Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Nii-san, wake up."

Yukio heaved a long sigh as his brother merely mumbled something incomprehensible into his pillow. All he could see of him was a mop of black hair and his left hand- the rest of him was buried underneath his blankets still.

"Nii-san," Yukio said, "-you promised to help me move into the dorms today, remember?"

Another incomprehensible mumble, this time accompanied by a wave of his brother's hand. His bracelet jangled, the wooden cross clicking against the two rows of large red and white beads- a sound that had grown long familiar. Yukio heaved another sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Honestly, he should have expected this much. His brother wasn't exactly a morning person.

"If you wake up," Yukio said, "-I'll treat you to ramen later."

Yukio smiled in spite of himself as Rin jerked awake.

"Ramen!?" Rin asked, deep blue eyes sparkling. "Seriously? You're the best, Yukio!"

"Yes, yes," Yukio nodded, "-you're welcome."

Yukio watched with a bemused smile as his brother practically leapt out of bed. He navigated through his mess of a room with ease, leaving Yukio to trail slightly behind him. The ever changing clutter of Rin's room was like a minefield when you only had one good eye, and he knew he'd never live it down if he tripped on something.

He didn't understand how his brother didn't.

He followed his brother as he trotted down the stairs, humming a happy tune. Kyodo and Izumi were the only ones still at the breakfast table when they arrived, the others having already finished their morning meals- father included. Yukio had already eaten, but he still got himself a glass of water and sat down next to his brother.

"I still can't believe you're moving out," Kyodo lamented, "-it feels like just yesterday that Father Fujimoto brought you home."

"I won't be going far," Yukio smiled, "-True Cross Academy is fairly close."

"Yeah," Rin grinned, "-we can go bother him any time we want!"

Yukio sighed. He was certainly expecting Rin would, but he hoped the priests would have a little more restraint. They were adults, after all.

"Please don't, nii-san," Yukio said, "-I'll be busy studying, remember?"

"I know!" Rin said. "You're going to be a doctor, right? But you get so focused sometimes, you totally forget to eat! What am I going to do if you pass out from hunger?"

"I promise I'll eat properly, mom," Yukio replied.

"That's right!" Rin pointed at him with his chopsticks. "Your mother's worried!"

Yukio huffed in amusement, as Rin tore into the rest of his breakfast. Once he was done, he gathered all his dishes in the sink, before hurrying upstairs to get dressed.

"We'll miss you, Yukio," Kyodo said, "-it's going to be lonely around here with just Rin."

"Not quiet, though." Izumi remarked.

Yukio chuckled at that. "Where's father?"

"In the chapel," Kyodo replied, "-he's with a client."

Yukio hummed. It was awfully early to receive a client, but he'd grown used to people arriving at the monastery at all hours of the day, searching for help. Exorcisms, they called them- but he knew that what his father provided weren't exorcisms. They were more akin to spiritual counseling. Some might scoff and call it a scam, but while it was true that there no such things as demons, the problems of those who came to his father were real enough.

Demons lie in the hearts of man, his father had told him once.

In any case, it couldn't be a scam if there was no money or goods involved. His father wasn't that sort of person. He was never privy to what went on those meetings, but he knew that all those who spoke to his father seemed to feel better when they left.

He was a good man. Yukio was proud of him.

"I guess Nagatomo-san will have to drive us then," Yukio said, "-is the car loaded?"

"He and Maruta took care of it already," Izumi said, "-you sure you don't need our help? We wouldn't mind."

Yukio just gave them a soft smile. "No. I'm sure nii-san and I can handle it."

"True enough." Kyodo laughed. "I'm pretty sure Rin could handle it in one trip."

"No way," Izumi said, "-he'd definitely drop something."

Yukio chuckled. That was certainly true. His brother had always been strong, but no amount of strength could help make things less unwieldy. They'd found that out the hard way two spring cleanings ago, when he'd tried to move the couch by himself, only to have it slip from his grasp and go through a window.

He wished he'd taken a photo. The expression on his face had been comical.

"Yukio! You ready?"

Shaking the thought off, Yukio glanced up at his brother with a smile. He was dressed against the chill of this unusually cold April morning, wearing the white leather jacket he'd bought from a secondhand shop after scrimping together money from various part time jobs that he'd held on to for longer than a day. He still had memories of his twin running around barefoot in the snow as a child- and trying to drag him out to do the same.

At least he'd gained a little sense since then.

The ride to the True Cross Academy men's dorms wasn't a long one. Southern Cross was a mere stone's throw away from the campus town. Rin leaned slightly out of the window as they crossed the bridge into the town, waving at a black cat sitting on one of the bridge's pillars as they passed.

"That's Kuro," Nagatomo said cheerfully, "-I hear he's the guard of this gate."

Yukio's lips quirked upwards as he glanced behind him. The guard of the gate? More like a stray the guards had adopted, he was willing to bet- given the title on a whim.

Well, he couldn't say he didn't like that sort of thing.

Upon arriving, Nagatomo pulled the car into an empty spot. Even though it was still early in the day, they weren't the only ones there. Dozens of other students were unloading their belongings on the curb, most accompanied by their parents. Yukio's gaze lingered for a moment on a mother and her son, before shaking the thought off.

"Sure you two don't need any help?" Nagatomo asked, leaning out the car window.

"We'll be fine," Yukio smiled, "-just driving us here was enough."

"What about you, Rin?" Nagatomo asked. "You need a ride home?"

"No way!" Rin grinned. "Besides, Yukio promised me ramen after this. I can get home on my own, you know that!"

"Yeah, just checking." Nagatomo said. "Don't get in any trouble."

"Come on," Rin flashed him a smile, "-when have I ever?"

"You got into a fight last week, nii-san," Yukio remarked, setting a box down on the curb, "-something about pigeons?"

"Hey, I wasn't wrong for starting that!" Rin countered.

"Yes, yes," Yukio said, "-that's what you always say."

Yukio sighed slightly. If he was being honest, he was a bit worried about Rin. He never seemed to think seriously about his future. He took on part time jobs every once in a while, but he never managed to keep any for long. With his cooking skills, if he buckled down and started applying to restaurant jobs, he'd probably be fine, but...

...well, that was depending on if he could keep them.

"What's your room number again, Yukio?" Rin's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"303," Yukio replied, "-on the third floor."

"303," Rin repeated, "-okay, got it."

Rin scooped up the four boxes he'd unloaded from the car, heading into the dorms ahead of him. Yukio unloaded the last two from the trunk, before turning towards Nagatomo with a smile.

"Thanks, Nagatomo-san," Yukio said, "-tell father I'll call later."

"Sure," Nagatomo said, "-good luck at school, Yukio. Don't be a stranger."

Yukio waved as he drove off, before picking up the last two boxes. With his carry bag slung over his shoulder, he headed into the dorms. Rin was coming down the stairs as he entered, flashing him a wide grin.

As usual, he was fast.

"Need a hand with one of those?" Rin asked.

"Can you take the top one?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah, no problem!" Rin grabbed the box, tucking it under his arm. "Gotta say, the dorm rooms here are a lot nicer than I was expecting. You know who your roommate is yet?"

"I don't have one, apparently," Yukio said, "-luck of the draw, I guess."

"Really?" Rin asked. "That's kind of lame."

"Oh?" Yukio arched his brows as he stepped on the elevator. "So you're saying you'd like to live with a complete stranger for three years?"

"Hey, we were strangers at first too, right?" Rin asked. "But we made it work just fine!"

"Maybe so," Yukio said, "-but we don't share a room."

"Mm," Rin tilted his head, "-that is a good point. But I still think-"

The elevator doors opened- and just as they tried to step off, someone else tried to step on. The result was the contents of the box Rin was carrying spilled all over the ground in front of them-

-and one stranger with it.

"Oh, crap!" Rin exclaimed.

"Are you alright?" Yukio asked, carefully stepping off the elevator and around the person. "Sorry. Nii-san doesn't always pay attention to where he's going."

The stranger stood up, brushing dust off their pants. He had an impressive dyed mohawk and a row of piercings- not the type he would have expected to find at a place like True Cross Academy, at least at first glance. Out of the corner of his good eye, he saw Rin blink at him, his free hand fidgeting with his bracelet.

"No," he said, "-I wasn't paying attention either. Do you need help picking your stuff up?"

A Kyoto accent? Huh. He didn't expect that.

"No, I can-"

"Yeah!" Rin butted in. "He'd appreciate the help. Right, Yukio?"

Yukio shot his brother a slight glare, which he completely ignored.

The guy quickly cast a glance between the two of them, before shrugging his shoulders. Scooping up some fallen books, he placed them in the box Rin held out.

"So you're Yukio?" He asked. "I'm Ryuuji. Suguro Ryuuji."

"Fujimoto Yukio," Yukio smiled, setting down his own box to pick up another book, "-this is my twin brother, Okumura Rin."

Ryuuji blinked. "Different last names?"

"We grew up separately," Yukio supplied, "-family issues."

Ryuuji hummed, but accepted it with no further questions. Gathering up the last of his books, they set them back in their box.

"I think that's the last of them," Ryuuji said, "-sorry again."

"Not at all," Yukio said, "-it was nii-san's fault."

"Hey!" Rin protested. "...okay, it sort of was."

Ryuuji laughed, pressing the button to call the elevator. "I guess I'll see you two around?"

"Yeah!" Rin grinned. "Later, Suguro!"

Ryuuji smiled, stepping onto the elevator. Yukio's gaze flickered towards his twin as the doors closed, arching a brow.

"...just how much are you planning on hanging around my dorm, nii-san?" Yukio asked.

Rin blinked, before realization crossed his features. "Oh. Right. Heh."

Yukio sighed. So he'd misspoken. That was about what he thought.

"It's not a big deal." Rin said. "I probably will visit a bunch anyways. You can't get rid of your nii-chan that easily, Yukio."

Yukio just laughed. He fully expected that.

Honestly, he didn't mind. It was strange- for the first eight years of his life, Rin hadn't even been around. He'd known that he had a twin brother somewhere, but he'd never met him before his father had brought him to the monastery to live with them.

...if he was being honest, he'd been afraid of Rin at first.

Now he couldn't imagine life without him. He'd become a fixture in his life- an irreplaceable member of his family. He'd never admit it out loud, but if he was being honest... he was a bit nervous about moving into the dorms on his own. Part of him wished Rin could come with him- but that was impossible.

Rin had never attended a day of school in his life. Getting into True Cross Academy, one of the most elite schools in the nation? Impossible.

"Worried?" Rin asked.

"No," Yukio adjusted his grip on his box, "-not at all."

"You sure?" Rin asked. "You know you can always call me if you get lonely, little brother."

"Lonely? Me?" Yukio laughed. "As if. I'll be just fine. I'm more worried about you."

"Nah," Rin said, "-I can handle loneliness."

For just a moment, a strangely serious expression crossed his brother's face. But before Yukio could ask, it was gone. Rin grinned, opening the door to his dorm room, changing the topic entirely to where he wanted all of his stuff to go.

Right. Rin hated talking about his past.

Yukio let the subject change. The two of them unpacked together, chatting all the while. Rin teased him about being the first year representative, saying that their father was disappointed that the entrance ceremony was students only so he couldn't take a video of his speech.

Once they were done, Rin found a ramen shop nearby on his phone. It was just as good as the reviews said it was, and they both left satisfied. Rin walked him back to the dorms, before heading home. Yukio watched him until he couldn't see him anymore, before heaving a sigh and heading back inside.

His dorm room felt awfully lonely when he returned.

...fine. Maybe Rin had been right. Maybe he would prefer a roommate.

Sitting down on his bed, Yukio pulled out his speech from his bag. School wouldn't start for a week, but the entrance ceremony was being held two days from now. Glancing over his speech, he frowned at it. He was pretty sure he'd hammered out all the kinks by now, but it couldn't hurt to go over it one more time, would it?

...which is what he said the last time he decided he needed to go over it one more time.

Oh, right. He still needed to call father.

Getting up, he went over to his bag, opening up the side pocket. He was surprised he hadn't called him yet, knowing how much the man-

-hm?

Peering into the side pocket, Yukio frowned. His cellphone wasn't there. Hastily checking the other pockets and coming up empty, Yukio's brows furrowed in thought. He was positive he hadn't dropped it when they'd run into Ryuuji earlier, so where...

...ah.

That's right. He'd been about to put it away when he'd heard Rin's alarm clock go off. He'd set it down on his desk to go wake his brother up, and...

...and he'd left it there.

Yukio covered his face. Oh. Well. This was embarrassing.

With a sigh, Yukio grabbed his wallet. Rin was still probably wandering around the campus town somewhere, but he could quite literally be anywhere by now. It would be faster to just go back for his phone than it would be to find him and ask him to bring it over. He more or less knew how to get home from here, anyways. If he walked a block to the station, he could take a bus right to Southern Cross. Since school hadn't actually started yet, he didn't even need permission to leave.

...the priests were going to tease him about this for the rest of his life, weren't they?

At least the bus ride back to Southern Cross was peaceful. He would have to walk a few blocks from the final stop to get back home, but he didn't mind. It was good exercise. Making his way through familiar streets, he took his usual shortcut through the shopping street, smiling as he passed by the usual vendors.

He didn't stop to chat, though. If he timed this right, he could be back in time to catch the next bus. Making a left turn down a side street that he knew was a short cut, he picked his way through the alley at a brisk pace.

"Oi. Fujimoto."

Yukio's first mistake was responding.

"Shiratori-san," Yukio plastered a fake smile onto his face as he turned to face the young man, "-can I help you?"

Shiratori Reiji's left eye was welded shut. Yukio had a sneaking suspicion he knew why. Based on his reputation at school, it wouldn't surprise him in the least if he were the one who had been shooting pigeons in the park- until Rin had intervened, that was.

(Their father had chewed him out something fierce afterwards.)

"Yeah, you can help me." Reiji took a step forward. "You can call that shitty brother of yours. He owes me money for my eye."

Yukio heaved a sigh. He really should have just ignored him.

"Does he?" Yukio asked. "You'll just have to take that up with him."

Reiji clearly didn't like that answer, but Yukio didn't care. It might have been different when he was younger, but he wasn't the weak crybaby he'd been back then.

He was done being bullied.

"Then, if that's all," Yukio turned to leave, "-I have somewhere to be."

Reiji grabbed his wrist. Yukio moved to pull it away, but his grip was tight- almost too tight, Yukio realized with a pained hiss. It felt like his nails were digging into his skin, just shy of piercing his skin. It hurt.

"No," Reiji's eyes felt strangely cold, "-you're not."

Abruptly, Yukio realized that Reiji was missing his two usual lackeys. Something in his stomach twisted. Something wasn't right here.

"You," Reiji said, his smile a little too wide, "-are going to be my bait."

Like hell he was, Yukio thought.

Yukio stomped on Reiji's foot, forcing him to let go of his wrist as he howled in pain. He turned on his heel and ran, intending to go back to the shopping street. There would be other people there, so Reiji wouldn't be able to-

-something grabbed his leg, forcing him to trip.

With a grunt, Yukio rolled over on his back. Reiji loomed over him, something dangerous glinting in the delinquent's eyes. Yukio narrowed his own. Was he on drugs or something? Whatever the case, there was no way he was going to allow himself to become bait to draw out his brother. It wasn't that he thought Rin would lose-

-he was just really tired of being protected.

He did what any reasonable person would do from that angle. He went for the family jewels.

Reiji stumbled back with a grunt. Yukio used that as his chance to get to his feet. Get to the shopping street, and then-

-suddenly, Reiji was in front of him.

Yukio blinked. He didn't understand how it had happened. He didn't even have the chance to process it before he was being slammed against the wall, Reiji's grip tight against his throat. Yukio gasped, his hands instinctively trying to pry Reiji's own away even as his feet dangled off the ground. A warped smirk spread out across the delinquent's face, his nails pricking Yukio's skin-

-and then, suddenly, Yukio's world went blue.

It lasted only a moment, barely long enough to process it. All he really knew was that one moment, Shiratori Reiji was strangling him-

-and the in the next, he simply wasn't.

Yukio gasped for breath, his head groggy. His vision blurred, making it hard to focus. He could hear the sound of Reiji laughing, but it didn't sound normal.

And then-

"Yukio!"

Oh, he thought as he faded into unconsciousness, so in the end, I'm being protected again.

Yukio woke to a pounding head.

Staring up at the ceiling, it took him a long moment to place where he was. Back in his room at the monastery? He sat up with a groan. That wasn't right. He'd moved into the dorms today, hadn't he? Why was he back-

-his memories hit him with the force of a truck.

Right. Shiratori Reiji had tried to kill him.

Placing a hand on his throat, his fingers brushed against bandages. Someone had clearly given him first aid. Was it father? It certainly hadn't been Rin, though he was certain he'd heard his brother's voice just before he'd passed out. Drawing in a deep, shaky breath, Yukio steadied himself. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but one thing was clear- his brother had saved him again.

Straining his ears, he thought he could hear voices from down the hall.

Rin... and father?

His glasses were on the nightstand. Putting them on, Yukio stood up. He made his way towards, the door, unable to shake the feeling that something was off without understanding what. He hesitated briefly, before grasping the handle and opening the door. Stepping into the hallway, he let the sound of voices lead him to his father's study.

"-I know how you feel," he heard his father say, "-but this is the best thing for Yukio."

"The hell it is!" Rin said. "He doesn't need to- I can protect him myself!"

Yukio frowned. They were talking about him?

"Rin," his father's tone was unusually harsh, "-I'm not making this decision lightly."

"You promised-!"

"Promised what?"

His father and brother jerked their heads in his direction, eyes briefly going wide. Yukio held the door to his father's study open, studying them both. His father merely exhaled, while Rin's hand darted towards his bracelet, touching it almost as if for reassurance.

"Yukio," Shiro said, "-good, you're awake. I need to talk to you."

"Dad-!" Rin protested.

"Rin," Shiro cut him off, "-I know how you feel. But we should let Yukio decide."

Yukio frowned. "Decide what?"

Shiro gave him a faint smile, gesturing to the chair across from him. Yukio took it, while his brother just clicked his tongue and crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning against the wall next to their father. Something next to him stirred, and abruptly, Yukio realized that there was a black cat sitting on the shelf next to Rin.

...it looked strange, Yukio thought.

"Yukio," his father began, "-how many tails do you see?"

Yukio blinked, looking over at his father. What an odd question. And yet...

"Two," Yukio said after a moment, "-it has two tails."

His father drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Rin just fidgeted with his bracelet, doing everything in his power to avoid looking at him.

"This is Kuro," Shiro told him, "-he's one of my familiars."

Kuro? He'd heard that name before. Nagatomo had said he was the guardian of the southern rear gate of True Cross Town. What was it doing here? But also...

Yukio frowned. "Familiar?"

"A demon," Shiro said, "-bound to me by contract."

Yukio stared at the cat and swallowed in spite of himself. Kuro lifted its head, watching him with eyes that seemed to knowledgeable for an ordinary feline. It had... horns, Yukio realized.

"I know this is going to sound hard to believe," Shiro continued, "-but what attacked you today was a demon, possessing a human host. We're still trying to determine why it targeted you, but rest assured that its been dealt with."

Yukio's brow furrowed. That was a demon? It sounded absurd, but... something had clearly been wrong with Reiji. And his father's eyes...

...he didn't look like he was lying.

"He said..." Yukio trailed off, "-he said he wanted to use me as bait."

He didn't say for who, but he couldn't help but let his gaze flicker towards Rin. His brother flinched, a guilty look crossing his face that he didn't quite understand. Bait for his brother? Why? And why hadn't they said anything about this before?

No, he thought, they had- or at least, his father had. Pushing up his glasses, Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd grown up all his life knowing that his father was an exorcist. He'd just thought of it like spiritual counseling, but if demons were real...

...that changed everything.

But where did Rin fit in?

"You've always said," Yukio began, dropping his hand, "-that you were an exorcist."

Shiro heaved a long sigh. "That's right. I'm part of an organization of exorcists. They're known as the Knights of the True Cross Order. Or just the Order, if you're lazy."

That last bit was said with a hint of his father's usual sly grin, but Yukio couldn't find any humor in it at the moment. His mind was reeling, still trying to process everything.

"And nii-san?" Yukio asked, his gaze flicking towards his brother.

Rin fidgeted with his bracelet, staring at the floor. "I'm..."

"Nah, he's not an exorcist." Shiro laughed, giving Rin a hard, fatherly pat on the back. "No interest! I've just taught him a thing or two so he can protect himself, that's all!"

Rin blinked, for a moment staring at their father- before slowly cracking a smile, awkwardly laughing. "Y-yeah! I don't have the patience for the cram school, you know?"

"Cram school?" Yukio blinked.

Rin flinched. "Ah, that's..."

"That's what I want to talk to you about, actually." Shiro's tone turned serious again. "If you can see Kuro's tails, then you clearly got a mashou in that scuffle."

"Mashou?" Yukio asked.

"It's what lets you see demons," Rin shrugged, "-that bastard probably scratched you or something, right? The old man treated them, but..."

Yukio's hand brushed his neck. Yeah. He remembered that part.

"As long as you can see demons, there's a chance that more might come after you." Shiro explained. "Of course, that doesn't mean you can't still live a normal life if you want. There are plenty of people who do just that."

"Which you should!" Rin cut his father off with a twitch of his brow. "You want to become a doctor, right? You don't need to worry about this crap. The old man and I can protect you."

Yukio's brow twitched.

Protect him? He'd been protected his entire life. He'd been frail as a child, and blind in his left eye since birth. Both of these things had combined to make him an easy target for bullies- especially since he'd been so hesitant to stand up for himself when he was younger. He'd slowly grown more confident after Rin had come into his life, and the worst of the bullying had stopped, but...

...yeah. He was tired of it.

"I don't want," Yukio said through gritted teeth, "-to be protected."

"What's wrong with that?" Rin asked. "It's better to be normal. You should just-"

"Rin," their father cut Rin off, "-this is Yukio's decision."

Rin glared at their father, but snapped his mouth shut. Yukio's gaze lingered on him, even as his brother pointedly refused to look at him. He didn't have the full picture yet, but it was fairly obvious that he'd been able to see demons for awhile. How long?

After he'd moved in with them? Before?

Yukio drew in and let out a deep breath. One thing at a time.

"So," he began, "-what's cram school? I don't think you're talking about a normal one."

"It's where students your age go in order to learn how to become exorcists, essentiality," Shiro explained, "-well, just think of it as an extracurricular activity. Won't help you get into college, though!"

His father barked a laugh at his own joke, but Yukio could see the slight strain to his smile. Turning his head to look at Rin, his found that his brother was still glaring at the floor, anxiously tapping his fingers against his bracelet. His father might be giving him a choice, but it couldn't be more obvious that neither of them wanted him to get involved in this.

...but did he?

It was true that he didn't want to be protected- but become an exorcist? Rin was right- he wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to help kids who had been like him- sickly and frail. In order to do that, he needed to buckle down and focus. They didn't have a lot of money, so if he wanted to get into a good medical college, a scholarship was absolutely necessary.

Lifting his head, his gaze fell on the cat- the demon- sitting perched on the shelf. With a slight shiver, he realized that it had been watching him this whole time. He swallowed, his thoughts drifting back towards Reiji's eyes as he'd stared down at him. There'd been something wrong with them, he'd thought.

Those were the eyes of a demon.

His hands were trembling, he realized.

He knew this fear, Yukio thought. It was one he thought he'd already conquered, but here he was, trembling with it anyways. Demons were real. A demon had attacked him.

He hated this. He didn't want to feel this fear anymore.

If... if he learned more about demons, would it start to fade? Yukio frowned, mulling it over. He didn't want to be protected, nor did he want to live his whole life in fear. He'd been lucky that Rin had shown up when he had, he realized. What if he found himself in a situation like that again? Was there any guarantee he wouldn't?

"If I attend this cram school," Yukio asked, "-do I have to become an exorcist?"

"Not necessarily," his father said, "-most do, but there's a few who never bother taking the certification exam. The system is a little more... forgiving these days, heh. You'd be training as simple pages for the first month or so before you have to go on a single mission, so you can at least learn the basics before making any real decisions."

Yukio inhaled. Exhaled.

And made his decision.

"I'll do it."

His father drew in and let out a long breath. "You're sure about this?"

"I am," Yukio said, "-at least for now."

"...right," Shiro said, "-in that case, I'll make the necessary arrangements."

Yukio nodded, standing up. Rin still wasn't looking at him, but his shoulders were slumped in apparent resignation. Their father glanced between the two of them, before heaving his longest sigh yet.

"Rin!" He said. "Go with your brother to get something to eat."

"Ah, no," Yukio held up his hands, "-I really should get back to the dorms."

"Nonsense," Shiro said, "-it's already dark out. Stay here tonight."

His father gave him a look that brokered no argument. He wasn't weaseling his way out of this one. Turning his head to look at Rin, his twin heaved a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Yukio flinched slightly as the cat demon lifted its head and jumped on his brother's shoulders. His brother just scratched the cat demon underneath the chin, making it purr just like a real cat. The sound put Yukio slightly more at ease, but he still trailed a step behind his twin as they headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"...how long have you been able to see demons, nii-san?" Yukio asked.

"Since I was born, I guess?" Rin replied.

Oh. That was longer than he'd expected.

