me and examined the board at their feet. I crept out from behind the tree and silently walked towards one of the soldiers while sliding his gun out of his holster I kicked his ankles causing him to fall to the ground. The other soldier pulled his gun and faced it at me, I shot him before he could shoot me, the sound ringing in my ear. He screamed in pain and I watched as he slowly bled out on the ground, people definitely heard that and would be swarming this way any minute now. I got on the skateboard and immediately went rolling down the hill, I needed to get back to Mephisto’s office for that key. As I was riding down the hill I put the gun in my back pocket and covered it with my shirt, I needed to stay hidden tonight. Every street lamp I passed seemed to get dimmer than the last, police would be flooding the city soon. I arrived back at True Cross’s front doors, the rest should be easy. I ran through the halls and up the stairs to Mephisto’s office, the key had to be here somewhere. I started searching drawers and under plants, he wouldn’t have brought it with him, right? There would be no reason to, it’s not like...he knew. Anger swelled up in me like it never had before, why was I so stupid? Of course, he knew, he knew all along! I sat down in his chair and thought things over. What should I do next? The door opened and Mephisto walked in, he didn’t seem surprised to see me. “Ida, what were you thinking?” He asked, clearly frustrated, but still sounding clam. “How did you know I was here?” I asked as I stood up, I wanted answers, and I was going to get them. “I tracked your phone.”

He said, approaching me. “Liar!” I yell, my blue flames igniting. “Ida, you need to calm down so I can explain this to you.”

He says though I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. Every word he said went right over my head, I couldn’t get Rin out of my head. My body shaking in anger still, I stared at the floor. “Why was he kept from me?”

I ask through gritted teeth. Mephisto sighed, I could tell that he didn’t want to tell me anything, but I wasn’t going to give him much of a choice. “It was for the protection of Assiah, 2 demon children running free, both with the blue flames. The Vatican will have you killed if they ever find out about this, it was just easier for us to keep you separated.” He explained as he walked towards me, “Easier for you, huh?”

I ask, he stopped. My head hung, looking at the floor, my fists clenched. “Ida, you have to calm down. I thought I taught you better than to act this way. Just calm down and I can answer your questions.”

Every word he said made me even angrier than before, he was never going to give me the key. Why bother playing nice with him when Rin’s life was hanging in the balance? “Sorry to disappoint,” I say, relaxing my hands as I start towards the door, my flames disappearing. “Ida… wait.” He said calmly, I turned to look at him, his hand outreached with a key in his palm. “You wish to be executed? Be my guest.” He said looking straight into my eyes, I could see his worry, he just couldn’t show it. I grab the key and head down the hallway stopping at the first door I could find. I inserted the key, pulled the gun out of my pocket, and swung open the door.