Work Text:
"Special delivery!"
Mamushi looked up at Rin with a grateful smile as he set down a bundle of bentos on the table of the branch office's break room. They'd just gotten off their shift in the Deep Keep, so Nishiki and Ao were slumped over on the table.
Chanting mantras for hours on end was quite exhausting, as it turned out.
"Thank you," Mamushi said, "-send my regards to okami-san."
"Yeah," he said, "-I will!"
Rin beamed, unwrapping the bundle and handed each of them a bento. He was wearing the blue uniform of the Toraya inn, but he'd foregone the usual undershirt- and was instead wearing one his usual graphic t-shirts instead. His bangs were pinned back like they always were when he was working, with the hairclip Ryuuji had given him as a present once.
She wondered how he was doing right about now.
As if on cue, Rin's phone buzzed.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at it- and then broke out into a wide grin. "Hey! Yukio and everyone passed their exwire exam!"
"Really?" Ao asked.
"Yeah!" Rin showed them his phone. "See?"
Yukio had sent him a simple message, plainly stating that they'd all passed. Moments later, Rin's phone buzzed again, and one of those selfie things clearly taken by Renzou popped onto screen, of the four of them holding up their provisional exwire licenses.
Mamushi's lips quirked upwards in a smile. She still remembered how excited she'd been to get her own. It had been her first step on her path to serve her sect.
Rin glanced at the new message with a grin.
"I know!" Rin said. "We should send one too!"
"Oh, good idea!" Nishiki agreed. "Hold on, I think saw a long sheet of paper or something..."
"Huh?" Mamushi blinked. "No, I could never take something as shameless as a selfie!"
"Aw, c'mon Mamu-nee!" Rin beamed. "We can't take one without you!"
"He's right!" Ao agreed. "You have to join in, nee-sama!"
"Ah, but..."
Rin and Ao just looked at her with pleading eyes- and if she was being perfectly honest, she was not that strong. She had a weak spot for her younger siblings.
"...okay."
Rin and Ao cheered, exchanging a high five as Nishiki returned with a long, blank sheet of paper. She spread it out on the table, and produced several black markers. Mamushi watched with a fond smile as the three argued about what to write, before her sisters chided Rin on jumping the gun and writing the wrong kanji.
Predictably, the banner they ended up with was the definition of chaos.
(None of them had so much of a shred of artistic talent.)
"...it's fine," Rin muttered, his brow furrowing, "-it's the thought that counts, right?"
Nishiki and Ao just nodded their heads in agreement.
"Okay," Rin said, "-let's take it!"
What ensued was its own form of controlled chaos, as Rin tried to wrangle all four of them into the shot. He stood in the center, leaving the three of them to hold the banner as Rin took the actual photo. Mamushi forced herself to smile-
-and then instantly regretted it when she saw the result.
"Wait," she said, "-let's take ano-!"
"Nope," Rin grinned, "-we're using this one!"
With a snicker, he sent the selfie to his friends. Mamushi heaved a sigh- he could be quite the little menace sometimes, but that was nothing new. When he was still in kindergarten, he'd go around handing random bugs and reptiles to anyone foolish enough to accept one of his 'presents'.
(It just showed how spineless they were. She was always delighted to be gifted a lizard!)
"Oh!" Rin perked up. "Okami says she's throwing a party tonight to celebrate!"
Ao and Nishiki cheered- but Mamushi just sighed. A party with everyone? Those always devolved into drunken chaos.
"I'd better hurry back then," Rin tucked away his phone, "-just bring the bento boxes back with you when you guys come over tonight, okay?"
Mamushi waved him off. He grinned- and promptly stole a fried shrimp from Ao's bento before running away. Mamushi huffed, watching him go with a fond smile even as her youngest sister shouted after him. He'd deny it viciously, but he really had spent the past month moping around- not that she could blame him. He'd never been away from his twin brother before.
She knew she'd missed her younger sisters when she'd left for school.
She was just glad he was doing better.
"Another!"
"Hah?" Rin glared at his father. "That's your fourth one, old man! Aren't you supposed to be a monk? What are you doing, drinking up a storm?"
His father just let out a bark of laughter, prompting Rin to sigh. Torako had set aside an entire party hall for them tonight, and while the night had started calmly enough, it had gotten extremely loud very quickly- and his old man was one of the main culprits! It felt like every time he swung by, he was even drunker than before!
"Aw, lighten up, Rin!" Shiro laughed. "Here! I'll give you some karaage!"