Yukio sat at the kitchen table as Rin stared into the fridge. Glancing over at the clock, Yukio winced- it was later than he'd thought. Nearly midnight. No wonder his father wanted him to stay home tonight.

"You good with leftover soup?" Rin asked.

"The one from two nights ago?" Yukio asked. "Yeah, that's fine. I liked that one."

Rin finally cracked a faint smile. "Thanks."

Yukio watched his brother as he dug out a pot to heat up the leftover soup. He had a million questions rattling around in his brain, if he was being honest. He just wasn't entirely certain where to begin with them. The cat demon's eyes met his own again, and he felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine.

"Aren't you scared?" Yukio blurted out.

Rin blinked, glancing back at him. "Of what?"

"That cat's a demon, right?" Yukio asked.

For just a moment, something flashed through Rin's eyes, too fast for Yukio to make it out. It was there one second, and gone the next.

"What," he flashed a cheeky grin, "-don't tell me you're afraid of Kuro? He's harmless."

Kuro yowled, as if in argument.

"Besides," Rin continued, petting Kuro's head, "-he's one of the old man's familiars. He's, you know... loyal and stuff. So you don't gotta worry."

"One of?" Yukio asked with a frown. "He has others?"

"...yeah," Rin said, "-he's got one more. You'll, uh... probably meet him eventually."

Yukio's frown deepened, but any further questions were cut off by his stomach producing a loud growl. Rin just laughed, setting the bowl of soup in front of him.

"Here!" He beamed. "Bone appetite!"

"Bon appétit, you mean," Yukio automatically corrected, "-it's French."

"Hm," Rin leaned back in his chair, "-oui oui baguette."

In spite of himself, Yukio snorted. Rin grinned, leaning his cheek into his hand, apparently content to just sit there and watch him eat- as did the cat demon, apparently. Yukio shut the latter out of his mind, and dug into the soup, abruptly realizing that he was hungrier than he thought.

Despite that, he couldn't help but keep turning over the day's events in his head. How couldn't he?

"Nii-san," Yukio said after a moment, "-that demon..."

"Just forget about that guy," Rin said with an irritated huff, "-it's gone."

"No, it's just..." Yukio frowned. "It said it wanted me as bait. Why was it after you?"

Rin's eyes narrowed. "Is that what it said?"

"I think so," Yukio said, "-it said something about you owing it money."

"Ahh," Rin said, "-that was probably actually what's his face then. I slugged him pretty good the other day. A demon might have taken advantage of that or something. Anyone who spends their time shooting pigeons in the park is just begging to get possessed."

"Shiratori Reiji," Yukio said with a sigh, "-at least learn the names of people you regularly pick fights with."

Rin just huffed. "I wouldn't call that a fight."

In spite of himself, Yukio laughed. His brother had always been strong, ever since they'd first met. Even when he'd still been afraid of him, he'd admired that.

"I suppose I should thank you," Yukio said after a moment, "-you saved me."

Rin just grinned. "Of course. You're my little brother."

"How did you do it, though?" Yukio asked. "You're not an exorcist, right?"

"Like the old man said, he's taught me a few things." Rin said, giving his bracelet another twist even as his grin grew. "Believe it or not, I'm pretty strong. Maybe not as strong as the old man, given that he's the Paladin and all, but-"

"Paladin?" Yukio asked.

"Oh, uh," Rin frowned, "-he's kind of the strongest exorcist in the Order?"

Yukio blinked, taking a moment to process that. "He- what?"

"Yep!" Rin said. "He's kind of a huge deal?"

Drawing in a deep breath, Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose. This was... a lot to take in. Letting out his held breath, he looked across the table at his brother. He was staring out the kitchen window now, drumming one finger against the beads of his bracelet. He wasn't irritated anymore, Yukio thought- just nervous.

"Nii-san," Yukio began, "-why didn't you tell me?"

Rin didn't turn to look at him, keeping his gaze fixed on the window. For a moment, Yukio thought he wasn't going to answer him at all, but eventually he just let out a long sigh.

"Well... you couldn't see demons," Rin said, "-so dad wanted to let you live a normal life. He promised mom that."

"Mom?" Yukio asked.

Rin never talked about their mother.

Rin winced, like he hadn't meant to say that- before heaving a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. She was, uh... an exorcist too."

"Oh," Yukio frowned, because he wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

Part of him wanted to press for more information, but he'd learned long ago it would get him nowhere- except for sometimes making his brother angry. All he knew about his mother was that she'd been sickly, to the point where she had barely survived childbirth. Unable to raise both her twins, she had given him to Father Fujimoto, her dear friend.

(Why was he the one she gave away?)

"...you're not going to ask more?" Rin asked, finally looking at him again.

Yukio met his eyes. The first time he'd met his brother, he'd thought they were such a deep blue that it was almost frightening. Like if he gazed into them for too long, they would draw him down into their abyss. His own were much more green- his mother's eyes, father had let slip once.

His brother, he'd said once, had inherited their father's eyes.

(He knew even less about him.)

"No," he finally said, "-I know you won't tell me anything you don't want to."

Rin hummed, in a manner that would be unusually subdued for him- if he didn't know his twin so well. His hand brushed against the small transparent reliquary he wore as a pendent, as if grounding himself.

(The other thing Yukio knew about his mother was that it was filled with her ashes.)

"Sorry," Rin apologized, "-I'm not ready yet."

"No," Yukio said, "-I didn't expect anything different."

They sat in heavy silence for a few moments, before Rin broke it with a frustrated noise.

"Look," he said, "-are you sure about this? There's a reason mom wanted you to stay out of this stuff. Being an exorcist is dangerous."

"If you're so concerned," Yukio began, "-why don't you join me?"

Rin opened his mouth, then just as quickly shut it. Scratching the back of his head, he made another frustrated noise. "I can't- it's not that easy for me."

"Why not?" Yukio asked, arching a brow.

"W-well," Rin stammered, "-right! You have to be enrolled in True Cross Academy to go to the cram school. And I've never gone to school before, so..."

Yukio blinked. That statement made no sense. Why would-?

That thought was cut short by the sound of his brother's cellphone going off, the ringtone loudly blaring what sounded like... circus music? Rin grimaced, glaring at his phone like he'd rather set it on fire than answer it.

"Don't you need to-?"

"No," Rin said, "-that asshole can go to voicemail for all I care."

"Well, well, that won't do at all!"

Yukio jerked his head up, staring with wide eyes at the person who had just... manifested in their kitchen. They flashed him a broad, sharp-toothed grin- closing their flip phone while at the same time giving him a graceful, gentlemanly bow.

Absurdly enough, Yukio was pretty sure he recognized them.

The principal of True Cross Academy? What was he doing here at this hour? And where had he even come from? Turning his head to look at his brother, he glanced down at his cellphone, which had stopped ringing the second the eccentrically dressed man had hung up his own.

Why did Johann Faust the Fifth have his brother's number?

"Greetings to you, Fujimoto-kun," they said, "-how nice it is to finally have the chance to meet you. I've heard so much about you from your father and brother."

"Old man!" Rin yelled. "The shitty clown got in again!"

"Nii-san!" Yukio's eyes went wide. "This is-!"

"Mephisto Pheles, actually," the man said with a smile that Yukio found hard to trust, "-Johann Faust is simply one of my many aliases. In addition to serving as the principal of True Cross Academy, I am also the head of the Japanese branch of the True Cross Order. Your father told me you have an interest in joining the exorcism cram school, yes?"

The head of the Japanese branch...?

Yukio's mind reeled. The True Cross Order. True Cross Academy. Of course. The whole thing was a front, wasn't it? Rubbing his temples, he swore he could feel the telltale signs of a headache coming on.

He was just surprised it had taken this long.

"That doesn't mean you need to come here in person," Rin complained, "-go home!"

"My, my, such a rude welcome," Mephisto merely looked bemused, "-and don't worry. I only swung by to drop something off. It can't wait until morning, you see!"

"Drop something off?" Rin asked.

Mephisto snapped his fingers- and a stack of papers, an ID card, and a True Cross Academy uniform simply popped into existence in a puff of smoke. He took them with a sharp-toothed smile-

-and passed them to Rin with a playful wink.

"Your father told me what happened to Fujimoto-kun," Mephisto's tone was a little too cheery for the situation, "-so I took matters into my own hands, and enrolled you into the academy as well, Rin! Now you can stay close to your precious younger brother, and help keep an eye on him! You're welcome!"

With another snap of his fingers, the man simply disappeared.

For a long moment, Rin just stood there in stunned silence. He stared down at the uniform, before slowly turning to look at Yukio, wearing the most baffled expression he'd ever seen on his brother's face.

Yukio got the distinct feeling he was making the same face.

"...huh?"

Chapter Text

"Put it back, nii-san."

"Eh? But we have to take it!" Rin pleaded. "I can't leave it here!"

Taking in a deep breath, Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose. Calm down. He could deal with this. He'd known for years about Rin's hoarding problem. It was kind of hard to miss. It was one thing when it was confined to his room, but if they were going to be sharing a room for the next three years...

...he absolutely refused to let it get this bad.

Removing his hand, Yukio stared at the owl statue his brother was currently clutching. It was the size of his torso, and looked like it had been carved as a test run by someone who had not only never carved something before, but had also never seen an owl once in their life. It was so ugly, it was one of the few pieces of his brother's junk collection that Yukio vividly remembered him bringing home.

"Then explain to me," Yukio began, "-why our dorm room needs an owl statue?"

"Huh? Cause it's cool, obviously." Rin said.

"It's junk that someone put on the curb," Yukio corrected, "-where you should have left it."

"It's not junk!" Rin protested. "You just have no sense of taste."

"Besides," Yukio continued, "-we can only bring what we can fit in the trunk of the monastery's car. Your enrollment was last minute, so there's no way we can get movers to come out for all of your junk."

Rin glared at him for a few moments longer, before heaving a defeated sigh. He set the owl statue down, patting it on the head and apologizing.

"Let's just focus on the things that are important," Yukio said, "-we can always arrange for a trip back home later if you really need something."

"The fish tank-"

"We're not bringing the fish tank, nii-san," Yukio cut him off, "-you haven't had any goldfish for years."

"I might get some more!" Rin said.

"They don't even allow for pets in the dorms!" Yukio raised his voice- and then slowly exhaled. "Please take this seriously, nii-san."

"I am taking this seriously!" Rin said. "I've just never- ah no, I guess I have moved before. I just didn't really have a lot of stuff then."

Yukio sighed, folding his arms in front of him. That much was true at least. Rin had moved into the monastery with nothing except for a small backpack of clothes that still had the price tags attached, and a large tank of full of goldfish.

...which, thinking back on it, was definitely weird.

Did it have something with demons? He never actually knew how their mother died, just that Rin had moved in with them afterwards. It was yet another one of the many things that nobody ever told him about.

...which included the aforementioned demons.

"Yo," Shiro knocked on the doorframe, "-having trouble sorting through Rin's pile of junk?"

"Not you too!" Rin said.

"We're working on it," Yukio said, "-nii-san, you don't need the pressed flower crown."

Rin just glared at him, wordlessly stuffing it in a box anyways.

Yukio just sighed again, turning his head to look back at their father. He smiled at him, giving his hair a light ruffle. Yukio smiled in spite of himself. If he was being honest, part of him was a little angry about having such a big secret kept from him for so long...

...but it was hard to be too angry. It was difficult to believe in something you couldn't see.

"Look after your brother, will you?" Shiro asked.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Rin asked. "I'm the older brother."

"Only technically," Yukio said, "-and of the two of us, I'm the only one who has actually been to school before."

Rin grimaced. "Don't remind me."

Rin sighed in resignation- and then shoved a bunch of random clothes haphazardly into a bag. Yukio rubbed his temple, half tempted to take over the chore of packing from his brother entirely. His brother, attending school? This was going to be a disaster.

Picking his way through Rin's mess, their father ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be just fine, Rin. You've grown a lot!"

Rin muttered something underneath his breath in reply that made their father bark with laughter and ruffle his hair even harder.

"Okay!" Shiro said. "Why don't we wrap things up here? I'll drive you two myself."

For all Rin's complaining, it didn't take too much longer to get his things packed. He helped carry them down the stairs and into the car, smiling a little as he watched Rin make the others promise to not throw out any of his stuff while he was gone.

"I'll know if any of it is missing," Rin insisted.

(They wouldn't, Yukio thought.)

Sitting in the front seat of the monastery's car, making the drive to the True Cross Academy men's dormitory felt a bit like deja vu- which was fair, considering he had just done this yesterday. This time he'd double-checked that he had his cellphone, vaguely grateful that in the middle of yesterday's chaos, no one had asked why he'd returned home.

As they drove past the southern rear gate, Rin leaned out the window again.

"Kuro!" Rin waved at the black cat. "Hey!"

Yukio tried not to shiver as the cat demon yowled in response.

Glancing at him from the corner of his eye, Shiro frowned. "You don't have anything to be afraid of. I wouldn't have brought Kuro over if I thought he was dangerous."

He knew that. He knew that, but...

The world had changed.

No, it wasn't that it had changed. The world was the same as it had always been- he was the one that had changed.

He'd realized as much when he'd woken up that morning and looked outside. The grounds of the monastery were free of them, but outside he could see tiny cat-like specks floating through the air. His father had called them coal tars, and had said they were nothing to worry about. They could easily be dealt with by holy water.

It wasn't them that Yukio was frightened of, though. It was what they meant.

Having something like that hiding next to you, in plain sight... he drew in and let out a deep breath, forcing back another shiver. He'd been afraid of the dark as a child, he recalled- afraid that something was lurking in it, unseen.

Turns out, there was.

"Yeah, Kuro's super friendly!" Rin said from the back seat. "You should see him when he turns big! You can even ride on him!"

Yukio stared back at his brother. That wasn't reassuring at all. Thanks.

At least the streets of the campus town were relatively demon free, Yukio thought. His father had told him that Johann Faust- that Mephisto had a barrier in place to keep out dangerous demons. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the idea that the high school he'd dreamed of going to for years was really a secret front for an exorcism training program.

Pulling the car up to the curb of the men's dormitory, Shiro parked it.

"Need help?" He asked.

"Nah, I've got this!" Rin said. "Thanks, old man!"

"I'm not that old!" Shiro called after him- but Rin was already gone, taking a pile of boxes with him.

Heaving a sigh, Shiro shook his head. "That kid. I swear..."

"Don't worry," Yukio said, "-I'll keep an eye on him."

"I'm sure you will," Shiro touched his shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "-and Yukio? Don't worry so much. You'll be fine."

Not quite looking at his father, Yukio nodded. Shiro gave his shoulder a light pat, before letting him go. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Yukio got out of the car. Heading behind the car to the trunk, he stopped dead in his tracks.

...Rin had packed the owl statue anyways. Great.

"...are you sure this doesn't look weird on me?"

Yukio sighed, glancing over at his brother. He was nervously fidgeting in front of the bathroom mirror, peering at his reflection with a critical eye.

"You look fine, nii-san," Yukio said, "-it's just a school uniform."

"You say that, but I've never worn one before." Rin said, leaning closer to the mirror to squint at his refection. "I still think it looks weird."

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Yukio watched as Rin fiddled with the collar of his uniform jacket with a faint smile. Thinking back on it, he'd done the same thing when he'd first put on his middle school uniform. Rin had watched him fidget and fuss with it, assuring him that he looked just fine.

The tables had turned, he supposed.

"Come on," Yukio said, "-we're going to be late."

"Oh, right," Rin said, "-I guess that would be bad."

Rin finally left the bathroom, trailing behind him as they headed towards the main campus. His eyes kept darting back and forth, peering at everything they passed. It felt more like he was a tourist than he was someone who had grown up a stone's throw away from the academy.

"Do you know your class yet?" Yukio asked.

"1-D or something?" Rin frowned. "I have no idea what that means."

"Don't worry," Yukio said, "-there's a tour after the entrance ceremony. Just pay attention to the guide, and you'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Rin trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

In spite of himself, Yukio cracked a smile. At least Rin's nerves were serving to make him less nervous. He'd meant to practice his speech yesterday, but he'd completely forgotten.

They followed the other students into the auditorium. Rin came to a dead stop once inside, just staring at his surroundings. He had to admit- the auditorium was impressive.

"I'm surprised," Yukio said, "-isn't the academy supposed to be a front for the exorcism training program? I thought you would be more familiar with it."

"No, I haven't really- ah!"

Yukio winced. Ah. He'd backed right up into someone.

"Crap!" Rin turned on his heel. "Are you ok-"

He stood there frozen, his words dying in his throat. With a frown, Yukio glanced around his brother- and huffed in amusement. Sprawled out on the floor behind him was a girl with short, blonde bobbed hair and bright green eyes. She wore a flower headband, giving her a light and fluffy impression.

Ah. His brother's type, then.

Picking up his gawking brother's slack, Yukio extended a hand to the girl. "I'm sorry for my brother. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going."

"N-no," the girl looked up at him with a nervous smile, "-I wasn't either."

"Can you stand?" Yukio asked.

The girl nodded, hesitantly taking his hand. He helped her to her feet with a smile, and she gave him a nervous one in return.

"I'm Fujimoto Yukio," Yukio introduced himself, "-this is my twin brother, Okumura Rin."

That seemed to snap Rin out of his daze, his brother sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry. This place is huge, so I was kind of..."

"No, I get it!" She said. "This is my first time in a place like this!"

"First time?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, "-I've never really been to school before."

...huh, Yukio thought. What were the odds.

"That's just like me!" Rin beamed. "This is my first time too!"

"Really?" She asked. "What a relief! I thought I was the only one. Ah, I'm Moriyama Shiemi, by the way. I forgot to introduce myself earlier."

She gave them both a polite yet stiff bow, before peering up at Rin curiously. He tensed underneath her gaze, fidgeting nervously with his bracelet.

"This might sound strange," Shiemi tilted her head, "-but have we met before?"

"No," Rin shook his head, "-pretty sure I'd remember if we had!"

"Really?" Shiemi frowned. "I guess that must be true."

Glancing between the two of them, Yukio's lips quirked in a faint smile. It was rare to see Rin socialize with someone of their age group, but these two actually seemed to be getting along fairly well.

"It's nice to meet you, Moriyama-san," Yukio smiled, "-what class are you in?"

"1-B, I think." Shiemi said. "Although I don't really understand what that means..."

Ah, too much to ask for that she might also be in Rin's class, Yukio thought.

Folding his arms in front of him, Rin nodded. "Yeah, I don't get it either."

"Don't worry," Yukio said, "-just follow along with your tour guide after the ceremony, and I'm sure you'll be fine, Moriyama-san."

"O-okay!" Shiemi said. "I'll do my best!"

An announcement came over the intercom, informing all students to take their seats as the entrance ceremony would be starting soon. They parted ways with Shiemi, Rin waving to her with a dopey expression on his face as she walked away.

"She's cute," Yukio remarked, "-isn't she?"

"Yeah!" Rin beamed. "She's really pretty!"

Yukio smirked. He knew his instincts hadn't been wrong.

Taking their assigned seats, Yukio spared a quick glance behind him at Rin. They were seated apart from each other, but at least they could see one another. Yukio huffed in amusement- he didn't think his brother could look more nervous if he tried. Letting his gaze sweep the auditorium, he picked out Shiemi's flower headband from the crowd.

She also looked extremely nervous.

For some reason, it made him forget his own nerves entirely. When his name was called to give his speech, he drew in a deep breath and marched down to the podium with confidence. His first year of high school hadn't begun quite like he planned, but he was confident he'd do just fine.

...in his high school classes, at least.

"...what are doing, nii-san?"

"Sending the video I took of your speech to dad," Rin cheerfully replied, "-he asked me to."

Heaving a sigh, Yukio rubbed his temples. Of course he did. Their father never tired of that- and Rin was the same way, come to think of it.

"Speaking of which," Rin's grin grew as he dragged Yukio closer to him, "-say cheese!"

Holding up his phone, Rin snapped a photo of the two of them- and then snorted when he looked at the result. With a slight frown, Yukio leaned over to peer at the screen and grimaced. He'd been caught so off guard that he'd ended up making a weird face.

"Nii-san," Yukio said, "-let's retake that."

"Nope!" Rin tucked his cellphone away. "It's perfect the way it is!"

"Wait, nii-san-!"

"Sorry, Yukio!" Rin laughed. "I have to go with my group now. See you after!"

Not giving him any room to protest, Rin hurried off. Watching him go, Yukio heaved another sigh- this one far more fond.

Ah well. At least Rin was having fun.

...or he had been.

Rin had already made it back by the time Yukio returned to their dorm room. He was collapsed on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. He hadn't even taken off his shoes.

"...do I need to ask how things went?"

"Nobody tried to kill me," Rin muttered, "-there's that."

Yukio huffed, setting his bag down on his desk. His tour had at least gone smoothly- but next came the part he was nervous about.

Today was also the first day of cram school.

His father had given him a brief rundown on how it all worked yesterday. For six days of the week, they would study for a few hours after school- except on Sundays, where they had a full day of lessons. It wouldn't leave him a lot of time for homework and studying for his high school courses, but he was confident he could come up with the right plan to work around that.

As for how to get there...

"So," Yukio glanced over at his brother, "-how do we get to the cram school? Father said you knew."

With a grunt, Rin rolled out of bed. Scratching his head, he reached into his shirt and pulled out one of the two keys he always wore around his neck. This one was the simpler of the two, a plain antique-looking gold key. He'd always wondered what they were for.

"This," he said, "-is a cram school key."

"Key?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah," Rin said, "-you know how this place has a barrier over it to keep out demons, right? It also has one to confuse intruders. That's why you need to have keys."

"I see," Yukio said, "-how do they work?"

Rin motioned for him to follow. Standing in front of the door to their room, he stuck the key into the lock. Surprisingly enough, it seemed to fit- and made a firm click when Rin turned it. When he opened up the door, Yukio found that it no longer lead to the hallway of the men's dormitory- but to another, far grander hallway.

"Here," Rin pulled another key out of his pocket, tossing it to him, "-don't lose it. You can use it in any door to access the cram school. Some kind of space time bullshit or something. I wasn't paying attention."

Yukio caught the key, studying it curiously.

"Why do you have one?" Yukio asked. "I thought you said you never went."

"That's..." Rin trailed off, "-protection? Yeah. You can use them to get away quickly if you run into something that's a little above your level."

Yukio frowned. That made sense, but...

...he couldn't imagine his brother running from anything. As long as he'd known him, he'd always been the type who stuck around and fought.

He shook his head. No. There might not be a delinquent out there that Rin couldn't beat, but even he surely had the sense to run from a demon that he couldn't handle, right? He might act like an idiot sometimes, but he wasn't stupid.

"So," Rin grinned at him, "-need your nii-chan to walk you to class?"

Yukio rolled his eyes. "I think I can find it myself, thanks."

Rin snickered. Yukio tucked the key into his pocket and stepped through the door. With a brief glance over his shoulder at Rin, he waved at him as he closed the door behind him. It shut with a firm click, leaving Yukio alone in the vast hallway.

...at which point he promptly opened the door he'd stepped out of and peered inside.

"An empty classroom," Yukio muttered out loud, "-fascinating. I wonder how it works..."

Shaking his head, he shut the door and glanced down the hallway. He needed to find room 1106, he recalled. Luckily, all the rooms were properly numbered, so it didn't take him that long to find it. Standing outside the door, he hesitated for a brief moment...

-before taking in and letting out a deep breath, and opening the door.

Unlike the slightly dark hallway, the room was brightly lit. There were already seven other people gathered inside, all of whom looked up when he entered. To his surprise, he actually recognized two of them.

Ryuuji and Shiemi looked just as surprised to see him.

"You're from the other day..." Ryuuji said.

"Fujimoto Yukio," Yukio reintroduced himself with a smile, "-you're Suguro Ryuuji, right? What a coincidence."

"That's right," Ryuuji nodded, before motioning to the other two boys that sat with him, "-ah, this is Shima Renzou and Miwa Konekomaru."

Yukio smiled at them, deciding to take a seat at the desk behind Shiemi, who gave him a shy smile. He glanced over his shoulder at the remaining three students- a pair of girls, and a blonde boy who was for some reason wearing a hand puppet on one hand. They were all dressed in True Cross Academy uniforms.

So it really was a front, Yukio thought.

"Um, when you say Fujimoto," Konekomaru spoke up, drawing Yukio's attention towards him, "-you don't have any relation to the Paladin, do you say?"

Yukio blinked. "Ah, yes. He's my foster father."

For a moment, things were so quiet that Yukio was certain he'd hear a pin drop in the next room. Dimly, he recalled Rin mentioning that his father was a big deal in the organization.

"Eh?" Shiemi turned back to look at him. "You're Fujimoto-san's son?"

"That's right," Yukio nodded, "-he took my brother and I in when we were younger."

"I didn't know he had kids," Ryuuji remarked, "-what about your brother? Is he coming?"

"No," Yukio smiled, "-nii-san doesn't really have the patience for this type of thing."

He'd asked, of course. But Rin had just gotten an odd look on his face before laughing off the suggestion.

"So," Shima leaned in, dropping his tone to a low whisper, "-if you're the Paladin's son, have you met him?"

"Him?" Yukio blinked. "Who?"

