Shiemi had noticed Rin's depressed state for the past week. She tried asking him if he was feeling ok, but the only response she got was "I'm fine, don't worry about me" from the raven haired male, but what else could she do but worry. He's been dismissive in class; this wasn't like his usual sleeping through class situation, but more of a zoned out blank expression. He would walk aimlessly through the halls of the Cram school, not participate in P.E, and would isolate himself from the rest of the group at break times.
While walking through the hall, she decided to look for Rin and finally get an answer out of him about why he's been so detached, especially today. She heard a conversation going on in one of the classrooms, she decided to walk on by, but hesitated at the mention of Rin's name. She went over to the door and opened it quietly. She realised that it was Miss Shura and Yuki talking, but nothing could have prepared her for what she heard…
"… get that your upset about today being the anniversary of your father's death, but for Rin especially. Shiro sacrificed himself, after being possessed by Satan, in order to protect Rin. Whilst also finding out about demons, and that he was the spawn of Satan that very night. By my standards, he should have had a mental breakdown by now, and be in therapy," she heard Shura say, with a hint of pity in her voice, she sounded sad about the death too. "Oh, and also, quit acting like it's Rin's fault he already feels bad enough, you're supposed to be his brother, show some support."
"Don't Shura, not now, and I know what the report said but you know what Rin's like, he's so stubborn and won't talk to anyone about what happened that night. He couldn't even explain it all to me. He won't talk to anyone about it openly. But recently he's been having nightmares, waking up screaming, covered with sweat and engulfed in his blue flames," Yuki replied .
"Rin… So this is why you've closed yourself off?" Shiemi thought to herself.
She couldn't stand to hear any more of what they were saying, if she did, she new she would cry. Instead she decided to take off and find Rin. Shiemi looked everywhere; the school, the fountain, Rin and Yukio's dorm but she ended up with nothing.
With a defeated attitude she was heading back to the supply shop, when she stopped herself after seeing a blue like glow coming from her garden. As she moved closer she saw Rin. He was hunched underneath the cherry blossom tree in the far right hand corner, knees up against his chest and his head in his hands, his raven locks tousled by his quivering shoulders; he was shaking like a leaf. As she got nearer, she could hear his muffled and wracked sobs, tears of her own started to form in the corners of her eyes.
"Rin…Rin!" She whispered at first, then a little louder so she knew he could hear her. He shot his head straight up, she could see the tears in his eyes and his mournful expression, but that soon changed when he realised that Shiemi was the one that called his name. He put on his best fake smile, not so subtly wiped away his tears, got rid of his flames and stood up.
"Hey Shiemi, what's up?" he asked as casual as he could try, evidence of crying clear by his red eyes and raspy voice. He started to walk toward Shiemi in a slow pace, his tail dragging behind him limply, without its natural and happy swing. As he got closer, Shiemi could still see tears in the corners of his eyes, and tear streaks making their way down his cheeks.
"Ri… Rin I'm sorry!" the sudden outburst from the young blonde, caused Rin to stop right in his tracks.
"Shiem…" he went to reply, but was stopped by said girl running and embracing him, holding back her tears. Rin stood there frozen in shock of the young women in front of him, and her sudden action towards him, giving him even more of a reason to have red creep its way onto his cheeks.
Rin went to ask Shiemi what she meant, but stopped as soon as he heard her muffled words, heightened by his demonic powers.
"It's not your fault," she spoke, and it was at that moment the rest of Rin's composure crumbled. His tears started to fall again as he fell to his knees, pulling Shiemi down with him. Unlike before, he was no longer hiding the fact that he was crying, his sobs got louder and louder by the second. The sound made Shiemi`s heart break.
"How did *hicc* you *hicc* know?" Rin questioned Shiemi between sobs, holding on to her tighter and tighter. She didn't know what to say. Does she say she heard Yuki and Ms Shura, or come up with a different plan. She decided that the truth would be better in this situation.
"I heard Yuki and Ms Shura talking about the night your father died," At her sudden sentence Rin went stiff, tears no longer fell and he pulled away from Shiemi. Putting up the wall he had just taken down. "Rin, what`s wrong?" the young blonde question.
"I should head back to the dorms now," he said, depleted of any emotion. As he started walking away from the garden, he heard Shiemi running up behind him. Rin knew what was going to happen as soon as she tugged on his sleeve.
"Wha…Why are you leaving?" Shiemi asked him, trying to hide her quivering voice as she was close to tears.
"Leave me alone," was his reply. The young blonde was going to protest, and Rin knew this so he decided to stop her from trying to get him to stay. "I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" he shouted as he ripped his arm out of her grasp. Rin knew he shouldn't have done that as soon as he said it. He heard Shiemi gasp, but knew if he turned around he would give in and apologize. But there was something he had to sort out beforehand. He continued his walk back to the dorms. He needed to talk with Yukio.
...
"You think you can go and blab to whoever you want about dad, huh!?" Rin shouted as he entered the room he shared with his brother. Yukio looked up from his studies, confused expression on his face.