Rin furrowed his brow, but didn't say no to the piece of karaage his father popped into his mouth. He'd ended up working as staff, so he hadn't even really had a chance to enjoy the party- even though it was for his brother and friends!
...well, he'd kind of seen that coming, though.
(Ryuuji's mother had worked through it too, he thought. His father wasn't even here.)
"Rin!" Torako called out to him. "Sorry, can you give me a hand?"
"Yeah, coming!" Rin called back- before turning back to his father with a sharp glare. "Listen, old man. No more drinking tonight! I don't want to have to carry you home!"
Shiro just responded with laughter that was not confidence inspiring.
Sure enough, when he returned from carrying Kinzou into a spare room, his old man was passed out drunk. Putting his hands on his hips, Rin heaved a long sigh.
Figured.
"Ah," Torako popped her head in with a smile, "-you can head home now, Rin. And take this!"
"Oh, thanks!" Rin grinned as he took the bento Torako handed him.
Holding onto the cloth wrapped around the bento with his teeth, he hefted Shiro onto his back. The old man was taller than him by a good several inches, but physical strength was something Rin had in spades. He briefly grinned in Mamushi's direction, before he headed out. Slipping on his shoes with his hands full was a little difficult, but he managed.
At least it was starting to warm up now!
Ah, gross. The old man was drooling on his shoulder.
Heaving a sigh, Rin walked back to their apartment. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? Well, not that he'd want to be carried around like this by his dad at his age, but usually it was the parent who carried the child!
At least their apartment wasn't far.
It was a dingy, kind of rundown place- they didn't exactly have a lot of money- but it was home. He and Yukio shared the largest bedroom, while their father took the smaller one. Sometimes the power stopped working randomly, and there was always a draft in the winter- but it was close to Toraya and the branch office.
Carrying Shiro up the stairs, he briefly paused halfway up them.
"...mm?" Shiro yawned, "-something wrong?"
"Yer up?" Rin asked, careful not to drop the bento cloth he was still holding with his teeth. "Nah, I just thought I saw somethin'."
It was weird. That had been happening a lot lately. Was something wrong with his eyes?
...he hoped not. He couldn't pull off glasses like Yukio could.
Carrying his father to the top of the steps, he unceremoniously dropped him as soon as they got there. Shiro groaned, rubbing his ass as he stood up.
"That hurt!" Shiro complained. "Geez. You used to be so cute, saying oton, oton!"
Rin glared at him, even as he let the bento drop into his now free hands. "That was when I was a kid!"
"Huh?" Shiro peered at him. "That's funny. I could have sworn you were still a kid."
"I'm a proper working adult!" Rin protested.
Shiro just laughed, before giving his hair an affectionate ruffle. "You sure are. Working, that is! I don't know about the adult part!"
Rin clicked his tongue, unlocking the front door. Kuro was waiting for them inside, giving them his usual greeting. He trotted over to Rin, curiously sniffing his bento.
"Have you been a good boy, Kuro?" Rin pet his head. "Thanks fer watching the place!"
Kuro preened, puffing out his chest.
Heh. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he could understand him. But that wasn't possible, of course! No matter how smart it was, a house cat was just a house cat. Rin gave his head another pet, before heading into the kitchen. He unwrapped the bento and pulled out a chair, watching as his dad downed a glass of water.
Kuro jumped on the table and yowled.
Rin grinned, giving him a piece of karaage, before digging in. His father staggered off to bed, leaving him alone with Kuro.
...it was quiet.
Scratching the back of his head, Rin frowned. It had already been over a month since Yukio and everyone had left for True Cross Academy. He was glad to hear they were doing well, but if he was being honest, he was pretty lonely.
As if on cue, Rin's phone rang.
"Oh, Yukio!" Rin said as he picked it up. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Yukio said, "-I just felt like calling you. We got your picture."
"Did ya?" Rin asked. "It wasn't easy getting Mamu-nee to agree."
He idly munched on his karaage, listening to Yukio recount their exwire exam. The fake ghoul attack sounded harrowing- he'd seen some pictures of the things in Konekomaru's demonpedia before, and they always grossed him out. It sounded like they'd handled it like a breeze, though!
"Is father doing alright?" Yukio asked.
"Hah?" Rin arched a brow. "Why are you asking me? You see him every day too."
Yukio just chuckled. "That's true. Don't let him drink too much."
"...ah, sorry," Rin laughed, "-he passed out drunk today."
Yukio's sigh was audible over the phone.
