The Flames. Their Dance. So Wicked.
Author's Note: So here's my attempt of a one shot! I enjoy Rin/Yukio pairing, though in more of a brotherly setting. So do read and review! Thanks!
The Flames. Their Dance. So Wicked.
Rin sighed as he entered his small, tidy dorm room. It was clean only because his brother, Yukio, had the room to himself over the past few days. The True Cross infirmary had become a second home to Rin as of late and he wondered sullenly if he should request permanent residency.
The older twin unceremoniously tossed his backpack onto his bunk and winced. Even simple movements caused him pain. Gritting his teeth, Rin untucked his white blouse then unbuttoned it. Dressing wrapped his abdomen and a large patch of gauze sat just under his left breast. A dot of deep red blossomed on the bandage. Jeez. Rin slowly reached down to touch it when the door slammed shut behind him. His quick, reflexive nature caused him to spin around tearing at the sutures under the gauze. "Ah!" Rin cried and laid eyes on his brother standing in front of the closed door. "Yuk-" Before he could finish calling out his sibling's name, Yukio darted forward and grabbed Rin by the collar of his blouse. "What are you— "
"Be quiet!" Yukio shouted and slightly shook his brother who was forced to stand on his toes. "I waited until you healed... mostly." Yukio began as he glanced down at his brother's weeping wound. "Before I would talk—no, lecture you, for the umpteenth time!"
"Get off me!" Rin growled. Even though he was thoroughly exhausted, a spark of that forsaken power fluttered within him. The older twin closed his eyes trying to calm himself. "Please remove" Rin clasped his brother's wrist. "your hand."
"No! You—" Yukio pushed against the smaller twin slamming him against the wall. With his weight he pressed his forearm across Rin's chest and held him a few inches above the floor. "You will listen to me, Rin, if not on your level, then on mine!" Yukio spat. There was a dangerous tone in his voice and fearsome glint in the eyes that sat behind those black-rimmed glasses.
Shock engulfed Rin. The dread that began to erupt in the pit of his stomach wasn't from any physical wound, it wasn't from the verbal slight from his brother, it wasn't even from the fact that his brother was mad at him as that was nearly a daily occurrence. But it was in his name, Rin, that he found the source of this pain. Never in his life had his brother called him by his first name. Throughout their childhood, whether it be in anger, love, disgust—whatever, it had always been 'Nii-san'. And now, as Rin looked behind the glare of his brother, he could see that 'Nii-san' was someone else, a dear person to Yukio—not this thing, this Rin that was pinned against the wall. Rin, was a cursed being.
"Now that I have your limited attention, I need you to listen and don't youdare interrupt me. Do you understand, Rin?" Yukio watched his brother wince and eyes fall away from his. When the shorter twin did not speak, Yukio pressed his weight into him. "Do you understand?!"
The raven haired youth continue to avert his eyes. "Yes."
"Then look at me." Yukio spoke. The quiet in his voice was venomous.
Rin had been bullied countless times for countless reasons. The ending result was usually the same; the other party left crying, bleeding, or unconsciously rolled away on a gurney. He was always able to protect himself and his brother from the hoodlums and thugs that tried to harm them. He was strong, undoubtedly so, but he felt weak with a fear that now roiled within him. How can someone so weak protect frail, little Yukio? Rin lifted his eyes to those of his brothers. Yukio was neither frail nor weak anymore.
"I am at the end of my patience with you, Rin." The younger twin began. "There seems to be no form of punishment that will get you to straighten your act. Even the threat of your life!" The presage of wrath filled Yukio. "The Vatican will not allow you, the Son of Satan, to run rampant among their people, let alone civilians! Not even under the guise of this absurd desire you have to become an exorcist! They will not accept you as you are!" Yukio let Rin's feet touch the floor, but he kept him pinned. He wanted his brother to know that he was no child needing protection that it was in fact the other way. "I will not accept you."
Rin kept his eyes locked onto Yukio's.
"Father had given up his promising career and devoted his life to raising us as respectable, responsible adults. I have taken him seriously ever since he's told me about us, about you. And even now, in the wake of all that has happened since you've brought about his death" Yukio saw a flash of blue flame in his brothers eyes, but he continued. "you insist on taking everything he and I have sacrificed and you dash it against the rocks! Why, Rin?!" Yukio removed his arm from his brother and balled his hand into a fist. "Why do you continue hurt those around you?!" The taller twin jabbed his fist into his brother's wound. Rin's body tensed. "Was father's death in vain?" This time Yukio's eyes dropped and the glare of the light on his glasses hid them. The wrath of his younger sibling had subsided, but what remained was...