"You know," Shima said, "-him. Satan's son. He's your father's familiar, right? That's what everyone's saying."

Yukio's brain did the effective equivalent of a record scratch. "I'm sorry?"

"What, you haven't met him?" Shima asked. "That's disappointing."

His father's familiar, the son of Satan? Yukio's mind reeled at the thought. There was so much to take in from the phrase the son of Satan alone- Satan existed? And had a child? Was that the other familiar that Rin had mentioned?

"No," Yukio said slowly, "-this is the first I've ever heard about it."

"You really haven't heard about it?" Ryuuji asked. "That's surprising. Everyone back home says he must be legend for taming that beast."

"W-wait a moment!" Shiemi interjected. "That's awful! Rinka's not a beast!"

"Hah?" Ryuuji arched a brow. "He's the son of Satan! He slaughtered a bunch of high level exorcists during the Blue Night, you know!"

"...that might be true," Shiemi's face briefly fell, before she seemingly found her determination again, "-but he's not like that anymore! He's actually really nice!"

"Nice?" Ryuuji repeated. "How do you know him anyways?"

"H-he's my friend!" Shiemi blurted out.

The classroom fell into another hushed silence, only this time the one everyone was staring at was Shiemi. Yukio couldn't help but do the same, his mind reeling with the amount of information that had just been dumped on him.

He'd really dove headfirst into something crazy, hadn't he?

"Your friend!?" Ryuuji broke the silence. "Are you serious? That thing's a monster!"

"H-he's not a monster!" Shiemi insisted. "You'd understand that if you talked to him!"

"Okay, that's enough!"

Yukio's head snapped up, looking towards the door. His father stood in the doorway, causing him to do a doubletake. Shiro just caught his eye, flashing him a faintly mischievous smile as he walked up to the teacher's podium. Slamming his briefcase down on it, he smiled at the entire classroom.

"I'm your Anti-Demon Pharmaceuticals teacher," he said, "-Fujimoto Shiro. I'll be personally looking after you kids this year."

Yukio just stared at him. His father was teaching this class? Nobody had told him!

"Is this everyone?" Shiro asked, his eyes scanning the class. "Good. We can get started with the mashou ritual then. How many of you need one?"

Three hands went up, to Yukio's surprise.

"Three of you?" Shiro asked. "Then let's get this started. Rinka!"

There was a flash of white, and the next thing Yukio knew, something had dropped down from the ceiling. It landed on the podium, Shiro moving his briefcase out of the way with practiced ease. The first thing his brain processed was the white tail lashing behind them, before taking in its humanoid frame. It was dressed casually, wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt, and a pair of grungy high top sneakers- almost like an ordinary teenager, if it weren't for the jet black oni mask that concealed the lower half of their face.

But what stood on the podium was undeniably a demon.

Their hair was white, tinged with a pale blue- and their skin nearly just as pale. Their ears were pointed, and their nails were more like claws. There were bumps on their forehead that looked like the beginnings of horns- which he would have said was their most demonic feature, along with their tail-

-if not for their eyes.

They were an impossibly bright blue, with irises like jagged spirals and pupils like a drop of blood. Just looking at them sent a shiver down Yukio's spine.

For just a moment, those inhuman eyes were focused solely on him.

Then the demon blinked, and as if a spell had broken, Yukio felt himself breathe again. The demon's gaze flickered over the rest of the class- which seemed to collectively hold their breath. Taking a step off the podium, they approached Shiemi-

-and pat her head?

"Shiemi," the demon said, "-you came!"

"Yeah!" Shiemi beamed. "It took a little while to convince my mother, though. I even enrolled in the high school!"

Shiro coughed into his hand, drawing everyone's attention back towards him- including the demon's. They removed their hand from Shiemi's head, returning to Shiro's side.

"Right," Shiro said, "-this my familiar, Rinka. He's the same age as you all, actually!"

His father laughed, like it was a joke.

No one else did. The class was absolutely silent.

"Fujimoto-sensei," Ryuuji slowly stood up, "-when you said we would be getting mashou..."

"Yeah," Shiro smiled, "-Rinka will be helping with that."

"I apologize for being rude, but are you serious?" Ryuuji asked. "That's the son of Satan!"

"What," Rinka spoke, "-you scared of a little scratch?"

Ryuuji opened his mouth to retort, but Konekomaru gripped his wrist, shaking his head. Ryuuji looked down at him, before clicking his tongue and sitting back down.

"Don't worry," Shiro said, "-Rinka's been helping me for years. You're all perfectly safe. Pink hair over there is a Shima, right? Your older brother got his mashou from him! The one with dyed blonde hair, if I remember right."

Ryuuji and Konekomaru turned to stare at Shima. He just shook his head.

"I didn't know about this!" Shima held up his hands. "Kin-nii didn't tell me anything!"

Yukio swore he heard Rinka snicker.

Hesitantly, he turned his attention back towards the demon. Rinka caught his gaze, his spiral eyes briefly meeting Yukio's own before he forced himself to look away. Drawing in a shaky breath, Yukio steadied himself. This was his father's familiar, he told himself. Rin had said that meant they were loyal to him.

Thinking of his twin made his gaze dart back towards the demon.

Rinka. He didn't like that name. It was too similar.

No, Yukio drew in a deep breath. It was just a coincidence. Something hot and guilty twisted in his stomach at the mere thought of it. People had been calling Rin a demon for years- why was he comparing him to one? He was the worst brother.

Yukio listened with half an ear as his father told them they didn't have to get up- Rinka would come to them. He watched as the demon made his way through the classroom, first stopping in front of the desk where the two girls sat. The one with round eyebrows watched him warily as her friend with bobbed hair hesitantly held out her hand.

It really was just a scratch, in the end.

(The girl with bobbed hair flinched when it was done.)

Rinka approached Ryuuji and Konekomaru next, coming a stop right next to Yukio. He found himself holding his breath, tensing up in the presence of the demon. He stood on his blind side, so Yukio slowly had to turn his head to see him.

Ryuuji lifted his head, glaring at Rinka for a long moment- before he held his arm out with a disgusted click of his tongue. Rinka lightly swiped one of his claws across his wrist, and moved on to do the same to Konekomaru- mercifully moving away from Yukio in the process. Konekomaru swallowed, hesitantly holding out his arm-

-and jerked it back after Rinka scratched him.

("His eyes-" he heard Konekomaru whisper.)

"That everyone?" Rinka asked.

"Should be!" Shiro said. "Thanks again, Rinka. With that out of the way, let's begin our actual lesson. The basics of Anti-Demon Pharmacology are-"

Yukio listened to his father with one ear as he watched Rinka. He half hoped the demon would leave, but instead he simply sat next to Shiemi. The blonde girl smiled, looking absolutely delighted. With most of his face hidden by the mask, it was impossible to determine what kind of expression Rinka was making-

-after all, there was no way to read those eyes.

"Yukio!"

Following the sound of his brother's voice, Yukio found him sitting on the edge of a fountain in the courtyard that marked the official entrance to the cram school. They keys were only one way, it turned out- he would have to walk back to the dorms the old fashioned way.

Rin waved at him, flashing a broad smile at his twin. He'd changed into casual clothes, wearing a jacket against the chill of the evening air.

"Hey!" He called out. "How was your first day of cram school?"

Yukio huffed. He wasn't even sure where to start.

"Nii-san," he began, "-it would have been nice if you'd mentioned dad's other familiar being the son of Satan."

"Ah, sorry," Rin laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, "-I thought for sure the old man would have mentioned something about it to you."

"No," Yukio said, "-not a thing."

"Really? My bad, then!" Rin said. "Come on, let's head back to the dorms. I haven't eaten dinner yet, so I'm starving."

Yukio sighed, but decided to let his twin off the hook for the time being. If he was being honest, seeing him felt like a relief. Turning his head to glance down at him as they walked, Yukio found himself unconsciously studying his twin's features.

"Hm?" Rin glanced up at him. "Something wrong?"

Yukio flinched, that hot and guilty feeling flaring back up in the pit of his stomach. It was almost like he'd been scouring his brother for any sign of white.

"Ah, no." Yukio shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Really?" Rin shrugged. "That's good, then."

They walked in silence for awhile. He hoped for Rin's sake that it was a companionable one, and that he wasn't betraying too much of what was on his mind. His brother wasn't a demon- if he was, he would have been able to see it the moment he'd gained his mashou. But Rin was still the usual Rin, so that couldn't be.

It was just a coincidence.

"So," Rin glanced back at him, "-make any friends?"

"Not quite yet," Yukio said, "-but I did see two familiar faces there."

"Who?" Rin asked.

"Suguro Ryuuji and Moriyama Shiemi," Yukio told him, "-it was quite the shock."

"Suguro's the guy from the dorms, right?" Rin asked. "His hair was pretty cool. I wonder if I should try dying my hair... no, it'd never work."

Yukio laughed, letting himself relax.

It wasn't too much of a long walk back to the men's dorms, thankfully. They briefly returned to their room so that Yukio could change out of his school uniform, before heading back down to the dining hall. Picking up their trays, Yukio scanned the dining hall for a pair of free seats.

"Fujimoto-san! Over here!"

Blinking, Yukio turned towards the source of the voice. Konekomaru was waving to him, at a table with Ryuuji and Shima. Exchanging a quick glance with Rin, his twin merely shrugged.

"Go on," he said, "-you should make some friends."

"You should come eat with us too, nii-san," Yukio said, "-I'm sure they won't mind."

Rin frowned. "No, I'm..."

Yukio heaved a sigh, balancing his tray in one hand and grabbing the sleeve of Rin's jacket in the other. He didn't let his brother protest as he dragged him over to join the other three, only letting go when it was too late for him to back out.

"Oh?" Shima raised his brows. "Is this the rumored brother?"

"Yes," Yukio smiled as he sat down across from them, "-this is my older twin brother, Okumura Rin."

Rin awkwardly smiled as he sat down next to him, fidgeting with his bracelet. "Y-yo."

"Different last names?" Konekomaru blinked. "Even though you're twins?"

"Nii-san and I were raised separately," he explained, "-he moved in with father and I after our mother passed."

"Y-yeah," Rin nodded, "-uh, Okumura was my mom's name."

"So that's what you meant by family issues," Ryuuji remarked, "-I figured it was something like that."

"Fujimoto-kun said you can see demons too," Shima said, "-is that true?"

"Ah... yeah," Rin nodded, "-for a lot longer than he has, actually."

"I only started to see them recently," Yukio smiled- pointedly leaving out by recently, he meant two days ago, "-if I'm being honest, I didn't believe in them before then."

"I see," Shima said, "-so that's why your father's own familiar threw you for a loop."

"Yes," Yukio spared a glance at his twin, "-it would have been nice to have some warning."

"Hey, I already apologized for that!" Rin protested.

"You've met him before?" Konekomaru asked. "The son of Satan?"

"Y-yeah," Rin fidgeted with his bracelet, "-a few times."

Konekomaru shivered. "I think I'm going to have nightmares about those eyes."

"Yeah," Ryuuji agreed, "-I don't know what Fujimoto-sensei was thinking, bringing that thing to class. He said he had him under control, but..."

"Bon's just scared because he totally got glared at," Shima laughed, "-that's what you get for badmouthing the spawn of Satan's friend, I guess."

"I am not!" Ryuuji protested. "And I wasn't badmouthing her! I just can't imagine being friends with a demon, much less the son of Satan."

"He didn't do anything though." Shima pointed out. "Actually, I think he spent the entire class messing with his phone like a normal teenager. Where did he even get a phone?"

"The old man pays for it," Rin piped up, "-I think."

"Nii-san," Yukio began, "-don't tell me we're on a family plan with the son of Satan."

Rin hummed. "Okay. I won't tell you."

Shima snorted. "Seriously? That's hilarious."

Yukio rubbed his temples, feeling the telltale sign of another headache coming on. This all felt completely absurd. He already couldn't help but long for the simpler times of two days ago. There was so much he just didn't know.

Speaking of which...

"What's the Blue Night?" Yukio asked, turning his head to look at Ryuuji. "You mentioned something about it before."

"You don't know?" Konekomaru blinked. "That's rare."

"Sorry," Yukio apologized, "-like I said, I'm fairly new to all this."

Shima and Konekomaru cast a sideways glance towards Ryuuji, who just heaved a long sigh, setting down his rice bowl.

"The Blue Night," he began, "-is what they call the night in which Satan and his newborn son slaughtered countless exorcists and holy men. It was an awful time."

Yukio swallowed. He'd said something like that earlier, too.

"Newborn?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah," Ryuuji said, "-I don't know the details, but they say a witch was seduced by Satan and ended up giving birth to his bastard child. They both went on a rampage when it was born. Your father's apparently the one who stopped both."

"Father did?" Yukio blinked, glancing over at Rin for confirmation.

"Huh?" Rin blinked. "Oh... yeah. That's why he became Paladin, I think."

Yukio frowned. Their father had stopped Satan? He'd always thought of him as an incredible person, but... that was more than he'd expected, if he was being honest. He could see how someone who could manage a feat like that would deserve the title of the strongest exorcist.

"What I don't understand is why he chose to make the son into his familiar," Ryuuji frowned, "-it would be better to kill that thing."

"They probably couldn't figure out how to exorcise it," Shima shrugged, "-but if he's loyal to the Paladin now, it works out for us, right?"

"Yeah, but now we have to deal with it in class." Ryuuji said.

"Maybe it's just the one?" Konekomaru asked, sounding hopeful. "Did Kinzo-san say anything? You sent him a text, right?"

"I did, but..." Shima trailed off, showing them his phone.

Lol. Lmao.

"...is all he said," Shima finished, "-that asshole definitely didn't say anything on purpose."

"He would do that." Ryuuji grumbled, "-whatever. I'm not going to worry about it anymore."

"Same," Shima said, "-let's change the topic. Why aren't you attending cram school, Okumura-kun?"

"Me?" Rin blinked. "It's not really my thing."

"Academics aren't nii-san's strong suit," Yukio supplied.

"Yeah," Rin's smile was slightly strained, "-this is actually my first time attending school. Honestly, I'm super nervous about the whole thing."

"Seriously?" Ryuuji asked. "Were you homeschooled before?"

"Yeah," Rin said, "-something like that."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Konekomaru smiled, "-you can always ask us for help if you need it. What class are you in?"

"1-D," Rin replied, "-what about you guys?"

"I'm in 1-A," Shima said, "-so is Konekomaru. Bon's in Special 1-A, right?"

"Really?" Yukio blinked. "That's the same class as me. I'm surprised I didn't see you during the tour."

"That's Shima's fault," Ryuuji said, "-he got lost looking for the bathroom. By the time we found him, everyone had already left."

"Hey, don't tell them!" Shima protested.

Rin snickered, finally seeming to relax a little. Yukio smiled, grateful to see it. His brother's lack of friends had always worried him. He didn't really seem to socialize with anyone outside of the monastery. Was it because he could see demons? That demon had tried to use him as bait to get to Rin... and it had nearly worked. Was he afraid of the same thing happening to others?

His gut twisted uncomfortably with guilt, but for different reasons this time.

Had Rin ever been given the chance to live a normal life?

He wasn't sure- and somehow he didn't think asking him would result in a straight answer. Rin didn't like lying, but he was obviously better at it than Yukio had thought if he'd managed to keep this all under wraps for so long. He wished he had told him, though. Maybe he could have done something about it.

...like what?

He didn't have the answer to that either.

But maybe now he could, Yukio realized. It was a bit late, but... maybe he could give his brother that normal life he deserved. The thought made him smile.

It would be a little like protecting Rin, in his own way. He might not be strong, but at the very least he could help his brother actually make some friends for a change.

...and help him with his studies. He'd definitely need it.

He waited until he could hear the soft sounds of Yukio's breathing before he opened his eyes.

For a moment Rin simply lay in bed, listening to the sound- and then huffed. When he'd first moved into the monastery, he would sometimes sneak into Yukio's room in the middle of the night to watch him sleep. He'd only stopped when Shiro had caught him.

It wasn't a very human thing to do, apparently.

Sitting up, he looked over at Yukio. He wasn't a particularly deep sleeper, but he could move in absolute silence if he really needed to. He'd gradually trained himself out of it as he'd gotten older- deliberately making himself louder, his steps less quiet- but he'd never lost the trick of it.

He stood up, pulling out his other key from underneath his shirt. Sticking it in the drawer of his desk, he gave it a turn. Opening up the drawer, he briefly glanced over at Yukio's sleeping figure before he removed what was inside.

Shiro had given him the key for the cram school.

Samael had given him this one.

Shutting the drawer, he crept over to Yukio's side. He peered down at him, and smiled- giving his hair a light ruffle. Yukio stirred slightly, but not enough to wake him.

It was kind of nice, sharing a room with Yukio.

...a little inconvenient though, especially since there was only the one locking drawer.

Taking a step back, Rin opened his closet and pulled out a pair of admittedly kind of grungy high top sneakers out from underneath the dresser. Tugging them on, he completely ignored the white leather jacket hanging off the desk chair- he didn't really need it anyways. He'd just learned to wear it as camouflage.

Quietly sneaking out of the dorm room, he made his way quickly up to the roof. Once outside, he grabbed the ledge of the doorway, hauling himself to the top. The view of the True Cross Academy town wasn't as breathtaking from here as it was from the bridge that lead to Shiemi's shop, but it wasn't bad, he thought.

His mom was right- the outside world was vast.

Can't sleep?

"Yo, Kuro!" Rin grinned at the cat sidhe, stooping down to pet his head. "Yeah."

Every time he tried, he kept thinking about the way Yukio had looked at him. Idly twisting his bracelet with a frown, he tried to get it out of his head- but couldn't.

It was okay. He was fine. Dad hadn't said anything. Yukio hadn't said anything. He'd looked his twin dead in the eye, and he hadn't recognized him. He'd looked at him like he was a monster, which stung- but he was kind of used to that. It was better that he look at him with fear, than it was for him to look at him with recognition.

He could remain human in Yukio's eyes for a little longer.

(How much longer?)

You worry too much, Rinka!

Rin's brow twitched, glaring at the cat sidhe. "Oi. Is that any way to talk to your senpai?"

I'm older than you, Kuro supplied.

"Yeah, but I've been the old man's familiar longer than you," Rin argued, "-don't forget it."

Kuro just huffed, before seemingly forgetting the argument entirely. Wanna play?

"Hm," Rin folded his arms in front of him, "-I don't think Samael would like that very much, but... he also enrolled me in high school without asking, so fuck him."

Kuro cheered, jumping around excitedly on the roof. He gave his head another pet, before he stood up and took off his bracelet, shoving it in the pocket of his sweatpants. His body tingled for a moment, before the sensation faded-

-and the world took on a blue tint.

He stretched, his tail lashing behind him- and let himself fall into his natural posture. Inhaling, he took in the scents of the night, which were far too faint while he was Okumura Rin. He wouldn't trade away that identity and all it gave him for the world-

-but in the end, nothing compared to his true self.

Yeah. This was more like it.

Securing his mask, Rinka looked down at his fellow familiar with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Okay," he grinned, "-let's play!"

Chapter Text

"Nii-san, wake up."

Burying his head deeper into his pillow, Rin did his best to drown out his twin and go back to sleep. He didn't want to get up just yet.

Yukio sighed- and a few seconds later, Rin felt his blankets being ripped away.

Grumbling, Rin glared at his twin. "Oi, what's the big deal? Let me sleep!"

"Nii-san," Yukio said, "-did you forget? Today is the first day of class."

...hm?

Oh. Crap. He'd totally forgotten.

With a groan, Rin sat up in bed. Right. A week had already passed since they'd moved into the dorms. For the first time in his life, he was going to have to attend school. Glancing over at Yukio, his twin merely smiled at him. He was already dressed in his school uniform, and still smelled vaguely of rice and fish.

Tch. So he'd eaten without him.

"I'm going ahead," Yukio said, "-you remember where your classroom is, right?"

Rin grumbled, trudging into the bathroom.

"That wasn't a yes, nii-san!" Yukio called after him.

"I remember!" Rin yelled. "What are you, my mom!?"

"I'm just making sure." Yukio said. "I already took the liberty of packing your school bag. Your schedule is in the outer pocket. Be sure to check it!"

"I know!" Rin said. "Just go already, four eyes!"

"Yes, yes, I'm going," Yukio said, "-I'll see you at lunch, nii-san."

He heaved a sigh as Yukio finally left. Splashing some water on his face, his gaze drifted towards his reflection in the mirror with a frown. It had taken him awhile to get used to seeing this face in it- with its dark hair and rounded, human features- but these days it was almost as second nature to him as his true appearance.

Only a single red pinprick in his pupils gave hint to his true nature.

Yawning, he trudged back into the bedroom. It still felt strange to be putting on a school uniform, he thought. He was half tempted to just ditch class and go back to bed. What did he even need to go to school for? His mom had taught him how to read and write, and the old man had taught him basic math, so what else did he even need?

He was a demon, for fuck's sake!

"Oh? That uniform surprisingly suits you, little brother."

Rin's brow twitched, grabbing the nearest object and chucking it at Samael's head without a moment's hesitation. He simply laughed, taking a single step to avoid it.

"My, what a violent greeting!" Samael flashed a sharp-toothed smile. "Good morning to you as well, Rinka."

"What do you want, Samael?" Rin asked.

"Want?" Samael asked. "Must I want something in order to visit my darling younger brother? It's your first day of school! A momentous occasion!"

Clicking his tongue, Rin grabbed his school bag. "And whose fault is that? I didn't ask to attend school!"

"Oh?" Samael arched his brows. "I thought you would want to stay close to your precious younger brother, given what happened."

Rin twitched. He couldn't deny that.

"I don't need to attend school for that," Rin said, "-I see him at cram school anyways."

"That may be true," Samael said, "-but he doesn't trust Rinka, does he?"

Rin's fingers tightened around the strap of his bag, glaring at the floor. Yeah. That much had been made amply clear over the course of the past week. Every time Yukio looked at him, it was with the same fear he saw in his eyes when he looked at any demon.

...no. It was probably worse.

Better fear than recognition, he'd thought- and he still believed that. No matter what, he had to protect Yukio's normal life. His mother had fought for that.

He had to stay human in Yukio's eyes.

...but it turned out, fear kind of sucked actually.

He should be used to it. He was used to it. He hadn't bat any eye even when Yukio's cram school classmates had told him about the Blue Night- or the rumors about it, anyways. He'd almost lost his temper and said something when Suguro had called his mother a witch, but he'd bit his tongue and stopped himself.

(They could say whatever they wanted about him, but his mom? She didn't deserve that.)

...turns out, it was a bit different when the one who was afraid of you was your brother.

Heh. It was like they were kids all over again. Yukio hadn't liked Rin at first either. The bracelet that Samael had gave him might have given him a human appearance, but his behavior had been anything but. He'd had to train himself to be more human before Yukio had slowly started to warm up to him.

And hey! It had been worth it! Not to brag, but he thought he imitated a human pretty well now! Mom would probably be proud!

"He doesn't need to trust me," Rin said- and then smiled, "-it's better that way, right? You shouldn't trust a demon. All they do is lie."

Samael met his eyes, a silent question held in his gaze.

Does that include you ?

Rin held his gaze. Of course it did.

"Now then," Samael smiled, "-I suppose I shouldn't hold you up any longer. It wouldn't do for you to be late on your first day of school!"

Rin held his gaze for a moment longer, before clicking his tongue and looking away first. "You don't need to tell me!"

Samael laughed as he left, slamming the door shut behind him. He took the stairs instead of the elevator, hoping to burn away a little of his temper with physical activity. The dining hall was almost empty by the time he arrived- which meant it was also mercifully free of Yukio's cram school classmates.

...they weren't bad people, he thought. He just didn't know how to deal with them.

Quickly eating his breakfast, Rin begrudgingly headed to school. He was pretty sure there was an implicit threat in Samael's visit- he'd probably take matters into his own hands if he decided to skip.

...Yukio would probably be disappointed anyways.

Heaving a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. Being an older brother was hard.

If the dorms had almost been deserted, then True Cross Academy was bustling. Looking around as he entered, he watched in confusion as they all seemed to stop and switch their shoes before going past the entrance. Furrowing his brow, he glanced at the row of lockers in puzzlement.

Crap. He'd just walked in, and he was already confused.

"Okumura-san?"

Blinking, Rin looked over his shoulder. He knew that voice!

"Shiemi!"

Shiemi blinked, pursing her lips in a slight frown. Huh? That wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. She was always happy to see him at cram school...

...oh. Oh crap. Right. He wasn't Rinka right now.

"I mean, uh," Rin nervously laughed, taking longer than he would like to admit to remember what her last name was even though he absolutely knew it, "-Moriyama, right?"

"That's right," Shiemi nodded, "-b-but if you want to call me Shiemi, that's fine! Is it okay if I call you Rin?"

"Ah, yeah!" Rin nodded. "That's totally fine!"

Shiemi smiled. "Are you having trouble finding your shoe locker too?"

"Eh? They're assigned?" Rin blinked. "I was totally just going to open a random one..."

"Ah, you too?" Shiemi laughed. "I almost did that too."

Rin felt his shoulders slump, a coil of tension that he hadn't even been aware of unwinding. This was the first time he'd heard Shiemi's laugh with human ears, but the effect it had on him didn't change.