"My bad!" Rin said. "I was busy working, so I couldn't keep an eye on him."
"I guess it can't be helped," Yukio said, "-how's your job going?"
"Great!" Rin grinned. "I'm learning a lot from okami!"
"Okami-san," Yukio chided him, "-you need to address her properly, nii-san."
"Eh? It's fine. I don't work front of the house." Rin said. "Well, mostly anyways."
Yukio just sighed again. Rin smiled- it was kind of weird, but he missed that sound.
They talked for a little while longer, before Yukio had to hang up. Rin washed the bento, leaving it out to dry and headed to take a bath before turning in for the evening.
...he was a little lonely after all- but he'd be fine!
They were all in Tokyo, pursuing their dreams. Honestly, he was a little jealous- he'd never had anything as cool as that. He liked cooking, so he was happy with his job, but it wasn't exactly his dream job, you know? He kind of didn't have one!
...well, it was fine. Not everyone did!
Yawning, Rin curled up under his covers. He had an early shift tomorrow, so he needed to sleep. Closing his eyes, he let it claim him.
Shiro was jolted awake by a loud crash.
Throwing off his covers, he hurried into the hall with Kuro hot on his heels. The noise had come from Rin's room. Shiro threw his door open-
-and froze in his tracks.
The room was a wreck- it was like a tornado had passed through, tossing everything around. Sheets had been pulled off beds, and the contents of the closet had been strewn everywhere. The loud crash Shiro had heard was the sound of the bookshelf hitting the floor, joining the tipped over desk.
In the middle of the mess stood Rin.
Dimly, he became aware that Kuro was hissing. The cat sidhe had his fur raised, his gaze fixed on Rin. The person himself didn't seem to notice either of them- until slowly, his gaze swept towards Shiro. He felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of his eyes-
-they were completely vacant.
Instantly, Shiro was on his guard. He took a cautious step forward, but Rin barely reacted. Instead he just staggered forward, dragging out the plastic storage bin Yukio kept under his bed and emptying out the contents with a blank look on his face.
"Rin," Shiro said, "-what are you doing?"
"...can't find it."
Oh, he didn't like that answer.
"What can't you find?" Shiro asked. "Tell me. I'll help you look."
"...don't know," Rin muttered, "-it's important."
Shiro felt a trickle of cold sweat trail down the back of his neck. Already? He would have thought that they would have had more time before Kurikara's seal began to weaken- but that was the only thing he could think of that would compel Rin to do this.
He wasn't even sure if he was awake.
"Tell you what," Shiro forced his voice to stay level, "-I'll help you look in the morning, okay? But for now, you should go back to bed."
For a long moment, Rin just stared at him-
-and then, to Shiro's great relief, he staggered back towards his bed. He waited until he heard the telltale sound of his breathing, before exhaling.
This wasn't good.
For the moment, he focused on quietly putting everything back where it belonged. Rin didn't need to wake up to this mess. He'd been sleepwalking, Shiro realized.
"Kuro," Shiro glanced over at the cat sidhe, "-how about you sleep in Rin's room from now on?"
Kuro looked at him, and solemnly yowled.
(In the back of his mind, he could hear Satan laugh.)
"Mamu-nee, morning!"
Mamushi did not flinch at the cheerful sound of Rin's voice- and if she did, it was just because she was tired. Officially, her shift at the Deep Keep had ended an hour ago, but she'd wound up staying behind for longer than that dealing with some paperwork.
(She hadn't realized that being part of the Order would require so much of it.)
"Good morning, Rin," Mamushi smiled at him, "-okami-san has you sweeping the entrance?"
"The usual guy hurt his back!" Rin said.
Ah, that made sense.
"Did you just get off?" Rin asked. "Want to come in fer some tea?"
"No, I couldn't possibly..." Mamushi trailed off.
"It's fine!" Rin beamed. "It's starting to get hot, so we haven't seen as many customers lately. We've got like... five reservations this week? Anyways, no one's around."
"...alright then," Mamushi said, "-some tea would be nice."
Rin grinned, setting aside the broom. She followed him through the back to Toraya's kitchen, taking a seat at the counter. The chef spared her a faint glance, before turning back to his prep work. Rin hummed to himself as he poured her some green tea, before turning around and making himself a cup of coffee.
(He dumped three sugar cubes into it first, though.)
"Oh," he said as he sat down across from her, "-did you hear?"
"About what?" Mamushi asked.
"Shima says they helped exorcise a ghost the other day," Rin told her, "-from Mepphyland?"
