Brother's Keeper

On opposite sides of a battlefield, two brothers stand. The bitter end of the war between Gehenna and Assiah. AU-ish

Genre: Tragedy/Angst and a bit of Horror

Warnings: Not a happy fic. Obviously AU. Slight OOC-ness. You have been warned. Spoilers up to Chapter 50.

Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist is not owned by me.

[younger brother, wiser brother, where did you go?]

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There is the distinct taste of copper against his tongue as he stands, knees nearly buckling under his weight. The cobalt-eyed teen gives a cocky grin, a thin line of blood trailing down his chin to drip onto the barren terrain. He uses the hilt of his katana for balance, fingers digging into the golden handle. His other hand reaches towards his abdomen, feeling the sticky crimson collecting on his skin and winces at the shock of pain that travels up his side.

"Heh, nice shot, Yukio." He laughs bitterly (and it's funny—so funny that the same lips that are stained with blood would call out that name—not monster, or friend, or brother).

The younger twin stills, green-blue eyes twisted in anger… and fear. "You can still leave, Rin. Just go." Please, he begs silently in his head. Begs to any deity that will listen to a son of Satan.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. Everyone's counting on me."

Of course. Always the hero. Always the idiot. Always ready to carry everyone else's burdens. Yukio points the gun at his brother again, a cold, calculated (hollow) expression on his face. He is surprised that his hands do not shake even with his index finger pressed against the trigger.

(perhaps he was the evil twin all along— of course you are, a hollow voice echoes, sounding too much like a certain deceased priest.)

The sounds of death echo dimly in both brothers' minds. There is another cry as an exorcist succumbs to smoldering blue flames, turning into the ash that swirls around them. A guttural scream as a demon is torn apart, soulless carcass crumbling into the already blood-saturated ground.

Faintly, Rin remembers a time where these screams were not so common. A time where brothers didn't betray each other and innocence wasn't so easily shattered. A time of simple facades and half-smiles that when measured, amounted to less than the dirt at his feet. Yukio is reminded of a time when they had pointed their weapons at each other in a cramped classroom. Except this time they are not alone (both sides are riddled with the bodies of pawns and knights) and he does not hesitate to pull the trigger.

The blessed bullet flies by Rin's cheek, shrapnel digging into the smooth, pliable flesh. He lets out another groan of pain, dipping forward onto the blood-soaked ground. He can feel the crimson seep into the ground, the earth gorging itself on their shared misery like a demon itself.

The next time, Yukio swears he will not miss.

When the blue-haired youth finds himself able to speak, spitting out ash and blood from his mouth, only one word escapes his lips. "Why?"

The briefest of grins flashes on the bespectacled man's face. "Why not?"

But he's not fooling anyone (not himself or the demon princes who float above, watching the scene like it's some grand sport, and definitely not his twin brother). He had never been a good liar—before or after betraying his brother and friends. His smiles always revealed just how he felt, even if his words and demeanor did not. Or, at least, that was what Rin always said.

"Bullshit…" Rin forces through clenched teeth, rising yet again. Crimson seeps into his pupils as he unsheathes Kurikara, letting the familiar blue flames erupt across his beaten skin. The earth suddenly groans and quakes under them, sending both tumbling through the air.

Rin flies into a dying oak tree, striking one of its fraying branches before skidding back onto the tumultuous earth in a trail of dust. Yukio suffers a much harsher landing; he falls against a jagged boulder, rough edges digging into his left shoulder. He lets out a cry of pain, gritting his teeth as blood pools from the tear in his coat.

"…Are y-you okay, Y-yukio?" A raspy voice calls out, alerting the brown-haired man to the form of his war-battered twin inching towards him. The half-demon drags himself across the dirt, using his sword to pull himself forward. The earth continues to rumble underneath him, but the boy persists, only stopping when part of the ground rises upward, creating a rocky ledge that he could not crawl over.

"Yukio? Hey, answer me, damnit!" Rin's voice cuts through the chaotic noise, desperate in tone.

"Stop it! Just stop, nii-san!" He covers his mouth with his hands after the outburst, as if regretting his words. It had been years since he called him brother— memories once again surfacing to his conscience despite his best intentions.

"Hahaha, you work too hard, Yukio! It's not a race ya know! We'll both be great exorcists, someday!"

"Huh? What's with that smile? You're totally hiding something!"

"Hey, Four-Eyes, ya doing alright? You seem kind of… off today."

"What do ya mean you're quitting the Order?!"

"Don't leave! You can't! I don't care what you say—I won't let you leave!"

"How could you betray us? How could you betray me? We're family!"

Yukio grins wryly. Blood means nothing to demons. The sooner his brother (Rin—he corrects in his head) realized it the better. Constructs like family and kinship and honor were flimsy human concepts—and even if he didn't inherit the same blue flames, they were still demons. Betrayal was in their nature.