Her hair was the color of sunshine. He'd never realized.

(He'd never realized there were so many colors in the world until he looked at it through human eyes for the first time. Rinka's world was entirely blue.)

"You want to look for the right ones together?" Rin asked.

Shiemi nodded. "Yes!"

Rin grinned. It took a bit of poking around, but they both managed to find their shoe lockers. They walked to the first year hallway together, before having to finally split up to go to their respective classrooms. He'd known that Shiemi had been planning to enroll in the cram school this year, but he hadn't known she'd tested into True Cross Academy too. Running into her during the entrance ceremony had totally taken him by surprise!

("I wanted to surprise you," she'd told him with a smile, "-by showing up in uniform."

"You totally did," he'd told her, "-it looks great on you!")

Heh. Maybe if Shiemi was here, going to school wouldn't be so bad.

...nope, this sucked, actually.

Heaving a sigh, Rin let his head thunk against his desk. He'd somehow made it to lunch period, though he wasn't sure how. His brain felt like it was about to melt.

They'd put letters in math. Why?

"Okumura-san! Someone wants to talk to you!"

Lifting his head, Rin looked towards the door. Yukio already? He did say he wanted them to eat lunch together. Or maybe Shiemi? His heart flared a little in his chest at the possibility. If he could befriend her as Rin too, maybe they could-

He paused mid-thought, staring at the person standing in the doorway.

...hm?

"He's not here?"

Yukio blinked, letting his gaze sweep over the classroom in confirmation. Sure enough, Rin wasn't there- though he could still see his bag sitting on one of the desks in the back. That was strange. He was sure he'd told him that he'd see him at lunch. He couldn't imagine Rin would simply blow him off like that.

"No," one of Rin's classmates shook his head, "-I think he got called away by an upperclassman."

"An upperclassman?" Yukio asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Do you know who?"

"Dunno," the guy shrugged, "-Godaiin's the one who actually talked to her. Oi, Godaiin! Do you know the name of that hot babe who came for that Okumura guy?"

Another student blinked, looking up at the both of them.

"No, she didn't say," Godaiin said, "-they seemed to know each other, though."

Yukio blinked, his mind reeling. Rin... knew someone here? Who? He hadn't mentioned anything. Did it have anything to do with the Knights of the True Cross? Or-

...hot babe?

"You know," Rin began, "-I was supposed to eat lunch with Yukio."

Rin didn't glare at the person sitting next to him, even though part of him really wanted to. She'd taken him by the wrist before he could protest and dragged him to something called a school store, where she had proceeded to shove her way to the front and buy them two yakisoba buns each. Which he had to admit, were really good... which was why he was choosing to not glare at her.

...mostly.

She was making it really hard though.

Kirigakure Shura grinned at him, looking somehow both entirely out of place in a True Cross Academy uniform and not at all. He understood human ages a lot better than the average demon, so he knew that at twenty-six, she was way too old to be wearing one.

"What?" Shura asked. "Don't all high school boys dream of eating lunch with a cute girl?"

"You look like someone's mom who found their old uniform while cleaning and tried it on," Rin remarked, "-what are you even doing here? And who told you I'd be here?"

"Guess," Shura said, "-get it right, and I'll buy you a banana milk."

"...the old man," Rin said after a moment.

"Correct~." Shura beamed- then snickered. "I had to come see for myself when I heard. Look at you! You're in uniform and everything!"

"It's not that funny!" Rin flushed. "This was Samael's idea, not mine!"

Shura just laughed, getting up off the bench they'd parked their butts on. It was in a pretty out of the way location, even though it was right across a vending machine. Rin watched as she bought some drinks from it, catching the carton of banana milk she tossed his way. Poking the straw into it, he took a sip, keeping his gaze trained on Shura.

"So," he said, "-what's the real reason you're here?"

Taking a sip of her canned coffee, Shura leaned against the vending machine. "Shiro asked me to come. He wants me to teach swordsmanship."

"Swordsmanship?" Rin arched a brow. "To who?"

"To you," she said, "-you're in a pinch because the only way you know how to fight is with your flames, right? There's no way you can pose as human and use those."

Rin huffed. He hated to admit it, but she had a point.

"The truth is," Shura smiled, "-you wanted to attend cram school with your brother, right? You might be able to keep an eye on him as Rinka, but that's only in your father's class. If he becomes an exwire, he'll be expected to go on missions. What's your plan then?"

"The old man-"

"Shiro can't show that much favoritism," Shura remarked, "-even to his own foster son. You know as well as I do it would raise too many eyebrows."

Picking at his bracelet, Rin frowned. She was right about that too. Yukio couldn't afford to attract attention from the Vatican- not when as far as they knew, Rinka was an only child. Between the old man and Samael, the truth had been buried. As far as anyone knew, Yukio was just a child who had been orphaned on the Blue Night- one of many.

(Some of which was his fault.)

It was all, he thought, to fulfill his mother's wish.

Yukio was human. He should have the chance to be normal.

"This is stupid," Rin muttered, "-there's no way it'd work out. I can't become an exorcist."

"Really?" Shura asked. "I think you'd be good at it."

Lifting his head, Rin stared at Shura- and with a blink, his world turned blue. If he were more poetic, he would have said something about eyes being the window to the soul- but that wasn't his thing. He just knew that if he wanted to- or if he just got really pissed- not even Samael's bracelet could completely hide his eyes.

"I'm a demon," he said, "-in case you forgot."

Shura just grinned, crossing the space between them. "Trying to scare me?"

Rin huffed. "I don't think you're scared of anything."

"Correct~." Shura said- before patting his head. "Well, think about it. I've got a cool sword waiting for you and everything!"

Shura started to leave- before pausing, turning on her heel to look back at him.

"You know," she smiled, "-you're more human than you think, Rinka."

Rin huffed. Him? Human?

He'd lost that right when he'd been born with a demon's heart.

"Nii-san, there you are!"

Glancing over his shoulder at his twin, Rin flashed him a smile. "Yukio! Sorry, I ended up getting lunch without you."

"So I heard," Yukio arched a brow, "-your classmates said you got pulled away by an upperclassman."

Rin snorted. An upperclassman? Shura? Sure. He'd go along with that. It was a lot simpler than explaining who she actually was, though he had a feeling those two would meet each other soon enough.

...wow. He wasn't looking forward to that.

"Yeah, something like that," Rin said, "-I know her from the old man."

A look of understanding crossed Yukio's face, and he nodded, taking his words at face value. "I thought it might be something like that. What did they want to talk to you about?"

"Just... stuff," Rin laughed, "-more importantly, how's class?"

Yukio arched a brow. "I should be the one asking you that. Are you able to follow along with the material?"

Rin grimaced, which was apparently all the answer Yukio needed.

"Nii-san..."

"Don't worry!" Rin grinned. "My next class is English. That's the one subject I have confidence in! I'm affluent, remember?"

"Fluent, you mean," Yukio corrected.

"Yeah, that!" Rin said. "It's practically my third language!"

They'd spoken a lot of English around him when he'd been a child, after all. His mom had told him once that while the Order was based in the Vatican, its official language was more or less English. She'd taught him how to speak it alongside Japanese, so he could at least understand what the people around him were saying.

(It had taken forever to shake the weird accent he'd gotten as a result.)

"I suppose that is true," Yukio smiled, "-ah, there's the bell. I should get back to class. Good luck, nii-san!"

"Yeah, you too!" Rin called after him, waving as Yukio hurried down the hall.

He watched as his brother ducked into his classroom with smile, lightly resting a hand against his pendent. He still didn't like that he was attending cram school, but as long as he could ensure that his brother had an otherwise normal high school life, he was happy.

It would be fine. He'd keep his promise to mom.

(It would be fine. He didn't have to find out.)

Shiro opened the door to the Demon Pharmaceuticals staff room, and huffed in amusement.

He'd gotten a text from Yukio after school had let out, saying that he couldn't find Rin anywhere. He'd told him not to worry- that his brother was probably blowing off some steam by exploring the campus town or something. Somehow he wasn't surprised to find him here instead, leaning against the desk with his legs pulled up to his chest and his head buried in his hands. His tail flicked as he entered the room- but otherwise he gave no sign of acknowledging his presence.

"So this is where you were," he said, "-Yukio was worried, you know."

Rinka just grunted in response.

"That bad, huh?" Shiro asked, pulling out his chair so he could sit next to him.

"I don't get it," Rinka muttered, "-normal high school students shouldn't be scarier than Vatican researchers."

In spite of himself, Shiro let out a bark of laughter. If he could show everyone this side of Rinka, he didn't doubt that they'd all be much less scared of him. Hell, he knew it had worked on him. Ruffling the kid's hair, he just smiled at him.

"Don't worry," he said, "-you'll get used to it."

Rinka lifted his head, glaring at him. "You told Shura."

"Ah, she would have found out on her own eventually." Shiro waved a dismissive hand. "And? Did you think about what she asked?"

Rinka huffed, crossing his legs and looking away from him with an annoyed flick of his tail. "It's a stupid idea. It'd never work."

"Hah!" Shiro laughed. "That's what I thought when your mom said she'd tame you. I thought she was crazy, but it seems to have worked out."

Really. Sometimes he couldn't even wrap his head around the fact that this was the same kid who had lashed out so violently right after being born. Looking back on it, Yuri had been right- he really had just been trying to protect himself and his mother, but they'd all been too focused on the fact that he was the offspring of Satan to realize that.

"That's different!" Rinka protested.

"Is it really?" Shiro asked. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Rinka."

Rinka just grumbled in response.

Shiro laughed, gathering together his supplies for that day's class. This year's batch of students was proving to be quite something, he thought. He'd been a little surprised to see Tatsuma's kid among them- but he guessed he shouldn't be. He'd already taught several members of the Shima and Hojo families already.

...as expected, he didn't seem to much like having Rinka around.

"So," Shiro spared a glance down at Rinka, "-are you planning to show up in your school uniform?"

Rinka blinked, looking up at him- before looking back down at what he was wearing. Jolting to his feet, he heard him mutter the word crap, before he dug out the duffel bag he'd stuffed with spare clothes and hidden behind his desk. Shiro chuckled, turning his head away so as to give him some privacy as he changed.

(It had very much been a concept they'd needed to teach him when he'd moved into the monastery. His entire life up until that point had been under observation 24/7.

...that was a feeling he understood all too well.)

He only glanced back when he heard the distinct click of a key turning, just in time to see Rinka secure his mask over the lower half of his face.

Shiro grinned. "That thing is still seriously cool."

"Right?" He couldn't see Rinka's toothy grin, but he knew it was there from the way his tail wagged. "It was worth spending all of my allowance on it."

"Even if you had to beg Yukio to buy you food at the festival afterwards," Shiro remarked, "-what did you say? That you wasted it all on rigged games?"

"Something like that!" Rinka said.

Tucking his class materials into his briefcase, Shiro stood up. It was a little before four, so his students would be arriving soon enough.

...he'd always hoped that Yukio would never have to be among them. He'd promised Yuri he'd give him what she couldn't give to Rinka- a normal life. But he'd rather give him a way to protect himself from demons, now that it had come to this...

-and it had been Yukio's choice, in the end.

(Yuri would forgive him, he thought.)

"Okay," Shiro's voice rang out in the large chamber, "-since your usual physical education teacher is out on a bo- business call, I'm taking over this class today!"

From his perch on top of one of the Reaper cages, Rinka snickered. He'd totally almost said booty call. Glancing over at the assembled class, he caught Shiemi's gaze and gave her a little wave. She smiled at him and waved back, doing a little fist pump to show how determined she was to do well in this class.

...though he wasn't sure how good her hakama would be for that.

Letting his gaze drift slightly to the right, his eyes fell on Yukio. He was giving Shiro his full attention, listening as he explained how their class today was going to work. Rin frowned slightly, glancing down at the cages underneath him. The Reaper in the cage right underneath him was completely still- he could smell its fear, clear as day.

Whatever. He didn't feel like moving. The old man only needed one for the lesson, anyways.

"Shima-kun and Miwa-kun," Shiro said, "-you two are up first. Get down there!"

Rinka snorted at the groan that earned from Shima. Figured. He could sense something powerful from that guy, but man, was he lazy. He caught his eye right as he was about to slide down the slope into the pit, giving him a lazy wave that caused Suguro to roll his eyes.

He wasn't really afraid of him, he thought. Weird.

Konekomaru just smelled nervous. That also made sense. He didn't seem to have a lot of a confidence, which was weird, given how cool he was. He bet the top of his head would have that kind of fuzzy yet prickly feeling that he liked if he rubbed it.

He was terrified of him though, so that was definitely out.

(Could he find an excuse to do it as Rin? Hmm. Yukio did keep dragging him over to hang out with them during dinnertime despite his best attempts to keep his distance.)

The exercise went off without a hitch. Rinka yawned, watching as Izumo and Paku went down next. Izumo wasn't afraid of him at all, he thought- but it was in a completely different way from Shima or even Shiemi. It was weird. He'd tried to turn it over in his head, wondering what the difference was, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.

"Next up, Shiemi-chan and Suguro-kun!"

"Y-yes!" Shiemi responded.

Shiemi walked almost mechanically over towards the ladder, while Suguro took the same shortcut Shima had. Rinka waved at her when she reached the bottom, giving her a thumbs up in lieu of a grin. She waved back at him, before hurrying to stand next to Suguro-

-who just clicked his tongue, glaring up at him.

Rinka's brow twitched. What was this guy's problem anyways?

He wasn't afraid. He was just angry. That was the kind of reaction he'd expected more from veteran exorcists than he did from a kid his own age.

"Remember," Shiro said, "-this isn't a race! You're just getting used to the demon's movements!"

Rinka kept an eye on Shiemi as the exercise began. It was a good thing this wasn't a race, otherwise Shiemi would definitely be losing. Suguro was pretty fast, actually- for a human, anyways. He was kind of impressed. He was apparently a scholarship student, like Yukio-

...huh? Who exactly was paying for his tuition anyways? Samael?

"Ah!"

Rinka's head snapped up at the sound of Shiemi's voice, just in time to watch his father yank back hard on the chain that leashed the Reaper. His gaze instantly snapped towards Shiemi, who was lying on the ground and nursing her left ankle.

"Mori-"

He didn't wait for Suguro to finish that.

"Shiemi!"

With a single jump, he closed the gap between himself and Shiemi in an instant. Crouching next to her, he glared at the Reaper, warning it to stay the hell away.

It complied.

Rinka exhaled, looking down at Shiemi. She gave him a weak, apologetic smile.

"Sorry," she said, "-I tripped."

"It's fine." He just shook his head, offering her his hand. "Can you get up?"

Shiemi took his hand, using it to help herself stand. Her hands were dry and chapped, with rough calluses from spending so much time in the garden, but he didn't mind.

"I think- ah," Shiemi winced, glancing down at her ankle with a frown, "-it sort of stings..."

Shiro had made his way over to them at this point. Out of the corner of his eye, Rinka could see Suguro hovering in the background, watching him with a wary eye.

Kneeling next to Shiemi, Shiro held a hand out. "Let me see."

Shiemi nodded, letting Shiro take off her boot and look at her ankle with a critical eye. Rinka put a hand on her back, while he used his other to hold her own, trying not to think about how close they were-

-and how much she smelled of earth.

(He couldn't smell it as strongly as Rin, he realized. It was a shame.)

"Hm," Shiro frowned, "-its a bit red, but I don't feel anything out of place. You may have just twisted it. I'd recommend putting some ice on it tonight and staying off of it as much as you can. If it doesn't feel better by morning though, you should see a doctor."

"Y-yes!" Shiemi nodded. "Um, I'm sorry. I messed up the exercise."

Shiro just smiled. "Don't worry about that. There's always next time. Though I might recommend clothing that's a bit better for running around in."

Shiemi bowed her head, nodding. He couldn't really tell, but he was pretty sure her cheeks had turned red. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, mindful of his claws. She glanced up at him, and he shut his eyes in a smile.

It relaxed her a little, he thought.

"Rinka," Shiro looked at him, "-carry her up for me. I'll take her to the nurse's office."

Rinka nodded, scooping Shiemi off her feet entirely. She squeaked a little, covering her face with her hands as he leapt out of the pit, landing by the other students. Izumo and Shima stayed where they were, but everyone else took half a step a back-

-including Yukio.

Right. He was one of the ones afraid of him.

"Are you alright?"

Blinking, Rinka glanced down at Shiemi. There was concern in her eyes, as if she'd picked up on what he was feeling. He just smiled, even if he knew she couldn't see it with his mask on.

"Yeah," he said, "-worry about yourself first."

Shiemi laughed, just a little. "You're right."

Shiro climbed out of the pit, with Suguro following behind him. He passed Shiemi over to him, giving her hand one final squeeze before he let it go. She'd be fine, he told himself. A twisted ankle wasn't a big deal, even to a human.

His fingers twitched, but he resisted the urge to touch his pendent.

"As for the rest of you," Shiro's gaze swept over the students, "-consider this study hall for now. And don't go into the pit with the Reapers, for god's sake."

"Rinka," Shiro winked, "-keep an eye on them for me."

Rinka frowned, tilting his head slightly. What was that about?

Shiro was gone before he could ask, leaving him alone with the cram school students and Yukio- who he pointedly avoided looking at. Turning on his heel, he glanced back at the Reaper, which was sitting still like a good demon. Nothing to worry about there, he guessed.

"Tch," Suguro clicked his tongue, "-what is that guy thinking? Leaving us alone with the son of Satan?"

"Ssh," Konekomaru hushed him, "-he'll hear you."

Rinka just sighed. He should ignore it-

-he thought, as he turned on his heel to look Suguro in the eye.

To his credit, he only flinched a little. He'd heard countless times that he looked almost exactly like his father, right down to the eyes.

(Even their hearts were similar, he'd heard.)

"What?" Suguro narrowed his eyes. "You got a problem with what I said?"

"Bon..." Konekomaru cautioned, his eyes darting towards him nervously.

"No," Rinka said after a moment, "-you're right. I am the son of Satan. But whatever you think of me, I'm Shiro... san's familiar. I've got no interest in harming in his students."

"That so?" Suguro arched a brow. "Or are you just biding your time until daddy comes back?"

Rinka's tail twitched in annoyance. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Suguro said, "-you two teamed up once before."

Rinka grit his teeth, biting back a growl. It wasn't the first time he'd heard someone suggest as much, but it was the first time any of them had actually dared to say it to his face. He wasn't sure if Suguro was stupid or just had guts- or some combination of the two, but somehow it pissed him off.

"Are you joking?" Rinka asked. "Team up? He tried to kill me too."

That seemed to catch Suguro off guard, if the startled blink was anything to go by. Underneath the safety of his mask, Rinka gave a triumphant smirk. Hah! How about that? Didn't have anything to say back to that, did you?

"Now, now," Shima cut in, "-calm down, Bon. Let's not fight."

Suguro stared at him for a moment longer, before clicking his tongue and looking away. Konekomaru sighed in relief, though he still eyed him warily.

...it actually stung, just a little.

Weird. Why? Was it just because he'd talked to them as few times as Rin? Come to think of it, he'd never really met any of the old man's students as Rin before.

(No, there was that one time with that snake girl...)

Putting it from his mind, he stalked away from the group, leaning against a wall where he could keep an eye on all of them- and the Reaper. He didn't know what the old man had been planning by leaving him alone with them, but he was pretty sure it hadn't worked out. Pulling out his phone, he ignored them in favor of checking his messages.

Oh, right. He'd never replied to Yukio's texts. Whoops.

Just wandering around the campus town, he wrote, -might be late for dinner.

And send. His lips twitched upwards as he picked up on the sound of Yukio's phone buzzing. His brother pulled it out of his pocket, exhaling in relief as he read the message. He typed a reply-

-and Rinka's phone buzzed.

He froze, his heart flaring in his chest- and then he slowly exhaled. No one had actually noticed. He was too far away for them to hear.

Okay, Yukio's reply read, I'll help you with your homework afterwards, nii-san.

...fuck. He'd forgotten about that.

Her ankle hurt.

The nurse had agreed with Shiro's diagnosis- it was just twisted. She would probably be back on her feet within the next two days, but until then she'd been given strict instructions to not strain it further. Shiemi had listened to them intently, even as she couldn't hide the redness of her cheeks.

Shiro had just laughed, and assured her she wasn't the first person to trip like that.

...she was still embarrassed, though.

No, she couldn't let this get her down. She'd come here to expand her world, after all!

"Need help getting home?"

Perking up at the sound of Rinka's voice, she smiled at the half-demon. "Rinka!"

Rinka waved at her, an easy smile doubtlessly hidden underneath his mask. He took it off as she thought that, hooking it to his belt. She'd seen him wear it a few times before, but he usually left it off whenever he visited her shop with Shiro.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Shiemi nodded. "Yes! The nurse gave me some medicine, so I'm already feeling better."

"That's good," Rinka grinned, sitting at the foot of the bed, "-I was worried."

"Sorry," Shiemi said, "-I didn't mean to worry you. I'll do better next time!"

"Yeah, I know you will." Rinka said. "So? Need help?"

"No, I can make it on my own!" Shiemi said. "You're probably busy!"

"Nah, I already ran it by the old man." Rinka grinned. "Your ankle hurts, right? Even if you've got a shortcut home, you still have to cross the bridge."

"...that's true," Shiemi admitted- then smiled at Rinka, "-okay. I'll take your offer!"

Rinka's smile grew, his tail wagging behind him. It wasn't fair, she caught herself thinking. She didn't understand why everyone was so afraid of him, when he was so kind. He was so gentle when he picked her up, mindful of his claws. She felt her cheeks tint red, even as she leaned closer to his chest, feeling the comforting warmth of his heart.

Yeah. Rinka wasn't scary at all.

Pulling out her key, she stuck in the door of the nurse's office and gave it a turn. Rinka opened it, stepping out onto the bridge that lead to Futsumaya.

"So," Rinka asked as they crossed, "-how's high school?"

"There's a lot I don't understand," Shiemi confessed, "-but I'm doing my best!"

She'd always been too shy to attend either elementary or middle school, too afraid of other people. The world outside her grandmother's garden had always seemed so scary when she was younger- it was safer to stay locked away in it, where she didn't have to worry about anything.

Then she'd met Rinka.

When he talked about the outside world, it was with a sparkle in his eyes. What had sounded so scary before turned almost magical when he described it.

"I know you can do it!" Rinka grinned. "I'd offer to help, but..."

Shiemi's face fell. Oh, that's right. Rinka couldn't go to school, could he?

"T-that's alright!" Shiemi said. "I actually made a friend today, I think. He's never been to school either! So if we get confused, we can depend on each other!"

Rinka blinked. "Eh? A friend?"

"Yep!" Shiemi nodded. "Ah, although I'm not sure if he thinks the same..."

"No, I'm sure he does!" Rinka said quickly.

"You think so?" Shiemi smiled. "I hope so!"

Her smile grew at the thought of it. Friends? She already had Rinka, but she certainly wouldn't mind more of them. And Rin seemed nice! There was something about him that relaxed her, although she couldn't quite put her finger on what. Maybe it was because he felt so familiar? But he'd said that they hadn't met before, so...

"We're here."

Rinka's voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she smiled at him as he carefully set her down on the top step in front of Futsumaya.

"Thanks, Rinka," she said, "-do you want to come in?"

Rinka frowned, his tail swishing nervously behind him. "Your mom-"

"It's alright," Shiemi assured him, "-mom won't mind."

At least, now she didn't. It had taken her a long time to come around to Rinka, though grandmother had always just chuckled to herself whenever she'd caught the two of them together. She would sometimes bring them treats and tea to share as they sat by the garden gate together.

Rinka never came in. He didn't want to break the wards, he'd said.

Rinka considered it for a few moments, before shaking his head. "Nah. I should probably head back."

"Okay," Shiemi's face fell, "-then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Rinka grinned. "Tomorrow!"

Leaning against the door, she watched as Rinka made his way down the steps. He paused at the bottom to wave at her, before heading back across the bridge. She watched him until he entered the door on the other side, before slowly letting out a held breath.

Nodding to herself, she opened the door. She'd messed up today, but tomorrow she'd do better for sure. Rinka wouldn't let something like this get him down, so neither would she!

"Mom!" She called out as she entered. "I need to get some new clothes for cram school! Can you come with me to the store this weekend?"

"Welcome back, nii-san."

Yukio smiled as his brother trudged into the room- and promptly fell over on his bed. He was still wearing his school uniform, so he probably hadn't returned to the dorms at all after school. He'd been a little worried when he'd gone to his classroom to check on him and found him gone, but his father had assured him Rin was probably just blowing off steam by wandering around the campus town.

Well, he couldn't blame him.

"How was school?" Yukio asked.

Rin just grunted in reply, giving a big thumbs down.

Yukio laughed in spite of himself, even as he got up to close the door behind his brother. Yeah. That's more or less what he figured.

"Did you get something to eat?" Yukio asked.

That got him a thumbs up.

Yukio set down his pen and turned to Rin with a smile. "So? Ready to work on your homework?"

"...actually, I think I need to go look around some more-"

"Nope," Yukio cut him off, "-you're not getting out of this that easily, nii-san."