"That tasteless amusement park?" Mamushi asked.
"Yeah!" Rin said, digging out his phone and bringing up the group chat she knew he was in with the four of them. "Bon says a classmate of theirs did most of the work though. Moriyama... how do you read this?"
He showed her his phone, and Mamushi leaned closer with a bit of a frown.
"...Shiemi, I think," she said after a moment.
"Shiemi!" Rin smiled. "That's a cute name. I think she's this blonde one."
He scrolled up a bit, showing her another selfie that had likely been taken by Renzou. It featured the four of them, alongside two girls she didn't recognize.
(The one with purple hair looked very much like she didn't want to be there.)
"Sounds like they're doing pretty well for themselves!" Rin beamed.
He tucked his phone away, taking a long sip of coffee. There were faint bags underneath his eyes that it wasn't hard to guess the source of. He'd been sleepwalking lately, apparently.
His father was concerned about it, she knew.
She couldn't blame him- she might harbor her own suspicions about Fujimoto Shiro, but those were entirely independent of his role as a father. It was hard to find fault with him there, she admitted. Rin was cheerful and friendly, and one of the kindest people she knew, and though she wasn't as close to him, Yukio was smart and always polite.
They were good kids.
"...have you told them you're not coming over for summer vacation yet?" Mamushi asked.
Rin shoulder's flinched- and that was all the answer she needed.
"I mean," Rin awkwardly rubbed his neck, "-we can't know that for sure yet!"
It seemed like he was hoping the sleepwalking would resolve itself, but from the sound of it, it was only getting worse. He'd managed to wander out of the apartment in the middle of the night the other day- Juzo had found him standing in a nearby park, staring at nothing. He'd managed to escort him back home, but...
It was clear he was in no state to be traveling by himself right now.
"Have you even told them yet?" Mamushi asked. "About the sleepwalking?"
Rin averted his eyes.
"...it's embarrassing," he admitted, "-and I don't want them to worry."
Mamushi huffed. "You're being stupid again."
Rin's lips twisted into a frown.
"...I know," he admitted, "-I'll tell them if it gets worse, I promise."
Mamushi sighed, taking a sip of her tea. Somehow she doubted that, but it wasn't her place to interfere with his friendships- or his relationship with his brother, for that matter. If you asked her, Yukio's continued absence was probably part of the problem.
The topic shifted to more inconsequential things. She let Rin talk her ear off about his job, only chiming in with an occasional remark about her own. Rin wasn't an exorcist- in spite of how often he ended up at the branch office to deliver food from Toraya even before he actually worked there. It meant that there were certain things she couldn't tell him- but he also never much seemed interested in asking.
...honestly, she'd suspected for awhile now that his father was subtly keeping him away from the exorcism world. She wasn't certain if Rin or Yukio had even noticed.
Mamushi yawned, and Rin blinked.
"Oh, sorry!" He said. "You probably want to get some sleep."
Mamushi shook her head. Honestly, she was worried about him too- so it was good to see him still so cheerful.
He was like a little brother to her, really. Like her sisters, she only wanted to see him happy- which was why she hoped, for his sake, that Todo-sensei's suspicions about his father were unwarranted. Using Kurikara to seal the heart of Satan's child? Even if he hadn't been part of the Myoda sect when he supposedly would have done it, it would still be blasphemy of the highest order.
...and if that was the case, then Suguro Tatsuma was complicit.
Raising Satan's child in secret? She didn't want to believe it, but she had to find out for sure. No matter what, she had to protect Myoda.
...she hoped if was true, that Rin wouldn't hate her for it.
Rin's knuckles throbbed.
He listened with one ear as Shiro finished speaking with the police officer, assuring him that it would never happen again. His bare feet were caked with dried mud, and his wrist was in a splint. Apparently he'd tried to dislocate it after he'd been handcuffed to a chair- which came after he'd apparently assaulted a police officer.
He didn't remember any of it.
"Rin," his father's voice was softer than he deserved, "-let's go home."
Rin looked up at him. He'd only woken up after his father had arrived at the station- there was a cut on his forehead where he'd tried to hit him with a chair. It had been treated, but the sight of the bandage made his gut roll.
He hadn't had any incident like this for years.
And he'd done it in his sleep.
Rin swallowed, nodding. He trudged after his father, keeping his gaze firmly rooted to the floor so that he wouldn't have to look anyone in the face. They passed by an officer with a broken arm, and another with a swollen face, and he knew it was his fault. Apparently he hadn't taken it well when they'd tried to escort him home.