"Nii-san? What are you talking about, blab to who about dad? I didn't….." Yukio started with a confused edge to his voice, but was stopped when Rin stormed across the room, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he hauled Yukio up by his collar, blue flames flashing in his eyes, "….Rin?" he stuttered, eyes growing wide under his glasses.
"Yo-you told her didn't you?! You told Shiemi about dad. Didn't you?" his words starting out angry and full of conviction, but his voice cracking as he started to sob again. Rin`s grip loosened on his brothers collar, tears started their trail down his face. "Wh-why would you tell her?"
Before Rin could sob out anymore words, Yukio grabbed Rin's hands and removed them from his collar, "Nii-san, i didn't tell her anything, the only per…" suddenly realization hit him, she must have overheard Shura and him talking about that night. As Yukio was contemplating the situation, Rin was pacing around the room, still shaking; either from anger or sobbing, he couldn't tell. But that's when the teal eyed teen started to speak again.
"Rin, you need to calm down. I didn't tell her anything, she overheard me and Shura talking," the youngest brother stated. Rin stoped pacing, turning towards his brother, confusion written all over his face." What do you mean, you and Shura were talking?" Rin questioned.
The hazel haired brother signed and began to recount the conversation between him and Shura. Saying that she was telling him to, basically, 'stop acting like a dick'. This earned a slight chuckle from Rin. Then it got serious again as Yukio was talking about how Rin was the only one that knew what actually happened, and that he's been having nightmares about it, "You know Rin, it would really help to talk about what happened to dad. It doesn't have to be me, but just talk to somebody," said the taller teen, "if not for you, then for your friends. How do you think they would feel if their friend lost control again and got sentenced by the Vatican?"
Rin suddenly fell to his knees, and covered his eyes with his hands; fingers tugging at the strands of his raven locks, as he began to sob uncontrollably. "You don't *hicc* understand Yukio. It was my *hicc* fault, I'm the reason he's dead." Yukio had no idea where this was coming from, but he knew better than to stop Rin. This was good for him.
"I was an idiot *hicc*, I told him to stop pretending to be my dad," it was then that Rin raised his head and removed his hands as he guiltily looked at his brother; puffy red eyes, as tears continued to make their way down his cheeks, "you don't understand Yukio *hicc*, I broke him, I'm the reason that Satan *hicc* could take control over his body." It was at this moment Yukio felt his own tears start to form in his eyes. He didn't have the heart to tell Rin to stop, so he listened as he continued to tell Yukio about what happened. Luckily enough, Rin's sobs died down after a few deep breaths.
Yukio kneeled beside his trembling brother, and waited for the retelling to continue. "He, Satan, opened a gate to Gahenna; he grabbed me and dragged me over to the gate and threw me in, aling with the koma sword. That- that's when dad started to fight back, and eventually," it was at this moment Rin felt the walls he started to build up again, crumble, "he stabbed himself Yukio, for me. He killed himself to protect me!" Rin all but screamed, falling forward. Forehead resting against the wooden floor and fist clenched beside his head. Blue flames surrounded his body.
"Nii-san! You need to calm down!" the once composed brother shouted, as a single tear made its way down his freckled cheek. "Deep breaths, calm down."
Rin sat up, and did what his brother advised and calmed himself down. He looked over at Yukio, and saw that his eyes were red, "Yukio, are you ok?" the raven haired male asked his twin, worry clear in his voice. Yukio responded when he wiped the stray tear from his check "Yeah, I'm am now. Thank you for telling me nii-san," he finished with a weak smile, as he and Rin embraced each other in a well needed hug.
Ruining the moment, Rin pulled back from his brother in realisation of how he left things with Shiemi, and felt terrible. Yukio responded with a confused expression, at his brother`s reaction. "Nii-san?"
The older teen jumped to his feet, and went for the door. He needed to fix things with Shiemi and apologize. "I need to go, I need to apologize," he told his brother. Leaving him confused.
"Apologize to whom?" Yukio asked.
"Shiemi, i yelled at her, oh god. I got mad and angry at her. I yelled at her, Yukio. She was only trying to help," Yukio was only just able to understand his mumbling brother. Rin was currently pacing back and forth with his hands in his hair, as if he was tearing it out. "i need to go apologize, are you sure your ok?" Rin asked once again.
"Yes, nii-sa. I`m fine," was the answer he got. Yukio was grinning at his brother`s fanatics.
"Alright, I'll be back soon," Rin replied, as he ran and flung open the door, which revealed Shura in a position that showed, she was listening at the door.
"Go get her Rin", shura stated as she tried to compose herself, and winked at the teenager knowingly. Not a second after she said those words; Rin was out the door and heading to the Moriyama household. Shura then turned her attention to the younger twin, still on the floor.
"You sure you`re ok Yukio?" she questioned as she knelt down beside him. He began to shake after her words, and she knew he was sobbing like a baby. To comfort him, she wrapped him in a hug and let him cry until he felt better. She held him and whispered soothing nothings in his ear.