Rin groaned, but he still sat up and trudged over to his desk, dragging the chair from his own with him. Plopping down in it, he unzipped his school bag and spent a little while digging through it before producing a couple of slightly rumpled worksheets.

"...nii-san," Yukio blinked, "-where are your textbooks?"

"Huh?" Rin looked up at him. "I left them in my desk at school, obviously. Why?"

Drawing in a deep breath, Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose. No, calm down. He should have expected this. Rin had never been to school before. Maybe he just hadn't noticed everyone else bringing their textbooks home with them.

"Okay," he said calmly, "-then can I see today's notes?"

"...notes?"

...God give him strength, Yukio thought. He was going to need it.

Chapter Text

"Oh, there's a rare sight."

Ryuuji looked up just in time to see Rin stumble into the dining hall after his brother. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed a few minutes ago, still in his pajamas- with one hell of a bedhead to show for it. Yukio caught his eye and smiled in his direction, before practically shoving a tray into his twin's hand, lightly pushing him in their direction.

Yeah. Shima was right. That was a rare sight.

Yukio smiled as he sat down across from them. "Good morning."

"...morning," Rin echoed, clearly still half-asleep.

"Morning," Ryuuji replied, "-nice bedhead."

"Thanks," Rin yawned, "-I worked on it all night."

That got a chuckle out of him.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you down here at this hour." Konekomaru observed.

Yeah, he was right about that. They'd been living at the dorms for a little over two weeks now, and this was the first time they'd seen Rin in the morning. He would make a rare appearance during lunch sometimes, if his brother dragged him over to eat with them, but otherwise they usually didn't see him until the evening meal.

If he didn't know any better, it was like he was keeping his distance on purpose.

"I've been trying to get him up earlier," Yukio remarked, "-he got a little too used to sleeping until noon while we were living at home."

"Until noon?" Shima asked. "How nice. I'm jealous."

"Oh, that's right," Konekomaru said, "-you said you were homeschooled, right?"

"Yeah," Rin yawned again, "-something like that."

Ryuuji hummed, his gaze flicking between the twins. In contrast to Rin, Yukio was already fully dressed in his school uniform, ready for the day.

"Homeschooling sounds like the life!" Shima said. "But why just you?"

"Behavioral issues," Yukio replied, "-mostly."

"Yeah, that. I was a pretty difficult child, believe it or not!" Rin laughed. "So mom had to teach me at home. Uh, before she died. The old man picked up her slack afterwards."

"Well, she couldn't exactly teach you after!" Shima remarked- the flippant comment earning him a well deserved elbow jab from Konekomaru. "Ah, sorry."

Rin frowned, idly toying with the bracelet he wore around his left wrist. Ryuuji was a little surprised he was already wearing it, despite seemingly having just crawled out of bed. It looked a bit like a rosary that someone had turned into a bracelet, with two rows of large red and white beads, complete with a wooden cross that dangled off the lower row.

Then again, he'd definitely seen him wear it to the bath, so he couldn't say he was that surprised. You would think the damn thing was glued to his skin.

"S'fine," Rin said after a moment, "-she died a long time ago."

"And I didn't really know her, so..." Yukio trailed off.

"You're like Koneko-san, then!" Shima said. "Right?"

"Shima." Ryuuji shot him a look.

"No, it's fine," Konekomaru glanced over at him, before turning back to the twins, "-my mother died giving birth to me. She went through a lot during the Blue Night, so..."

Yukio's face fell. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear to that."

Rin didn't say anything, touching the odd pendent he kept tucked underneath his shirt. Ryuuji had only seen it once or twice- it was some kind of small transparent vial, that looked like it was filled with gray sand.

...something his mom gave him, maybe?

"It's okay," Konekomaru smiled, "-it all happened a long time ago."

Ryuuji just heaved a sigh. Well, if Konekomaru was fine with it...

"Our temple lost a lot of followers that night," Ryuuji said, "-I don't think we have anyone who didn't lose someone that day."

"Oh," Rin said, "-that's why you're so angry."

Ryuuji blinked, looking up at him. "Angry?"

Rin frowned, meeting his eyes. A brief expression of confusion flickered through them- only to be immediately followed by one of mild... panic?

"No, I mean," Rin averted his gaze, tapping his left wrist against the table, "-when you talked about the Blue Night before. You seemed angry."

Ah, that's what he meant.

"Yeah," he agreed, "-I'm angry. Countless good people died that day, but Satan's bastard got to live? Of course I'm pissed."

Rin hummed. "Huh. Guess that makes sense."

"You still shouldn't try to pick fights with him, Bon," Konekomaru warned, "-you nearly gave me a heart attack the other day. What if he'd done something?"

"...sorry," Ryuuji apologized, "-I just lost my cool."

He knew Konekomaru was right. He wasn't powerless, but he wasn't foolish enough to think he was ready to face Satan's bastard son- much less Satan himself. That was why he'd come here- to train. When he'd heard the Paladin himself would be in charge of the first year students, he'd actually been excited at the prospect...

...he just hadn't expected he'd bring his familiar.

It hadn't just been for the first class, either. That thing was always around.

"I don't get it," Shima said, "-he was just helping Moriyama-san. Doesn't that make him a good guy?"

Ryuuji's brow twitched. "A good guy? He's a demon!"

"Sure," Shima agreed, "-but he's half-human, right? That has to count for something."

"That's-!"

"...half-human?"

Ryuuji snapped his mouth shut, turning to Yukio. He looked surprised, which momentarily confused him- before he remembered that Yukio was new to all this. Honestly, he was still confused about that- he was the Paladin's foster kid, wasn't he? Why had he kept him in the dark?

He certainly hadn't seemed to do the same for Rin.

"Yeah," Shima said, "-I mean, his mother was human. That makes him a nephilim, right?"

Ryuuji snorted. "A nephilim? Don't joke."

"Nephilim?" Yukio asked.

"It's a human born with demon blood," Konekomaru explained, "-there are actually a lot of old exorcist families with demon in their blood somewhere."

"Exactly," Ryuuji said, "-a human born with a demon blood. Everyone knows Satan's bastard was born with a demon's heart. I've even heard it looks exactly like Satan's."

"Nah," Rin said, "-it's pretty close, though."

Ryuuji blinked, glancing over at Rin. Honestly, he'd been so quiet, he'd almost forgotten he was here. Judging from the bowl of rice in his hand, and the chopsticks in the other, he'd just been quietly eating his breakfast the entire time they'd been talking.

"You've seen it?" Ryuuji asked, in disbelief.

"Nah," Rin said, "-but the old man has."

Oh. That made more sense.

"A demon's heart is the source of their power, right?" Yukio asked. "We learned about it on the first day."

"Yeah," Ryuuji nodded, "-it's also where they're the most vulnerable. I've never heard of a nephilim being born with one before. Doesn't that mean he's basically just a demon?"

"I think Bon has a point," Konekomaru hesitantly admitted, "-it's hard to think of Rinka as human- honestly, I think he's pretty scary. But..."

"But?" Yukio asked.

"...at the very least, I think he sincerely likes Moriyama-san," Konekomaru replied, "-he seemed really gentle with her the other day."

Ryuuji's lips twisted into a frown. Yeah. He'd have a complete idiot to miss that- but that was the problem. He'd grown up hearing rumor after rumor about Satan's bastard child, but the reality wasn't anything like he expected.

"Team up? He tried to kill me too."

Ryuuji's brows furrowed. He'd been turning that over in his head for days. He knew he should just dismiss it- not listening to what demons had to say was the most basic of basics when it came to exorcism. And even if it was true, so what? There was no denying that he was a demon who had killed people.

It just didn't sit right with him.

"What about you?" Ryuuji looked over at Rin. "You've met him a few times before, right? What do you think?"

"He's a demon, right?" Rin replied. "I mean, it's obvious."

An automatic reply. He hadn't even thought about it, Ryuuji realized.

Rin yawned as he stood up, picking up his tray. "You're all overthinking it, though. He respects the old man a lot, so you've got nothing to be scared of."

"Easy for you to say," Yukio sighed, "-I don't think you're scared of anything, nii-san."

"Of course not!" Rin flashed a confident grin that Ryuuji could only describe as shit-eating. "I'm pretty strong, after all!"

Rin left- but he was kind of used to that at this point. He always left as soon as he was done eating. Ryuuji frowned. Honestly, that guy was kind of a mystery himself. He wasn't an unfriendly person, but...

...he really did seem like he was keeping his distance.

Scratching his head, Ryuuji glanced over at Yukio. "What about you?"

"Me?" Yukio asked. "Oh. You mean what I think about Rinka?"

"Yeah," Ryuuji said, "-did they really never mention anything about him to you?"

Yukio shook his head. "No. The only thing I knew was that father had two familiars. But if I had to say... I'm with Miwa-san, probably. Though if I'm being honest, that may just be because I don't really like demons in general."

"I think I get it," Konekomaru admitted, "-I thought I was prepared to see them, but..."

Ryuuji huffed. "It can be a lot sometimes."

"Don't worry," Shima grinned, "-you get used to it after awhile."

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" Ryuuji asked, gesturing at Shima. "This guy has been able to see demons since he was a baby."

"Really?" Yukio blinked. "That's like nii-san, then."

"Eh, really?" Shima asked. "Not that I'm one to talk, but you don't see that too often."

"I see," Ryuuji folded his arms in front of him, "-that makes sense. I was wondering why only Okumura knew about demons."

"Our mother was apparently an exorcist too," Yukio said, "-I don't know much about it, but I think she gave me to father because she wanted me to live a life free of demons."

"So she gave you to the Paladin?" Ryuuji asked.

"...that does seem counterintuitive, now that you mention it." Yukio frowned.

Ryuuji snorted. It definitely did- but it seemed to have worked. He wondered who exactly their mother was, for her to have known the Paladin well enough to trust him with one of her children. Rin had said her last name was Okumura, right? He couldn't say he'd ever heard of any exorcists by that name before.

"Speaking of familiars," Konekomaru said, "-we're supposed to try and summon one today, I heard."

"In Neuhaus-sensei's class, right?" Yukio asked. "Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about it."

"You'll be fine," Ryuuji reassured him, "-honestly, only a few people actually have the ability to summon a demon without first forming a contract. Most Tamers make them with demons they defeat instead."

"Like your father and Rinka!" Shima grinned. "Actually, do you think he even can summon him? He has a physical body in Assiah, right? How does that work?"

"Who knows?" Ryuuji shrugged. "He's pretty high level, too."

Shima grimaced, and Ryuuji just huffed. Yeah, he would understand what it was like to try and summon a high level demon- though something told him the Paladin had a little more stamina than Shima did. The man himself had turned out to be way more flippant than he'd been expecting, but it was clear from listening to his lessons that he held that title for a reason.

...and if Rinka really respected him like Rin said- well, all the more reason. Who knows? Maybe seeing daddy get defeated had left quite the impression.

"He tried to kill me too."

Ryuuji's lips twisted into a frown, as he shut the thought out.

...it was a lot more difficult than he'd like to admit.

Damn Yukio.

Pulling his t-shirt over his head, Rin grumbled. It was way too damn early to be awake, he thought- he didn't care what Yukio said. But his twin had merely given him the kind of smile that told him he'd be hauling him out of bed at this hour from now on, instead of letting him sleep in until the last minute.

Why did school have to start so damn early?

"Doesn't that mean he's basically just a demon?"

Rin huffed, Suguro's words coming back unprompted. He'd heard it a million times before. He wasn't even wrong.

...so why was it bothering him all of a sudden?

He'd been half-afraid that Rin would have gone back to bed by the time he returned to their room, so Yukio had been pleasantly surprised to find that he was already dressed in his uniform. For all his (many, many) complaints, Rin was steadily finding his footing at True Cross Academy.

...at least in so far as the routine went.

One thing at a time, he supposed. Just the fact that Rin was actually attending school for a change was a huge step up for him.

"You seem like you're in a good mood, Yukio."

"Eh," Yukio glanced over at Rin, "-do I?"

"Yeah," Rin peered at him, "-you're smiling."

Was he? Yukio mulled it over. He supposed he was. Come to think of it- this was the first time he and Rin had walked to school together. Every once in awhile, he would wait for him at the gates to walk home with him, but he usually wasn't awake this early.

"I suppose I am," Yukio admitted, "-I just never thought this day would come."

Rin blinked. "What day?"

"This," Yukio said, "-walking to school with you."

Rin frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I don't get it."

Yukio chuckled. "I imagine you wouldn't."

Rin stared at him for a few moments longer, before shrugging his shoulders. Yukio huffed, glancing over at his brother. The sloppy way he wore his uniform was less than ideal, but no one was looking at him and whispering about why he wasn't wearing one.

"Nii-san," Yukio said, "-why didn't you attend middle school?"

Their father had asked Rin if he wanted to, back when Yukio was in his last year of elementary school. Rin had just stared at him for a long moment-

-then laughed, and turned him down.

Looking back on that moment, he realized he'd been hoping he'd agree.

"Why?" Rin frowned. "I mean, why would I?"

Yukio frowned in turn, unsure of how to answer that. They might be twins, but sometimes it was impossible for him to determine what Rin was thinking.

"...is it because you could see demons?" Yukio asked. "Is that why-?"

"Nah," Rin cut him off, "-that's got nothing to do with it."

Yukio sighed. He didn't understand why Rin couldn't give him a straight answer about this.

(Did he ever really give him a straight answer about anything?)

Rin glanced over at him, his lips twisting in a tight frown. "...did you want me to?"

Yukio blinked, looking over at him. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually said that, had he?

"...yes," he confessed after a moment, "-I suppose I did."

"Oh," Rin said, "-uh. Sorry, I guess."

Yukio just let out another sigh, shaking his head. "No. You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who didn't say anything."

"You sure?" Rin asked.

"I'm sure," Yukio smiled- then let his gaze drop slightly, "-but... if I had, would you have changed your mind?"

Folding his arms in front of him, Rin hummed in thought. "I guess... maybe?"

Maybe. Not yes.

Well, it was Rin. He wasn't exactly expecting a straight answer.

"I suppose I'll take it," Yukio shrugged, "-of course, if you'd say yes, you'd be struggling a lot less now."

Rin's brow twitched. "Don't remind me."

In spite of himself, Yukio laughed. He got the distinct feeling that their father had more or less given up on actually homeschooling Rin years ago. He'd sometimes see Kyodo or Nagatomo sitting at the kitchen table with Rin and a workbook, but he usually gave up before long. He was pretty sure there was a pile of unfinished workbooks sitting amongst Rin's junk collection.

(One was actually burnt, for some reason.)

"Don't worry," he said, "-I can help- nii-san? Is something wrong?"

Rin had come to a dead stop behind him, staring hard at something in the distance. He blinked when he called him, looking back at him with an awkward smile.

"Sorry, Yukio," he said, "-I just remembered I left something back in our room. I'm gonna head back real quick and grab it!"

"Wait, nii-san-!"

-and sighed. Rin was already gone. Turning on his heel, he glanced towards the main campus. Ah well. At least they'd almost gotten all the way to school.

Sorry, Yukio. That had been a lie. He wasn't going back to the dorms.

Instead he made his way to a deserted part of the campus town, briefly glancing over his shoulder before grabbing on to the end of a nearby fire escape. Hauling himself up it, he headed up to the roof. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced around, trying to pinpoint-

-actually, screw it.

"Come out, Amaimon!"

Amaimon dropped down behind him. Rin turned on his heel to face him, narrowing his eyes at his older brother. The fact that he was within the boundaries of True Cross Academy at all likely meant that Samael had let him in- even he could only get in when he was wearing the bracelet he'd given him.

(That was a lie. He could if he wanted to. He just didn't want to break Samael's barrier.)

"I'm surprised," Amaimon pointed at his bracelet, "-I thought you couldn't sense me with that thing on."

Rin huffed. Yeah. That was one of the downsides to Samael's gift. It might allow him to take on a human form- and even let him pass through barriers and wards like a regular human, but it also prevented him from sensing other demons.

(Nor could they sense him.)

"Are you kidding?" Rin asked. "Anyone could sense you. You weren't even trying to hide."

"Hm," Amaimon mused, "-true. I wasn't."

"And?" Rin asked. "What do you want?"

Amaimon didn't say anything- simply opting to stalk around him in a circle. Rin let him, keeping him in his peripheral at all times. Honestly, he preferred Amaimon to Samael- at least he tended to be a lot more straightforward. If he thought something, he usually said it-

...but that didn't mean he wasn't a pain in the ass in his own way.

"Older brother said you had enrolled in his school. I wanted to see it for myself." Amaimon hummed, leaning in close. "Is it interesting?"

"No," Rin said frankly, "-it's boring."

Amaimon hummed, tilting his head. "I don't get it. Why go if it's boring?"

"You said it yourself. Samael enrolled me," Rin said, "-so I'm pretty sure he's expecting me to play at being a good student or whatever."

"I see," Amaimon said, "-then I suppose I'll refrain from asking you to play with me today, if that's what older brother wants."

"Sorry," Rin waved a hand, "-I'll play with you another time. Promise."

Amaimon would hold him to it, he knew. He didn't particularly mind, though. There was something relaxing about Amaimon's style of play- something that he couldn't really get from anyone else. There was Kuro, but...

He was a lot stronger than Kuro, at the end of the day.

"Okay," Amaimon nodded, apparently satisfied with that, "-come find me when this school of yours it out, Rinka."

Amaimon disappeared as abruptly as he'd appeared, leaving Rin alone on the roof. With a long sigh, he pulled out his cellphone. He'd have to let the old man know that he needed to ditch him that afternoon. If he didn't go find Amaimon, Amaimon would doubtlessly come find him.

And wouldn't that be a huge mess? The King of Earth showing up at the cram school? Best to avoid it.

In the distance, a bell rang.

...wait. A bell?

"Fuck," Rin paled, "-I'm totally late! Uhhh, crap. What do I do?"

Glancing down at his bracelet, Rin's gaze flicked back towards True Cross Academy. He'd never make it in time as Rin, but...

...you know what? Fuck it.

Pulling off his bracelet, he stuffed it in the pocket of his blazer. Rinka scrambled across the rooftops of the campus town, taking a running leap to launch himself onto the roof of True Cross Academy. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he hastily put his bracelet back on, throwing open the door to the roof and hurrying down the steps.

He made it. Just barely. Exhaling, Rin slumped down in his chair. Good thing he really wasn't human, or he'd probably be seriously out of breath right now.

Samael had better appreciate how much effort he was putting into this.

"...huh?"

Rubbing at his eyes, Shima blinked. He'd just spared a quick glance out the window only to see what he swore looked like Rinka in a school uniform, landing on the roof across from him. When he looked back, he was already gone.

"...no way, right?" Shima chuckled.

The son of Satan, a student of True Cross Academy? Impossible. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him.

...right?

Shiemi took in and let out a deep breath, steadying herself.

Her ankle had healed a few days ago, just like Shiro had promised. She'd gone with her mother that very weekend to buy clothing more fit for the cram school's physical education class- though even with her mother there, visiting a department store had still been nerve racking... but she'd managed! Little by little, she felt like she was taking a step in the right direction.

She was outside, in that world that Rinka had always described to her with a sparkle in his eyes. Now she just had to work up her nerve to take the next step.

Hovering outside the door of Rin's classroom, she picked him out from the rest of his classmates. He had his head on his desk, his hands buried in his hair. Drawing in a breath, she took a step inside- and then another, and then another. She came to a stop in front of his desk, deep blue eyes meeting her own as he looked up at her in surprise.

"U-um," she said, "-w-would you like to eat lunch with me?"

Rin blinked- and then blinked again.

For a moment, Shiemi felt her face fall. Had she read things wrong? She'd talked with Rin several times in front of their shoe lockers now. She'd thought they'd been getting along pretty well, but...

Rin smiled.

It was big and broad, and for just a moment, she swore she knew it from somewhere. At the same time, it also wasn't quite right- like there was something missing.

"Yeah," he said, "-I'd love to!"

Exhaling, Shiemi felt her shoulders slump. What a relief. She hadn't been wrong.

Setting down her lunchbox, Shiemi took the chair in front of Rin. She'd seen several of her classmates do the same thing, but she hadn't worked up the nerve to try it herself yet. She shared a class with Paku from cram school, and she seemed nice, but...

...she wasn't sure any of them liked her very much.

"You make your own lunch?" Rin asked.

"Yes!" Shiemi smiled. "We have a garden at home, so I use lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. U-um, you can try some if you like!"

For just a brief second, she swore Rin paled.

(He was already pretty pale, she thought. Not as pale as Rinka, though.)

"S-sure," he smiled, "-I'd love to!"

Shiemi smiled, unpacking her lunch box and handing him one of the herb cookies she'd baked that morning.

"Here," she smiled, "-these are my speciality! Herb cookies. I learned the recipe from my grandmother."

Rin stared at the proffered cookie for a long moment- and then ate it one bite.

"How is it?" Shiemi asked.

"...it tastes like grass," Rin admitted.

Shiemi's shoulders slumped. Oh. Maybe they really were an acquired taste. She'd served Rinka some before, and he'd nearly spat them out. He'd laughed it off and said that he must have different taste buds as a demon, but...

"B-but thanks!" Rin flashed her a smile. "I'd share something in return with you, but..."

Shiemi blinked. Come to think of it, Rin hadn't pulled anything out.

"Huh? Are you eating with Moriyama-san, nii-san?"

Glancing behind her, Shiemi's shoulders tensed a little at the sight of Yukio. He just looked at her with a smile, but it didn't have that easy, familiar quality his twin's did. He was always polite the few times they'd spoken during cram school, but...

...she didn't regret defending Rinka, but she'd definitely started off on the wrong foot.

"Oh, Yukio!" Rin waved at his brother. "Yeah! Do you want to eat with us?"

"No, that's fine." Yukio said. "I'll eat with Suguro-san and the others today. Here, your lunch."

Rin beamed, reaching into the plastic bag Yukio held out and pulling out a pair of wrapped buns with noodles on them, and a carton of juice. He must be the type who got his lunch at the school store, Shiemi thought. She'd keep that in mind for next time!

"Thanks as always!" Rin said. "I'll pay you back someday, I swear!"

Yukio gave him a dry smile, like he didn't believe that for a second.

"Then, I'll leave the two of you alone." Yukio said. "Good luck, nii-san."

"Good luck...?" Rin repeated in confusion as Yukio walked away. "What's that about?"

"For the rest of your classes, maybe?" Shiemi asked.

"Oh," Rin said, "-I see. That makes sense."

Rin unwrapped one of his buns, before ripping off an end piece and handing it to her with a grin. "Here! Now we can share!"

"Are you sure?" Shiemi asked.

"Yeah!" Rin said. "You shared some of your lunch with me, so it's only fair."

"Then... thanks!" Shiemi carefully took the piece of bun from him.

He smiled as he watched her bite into it, his grin only growing as she smiled in turn. It tasted pretty good, whatever it was. It was pretty rich, so she wasn't sure she'd even be able to eat a whole one by herself.

"Good, right?" Rin asked. "Shura bought them for me the other day. I've been kind of hooked on them since."

"Shura?" Shiemi asked, before recalling where she'd heard that name before. "Oh! Fujimoto-sensei's disciple. I've heard about her from Rinka before!"

Her smile faltered slightly as she mentioned Rinka. What if Rin thought she was weird for being friends with him too? He was Shiro's foster son after all- even if he wasn't attending cram school like Yukio, he must know who he was. But when she peeked up at him, his expression hadn't so much as changed. He caught her eye and grinned, like she hadn't said anything strange.

"U-um," Shiemi hesitated, "-you've met him, right?"

Rin blinked. "Yeah... I guess you could say that."

"W-what do you think about him?" Shiemi asked. "It's just... everyone at cram school thinks he's a monster, but he's actually really nice! He's always encouraging me."

"R-really?" Rin laughed, sounding a bit flustered. "W-well, I guess he's pretty alright..."

"Really?" Shiemi asked. "That's a relief. Everyone else seems to think I'm weird."

Rin frowned a little at that. "At cram school?"

"Ah, they're not being mean to me or anything!" Shiemi quickly said. "And I don't regret standing up for Rinka! It's just... I don't know if they want to be my friends now."

Her face fell as she admitted it out loud. Truthfully, she hadn't decided to attend cram school to become an exorcist like everyone else. She'd just wanted to get a bit stronger, that's all. Rinka had been the one to encourage her to go for it, even though her mother had been against it at first.

...and if she could make some friends at the same time, that would be nice.

It's strange. She didn't know why she was telling Rin all this.

"Aren't you overthinking it?" Rin asked. "I mean, I don't think any of them dislike you. At least uh, not any of the ones I've talked to."

"You think so?" Shiemi blinked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," Rin smiled, "-you should totally go for it!"

"O-okay," Shiemi clenched her fists, "-I'll do my best!"

"That's the spirit!" Rin beamed.

Taking a bite out of her sandwich, Shiemi smiled to herself. Somehow she felt better. It was a bit like talking to Rinka, she thought.

...oh. That's why she felt so comfortable talking to Rin.

Peering at Rin, she studied his features. They were a little similar, she thought. He blinked at her, deep blue eyes meeting her own. They were completely different from Rinka's- truthfully, she'd been a little afraid of those spiral eyes at first. She'd never met a demon before, so finding one staring at her so intensely from outside her garden gate had been nerve racking.