...it had just kind of escalated from there.
The only reason he wasn't in trouble was because he'd literally been unconscious. He flexed his fingers, staring at his torn knuckles.
Ryuuji hadn't been around to stop him this time.
He couldn't tell them- there was no way he could. They were all doing great in Tokyo. They'd just sent him a message last night, telling him that they'd all been approved for combat missions. They were making steady progress towards their goal, while he was apparently getting violent in his sleep.
"I'm not mad at you," Shiro said, "-you know that, right?"
Rin looked up at him. "But I..."
"This isn't like the other times," Shiro's voice was firm, "-you weren't conscious. It's not your fault."
Rin just stared at his father. There were heavy bags underneath his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping much either, lately- every time he did, Rin managed to escape. It wasn't like he did this every night- but there didn't seem to be any discernible pattern to when he would sleepwalk. His father had tried locking the door to his room from the outside...
...but he'd apparently just climbed out the window.
"...okay."
Shiro smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out."
Rin nodded, clinging to his father's assurances.
By the time they reached their apartment, Rin was exhausted. Kuro came bounding over, nuzzling against his legs. Rin scooped him up, holding him against his chest. He followed his father into the living room, and promptly collapsed on the couch.
"Don't worry," his father said, "-just sleep for now. I'll watch over you."
He wanted to stay awake, but his heavy eyelids won the battle.
"...what do I do, Tatsuma?"
The monk sat down across from him, pouring him a cup of tea. Shiro took it, swirling it around in his cup with a deep frown. Frankly, he would have preferred something stronger.
It felt like every time he drifted off to sleep, Rin got out.
The lack of sleep was starting to wear on him, if he was being perfectly honest. The fact that it had been raining since this morning certainly didn't help- his bones didn't handle the damp as well now that he was getting older.
Hell, the lack of sleep was even starting to effect Rin.
"I don't think there's an easy answer to that, Fujimoto-kun," Tatsuma said, "-but you could always try being honest with him."
Shiro scoffed into his teacup. The truth was the last thing Rin needed right now.
"And what?" Shiro asked. "Let him know he's been wandering around at night in search of his demon heart? Forget it. He's been through enough already."
Could he handcuff Rin to his bed? Nah, he'd just dislocated his wrist when the police had tried to cuff him. The police! He was just glad he'd actually taken Rin to a real doctor when he'd started sleepwalking, on the off chance that they might be able to prescribe something that might help. They hadn't, but the medical card sure had come in handy!
No, the real problem was Rin's seal.
Tatsuma had checked the state of it the other day- and sure enough, it was starting to weaken. He'd always known it would break someday, but Rin was only fifteen years old! Couldn't it at least have waited until he was a proper adult?
He was just glad Yukio wasn't here.
"You can't keep the truth from him forever, Fujimoto-kun," Tatsuma advised him, "-I know you worry, but telling him might be the best thing for him right now."
Shiro huffed. Getting lectured about telling the truth from Tatsuma of all people?
"Trust me," Tatsuma said, "-I realize how ironic that sounds."
"Was about to say," Shiro muttered, "-anyways, I'm not telling him. I just have to figure out some other way of dealing with this. Is there any way we can reinforce the seal?"
"I'm looking into it, but..." Tatsuma trailed off.
Right. The main problem was that neither of them could get in touch with that damn clown.
"Where is Rin now?" Tatsuma asked.
"Helping Torako," Shiro replied, "-I told him he could take the day off, but..."
He was probably just trying to distract himself. Last night had been a lot for him, he knew. He hadn't had an episode like that since he was a kid.
"Hm," Tatsuma stroked his chin, "-maybe the two of you should move in? He'd have more people around to keep an eye on him, and he hasn't been violent yet to anyone he knows."
"Yeah," Shiro said, "-but how long will that last?"
The last thing he wanted to do was to isolate Rin from the place he'd come to call home. But if they couldn't get this under control...
A faint knock drew his attention away from his thoughts.
"Hello, Fujimoto-san," Torako said, "-I thought I would bring the two of you some refreshments."
"Thanks, Torako," Tatsuma smiled, "-how's Rin doing?"
Torako smiled at him, setting down her tray on the table. "Dozing off in the kitchen, last I checked. Don't worry. The head chef is keeping an eye on him."
"Thanks," Shiro said, "-for not telling Ryuuji also."
