Hmm... Yukio... My brother. Its so hard to believe he's been training to be an exorcist all this time. Since he was seven, he says? He used to be so innocent. So fragile. So scared of everything. and seeing him like this now... his black exorcist jacket and a stern and diciplined face as if nothing scares him anymore. It's as if i'm looking at a different version of Yukio. no... it's as if this isnt Yukio at all. When did he change? When did he suddenly decide to become an exorcist? Why did he... Was it me? Did he want to kill me? Is that why he began to study to be an exorcist? Cant be. He looked up to me. We were so close as kids. We used to play together all the time.
I remember one day when dad took us to the playground that was nearby our monastery.
"Hey boys, get your shoes on, we're gonna go to the park down the street." He told us one Saturday afternoon.
"Wha? Really!?" I asked enthusiastically as I looked up at him stary-eyed, from the truck i was playing with.
"Coooool!" Yukio said, next to me, with the same enthusiasm, and we ran to get our shoes by the door. On our way there, we couldnt stop bouncing and skipping happily next to dad as he laughed at us being silly children.
There wasnt much at this playground since we didnt live in a very nice neighborhood. there was a set of swings, monkey bars, a slide and a sandbox. Yukio didnt really want to go in it because he was afraid of the bugs. He just sat outside of the sandbox on the grass and watched me play, as I built a sand castle and wrecked it only to start over. I kept looking sadly over at him, and he just smiled sweetly at me. Now that i think about it, he watched me play in the sandbox with the same adoring look that dad had as he watched us both play that day.
"come in, and play with me, Yukio!" I begged him as I patted the bucket of sand again, to make sure it was firmly packed. He shuddered in fear as he shook his head.
"N-no, Im fine just watching you play." He smiled at me again.
"Nu-uh you're not having no fun, join me!"
"I..-I am.. Honest!" He said as he went stiff, bowing his head. I shook my head in protest as I sighed, putting down the toys, I stood up.
"C'mon lets do something else... Tag, you're it!" I said and tapped him on the shoulder, running a few steps away. He looked at me with surprise and bewilderment before finally smiling and giving in as he chased me around the park.
"Haha, cant get me, cant get me! hahahaha!" i laughed, teasingly as i ran around the playground's furnature and around dad, as he laughed at us.
"Okay, I get it, I'm no match for you!" Yukio shouted back, breathless. I stopped for his sake.
"Rin! Yukio!" We turned, hearing dad call for us. "Hop on!" He patted the swings for us to come over and we ran to him. I hopped on a swing and dad gave me strong hard push, and i went soaring into the air, giggling. Dad had to help Yukio onto the other one because he was too short to climb onto it himself. He took turns pushing us on the swings as we laughed and giggled, and screeched like children. After a while I decided i'd had enough and I jumped off the swing in mid-air. I stuck the landing like a champ a few feet away. Yukio looked on at me, admiringly with sparkling eyes. Gathering up all his courage, Yukio took the leap, and jumped off the swing, the same as what i did. unfortunately for Yukio, he didnt stick the landing like his awesome big brother did, landing just just a foot in front of the swings on his face. Dad and I looked to him in horror as he sat up, slowly, tears filling his eyes.
"Yukio, are you alright?!" Dad exclaimed, as both of us running to Yukio, terribly worried.
"Owwiieee..." He whinned, holding his scraped knee. The underside of his forearm was scrapped as well.
"Oh, boy, Yukio, looks like you took quite a fall there. We should go home and get you cleaned up." Dad said as he moved to help Yukio off the ground.
"N-no! I got this!" I moved to cut him off and kneeled down infront of Yukio, who looked at me expectantly. I leant forward and gave a quick peck of my lips to his scraped and dirt lathered knee. I sat back up smiling brightly at him. "See! Doesnt it feel better?"
"Y-ya know... It does hurt a little less now..." Yukio said, looking down at his scraped knee in wonder. "H-hey Rin.. Can you do this one now?" He asked, holding out his arm to show me the small scrapes on his forearm. I nodded happily before pecking the scrapes on his arm lightly.
"See!? I'm magical!" I exclaimed.
"Thanks, Rin, you're the best!" Yukio smiled brightly before pulling me close into a hug.
"haha, you sure are, Rin. but your magic isn't enough to stop the bleeding though, so we should really head home to clean that up." Dad said smiling with a hand on each of our backs. We both nodded and began our walk home.
Since then Yukio didnt cry as much when I kissed his injuries. Infact it became a habbit when he was little to come crying to me when he got hurt so that I could kiss it and make it better. God, he was so adorable back then. I wonder when he changed. I wonder.. what made him change.
Yukio... Will you ever tell me one day? why you decided to become an exorcist?