...but then he'd smiled at her, and she'd completely forgotten her fear.

("Hello," he'd said, "-you're pretty.")

"Um," Rin awkwardly scratched his cheek, "-is there something on my face?"

"No!" Shiemi shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

It was impossible, right? Rin was human.

...but, if she could eat lunch with Rinka like this, she bet it would make him happy.

Crap. He was super happy.

Eating lunch with Shiemi? That was something he'd only been able to dream about. She was sitting super close to him, chatting with him about her classes. His heart was hot in his chest, and he was amazed that it didn't translate to beet red cheeks.

Maybe Samael had been on to something with this school thing.

Ah, crap. He wanted to tell her so bad.

But he couldn't. It wasn't that he thought she would react badly to it- he was pretty sure she'd just be a little surprised, that was all. But if the Vatican found out he'd been posing as normal human, there was no way they'd be happy about it- and the last thing he wanted was for Shiemi to get into trouble too.

And maybe as a human, he could even...

Okay. Now his cheeks were just a little red.

"Where's Okumura?"

"Eating lunch with Moriyama-san, apparently," Yukio said as he sat down, "-I didn't want to disturb them."

"Eh? Those two know each other?" Shima asked. "That's a surprise."

"A little," Yukio said, "-we met briefly during the entrance ceremony. Nii-san seems to have taken a liking to her. Apparently she's never attended school either."

"I see," Ryuuji said, "-birds of a feather, I guess."

He wouldn't have pegged those two as the type to hang out with each other, especially given the way that Rin seemed to be keeping his distance from them. Then again... if Shiemi was serious about being friends with the literal son of Satan, befriending Rin was probably a walk in the park.

(He hoped for her sake that Konekomaru was right.)

"Oh right," Shima said, "-I saw something weird this morning."

"Weird?" Konekomaru asked.

"Yeah," Shima nodded, "-I think I saw Rinka wearing a school uniform."

Ryuuji blinked, staring at his friend in disbelief. "Hah?"

"Seriously!" Shima said. "I saw him land on the roof across from my classroom. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at first. I mean, there's no way he's a student, right? We would have noticed."

The son of Satan? Wearing a school uniform? He couldn't even picture it.

"Are you sure you saw right?" Ryuuji asked. "Maybe it was just someone with bleached hair."

Shima arched a brow. "Making a flying leap onto the roof?"

"...okay, you've got me there," Ryuuji admitted.

"Maybe Sir Pheles gave it to him?" Konekomaru asked. "They're essentially siblings, right?"

"Siblings?" Yukio asked. "Rinka and the principal?"

Ryuuji arched a brow. "You don't know? The principal is a demon."

Yukio just stared at him. Huh. Guess he hadn't.

"A demon," Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose, "-the principal of the school I've always admired is a demon. Sure. That makes sense. Why is he-?"

"-working with exorcists?" Shima finished. "Who knows. Hobby?"

"Nobody mentioned anything to you?" Ryuuji asked.

"No," Yukio twitched, his tone taut with tension, "-nothing."

Ah. Too bad he didn't actually have Rin's phone number. He'd warn him otherwise.

...actually, nah. You know what? He probably deserved it.

(Rin felt a brief shiver run down his spine. Huh? What was that about?)

Promised to play with Amaimon. Have to ditch.

Shiro looked at his phone with a faint snort, before replying to Rinka's text with a series of thumbs up emojis that he knew would annoy the crap him. The part of him that had basically adopted the brat couldn't help but be a little worried, but he knew he could handle himself. If they got too carried away Mephisto would surely step in.

It was good for the kid to blow of some steam every now and again.

There was a knock on his door. Putting down his cellphone, Shiro glanced over his shoulder. "Come in!"

There was a slight pause, before Igor Neuhaus opened the door and stepped inside. Shiro kept his expression perfectly neutral at the sight of the man. He had started working with Section 13 after he'd left, but he'd seen him around the few times he'd been called back there- back when it had been Satan who bore the name Rinka.

He didn't understand at first, why Yuri had named her firstborn that. Why she, clutching the younger of her two children had called out to him using that name, ceasing his rampage with one word. A curse, he'd heard some say. A name that irrevocably linked him to his cursed father. For awhile, Shiro had even believed it-

-but he understood better now.

(It wasn't a curse. It never had been.)

"Neuhaus," he said, "-do you need something from me?"

"No," the man said, "-I was asked to give these to you."

Accepting the sheaf of papers he was handed, Shiro glanced at them. Ah. The forms for the exwire training camp. It was already approaching that time.

He wondered if Yukio would attend.

(He wondered if he wanted him to.)

"Thanks," Shiro said, "-I'll pass these out in class. You're going to be helping them summon familiars today, right?"

"If any of them have talent," Neuhaus said curtly.

"True enough," Shiro chuckled, "-maybe you'll have more luck this year."

The previous two years had been duds- not a single Tamer candidate among their already small pool of students. Yukio had told him that he'd been surprised at how few students there were- and even more surprised when he'd told him that eight students was considered a large class.

It could be nine, if Rinka agreed.

Well, maybe it was for the best that he was missing this class. He could only imagine there were more than a few demons a little too eager to be summoned by their young prince.

Neuhaus merely gave a curt hum in reply- his gaze briefly flicking behind him before he left. With a slight frown, Shiro glanced behind him, his eyes falling on the framed photo he kept on his desk.

He snorted a little at the sight of it.

A much younger Rin and Yukio were sitting on a beach blanket somewhere, licking ice cream. It was dripping all over Rin's hand- and all over his bracelet. He'd had to spend an hour that night cleaning the damn thing while Yukio slept.

That was the first time Yukio had smiled at Rin.

(Rin had bought the ice cream himself- with money he'd begged Shiro for, of course.)

Picking the photo up, he smiled at it. It was a fond memory.

Turning the frame over, he dug his nails into the corner of the backing. It came lose after a moment- revealing another photo. Shiro picked it up and turned it over, smiling at this one too. Yuri's face smiled back at him- the same smile that her eldest had gone on to inherit.

Satan's son? No. That kid was every inch Yuri's son.

"You'd be proud of them, Yuri," he said, "-they're good kids."

With a smile, he tucked the photo back into the frame, sealing it back up. Someday, he might be able to tell Yukio about his mother- but not yet.

Setting the frame down, he heaved a sigh.

...normally this was where Satan would say something taunting, but he'd been eerily silent for awhile now. He hadn't mentioned it to Rinka yet- though he'd told Mephisto as much. He'd simply stroked his chin in thought, his expression unreadable.

He didn't like it one bit.

Shiro's phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Picking it up, his lips twitched into a smile. Rin had sent him a photo- of himself, sitting next to Shiemi in a classroom. It looked like they were eating lunch together. He was flashing a peace sign at the camera, catching Shiemi mid-bite.

Heh. For all that he'd complained about it, it was nice seeing him enjoy a normal school life.

(The Vatican, he thought, would probably have a conniption.)

"Enjoying yourself, Amaimon?"

Amaimon did not look up at him as he appeared, keeping his gaze fixed ahead of him. His hands were curled around his eyes in the shape of binoculars, trained on one person in particular. He could see him through the window of his classroom, chatting amicably with one Moriyama Shiemi.

Mephisto smiled, bemused. He doubted Rinka had any idea he was being watched.

"Yes, elder brother," Amaimon replied, "-though I still don't understand. Why did you enroll Rinka in your school?"

"Why, I'm merely giving our dear youngest brother a taste of what being human is like!" Mephisto proclaimed. "Consider it a gesture of goodwill!"

Amaimon hummed. "Is being human fun?"

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea," Mephisto admitted, "-perhaps you should ask Rinka."

"Hmm," Amaimon tilted his head, "-he has been stinking more like a human lately."

Mephisto laughed. Yes, their youngest brother had indeed increasingly been smelling of human lately- which he found terribly amusing! All the more so because Rinka himself didn't seem to notice! It would appear he had internalized things from his time at the Vatican a bit too much, despite his mother's best efforts to the contrary.

With a smile, Mephisto's gaze shifted. From here, he could also see young Fujimoto Yukio's classroom. He was eating lunch with three of this year's cram school class. He had been hoping that Rinka would decide to join it, now that his precious younger brother was enrolled and all, but he'd remained stubborn on this issue.

It was a shame! At this rate, he would simply be a satellite to the class- and that was hardly amusing, was it? What use was this timeline if he couldn't enjoy the potential drama to its fullest? There weren't many like it!

Stroking his chin, Mephisto smirked.

No, Rinka would come around. He simply needed the proper motivation. Fortunately, he knew just how to provide it. It would involve a little bit of risk, to be sure...

...but what was life without a bit of risk? Dreadfully boring!

Chapter Text

Yukio felt the paper in his hands crinkle, his nerves getting the best of him- for a moment, at least. Drawing in a deep breath, he squared his shoulders in determination. Pricking his finger, he let a few drops of blood fall onto the circle printed on it-

-and nothing happened.

No chant came to mind, so nothing was summoned. In a way, he was both relieved and disappointed.

"-to grant my request!"

Yukio looked up just in time to see a pair of white foxes spring forth into existence out of nothing. Kamiki Izumo looked upon them with a smug expression on his face, and in spite of himself, Yukio felt his brow twitch.

No- what was he even thinking? He didn't want to be an exorcist for real. He was just here to learn the basics in order to protect himself. His real goal was to live a normal life- to study hard and one day become a doctor. This was simply just a diversion he needed to take in order to reach it.

Of course, until then he'd be taking it seriously.

Yukio listened as Professor Neuhaus praised Izumo's summoning- all while trying to not make direct eye contact with the demon he'd summoned. He wished he'd had the foresight to put it on his blind side. He was steadily getting used to seeing demons- he didn't flinch at the sight of coal tars any longer, but the Professor's Naberius was a completely different matter. It stunk like rotting flesh, and sent a shiver racing down the length of his spine.

In comparison, Izumo's byakko looked downright friendly.

(Even Shiemi had shied away from the Naberius.)

Speaking of the girl...

She stood next to him, clutching her piece of paper with determination. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the girl- at first glance, she seemed shy and meek, but the casual way that she interacted with Rinka painted a different picture. Konekomaru said he believed that the demon genuinely returned her feelings of friendship, but...

...were demons really capable of that, he wondered.

No, if he was really half-human, then maybe he was. To his surprise, he found that he didn't have a particularly tough time wrapping his head around that idea. If anything, it made sense- Rinka looked far more human than any demon he'd seen thus far.

...the principal not withstanding, he supposed.

(That was the one he was having a tough time wrapping his head around.)

"Come here, come here," he heard Shiemi say, "-whoever you are!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Shiemi giggled, in a way that suggested she hadn't truly believed she was capable of summoning anything, but wanted to give it a try anyways.

And then, in a poof of smoke, a demon appeared.

Yukio blinked at the sight of the tiny green creature that floated down to land on Shiemi's summoning paper. It was small, barely the size of her hand, and looked to be covered in some kind of moss- with a tiny lilypad that served as a hat. He racked his brain, trying to place it. A greenman?

It was actually a bit... cute, Yukio thought. It took him by surprise. Though his fear had slowly started to wane, up until now he'd been afraid of most demons he saw for the first time- but there was nothing to fear from the cheerful little guy who greeted Shiemi with a enthusiastic wave and an excited cry of nee.

Shiemi looked absolutely delighted.

"K-Kamiki-san!" She stammered. "Look! I summoned a familiar too!"

"Hm," Izumo gave a disinterested hum, "-its small and cute, just like a bean."

Yukio's brow twitched, recognizing her words as being barbed right away. Shiemi appeared oblivious, happily smiling at what she'd clearly interpreted as praise.

It didn't sit well with him, but he kept his mouth shut.

When the class ended, and Professor Neuhaus banished his Naberius, Yukio let out a breath of relief. For the briefest of seconds he swore he could feel the Professor's gaze on him, but when he glanced his way, he wasn't looking at him at all. With a slight frown, Yukio shook off the feeling and went to collect his bag.

"Too bad, huh?" Shima asked as he picked up his own. "It would have been kind of cool to summon something."

Yukio just huffed. "No, I think I'm fine with this result."

"Oh right," Shima said, "-you're scared of demons, right?"

Yukio's brow twitched at the casual phrasing, but there was no point in lying.

"A bit," Yukio admitted, "-I'm not used to it."

"I can understand that," Konekomaru agreed, "-I still get pretty nervous myself."

Yukio smiled. It was nice to have someone around who could understand where he was coming from, at least- and a bit reassuring that it was someone who had grown up knowing about demons their whole life. It made him feel a little less silly for being so afraid.

...if anything, it made Rin's nonchalant attitude more baffling.

"Oh, that's right," Yukio looked back at the trio, "-are you three attending the training camp?"

"For the exwire exam?" Ryuuji asked. "Yeah, I was planning on it."

"Me too." Konekomaru said.

"Guess that means I'm going too," Shima said with a shrug, "-what about you?"

"I'm... not sure," Yukio admitted, "-I'm only here to learn more about demons so I can deal with them better. I'm not sure if I really want to become an exorcist or not."

"Seriously?" Ryuuji blinked. "I thought for sure you were."

"Really?" Yukio blinked. Did he really give off that impression?

"I mean, you're more on top of our lessons than Bon is," Shima said, "-so we all thought for sure you were aiming to be an exorcist."

"Well, the coursework is interesting," Yukio admitted, "-and I enjoy applying myself to new challenges, so I suppose I could see how it might come across that way."

But was that all it was? He hadn't lied- he'd actually found their coursework pretty interesting thus far. Exorcism was a fascinating field of study- when he didn't actually have to deal with the demons themselves, that was. He was starting to understand why cram school hadn't appealed to Rin, though. There was a ton of studying and memorization involved.

He didn't mind it, though.

If anything, he got the feeling he was good at it.

"What is your actual goal, then?" Konekomaru asked.

"Oh," Yukio smiled, "-I'd like to be a doctor. A pediatric surgeon, to be exact."

"Huh," Shima said, "-that's actually pretty impressive."

"Thanks," Yukio said, "-I used to be pretty frail as a child, so I want to help others like me. That's why I haven't made up my mind yet if I want to take the exwire exam."

Ryuuji hummed curtly in response. Yukio glanced over at him with a slight frown. Had he said something wrong? Out of anyone here, it was obvious that Ryuuji was the most serious about their studies. Given what his temple had gone through during the Blue Night, it didn't really come as a surprise.

They'd yet to have a proper lesson on the event itself. Yukio wondered if they even would. As important as it sounded, it was clear that it was a traumatic event for many.

...for those who had survived it, what was it like dealing with Rinka?

It felt like the more he learned, the more absurd his father taming the son of Satan got. Demon or not, it was hard to wrap his head around the idea of a newborn slaughtering grown adults who were more than twice his size. He certainly didn't seem vicious. Given the choice, he'd certainly rather deal with him than he would Professor Neuhaus' Naberius.

...he thought about Rinka's eyes, and briefly reconsidered.

"Oh, that's right," Shima said, "-we're going to Pon-chan's after this to review. Want to come with, Fujimoto-san?"

"Thanks," Yukio smiled, "-but I'll have to turn you down. I promised nii-san I'd help him with his homework after school."

"Is that so?" Shima said. "Maybe another time, then!"

"Yeah, another time." Yukio waved.

Briefly sparing a faint glance towards Ryuuji- who still hadn't said anything to him- he headed out. He briefly caught sight of Shiemi trailing after Izumo and Paku, watching them with a slight frown on his face. Should he...?

No, he shouldn't interfere.

...not yet, anyways. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Shiemi, but she seemed like a nice girl, and Rin clearly wanted to be friends with her, which meant something to him. If things looked like they were going to get ugly, he'd step in.

Better him than Rin.

He made good time in returning to the dorms- but when he entered the room he shared with Rin, it was empty. He didn't even see his brother's bag.

Yukio's brow twitched.

Wiping some blood off his mouth, Rinka spat out a tooth.

Running his tongue over the gap, he could already feel the new one poking through. Grabbing his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and glanced over his shoulder at Amaimon. The King of Earth was nonchalantly snapping his neck back into place.

"Leaving already?" Amaimon asked. "I could go for another round."

"Sorry, another time." Rinka said. "The old man said they're summoning familiars today. I want to check on Shiemi."

Amaimon hummed. "Your human pet?"

Rinka's brow twitched, his tail lashing behind him in annoyance. "She's not my pet!"

"Oh, that's right," Amaimon said, "-you said she's your friend or something."

"That's right!" Rinka said. "So remember it already!"

Amaimon hummed. "I don't understand, but alright."

Rinka huffed, clicking his tongue. Well, it wasn't that he expected Amaimon to understand. He was the type who didn't care about things that didn't interest him. He only had a passing interest in humans, unlike their older brother- who probably had too much of an interest in humans.

Putting one foot on the railing, Rinka jumped down from the catwalk of the abandoned warehouse that Samael had shipped the two of them off to the second the word play had come out of Amaimon's mouth. The whole district was abandoned, so if they went a little nuts and destroyed a few things here and there, no one would really notice.

He couldn't deny that he felt a hell of a lot more relaxed now.

Turns out high school was stressful! Who knew?

Yawning, he pulled out the key that Samael had given him, using it on the warehouse doors. It gave a loud click as he turned it, opening the door to reveal the bridge that lead to Futsumaya. He stepped through, closing the door behind him- and then paused before crossing, doing his best to wipe any remaining blood from his face.

He didn't want to freak Shiemi out or anything!

Crossing the bridge, Rinka made his way up the garden steps. His nose twitched as he drew closer- he could make out Shiemi's scent for sure, but there was also another with her.

...a greenman?

Coming to a stop on the final step, Rinka peered into the garden. He could see Shiemi crouched next to some flowers with a watering can, a small greenman sitting on her head. His lips twitched upwards in a smile at the sight. She'd summoned a greenman? That was perfect for her!

"Oi! Shiemi!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Shiemi smiled at him. "Rinka! Sorry, give me a second!"

"Nah, it's okay!" Rinka said. "Take your time. I can wait!"

It wasn't like he could go in the garden- he could easily break the ward on the gate that kept out demons, but he didn't want to. The garden that she'd cultivated with her grandmother was an important place for Shiemi. The last thing he wanted was for something nasty to get in and wreck it-

-all the more so, now that her grandmother was gone.

Plopping down on the top step, Rinka let his gaze sweep over the campus town. He'd yet to find a better view of it than from Futsumaya. He could probably just sit here and stare out at it for hours.

He didn't have to wait long, anyways.

The gate creaked open behind him, and Shiemi stepped out with a smile. Rinka glanced up at her with one of his own- it only faded a little bit when her greenman companion hid itself behind her hair.

Oh. Right.

"Huh?" Shiemi blinked. "You're wearing a school uniform?"

Rinka blinked, glancing down at his own attire. Crap. He'd totally forgotten that he'd headed straight to meet up with Amaimon after school. He hadn't changed!

"Uh," Rinka stammered, "-I had... Samael give me one? Yeah! So I can blend in better and stuff. I mean, I'm fifteen now! I'd stand out way more if I didn't have one!"

"I see!" Shiemi smiled. "That makes sense. It looks nice on you!"

Huh? It looked nice?

Rinka's heart flared, already feeling a tint of red creep onto his cheeks. Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, he laughed. "Really? Thanks!"

"Yeah!" Shiemi smiled. "Oh, that's right! I have to introduce you to Nee-chan!"

Rinka exhaled, almost grateful the topic had changed. At the mention of its name, the little greenman warily peeked its head out from behind the safety of Shiemi's hair. The scent it gave off was a mixture of nerves and fear- so Rinka did his best to put the little demon at ease, with both a friendly smile and wave.

Nee ducked behind Shiemi's hair again.

"Huh?" Shiemi frowned. "It's alright, Nee-chan. Rinka's a friend!"

"Nah, it's okay." Rinka laughed. "Don't worry about it."

It wasn't uncommon for lower level demons to be afraid of him. He was, technically, the prince of Gehenna- and the only kin of Satan, by virtue of being his son.

"It's not alright!" Shiemi pouted. "Nee-chan, come on."

Rinka was about to tell her she didn't need to force the poor thing, when it poked its head back out. Rinka blinked, watching as the little greenman leapt off the safety of her shoulder to cautiously approach him. He stayed very still, only the very tip of his tail making any motion as the little greenman drew closer.

"Uh... hi?"

The greenman stared up at him for a long moment- and then chirped, almost cheerfully.

Rinka exhaled. It was too young for words, but it sounded happy at least. Holding out his hand, the greenman leapt into it and gave him an excited sounding cheer.

"See?" Shiemi smiled. "Rinka's not scary at all!"

Rinka chuckled, as the little greenman boldly clambered up the length of his arm to sit on his shoulder. It kicked its little feet, causing Shiemi to giggle. Rinka beamed, his tail wagging happily behind him.

"So you're Shiemi's familiar, huh?" Rinka asked. "Be sure to look after her!"

Nee cheered, in what Rinka could only assume was agreement.

"And don't worry if you get confused," Rinka said, "-not to brag, but I've been a familiar my whole life, so I'm kind of an expert. You can totally ask me for advice!"

Nee cheered again. Rinka had no idea if it understood what he was saying.

Shiemi giggled.

"What?" Rinka glanced over at her. "What's so funny?"

"No," Shiemi smiled, "-it's just... you're only fifteen, Rinka."

"Fifteen years is plenty of experience!" Rinka protested- but that only made Shiemi giggle more. "Hey! Don't laugh! I'm serious!"

"Shiemi?"

Rinka flinched, his tail abruptly freezing into place. Glancing over his shoulder towards Shiemi's mother, he looked at her with a guilty expression on his face. She just stared at him for a long moment- arching a brow at his school uniform, no doubt- then sighed.

"You don't have to sit out there," she said, "-come inside."

Rinka perked up, his tail swaying behind him. "Really?"

Shiyumi just eyed him. "Don't make me regret it."

Rinka nodded, before glancing over towards Shiemi. She smiled brightly at him, even as she stood up. They cut through the side together, entering Futsumaya proper. Rinka let his gaze dart around the shop- he'd come here with Shiro a lot, but he'd never gone inside before. It was off limits to anyone that wasn't an exorcist-

-which naturally meant no familiars.

Shiemi lead him into a back room, happily humming to herself as she made them tea. Rinka watched her work, his tail swishing behind him. She carefully filled the kettle and measured out leaves, then filled the tea cups with warm water, emptying them out before pouring the tea.

("This way," his mom had told him once, "-you get the full flavor of the tea!")

...oh. She made it like mom did.

"Rinka?" Shiemi tilted her head. "Is something wrong?"

Rinka hastily shook his head, accepting the tea cup from her. It wasn't particularly warm in his hands- he ran hotter than any human- but it smelled faintly of Shiemi.

...mom's teacups had smelled like her too.

They were one of the few possessions she'd been allowed to bring with her, but he'd left them behind after she'd died. It had been too painful.

He didn't really like tea anyways.

"It's a bit bitter," Shiemi smiled as she sat down, "-but it's really good for you!"

Rinka took a curious sip. It was a little bitter, but if he was being honest, it was a lot more tolerable than anything else Shiemi made. She was an absolute disaster in the kitchen to the point that it kind of made him cry. One of these days, he was going to turn that herb cookie recipe of hers into something that was actually edible.

(...it had tasted worse as a human, somehow.)

"Oh, that's right!" Shiemi sprung to her feet. "I made a batch of herb cookies today!"

"Nah, that's okay!" Rinka said quickly. "Uh, I ate before I came here."

Sorry, Shiemi. Twice in one day was just too much.

"Really?" Shiemi sat back down. "I guess it can't be helped."

Rinka hid his sigh of relief behind his teacup. Hm? Come to think of it, wouldn't this be a good chance to ask Shiemi what she thought of him? Er, Rin. What she thought of Rin.

(This was getting kind of confusing.)

"S-so," Rinka's gaze slide away from Shiemi's, his tail nervously twitching behind him, "-h-how was school? You went today, right?"

No, of course she went today! What are you, stupid!?

"Yeah!" Shiemi nodded. "Actually, I ate lunch with someone for the first time today."

"R-really?" Rinka asked.

"Yeah," Shiemi said, "-his name is Rin! I told you about him the other day. I couldn't work up the nerve to actually ask him, but I'm pretty sure we're friends now!"

Rinka clenched his fist under the table. Yes! School was good for something!

"It's kind of funny," Shiemi smiled, "-he reminds me a little of you!"

Rinka froze, even his tail coming to a dead halt. "R-really?"

No, of course he did! That was him! Crap, was he really that obvious? No one from cram school had given him any funny looks that implied they might have caught on. Was it just because he had his guard down around Shiemi? Or because she'd seen his face?

...wait, crap. Her mom had seen his face too.

He definitely could never come here as Rin.

His cellphone chose that moment to ring. His tail shot straight up, his heart pulsing in his chest as he hastily grabbed it out of his bag.

It was Yukio.

"Uh, sorry!" Rinka shot to his feet. "I have to take this. Thanks for the tea!"

Booking a hasty retreat, Rinka spared a brief glance towards Shiyumi on his way out. He made it out in time to answer Yukio's call on the last ring, trying to get his heart to calm down. It almost felt like it was ready to come out of his chest!

"Y-yo, Yukio," Rinka stammered as he answered the phone, "-what's up?"

Yukio's annoyed sigh was audible even over the phone.