...
Just Rin`s luck, of course it would be raining. But that wouldn`t stop him, he needed to apologize to Shiemi and explain. Ignoring the cold droplets on his face, Rin continued to run. The supply shop in view. It was unusual to find that she wasn't in her garden or the store house. Rin sprinted up the rest of the steps to the supply shop, and swung open the door.
They young man was met with the stone-faced, and angry mother of the younger Moriyama. He froze right where he was, and started to mumble meaningless words in his own defense. he didn`t know why nut the glare gave him the feeling he needed to do something.
"What are you doing here demon boy?" the older woman questioned.
"I-I need to ta-talk with Shiemi. If that`s ok Miss Moriyama?" Rin replyed with as much confidence as he could muster. "I need to apologize to her, please," he all but begged.
After a moment`s hesitation, she agreed but warned him "If you ever make her cry again, the Vatican will be the least of your worries, got it?" and gave him a waning glare, and telling him she was up in her room.
"Yes ma`am," were the only words he got out, as he shuffled past the woman, and headed to his best friends room. Calming himself before knocking on the young women`s door. He could hear light sobbing coming from the other side of the door.
"Shiemi? I need to apologize, but I can`t do through the door," Rin stated leaning his head against the door. You know for demon hearing, he was pretty lousy in hearing Shiemi walking towards the door and turning the knob. Thus making Rin land flat on his face, on Shiemi`s bedroom floor.
"Oh my gosh, Rin are you ok?" the startled blonde asked, as she knelt in front of Rin watching as he lifted his head off the floor. The blonde grabbed his face in her hands inspecting the bump forming on the males head.
"Yeah, I'm just peachy," he replied sarcastically as he sat up and started to rub his forehead, looking at the tear stained giggling face of the girl he adored.
"I`m sorry!" both teens yelled in unison, and startled the other. This went on for a while, but inevitably, Rin decided Shiemi should go first.
"I`m so sorry Rin, I was just worried about you and you wouldn't talk to anyone. I was just going to ignore Yuki and Ms Shura`s conversation but as soon as they said your name I couldn't help myself. I was so worried Rin, and I felt useless because I couldn't help you," Shiemi spoke, clearly to start with, but halfway through she burst into tears in front of Rin. She felt so guilty. She was looking at the ground, eyes closed when she felt two large, rough hands lift he head upwards, whilst wiping away her tears.
She opened her eyes to see a teary Rin in front of her, with one of his stupid grins on his face, fang poking over his lip. He leaned his forehead against hers, I a sign of comfort and that it was his turn to speak. Chuckling, he said, "I should be the one apologizing to you," never taking his eyes away from hers he continued, "I was irrational and emotional, and I had no right to take tat out on you. You were just trying to help, and I was being a jerk. God, I`m so sorry Shiemi,"
"I-I just miss him so much," the teen choked, "It was my fault *hicc*, I broke him, and that killed him.*hicc* I didn't even get the chance to say sorry, *hicc*, I`m such an idiot." He finished as he was brought into a hug by Shiemi, burying his head in her neck. She let him cry it out for what seemed to be a few seconds too an hour, she couldn't tell. She just knew she needed to hold him. As the blond held the trembling boy in her arms, she leaned back and held his face in her hands once again.
"It`s not your fault Rin, I`ve never meet your father, but I do believe he forgave, and is so, so proud of the man you`ve become, and I`m positive that he loves you," Shiemi stated before she pulled his face in and gently placed her lips on his forehead, while wiping away lose tears. Both their cheeks dusted pink, from the crying or embarrassment, they couldn't tell. They just continued to hold each other.
The young blonde could feel the boy`s breathing becoming calmer and peaceful in her arms. He was falling asleep in her arms. She felt herself yawn, from the warmth of the boy in her arms. Shiemi reached for a pillow from her bed, laying it on the floor. Slowly she lowered herself and Rin onto the pillow, careful not to wake him from his slumber. He was out like a light, which caused the blonde to giggle to herself. 'He is so cute when he`s asleep' Shiemi thought to herself. She knew it wouldn't be long before she would fall asleep herself, but she wanted to look at his face a little longer. Noticing his long eyelashes, his calm sleeping expression, and the way his hair fell in his face.
She couldn't stop herself, before she knew what she was doing she placed a light kiss to Rin`s lips, careful not to wake him. Her cheeks heated dup and dusted themselves with a light shade of pink at her action. Now when she looked at his face she saw a faint smile, and light blush grace his face. Shiemi closed her eyes, but was soon jolted when she was pulled flat against Rin`s chest, along with his tail wrapping it around her protectively. This caused a giggle to erupt from her throat. As she once again closed her eyes, and drifted to sleep in the young man's arms.
Little did Shiemi know, Rin was awake the whole time, and completely aware of everything she had done. He smiled and tightened his hold on the young woman in his arms, and fell asleep with their foreheads pressed together. Both with the biggest grins on their faces.