Reloading his gun, Yukio stands, vision blurry. He takes one small step forward, sucking in a breath when he lifts his left arm. He had broken his scapulae, that most he could be certain of with his ex-studies in medicine (when he had been a bright-eyed teen with illusions of grandeur instead of a bright-eyed monster). Shuffling forward, Yukio placed one gun back in its holster, taking the other in his right hand.

"Tell me, Rin, why do you care for a traitor? Am I not like Shima?"

Rin stills at the mention of a certain deceased pink-haired boy, an involuntary shudder wracking his frame. He did not need to be reminded of the one person he couldn't save.

(amber orbs stare glossy and opaque against a blue sky—)

Instead, the half-demon shakes away the thought and rises to his feet, meeting his brother's eyes over the rocky ledge. "I won't let someone I care about die again! I'll beat you senseless if I have to, but you won't die here! I know that the brother I looked up to is still there. So, please…" He trailed off, dropping his blade and extending a hand, "Come back, Yukio."

For a moment, the brown-haired man considers the truce. He can imagine returning to teaching class and seeing the rest of his former students, all smiles and laughs. He can imagine the same warm summer mornings when they would just laze about their dorm room, lethargic from the stifling heat. He can imagine a life where everything didn't fall apart and demons were just silly superstitions.

But the boy Rin was looking for had died long ago.

Regardless, Lucifer would kill him before allowing him to return to the exorcists' side. He wouldn't lose his trump card to the Order, not when the game was drawing to a close. There were only two options left for him: kill Rin Okumura or die. Yukio shakes his head, pointing the gun firmly at his older brother's chest. "It ends today, Rin. One of us will die."

He unlocks the safety from the weapon, a coldness seeping into his sea-foam green eyes. It takes all his will power to not run away, to not let his brother be killed by someone else's hands. Understanding flashes across his face. He'd humor him; let him think that demons held such concepts as family and kin in high regard. He would kill him because he was his brother, his responsibility.

"Goodbye, nii-san." He says, finger poised on the trigger. Flashes of their childhood together pass his mind as the tears he tried so hard to shake away formed in his eyes, blurring his vision. He sees the faint image of a figure consumed in blue fire before a searing pain erupts in his chest. The object quickly slides out, glinting silver and scarlet in the setting sun.

Pulling his fingers away, he sees they are smeared in crimson. Yukio smiles before crumpling forward, falling into his brother's lap. Rin howls out in agony, flames growing wild in time with his emotions. He vainly puts pressure against the wound he created, all the while apologizing to his brother.

"I-I'm so sorry, Yukio… I-I didn't mean, I didn't think you'd—" He becomes nearly incoherent, cradling the injured form of the brown-haired man to his chest. The cobalt-eyed boy doesn't even bother sheathing his katana, still holding his brother even while his demon form runs rampant. The flames continue to grow in intensity until they stitch together, forming a dome around the pair.

"It's alright, nii-san. I didn't want to kill you, really. So, thank you. Please forgive me..." He trailed off, eyes growing glassy and cold. The hand that he had pressed to his brother's shoulder falls away as a final breath escapes his lips. Rin shakes him, letting his own tears fall onto the dying boy.

"YUKIO!" The blue-haired teen cries out, shaking him again when he receives no response. Listening for a heartbeat, the teen is broken to find none. Howls erupt from his throat, blanketing the battlefield in a series of belligerent cries. Almost all participants in the war still, listening to his sobs.

"Rin…" A blonde girl whispers, already feeling the familiar pin-prick of tears in her eyes.

"That idiot... I told him it was impossible." Bon sighs, a tinge of sadness to his words.

"Yukio... how could you?" The purple-haired tamer questioned vainly, grip tightening on her summoning papers.

"Okumura-kun… first Shima and now—" Konekomaru is unable to finish, sobs wracking his small frame.

Mephisto grins widely at the scene, observing the events in his pinstriped chair, up above the chaos. From his perspective he could see both the diminishing cerulean dome and the other exorcists who had also stopped at the sounds of Rin's screams. Viridian eyes narrow in glee at the chaos around him as he turned to his other seven brothers, giving a theatrical wave of his hands. "Now, didn't I tell you this would be an entertaining spectacle?"

Seven heads nod in agreement.

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[older brother, reckless brother, will you forgive me?]

A/N: Now I don't think the manga will end w/ either Yukio or Rin dead, but I like the idea regardless. Funny enough, I'm not that big of a fan of Yukio so while I imagine there is some OOC-ness, I hope I didn't butcher his character :P Anyway, thanks for taking the time to check out this little oneshot! As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

-Isis

P.S. Happy Halloween guys! I'm glad I got this oneshot done on time! I'll probably write a scarier oneshot later that is more in season, lol. Oh, and is anyone else excited for Chapter 51 of Blue Exorcist? I literally can't wait any longer, it's killing me XD