"I knew it," he said, "-you forgot."

"Forgot?" Rinka asked. "Forgot what?"

"Your homework," Yukio said, "-remember? I promised I'd help you with it after cram school, nii-san."

"Oh, right! Homework!" Rinka laughed. "My bad, I totally forgot. I'll come right over, okay? I was just... wandering around?"

Well, that was as good an excuse as any, he guessed. With a glance beneath him, he flipped over the bridge, landing on the one below. Heading directly to the dorms from here would probably be faster than taking a shortcut through the cram school.

(And Samael had been firm- he could only occasionally use the key he'd given him.)

"Huh? Nii-san, what was that sound?"

Rinka froze, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Oh crap. He'd heard that over the phone, he guessed.

"Uh, nothing!" Rinka laughed. "Just some construction work nearby. I'll be there in like ten minutes, okay?"

Hanging up his phone, Rinka let out a long sigh. This double life crap was harder than it looked. How did anyone manage to keep this shit straight?

"...he sure went somewhere in a hurry."

Shiemi glanced up at her mother with a faint smile. "Maybe Fujimoto-san needed him?"

Rinka was his familiar, after all! That meant he needed to help him on missions and things. Her smile dropped a little as she thought about it. She couldn't help but worry about that, honestly. She knew Rinka was strong, and he healed fast, but...

...he was her age. Just fifteen.

Glancing down at Nee, the greenman peered up at her. Holding out her hand, he crawled into it, giving a cheer as she put him up on her shoulder. She'd been happy to summon a familiar herself- she was certain she'd be good friends with Nee from now on.

"Oh," Shiemi said, "-I didn't get to tell him about Kamiki-san."

Well, it was alright. She could always tell him tomorrow.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Heaving a sigh, Yukio turned to glance back at his twin. He was still in his school uniform, which looked more than a little rumpled in places. There was a dark red stain on his right sleeve, that Rin immediately noticed him staring at, if the hasty way he tossed his bag aside so he could pull off his blazer was anything to go by.

"Nii-san," Yukio fought to keep his voice level, "-did you get in another fight?"

Rin flinched.

"Nii-san..."

"No, it's not what you think, Yukio!" Rin said hastily. "I had a... nosebleed?"

Yukio arched a brow. "A nosebleed?"

"Yeah!" Rin said. "I didn't have a tissue, so..."

Yukio squinted at his brother in suspicion. "Really?"

"Y-yeah!" Rin's smile was visibly strained. "I promise!"

Yukio stared at his brother for a few moments longer, before heaving a long sigh. He wasn't sure he bought it, but he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Rin quickly changed out of his school uniform, before hauling his chair over to Yukio's desk.

"So! Homework!"

...at least he was here, Yukio thought.

For all that he complained about it, he worked on his homework with relative diligence. He'd gotten into a sort of rhythm of helping Rin with his homework- start with the subjects he found easier, and gradually work their way to harder ones. Finishing the homework wasn't as important to Yukio as reviewing the concepts contained within them was.

(At the very least, he'd get partial credit.)

Halfway through his Japanese homework, Rin's gaze flicked in his direction.

"So," he asked, "-did you summon anything? Today was the day they tested you for Tamer capabilities, right?"

Yukio blinked. "You knew about that?"

"Hm?" Rin frowned. "Uh... yeah. The old man mentioned it."

"Oh," Yukio said, "-well... no. I didn't summon anything."

"Too bad, right?" Rin said. "You could have gotten yourself a cool familiar!"

"No thanks," Yukio said, "-I'd rather not have a contract with a demon."

Something that could turn on you as soon as it lost respect for you? No thanks. He'd rather not have something like that in his life. He had no idea how father managed two of them, much less one that was the literal son of Satan.

"...I see," Rin laughed, "-well, I guess that makes sense. You still want to be a doctor, right? What would a doctor need with a familiar?"

That's right. He wanted to be a doctor. He didn't need something like that in his life. He did, but...

"...can I ask you for advice, nii-san?"

Rin perked up, for a moment just staring at him like he couldn't believe his ears. "Huh? Advice? Me?"

"Is it that strange?" Yukio asked. "You know more about this world than I do."

"Well, I guess that's true!" Rin beamed. "So? What do you need to ask about? Tell your nii-chan everything!"

Yukio stared at him with a faint twitch of his brow, briefly regretting asking. But after a moment he simply sighed, pulling out the form that father had handed out to everyone today. Rin took it from him, giving it a quick scan.

"Oh, the exwire test training camp!" Rin said. "It's that time already?"

"You know about it?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah," Rin nodded, "-the old man has mentioned it once or twice. You remember that job he got for me last year, to make bentos? That was for the training camp."

"Really?" Yukio blinked. "I had no idea."

"Yeah!" Rin grinned. "So? What about it?"

"I was wondering if I should go or not," Yukio said, "-since I'm not really planning on becoming an exorcist. I'm still not sure if I'm even going to take the advancement test."

Rin hummed, leaning back in his chair. "That's a good question."

Yukio arched a brow, mildly surprised that he was considering it so seriously. Given the way he'd reacted when their father had brought up joining the cram school, he'd been certain he would just tell him not to bother.

(Had he asked him because that was what he wanted to hear? Or...)

"I mean, why not?" Rin said. "It's just a training camp. You want to know more about demons, right? Wouldn't that be perfect? Besides, it sounds fun!"

"That's true," Yukio admitted, "-I hadn't thought about it that way. Thanks."

Rin grinned. "That's what I'm here for!"

He was right, Yukio thought. He could always decide if he wanted to take the test after the training camp. Glancing over at his twin, who had returned to his homework, he wondered again why he'd decided against attending cram school.

Well, he wouldn't get a straight answer even if he asked.

His gaze drifted slightly downwards, falling on the fading red string that Rin's reliquary pendent dangled from. Chewing on his lip, he debated asking. It couldn't hurt, right? Rin was in a good mood, so he might even tell him something.

"Hey," Yukio began, "-what meister did our mom have?"

Rin blinked, looking up at him. "Why?"

"I was just curious," Yukio said, "-that's all."

Rin hummed, turning his attention back towards his homework. Yukio felt his shoulders slump. Like he figured, he wasn't-

"Tamer," Rin said, "-she was a Tamer."

Yukio blinked, looking over at his brother. He was still focused on his homework, his expression unreadable. For a brief moment, Yukio considered pressing for more- but quickly gave up on the idea. The last thing he wanted to do was make him angry.

...that was the one part of Rin that still scared him.

He waited until he could hear the soft sound of Yukio's breathing before he sat up.

Glancing across the room at his twin, Rin's lips twitched downwards into a frown. He hadn't expected Yukio to ask him about the training camp. He'd just assumed he wasn't planning on going. He wasn't really planning on taking the exam, was he?

...why did he tell him to go?

Swinging his legs out of bed, Rin heaved a sigh. He kind of knew why. Yukio wanted to, and he wanted Yukio to have what he wanted- even if he didn't agree with it. It was why he'd more or less shut up when Yukio had said he wanted to attend cram school.

What was he supposed to do? Argue with him? He didn't like fighting with Yukio.

Touching his pendent with a frown, he wondered what mom would have done. She'd wanted Yukio to live a normal life, free of all of this. He... wanted that too, he thought, even if he hadn't understood why it was important at first.

He did now.

But if Yukio decided he wanted to become an exorcist after all, what then?

Holding out his hand, he let blue flames dance in his palm. He could protect Yukio as Rinka. But how would Yukio actually feel about that? And did he really have that option?

He was his father's Shiro's familiar. He wasn't free.

...could he keep protecting him as Rin?

"You're in a pinch because the only way you know how to fight is with your flames, right? There's no way you can pose as human and use those ."

Narrowing his eyes, he clenched his fist- banishing his flames at the same time. Shura was right. He only knew how to fight using his flames. He'd never bothered to learn any other way. Why would he? His control over blue flames was why the Order had decided to keep him alive. He was their only weapon against Satan.

With a sigh, Rin flopped back down on bed. He didn't know.

Him? An exorcist? It sounded like a bad joke.

His father's staff room was smaller than Yukio had expected.

Even though he'd been attending cram school for nearly a month now, he'd never actually gone to see it. If he needed to talk to his father, he could either do so over the phone or in the classroom- there was no need to seek him out beyond that.

In truth, he was avoiding it. Not his father- but the one he was certain who would be with him.

Sure enough, when he entered the Anti-Demon Pharmaceuticals staff room, Rinka was there. The demon blinked at him, briefly making eye contact with him. Yukio felt a shiver run down the length of his spine- those inhuman eyes were one thing he just couldn't get used to. Thankfully, it didn't last long- Rinka's gaze flicked down to his father, nudging the man on the shoulder.

Shiro blinked, looking up from his work.

"Oh, Yukio! What brings you here?"

Yukio held out the printout. "I thought I'd turn this in before class."

Shiro took it from him with a slight frown. "You're attending?"

"I thought I might as well," Yukio said, "-I want to learn as much as I can."

"Huh," Shiro said, "-guess that's everyone, then! You need anything else?"

"No, that's all," Yukio said, "-I'll see you in class."

Honestly, he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He'd gradually gotten used to Rinka's presence in class, but he didn't like being in such cramped quarters with the demon. He could practically feel those spiral eyes watching him.

Making a quick exit, Yukio took a moment to collect himself before he headed to his first class. Today was a Sunday- which meant they had cram school classes all day.

He huffed. He was pretty sure Rin was planning on sleeping until noon.

...ah well. He'd been working hard. He could have the break.

Rinka yawned.

"Oh, that was a loud one," Shiro observed, "-didn't sleep well last night?"

"Nah, I slept fine." Rinka said. "It's just too damn early."

Shiro chuckled in spite of himself. They'd kept Rinka sleep deprived at the Vatican on purpose, so for these last few years, he'd let him sleep as long as he wanted to make up for it. Suddenly being back a regular sleep schedule was probably an adjustment.

"So," Rinka pointed at the printout, "-what are you going to do about that?"

"Nothing," Shiro said, "-it's Yukio's choice."

Rinka hummed, but didn't protest. Shiro just looked up at him with a smile. With his mask on, all he had was his eyes to go off of- but he'd learned the trick to reading those things a long time ago. At first they'd given him the creeps- just another part of him that was too much like his father- but he'd gotten used to them.

They weren't his father's eyes. They were just Rinka's.

"You know," Shiro said, "-there's still time for Rin to join."

Rinka huffed. "That again? Give it up, old man."

"You sure?" Shiro asked. "I think it'd be a good idea!"

Rinka just stared at him like he thought he was crazy. Shiro let out a bark of laughter, ignoring the irritated tail thrashing that earned him.

Standing up, he ruffled his hair. "I'm serious, you know."

"Hah?" Rinka asked. "Isn't it too early for you to go senile?"

"Hah! You wish." Shiro said. "I'm never going to go senile. I plan to annoy you for the rest of my life, brat. Need all of my facilities to do that!"

Go senile? He didn't even want to think about it. No, he fully intended to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. He couldn't live forever, but until he found someone worthy of inheriting Rinka's contract after he was gone he was planning on sticking around. There was always Shura, but...

...well, Shura had her own problems he'd yet to resolve.

Rinka clicked his tongue, his tail swishing irritably behind him. Shiro just chuckled- before his laughter was cut short by the buzz of his phone. He quickly scanned the contents of the message, all mirth fading from his face.

"Mission?"

"Yeah," Shiro showed him the message, "-so you'd better wake up, brat."

Rinka glanced at the contents of the message, his tail flicking behind him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his bracelet and tucked it away safely in one of the drawers of his desk, locking it in there with the key Mephisto had given him.

Where they were going, there was no need for Okumura Rin.

Vatican headquarters never changed.

Rinka stuck close to Shiro as they crossed the main bridge, the intersection of pathways that lead to various branches around the globe. This place was holy ground, so it buzzed at his skin, but it was a sensation he'd long since learned to ignore.

He'd grown up here, after all.

(His cell was still here, he knew. Waiting. One mistake...)

Just a pair of exorcists were waiting to meet them, but he knew from who they were that this was serious. Any mission that required the Paladin and two Arc Knights was.

His tail flicked in mild irritation at the glare his presence earned from the taller of the pair. Arthur Auguste Angel had never liked him, right from the first moment they'd met. But he didn't mind- he was used to people hating him. If anything, it was the exorcist that stood next to him that bothered him way more. Lightning's leering grin always gave him the creeps, and today was no exception.

...dammit. Why'd Yukio get all the height genes?

Shiro barely spared either of them a glance. "Brief me."

Rinka listened with half an ear as they gave Shiro the rundown on the situation- something about a Tamer in the Order's German branch falling to demonic influence and taking hostages- mostly support staff with no real exorcism training. Since they had several high level familiars, it had quickly become a serious issue.

"Their demands?" Shiro asked.

"Impossible!" Lightning sounded almost cheerful as he shrugged. "We can't revive the dead."

"No hope of resolving this peacefully, then," Shiro frowned, "-do we have a list of hostages yet?"

"Almost," Arthur replied, "-but once we do-"

"-I'll be able to have my Sylphies mark them!" Lightning said. "After that, it'll be simple with this guy here, right?"

Lightning gestured towards him- the motion casual even though he was actually watching him extremely closely from underneath his mess of bangs. This was exactly why he always preferred Arthur- at least he never made it a secret what he was actually thinking.

Hell, he wasn't sure if that guy could even lie.

Shiro turned back to look at him. For just a moment, he allowed something to slip past his poker face- sympathy, apology- before it went right back up like nothing had happened. Even without saying it, he already knew exactly what was expected of him.

He was here to get rid of the rouge Tamer.

With his flames, they'd be able to take out both him and the demons underneath his command in one fell swoop- all without risking the hostages. It was the best and fastest way to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Rin's lips twisted into a tight frown, glad for the security of his mask. Wasn't there something else they could do? Some other way? If it were just the two of them, he might have even asked the old man about it. Fallen to demons or not, the guy was still a human, right?

...but it wasn't just the two of them, so he couldn't ask.

"Rinka," Shiro said, "-can you do it?"

Rinka didn't say anything, just gave Shiro a curt nod. Shiro's gaze lingered on him for a brief moment, before he turned back to his fellow exorcists. Unlocking the door to the German branch, they stepped through-

-and when no one's eyes were on them, Shiro gave his shoulder a tight squeeze.

It was the most reassurance he could give him under the circumstances, he knew. He didn't know quite when he'd started thinking of the old geezer as being like a father to him, but they couldn't afford to let anyone here know that.

He was just Shiro's familiar. That was all.

"Nii-san? Are you here?"

Yukio frowned slightly as he stepped into their dorm room. For a moment he didn't see Rin, before he spotted a dark haired lump on his brother's bed. He was still wearing the same thing he'd been when he'd left him this morning.

"Yukio?" Rin yawned, sitting up. "Class over already?"

Yukio just heaved a long sigh. "Don't tell me you spent the whole day sleeping, nii-san."

Rin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Pretty much!"

"Did you at least get up for lunch?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah, don't worry." Rin said, idly toying with his bracelet. "How was cram school? Have fun?"

Yukio frowned. Cram school had felt a little strange today, honestly. He was pretty sure Izumo had Shiemi running errands for her, and Ryuuji had only given him curt, one word answers to any questions he'd asked. On top of that, there had been a substitute for the class he always looked the most forward to- their father's.

Something about a sudden mission?

"It was... fine," Yukio said, "-how was your all day nap?"

"Great!" Rin beamed. "I feel totally refreshed!"

Yukio sighed, but if he was being honest, it was a bit fond. At least one of them had a good day, he supposed- even if that day consisted of doing nothing. He watched as Rin got up, yawning loudly as he dug through his closet for something to change into. It would be time for dinner soon, but somehow the thought of going to the dining hall and running into Ryuuji churned at his stomach.

He wasn't even sure what he'd done wrong.

"Nii-san," Yukio glanced over at him, "-want to get ramen tonight?"

Rin perked up. "Ramen? Sounds great! You're paying, right? I'm broke."

Yukio just snorted. "Naturally. I don't expect you to have money."

"Hey, I have money sometimes!" Rin said. "Just not right now."

Yukio merely shot his brother a skeptical look. If Rin had money, he usually spent it right away- usually on useless stuff that he didn't need.

Lord help him, Rin was already in the process of collecting more junk.

He waited for Rin to finish getting dressed, before they headed downstairs. They passed by the dining hall on the way out- and in spite of himself, Yukio caught Ryuuji's eye as they passed. He held his gaze for a long moment, before abruptly looking away.

"...is everything okay between you and Suguro?"

"Hm?" Yukio glanced back at Rin with a smile. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Rin frowned. "You sure?"

"I'm sure," Yukio said, "-don't worry about it."

This was his problem to deal with, after all. If he'd said something to Ryuuji to upset him, then he needed to figure out what it was and apologize. He could manage that before the training camp began and made everything awkward, right?

Yes, he thought. He most certainly could.

Chapter Text

"Are you and Suguro fighting?"

Yukio nearly choked on his food, glancing over at his brother in surprise. Rin was watching him intently, his gaze unblinking in that way of his that had made him nervous once.

"No," he said maybe a little too quickly, "-we aren't. Why do you ask?"

Rin just arched a brow. "Seriously? You usually drag me over to eat with them every chance you get, but you didn't this morning. And now you're here."

Yukio winced. Alright, so maybe it was a little obvious. He had been eating lunch with Ryuuji and the others quite a bit these days- it just seemed like whenever he went to get Rin for lunch, he was already eating with Shiemi.

This time, he'd just gotten here a little faster.

"We're not fighting," Yukio said, "-really, nii-san. I'm just... not sure what the issue is."

Rin hummed, shoving the last of his yakisoba bun into his mouth before getting up. A cold bead of sweat trickled down the back of Yukio's neck as he did.

He knew that look.

"Nii-san," Yukio grabbed his sleeve, "-don't."

"What?" Rin frowned. "I'm just going to talk to him."

"You never just talk to them," Yukio said, "-please. I'll work this out myself."

Rin stared at him for a long moment, before clicking his tongue. "Fine."

Yukio's shoulders slumped, releasing his brother's sleeve with a sigh. Rin always meant well, but usually the only thing his interventions ended up causing were broken noses.

"Thanks," Yukio smiled at him, "-I'll work it out myself, I promise."

Rin sat back in his chair- but his twin's irritated mood didn't last long as Yukio hastily changed the topic to something less heated. Yukio felt some of his tension leave him as it did- dealing with Rin's reputation had been bad enough when they didn't attend school together. He didn't want to think what it would be like when they did.

His intentions were usually good- but there was no denying that Rin's anger made him violent. The last thing he needed was for him to get into a fight with Ryuuji. They'd almost certainly never make up then.

"So," Rin said, "-you're going to that training camp thing, right?"

Yukio blinked, a slight frown on his face. "You heard?"

"Yeah," Rin said, "-the old man told me."

That figured. Their father seemed to tell Rin a lot of things.

"I figured I might as well," Yukio said, "-like you said- it's a chance to learn more. I've never been to a training camp either, so I might as well take the chance while I have it."

"Oh right," Rin said, "-you were part of the student council in middle school, right?"

"Right," Yukio nodded, "-we approved plans for the sports clubs, but we never had one ourselves, obviously. Do you know where they're holding it?"

"They used the old men's dorm last year, I think," Rin said, "-so they'll probably use it again this year. The old man would know more than me, though."

The old men's dorm? So they wouldn't be going off campus? In a way, it was almost a little disappointing- but he'd probably had his expectations a little too high.

"What?" Rin grinned as he tilted his head. "Were you thinking it would be something more exciting? Come on, you can tell your nii-chan!"

Yukio's brow twitched as he stood up. "I'm going back to my class."

"Wait, Yukio-!" Rin called after him. "Don't be mad! I was just teasing!"

"Too late!" Yukio called back. "This is goodbye, nii-san!"

"Yukio-!"

Yukio snorted to himself as he headed down the hall back to his own classroom. Well, Rin could take that much teasing in return, he figured.

Rin sank back into his chair with a sigh.

He knew Yukio was just teasing him, of course. Not to brag, but he was pretty good at understanding humans now. They'd seemed like such strange, mystifying creatures when he'd been confined at the Vatican, but actually having a chance to interact with them one on one had really helped him come to understand them.

...well, mostly.

Point in case. He had no idea what was going on between Suguro and Yukio. Yukio said they weren't fighting, but it was obvious that they weren't talking- and that Yukio was even avoiding him, just a little. Had something happened while he was gone?

He'd only been absent for like, two days!

Yukio said he didn't need his help, but... hm. He guessed listening to your little brother's requests was what a good older brother did. Even Samael did that.

"Okumura-san! Someone's here for you!"

Looking up, Rin frowned. Shura was standing in the doorway, waving a hand at him with a shameless smile. His brow twitched, half intending to ignore her- until he saw the glint of mischief in her eye, and quickly stood up and went to see her.

(See? He understood humans plenty!)

"Yo, Rin!" Shura grinned. "Come with me. I want to talk to you."

Rin heaved a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he trailed behind her. They passed by Yukio's classroom as they headed up to the roof- and he glanced over just in time to see Shima shoot to his feet, staring at the two of them with wide eyes. Rin caught his eye, and gave him a teasing wave.

Yukio just stared at the two of them in confusion. Heh. That's what he got for teasing him earlier. Right back at you, little brother.

Shura lead him up to the roof. The wind was strong today, so it was pretty much empty of students even during the lunch hour. Rin leaned against the entrance, idly twisting his bracelet as he looked at Shura. She was wearing the school uniform again, he noted.

...was this her hobby or something?

"Couldn't this wait until after school?" Rin asked.

"Sure it could," Shura said, "-but I wouldn't get to see you in your uniform then!"

Rin's brow twitched. "Stop teasing me already!"

"Stop being so easy to tease then!" Shura laughed. "So? Have you given what I said any thought?"

"Geez, what is it with you and the old man?" Rin asked. "Forget it! I'm not becoming an exorcist. You guys are trying to hide this from the Vatican, remember?"

As if to remind her, he helpfully gestured at himself.

"Sure we are!" Shura said. "They'd throw a fit if they knew the son of Satan was posing as a normal human. They'd probably toss you right back in your cell!"

"Exactly," Rin said, "-so take this seriously!"

Shura huffed, ruffling his hair. "I am."

Rin frowned, swatting her hand away. "Are you? It doesn't seem like it."

It felt more like they were treating this whole situation like a joke. That's what it felt like, at least- seriously? Him? An exorcist? No way. His role was to be the Paladin's good little weapon, and to help them defeat Satan once that time came.

That was the only reason he was free right now.

Shura just let out a bark of laughter. "Really? Well, I can't blame you. But I promise, your old man and I are thinking about this seriously."

Rin just huffed.

"Just think it over, Rin," Shura said, "-besides, if you become an exorcist, you'll be able to fight alongside Yukio! That would be fun, right?"

...well, that part was true at least.

"It doesn't matter," Rin said, "-because Yukio's not going to become an exorcist."

"You sure about that?" Shura arched her brows.

Rin rolled his eyes. Why did she sound so doubtful? Maybe they hadn't been raised together, but they were still twins. He understood Yukio. There was no way he'd become an exorcist. He'd had a firm goal in mind for his life, even before they'd met.

Honestly, he admired that.

He had a goal of his own, of course. But defeat Satan wasn't quite the same as having a dream for the future- not that it mattered. As the son of Satan, he wasn't allowed to have something as fanciful as that. That sort of thing was for humans.

He was just a familiar.

"Of course," Rin said, "-he's not even planning on taking the exwire exam."

"He's not, huh?" Shura hummed- a glint of barely hidden amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Well, we'll just have to see about that one!"

Rin frowned- but before he had the chance to ask Shura what she meant by that, the bell signaling the end of the lunch period chimed. Shura just laughed, giving him a lazy wave as he hastily excused himself, barely making it back to his classroom in time to avoid being counted as absent.

...what had that even been about?

Yukio felt a shiver run down his spine.

He knew he shouldn't, but he still glanced behind him. Rinka was in the back of the classroom, his feet planted on the desk and his arms crossed. His gaze was fixed intensely on him- and had been since class had started.

Yukio swallowed, turning his gaze back towards the front. Had he done something wrong? The last thing he wanted to do was get on the demon's bad side.

He found himself letting out a breath of relief once class was over. Standing up, he hastily gathered his things and slung his bag over his shoulder. At least Rinka couldn't follow him to their next class- he seemed to shadow his father.

He should ask Rin about that, he thought.

Ryuuji walked past him without sparing him a glance. Heaving a long sigh, Yukio slumped his shoulders. He'd tried to talk to him before class had started, but he hadn't been able to work up the nerve to actually do so. He'd just ended up sitting down without saying anything.

It was pathetic.

...he'd never had friends close enough to fight with, Yukio realized.

Was this even a fight? He still didn't know. He smiled at Konekomaru and Shima as they gave him awkward smiles of their own before they hurried after Ryuuji. Maybe if he left things alone for awhile, they'd smooth themselves out...

...no, he needed to nip this in the bud.

Otherwise Rin would.

Okay. Stepping out into the aisle, he went to follow after Ryuuji-

-just as Shiemi tried to stand up.

She stumbled, falling back down on the bench. Her familiar let out a squeak of surprise, landing harmlessly on the table. Yukio winced.