Silence blanketed the two for a length of time neither could recall.
Finally, Rin let out the breath he'd been holding. "I—" All that was now crashing down on him impeded his speech, but he tried to find himself and his voice. "I should have..." Rin looked down at the warm red liquid that slowly wept from his wound onto his brother's fist. This is the color that was present at my birth... and at the old man's death. The horrifying image of his father sinking into the mouth of the Gehenna Gate with blood pouring from every crevice on his face came to mind. Rin's own face contorted in anguish as there, in the same image, danced the wicked blue flames, dancing as if in rejoice over the death of this man, their father.
Those blue flames covered him now, in his room with his brother's fist still pressed into him. Yukio did not move.
"It should have been me." Rin declared. All that he had feared, regretted, and avoided now came bursting forth, unrelentingly. "I should have been the one to die!" Yukio's eyes snapped to meet his brother's. Rin saw that some part of his brother, his little brother Yukio, felt the same. "I should have died that day, you should have been given this..." Rin lifted his hands and looked at them as if they were dangerous. "You and father should be here right now, not me. Neither of you would cause the trouble, the damage, the pain that I have. Neither of you would be such a nuisance— neither of you would have the Grigori and countless others out for your blood! I would have given my life at that moment, not at the old man's death, but at my own birth. If it meant that you two were here right now. I..." Rin clenched his hands into fists and brought them down to his sides. "I used to wish this."
Yukio looked down at his brother.
"Have you ever witnessed a lit candle stand still?" Rin asked as he raised his arm. The azure fire peaked and broke and leapt from one part of his skin to another. "The slightest movement, breath, flutter of a moth's wing will cause it's flame to shutter." Rin took his brother's fist that was still at his wound and raised it to where his heart would be. "It's the same in here. The simplest, most trivial events or emotions are like rolls of thunder for me." And so when I see innocent people, my friends, my brother being threatened by anyone, demonic or not, I will do everything in my power to destroy that threat. I know... I know I tend to lose it sometimes. And" Rin refused to close his eyes. He wanted to let their cooling, liquid truth roll down his cheek, but the tears sizzled away upon falling from his lids. "I am all too aware of the grief I am causing you, Yukio."
The taller twin could not look away from the electric blue orbs that gazed back at him.
"No, I'm not a genius like you. I've never been one to handle a classroom setting or any social occasion. It's not because I can't learn or that I don't want to. I'm just..." Rin set his jaw and braced himself as if what he would say next might throttle him. "I'm just as they've always called me as a kid, a monster."
Yukio opened his mouth as if to object, but he held his tongue. Rin wished he hadn't, so he kept on. "Like I said I used to wish this power was given to you. You're level headed, reserved, and well just better at most everything. Remember when I first found out you wanted to become a doctor? Those kids were picking on you because of it, but I was proud of you. I knew that if given the chance you'd become the best out there; you'd save so many people and do so much good because that was you, you had the gentle heart. And so I made it my mission to ensure that no one and no thing" Rin lifted his fiery blue hand. "would get in your way... That was when I realized, out of the two of us " The older twin looked up at his brother and cracked a weary smile. "I had to be the monster."
Yukio finally removed his fist from his brother and backed away a step. He felt filthy—almost nauseous for allowing such vile things come from his mouth. What did I just do? Why?
Rin's flames dissipated and he walked around his twin. "I've done the homework I missed while I was in the ward. It's in my backpack if you want to grade it." Rin turned to leave the room when Yukio grabbed him by the shoulder, this time it was a gentle hold.
"Nii-san." the taller brother spoke.
Rin hesitated. Hearing Yukio speak the name that only he could be called by him, Nii-san, gave him a seed of hope. He turned to face Yukio, he noticed the shimmering gloss over those blue-green eyes.
Yukio threw his arms around Rin and hugged him. It was rare that the younger twin was at a lose for words, but he found a few that would suffice for now. I will mend you. "You're no monster." Yukio spoke. "No... just little Nii-san."
"Tch, jerk" Rin said as their short embrace broke.
Yukio chuckled. "Here, let me clean up your wound."