"No," Torako shook her head, "-it's fine. That should be Rin's decision."
With a bow of her head, Torako left. Shiro munched on one of the senbei she had brought, staring out the window at the pouring rain. The unending storm had brought with it an ominous feeling that he just couldn't shake.
There was a loud crack of lightning, plunging the room into darkness.
"Oh my," Tatsuma said, "-did a transformer explode?"
"Sure sounded like it," Shiro got this feet, "-I'm going to check on Rin."
Using his cellphone for light, he made his way down the darkened halls of Toraya. The branch office had a backup generator, but they didn't have one here. He found the kitchens easily enough, ducking his head in. The cooks were scrambling to light candles, while the head chef was busy reporting the power outage already.
...there was no sign of Rin.
"Hey," Shiro said, "-where's Rin?"
The head chef glanced over his shoulder, noticing with a start that Rin was gone. Swearing underneath his breath, Shiro dialed Rin's number, but it just rang without a response.
Not good, he thought.
Heading back down the hall, he found Tatsuma lighting candles. "Tatsuma! Did Rin go by?"
"No," Tatsuma shook his head, "-I haven't seen him."
Shiro clicked his tongue. "I think he's sleepwalking again. I'll let everyone know. We need to find him before something else happens."
Tatsuma nodded gravely. Shiro sent off a couple of texts, letting everyone know that Rin might be sleepwalking again, and to keep an eye out for him. Maybe it was just the incident from last night being so fresh in his mind, but he couldn't shake the ominous feeling of dread that had washed over him since the moment the power went out.
Maybe for good reason.
Out of breath, a member of the branch office rushed into the room. He didn't even pause to catch his breath, the dim lighting of the room making the panic in his eyes all the clearer.
"Blue flames!" He gasped out. "In the branch office!"
Shiro felt the world fall out from under him.
(And Satan wouldn't stop laughing.)
"...Rin?"
Mamushi stared at him with a frown. He was standing in front of the branch office, absolutely drenched. He wasn't even wearing any shoes.
He barely even noticed her when she opened the door and called out to him. Her brows furrowed together. Was he sleepwalking? In the middle of the day?
"Rin!"
This time he took notice of her, finally turning to look in her direction. She'd known him all her life, but for the first time she felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of his eyes. Juzo had described them as being vacant, that time he'd caught him sleepwalking- and he was right. They really were.
He was also getting soaked.
"Rin," Mamushi said, "-come in."
He stared at her for a long moment, before he stumbled inside. She grabbed a towel from by the entrance, and made him sit down on one of the benches for visitors. He complied, not making a sound as she took a towel to his hair in a vain attempt to dry him off a little.
"...where is it?"
"Hm?" Mamushi glanced down at him. "Where is what?"
"...my other half," Rin said, "-I need it."
Mamushi huffed. She'd heard that he seemed to be looking for something, but his other half? That could only mean Yukio.
Twins sure were mysterious, she thought.
"Wait there," Mamushi instructed, "-I'll help you look for it when I get back, alright?"
Rin didn't say anything in response. She frowned, more than a little unnerved at how differently he was acting. She was certain that someone was looking for him by now, especially given what had happened last night- they'd all heard about the incident by now. Honestly, she'd been out of her mind with worry all morning.
Sparing a last glance back at him, she hastily made her way to the break room. There was a phone there she could use. Thankfully, they had a backup generator...
...but there was no dial tone when she picked up the phone.
Mamushi frowned. Did that lightning strike knock out the phone lines too?
No matter. Perhaps she could borrow Rin's cellphone.
Returning to the front, she stopped dead in her tracks. Rin was gone- just a crumpled towel left behind in his place. Turning on her heel, her eyes followed a trail of wet footprints further into the branch office. Had she just missed him?
From further in, she heard the sound of broken glass.
She hurried towards the sound, only vaguely registering that the wet footprints headed in this direction too. There were already several people gathered outside when she reached where the sound had come from. She quickened her pace, arriving at the same time as Juzo.
"Wha-"
The word died in her throat, as her brain tried to make sense of what she was seeing. The glass of the cabinet that stored Kurikara when it wasn't being displayed had been shattered- and judging from the deep cuts on Rin's hand, he'd been the one to do it.
He was holding Kurikara.
"Oh," he said, "-I found it."
"Rin," Mamushi stepped forward, "-your hand."
Rin turned to look at her. His eyes were still vacant, but he was smiling now.
"Mamu-nee," he said, "-I found my other half. Thanks!"
He drew the sword.