"Sorry," he held out a hand, "-I didn't mean to."

"No," Shiemi shook her head, "-it's okay."

Helping her to his feet, he smiled slightly at her. She still seemed a bit on the odd side to him, but it was difficult to dislike the only person Rin had ever actively socialized with outside of the monastery. They two seemed to be getting along well- and he felt a little bad about stealing his brother away for lunch this afternoon.

"Moriyama-san! Come carry my bag, okay?"

"Ah, okay!" Shiemi called back to Izumo, before turning back to him with a smile. "Sorry. I have to go."

Yukio opened his mouth to say something, but ended up deciding against it. He watched with a frown as Shiemi made her way over towards Izumo and Paku, happily accepting the bag that the former gave her. She trotted behind the pair- looking more like a luggage porter than she did a friend.

"Hey."

Yukio flinched.

Gripping the strap of his bag, he squared his shoulders and turned towards Rinka. The demon was actually a little shorter than him, but it didn't make his presence any less intimidating.

It was also the first time he'd spoken to him directly.

"Rinka...san," Yukio said, "-can I help you?"

"Yeah," he jerked his hand in the direction that the girls went, "-what's up with that?"

His inhuman eyes were sharply narrowed, and his tone was clearly displeased. Yukio felt that familiar shiver again, cursing himself for not leaving the classroom a little sooner. He cast a glance towards the last remaining student-

-but Takara just passed them by without a second glance.

"It's nothing," Yukio said, "-they're friends or something."

Rinka just arched a brow. "Friends?"

"Yes," Yukio said, "-friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another class to get to."

Booking a hasty retreat, Yukio didn't stop to spare a glance back at the demon. Once he was a good distance away, he let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping in relief. He knew that Rinka and Shiemi were supposedly friends, but why had he asked him?

And why had he lied?

It was obvious to anyone that Izumo didn't view Shiemi as a friend- except for maybe Shiemi herself, who looked happy as a clam to be used as an errand girl. It was obviously wrong- and honestly, he couldn't believe she had the balls to do it in front of Rinka.

...which was probably why he'd lied about it.

If Rinka was actually concerned enough about Shiemi to ask... Yukio shuddered at the thought. He'd probably make what Rin had done to his bullies over the years look like the pinnacle of non-violent intervention.

He wasn't quite sure if Izumo deserved that.

Rinka watched Yukio hurry off with an annoyed flick of his tail.

What the hell was that? He was just trying to ask a question! He knew Yukio was afraid of him in this form and all, but he could have at least given him a better answer! It wasn't like he could ask him as Rin! He didn't even know Izumo!

"Oh, he sure scampered off in a hurry."

Rinka glared at the old man, his tail lashing behind him. "Shut up."

Shiro just chuckled, closing his briefcase. "Well, don't let it worry you. Yukio just needs to have a chance to get used to it. Sooner or later they'll understand you're not that scary."

Rinka arched a brow. "They'll?"

"The class," Shiro said, "-don't give me that look. I know you've been eating with those three from Kyoto lately. You want to be their friend, right?"

"Hah?" Rinka stared at him. "Who said that? Yukio's the one that's always dragging me over. And don't talk to me about stuff like that when I look like this!"

"It's fine, no one's around." Shiro laughed. "I wouldn't worry about Shiemi-chan too much either. That's something you have to let her resolve herself."

Rinka's lips twisted into a tight frown. That's what everyone kept saying. But even he could tell what was going on between Shiemi and Polka Brows wasn't friendship.

Shiro just huffed, affectionately ruffling his hair.

Rinka grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets as he trailed after the old man. He paused as they exited the classroom, glancing over his shoulder with a slight frown.

Huh? That was weird. For a moment, he thought he'd sensed someone.

Yukio sighed.

Tilting his head, Rin glanced over at him. He'd come to meet him after cram school that evening. He didn't always, but he still found himself instinctively checking the fountain in the courtyard for his brother every time he left. He'd been there today, messing around with his phone.

"That was a long sigh," Rin remarked, "-everything okay?"

"Yeah," Yukio smiled at him, "-everything's fine."

"You sure?" Rin arched a brow. "You can tell your nii-chan if something's wrong."

He was sure he could, but he'd rather avoid telling Rin that he hadn't actually been able to speak with Ryuuji today- despite his determination to do so. It had felt a bit like he was putting in extra effort to avoid him... but that could also just be his imagination.

They didn't have to be friends- but he'd at least like to know what he'd done wrong.

"It's really fine, nii-san," Yukio said, "-let's head back to the dorm."

He probably couldn't get out of eating dinner in the dining hall two nights in a row, so Rin would probably figure out he was still fighting with Ryuuji anyways. He sighed again, wondering if he could corner him in the dining hall or something before Rin got tired of sitting on his hands and stepped in. He appreciated that he worried about him, but...

"...you're still fighting with Suguro, huh?"

Yukio winced. Right. Rin could be weirdly perceptive about these things.

"I just couldn't find a good time to talk to him," Yukio said, "-that's all."

"That's all?" Rin asked.

"Yes," Yukio nodded, "-that's all."

Rin frowned, before shrugging his shoulders with a hum. The walk back to the dorm was an awkwardly quiet one, and Yukio couldn't help but keep glancing back down at his brother. He didn't really like that thoughtful look on his face...

...which is why it didn't surprise him at all when Rin slammed his tray down in front of Ryuuji, glaring at him.

"Oi," Rin said, "-what's the big deal? The hell you been avoiding Yukio for?"

"Wait, nii-san!" Yukio grabbed his shoulder. "There's no need for that!"

He could practically feel the eyes of everyone in the dining hall on them. If he was being perfectly honest, it looked like two delinquents having a stare down. Ryuuji lifted his head, looking up to meet Rin's gaze-

-and then bowed his head in apology.

"No," he said, "-I'm sorry."

Yukio stared at Ryuuji. He'd... apologized? He hadn't expected that. Rin hadn't either, judging from the rapid way he blinked.

Shima snorted, breaking the awkward mood in the air. "Too formal, Bon!"

"Shima-san," Konekomaru sighed, looking up at the both of them with a faint smile, "-why don't the two of you sit down?"

Yukio exchanged a glance with Rin, who just shrugged and did just that. Yukio frowned, but sat down next to him after a moment of thought. Ryuuji lifted his head, turning his gaze to meet his own.

"Sorry," he said again, "-I was being childish."

"You sure were!" Rin said.

Yukio shot him a warning look, telling him to stay quiet for a moment. Rin just shrugged again and dug into his food, apparently content to let him deal with this now that it was obvious they weren't fighting anymore.

"It's okay," Yukio said, "-it's just... did I do something wrong? If there's something I need to apologize for-"

"No, it wasn't anything you did," Ryuuji cut him off, "-it's just... when I heard you weren't actually planning to become an exorcist..."

"Bon totally thought you were his rival!" Shima helpfully provided.

"Rival?" Yukio blinked.

"...yeah," Ryuuji admitted, scratching the back of his head, "-so I ended up acting kind of petty about it. Sorry. I meant to apologize yesterday, but..."

Oh. They'd been the same.

In spite of himself, Yukio let out a laugh.

"Ah, sorry," Yukio said, "-I wasn't laughing at you. I spent all day trying to talk to you too, actually. We're the same."

Ryuuji chuckled. "Guess we are."

"You two done fighting now?" Rin asked, glancing between the two of them. "Great! I would have hated to have to punch Suguro."

Yukio groaned, covering his face with his palm as the other three just stared at him. That wasn't the sort of thing you just casually admitted out loud, nii-san.

Shima broke the silence with a loud snort. Ryuuji glared at him, but it didn't appear to have much of an effect.

"Sorry! But I don't think Bon was trying to pick a fight. He was just pouting!" Shima teased. "You see, our Bon here has a big goal."

"Oi, Shima!" Ryuuji's cheeks gained the faintest hint of red. "Don't tell them!"

"Goal?" Rin asked.

"Yeah!" Shima grinned. "He says he wants to defeat Satan!"

Yukio just stared at him, watching as Ryuuji's cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red. He leveled a sharp glare at his friend, who just laughed it off.

"...defeat Satan?" Yukio asked. "Is that even possible?"

Ryuuji clicked his tongue, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Someone has to, right? Sure, I don't expect it to be easy, but-"

Rin snorted.

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes, glaring at Rin. "Don't laugh!"

Rin didn't even bat an eye at the sharp glare sent his way, idly toying with his bracelet. "Sorry. It's just- you're going to have to get in line. Pretty sure the old man has first dibs."

Yukio blinked. "Father does?"

"Yeah," Rin said, "-he's got a personal grudge against Satan, apparently."

Ryuuji just huffed. "Well so do I."

"Now, now," Konekomaru said, "-we all just made up. Let's not start fighting again so soon."

Ryuuji heaved a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Yer right. My bad."

"No," Yukio shook his head, "-besides, I would hardly call that fighting. But what do you mean by father having a grudge against Satan, nii-san?"

Rin blinked, before shrugging. "No clue. You'd have to ask him."

"No clue?" Yukio frowned. "You've never asked?"

"Nope," Rin said, "-I don't really care."

Yukio's brow furrowed. He didn't care? How could he be so nonchalant about everything? Ever since he'd learned the truth that father had been hiding from him, he'd only found himself wanting to know more. Maybe it was different for Rin, given that he'd apparently been able to see demons since he was born.

...come to think of it, how did he get his mashou anyways?

"Speaking of knowing things," Shima leaned closer to Rin, "-who was that hot babe we saw you with this afternoon?"

Admittedly, he'd been wondering that too.

Rin just smirked. "Hm? I don't know what you're talking about."

Yukio just sighed. "She's an exorcist, right?"

She had to be the same hot babe that had come to get him during lunch on their first day of class. Yukio frowned at the thought, wondering exactly how involved Rin actually was in the world of exorcism. At first he'd thought he'd only had a tangential connection to it, but...

"Yeah," Rin nodded, "-well, you'll probably meet her eventually."

"Seriously?" Shima asked, before casting a suspicious glance Rin's way. "Wait. The two of you aren't dating or anything, right?"

Rin responded by spitting his drink into Shima's face. Yeah. He'd probably deserved that.

"Huh!?" Rin's eyes went wide. "No way in hell! That's not even funny!"

"There's no chance," Yukio said, "-nii-san prefers girls like Moriyama-san."

Judging from the bright red shade Rin's face turned, he'd hit the nail on the head. Yukio huffed. His brother could be pretty to read sometimes.

"Eh?" Konekomaru blinked. "You like Moriyama-san, Okumura-kun?"

"No, I-!" Rin stammered. "W-we're just friends, that's all! You know, this is the first time going to school for the both of us and all, so we have that in common!"

"Sure, friends," Yukio nodded, "-that you eat lunch with every day."

"What's wrong with that?" Rin said. "And don't smile at me like that, Yukio!"

"Hm?" Yukio smiled. "Like what?"

"Like that!" Rin jabbed a finger in his direction. "Geez, forget it! I'm going somewhere else."

"Sorry, sorry." Yukio laughed. "Don't leave, nii-san."

Rin huffed, averting his gaze- but at least he stuck around. Right. Go just a bit easier on him when teasing him about Shiemi. Duly noted.

"But is it alright?" Konekomaru asked. "I mean, getting close with Moriyama-san. Aren't you afraid that Rinka might get angry?"

Rin just stared at him, tilting his head. "No. Why?"

Oh. That was a good point, now that he thought about it- he'd certainly looked angry enough this afternoon, when he'd asked about Izumo. But Rin didn't seem worried at all, so maybe he was overthinking things.

He huffed. Well, he was certain their father would never let Rinka harm Rin anyways.

Yukio listened with a faint smile as the topic changed, just grateful that things had seemingly gone back to normal. He spared a faint glance towards Ryuuji's direction, who caught his eye and just gave him an apologetic huff.

He let out a faint breath of relief.

Maybe making new friends was worth the cost of his mashou.

"You didn't forget anything, right?"

Adjusting the strap of his bag, Yukio glanced back at Rin. He was still in uniform, sitting crosslegged on his bed as he watched him pack. The training camp for the exwire promotion exam began today, so they'd all headed back to their dorms after school to pick up their things instead of going straight to the cram school.

For once, Rin had walked back with him.

"I'm not even going that far," Yukio said, "-you don't have to worry."

"Of course I do!" Rin insisted. "That's my job as your older brother!"

"You keep saying that," Yukio said, "-but you're only older than me by a few minutes. It barely counts."

Rin just smirked. "Funny. That sounds like something a younger brother would say."

Yukio's brow twitched, before heaving a sigh in defeat. He'd learned by now that nothing he could say could convince Rin to drop the older brother act-

-and frankly, he didn't mind it that much.

"I'm going, nii-san." Yukio said. "Don't spend the entire weekend slacking off just because I'm not here! Work on your homework properly!"

Rin huffed. "Shut up! I will!"

Yukio huffed in amusement, somehow doubting that. Rin's transition to school life hadn't been nearly as rocky as he'd feared, but it was obvious he was still struggling with the academic aspects of attending school. As he thought, their father and the other priests had pretty much given up on homeschooling him at some point.

Well, he deserved a bit of slack every now and again, Yukio supposed.

With a wave to Rin, Yukio left their dorm room. He took the stairs, reaching the bottom floor at the same time as Ryuuji and Konekomaru stepped out of the elevator.

"Okumura-kun," Konekomaru smiled, "-hello."

"Heading over?" Ryuuji asked.

"Yes," Yukio nodded, "-is it just the two of you? Where's-?"

Ryuuji clicked his tongue. "He was taking too damn long, so we left without him."

Yukio chuckled a bit at that. It didn't take long for Shima to catch up with them- they hadn't gotten far. They paused for a moment to let him actually catch his breath, before they headed towards the old men's dorms together- it turned out Rin had been right about the training camp's location.

...the place looked like a wreck, Yukio thought.

"Eh?" Shima's nose crinkled. "We're having the training camp here?"

"They apparently had it here last year too," Yukio remarked, "-according to nii-san, at least."

Sure enough, Shiro was waiting for them at the entrance. Rinka was perched on the railing of the balcony above it, watching them as they approached. A slight shiver ran down Yukio's spine, not liking how much it made him feel like prey.

Heedless of this, Shiro smiled. "Oh, there you three are. That's everyone then!"

Yukio just sighed, doing his best to avoid looking at Rinka. Of course he was here too. He should have expected as much. The demon flipped off the balcony, following them inside. Shiro showed them to their rooms, which were at least clean- even if the place otherwise looked abandoned.

They put down their things, following Shiro to a dorm room on the first floor that someone had placed a long table in the center of. The girls and Takara were already there, and Yukio didn't miss the slight way Rinka's brow furrowed at the sight of them. Izumo and Paku were sitting on one side of the table- with Paku at the end, and Izumo's bag placed strategically in the spot next to her, forcing Shiemi to sit across from them instead.

He swore he heard the demon click his tongue.

"Okay," Shiro said, "-we'll spend the next hour going over the basics for the exam, before we break for dinner. After that, it's back to studying for another two hours, so be prepared!"

"Ugh," Shima groaned as he sat down, "-if I'd known we weren't going anywhere fun, I wouldn't have signed up for this."

"What are you talking about?" Ryuuji said. "This camp isn't for fun."

Yukio huffed, listening to the two friends banter as he got out his supplies. He didn't mind, not really- honestly, he enjoyed studying. His father's lessons were easy to understand, and he especially found his main subject fascinating.

Doctor might be a good meister for him to pursue.

Yukio blinked a little at the thought. Huh? A meister? He wasn't even planning on becoming an exorcist- why would he think about something like that?

Shaking the thought off, he instead focused on the lesson. He barely noticed it when Rinka disappeared halfway through- only really noticing his absence when Shiro wrapped up the lesson. With a slight frown, he wondered where he'd gone off to.

...maybe he lived here? He did have to live somewhere, Yukio supposed.

"Oh," Shima said, "-something smells good!"

Yukio blinked, catching a whiff of something that smelled almost familiar wafting from the kitchen. Exchanging a look with the other three, they peered inside to find-

"Huh? Nii-san?"

Rin flashed them a toothy grin, looking over his shoulder at them. "Yo, Yukio!"

Yukio just stared at his brother, who waved at them before he returned to cooking. The wooden cross on his bracelet clinked against his spatula as he flipped what he now realized were fish hamburger steaks over. No wonder the scent wafting from the kitchen had smelled so familiar, he thought.

...he definitely hadn't told him on purpose.

"Huh?" Konekomaru blinked. "Okumura-kun, what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Rin asked. "The old man asked me to make your meals. Take a seat anywhere! I'm almost done! Oh, hello Shiemi!"

"Huh? Rin?" Shiemi blinked, equally as surprised.

"Someone you know?" Paku asked.

Oh, that's right. Izumo and Paku had never met Rin before. His gaze flicked towards his brother- who almost seemed to be glaring at Izumo, just for a moment. The girl herself didn't seem to notice, brushing past all of them to take a seat in the dining hall, planting herself at the very end of a table.

"Yeah," Shiemi nodded, "-this is Okumura Rin. He's Fujimoto-sensei's foster son!"

"Really?" Paku blinked, looking over at him.

"Yes," Yukio nodded, "-we have different last names due to family circumstances, but he's my twin brother."

"Older twin brother," Rin chimed in from the kitchen, "-don't forget that part!"

"Yes, yes," Yukio said with a sigh, "-I didn't forget."

Rin's brow twitched, picking up on the implication of his words- but all Yukio did was give him a smug look as he made his way into the dining hall. If he was going to leave out things like this on purpose, then he deserved at least a little grief in return.

"Sorry," he heard Izumo say, "-but this seat is for Paku. You understand, right?"

He looked over just in time to see a sheepish Shiemi stand up and let Paku sit down next to Izumo instead. Almost instinctively, his gaze darted towards Rin.

...ah. He knew that glare.

But to his surprise, Rin just clicked his tongue and looked away. Huh? Given how close he'd been getting to Shiemi lately, he'd thought for sure...

...well, maybe they weren't that close yet, he thought.

Rin finished making dinner with an irritated huff.

He knew the old man had said that he needed to let Shiemi resolve this herself- but man, was staying out of it harder than he'd thought. Sure, Shiemi looked happy whenever Izumo asked her to do something for her, but...

Ugh. This sucked.

Trying to put this situation from his mind, he served everyone their food. Shiemi's smile as she thanked him was super cute though, so maybe there was a silver lining to this!

"What!?" Suguro exclaimed. "This is good!"

"No kidding!" Shima exclaimed.

"Aw shucks," Rin grinned, "-you're embarrassing me!"

"They're right," Shiemi smiled, "-this is delicious, Rin! I didn't know you could cook!"

Rin's cheeks flushed a bright shade of red, awkwardly rubbing his neck. Honestly, he'd always wanted to have Shiemi eat his cooking, but it wasn't like Rinka could bring her any. The son of Satan knowing how to cook? Who'd ever heard of something so absurd?

"Well," Yukio pushed up the bridge of his glasses, "-cooking is nii-san's only productive skill."

"Huh!?" Rin shot a glare at Yukio. "Say that again, four eyes!"

Yukio just offered him a bland smile in return.

Rin's brow twitched. That part of Yukio made it all too obvious that he'd been raised by their old man. Speaking of which...

"Huh?" Konekomaru asked. "Aren't you going to eat with us, Okumura-kun?"

"Nah," Rin said, "-I'm bringing a plate over to the old man."

Excusing himself, he quickly plated a portion for both himself and the old man, before heading down the hall to the makeshift classroom.

"Oi," he said, "-special delivery."

Shiro looked up from his papers. "Thanks, Rin! You're a big help as always."

Rin huffed, setting down a plate in front of him. "I'm starting to think you just taught me how to cook to get me to provide free labor."

"Well, technically you are my familiar," Shiro teased, "-and it's not free! I'm paying you!"

"Samael's paying me," Rin corrected, "-you mean."

"Heh, fair enough." Shiro said.

Rin huffed, sitting across from him. He dug into his food, savoring every bite. He'd grown accustomed to eating bland, tasteless food while growing up at the Vatican, so his first home cooked meal had been a shock to his system.

...he didn't understand sometimes, how his mom had endured living like that.

He still ate fast. He couldn't afford to linger over his food. The old man would take care of his plate, so he ducked out of the makeshift classroom and made his way upstairs. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he slipped into the room where he'd stashed his stuff earlier. Unzipping the duffel bag he'd hidden there, he changed out of his Rin clothes and back into his Rinka clothes.

...leading a double life was kind of a pain in the ass, he thought.

(At least Samael had paid for the new clothes. Rinka couldn't wear anything Rin owned.)

Securing his mask back in place, he pulled off his bracelet and shoved it back into the bag. He then shoved the bag underneath the bed, where it couldn't easily be found.

Yawning, Rinka made his way back downstairs. He gave the old man a lazy wave as he reentered the makeshift classroom, plopping down in the corner. The pages began to trickle back in, most of them casting a faint glance in his direction as they entered.

"Dad," Yukio said, "-why didn't you tell me nii-san was coming?"

Shiro just laughed. "He wanted to surprise you!"

Yukio just huffed- but the sound was a fond one. Rinka smiled to himself, his tail flicking in amusement. Yukio's flabbergasted expression had totally been worth it!

...and Izumo was keeping Shiemi from sitting next to her on purpose again.

His tail flicked in annoyance. Was he really supposed to just keep ignoring this? Sure, Shiemi had sounded really happy when she'd told him that she'd made some new friends, but...

Ugh. At least things had worked out between Yukio and Suguro.

His gaze flicked in Suguro's direction. Hearing his goal had finally made everything click in his head- he wanted to defeat Satan? No wonder he couldn't stand him.

He huffed. Whatever. He didn't expect to be liked.

He stayed in the corner, mostly tuning out the old man's lesson and instead focusing on what he should make for breakfast for everyone tomorrow morning. He'd need to set his alarm clock if he was going to get up before anyone else, he thought. It was kind of fun though, cooking for Yukio and Shiemi like this.

...would it be even more fun if he was a part of the training camp too?

No, no. What was he thinking? Geez, Shura and the old man's teasing was starting to get to him- there was no point in seriously considering it. Okumura Rin was just a facade, at the end of the day. He didn't actually exist.

...who'd actually want to be friends with someone like that?

Huh? Friends?

"Okay," Shiro said, "-that's enough for tonight."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Rinka glanced up at the old man. He caught his eye, gesturing with his head that it was okay for him to go. He nodded, slipping out of the room before anyone else and headed down the hall towards the vending machines. He bought himself a banana milk, looking up just in time to see Shiemi leave with Izumo and Paku.

She caught his eye and waved at him with a smile.

He waved back, a bit grateful that his mask hid his frown as he let his gaze drift towards Izumo's back. Heading back towards the makeshift classroom, he passed by just as he heard Shima brazenly mention something about peeping.

He smacked the tip of his tail loudly against the ground and glared at him.

"...or maybe not," Shima quickly said.

He swore he heard the old man chuckle as he walked away.

A bath? He should probably wait until everyone was asleep before he took his. He could just go back to the main dorm and take one there, but... that sounded kind of like a pain. Yawning, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was around before taking off his mask and hooking it to his belt. He came to a stop at the end of the hall, glancing to his left with a slight frown.

Huh? Shiemi?

Taking a sip of his drink, he stared at her with a slight frown. Wasn't she going to take a bath with everyone else? Why was she just standing outside? She looked a bit...

"You didn't go in with the other two?" Rinka asked.

Shiemi flinched, looking back at him with a strained smile. "Yeah. Kamiki-san said... no, it doesn't matter. Sorry, I have to go buy a fruit milk!"

Rinka's brow twitched. Izumo had said something? He didn't know what, but whatever it was, it had clearly stung. The way her shoulders had been slumped...

...sorry, old man. He couldn't let this go after all.

"Oi," Rinka grabbed Shiemi's wrist as she hurried past him, "-stop that."

Shiemi glanced back at him. "Stop what?"

"Stop running errands for her already." Rinka said, his tail lashing in annoyance. "It's weird!"

"It's not weird!" Shiemi said. "I'm just helping a friend!"

Helping a friend? Sure, he didn't understand much about friendship, but he was pretty sure friends didn't just boss you around all the time. Rather than a friendship, it was more like...

"You're not helping," Rinka said, "-she's just using you!"

"T-that's not true!" Shiemi countered. "Let me go!"

Rinka flinched, releasing Shiemi's wrist from his grasp. She stared at him for a long moment, before tearing her gaze away.

"...sorry," she said.

Ducking her head, she turned on her heel and hurried down the hall. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her retreating back. Huh? Was he fighting with Shiemi now?

What the hell. He didn't want that.

With a frustrated sigh, he shot a glare towards the baths before he hurried after Shiemi. She was the only friend he had- so he didn't want to lose her over something as stupid as this, even if he hadn't said anything wrong. It wasn't like he was against her having other friends or anything! It was just...

...he didn't know. The way Izumo treated her wasn't right.

Then again, what the hell did he know?

"Shiemi!" He called out. "Wait a second!"

Turning on her heel, Shiemi looked back at him with a slight frown. She opened her mouth to say something- just as a familiar cold chill ran up the length of his spine. A demon? He turned on his heel, staring behind him in the direction he'd just come from-

-just as Izumo and Paku screamed.