I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know
That there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be
Blinded by tears
I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
If i will it all away

Evanescence


Chapter 1: Whispers

It had been a few weeks since the Impure King was defeated and True Cross Academy was beginning to look like its old self again. Unfortunately, one of its teachers was the furthest from themselves they had ever been...

Yukio faced himself in the bathroom mirror. He pressed a finger to one of the dark half moons beneath his tired eyes and pulled the skin down, revealing pink and white and turquoise - and no hint of any blue flame.

What on earth was that?

He recalled his battle with Toudou, the battle that had nearly ended his short life. The second before Toudou's flaming fist had contacted all Yukio saw was blue and flames and Toudou jumping back, repelled.

I thought I didn't possess any of Satan's power?

The moment before, when Yukio truly believed he was going to die he had reached out for Rin.

"Nii-San!"

Had he opened a channel perhaps with his brother, a mental link, from which flowed the blue flames? Rin might have been inadvertently protecting him. So much was unclear.

Yukio let his lower lid ping back into place and sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the tiled floor. "Toudou...I wonder what happened to him?"

"Do you miss me?"

The stark, mocking sound of Toudou's voice cut through the silence like an arrow. Yukio's head sprang up and in the mirror behind him stood Toudou, grinning mischievously from behind his shoulder. Terror of death and the threat of intimacy in the tiny bathroom seized Yukio and he failed to move. He was frozen. From behind him his oppressor moved closer. Yukio felt him press up against his back, the heat of another body, and could trace the sensation of a hand slowly gliding up his thigh.

"Ah!" Yukio gasped, freed from his immobility by the brashness of the gesture and, whirling around, pressed his back to the mirror defensively.

There was no one there. Just the empty doorway back out into the room he shared with Rin. Speak of the devil (or the devil's son in this case), Rin strolled in not moments later.

"Oi, Yukio, have you seen my-" Rin stopped when he noticed his little brother's flushed and startled face. It was rare for anything besides seriousness to grace Yukio's expression. "What's wrong? Your face is red." Rin suddenly became Momma-Rin, the kind who cooks meals and wears an apron and is good with kids, and approached Yukio to feel his forehead.

Yukio untensed at his brothers touch and sank a little into it with relief. Just my imagination... He reassured himself. There's no way Toudou would be here...There's no way Toudou would do...that...

"I'm fine, Nii-San. You just startled me."

"Uh-uh, Yukio, you feel kinda hot. And you've gone really pale. Christ, your eyes...when was the last time you slept?"

Irked, Yukio gripped Rin's wrist and removed his hand from his head. "I may not win the prize for best looking Exorcist today, Nii-San, but I have work to do so I'll just have to do as I am."

Rin threw up his hands and grinned cheekily. "Sorry, sorry!"

Yukio smiled back and handed Rin his jacket from where it was haphazardly thrown over the clothes horse over the bath.

"Ah! That's what I was looking for!"

"I know," Yukio commented dryly. "Where are you going? To the library I hope."

Rin snorted. "No chance. Shura wants to see us."

"Us?" Yukio raised an eyebrow. Did she want him to aid her in Rin's weekly training session.

"Yeah," Run tugged his arms threw the black Academy jacket. "She says something's come in that she wants us to look at - some demonic artifact."

"Oh." He replied, interest and concern bleeding into his tone. If he had his way Rin would be kept miles away from anything demonic. Which included himself right now.

"So get a move on spotty-four eyes!" Rin playfully thumped Yukio on the shoulder, effectively pushing him towards the door and earning him a hopeless what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you smile.


Hey guys! Himeko here, wow this is my first story. I hope you enjoyed this little taster chapter and will look forward to the next!

Thank you for reading!