Chapter 16

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              Yukio pushed his chair back and stood up, "Well, good luck gentleman. I should be going. I have a train to catch. Thank you for—"
              "Yukio!"
             The exorcist whirled around to see Ed standing in doorway, panting and looking both terrified and enraged. "Ed? What's—?"
             "Victor's got him! He's got Rin!"
             "What?!" both Al and Yukio cried. "How did that happen?" Yukio asked.
             "I—I don't know. He just lost control and then he was gone,"
             "Victor would need to get close enough to speak an incantation to him,"
             By now, the three were speeding down the street, the two other exorcists struggling to keep up. Ed halted, all the color drained from his face, "Shit."
             "What?"
             He continued running, "We went into this store—an ice cream shop." It sounded so stupid and childish now. "It was crowded and loud. Rin said he thought I said something to him...It was Victor. I know it."
              He felt sick, "How could I be so stupid?!"
              "You're not stupid," Yukio panted next to him, "You had no reason to have your guard up. I'm surprised he had the balls."
              "He's getting cocky," Al agreed.
              "You really think he'd come back here?" one of the other exorcists asked. They now stood outside the mental hospital. Yellow tape hung broken from the front doors.
              "Like Al said—cocky," Yukio said.
              The next second, their suspicions were confirmed by a scream from within that was definitely Rin and a bright flash of blue light from one of the windows. "Rin!" Ed raced up the steps, followed closely by Al.
              "Hold it, you two," Yukio snapped.
              "Seriously?!"
              "We can't go rushing in. We need a plan of attack,"
              "Rin's not gonna last, Yukio. Or are you gonna let him die too!"
              "Of course not! He's my brother. I'm just as scared as you are, but I don't want this to play out the same way it did with Katie,"
              "It won't. James is dead. He's all alone,"
               "You and I both know Victor is strong enough on his own,"
               Ed opened his mouth to retort, but Al spoke first, "Okay, Yukio, what's your plan?"

               Ed paused outside the doorway of the first room on the right.
               He hated Yukio's stupid plan.
               He could hear Victor talking to Rin and the latter groaning or whimpering every so often. The room was vibrating with the blue light. Ed peeked in, and it took all his willpower to not storm right in. There was still a gaping hole in the wall from before. Rin hung by his ankles from the ceiling in the center of a new devils trap. He was engulfed in the blue flames, his sword lying unsheathed on the table beside the door, surrounded by its own flames. Rin's wrists were bound hanging below his head, both slit. Blood was trickling down his palms, through his fingers, and into a pail on the floor.
                  Just then Victor locked eyes with Ed, "You?!"
                  "Me! You'll be sorry you messed with my...friend,"
                  "Ed?" Rin whimpered, half-conscious.
                  "I got this, Rin," Ed snatched up the sword and scabbard, sneering at Victor, "Catch me if you can, jackass!"
                  He sheathed the sword, putting out the flames and ran for it.
                  As soon as Ed and Victor were out of sight, Yukio and Al slipped in. "Rin!" Yukio cried, crouching so he was face to face with him. He thought he'd be sick seeing the state his brother was in.
                 "Yuki...o..." Rin lapsed into unconsciousness.
                 "Rin?" Yukio straightened up and stretched on his top toes trying to reach the chains holding him, "Al, we gotta—"
                 "I got him, I got him," Al easily unchained Rin's ankles and set him down.
                 "It's okay, it's gonna be okay, Rin," Yukio murmured, wiping the blood and binding his wrists.
                 There was a crash and several gunshots below them. Ed and Victor had burst into the entryway. The floor and walls shifted and shot out at both of them, but Ed was too busy also dodging bullets to get any upper hand. "I have to help him!" Al exclaimed.
                 "Go! I got Rin,"
                 Al raced down to the entryway. As soon as he stepped foot in the room, Ed threw the sword to him, "Al, catch!"
               "What?!"
               Immediately, Victor turned on Al. The bullets pounced off the boys chest, so Victor charged him. Al was easily able to fight him off, and as Victor was occupied, Ed launched a column of earth at him, crushing him against the wall. In the sudden stillness that followed, Yukio called from the upper room, "Al, toss the Koma sword up here!"
               "Okay, here!" he flung the sword and it landed on the broken stone next to Yukio. He placed it on Rin's chest, placing his brothers hand over it.
              "Come on, Rin. Time to wake up,"
              "Is he okay?!" Ed called, anxiously.
              "He'll be fine,"
              As he said this, the other two exorcists raced in from outside, "Is everything okay?"
             "Yeah, everything's under—"
             "Damn, that hurt," the rubble where Victor once stood crumbled and he emerged, "I see, you tricked me."
             "He's still alive?" one of the exorcists gasped.
             "You need to get out of here," Al cried, "Remember what Yukio—No!"
             Before he could finish his sentence, the exorcists were firing. Victor dodged every bullet like they were flies he was swatting away.
             "Stand down, stand down!" Ed exclaimed, but it was too late.
             Victor struck the ground and sent the exorcists flying out the door. But that wasn't the worst part. Victor rose up and before Ed or Al could do anything, he struck the wall beside him. A transmutation circle appeared, glowing. Multiple similar circles throughout the room and the entire building appeared and then the floors and walls began to shift. The door was blocked off and the upper room where Yukio and Rin were crumbled to the lower level, the brothers tumbling out. Al and Ed stumbled, trying to stay upright as the floor shook.
                 "How is he this strong?" Al questioned, as Ed tipped over, "Brother!"
                 "It's the demon blood," Yukio said, trying to drag Rin's body out of danger, "It doesn't just make him strong, it give him knowledge."         
                Just then, rubble dropped from the ceiling, striking him and Rin and throwing them in opposite directions. Rin landed near Ed, and began to stir. The first thing he saw was a pair of gold eyes, "Ed?"
               "Rin, hey!"
               "Ed, what's—"
               The building had settled. The entryway was now twice the size. Al ran to Ed and Rin, helping his brother to his feet, then the exwire. "What's with the redecorating?" Rin asked.
                "I don't know, but we got bigger problems," Al said.
                The last word was punctuated by a clank as Victor dropped the bucket that held Rin's blood. Now he had poured the liquid in a goblet in his hand.
                "Victor, don't!" Yukio cried from the other side of the room, staggering to his feet.
                "Usually, I'd break this down with alchemy, but given the circumstances..." and he drained it.

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